A Good Day

Today on a conference call, a team of two other managers and me had to give our presentation. It went well and I'm glad that is over. Now, I just got to get through this birthday party. I'm getting more and more excited.

Today I heard from an old friend of my mother's that lives in Tennessee and she and her husband are planning to come. This is HUGE because I had to track her down and wasn't even sure she'd get the invitation and with her showing up plus my son, my mother will be totally shocked! That's the thing that makes a surprise birthday party fun is to have some people there that you've not seen in a while and were totally not expecting to see anytime soon.

If I can pull this off as a Surprise I will count it as one of my greatest accomplishments in life. (You'd really understand this if you knew my mother!)
WISH me luck!

Still in the Reading Zone

I am so enjoying reading this book. It's kind of scary how much I can relate to her thoughts, so much sometimes to the point I am shaking my head wondering how she got into my own thoughts.

I don't know when I've read a book of non-fiction that I've enjoyed so much, probably because it reads so much like a novel.

Like Liz, I've been searching for answers to questions I have. I just told a few friends of mine a few weeks ago that I fear I will become so nutty in my older age that I will become a strange women who lives in fear of microwaves and goes totally overboard with trying to save the environment. I'd live in the woods, far away from other people, wear a big floppy hat, long dresses and strings of beads. I'd talk to the animals and grow my own vegetables, and live off the land, growing more and more paranoid of the modern world. Little children would point and laugh at me and I'd give them a look and they'd run off in fear. I even dreamed I was living in the woods and people were trying to get me to come back to the real world.

In this book, she is able to travel and is searching for different things in each of the three countries she goes to. Here's a quote that reminded me of my story above.

" I'm wary of the danger that i f I drift about this world randomly for too long, I may someday become The Family Flake. The divorcee in the muumuu with the dyed orange hair who doesn't eat dairy but smokes menthols, who's always coming back from her astrology cruise or breaking up with her aroma-therapist boyfriend, who reads the Tarot cards of kindergardeners and says things like, "Bring Aunty Liz another wine cooler, baby, and I'll let you wear my mood ring..." "

I'm just getting started with this book but so far I'm loving it.

Tuesday Morning Ramblings

Yep, conference call this morning. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. It's over now.

The birthday party is less than two weeks away. If we can keep her from planning her own party, I think we will be able to surprise her but not because she is making it easy. The good news is my aunt has volunteered to help me with the food which relieves my stress a bit. I'm thankful for that.

Lots of pressure at my job at the moment because we are in the mist of this big Contact Lens Event we have twice a year and counts for a big part of our sales for the year, and because business is really bad across the board and our big bosses are stressing which in turn causes stress for us managers.

I'm getting really excited about my son from Washington coming for his grandmother's birthday and also about seeing other family members that I've not seen for quite some time.

I've just gotten through a book called "Love in the Time of Cholera" and although a little hard to read, it was well worth it. It was an Oprah pick and though I don't usually read her picks, I was curious about this one. And now I'm reading "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.

And last but not least the unrest my soul has felt all year is settling down and I'm very close to making a final decision on what I want and how to go about getting there. I can't say its been a journey but more like a dance as I've gone one step forward and two steps back. But I'm thinking the dance is about to end and I can move forward.

Hope everybody has a great week!
Love,
Robbin

Watching people try too hard makes me uncomfortable and causes me pain.

I like it when human beings are true to themselves. It's less confusing and allows the true beauty of their souls to come shining through.

When we try too hard to be someone we aren't, we aren't fooling anyone except maybe ourselves.

Requirements

Sometimes when I'm reading a novel or poetry the words are so that I need to read them out loud. I'm not sure I know why I do this but I do.

If I ever have somebody living along beside me again he has to be willing to read out loud to me. It's a requirement!

What a Concept!

Last week I saw on the Today Show a segment about a minister in Kansas City, Mo. that had started a campaign within his congregation for a "Complaint Free World" and I've been thinking about it ever since.

The idea was that it takes usually 21 days to form a habit of most things so he gave out purple rubber bracelets for his people to wear and they committed to trying not to complain for 21 days. If you find yourself complaining you switch the bracelet to the other arm and start over. He says the congregation was complaining about trivial things like the songs they were singing and the color of the choir robes. It was his idea that the negativity from this spread throughout and caused problems. So, when they completed 21 consecutive days of not complaining they swap their bracelets for a certificate of happiness.

Seems like his idea has spread across the world and now he's written a book and you can even order the purple bracelets for free (the people in his church are packaging them up from the church basement.) You can also buy them too if you want a bunch of them or you want them in a hurry.

