Be Content

Be Content

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.

—Lao Tzu

Contentment is often times easier said than done. However, my experience has been that as I’ve grown older, and perhaps wiser, I find myself more and more content. 

When I was younger I was always looking for the next big thing. Ironically, at the stage I’m at now I’m usually looking for smaller and less. 

Once I worried about every little physical flaw, while today I realize that there are many facets of aging that I have very little control over. So instead of fretting over the visible signs of aging I do the best I can with what I’ve got, and leave it at that. 

When I think of a role model for contentment I always think about St. Paul who reminds us in

Philippians 4:11-13 

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

The Better Idea

The Better Idea

The thing I think I love most about spending time with my oldest grandson is getting a chance to view life through his eyes. 

He got to spend spent a couple of days with us last week, and we really had a blast. 

One of his favorite things to do is paint, and I thought it might be fun to paint on real canvases, so we made our way to Michael’s to pick up our supplies. I had planned that after that we would try out a burger joint in Southlake that I had been on my radar. 

As we made our way to Michael’s we passed by the 54th St. Grill, which just so happened to have an outdoor patio with a fire pit. He immediately made a comment about the fire, and I asked him if he’d like to eat there. 

He seemed very excited about the opportunity to eat outside, and since the weather was unseasonably warm I decided that his idea for dinner was the better than mine. 

I’m so glad we followed his lead because along with some pretty delicious food we had a really enjoyable eating experience. We listened to the music, checked out the college football game every now and then, and warmed up to the fire which actually was in the middle of our table.

Best of all my grandson’s meal included a scoop of his favorite “nilla” ice cream for dessert. 

We returned home to paint cows using our new paints, brushes and canvases. Much to my delight the paint we had purchased was actually metallic, so our cows turned out pretty cool too. 

At four years old, our grandson reminds his grandparents to never stop having fun.

New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions

I’m thinking about expanding my repertoire of emojis in 2020. Just like a lot of other things in my life I get comfortable in what I’m doing, and need a kick in the pants to shake things up. 

The basic laughing crying face, the sad teardrop face, the uncomfortable smile face, and the home alone cat face seem to be my go-to’s when it comes to expressing myself. 

However, after a cursory examination there appears to be tons more that might express my feelings more exactly. A few months ago I had Chuck help me figure out how to make one of those totally personalized emojis. I love it, and use it for text messaging. I need to see if it works on Facebook. 

While we are talking about New Year’s resolutions I’ve learned a few things about myself over the years when it comes to naively thinking my life will greatly improve through the implementation of resolutions. Here are just a few of those insights:

I’m not going to choose a word for the year. 

I’ve ditched the fancy planner for an old fashioned Teacher’s Credit Union calendar to keep up with everything. Although, I do have a really nice planner my sister gave me that I enjoy filling out with other types of things. 

I’m not signing up for any online courses as I rarely ever finish them. 

I’m not setting a number of books to read for the year.

I’ll probably not attempt a daily gratitude journal because what I’ve discovered about myself is that it is almost impossible for me to keep up with these kind of things on a daily basis. 

What I will do is continue to walk during the week at the gym, continue to attend a Weight Watcher meeting weekly, and will continue to track my food. These all seem to be ingrained in my routine, and are actually good for me. 

Although, I might not always write it down I do thank God regularly for all His many blessings in my life. 

How do you feel about New Year’s resolutions?

The Babysitter

The Babysitter

I’ve been a little out of pocket this last week since I was babysitting my grandsons for four days, and finding time to write just wasn’t in the cards. Brittany and Will were taking a much deserved trip to Las Vegas for the big NFR rodeo, and I was available to watch the grandsons. 

I thought I might give a little recap of the adventure. First, I must give my daughter props for the very important and hard job that she does daily. As the mother of an only child I now realize how easy my job was. Double duty is just that, double duty. 

As you can imagine when you are awaken at five in the morning by the sound of, “Mimi!” you find yourself retiring before ten later that night. Of course, hearing your precious almost two year old grandson sit up in your bed ( I foolishly thought I might get a few more winks if I brought him into my bed), and exclaim, “Stevie, hmmm?” You see Stevie is their Elf on the Shelf, and even at this tender age the littlest wakes up excited to locate the rambunctious little Santa spy. 

Along with human wrangling I was also responsible for a little animal husbandry. Now mind you, this involved feeding the sheep twice a day which was actually not too hard. What gave me pause, though, was the birth of twin lambs which caused a little angst when it appeared that one of them wasn’t quite sure who was his mother. 

