Halloween

I dressed up as my alter ego today. Nathan. All in black with blackish hair and extra make-up. Used that can stuff for the hair. Never again. It was so disgusting. All day I kept washing my hands because I touch my hair a lot. Then I touch my face a lot. Eww. My hands are a little stained now. Anyway it was kind of fun.
We opted not to take Little Miss trick or treating tonight. I had thought that her parents wanted to do it, but we heard nothing. I know Cassie had bought a costume a few weeks back, but I never saw it. We figure Little Miss wasn't going to miss anything since she has no clue as to what it all is anyway. I'm sure it will be different next year.

Nana's Blog

"Nana, can I read your blog"? Affirmative. Pretty soon she is giggling. She really liked where I was thanking her for her Oreo picture. Wonder if she was just curious or whether she was looking for something specific. Last time she wanted in my blog she looked at the pictures. All 575 of them. I must take a lot of pictures...or I blog a lot with pictures. :P

Birthday Party

Audrie turned 2 today. We had cake for her and Adrianna who turned 4 two weeks ago. It was a nice time and everyone was pretty much on their best behavior. The girls got a couple of nice presents. Adrianna loved her dress. Audrie loved Adrianna's dog. The cake was very pink. I'm pretty sure Elizabeth got bored. :P

Adrianna and Elizabeth are spending the night.

Preparations

Henna Tattoos

Elizabeth's henna tattoo.

Mine.

The pictures are from before we finished scraping the henna off.

It was Elizabeth day, so I took her to my friend David Green's house and he designed the hibiscus flowers for us and then drew them on our arms with the henna. David and I have had this in the works since last year. The timing finally worked out right this week.

David is an artist who also works with me at the bookstore. He is trying to become an illustrator. He showed Elizabeth some cool things he made in photoshop. She showed him her angry birds pumpkin. I think they enjoyed meeting each other.

More of the Same

I was astounded and completely bowled over. Never in a million years would
I ever think that seeing Doug is only a bonus because he is in my favor at the moment (he is never out of favor, so I'm not sure what that means). I am just glad that I have worked past my differences with Kristi which means I can continue to have a relationship with Doug that includes all of his life not just part. I CAN compartmentalize, but I choose not to most of the time. Wow. Really?

Donorschoose.orghttp://www.donorschoose.org/1130&verify=-610232294&challengeid=202845

Donorschoose.org

http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/search.html?state=WA&community=13125:2

Awhile back Jacob did a contest that involved funding schools through Donors Choose. It is kind of cool as teachers apply and ask for money and tell you why they want it. I like the idea of making a donation and getting to choose where the money goes. Anyway.....
Since I had participated before I received an email with a code for donating. I'm sure it is a way of reminding people to keep donating. Since Dave retired I don't feel that we have much extra for donations right now. But I used that code and actually helped a classroom in my school district. How cool is that?
And it did serve as a reminder of the important things. Education is important. This time I helped with art supplies. Last time with books. The needs are always changing so it gives lots of ways to help.

The Story of the Tomato

Audrie has discovered that she really likes apples as they come. Whole. Our gala tree produced a small crop of small apples. Just her size. So she has been picking them off the counter and eating them. With me so far...
We went grocery shopping and had Papa help us carry in the bags. I am putting stuff away when he asks me why I bought a tomato with bites out of it. Well I didn't. That tomato was whole when I bought it. He showed me and sure enough there were two bites missing. Very weird. Then we spotted the "bites" on the floor by the counter that the apples sit on.
Audrie had thought that tomato was an apple and obviously had to try two bites to make sure it wasn't before putting it back on the counter. Too funny.

Score

When I got to work today there was a bag on my desk with a note from Heidi. She gave Audrie a bag of play clothes. That little bag contained five pairs of pants, three shirts, a pair of pajamas, a coat, a sweater, and a dress. Heidi said they are just play clothes. Looked like nice stuff to me and Audrie immediately tried a few things on. Nana Nita dropped by when we were looking at the clothes and she really really liked the dress. We are so blessed. Thank you Heidi.