Anyway, I love this idea. Negativity is like a disease and it spreads and gets bigger and bigger and I'm all for a more positive world. (my bracelet is on the way!) I'll let you know how it goes. Which mean I can't complain on my blog anymore either! Not even about Conference Calls. Umm. Well he says stating a fact about something that's wrong is not complaining and Conference calls can be BORING. And that's a fact! We'll see how this goes.

My mother....

...popped in to see me at work today. And I had to tell a big fat lie!

She and I have been going through one of our "distance" phases and even though I live right down from her, sometimes we are both involved in totally different things and don't see each other for weeks at a time. Since I've been working on her party that's been a good thing since I want to surprise her and it would have been hard to not let something slip.

Anyway she came by to see me today and told me that she dreamed both her grandsons came to see her on her birthday and that it was wonderful! (I hope this dream is one that is going to come true, # 2 grandson will be here, #1 grandson, well depends on his mood that day) but anyway when she told me I said " Well that is some dream!" and she says, "Yeah, they don't have time for me anymore!" 'Hee, hee.'

And then I had to tell her that I'd been so bu sy lately that I'd not had time to plan her a birthday party. I apologized and she brushed it off like it wasn't a big deal, but I know my mother and IT is a big deal.

I told her she and my step dad and I could go out to a fancy restaurant or something and I'd plan a big birthday party for her when she turns 75! "Oh, no big deal" she says and then..........THEN, she says, "We could just invite a few people over for supper on the Sunday before my birthday." (I'm planning the party on the Saturday before) and she starts naming people I've invited to her surprise party that she could invite for supper on Sunday I guess she decided if I wasn't going to throw her a party, she'd just throw one for herself.

So we're down to two weeks before the event and I'm so hoping we can pull it off. It's getting a little tricky!

Well Received I'd Say

The box from Grandma! A little help from Hannah Montana didn't hurt.

A girl can never have enough purses, especially in her favorite color.

And a High School Musical Sticker book is a must!

...and as expected Susie the witch was a hit!

(Special thanks to her mom for the pictures.)

I think....

...but I'm not sure that I would like Indian Cuisine. I could be wrong as I've never had the opportunity to try it. But I like hummus, and flat breads. That's a start I'm thinking. The only thing is I can't pronounce the name of the dishes. If I went to a real Indian restraunt, I'd have to point or have someone with me that could order.

Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences.
All events are blessings given to us to learn from.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Perfect

I went to the post office this morning to get stamps to mail the invitations to my mother's party and the clerk asked me which stamps I wanted. I didn't really care and I told her it didn't matter but she insisted on showing me what my choices were and then I spotted it. The Jimmy Stewart Stamp. It was perfect! Better than perfect! Jimmy Stewart is my mother's all time favorite actor. She loved him and June Allyson in every movie they made together. So I knew I had to have Jimmy Stewart stamps. Of course nobody will know the significance of it but me but I think it is perfect!

Ready, set, go.....

...and we're off! To the start of a new week that is. I was sort of off yesterday but I worked most of the day on that presentation that got canceled along with our meeting a few weeks ago. Now it seems we still have to present it, except over the phone. Giving a real presentation versus an oral presentation is quite different. The presentation we had planned was going to work well visually but when it was switched to oral it took some work. My day flew by!

I also got the birthday party invitations addressed and they will go out today.
This will be a busy week as well. Lots to take care of at work and a meeting to plan for Friday.

And so goes my life at the moment. Not too exciting. Just work.

Have a good week everybody, see ya!

Unconditional

Yesterday was one of those days when things seemed a little off axis to me. I felt like I was moving faster than my brain was moving or maybe the other way around. People that I know felt unfamiliar to me, distant in a way. My surroundings seemed foreign to me , as if I was visiting.

I moved through the day and survived but was glad to get home to what did feel familiar. To be met at the door by my little dog, "Sweetie" who didn't feel like a stranger to me at all, who loves me no matter what, who doesn't care about my shortcomings or any mistakes I make. She doesn't care.

We human beings expect a lot from each other and most of us come up short of those expectations but with Sweetie, I am absolutely a wonderful person and she adores me no matter what and you know what? I return the sentiments!

How lonely I'd be without her in my life, and what an honor it is for me to be HER "person".

Confession

I forgot to pay my electric bill when it first came in and guess what?
No lights when I got home from work. A quick call to the after hours number of the power company and a $25 re-connection fee and like magic I have power again.
I knew there was something I was forgetting!
I wish I could say this is the first time this has ever happened to me, but I can't. Sometimes it ain't easy being me!

Brown Rice Tip

I love whole wheat pasta and have converted over quite easily to get the health benefits of it but brown rice is a problem for me. It never comes out right for me, either taste not done enough or too mushy.

