It is almost September on the calendar. In my mind, and according to the thermometer outside, there are many days of summer left this year. Even so, some of my most recent projects are in preparation for autumn and the coming holiday season. A little embroidery creating oh, so cute, Advent motifs doesn’t feel as wintry in my lap as I sip iced tea, as does knitting a woolen sweater.
So, as we are enjoying the last days of summer, in 97 degree heat, we are also looking toward the next season to turn itself in. Autumn is my favorite season of the year. The rich colors, the cool crisp days, and smells of caramel, apples, and cinnamon lift my spirit. As much as I plan for the months to come, I am sincerely grateful this doesn’t make the days on the calendar turn more swiftly. Here is to taking pause this morning in late summer.
I am still here feeling a tad sore. Still alive, although very weirded out and sick to my stomach at times when thinking about what has gone on in my head. Thank you readers for your well wishes. I so appreciate your comments sending good luck.
I now almost believe everyone who told me that “it really isn’t that bad.”
I was sedated, so I don’t remember any of the procedure. My husband took very good care of me and the kids this weekend so I could rest and heal. My kids, though a bit puzzled, tolerated the mommy-can’t-pick-me-up-because-she-has-an-ouchy weekend. I didn’t need many pain meds and I didn’t swell very much.
And now it is Monday morning. I think I might have to eat solid foods at some point. I am still terrified of the holes in my head. And I am a down a bit on the wisdom factor. And one day I’ll just look back at this distant memory. (Maybe even with straight teeth.)
P/S I forgot to tell the doctor just to toss the teeth and not send them home with me. Now I have this pink plastic tooth that contains all four of those little suckers. Hearing them rattle around in there makes me feel really queasy. No way am I looking at those things. Ever. Yuck.
P/P/S
Stay tuned for some ideas for greener organizing. There are so many plastic organizing solutions. Some of which can be very useful…but there are also a million and one organizing aids made from more natural materials. Stay tuned for some tips on how to stay a bit straighter the greener way. Have a great Monday!
But I hope for not too long. Tomorrow, Friday, I am getting all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. For those of you who have been reading for a bit, you know I have a bit of a doctor phobia. And well, when it comes to dentists, it is just white-knuckle, butterfly tummy, and jaw-clenching time for me. (I still have the same headache that I developed the moment I scheduled this appointment.) I’ve never had anything more than a simple cavity filled. I know my body doesn’t respond well to anesthesia. And I have a family to care for through it all. (Not to worry too much, the entire procedure will only take 30 minutes and I will have help in the early days of recovery.)
On the up-side of all of this, I’ve always wanted straight teeth and with more room in my mouth this is an option. My bite actually makes my profile look like I am storing cotton balls in my mouth, and I just tend not to look at myself from this angle. (And I destroy all photos of me taken from the side.) I am not usually one to be so vain, and in fact, I am a bit timid of the pain and expense involved with all that reverse-aging stuff. But really now, there are digestive reasons I can justify braces right? Is it a periodontal preventative measure? Or am I just stretching?
I plan to take a bit of time off from this space, as I haven’t a clue how recovery will be. I hope to be back in this special space as soon as my chipmunk cheeks are calming down.
Today I am thankful for
- the life-giving rain that turns the leaves that surround our home green
- lazy mornings playing in pajamas and having no where to go
- an exciting and optimistic employment opportunity for my husband
- the roof over our heads when we are praying for those facing times that are financially tight
- summer produce, the colors, the textures, the smells and the tastes, cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh herbs, leafy greens, eggplant…(I could go on and on)
- a moment in the morning with a cup of hot tea and fresh eggs, and a bit of peace and quiet before the day gets underway…
What are you thankful for?
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Inspired by SouleMama.
I devoured this book. I read it between knitting furiously, embroidering fervently, and doing other weekending stuff. And now I am sad it is all gone.
This book is written by Jenna Woginrich who has made great amazing strides toward self sustainability. The possible paradox is that she still works 9-5 for “the company” to pay her bills. But to fill her soul, she gardens, raises livestock, dog sleds, plays the fiddle, sews, knits, and continues to be obsessively interested in all things homesteading. She basically lives the life I’d love to live, eventually, minus a few parts. (I’ll explain those.)
I think it began when our family started raising chickens when I was a kid. Jenna also raises chickens. Hers are, and ours were, egg layers. Neither hers nor ours were “broilers” as they call them. (Aka, for eating.) As a kid, it was my sibling’s and my job to care for the hens. Harsh winters in New Hampshire meant turning on the heat lamp at night. Filling up their grain feed trough daily. Hauling hot water to pour on the icy, sometimes frozen, water feeder. And the best part of the job, collecting eggs in an antique round wire egg basket with handles.