Breathe

Good intentions today.
Shopping with Mom for little girls' birthday presents.
Giggles with the littlest one on the horizon.
Presence in the here and now.
Leftover chicken noodle soup. Yum.
Joy.
Thinking of Doug with love.
Thanking Elizabeth for a picture of a disgusting oreo. :P
Ahimsa.
Serenity Prayer.

Quiet Weekend

We had a pretty nice weekend. Weather was nice. Adrianna stayed the night Friday. She and Audrie only stayed up till 10:30. Then they were up at 6:30 in the morning. They played and played until I took Adrianna home at lunchtime. Then Audrie took a three hour nap.
Audrie and I managed to make it to the grocery store. Made the refrigerator look better. Gave her some more snacks to choose from. One of her favorite games is to stand in the pantry deciding. And standing and deciding. And standing and deciding.
I am guessing that the quiet is about over. Myk gets out of the hilton on Tuesday. We have the threesome birthday party on Sat. and finally are making plans with David for the breakfast we have been tentatively planning since the beginning of September. Then the holidays are right around the corner. Wow.

Whew

I have been texting my friend David for three days trying to set up a breakfast at a local joint. He hasn't responded, which isn't like him. I then resorted to calling. Got one of those funky messages about the person I am calling not accepting calls at this time. My first thought is he got himself a stalker besides me. A real one. I went to his facebook page and he had been on so I sent him like a bazillion messages to call me. He finally did. Gets a new phone tomorrow. Some problem with the one he had. Whew. I was so relieved.
Adrianna invited herself to spend the night. That kind of blew me away. Anyway she is in bed in Audrie's room keeping both of them awake. I'm sure they will soon crash and sleep. Must be on a roll again. We'll have her next weekend and then again in two weeks. Elizabeth too, those weekends.

Heavy

Turned out my purse had about $10 in change in the bottom of it. That accounted for some of the weight. :P

A Day of Firsts

Audrie helped Papa carve her first pumpkin. As you can see the pumpkin is as big as she is. It weighed in at about 100 pounds. She didn't mind getting the goop out of it.

Jodi and I went out for dinner at Tiger Garden. It is a Thai restaurant downtown Vancouver. She's never had Thai and I've never eaten there. We both enjoyed it a lot. From there we went over to the Magenta Theatre and watched a play. It was called "A Talent For Murder". It was funny. Jodi has never been to a play before so she got two new experiences today and a night off from her child. She never gets non-kid time so I thought she would like it. And I wanted to see the play. :P

Another Great Day

Mini had an appointment at Rasmussen again today for another water leak. This one turned out to be a leaking thermostat. So it is now fixed and working fine. I had scheduled the appointment to coincide with my work schedule. So what happens? Bossman sends me home early.
So I went to Walmart and got some things for Audrie's birthday party and some odds and ends. Went to Rasmussen and they gave me a ride to Powell's Bookstore. I took two grocery bags of books with me and they gave me $21 to spend in the store. Ha. I only spent $45. Got Audrie some more books and some more for me. I love Powell's.
Walked back to Rasmussen so got some exercise today. It's all uphill and I had my bag of books to carry. And my purse. I need to find out why it is so dang heavy lately.
Mona called me. It was good to hear her voice. I sure miss her. Still sounds like she won't be back until November sometime.
It was just another great day. I like it and I am grateful for it.

Niceness

I've spent the last two afternoons mowing the neighbor's yard. Thinking, contemplating, relaxing. The weather has been great so I am getting some sun and fresh air. Making a little money. Moving around. It's good. Audrie has been working with Papa. He has been working on tree trimming and trench digging. She rides along with him on the tractor. Fresh air and sun for her also. Nice. It is a couple of days when we are making our lives and Jeannie's life better. Better than sitting around doing nothing. :P

Stolen Saying

Sarah posted on facebook a saying she stole from somewhere else. I just stole it from her.
"If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse."
I like it.