Now more than anything this was just due to my city slicker ways, and a heart two sizes too big when it comes to baby animals. It appears all is fine, but I didn’t want to lose anyone on my watch. 

The other animal related task was letting the chickens out in the morning, and closing up the coop at night. I now truly understand the old adage, “Letting the chickens come home to roost.”  What I found extremely amusing was the beeline the girls made to a particular pasture at break neck speed once I opened the coop door. Not unlike a “bat out of hell”, they seemed quite determined to get there as quickly as possible, perhaps with their legs crossed. I’m wondering if Brittany and Will are going to find a clutch of eggs under their pecan tree? Ever since the big storm, and the Wizard of Oz coop incident, they don’t seem to like laying their eggs there anymore.  

The days were definitely long, especially when I realized that eight hours had passed since awakening and nap time, but how can you resist their sweet smiles, and sticky hugs? After a day or two I learned to drape their socks over their boots to be ready for the next outdoor playtime, to cut a piece of bread into fourths to spread with peanut butter for the youngest since he liked to open up the sandwich to get to the good part, and to load the dishwasher after each meal, rather than waiting to clean up the kitchen late at night.  

We colored a lot (but if the truth be told the markers made their way onto the counter pretty early on), watched more tv than we should, read quite a few books, mastered the swings, made a chocolate cake with red and green sprinkles, and ended the night clean as a whistle. 

I wish I could say I had the patience of a saint the entire time, but this old Mimi’s nerves aren’t what they used to be. In fact, the oldest made a comment about my old age when I helped get him out of the tub, while holding on to my arm. When I asked him how he knew I was old he said, “Because your arms were squishy.”

So much for pretending 63 is the new 43!

Neck and Neck

Neck and Neck

The late Nora Ephron, screen writer of When Harry Met Sally, wrote a book in her sixties entitled, I Feel Bad About My Neck.

I learned something about my neck a few days ago while shopping for some winter shirts. Due to age, and a constant state of being too warm I haven’t bought or worn a sweater or a turtle neck in years. 

I constantly find myself pushing my sleeves up toward my elbows in an attempt to stay somewhat comfortable, all the while hoping a hot flash stays at bay. 

To be honest, I was pretty disappointed in the choice of basic “everyday” shirts I found this year, and trecked to several stores in a pilgrimage-like fashion trying to find something I liked. I’ll be the first to admit that unlike most women, shopping for clothes is not my favorite thing. 

Shopping for books, journals and art supplies, on the other hand are much more up my alley. However, I digress. 

Although, I knew that a regular turtleneck would be way too hot, I thought I’d try the less obvious mock turtleneck. I had recalled that about fifteen years ago they were my go-to winter shirts, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong. 

Maybe, I should have taken into account the state of my neck today, as compared to fifteen years ago. What I quickly discovered was that while a turtleneck completely hides your neck, a mock turtleneck hits it right at the most obvious spot of aging, and screams “over sixty with no sign of a facelift in the near future.”

As I decided on a few shirts, I chose the scooped neck variety due to the fact that they appeared to draw the eye away from the culprit, and they also came with my beloved three quarter length sleeve. No pushing required. 

This getting older is an interesting journey for sure with new discoveries almost daily. I now understand why Diane Keaton is never seen without a snappy little scarf tied around her neck!

A Whole Lotta Shopping

A Whole Lotta Shopping

How’s your Christmas shopping going? I have a friend who is already done, and has the presents wrapped and sitting under her tree. Very impressive indeed!

I’m happy to report that I made a huge dent in my shopping on Black Friday, which has been my practice for many years. My daughter and I have found that if you hit the stores at around 8:00 am there are no crowds, and plenty of sale merchandise still left. 

This year, though, in addition to my initial haul I’ve done some online shopping which has already arrived at my front door, and also did an online purchase that I picked up at the store. 

What made this trip to pick it up especially rewarding was the free Christmas wrapping that came with the purchase. So now I can officially say that I have one present under the tree. 

Tomorrow I’m attending a craft fair hosted by a local high school, and am hoping to find that perfect something so I can concentrate on getting everything wrapped. 

On a side note I’m also excited to be listening to some new Christmas albums on my Amazon music service. I’m so out of the loop that I have to google Christmas Albums 2019 to even know what’s new, but I love listening to all the old familiar songs.  

As they say in The Hunger Games, “May the odds be ever in your favor,” when it comes to finishing up your shopping in a timely fashion, and hopefully you don't find you making a mad dash to Walgreens on Christmas Eve for that last gift. 

Blue Zones

Blue Zones

As you’ve probably noticed I have a habit of sharing pictures on Face Book of healthy and delicious food choices. 