The part about chicken farming I didn’t like was the close-up examination you get of the circle of life. Our chickens were almost like pets. Okay, they were like dumb pets. I remember the day we brought home that noisy box of little birds. (They were full grown, but still really young.) None of them wanted to exit that brown cardboard shelter of safety as we tried to tip them out into their new caged range run.
In short time we had names for them like “blackie”, and “whitie.” (You don’t go getting all esoteric when you are five years old.) We’d rattle the top of the chicken wire cage real loud and those girls would hop on out of their dust holes, or off their perches to come flying out to greet us. (I mean those chicken legs ran so fast those flightless birds were all most flying.) We hand fed them greens from the garden right through the chicken wire in the summers. We’d scold the bullies and console the girls getting plucked by the others. And then we’d lament when one would get sick and die.
The sick one would stop laying. She’d seem sluggish and not move out from behind the feed barrel. And then one day, you’d come through the door and she’d be head-bent over and not moving a stitch. My dad put them somewhere. I don’t know where. And I didn’t care to know. And it makes me feel kind of queasy to think of a death that up-close even as I type these words 30 years later.
Even though I’d say chickens are fairly dumb creatures, I can attest they are living and conscious nonetheless. It is hard to not personify this feathered food source. Especially as a kid.
I know I can’t do what Jenna does on a daily basis. (Help out life and death that is.) She writes in her book about her animals and fine line between natural life and death. I admire deeply that she truly understands our clothing, household items, and food stuffs come from the living. But to get that close to the living and the dying isn’t something I’m prepared to do everyday. Though I am certainly glad to have had that experience as a child.
Today our suburban family is removed. We don’t water and dig for our salad. We don’t help birth the animal that will help us make a sweater. We don’t talk with our steak. And we don’t name the mother of our omelet. We step into our car with our reusable grocery bags and use the gas pedal all the way to the air-conditioned, prepackaged, grocery store. And I mostly like it that way.
But what is the down-side of missing out on the amazing natural progression of things? Do we exploit the environment more? Do we believe man-made is superior to what nature makes? Do we pollute more because we don’ t know where it all goes? By excusing ourselves from nature’s circle of life, by holding our being above the natural progression, aren’t we just shooting ourselves in the foot, so to speak? Even as someone who doesn’t like getting up close and personal with my scrambled egg supplier, I know if I don’t care about and support others who tend to those chickens humanely and sustainably, my breakfast staple is going to be no more pretty soon.
We are very sleepy today. Really exhausted tired. It has been as many nights as I can remember since I got a full night sleep. 5 hours or more of uninterrupted sleep is a simple figment of my vague memory. Maybe it was March last….I feel hot. I feel edgy, I feel shallow.
My younger hasn’t been sleeping well at all. She used to be the best sleeper in the house. Went to sleep well, stayed asleep and awoke perky and happy. Not so now. Is it a dietary issue? Is it not getting enough exercise? Is it a no-nap transition? Is it something environmental, like her brother kicking the wall during the night? Is it co-sleeping? Is it not co-sleeping?
I don’t know. But it is a phase I hope. And this too shall pass. Even if in my sleep deprived stooper I can’t discern the passage of time…I am trying to nourish my body. Exercise when I can manage. Keep hydrated. Set productivity expectations low. Pray. And remember at 2 1/2 years old, waking mommy six times in one night is not being knowingly mean. It is simply that we are 2 1/2 years old. This too shall pass….zzzzzz.
It is summer. It is hot and lazy. And humid here in northern Virginia. Today (and yesterday) I am taking a pause. There are a couple of situations that happened in my life that I am not so in-love-with and I am taking a bit to think them through. There is a small situation that lends itself to be a tad stressful that has crept up and we are dealing with this too. On top of that, child-induced-sleepless nights, allergies, and “that-time-of-the-month” has made everything seem like a vortex to no-where at this moment.
Why is it so hard to see the light shining through the window when you feel so rough around the edges? Why does caffeine withdrawal make you so foggy that you don’t notice the potty seat is up? Why do shrieks of joyous play sound like scissors on metal when you’ve seen the red alarm clock numbers 3AM, 4:37AM, 5:18AM glaring?
Yes, I do feel joyous deep down. I am truly at peace that this will be a productive, unproductive day. I am reading my “Living Faith: Daily Catholic Devotions” booklet. Doing a little bit of yoga. Writing handwritten letters to enclose in family care packages. Playing with PlayDough. And I will try to stay awake until my husband comes home.
