Where Was I?

Sometimes I wonder where I was while my kids were growing up and if they did all of the interesting and cute things kids do now.  I do remember that my four were adorable, so maybe I just no longer remember all of the specifics about what they said and did.

Part of the enjoyment I derive from being on Facebook is reading the posts of my young FB friends who take the time to detail the funny things their kids say and do. I taught at a university for many years and a lot of the students I had there are now FB friends. Also, my husband was a pastor and some from his church youth groups, now adults, are also my CyberWorld friends. Many of these young friends are now moms, some with careers and some stay-at-home moms. I admire them for taking time out of their busy days to share with others the fun things that happen in their lives. 

Recently, Stefanie posted an entry that made me laugh.  Stefanie, who lives in Kansas, has a beautiful little family with five children.  Her two youngest are girls.  I suspect that the play they engage in may be related to the fact that their mother could pass for a model, but I can’t prove that.

The story Stefanie related, as I recall it, is as follows: One of her daughters was pretending to put on lipstick. This daughter is referred to by Stefanie as “#4 kiddo.” All day long #4 artfully applied "lipstick" to her lips.  Finally, “#5 kiddo” wanted some lipstick too, so #4 "gave" her sister the pretend lipstick so she could also pretend she was putting it on.  Then #4 immediately started to cry and say, “Mommy!  She’s putting too much on!  I want it back!” 

You made my day, Mrs. Hurley. Thank you for taking the time to “stop and smell the roses.”  My wish is that all children would be so fortunate as to have a mother who enjoys them as much as you enjoy your family.  Too soon they go off to college!

“You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way" Walter Hagen, American Athlete, 1892-1969

*Story used by permission

Hollywood-sized?

If you know a Texan, you understand the term “Texas-sized,” a term referring to something really big.  I can’t document it as fact, but I have come to believe that Texas children are taught as they are growing up that anything in or related to Texas is inherently bigger or better.

Supporting the idea that everything is bigger in Texas, a Texas company recently developed a Texas-sized supercomputer, the largest ever to be built.  If you read sports sections of newspapers, you know that sports reporters often use the term, Texas-sized, to describe things going on with teams.  A team might be in a “Texas-sized tail-spin,” have a “Texas-sized moment,” or get “Texas-sized revenge.”  You get the picture. We all understand what people mean by, “Texas-sized," but some of you may not understand “Hollywood-sized.”

I learned about the concept of “Hollywood-sized” recently while watching a television interview with a Hollywood personality. During the interview the young lady told about losing weight and going from a size sixteen to a size four dress. Kudos to anyone who can achieve that monumental feat!

Since my TV allows for viewing as well as hearing, I was surprised by the information coming from the star’s mouth. I have been told that flat screen TV’s are deceiving and give the illusion of pounds not really there, so I decided maybe that was what was going on in this instance.  Then the star decided to share facts and figures.  She is 5 feet 4 inches tall.  I can relate that height. I’m 5 feet 4 inches tall in my stocking feet. Then she told her weight. That was when I became puzzled. I couldn’t help wondering how she could fit into a size four dress when she weighs several pounds more than I weigh. 

For one day during junior high school I might have taken a twenty-four hour journey through size four, but I don’t remember ever having any size four clothes in my closet.  I see clothes in that size up close only when looking through sale racks at department stores and boutiques.  That brings me to another issue.  With all of the self-proclaimed size four women running around out there, why are the sale racks filled with size four and my size is rarely there?  But that’s another entry.

May you always have “Hollywood-sized” troubles and “Texas-sized” blessings!

Scrapbooking

Using the term loosely, one of my favorite winter activities is scrapbooking.  What I have come to understand since starting this activity is that there are scrapbookers and then there are scrapbookers. I fit into the first category, meaning I put pictures into books but do not have the prerequisite design ability needed to produce a book worthy of being bragged about to my friends.  The fact is, any knowledge I have concerning the high-end scrapbooking industry has been passed on to me by scrapbookers.

While I buy my supplies at discount and craft stores (I understand anything purchased from such stores is considered contraband if one is attending a crop*), scrapbookers purchase their supplies at scrapbooking parties*, product demonstrations*, and from scrapbooking consultants*.

In order to avoid shaming my family and friends who are scrapbookers, my scrapbooking is done in secret and I keep the books on closet shelves. Actually I’m quite pleased with what I do in secret since it’s a big step up from the way my mother preserved her pictures for posterity.

My mom’s version of picture organization was to always have an appropriate-sized box in which to put all of the pictures not currently being displayed in her home. The organization was developed by default rather than design and was carried out using a layering process. All new pictures were displayed on the piano or bookcase. Then, when an equally important new picture was acquired, the former new picture became old.  Old pictures found a home in the box. 

In the bottom of the box were pictures from my parents early years. The added layers were made with pictures of my brother, sister, me, grandchildren, and finally great-grandchildren.  Relatives and friends who sent pictures were layered in according to the year the picture was received. In her early years of motherhood, Mom’s picture organization efforts were frequently disrupted by her children when they decided to paw through the pictures to admire themselves and laugh at early fashions.  

Despite my own shortcomings in the area of picture organization, I refuse to be intimidated by scrapbookers. I’m a real person who participates in this one faux activity in the hope that my children will appreciate not having to someday sort through a stack of fifty or sixty years’ worth of pictures to claim the ones they want.

*Scrapbooking Definitions (as I have come to understand them)

§         Crop: 1. To trim photos to improve composition and balance or, more accurately, to make them fit in the amount of space left on the page. 2. A group that meets together to chit-chat while working on scrapbooks.

§         Scrapbooking Party: Think any kind party where one invites friends and family who, upon arrival, will be pressured to purchase and to schedule a party of their own.  Insert the name of a distributor for scrapbooking supplies on the invitation, plan refreshments, and you have a scrapbooking party.

§         Product Demonstrations: 1. A demonstration done at a craft store during a class for which the student is charged a fee. 2. A demonstration by a person who has just become a Scrapbooking Consultant. This may be done in your home, in the consultant’s home, at a coffee shop, or anyplace said consultant can command your attention. Consultants are most often also friends. That a friend is your consultant is probably a good thing. When spending big it’s always nice to know that a friend will be the one to enjoy the spoils.

§         Scrapbooking Consultant: Lovely person who might: a) be supporting a family, b) need more mad money, c) be trying to earn scrapbooking supplies, d) other.

Blessings and Joy to all of you scrapbookers out there! I admire you.

Log Into Computer – Enter Blogosphere

It’s a new year and I’m adding something new to my life.  This new “something” is blogging. I thought long and hard about this venture, and I have absolutely no explanation for why my final answer to, “Should I do this?” was, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

I know a little about blogs and enjoy following a few blogs regularly. Sometimes I take the time to respond to the posts and sometimes I just enjoy reading about various topics and seeing how others respond.

By way of introduction, I’m a writer and retired educator.  I live in Colorado in a condo community with my husband. Here we have beautiful mountain views and share the condo commons with deer, red fox, colorful birds, and an occasional mountain lion or bear.

Things I like and include in my life on a time available basis are hiking, reading, scrapbooking, sewing, listening to music, watching movies, taking pictures of nature and family, decorating, and entertaining. I’ll attempt to keep my dislikes to myself.

My life is filled with much joy and my goal is to share some of that joy through my blog. I plan to make entries on Mondays and Thursdays. However, due to the process of getting my blog set up and missing my Thursday post time, I’m posting on Friday this week.

I hope your New Year adventures are all going well!