Being Thankful and Turkey and Pumpkin Pie!!! Oh My!!!

I generally hate Thanksgiving.  My grandfather passed away just before Thanksgiving when I was 15.  I couldn’t stand being in my Grandparents house once they were both gone, so I went home right after the funeral with my cousin Roberta and we celebrated Thanksgiving together with a Meatloaf.  That day I decided that life was never truly going to be okay ever again.

However, with age, wisdom does come.  That old adage is absolutely true. I like to consider myself a work in progress.

I had to learn to see what my blessing’s were, and to always be thankful, even if I don’t feel thankful at that moment.  Today I am going to be thankful for my family, my friends, for every experience that has gotten me to where I am.  I would love to say that moving forward I will remember to be thankful everyday, but let’s be honest…it’s baby steps. 🙂

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving is possible only for those who take time to remember; no one can give thanks who has a short memory.  ~Author Unknown

Thanking our Soldiers…

In lieu of Thursday Thirteen I am posting a poem I came across today…Thank you to my Brothers, My Biological Dad, My Grandfather, My Father In-Law, My Cousin Tim,  My Step Brother Jonas, My Uncles, James B, Jessica C and all the others who have given of themselves to protect us.  I know for a fact I take for granted my Freedom as I go about my day, so at least for today I thank you for keeping me and mine safe.  God Bless.

The soldier stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.

‘Step forward now, you soldier,

How shall I deal with you ?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?’

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

‘No, Lord, I guess I ain’t.

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can’t always be a saint.

I’ve had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I’ve been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,

That wasn’t mine to keep…

Though I worked a lot of overtime,

When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God, forgive me,

I’ve wept unmanly tears.

I know I don’t deserve a place,

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around,

Except to calm their fears.

If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,

It needn’t be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don’t, I’ll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,

Where the saints had often trod.

As the soldier waited quietly,

For the judgment of his God.

‘Step forward now, you soldier,

You’ve borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,

You’ve done your time in Hell.’

Author Unknown~

Wordless Wednesday

Lyric’s make the World go ’round

It is one of those day’s when a song keeps going through my head…

 

Looking out across suburban yards to the construct of our days through the thinning of the trees.

Why can I only build a house of cards? That gets blown to pieces with the fall’s first fickle breeze.

When I feel that stirring, the illicit kiss. That’s just the cool tongue of the devil with a sucker in his midst.

chorus: One day I’ll change you’ll be the first one that I call. I owe you an apology too many thanks and that’s not all.

I’ve been running long before I learned to crawl.

My calendar lies crumbled laid to waste. It’s been scrawled on, thumbed through and changed.

Will this be the measure of my days? Dinners and appointments and deadlines I can’t make.

And when I start to see I start to see it making sense for me. That’s just hope springing eternally.

Chorus
Outside the summer’s gone for good. Dying impatiens stacked up wood.

My friend will get together to cook. To talk about what happened to take a second look.

The master loves the servant who blind heeds him. The husband the obedient wife.

The snake will always bite the hand that feeds him. Even if you love him even if you save his life.

 

*Indigo Girls*

Manic Monday

Just another Manic Monday…Whoa….and Chocolate.

I am what you would call a “researcher”.  When something catches my fancy I tend to devote time into gathering more information about it. I always just seem to want to “know more”. We all have our tick’s do we not?

One of the topic’s that I trend to is whatever the latest diet craze that is being splashed around the web is and how to eat healthier.  What I DON’T do is actually follow up said research with eating healthier.  I could most likely parrot back to you many way’s to eat healthier, what are good carbs versus bad carbs, etc. etc. ad nauseam.  In my defense however, I have also read up on Sky Diving, Plumbing and Building your own Greenhouse.  None of which is anything that will see fruition from me.

I am not sure whether I have programmed myself into believing that I like to eat what I eat and that is the final say or if I truly only like the things that I like and cannot make myself change my tastes.  I do find it ironic that as I am having a “cup o’ frosting” for dinner, I will be reading up on the benefits of green vegetables and their consumption.  I like how the frosting tastes, I don’t like how “Light something with a side of fresh something” tastes.