In response to one of my postings a former co-worker and friend of mine sent me a link about a cookbook she thought I might like.

It’s entitled Blue Zone Kitchen:100 Recipes to Live to 100, by Dan Buettner. It is a follow-up to the book The Blue Zones 9 Lessons for Living Longer written by Buettner. 

Now you may be wondering what a Blue Zone is, and will probably be surprised to learn that there actually is a Blue Zone in the DFW metroplex. 

According to Buettner, a Blue Zone is an area of the world where people’s habits influence their longevity resulting in that community living longer than most. His contention is that these habits are available to all, and will improve the quality of life as we age. 

In researching this I learned that Ft. Worth, Tx  about a year ago became the largest certified Blue Zone city in America. The city has committed to embracing a healthier lifestyle through both diet and exercise. 

If you are interested in learning more about this check out the following website:

http://fortworthtexas.gov/news/2018/11/Blue-Zones-community/

Guess which cookbook just made its way on to my Christmas list!

Four

Four

Four years ago my life changed. I officially became a grandmother, a Mimi to be exact. The other day I thanked my daughter for making me a grandmother. 

I feel so blessed to be one. I did not have a very close relationship with my grandmother until I was eleven, and moved to Texas. My grandmother became particularly important to me after my mother passed away when I was only twenty-two years old. 

It became my practice to visit my grandmother weekly, and couldn’t wait for her to meet my daughter, Brittany. My grandmother lived to be ninety-eight years old, and shared with me so many stories about her life and my mother’s. I feel blessed to have known her. 

As I reflect back on the last four years, and the addition of a second grandchild to the mix, I feel doubly blessed. Both boys bring a smile to my face and keep me laughing. They remind me to keep that enthusiastic attitude about the little things in life.

Right now I hold rock star status in their eyes, and I’ll hold on to that as long as they are willing to extend it. The other blessing for me is getting to experience little boys. I was over the moon about my one and only girl, but boys are definitely a different animal, and so much fun. 

Seeing the world through their eyes helps to keep me young, and knowing that I’m important to them expands my purpose for this season of my life. 

So here’s to many more years, but the first four have been particularly sweet!

Pilgrim Biscuits

Pilgrim Biscuits

Back when I was a second grade teacher one of my favorite things to do was to have the kids imagine what it was like to be a Pilgrim child crossing the Atlantic on the Mayflower.

 I would share with them the daily struggles of the Pilgrims and have them record their voyage in a journal. One of the interesting facts was that as the journey progressed food choices were limited and the Pilgrim children had to eat hard biscuits. 

Now as a teacher you wonder if your students are really paying attention or is your lesson going in one ear and out the other? As was the practice of my school district the cafeteria served a Thanksgiving feast each year.

 As luck would have it I was on cafeteria duty that day, and found myself approaching one of my students as she flagged me down with a waving arm. I was expecting a standard cafeteria request; something like a milk carton needing to be opened or permission to go to the restroom. I must say that what happened next caught me totally off guard. 

My student was quite ecstatic that the cafeteria had decided to serve Pilgrim biscuits that day.

 You know hard as a rock!

Wishing everyone a blessed Thanksgiving. 

Working My “Weigh” Through the Snickers Bars

Working My “Weigh” Through the Snickers Bars 

I have a confession to make. 

I’ve been working my way through the fun size Snickers bars left over from Halloween. 

Now luckily I don’t feel the same way about the lowly Milky Way and Three Musketeer bars, as there is still a plethora of those babies sitting in the GIANT bag of leftover Halloween candy in the pantry waiting to find its way to Chuck’s work. 

Judging how much candy to buy each year is a real challenge for me, especially when living in a new neighborhood. Last year I gave out small packets of pumpkin shaped pretzels, but this year I kind of felt bad denying the trick-or-treaters the good stuff, so I invested in a BIG bag of chocolate. 

Along with an almost daily Snickers bar this last week I still have continued to eat my Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cup each night after dinner. In the Weight Watcher world that’s seven points, a little less than a third of my daily points. Not too smart I’d say!

Now the good thing is that there are only about six left, but unfortunately Chuck doesn’t return to work until next week so there’s no chance they will find their way to work before the damage is done. 

I think I might need to install a pantry alarm that says, “Step away from the chocolate,” when I open the door. 😬

Thanksgiving Musings

Thanksgiving Musings

Well I almost decided not to cook Thanksgiving dinner this year. 

It’s not that I wasn’t going to celebrate Thanksgiving, rather I was considering letting Kroger’s do the cooking.

Yes, at the time in a moment of sheer madness it sounded perfectly sane, because it sounded so easy. But after I came back to my senses I knew I’d be disappointed with the store-bought version of a feast. 