For Today

I am grateful for little girl hugs and kisses.
I am enjoying the sunshine.
I am basking in cat love.
I am grateful for Mom's memory that is for today.
I am grateful for Kristie making plans and taking the time to do it.
I am grateful for Doug's enthusiasm.
I am happy that Elizabeth is appreciative of her new ear piercings.
I am in love with Adrianna's dress and every one else's ohs and ahs when I show the picture around.
I am looking for joy all around me.
I am breathing.
I am.

Glorious Sunday

The sun is shining. Birds are feeding at the feeders and the cats are only watching. We all had a wonderful nap and one of us is still napping. Dave is mowing Jeannie's and I mowed Mom's yards.
Elizabeth said she would show more respect in the future by being honest rather than by being dishonest in the hopes of not hurting feelings. Dishonesty shows so much disrespect and hurts feelings so much more because of that. I hope she remembers. She is pretty smart so she probably will. And I hope she knows that I wouldn't even say anything if I didn't value and respect the relationship I have with her. I want it to always be built on trust and mutual admiration.
Doug is playing handyman. It still amazes me that he learned how to do all these home repairs. I wonder when. I don't remember him being taught and yet he must have at some point. Today is a leaky roof and wind-blown shingles.
It is just a very nice Sunday and I am grateful for it.

Friday Lunches

So lunch on Friday have been curtailed until Mona gets back from Arizona.
Hmmmm. Not feeling the love with this decision. Anyway Fred and Marilyn came back from Missouri and the first thing we did was plan lunch. Yea! It felt so good to get back to it. Unfortunately they have to go back to Missouri for a couple of weeks to close up her condo. And Mona won't be back until after Thanksgiving. Gosh I miss Mona. Maybe I need to call her.

Elizabeth at Catalyst

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Catalyst/168790404264#!/pages/The-Catalyst/168790404264?sk=wall

Elizabeth and I had had a conversation about her ears getting pierced again. She has had them done twice and both times she got pretty bad infections and so they chose to let them close. My point of view is that under twelve just isn't old enough in the first place. She is almost 13. During our conversation I told her about a friend of mine who does piercing and that if it was okay with her mother I would take her. And then I promptly forgot.
Yesterday was Elizabeth day and she had not. She had asked and Tanya's response was yes, but she wasn't paying for it. So we switched gears and went to The Catalyst and talked to Rachel and AJ. Elizabeth got an education in how it works at their shop. They do not use the gun because the gun cannot be sterilized and it very traumatic. So if Elizabeth wanted Rachel to do it it would be done with a needle and she needed Tanya's signature.
Elizabeth said her mom would not come down. I wasn't sure if that was her way of saying I don't want to do this or whether that is what she really expected. I told her all she could do was ask. And we talked about it some more and then she texted. Tanya told her that needles were not sanitary. This lead to the conversation with Rachel about how everything in her shop is sterilized and the needles come sterile and are single use. Like Nana would take her some place not clean. She said she wanted her ears pierced and Tanya agreed to come.
So we walked up to the tea store and got some tea. Just killing time.
Tanya came and signed the paperwork and then left while Elizabeth was getting her ears pierced. Wow. Anyway Elizabeth opted for the hoops because they allow for any swelling that may occur. Elizabeth has a little bit thicker earlobes and most studs won't allow for any swelling. She got the instruction sheet and had it explained to her in detail. We had to pick up some wound wash for her to use instead of the crap they give you at the mall.
I knew she was serious when she still wanted her ears done even with the needle. That also told me that she is really old enough and ready for them. I'm sure she will do a good job of taking care of them. And if they get infected I hope she works through it by putting the rings back in. She got a lot of good advice from Rachel and AJ. Big kudos to them. We go back in four weeks for them to check her piercings. Yes they do it right at the Catalyst.