I just read an article that says you should always toast it slightly and then cook it like pasta with lots of water and then drain it when it's done. Think I'll try that method and see what happens.

Scrambled Memories

It's funny how we seem to associate people or things in our past with a certain food. For example, when I was a little girl my parents and I would sometimes on a Sunday afternoon visit a much older couple that I've no idea how they even knew. It wasn't as if they were neighbors because I remember they lived way out in the country and that the drive out to their place took a long time.

I remember their names were Mr. & Mrs. Cato and on the Sundays we visited they'd have a gaggle of grand kids running around playing and I'd loved them. They were all blond, almost white blond. The younger ones ran around only in shorts, no shirts, and they were all barefooted. These by no means were well off people, in fact I suspect they were quite poor because I even remember an out house instead of indoor plumbing and I'm not so old that was the norm back then, thank you very much!

Anyway, my point is, always during that visit we'd have scrambled egg sandwiches. I think eggs were abundant as they had chickens running around amongst all those grand kids too. The sandwiches were never for a meal, as we'd go after Sunday lunch or dinner as we called it and we'd never stay until supper. It was what she served us for refreshments I guess. And not for just us kids either, for the grown-ups too.

She took white bread, smeared loads of mayonnaise on both sides (it was in the 1960's, we didn't know better) and she'd pile steaming yellow scrambled eggs on one side, and flop the other piece of bread on and squash it down with her hand.

I'm not sure what she did to make those eggs so good, but to this day I've never been able to replicate the taste of Mrs. Cato's egg sandwiches.

Eventually we stopped visiting. Who knows why, and those Sunday afternoons at the Cato's became memories. I can still see the old farm house, the porch with the flapping boards, all those little tow headed barefoot children. And even now I can remember how good those scrambled egg sandwiches were.

I love this.......

What Every Woman Should Know!
BY: Maya Angelou

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she's content to leave behind....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a feeling of control over her destiny...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW..
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...

Tuesday Morning Ramblings

Usually on Tuesday I complain about my weekly work conference call. This Tuesday is no different, only again today I'm having two! I've just gotten off one, and after I actually go into work at twelve thirty I'll have the second one.

Also, by taking the last few days off, I'll have to pay dearly for them as I've got lots to catch up on and do, so sometimes you wonder if it's worth it.
Yesterday we (my best friend, Steph & I) went shopping for things for the
birthday party. We found some interesting things and I was happy with what we purchased. The red bottles are pretty and will be part of the decorations on the tables. Plus it was good to spend some time with her outside of work again. We seldom get to do that with me being manager and her the assistant manager we aren't ever off the same time. Yesterday was an oddity.

Other than that, I seem to be fighting depression again but when I get back to work it will get better. Seems like when I'm off for more than a day or two I sink into a funk. That's nuts, as badly as I'd like to not have to work, it seems that work lately is what keeps me going. Go figure!

Well, enough said about hardly anything. Happy Tuesday to you all!

Painting the Picture

It's a nice cloudy morning and it looks like it rained during the night. I wouldn't mind if it rained some more. I like a rainy day.

Thoughts again have consumed me this week as to what exactly it is that I want. This has been the year for that and by the end of this year I am determined to decide and to act upon it.
It occurred to me recently that my life at the moment is sort of like a blank palette and I, the artist can paint pretty much any picture I want. A few things are foggy still but I'm getting there.

Actually I'm pretty lucky, there aren't many people who can paint themselves a new life. But here I am at 50, all alone, no real ties here where I've landed for the last eight years, and so ready to move on to something new. And yet, something still keeps me from actually committing to that first stroke of the brush. Most people tell me it is fear. FEAR has never been a problem for me, especially when it comes to changes. But I can't prove them wrong, maybe it is fear.

One little problem is being able to afford the paint I'll need to make the perfect picture of the life I'd like to have but I might can get pretty close. Perfection can come later. And who wants perfection anyway? That would make a pretty dull piece of art I would think. Life shouldn't become a masterpiece until you're all done living. And then, if you're lucky, maybe, just maybe you can leave the painting of your life here on earth so that a few people will cherish it and have it to remember you by.

My goodness I'm quite the philosopher this morning. I need more coffee!

Meet Susie the Witch

I'm preparing a box to send to my granddaughter for Halloween and I wanted to share one of the things she's getting. This little witch is so cute!







But what makes her even cooler is she lights up with fiber optics!



But even better......she sings "Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun".

And I got her from all places AVON! I should have ordered two. I kinda hate to send her off , I've become a little attached to her. Haleigh will love her, I just know it! She's a little ghoul that loves to have fun and this is sure to bring a big smile.