I wrote this post about a year ago here on the blog and wow, what a difference a year makes. This post sounds like I am depressed, stressed, anxious, and just plain unhappy. Maybe I really was. But now working on diet and exercise, focusing on relationships and accepting imperfection has brought me around 180 degrees. Today is a no-TV day. And we are surviving. With much more patience. Time is just time. More clutter. There is always clutter, just like the stack of books in this photo. And more intentional love. Love for God. Love for my family. And love for me. I am thankful for a look-back to see just how far I have come. Here is to all of us growing up a bit more (who says any of us are truly “grow-up.”)
 In an effort to get to a simpler family lifestyle I decided to turn off the TV at my house for a week. I have read in numerous places that television isn’t good for young brains. The studies I have seen say that the fast paced, void-of-context, idea imagery confuses developing brains under age of 2. Additionally, children become more sedentary when they watch many hours of television each week and this can be a factor in our juvenile obesity trend today.
As a child I remember watching Public Broadcasting Stations like Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, and The Electric Company. We weren’t allowed to watch more than a few hours of television a day, and never allowed to watch network sitcom type shows. Although I have a serious gap in my knowledge of popular culture, playing away from the set did open the door to explore so many other activities.
As a mom, I admit it, I am guilty of letting my children watch too much television. Last week I decided to turn off the television set cold-turkey and see what happened. My 3 year old went from watching programs many hours a day to zero hours a day. What did I learn? In a nut shell, I learned I have just been lazy and that I need to start entertaining my kids more.
What did the kids do? They painted pictures, colored with crayons, played with play dough, read books, went to the library, went to a cousin’s house for a play date, went to the park for a play date, baked and frosted cupcakes, played in the tub, played in the sink, walked to the playground, played in the dirt, went shopping for groceries, went to grandmother’s house, played in the pantry, and visited with the physical therapist at home. (This is another preemie baby update.) Both children were pretty happy with no television. I asked my son in the middle of the week if he’d like to read a book or watch a program, and he picked the book. A couple of times my son asked for a show or a movie, but I simply said,” no, we are going to go to X,Y,Z,” or “you have plenty of toys, why don’t you play with the blocks” and he didn’t fuss.
Now, you ask, what did I do all week. I changed each kid’s outfit at least once a day. Cleaned up pee and poop — not in a diaper. Washed a baby’s belly that was covered in paint and her mouth which was also covered in paint. I acted as an on-demand artist and sculpture because my son doesn’t understand, “you can make that yourself.” I cleaned up paint spilled on the floor, on the carpet, and on the walls. I cleaned flour, sugar, and icing sprinkles from the floor, under my counter appliances and on my son’s shirt. And put back the things pulled out from the pantry, the toys strewn across the floor (the 3 year old refuses to clean up, and his toys were subsequently taken away), crayon and play dough that were mysteriously were smashed into the carpet (we need hardwood floors). I also served as a chauffeur of course and a short-order chef (those packed-lunches-on-the-go that they don’t even eat….sigh.) On top of this, I did a tiny bit of blogging, vacuumed, managed to get dinner on the table and cleaned up, did laundry, made some appointments, balanced our checkbook, purged some papers, and cleaned out the pantry and the fridge. (I wonder how this as a job description would go.)
The kids loved the activities, but how did I like the week? I hated the week. Helping my kids grow and learn gives me great joy. But I don’t love the whining, the pulling, and the messes that simply make more work for me. I wish I had a back yard and I could just put them out to pasture. I wish my daughter could walk so I could just let them play outside together while I worked on another outdoor project. And I wish I had more strength and energy to physically do more. (This is also another post.) The grass is always greener on the other side? (Let me post script this by saying, I adore all moms and dads out there who are able to do this many activities with your children and feel spiritually full. Any tips on how I can change my perspective?)
So, what are we going to do now? I am going to let them watch a couple of their favorite shows but also schedule more activities for them. Scheduling for me is simply having a few ideas of projects we are going to do that day, like coloring, play dough play, or cooking. I am going to work on my personal health in hopes that I will gain the energy and strength I need to feel I can do more.
Are you feeling that you are relying on television to help entertain your children? What activities do you do with your family that aren’t television related? I’d like to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment here and share with others! Happy Organizing.
 Have you heard of this book? It is now one of my all-time favorites. The guy who gave this “last lecture”, Randy Pausch, is pretty smart, I think.
 Randy was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. He died of pancreatic cancer at age 48 and is survived by his wife, three young children, family, friends and colleagues…and now a huge number of individuals around the globe inspired by his “last lecture.”
