Photo Story Friday .. Happy Box

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek While at work on Friday, I received a phone call from my son:"Mom, there is an M&M box at the door .. I must open it."me: "Is your name on it?"son: "No.."me: "who's name is on the box?"son: "yours .."me: "ahh, so it is my box ... you can't open it."son: "but mom ... I really must have it .. "me: "son, I am sorry, it is mine! It is for my birthday .. you will have to wait."

*side note: never stand between a mother and her M&M's*

When I opened the door, and saw the box, it just reminded me of a Happy Box!

Who wouldn't be happy to be welcomed home with a box like that on the counter?

AND ... on top of that .. personalized M&M's!!

My sister is so awesome ..

Friday fill in ..

Thank you to Janet for Friday Fill In..

1. Why do we have to_go grocery shopping so often_?
2. _Early morning gym days_and eating all the time_ are now habits.
3. I have an insatiable urge to go kayaking .. I can't wait for the weather to warm up. I have missed the Maine waterways!__.
4. I had never heard the phrase "_adjudicate" and it _always makes Rachel and me laugh ..but then again we laugh at almost anything lately!_.
5. _The weekend is here, and mentally I create a large, not-enough-time-to-do-list,__ the way I always do.
6. How was I to know _life could take such sharp turns_.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _taking Alet to the mall (taxi mom?), tomorrow my plans include _10 and Chinese food with the inlaws____ and Sunday, I want to _have Breakfast with Cyn, and relax____!

Thursday 13 .. Random thoughts

Header from samulli

I love Thursday Thirteen .. a meme to share and have fellow bloggers know more about you .. link in at T13 right here!

So, today is Thursday .. end of the week. By now I am usually tired from the week .. and so my brain begins to chatter. I have been thinking about what 13 items I could write about, and I just couldn't settle with all that chatter .. so here are my random thoughts again ..

1. Augh .. 6:53pm .. I haven't started dinner yet ..I am tired! Noah will be asking pretty soon "what's for dinner" .. how about breakfast for dinner?! I can always pull out the faithful George and his grill.. he makes great burgers!


2. "I'm safe .. up high ... " the song in my head. Sober by P!nk. It's a great running song. Usually I hope that it shuffles on during the last mile to push me through.


3. I did 6 today .. felt really good .. I'm sore though. Co-worker R and I have started something different .. we have incorporated weight training .. it's a little scary for me, because I have had to sacrifice a running day to do weights. I'll get withdrawals ...


4. I read in Runner's World how the "older" we get the harder the recuperating phase is .. they used 35 yrs as the starting point for "old" ... w-t-h? so... does that make me ancient?


5. Saturday I will be 39 again .. and again, and again! Okay.. not really- 43! I have a picture of my mom at 43.. I was 12 ... I thought she was old then ...Alet is 13 .. she tells me I am getting "old and crippled" AUGH! I don't feel old ... that must count for something!


6. I'm cold .. the sun felt good today .. it was almost 50 leaving work .. woohoo!


7. I have to do some work .. and then bed .. I have been averaging 5 hours of sleep at the most ..way too little


8. Friday tomorrow ... Saturday .. long run


9. I need to change my music on my shuffle .. oh wait! I lost my I-tunes library .. RAWR! As Alet says, time for new music


10. So George and his grill won out .. I ate a burger .. that is twice now in a month (last time prior to that must have been close to 8 months, if not longer ..) Noah had his burger with cheese and bacon .. ugh .. good fuel for tomorrow!


11. Contacts are dry .. I need to go to yellow-smiley-face store and buy another box of CL's ..


12. Noah needs more jeans .. I think he grew another inch or so ... he was showing me how short his jeans were getting ... they are only 5 months old!!!


13. Love the number 13 .. (okay .. I like 5 too!)

Happy Thursday!

Photo by Cynthia

Manic Monday ... late!

Are you a saver or spender?
ohhh most definitely NOT a spender ... don't get me wrong .. I don't mind spending .. but it has to make sense .. or for a good time .. like an exotic vacation ..beach? ..
I don't enjoy aimlessly shopping .. to buy just because you can. .. when I shop,I always shop for the best deal.. it's a fine line .. don't buy it just because it is on sale .. (however .. when it comes to shoes .. none of the above apply .. except for the 'on sale' part ..)
Do you prefer to walk around barefoot in your home? Socks? Shoes?
hmm... During the winter in Maine .. barefoot is just not good! Inside the home, the shoes come off. I think that was a thing my mother taught me. She used to always tell us to take our shoes off because you never knew what dirt lay on the underside of the shoe. I am more comfortable in bare feet .. especially in the summer.
Do you talk to yourself?
hahahaah ... lately it seems more than usual!

A Different way to do it!

This week I am combining two memes ... I don't know if there are official rules or not ... but here it goes!
Photohunter is brought to you by TNChick .. basically a theme is given for Saturday, post a picture about the theme ... simple! I haven't participated in a loooong time, but I thought this (past) week's theme was easy .."four" ..
The other meme is Zena Musings Sacred Life Sunday .. modified version of what makes my innerself celebrate ...

So when I hear the word four, I can't help but think of my sisters ... I don't know if it is because I always heard "four girls" ... "four daughters" ....

My sisters make my innerself celebrate! They are magnificent women ... what makes it difficult is that we literally live world's apart .. one sister in Massachusetts, one in Amsterdam and one in Manila ..... *sigh*

I have a different relationship with each one, as each one is so different from the other, yet when you put us all together we blend like oreos and ice cream! (You have no idea how long it took me to think of that!)