Now as it is I really do try to make Thanksgiving a little simpler. I cook my Butterball (my favorite turkey of all) in a roasting bag which is super easy. My cornbread dressing begins with a Pepperidge Farm bag of dried cornbread, and I ask my guests to each bring a side. 

I’m responsible for the bird, dressing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. I wish I could claim the gravy, but it usually comes out of a jar. Rolls are our favorite brown and serve, and cranberry sauce has traditionally come from a can. 

A couple of Thanksgivings ago, though, I tried a fall Brussels Sprouts salad which is now a new favorite, and this year I plan on trying a healthier version of homemade cranberry sauce. 

As I think about the work required for a Thanksgiving meal, between planning, shopping, preparing and cleaning up afterwards, I realize that it really is a labor of love, but I’m so blessed to be able to do so. 

It seems that Thanksgiving is starting to take a backseat in the holiday world, being squeezed out by an early Christmas entrance. I still enjoy decorating for fall in November, remembering that first historical Thanksgiving, and eating the traditional foods of my youth. 

I look forward to spending time with my family all the while counting the many blessings in my life. After the feast as we gather around the TV for the Cowboy fans in the group, we also excitedly check out the Black Friday specials as we divvy up the sales circulars.

Brittany and I will be up early the next morning to take advantage of the sales, and for me to get at least two thirds of my Christmas shopping done. 

I’ll hold out until after Thanksgiving to put up my tree, but can’t wait for “the most wonderful time of the year.”

An Old Cat

An Old Cat

I guess you can teach an old cat a new trick after all. 

A couple of years ago I invested in a set of stairs for my dog, Cooper. I had noticed how effortlessly he jumped up and down off my very high bed, and realized that he wasn’t getting any younger, and I might want to be proactive about any future back problems. 

I spent several weeks enticing him up the stairs rewarding him each time with a treat. I made sure to remind him with the command, “Stairs!” each time he attempted to jump on or off the bed. 

Over time it became routine for him, and only occasionally world he jump down without using the stairs. I’ve noticed a few times, though, that he might have hurt his back, so the vet recommended putting him on some glucosamine. 

However, when it comes to my cat Abby she has her own way of getting on and off of the bed. She jumps on the end table first, and then on to the bed. Remember she figured this out all on her own, but as she is now over fifteen I thought maybe encouraging her to use the stairs as well might be easier on her. 

Last week I showed her twice how to get up on the bed. I noticed this past Saturday she was using the stairs on her own. Mind you this was with no other training, treats, command words or encouragement.

This cat cracks me up. Using the stairs takes less effort than jumping off the end table, and she pretty much figured that out without too much help from me. You know cats don’t do anything they don’t want to do as that is their “purrogative.”

This old feline has a way of finding the most comfortable spots in the house, namely my bed. 

Resting

Resting

Ruth Chou Simmons in her beautiful book, Gracelaced, writes about resting in God’s faithfulness. 

Recently I’ve found myself somewhat restless searching for something I can’t quite put my finger on. I can always tell when I’m in this place when I become obsessed with personality tests. 

Since my twenties I’ve been on this quest to figure myself out. If I could only identify which Myers Briggs or Enneagram type I am, then I’ll finally know which direction my life should take. 

As it turns out this becomes a struggle within itself because I never quite fit into any of the types exactly. I waver back and forth between extroverted introvert or introverted extrovert wondering if aren’t they pretty much the same thing?

What I’ve come to realize is that, although, these tests might have some benefit, I’m actually putting my trust in the wrong place thinking they have all the answers. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds me, 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” 

What I’m also coming to understand is that sometimes I just need to rest in the assurance that what I am to do next will be made known to me in God’s timing. I don’t have to be in charge. 

As we head into the holiday season I’m going to put away the personality tests, and enjoy spending time with family and friends, and being ever grateful for the blessings God has placed before me.

The Same Thing

The Same Thing

The words of David Usher, author of Let the Elephants Run resounded with me:

“We tend to go to the same places, to do the same things in the same way most of the time.”

As I thought more about this I came to the conclusion that there isn’t anything actually wrong with this. It is a personal preference for some who take comfort and enjoyment in the known. 

He continued with the following:

“Trying something new is for most of us, the exception rather than the rule.”

As I thought about my own life I realized that I vacillate between the two. I crave routine until I don’t. One day I wake up, and know that it is time to do something new. 

Interestingly, though, sometimes it takes convincing to do so. Fear of the unknown has a way of kicking in, and I find myself reluctant at first to make a change. 

