CSD: Winter's Beauty

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CSD: Winter's Beauty: "It was one of those days where the sun was shining perfectly through the trees. I was actually walking to my car when I had a glimpse ..."

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Nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished.

Who's got talent?

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She said it with a really sad voice...."Mommy, I don't have any talents"...sighing... "the girls that sit by my desk are all talented and I don't have any talents".   While I was listening to her, I reflect on the past few evenings thinking to myself that Jenna and I seem to be having some interesting conversations lately right before I go to tuck her into bed at night.   I responded with "well Jenna, what makes you say this? Was someone talking and bragging about their talents?"  She responded with a sheepish "yeah"....

While scrambling in my mind for one of her talents, I respond back to her "well, I am sure you have some talents that you can share with your fellow friends, yeah?"  She replies back, "no Mom I don't, one girl says this and the other says that and I don't have anything to say."  She says, "I even showed them my crooked fingers and they don't think that is a talent!"   OH MY .... I just about blew boogers hearing her say that!  Just to think my daughter has the only talent of "crooked fingers"!  I hate to laugh out loud in front of her with such a fragile subject but I was dying of laughter inside and couldn't hold it in!  I did not want to make her feel bad but could not control myself and I couldn't stop laughing.  Luckily as she watched me roll with laughter it became contagious and we were both laughing hysterically. 

When she was a little tiny baby I was so amazed at how her tiny little fingers would bend practically back into a "L" shape.  I knew babies were flexible but questioned if my precious one was a little abnormal.  As she grew older, we discovered she had a hidden talent....DOUBLE JOINTED-DOM.  She get's this talent from her father.  I've expressed to her in the past that it is not a freak show but a talent that most people can not do and she should be proud of it. Ever since she was a baby, she would show off her talent and make everyone shriek with horror of how do you do that!  It was such an odd sight, as her fingers bend back at the knuckles.  This last month, I have even noticed that her arms have an odd bend at the elbows.  We often joke around about how one day if she couldn't get a normal job, that she could go work for the circus with her little talent! We would laugh and she takes it all in with stride and amazingly with no embarrassment.   She would actually smile at us like she was enjoying making her audience cringe.   Little did I know that I was subliminally driving into her mushy little brain to thinking that this was in fact a real and bona fide talent!  I've created a monster... I think it is time to start some singing or ballet lessons.... OH MY!

Be determined to see the world in every aspect that may be possible for you and doors will open.

A goofy but somewhat entertaining video...MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

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A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

The cutest little Beefeater picture in the world...

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I remember seeing this picture cross my path throughout my years growning up.  Today I was cleaning my room and found it sitting on the floor.  It must of fell off the shelf from above.  I picked it up and decided it was worth a picture taking event to go digital!  

My beautiful mother in merry 'ol England....

This picture was taken in June of 1953. The neighbors that lived on the street where my mother grew up in Bedford England threw a street party in honor of her majesty, the Queen of England.  It was the Queen's official Coronation. During the street party in her neighborhood, there was a costume contest for the big event and my mother won 2nd place. She is dressed in costume to look like a "Beefeater" guard. In principle a Beefeater is responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British crown jewels, but in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right. Mom, you look very darn cute, you are first place in my mind! Okay, so if anyone wants to challenge me that they have a cuter Beefeater picture .....bring it on :)

Put a grain of boldness in everything you do.

word of the day .....OUR

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Kids sure come up with the funniest comebacks, along with the fact that most of the time they are so darn innocent and serious when they come up with them.  Jenna and I were practicing her spelling words this morning.  As I was reviewing the list,  I was looking out the window into the horizon and saw the church sitting on the hill behind our house where we live.   After seeing the church, I took a deep breath and said  "Jenna, spell OUR".  With the church in my line of view,  I then put the word in an sentence and verbally said to Jenna, "Our Church is going on a trip soon".  I know you are probably thinking....church & trip?  Who the heck knows why I used trip in the sentence.  Maybe because winter has just barely officially started and I am suffering from the winter blues.  There is a ton of white snow on the ground and all I can think of is going some place warm with the sand between my toes and palm trees all around.... suddenly I am brought back from my vacation dreaming as Jenna replies with a loud comeback of authority "Mom, Churches don't move!"  I laughed so hard, I just about choked on my morning coffee!

One reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.  

CSD: A winter wonderland

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CSD: A winter wonderland: "AFTER I am not a winter fan lover, but OH MY....this is spectacular, I think :) We were blessed with this thing they call a blizzard ..."

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Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect, it means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.

CSD: Silhouette Winter Sunset

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CSD: Silhouette Winter Sunset: "So beautiful, simply put. Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done. CS..."

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Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.

Ebenezer Scrooge disguised in 1st grader apparel

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My daughter Jenna asked me... "Mom, if you don't believe in Santa, will you receive gifts?"     I'm thinking to myself….oh here we go, now how am I suppose to answer this one?  I hate these kind of questions where I am caught off guard!  I try to stall with my reply so I can think of something crafty to say, and therefore I answer a question with a question, so I have some extra time to think.  I said, "Well, honey, what makes you ask this question?"  She says, "well, a boy in class said that Santa is not real".  When I heard that statement, the protective Mom instincts in me brought on a sudden surge of feelings...like a big protective panic, and felt my blood pressure rising!  I'm not saying it out loud, but I am thinking to myself, and saying in my mind that I would like to go find that little boy and give him a wet noodle lashing for attempting to ruin my little ones fantasy and for putting me in a bind.  I finally re-gain my composure and I say to Jenna, "Well, mommy believes in Santa".  Jenna quickly piped in, "Well, I believe in Santa too!"  I said, "Well, then I guess that little boy won't be getting anything from Santa, hey?"  She nodded in agreement.  Just when I thought the questions were done, all of a sudden I get another question bomb!  "Mom, is the Devil's birthday on Halloween?"  Oh my, now how in the heck do I answer this one???  Hoping that this is the last challenging question for the evening, I always try to figure out the core of the question before I jump in with an answer, plus then I have a buffer zone of time with how to come up with an answer.  I ask her, "Okay, let me guess….this question has to do with the little boy in your class, right?".  She says, " yeah, he says that Halloween is the Devil's birthday, so is he telling the truth Mom?"  I'm thinking….okay so, the boy does not believe in Santa, but he obviously believes in the Devil, and that the Devil has a birthday on Halloween?   My, oh my…..  well, well, well, GO FIGURE!  I've got a new name for this little boy, "Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge!"  I guess we know where his priorities lie. Bah humbug for raining on our parade, Ebenezer,  who is disguised in children's clothing!

Don't base your decisions on the advice of people who don't have to deal with the results.

Muppet Show - Mahna Mahna Original

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Every time I feel like putting a smile on my face, I think I will make a visit to this video. I forgot how much I loved watching the muppets as a kid. You just gotta love the muppets....I know it made me feel good inside from watching it just now....  :) so I hope you enjoy it too!





Smile, it increases your face value. 

CSD: ...if only the trees could talk

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CSD: ...if only the trees could talk: "There are so many things that I love about these pictures... the incredible verdigris lines in the bark of the tree makes me imagine that t..."

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It's a terrible thing to see and have no vision.

CSD: Another absolutely beautiful sunset

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CSD: Another absolutely beautiful sunset: "Ok, so I not only have CSD, but I go into quick panic if I can not get a sunset or sunrise picture taken immediately! A sunset can change ..."

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If you don't like the way I drive, stay off the sidewalk.

Is Mickey Mouse dead?

