My Life List Revisited

I originally posted this last summer but am re posting because it explains some things. Please feel free to skip it if you have seen it before.

In no particular order:

Drive highway 101 along the Oregon Coast

and see the giant redwood trees in the Redwood National Forest


Stay at the awesome Atlantis resort in the Bahamas - visit http://www.atlantis.com/ to see why I am in love with this place.

Stay one night at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Colombia (this is what I want to do to celebrate my 40th birthday)

Drive the bridges to Key West Florida

Hike the grand canyon rim to rim (its only about 20 miles)
and the one I have already done...

visited Chechen itza and Tulum in Mexico

Things I have learned along the way...

These are just a few of the things I have learned along the way:



1. "Done" is better than creative and "done" is better than perfect (Thank you Andrea's scrapbooking sister- you changed my life). I am the kind of girl who will spends 40 minutes finding the perfect font and this little ditty helps a lot.

2. When I plan ahead things go better- so you think I would learn to plan ahead more. It is amazing what planing the weeks dinner menu in advance will do to the nightly stress level.

3. Life is fundamentally good or as Dr Rachel Naomi Remen writes "The essential nature of life is such goodness that the only possible response is Joy"

4. People are more important than things- very important to remember when your kids break, spill, and/or leave things out in the rain.

5. People know what they need to do but don't always do it. Like me with sugar. I know it is bad for me but I keep on eating it. And it doesn't help when people tell me what I already know because now I know that they know that I know! I don't think I am explaining this one very well but knowing that it is very rare for people to really not know what they should do helps me to keep my mouth shut. Which leads me to...

6. I really don't know what other people "should" or "ought" to do.

7. Travel opens the mind. It is amazing what you can learn from and about people by spending time with them in their environments. You can also learn a lot about yourself when you leave your comfort zone.

8. Being nice is always the right choice. But you can be firm and nice at the same time.

I really don't want to tag anyone but I would like to know what you have learned along the way. (If no one volunteers to play then I will start tagging.)

before and after...

Here is my latest project. These are the cabinets in the master bathroom before...
and after...
It just took five coats of stain, 2 weeks and some new handles.

cRAzY eIGHTS

8 Item Tag

Here are the rules: 1)Post the rules on your blog. 2)Answer the five '8' items on the tag. 3)Let each person know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

8 Favorite TV Shows:

1. The Amazing Race

2. The office

3. Oprah

4. Battle Star Galactica

5. Survivor

6. American Idol (but this season not so much)

7. House hunters international

8. Dancing with the Stars



8 Things I did Yesterday:

1. Finished the book Court Duel (loved it, a really fun light read!)
2. Did a load of Laundry
3. planted some primroses in a pot by the front door
4. changed the fishes water (always gross)
5. played with the baby
6. Took Kayla to Gymnastics
7. Made dinner
8. watched The daily show with Jon Stewart with Kelly after the kids were in bed



8 Things To Which I'm Looking Forward:

1. Spring Break and Las Vegas
2. Spring
3. Summer
4. The baby finally sleeping through the night
5. My Sisters wedding in May
6. My Sister-in-law (who is also one of my best friends) coming to visit in two weeks
7. being able to fit into my old (pre pregnant) summer clothes
8. driving the bridges to Key West Florida


8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Costa Azule
2. Gabor Brothers
3. Olive Garden (just for the bread sticks, alfredo sauce, and salad)- stole this answer but I love it too.
4. Thia Siam
5. The Bombay House
6. Mimi's
7. Home town buffet (I love it because the kids love it and I love the kids so therefore I love the buffet)
8. Cheesecake factory

8 Things on My Wish List:
1. A good mattress
2. a day off
3. A romantic getaway with my husband
4. That my kids grow up to be good people
5. granite counter tops
6. more good books
7. wisdom
8. a hammock for the back yard and friends to come and lay in it

Pay it Forward

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice--for you! This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make NO guarantees that you will LIKE what I make! (I can only hope)
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It WILL be done this year.
4. You have no CLUE what it’s going to be … it may be cards, a bookmark, something delicious or a complete surprise to you (and me!) … who knows?
5. Most importantly, you MUST offer the same deal on your blog - the first 5 people to comment on your blog get something made by YOU!

Things I almost missed out on

I bought an Amaryllis bulb during the first week in December. I thought it would be nice to have a beautiful red flower for Christmas. I potted it up the same day I got it, watered it, put it by the kitchen sink and waited. And waited and waited and waited. Nothing happened. Weeks passed and the bulb just sat there. it did start to look a little greener but these bulbs are supposed to grow quickly- an inch a night. I gave one to Kelly's grandmother last Christmas and hers grew beautifully. Mine was a dud. In January, I thought maybe it was time to throw it out. I like to give plants the benefit of the doubt. I have a hard time pulling up plants in the fall - I have to wait until they freeze and are really dead before I clean out the beds. So I gave the little amaryllis a little more time. And it started to grow. Slowly. So slowly. It took almost three months for the bulb to flower. But WOW, it was beautiful, a picture just can't do it justice. It had 6 beautiful bright red flowers. Then when those faded, it bloomed again. I look at it when I stand at the kitchen sink and I think "I almost missed out on you. I almost gave up".

When I see the flowers, it reminds me of something I did miss out on- one of those life lessons I try to remind myself of as often as I can. When I was pregnant with Kayla, I was doing a little sewing project for her room and I needed some fabric. It was late in the afternoon and I was tired and uncomfortable and hungry. I headed into the fabric store with Jason, thinking that all I wanted was to get this done quickly and get back home. As we walked through the store, Jason said "mom, look at this". Ugg. I was so irritated- you know how kids always want everything they see. I picked him up and dropped him a bit roughly into the shopping cart and headed to the fabric section. As I was looking at the material, my mind finally processed what he had been trying to show me. It wasn't something for him. It was something he thought I would like. It was a cute little decorative flower pot.



I felt horrible. I thought about this incident for days and decided to go back and get the little flower pot as a reminder to slow down and keep my heart open, but it was gone. I felt like I had missed out twice. Now as I look at my Amaryllis I remember. I am not being hard on myself. I am human and a mom 24 hours a day. I am going to have bad days. But I wonder sometimes what else have I missed out on because I was in a hurry, impatient, or uncomfortable. What would I gain if I slowed down a little bit, if I sat on the edge of the kids beds for a few minutes longer at night or stayed on my knees just a little bit longer. It is a reminder also to take care of myself so I can be there fully present for these moments, and not be too tired, hungry and cranky to appreciate the flowers pots in life.

Just when I thought the Laundry was done...