So, I pose this question:  “what is the first step to being healthier?

Oh, in case any of you were wondering, I had chocolate fudge for breakfast and I am planning on Fruity Pebbles for dinner.

Boo

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I do not understand…

1. Why anyone thinks the Three Stooges are funny
2. Eating anything that  begins with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not….”
3. Anyone thinking they can find true love on a reality show
4. Why the straw either doesn’t go into the Capri Sun or goes all the way through the Capri Sun
5. Why I cannot fall asleep in complete darkness, isn’t it dark when I close my eyes?
6. I still won’t pick up a penny if it’s face down, bad luck!
7. I still try to not step on sidewalk crack’s
8. Smelly Markers
9. Light Beer
10. Diet Mountain Dew
11. That there really is always room for Jell-O
12. The sound of the Ice cream truck makes me instantly look for change
13. Why Yankee Candle has not released a candle called “Pumpkin Guts” when so many of us love that smell. 🙂

 

 

Stitched on a Sampler

“If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character…Would you slow down? Or speed up?”  Chuck Palahniuk

That quote is thought provoking.  However, I am unsure if I would speed up, or slow it down. 
Don’t we all have a delicate balance of both going on inside of us daily?   Being in Hillman with my toes in the water is a moment I would want to slow down.  The day when your heart is broken and the world feels like it is caving in, I would gladly speed it up.

I read, or heard somewhere, at some point, (could I be more vague?) that when we are reincarnated, we are always with the same souls, just in different roles, for each lifetime.That is comforting. 

If I knew that I was able to keep those I love and cherish with me, I would change costumes gladly.

I am just not sure how fast I would want to.  If I was “Queen of the World” why would I want to rush that?

Wordless Wednesday

Comfort

When people ask us where we find comfort, generally we always answer with the big things:

1)      Family

2)      Food

3)      Drink

However, what are the little things that we find comfort in?  I have read many articles regarding the changing in attitudes brought on about the recession: people finding more life and more love with less money. I like to think that as a country, we are going back to the basics and maybe seeing what is important; the whole needs versus wants war

I wish that I could say I have always been one of those people who could freely say that money was not everything and that true happiness is not your job, or where you live, etc, etc.  However, for a large percentage of my life there was a laundry list of items that when attained, would signal “I have made it”.  The angels would sing, my expensive car would gleam and I would have proven that this girl was able to have it all.  Fate and the Economy had other plans.

Through my last lay-off of 8 months, and my husband’s lay-off prior to that I had no choice to re-evaluate needs and wants, learn to live with less.  I survived.  Ironically, once I got over the doomsday feeling in my stomach and uncurled myself from the ball I was in, I was okay.

My comforts that I needed to be happy were not that big at all, time with my family, game night, making dinners at home, snuggling with my furry kids while reading a book, playing board games with my husband on a Friday night and drinking a bottle of Merlot.

Two years ago I grew vegetables because I love gardening, this summer I did it because I loved it, AND it would save us money.  Having a salad made by Holly from items that we had grown was fun!  It was an accomplishment that we could all share and smile about.

Sitting here typing, with Jake at my feet and Prue snoring on my pillow with a margarita made with love, I am comfortable.  Could my house be bigger? Could it be finished? Could my bills not worry me so much? Absolutely, but snug in my home I can have hope that tomorrow is always a new adventure and my small comforts are always waiting for me.

Manic Monday #225

It’s autumn, what do you like best?

Do you eat chestnuts, berries or anything else free to be found in nature? Give us a recipe.

Do you have special autumn memories?

 

I love everything about Autumn, the changing of the colors, the pumpkins, apples, hayrides, bonfires, flannel shirts and hoodies, Halloween, Thanksgiving, EVERYTHING!  It is absolutley hands down, my favorite holiday.

Um, I don’t cook…does baking pumpkin seeds count? 🙂

My favorite Autumn memories are going with my Uncle Robert to pick out my pumpkin from his garden and the Halloweens that I have spent with Mike and the girls.