What I have found time and time again, is that I rarely regret any new thing I’ve tried, and if I do there usually is some life lesson presented to me like a gift wrapped with a shiny bow. 

Of course, everyone is different, and needs to follow their own path. What I am offering for your consideration today is not to avoid the new and different, even if there is some discomfort involved. 

Keep it interesting, my friend. 

Ask the Question

Ask the Question

I’ve found in life that taking the time to ask a question often elevates a somewhat mundane activity into something more interesting. 

This very thing happened a few Sunday’s ago on the way home from church. We noticed that a large plantation style home was having an estate sale on their property, and thought it might be fun to check it out. 

The stately home stood on over thirty acres, and the long driveway was flanked by oak trees on either side. We noticed each one was marked with a pink tag. 

We had seen a sign pop up earlier in the summer advertising a new neighborhood that was going to be built on the property. It seemed kind of a shame that the palatial estate was going to be carved up into a series of McMansions. 

We wondered about the beautiful home that set further back on the property. We also wondered if each marked tree was destined for the wood chipper?

After arriving and parking in the adjoining pasture we made our way to an area that had been set up with white tents. Since it was already Sunday most everything was already picked over. I had noticed that the owner was selling her collection of original Cabbage Patch Dolls still in their boxes, and it brought back memories of the eighties. 

As we were leaving a woman making her way up the path stopped to ask about what was left. I mentioned the Cabbage Patch Dolls, and the parking attendant commented on the owner, and her doll collection. 

I stopped to ask her if she knew anything about the owners. Always curious I 
wanted to know more about the future plans for the place. 

As it turned out this was no ordinary parking attendant, she was actually the daughter of the estate owner. I braced myself to hear the heartbreaking story of her parents passing away, and they having to sell the property. However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that what I had imagined in my own mind was not true after all. 

Within a matter of moments her mother arrived on scene carrying a large pizza. She proceeded to fill me in on the rags to riches story of the young couple from Oklahoma. The home had just gotten to be more than they needed, and they just like most of us were wanting to downsize. 

We learned that the beautiful oaks lining the driveway would stay, and so would the home. New houses would be built on the front end of the property. 

Now what began as a routine garage sale of sorts ended up being a fascinating story of a young couple who had built a life for themselves and their family in Colleyville. 

I’m so glad I stopped to ask a question. If it’s not your practice to do so you might consider it because it sure makes life a lot more interesting. 

Stay curious my friend. 

Where There’s a “Well” There’s a Way

Where There’s a “Well” There’s a Way

I thought I might give you a quick update on “the girls”  as they are settling into their new coop.  Brittany reports that they have begun laying in their old familiar spot, so it looks like Chuck’s efforts have paid off. 

However, the mystery of whether they were too traumatized to lay eggs or not after the storm has been solved. Not to be discouraged by the lack of a coop these resourceful girls apparently have been laying all along unbeknownst to Brittany and Will. 

Just this weekend Will noticed a well worn path to the well house, and discovered twenty-six eggs all laid carefully in a bed of straw. Apparently, with their home in shambles they came up with a Plan B to take care of their egg laying needs. 

Nothing was “a fowl” in their world in their efforts to grace the world with a darn delicious egg!

(If you haven’t read about the Chicken Coop Saga check out Monday November 4th’s posting.)

The Finger

The finger. 

Nobody likes a good prank more than my husband, Chuck. Unfortunately since he’s married to a stick-in-the-mud he rarely gets a chance to pull a prank. 

That’s why he really gets into the trick side of Halloween each year, where tricks are just part of the fun. He takes great pleasure in offering acorns along with Snickers to unsuspecting trick or treaters. This year I talked him out of it, but he wasn’t to be curtailed when it came to tricking Brittany. 

He was able to procure a rubber finger from a Halloween display his work group had created, and knew immediately what he wanted to do. We just so happened to be babysitting the grandsons that weekend, and Chuck had a plan to leave the finger in Brittany’s refrigerator hoping for the expected reaction of finding a severed finger next to some left over macaroni and cheese. 

Ironically, it was the stick-in-the-mud who suggested hiding it in a box of yogurt tubes. I knew that it usually was only partially opened, and Brittany would have to lift the flap to retrieve a tube for breakfast the next morning. 

Sure enough Brittany reached in, and let out a scream. She knew immediately who was the culprit, and texted her Dad. Chuck proceeded to laugh all morning as he was getting ready for work. 

Later that evening our daughter reported that our youngest grandson was scared to death of the finger after being chased around the house by his brother through out the morning. 

He kept saying, “Papa?” which is leading us to believe that he might think that Chuck is missing a finger.