We were on our way to the EAA Oshkosh Air Adventure Show and parked quite a distance away from the entrance. Jenna and I were trailing along behind my brother-in-law and nephew. We decided to walk up in the grass away from the road. Up ahead I could see a cemetery. As we approached the cemetery I looked over to it and noticed an unusual headstone which made me stop dead in my tracks. I just kind of gazed at it trying to figure out what it was at first and then in my mind... I knew. Silently I thought to myself....a Mickey Mouse silhouette, now this is a first, it must be a child’s headstone. In my peaceful quiet thinking, out of the blue, I was suddenly alarmed by a huge load scream coming from my daughter Jenna.  I quickly advert my attention to my little Jenna as she loudly blurts out with a noticeable tone of a fear of death..... “MOM, IS MICKEY MOUSE DEAD?!?!?” I about busted a gut right there in the cemetery and wanted to roll with laughter on the ground! Once I gathered my composure I sighed, “oh my dear Jenna..... you sure keep me laughing and see the lighter side of life.” She had the look of fear on her face and again loudly said “NO, REALLY MOM, IS MICKEY DEAD?” Here I thought she was trying to be funny and I realized she was dead serious and wanted an answer immediately! I had to explain it to her of course but her inquisitive question sure did make my day! With my curiosity I had to go to the other side to read the inscription....amazingly enough it was not a child’s headstone. It had a woman’s name on it and she was in her 30’s. I was happy to see that we are never too old to have a Mickey Mouse headstone!  I think more headstones should be more artsy like that...

Your character is what you have left when you've lost everything you can lose.

Person in bunny costume creates tears

I found this story in my life journals from March 15, 2005. It is pretty comical so I decided that I had to share it on eDOOZIE!

This last Sunday I had time to squeeze in an appointment for new pictures of Jenna. They turned out so cute! I can't wait to share them... I went to Express Portraits and had her picture taken with a real live bunny rabbit for Easter. My friend told me about this option for a real live bunny and suggested that I do it with Jenna while she was still young. You have to make it known when you sign up for an appointment that you want the live bunny sitting. So that is what I did.... but a kind of a funny story in itself manifested. When I got there, they signed me in and ask me to wait in the lobby and someone would be right with me. As I waited, a real live person came out of a room next to the lobby dressed in a furry bunny costume. This person had the entire costume on with the head and all! I thought for a quick moment and wondered if perhaps I mis-understood the whole gamma of the live bunny thing. I was banking on there being a bunny type of real soft fur, small enough to hold in your arms, furry, cute with a wiggly nose and whiskers. I pointed to the person dressed in the bunny costume and said to Jenna "look Jenna, there is the Easter Bunny!" She looked at the Easter Bunny and with the fear of God started shaking, screaming and crying. Really LOUD as in ear drum piercing screams I might add! I picked her up and said "Well, if this is the live bunny, then we got a problem". I turned to the lady and she assured me that it was a small real bunny animal and it was very cute, adorable and furry. Once Jenna calmed down she did really well with that little bunny. No loud screaming or crying :), it was a very funny journey though I must say!

You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Campfire Confessions

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Campfires are so calm and relaxing, I think it sets the mood for one to just start talking & spew...

My family decided to have a campfire this evening in the back yard.  The evening was the most perfect evening for a campfire!  Not too hot out or not too cold.  The intro to the evening was set with one of the most beautiful sunsets that I have ever seen.  Once we had been out by the fire for awhile, my nephew took on the reins for being master of the campfire. He was stoking and making sure the flames were at a good height. The evening was relaxing with one of the biggest full moons that I have seen in long time.  The frogs must of been happy too as they were croaking their little hearts out.  We talked about how loud they were and my nephew who was full of factoids during the course of the evening exclaimed “Do you know that a blue dart frog has enough poison to kill 10 people if they licked it?”  We roared laughing....  I said “you sure would not catch me licking any frog anytime, any day!”

