Cleaning out my closet

Cleaning out my closet... oh my how I loved that song! Bobby burst out singing it earlier and I haven't been able to get it out of my head! Haha... If you're not an Eminem fan... just disregard that. You either love him or you hate him... Anyway... So yeah, that's what we did today. Well... we're still in the process of it actually! I have the hugest mess you can possibly imagine! I don't even know where we are going to sleep because the bed is so full! I told him I would love some extra shelves in there, because I have sooo many purses and no where to put them. Among other things like belts, hats and keepsakes, that you know... where do you put them?... you just stick them in the closet! So even though we don't have the money to go buy the wood to build shelves, he did it anyway. He told me it would only be about $12 or so, so I told him, "why not... go ahead." I think he might have spent a little more because there is a lot of wood sitting in my living room right now! Luckily I found $33 dollars in a purse that I cleaned out. So, whew! that will cover it! I am such a pack rat! A very sentimental pack rat! I save receipts from certain memorable times in my life. I save all sorts of memorabilia. It made me kind of sad though. I thought that when he was busy building the shelves, I would clean out purses. I found the purse that I had when Bobby and I got married. It had two champagne corks and the piece of candy that they left on our pillow at the bed and breakfast we stayed in on our honeymoon. Yeah, I know, gross... old chocolate candy! But I couldn't just throw it away!!! I found this one pink Louis Vuitton purse (that I borrowed from my friend Cristi... and never gave back :) that I had been carrying in '04. It had a note my mother had written me, right after my grandmother passed away, the lawyers business card that my ex husband and I used for our divorce, an obgyn appointment paper that I had when I was having such trouble and found out I had endometriosis, a silly little instruction booklet that I had to a toy I bought, and had taken to the bar where I worked... It was this little pet like thing that was in a water bubble... you would press the buttons to pet him or feed him, and he would jump around, dance and make such cute noises! I remember taking him to work with me 'cause I would get so lonely! Lol! I also found a key chain that had my ex husbands initials engraved on it. He gave that to me when we were dating and I had carried it for many years! I had totally forgotten about it. Man! that one purse was full of SO many memories! I just sat in the floor and cried! That purse had been carried at a really bad time in my life. I just put all of the stuff back in it and decided maybe I won't clean out any more purses tonight! Dinner's almost ready anyway. Irish Beef Stew, a late celebration of St. Patricks Day.

I just went in the bedroom to check on Bobby, and he has taken everything out of the closet! EVERYTHING! Even down to the rods that the clothes were hanging on. It is all sitting on my bed! He's sawing sheetrock....Oh lord... so he can find a stud! Have mercy on us all! I have a feeling I'm going to be up all night!

Pine cone bird feeders

A couple of weeks ago when we went fishing at Oak Mountain... Bobby found some really big pine cones and loaded them up in the van, thinking we would find some use for them. Well, he came up with the idea to make peanut butter pine cone birdfeeders. I remember doing this when I was in elementary school and we hung it outside of our classroom window. Well, yesterday was the perfect day to do it! It was so beautiful outside! I'm sure no one needs a tutorial on how to make these, but I'll give you the step by step run down anyway...

First make sure you have: Pine cones, peanut butter, birdseed (we used sunflower seed), spatulas or good child safe spreaders and a big ole smile on your face!Spread the peanut butter all over your pine cone... glopping on the peanut butter will work just fine!
We used our little red wagon to put all of the bird seed in, and just rolled the pine cones around in it!
After a lot of laughing, giggling, throwing of birdseed in the yard, and licking of the peanut butter... there you have it... Viola! a pine cone bird feeder!


Watch out it can be VERY VERY MESSY!




I was pretty disappointed when the birds didn't come and gobble it all up, maybe they will today. I haven't been out there to check on them today, but I have a feeling the squirrels will be enjoying them too!

A little "I love you" can go a long way...

The other day, Tad was very grumpy... he's grumpy quite often, but I am so glad when Lexie is here and she will go in there to play with him. Sometimes I think it just gets to be a bit much for her, but usually she doesn't mind at all since he has a tv in his room and she can watch some of her shows while she's in there with him. Well... I've been considering STRONGLY having our cable turned off. I told her this, and let her know that while she is in there playing with him to just leave his baby movie on, because she needs to get used to not watching tv. I don't have a problem with PBS, but the rest of the crap that comes on television we can most certainly live without! Anyway, I could go on a total rant about my views on television and how it is just straight from Satan himself but, that was not the point of this blog post. (I'll save that for another day :) Ok, well... I had asked her several times to go in there with Tad so that I wouldn't have to hear him scream, told her to take her book in there and just keep him company. Bless her heart she didn't complain at all. She had been in there with him for the majority of the day and she finally comes out asking me if she can go play in her room for a while. My first initial response was "Oh Please go back in there" "Ok" she said again without complaining.... "What did you want to do in your room?" ...considering she NEVER EVER plays in her room. She doesn't really play that much anymore... She said, "To play with my Littlest Pet Shop for a while" Then I felt sooo bad and of course said ok... go play. She shoots out of the living room so fast you wouldn't believe it! Then I had one of those Mom moments where you realize that your kids are totally awesome... you know all of those times you think on all of the negative things about them and wish they would be like you "really" want them to be... Well I realized this about Lexie in this brief fleeting moment from the time she went from the living room to the hallway. I take for granted sometimes how truly good of a kid she really is. I screamed out "Lexie!" ... "Ma'am?" she calls from the hallway "Lexie!!!" ... "Ma'am" she says as she is coming back into the living room, undoubtedly thinking she is in trouble for something... "I love you" I say... Boy oh boy did she light up! You have no IDEA the difference in this child at this moment! (Please don't think that I don't tell my child I love her on a regular basis.... believe me I do) But at this moment when I said those 3 little words she instantly smiled and said "Oh, Mom... is there anything I can get you?... do you need some more green tea? Would you like anything at all? Just let me know if there is anything... anything! I love you!" Wow! that was nice. I let her know that I was good but I would call her if I needed her... she went on and on telling me that I would know where she was and, to be SURE and call her when I needed something.... About 2 minutes later she comes back into the living room and pulls off my socks. She had lotion in her hands and proceeded to give me a wonderful footrub!!! Nice huh? She was a total angel for the rest of the night! Bless her sweet heart...

So yeah, sometimes just saying those three little words to someone... at that right moment, can really mean the world to someone and make their day...

Wabi Sabi baby!

Wabi-sabi (侘寂^?) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The phrase comes from the two words wabi and sabi. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete"

Wabi Sabi... not to be confused with wasabi (that really hot green stuff at sushi restaurants)

Ok, so it is basically finding beauty in the imperfect. (That's my simple definition) I was reading an article this morning in Womans Day Magazine on wabi sabi and I had a small little light bulb moment on the toilet. Sometimes, that's just where you have your best ones... you know?...Anyway, moving on... I recently turned 30 and have not been too happy about it. I cried for weeks I tell ya! Weeks! I didn't want to leave my 20's. I kept thinking once I hit 30 I would officially be an adult! A real grown up... you know? Why that really bothered me I'm not sure. I pretty much became an adult at 17 when I got married. (In the responsibility sense of it... CERTAINLY not mentally) So you'd have thought it wouldn't have bothered me so badly. Yes, I know... "30 is the new 20" "Women are more sure of themselves in their 30's" "A woman's sex drive is on fire in her 30's" "The people on Friends were in their 30's" Oh phoey! whatever! Yeah, it still bugged me... still is bugging me. I hate when I look in the mirror and see those lines forming on my face that just won't go away anymore. Things changing and moving on my body. My butt is starting to sag. I have a flat butt! How in the world can it sag? But yes, oh yes... somehow it happened! We won't even go into the boobs! (That has a lot to do with breastfeeding 2 kids though) So yeah, I've decided that I'm going to try.... TRY is the key word here mind you. Try to start looking at myself with a Wabi Sabi perspective. Finding beauty in my imperfections! Not just on the outside either! Boy it's going to be hard, but I can do it...

I'm also going to look around my house, and my life and think of things in this Wabi Sabi way.

Sure my house is small, but it's cozy.

I don't live in a great neighborhood, but I'm close to every grocery store, drug store and fastfood chain imaginable! (within 5 minutes!) and I have several really nice neighbors!

My yard looks like crap right now, but the daffodils are blooming!

Every wall and piece of trim in my house needs repainting, but that just gives it character! (yeah right)

My van wants to die out on me every time I stop at a red light or stop sign and the left rear tire keeps losing air, but I can appreciate the fact that it still gets me where I need to go!

My dog keeps using the bathroom in the floor, but I can appreciate the fact that he is sweet, lovable and great with both of the kids!

The carpet is stained, but... I love that dang dog...

My husband has been unemployed for over two months now, but I can appreciate the fact that we have gotten to spend LOTS of quality time together and he will hopefully get some things done around here that need to be done :) Appreciate that we still have our house, our utilities are still on (for now anyway) and that we were approved for food stamps and we won't have to worry about groceries! Praise God!

I may have worry lines on my face, some laugh lines too... :) I might not be able to fit into the jeans that I wore when I was 23, my body is lumpy and bumpy in places that I would rather them be smooth, but I'm still beautiful! At least I know my kids think I am, and that's pretty special...

So remember! Just tell yourself, as I will tell myself "I can do it! 'cause I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me..." (little quote from Daily Affirmations by Stuart Smalley for ya, in case you thought I was going a little overboard there) haha

Wabi Sabi baby!

here I am again with nothing to say...

Well... As you have probably noticed, I haven't really been blogging that much lately. I have pondered and pondered on what to blog about! You guys have no idea how this has been stumping me! I think about posting a blog and then I know all I'm gonna do is talk about how Bobby doesn't have a job and how broke we are. TWO MONTHS AND NO FRIGGIN JOB!!! So yeah, it would be a lot of complaining and I figured that would just turn you guys off anyway. I've thought about changing this blog to a different style of blog.... I was looking online the other day and found several fabulous blogs about middle aged females and their sex lives! (yes, yes I know! ...gasp, gasp!!! but seriously guys they were pretty interesting... ) So yeah I thought about doing something like that, then I laughed hysterically! Probably not the best idea... I really doubt the hubby would approve of me giving out the intimate details of our personal life! Plus I wouldn't want to scare off the followers that I currently have (I love u guys! ) I've thought of all sorts of ideas... that one was my best idea, but yeah not gonna happen unless I go under an anonymous name and totally different blog! LOL! Oh goodness... anyways... So yeah, sorry guys for not posting more. I'm just at a total loss here. I know that all I have to say is pretty sad, so until things get better, or I just get inspired...