He was asked by the University to give a “last lecture” which usually marks professorial retirement. For him, this would be the final lecture he’d ever give. Though he wrote his lecture for his children, his advice, anecdotes, and wisdom are really for everyone. His book “The Last Lecture” is a collection of thoughts about achieving your childhood dreams, lessons learned, enabling the dreams of others, and his tips about how to live life. The thoughts and perspectives in this book really resonated with me. Not because I know my end, but because I am striving to live more like I do.
These are a couple of my favorite excerpts….
All you have to do is ask.
“…I walked over to the smiling Disney monorail attendant and said: “Excuse me, could the three of us please sit in the front car?”
“Certainly, sir,” the attendant said. He opened the gate and we took our seats beside the driver. It was one of the only times in my life I ever saw my dad completely flabbergasted. “I said there was a trick,” I told him as we sped toward the Magic Kingdom. “I didn’t say it was a hard trick.”
“Sometimes, all you have to do is ask.”
pg. 177
No job is beneath you.
“My advice has always been: “You ought to be thrilled you got a job in the mailroom. And when you get there, here’s what you do: Be really great at sorting mail.” No one wants to hear someone say: “I’m not good at sorting mail because the job is beneath me.” No job should be beneath us. And if you can’t (or won’t) sort mail, where is the proof that you can do anything?”
“…When I was fifteen, I worked at an orchard hoeing strawberries, and most of my coworkers were day laborers. A couple of teachers worked there, too, earning a little extra cash for the summer. I made a comment to my dad about the job being beneath those teachers. (I guess I was implying that the job was beneath me, too.) My dad gave me the tongue-lashing of a lifetime. He believed manual labor was beneath no one. He said he’d prefer that I worked hard and become the best ditch-digger in the world rather than coasting along as a self-impressed elitist behind a desk.”
“I went back into that strawberry field and I still didn’t like the job. But I heard my dad’s words. I watched my attitude and I hoed a little harder.”
pg. 168
All you have is what you bring with you.
“I’ve always admired people who are over-prepared. In college, I had a classmate named Norman Meyrowitz. One day he was giving a presentation on an overhead projector and in the middle of his talk, the lightbulb on the projector blew out. There was an audible groan from the audience. We’d have to wait ten minutes until someone found a new projector.
“It’s okay,” Norm announced. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“We watched him walk over to his knapsack and pull something out. He had brought along a spare bulb for the overhead projector. Who would even think of that?
“Our professor, Andy van Dam, happened to be sitting next to me. he leaned over and said, “This guy is going places.” He had that right. Norm became the top executive at Macromedia, Inc., where his efforts have affected almost everyone who uses the Internet today.”
pg. 159
Send out Thin Mints.
“As a part of my responsibilities, I used to be an academic reviewer. That meant I’d have to ask other professors to read densely written research papers and review them. It could be tedious, sleep-inducing work. So I came up with an idea. I’d send a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints with every paper that needed to be reviewed. “Thank you for your agreeing to do this,” I’d write. “The enclosed Thin Mints are your reward. But no fair eating them until you review the paper.”
“That put a smile on the people’s faces. And I never had to call and nag them. They had the box of Thin Mints on their desks. They knew what they had to do.
“Sure sometimes I had to send a reminder e-mail. But when I’d ping people, all I needed was one sentence: “Did you eat the Thing Mints yet?”
“I’ve found Thing Mints are a great communication tool.They’re also a sweet reward for a job well done.”
pg. 158
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I was so struck by his enthusiasm, his inquisitive nature, and passion for loving life. My RCIA sponsor gifted this book to me for my birthday and it really made me examine how I want to live my life, and how I actually do. It is an easy read, very short, and poignant. You will not be sorry you picked this one up.
What would advice would you share with others about living better, fuller, and more beautifully?
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thank you for stopping by my blog  I am a 30-something mom to a 4 year old son and 2 1/2 year old daughter, and a wife to my life wonderful. I write in this space when my crafty inspiration strikes or when I get to pondering about how we can better connect with the earth around us. We are a family surviving the suburbs, contending with commercialism, and getting to a greener lifestyle. Welcome! ~Abbie a few blogs I like in no particular order 
One Small Change can help the environment!
In Jan we stopped using paper towels
In Feb was Ziploc elimination
Check back at the end of the month to see how I did and for recipes to make your own all natural lotions, shampoos and soaps!
Permission © Organizing-Life 2009
All images and designs are property of Organizing-Life. Please do not copy any original designs or photography without written permission. Thank you!
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