My legs were getting extremely warm from the heat being thrown off the fire.  I said to my nephew, “If my legs are hot, you are  closer to the fire than me....aren’t your legs hot sweetie?”  He immediately replied “yeah, I don’t want to get too close because the hairs on my legs will get burnt off.”  With amazement I said jokingly to my nine year old nephew “You have hair on your legs?” I was taken back by his reply, “Yeah I do, and I’ve got a lot more in my armpits!”  Part of that remark made me feel 1) OLD ...to know that my nephew has arrived at puberty which made me think of other things with hair by them!   2) No, I should not see how much hair is in my nephew’s armpit....ewwwwww 3) Amazing, the things one talks about around a campfire!

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.


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Roller Derby Roller Skating

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“Am I too old for roller derby?”   I can’t believe that I am actually entertaining the thought.  It is not like I am going to sign up tomorrow, but I think it would be a sport that I would actually like to consider.  

“Mom, can I go to Skater’s Edge?”  These very words from  Jenna could be the start of something crazy.  My daughter got me out on the roller skating rink tonight.  I was a little apprehensive on the venture as it is something I have not done in about a good 30 years.  Wow, did the shins and calves scream like crazy when I started to take off.  Wobbly and pain all wrapped into one.  I thought, it’s got to be like getting back onto a bicycle after 30 years of not riding.  A little rusty but familiar.  As the evening progressed I was going fast and furious but not too crazy.  Memories of skating back in the 80’s were flooding in my mind.  I remembered doing some crazy moves with my legs back then where you would kind of weave them back and forth and one leg would come in front of the other and back and switch off.  My mind wanted to do it but my body was screaming “how do I do this?”  It is funny how you know you can do it in your mind but your body is saying “hey, you have not done this in years and now you are going to really pay for this if you screw up in real time.”  I got a little cocky out there and did a little swaying back and forth but ended up doing the Fred Flinstone dance and luckily caught my balance before a disaster happened.  Amazingly enough I made it through the evening without falling to the floor.  

Jenna kept on saying “Mom, I’ll race you and win”. I replied “Your on!”  So as I was barreling around and around the rink tonight bent over like a roller derby queen and trying to keep up with her I thought “I feel like a 1970’s roller derby gal”.  Is this something that I could do for a sport?  Back in the 70’s I remember watching this sport on tv all the time.  I got a charge out of watching these gals with their attitudes and crazy out fits rough each other up as they raced around the derby track.   They have a team of these ladies in the Fox Valley city....and I could actually go and participate.  My biggest fear is that now since I am now over forty that maybe my bones are not quite like they use to be.  Wow, am I out of my mind to be actually kicking the tires to do this crazy sport?  I can not believe that I would consider doing such a thing but hey, I guess if one can....then maybe one should?!?  Maybe I my theme could be ....”THE BITCH IS BACK”.   Yeah the fevers gonna catch you when the bitch is back!

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

http://www.edoozie.com/my_Blog/Entries/2010/5/22_Roller_Skating.html

A nose knows all those smells that only a nose would know

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“Well, it is hard to believe that it has been over three months since my last entry”....sigh, I am wondering where on earth does the time go?


I was able to do a overnight get away with my family to the Wisconsin Dells to go to a water park. My sister, brother-in-law, daughter and nephew all shared a room to save some cash. In the morning we all were taking our turn in the shower. My nephew went into the shower and my sis had gathered together some clothes for him to wear for the day. After a few minutes in the bathroom, he cracked open the door and piped up “Mom, can you get me some underwear?” My sis replied back to him...”I put them in with your clothes”. He replies back “Mom, I want some CLEAN underwear”. My sis says to him “Well, I assumed they were clean when I got them out of the pile where your other clean clothes were”. He replies back “Mom, they are not clean”. She replies “Well, how am I suppose to know they are dirty if you have them in with your clean clothes???” He assertively comments back to my sister with a sound like DUH.... “Mom, you S-M-E-L-L them”. My sis blurts out, “you’ve got another thing coming if you think that I am going to smell your underwear!” We all roared in laughter till our guts hurt! 


A sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles.