Dream Sequence

Blog Prompt: Dream - A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Do you dream a lot? Do you remember them when you awake? Do they leave you feeling refreshed and happy or drained? Do they have any effect on you during the day, whether you remember the contents or not?

A lot of times I remember my dreams and wish I had not. Mine are bizarre and unsettling at the best and terrifying at the worse. Many times they are repetitive. Those, I think, are the worse. I feel as if I should be gleaming some important information from them, but can’t quite grasp it.

And until recently I never dreamed about people I knew or had ever seen. Now some of my family members have been sneaking in, hiding in the house that has no end, going from room to room, never knowing what you are looking for.

I wish they would leave me refreshed, but they don’t I feel tired and drained after some of them, leaving me wondering which is the real world. And when they go on for too long, I don’t even want to fall asleep.

Pink Parfait (c)Doreen Stoltz; Alpha (c)Equipe Criando Kits - Curso ValGouveia; Template 125 by Neverland Scraps; Fonts: Arial

Problem Solving

Blog Prompt: “You have to remember: Problems can be solved. There is something you can do.” ~Jim Hensen. What are your steps to solving problems?

I try to think them through. Sometimes I can redo it to make it right (crafts, work, etc). If it has something to do with social interaction, though, I usually make the problem worse, as my temper tends to flare. (You are all getting to see the bad side of me this time around).

What I really need to do is learn to keep my mouth shut and let someone else do the talking for me. It would be better if it was Pan, who is much more tactful and sensitive than I am under those circumstances. And if I feel the need to do the talking, I need to learn to wait a day or two before doing so, not that it would help once I get my dander up. Still I should try.

Crossroads QP (c)Mabelle Santiago-Rubia; Font: Arial

Independently Me

Your Independence Level: High

You are extremely self reliant and autonomous. You are definitely into doing your own thing. But you also wouldn't turn down help if you needed it. You follow your own path, but you don't do so blindly.

How Independent Are You?

Cottage Mist February Collab Kit (c)GDS designers

Feats of Courage

A past blog prompt which I didn't get around to then. ;) The feats I’d attempt if I had the courage?

Sky diving. I have always wanted to try it. Once many years ago I might have actually done it. Not today though. It's not that I am afraid of heights, I'm not. I really don't know what it is that makes me nervous even contemplating jumping from a plane.

SA-Homespun (template); Life is an Adventure (c)Marys Scrapgalerie; Fonts: Clingy, fontastic

Home Again Jiggity Jig

I'm back...... Home for a week long stay in warm and quiet Orlando. A great room on the 15th floor with a balcony and feather pillows and duvets. Hot tubs in the evening, meandering river pool during the day. Getting to meet people from Canada and Iceland.

Yep, I had a great time, but am glad to be home.

Friendships

Friendships. How close are you and how much fun do you have?

I’m a very close person who does not make friends easily (others, especially those who do not know me well, will tell otherwise). I have lots of acquaintances; but few true “friends.” Pan, my mother and my sisters are the closest to me and I consider them my best friends. But there are a few outside of the family who have broken through the reserve and have been my bff.

One died several years ago. I had known her since I was pregnant with the Bomb. Our children played together. But we were the oddest sort of friends. We were totally different people and had different lifestyles. She was a bartender/topless dancer. At the time I wasn’t working, but soon went to work for an attorney. Yet we were so compatible in so many ways and shared many of the same interests, including cross stitch.

Another I see only once a year, if that, and we only live 8 miles apart. Once again it was a matter of different people, different lifestyles. She was an airplane mechanic in the Air Force before she retired. I had worked for the attorney, a construction firm and a newspaper. We met at the newspaper where she was hired as a sales rep nearly 10 years ago. She has since retired.

And the Big B, LOL. We have work at the newspaper together, have lunch once or twice a week and plan road trips. We really do have something in common, besides work. We both have had boys in the Marines, both have had problems with a child and are grandparents.

In Fall (c)happy-scrap; Template 11 by Timounette; Alpha by Dozibaer; Font: Arial

Communication 21st Century Style

Blog Prompt: “Communication: The art and technique of using words effectively to impart information or ideas.” That is what we are accomplishing here. A form of communication by using words effectively to impart information. But with the advent of the computer and the shortcuts used on the computer to convey ideas and emotions it appears they are becoming more prevalent in our day to day lives, as well. How has communication changed since the computer became a household appliance?

I find that I am using emoticons in my day to day life, on the computer, when writing letters, or interoffice communications. I do have to stop and take stock when I get an interoffice email that is in all caps. I have to realize that some in the office do not have computers at home (shock); and really are computer illiterate. And even those who are do not always know what emoticons are. (How bizarre is that?)

But communication really has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 50 years. Remember “2001.” And what they expected of communication. Ha, if we really did have it that cheap. It seems the better it gets the more expensive the price tag. Maybe I should go back to writing letters… but the post office has been raising their rates exponentially as well.

And what does it say when my blog prompt is longer than the answer, LOL.

Sweetness (c)Béa Scrap & Design; Template 3 by Scrap's Angels; fonts: Arial, SF Solar Sailer

Art Form

Art in its many forms. Do you feel you are artistic? Can you draw, paint or sculpt?

If you want a drawing, painting or sculpting, don’t look to me. I could not do any of those, if my life depended on it. I am good at needlework, cross stitch in particular, though I have done crewel and needlepoint. I think I enjoy it because there is an element of math involved, especially with counted cross stitch. I tend to be more left brain oriented and less artistic.

Purple Delight (c)Lunica; Sept 8 Template by Shandy Vogt; Font: Arial

Zen Ho

Blog Prompt: Ayurveda is the conventional Hindu system of medicine, founded chiefly on naturopathy and homeopathy. Have you ever tried an unconventional method of healing? What are your thoughts on it?

Other than my little Chinese Zen garden, I can't say I have ever tried an unconventional (by western standards) medical system. That is not to say I have never thought about it. Well, maybe this isn't entirely true. I do have a Neti pot that I keep forgetting to use. As I understand they are more effective if used as a routine cleaning agent. So I guess I so use an unconventional medical system. Although I don't see that it is that much different than using a saline spray prescribed by your physician. Maybe one day I'll even get brave enough to try out one of those ear candles. But acupuncture is out. I hate shots, so have no inclination or desire to have someone stick pins into me.

My Discovery (c)Alexandra Brandwein; Template 13 by Racketty Scrappety, Fonts: Arial, Procelain

Blog Prompts: Beastly Connections

"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts happens to man. All things are connected..." ~ Chief Seattle ~ Expand on this.

All it takes is to turn on the news to listen to news about global warming or the coming of another ice age. You don’t know which way to turn or begin to wonder if any of it is correct. One thing that is sure, though, is the loss of a species and how it may impact our lives. By constantly destroying without replacing plants and foliage we are losing plant, animal and insects that could possibly be the next cure for some of the diseases which ravish our planet each year.

We would do well to our ecology to heart and learn from past mistakes. But I don’t advocate carrying it to the extreme Greenpeace does. Temperance should be our guide.

Puddles of Play (c)GDS designers; Template by No Reimer Reason Designs; fonts: Arial, Steak

Philosophy Anyone?

Your Taste in Music Says You're Philosophical

Your musical tastes are reflective and complex. You are intellectual to the point of being cerebral. You are very open to new experiences, and even more open to new ideas and theories. Wisdom and personal accomplishment are important to you. You are naturally sophisticated. You are drawn to art, especially art by independent artists. You are likely to be financially well off... and not because you were born that way.

What Does Your Taste in Music Say About You?

Hailee Girl (c)Andrea Gold; template by Andrea Gold; Fonts: Century Gothic, Eutemia II

Knock Knock

Okay I admit it. I have smart kids and grandkids. Sometimes too smart for their own good.

Nuke was about 3 or 4 when he found a screwdriver. Why are screwdrivers so fascinating to toddlers? Is it that they are long and slender and make good weapons? Or is just the handle feels good to hold?

No matter what the reason, Nuke found a screwdriver. What I didn’t realize was that he knew how to use it. That is until I went to open a bedroom door and the doorknob came off in my hand. And the next bedroom door and the next and both bathrooms, the hallway closets… Name a door and he took the screws out of the doorknobs.

"NUKE bring me those screws right NOW." I spent the rest of the afternoon replacing the doorknobs and extolling the virtues of leaving screws in the doorknobs to a very inattentive child.


Brenda Miller (template); Homemade Memories (c)DigiDiva; Font: Summertime

Blog Prompt: Listen closely

Close your eyes. Listen. What all do you hear? Can you describe it in detail? Once you opened your eyes, did what you thought you heard and actually heard coincide?

This one is really hard for me as I have ringing in my ears. It normally does not affect my hearing, but sometimes when it is fairly quiet, it can mute low sounds around me. But I will give it a try.

My bedroom door is closed, but just behind it I can hear the sounds of the movie the kids have been watching in their room. I can hear the Bomb pounding away on her keyboard, surprisingly enough I cannot hear anything from her television, which is normally set at high volume. Well, high for me anyway.

One Day One Year ©Coralie Designs; Template by Fryskes; Fonts: Arial Narrow, Memory Lapses

Blog Promt: Attitude Today

Attitude is a state of mind or a feeling; disposition. What is your attitude today? What has affected it to make it so?

It is a mix between tension of what is going on at work and excitement knowing that we will soon be heading out to our favorite vacation spot. Okay, it’s my vacation spot, it’s just more work for Pan.

The tension at work is trying to get three weeks worth of work done in half a week. I will be gone a week and the week I get back; my boss will be leaving for two weeks. But I’m not going to think about that anymore. I’m just going to sit back, relax and enjoy my current situation.

Petit lutin ©Akiloune; Template by Silvia Albert (Pippi); Fonts: Subtext, Arial Narrow

Happy Birthday Bombshell

May your day be filled with joy and happiness. Happy 29th, daughter.

Blog Prompt: Accomplishments & Consequences

What is the most important thing you have to accomplish today? What would be the consequence if it did not get done?

Remember to make my hair appointment. My hair grows so fast and missing an appointment adds an additional half inch to my mop. It has already grown enough to be interferring. It is hard to remember that a year and half ago it was past my waist and I have managed to keep it at shoulder length since. But the consequences of letting it get long include headaches and I don't really want to have to go through those again.

It might be a good idea for me to remember that it is the Bomb’s 29th birthday too. Forgetting that may make things just a tad stickier than they already are, LOL.

Remember You (c)Doreen Stolz; Template set 5 by Doreen Stolz; Font: Yukon Gold

Blog Prompt: Anger Management

“Anger Management involves a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which one with excessive anger can reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects of an angered emotional state.” ~Self Improvement Complete Dictionary. What form does your anger management take?

For years I could not control my anger. And believe me it was rugged, especially for the recipient of that anger. Since having children, I have learned to take a step back, take a deep breath, and then start screaming. Most times though, I go into another room and start throwing things. Hoping all the while that the only things I am throwing are unbreakable. So far I have been lucky. But I really do try to get away from the source of my anger.

Discover (c)Andrea Gold; Font: Arial Narrow

Blog Prompt: What does it mean to be you?

"To be nobody but myself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." ~ E. E. Cummings ~

I am a complex person. Compassionate and caring on one side, but flip that coin and you could get a raging bull. Most would describe me as being too kind. I guess I am. I don’t like to see anyone hurt or hurting. But on occasions, I have been the one to cause that hurt. I have had to learn to temper that rage through the years. And now that I have reached and barely surpassed middle age, I think I have come close. But still it simmers below the surface for that one time, that one occasion when being kind or compassionate has caused me pain.

Let it Rock (c)A Work in Progress and Sweet Blossom Designs; Template by Kimb's designs; Fonts: Arial, iNked God

Birthing Pains

WARNING: There will be a brief mention of certain female reproductive parts and another word for rear ends. If this will in any way embarrass or offend you, please do not read further.

Sometimes it is better to wait before scrapping a page, such as the birth of a child.

I had only gotten around to doing one of Indy's pages but the wait was worth it.
The other night as he was suppose to be going to sleep and I was working on my computer, he wanted to see pictures of himself as a baby. I showed him these, taken in the hospital, the day he was born.

After staring at them for a few minutes, he very seriously turned to Pan & myself and asked if this was the day his mommy pooped him out of her butt. Trying not to laugh, I explained that he had been in her uterus and came through the vagina.

After another few moments of silence he turned once more with another question.

"I came from China?" he said excitedly. "Can I speak Chinese?" We lost it.

(and yes, mother, I know it should say 'asked excitedly' but that's how I put it on the page and I'm not redoing it, LOL)

Enzo (c) Mycrevette; sketch by Cherie Averill; Fonts: Arial Narrow, Dad's Recipe, Barber Shop

Water, Water, Everywhere

Your Body's Element is Water

You are a joyful, relaxed, and luminous person. You love people. You live for making new friends and helping others. You are enthusiastic and the ideal person to work with. You don't mind doing hard tasks, and you have a generous spirit. Your energy tends to be: conserved You power color is: black

What Element is Your Body?

A Whisper of Romantic (c)Verena Karolyi; template by Fryske; Fonts: 4 my lover, Century Gothic

T the Terrorizing Lovebird

T was a lovebird. Ex brought him home as a “gift.” It was bad enough that he had already brought home a dog and a cat. On top of which, this bird did not have a mate and was MEAN. Mean to everyone except Scamp that is. Those two loved one another. And whatever Scamp was doing, T had to be right in the middle of it. Scamp had one of those riding push toys shaped like a crayon and while he would race around the house 90 to nothing, T would be perched on the steering wheel, wings just afluttering to keep his balance.

One of his favorite places to perch was on top of the fridge. He would sit there patiently waiting for the cat to come in for a drink and down he would come. Peck, peck, peck. The poor cat was terrified of him. Off she would slink as he sat on the edge of her bowl drinking. Then if you looked carefully the cat would be stalking him. Quiet as a mouse she slithered across the floor and just as she got up to the bowl, he would turn around and peck her on the nose.

The thing is we couldn’t keep T in his cage. We must have spent a small fortune on cages for the bird but he was the Houdini of birds. Finally we just gave up. T was finally lost to us when Ex left the door open and he flew off. Later we heard he was living in some trees a few blocks from us. He apparently started a new life terrorizing the local feathered friends.



Brenda Miller (template); Homemade Memories (c)DigiDiva; Font: Summertime

Blog Prompt: Get in Touch with Your Senses

Touch something close to you. Write about it, the texture, color, shape, etc.

There you sit right before my eyes. The closer I get the more I can see the tiny spikes of a once living organism. The holes from which the tentacles protruded to grab the tiny particles that floated around it in the salty sea. Now yellowed with age and being dried out, once you could have been a multitude of colors, hiding tiny fish from the predators of the deep. And as I glance even deeper into your pores, I can see where dust mites and lint have taken hold.


Land & Sea (c)A Work in Progress; Coins (c)Ann Cobb; Template by Trish H. Designs

Blog Prompt: Would you?

Take a book or dictionary, hold it closed with the spine in your lap. Now remove your hands and let it fall open. Close your eyes and place a finger on the page. What is the closest word to your finger? Write a paragraph around that word.

My word happens to be “would”. Since the book I chose was “Dune” by Frank Herbert, the one I am currently reading, one would think that I would get something a little more interesting. More along a science fiction line, but that would have been asking too much, I think. I must also admit I have never stopped to think how I would use “would” in a paragraph as the main word. The one I would wrap the paragraph around. What really is interesting is that the multiple use of the word “would” has not yet set off the grammar check. Though I would not know what I would do if it did start pinging all the woulds. It doesn’t like the ‘s’ on the end, as I would imagine that really would not be a word.