We were able to get together last year in Amsterdam. It was probably one of the best trips I have ever had ... it was something we needed to do .. and hope to do every year.

Friday fill in ..

Thank you Janet for Friday Fill-Ins

1. When I look to the left, I see_a ribbon pillow I had bought at Pier One in Texas__.
2. _The little walkway upstairs____ is the room that has the best view in my home.
3. Let it work , oh please let it work! That was a thought I had when I was turning the key to start my car .. I had walked out on my boss after a big blow up fight, and he was swearing and cursing as he was following me in the parking lot ..... normal? I say not!_.
4. _Whining_ done dirt cheap!
5. _Getting a honest education so that you can make informed decisions when it comes to voting_ is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share.
6. If you have any _thoughts____ feel free _to voice them right here!____.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to an evening with Noah, and taxi mom for Alet_, tomorrow my plans include _10 miles and (ugh!) groceries and possible a night with Clint Eastwood_ and Sunday, I want to _do some work from home and relax_!

The view from the walk way windows

So Happy Friday .. this week seemed to fly by.. Actually let me change that: During the week, the time seemed to be slow and painful. On Wednesday I remember wishing it were Friday .. and next thing you know .. it's Friday!

It's been a week full of emotional adventure .. another major step, Thursday night was transition into high school night. My baby girl is getting ready to go in high school ... gulp!

Best friend C signed me up for photography classes ... I am sooooo excited .. we are going to take this class together .... one of the homework assignments is to bring pictures into the class .. *sigh* .... if only I could recup my harddrive .. I had tons of them!

I'm hoping this will be a productive weekend .. ... happy weekend everyone!

Manic Monday

What would you do with an extra hour each day?

Hmmm .. I love these trick questions .... it depends what I am doing at that moment ..! When I am at work, I can easily use the extra hour; a woman's work is never done! .... when I am at play .. well.. there is never enough time in a day!!

Do you wear a watch? If so, tell us about it. If not, how do you keep track of time?

I do wear a watch .. actually I love my watch .. I am my father's daughter, and like him, I love nice watches (and clocks) .. my first watch was the love of my watch-loves.. a Bulova with a mother of pearl face ..something I picked out myself, and gifted it with my dad's AmEx card for Christmas, and then told him after the fact. I wasn't able to go home for Christmas that year .. so feeling pretty self-pity-ish, I bought myself a nice gift. He was awesome about it .. because after all, he had good taste! Then after that one broke .. (about 9 years later!), I settled for other watches .. they were nice .. but never what I loved. Then three years ago my cheapie watch finally broke as we were heading to Texas .. while there I never really bothered until I crossed paths with my Movado ... and time stood still! So on Mother's day ..

If it was possible, would you want to know how many days you had left to live?

No ... Live now .. would you change your life if you knew your days were numbered?

Sacred Life Sunday #4

It's Sunday again .. and thanks to Carla's Sacred Life Sunday
and her blog about what connects her to her Spirit .. in my modification, I will post weekly for the next 30 weeks (well.. this is my fourth post .. so 26 more weeks), pictures of what makes my inner self celebrate ..

I did skip a few weeks, but that is because I had a valid excuse ..but just because I didn't put fingers to keyboard, didn't mean that my mind stopped thinking about the stuffs that make my inner self celebrate.

Music is another connector to what makes my inner self celebrate .. how do I post it in picture form? Nevertheless, music has always been a huge influence .. from the time my parents gave me my first tape recorder on my 12th birthday .. to the Ipod Shuffle given to me on Mother's day three years ago (..how technology has changed even in the three years!) ..  my first cassette tape was Donny and Marie Osmond .. favorite song "When the deep purple falls ....." (ouch!) .. ahh yes, I blame my oldest sister for the Osmond influence .. she was a HUGE Osmond fan.

Because music strikes such a deep chord (....!), it is always fun to play "name that tune and what year?" .. Major events are marked with song ... It's amazing how I could be driving and a song can just bring me right back to that place. 

Music helps me out of those not-so-nice mood(Everything - Michael Buble) ... and it certainly puts a bounce in my step when I run to  (Mr Blue Sky - ELO).. the kids make fun of me most of the time.. I can’t wait for the day when they will reminisce …!

When my laptop died, all of my I-tunes died with it.. so now I am trying to recoup my lost songs … *sigh!* Guess it’s like cleaning out the closet .. some songs had to go .. make room for new ones.

Friday fill in ..on Sunday

1. _Keeping calm and not reacting in a negative fashion, when a female driver pulled into the parking spot I WAS BACKING UP IN__ was my last random act of kindness.
2. Another place I am thinking about is a sunny warm sandy beach_.
3. _Speak softly__ in matters of the heart.
4. Coffee, tea or _wine .. let's cut to the chase!_.
5. _I'd like to get off these_ separate paths.
6. Our sunny 50 degrees_ reminds me that there is _sun, warmth and kayaking on the way!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _chips and salsa with co-worker R__, tomorrow my plans include _10?__ and Sunday, I want to _clean, work and relax .. is that too much for a Sunday??____!

Manic Monday

Thanks to Fleur de Lisa for another Manic Monday ...

If I was a car, I'd be: a Jaguar E-type .. sleek, sexy and fast! (okay, this was really tough .. it said car, and not truck .. I am a truck person more than a sports car .. for right now .. give me a few more years and then I'll settle for a sports car ..! )

If I was a drink, I'd be: a glass of red wine .. wine is always savored

If I was emotion, I'd be: determined .... (is that an emotion? I didn't want to be boring and say "happy" ..)