Hazy Summer (c)A Work in Progress; template by Jen*uine Artistry; font: Century Gothic

Blog Prompt: Accomplish This

Now is the time to ask yourself what you intend to accomplish today. Write it down and then follow up later in your post as to what on your list, if any, you did.

There really is a ton of things I need to get done today:
1. Make bed (DONE)
2. Make breakfast (DONE)
3. Clean kitchen (HALF-DONE)
4. Do laundry (DOING)
5. Locate the kids clothes which migrated to my room (SEMI-DONE)
6. Ditto for their toys
7. Wait patiently to find out what Pan's doctor has to say (DONE)
8. Cook dinner (PAN TOOK ME OUT, YAH)
9. Clean kitchen (SEE 4)
10. Make Indy's lunch (FIXING TO MAKE)
11. Read e-mail (DONE)
12. Do a layout (DONE)
13. Post next blog prompt (DONE)
14. Finish "Dune" or start "Paul of Dune" if already finished the other. (STARTED)

Meet Me in the Meadow (c)Connie Prince; Template by Brenda Miller; Scraplift of Henrik by akhn;Font: Franklin Gothic Book

Blog Prompt: Achievements

Achievement connotes accomplishment of something noteworthy, after much effort and often in spite of obstacles and discouragements. What do you feel is your greatest achievement?


Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is giving birth and raising three beautiful children. And that, my friend, is the greatest achievement I could ever conceive of.

There have been others though. Three years with the rape crisis council. Working with elementary and middle schools on giving children information on the harm of smoking. Teaching Sunday school. Babysitting.

Babysitting, you say? I use to watch a young lad and girl of 10 and 6 when we lived on Guam. They were the most precious children I have ever had the privilege to spend time with. The little girl was mentally deficient and had to be cared for as if she was only 6 or 7 months old. The boy, though, was a true genius. There was no middle ground for these kids. So, yes, babysitting falls into the category of achievements.

Sketch from Pencil Lines; Poppy (c)Tracy Collins; Fonts: Bleeding Cowboys, Franklin Gothic Book

Blog Prompt: Open Minded?

An open mind is a good place to start. Stay open to everything. The more that you see, hear, and experience, the more connections you’ll make. ~Jim Henson. What is your mind open to?


I like to think that my mind is open to all sorts of possibilities. To life on other planets, to new discoveries beneath our seas. I also like to think that I am open to different lifestyles, different religions; or at least tolerant. And I am.. to a point. When it comes to my family, I am not sure I would be so tolerant those different lifestyles, etc. But who knows, maybe I would be if I was actually faced with it.

Sketch by Becky Fleck; Color Revolution Boldly Brown (c)Connie Prince; Font: arial

Flipped a Flop

Your Flip Flops Say You're Hilarious

You live to have fun, and your sense of humor is downright goofy. You are a big kid on the inside, and you have a very open heart. You try to make every day feel like a vacation, even if you have other responsibilities. Each day, you make a little bit of time to play and let loose. Your ideal warm weather place: Disney World

The Flip Flop Test

Coffee Filters

Who knew! and you can get 1,000 for almost nothing.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect china. Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.

13. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers.."

Oh, They're also great to use in your coffee makers

Template by Meredith; Apple Orchard (c)Colie's Corner; Fonts: Courtney Dorkling, Greer

Blog Prompt: To Question a Story

“The questions you ask shape the story you live. What story do you want to live?” ~The Life Organizer by Jennifer Louden

The questions I need to ask to shape my story would be:

Am I willing to run through the water in all my clothes? Can I still stare at how the bugs live? And would I try to catch snowflakes as they tumble down?

And the answer to each is yes, most definitely yes. To think like a child. To share the wonder and fascination they have with each and every day.

I hope I never lose that wonder and fascination. And that I can find something in each and every day worth learning.

Sampler (c) April Staker; Template T15 by Valarie Ostrom Designs; Fonts: Arial, Rough Linen

Blog Prompt: Face to Face

When you come face to face with a difficulty what is your first impulse?

Face to Face with difficulties have me wishing I could turn tail and run to the nearest ostrich hole and bury my head next to the world's largest chicken.

But we all know that really does not solve anything, so I buck it up, stick my chin out and hope that I can bear it.

I would like to say that I always succeed, but I don't. Not even half the time. Most times I feel like the world's largest coward. I don't like confrontations and just about do anything to avoid them. Compromise, agreement, just backing down totally. All so I don't have to come Face to Face with my difficulties.

But then there are those things which I have to face. As when Scamp was in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or Nuke was on the sub. I worried, but still had to maintain a life here at home. It's a wonder I don't have ulcers.

Birds of a Feather (c)retrodiva {designs}™; Alpha by dozibar; Template 3 by Athena/Studio Incognito; Fonts: Arial

Blog Prompt: Quote of the Day

What is your favorite quote and how does it apply to you?

"God gives ever bird its food but He does not throw into its nest." ~J.G. Holland
I think this quote encompasses my core belief in that you are responsible for your actions. I remember Nuke, jokingly, telling me that I shouldn't have such high standards, then I wouldn't have passed them on to him.

These words mean more than ever today when we are faced with the onslaught of the "gimme's." So many believe that they are owed because of some slight they perceive. Or slights/wrongs perpetrated upon their families in the past.

The selfishness is so depressing, and made even more so for me, since I have discovered someone close to me, is now one of those people. Maybe one day they will see this quote and realize the strength behind it. I hope so.

Katy Koo (c)Karen Lewis; Fonts: Arial, Aristotle Punk, Bernard, Brushed

Blog prompt: Daily Traditions

Almost all of us have some kind of annual tradition; but what about daily traditions? Do you all sit down together at dinner? Have special times and places for homework? Bedtime routines that almost never waver? Let's hear them all

We really don't stick to a routine of any kind around. We just don't know when everyone is going to be available. Unlike my sister, by whom you could set a clock. That I am not kidding about. She has set times for everything.

About the only thing that comes close to a daily tradition would be doing homework with the Princess. Every day she comes in, unloads her backpack and says "Tink, I need your help." So we sit down and go over what she is suppose to be doing. I think she gets a thrill out of seeing me waver between having no idea what her homework is about or getting frustrated because I can't make her understand what I'm explaining without just giving her the answer. Still it is loads of fun to work with her and have our time together.

My Funky Monkey (c)Connie Prince; Template by Brenda Miller; Font: Arial

Blog Prompt: Motherhood

Let's start out the month by writing about what being a mother means. Now if you are not a mother, you have several options. You can write about what you think it means, or you can write about being a sister, a daughter, an aunt... You get the picture

What does it mean to be a mother? You would think with 3 generations to ask, that a decent answer could be given. But not so, as every woman, man and child has a different idea of what a mother should be.

I am blessed with a mother that I can also, now, consider a friend as well as confidant. She has been a sounding board for all my woes and tribulations trying to make my own way through motherhood. I hope that I can be that to my own daughter.

Motherhood is an experience that literally is without end. For once you begin this journey it will be with you the rest of your life. All the good times, all the bad; the tragedies and joys. It's definitely a one-of-a-kind experience.

Cherries Jubilee (c)Silvia Romeo; Fonts: Beyond Wonderful, Bodoni MT

Sunsets

You Crave a Purposeful Life

Your dream is to live a life where you make a difference. You want to effect people. You don't need to be the one who changes the world, but you would like to change a few lives. You want to be generous and warm-hearted toward others. Life is hard enough as is. You believe life is mostly about how you treat other people. What kind of person you are matters.

The Sunset Test

Happy Birthday NUKE

Thirty-two years ago you graced me with your presence. And I have not regretted a moment of the time. You are a wonderful son and friend. May your day be filled with fun and pleasant memories.