Slowing Down

Dave is again working his last day at the park before being laid off for the season. He is going back next year for sure. He thinks it will probably be at Paradise Point. Time will tell.
We are trying to decide whether to have Audrie's party at our house or at Rocky's Pizza. We may have extra guests as we invited Treva and brood to come on down.
Nana Nita had to go to jury duty today. That gave me the day off since she is my babysitter. I love a day off in the middle of the week. Audrie and I are just lazing around. Watched some youtube videos. We may go shopping later. :)
My desk is still mostly clean. Same with the house. :P I had an extra hour on Monday so I swept and mopped and vacuumed. Audrie was running errands with Nana Nita. Isn't very often that I do any housework by myself.
We have slowed way down at work. It is the usual lull. We like that also. Get a breather before gearing up for the next rush.
Definitely slowing down and getting into a fall/winter routine.

Magnificent

http://yourkickasslife.com/featured/easier-said-than-done

I've been reading some amazing blogs lately. A confession...I am a random blog reader. So one day I stumbled on Erin Goodman and from there the world opened. I liked this one.

Wow

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma--which is living with the results of other people's thinking.
Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."-Steve Jobs

What a Day

We got up early so Kathy could get to the airport and go home. Had a lovely visit, but I'm sure she was happy to get back to her comfort zone. Said we'll do it again in another decade. Next time I'll go see her.

A Fine Day

Today I did something that almost never happens. I never left the house or deck. I did not get in my car and go anywhere. Instead I stayed home and played with Audrie all day. She was in such a good mood all day long. She woke up singing and just stayed happy. I think she slept really good and her cold is almost done. We got to see the moon tonight. Dang it is almost full again. The last time we saw it was the night before the last full moon. Audrie loved it.
Tomorrow we will be busy. Grammy's house awaits us and we have brunch plans with David and Brendan. We may or may not get to the grocery store. :P

I Am Reminded

Kathy had an anniversary bash she was invited to in Eugene. One of the local DJs does a gig down there and it was the one year anniversary of his show. So he had invited her to come. So we went. It was at a place called Jameson's and it is a bar. So I am reminded that I love the bar. I love the glasses. I love the bottles. I love the bartenders. Everything else on the other side of the bar just doesn't do anything for me. The noise, the smell, the drunks. Maybe it would be different if I was drinking. I can't see any other reason to be there, but duh it's a bar and its business is to sell alcohol. You can't converse in a place with music blasting. You CAN dance and Kathy did. Me, I sat there enjoying watching the four bartenders run their fannies off. Listened to some music with DJs doing that scratchy record thing. Watched the people dance. And I was given a flower. I had a good time with my friend, but I'm sure it will be a long time again before I ever go to a bar and will be again reminded of what I like and what I don't and the reason I don't do bars. I know. I'm probably just old.

She's Here

My friend Kathy arrived from California yesterday. She is so beautiful and it is so good to see her. I am thinking that I am going to have an education in Islam and reggae. We'll catch up on our lives. We'll tell our children's stories and our own. While we are so very different, we are so very the same. My brain will get a workout. :P It is good and I like it.
Oh, and I did get my desk cleaned off. Mostly.

Getting Ready

I spent a good portion of today cleaning. Trying to get the house whipped back into shape and decent for company. Tomorrow Nathan is going to come clean the carpets for me. That means moving all the furniture tomorrow after work. Audrie has a WIC appt. and then he will be here. Hope he can get the stains up. Audrie is a very messy girl with her food. :P The extra benefit is I won't have to clean too much for Audrie's birthday party in a few weeks. Got to like that.

Visit to Come

Kathy and I had a short conversation last week or the week before about being due for a visit. It just kind of stayed there. Today she thanked me for my birthday wishes and then asked about coming up. So we made the plans and she bought the ticket. She will be here on Wed. and stay through Sunday morning. We will spend Thursday evening in Eugene for a shin-ding she has been invited to. I think it is a wonderful birthday present for her and for me. It has been nine years since we have seen each other. We have a friendship that spans miles and time. Maybe that is why we are still friends. :p

Call Me Ms. Fixit

So someone was reading a post I did back in January about family dynamics. And that reminded me....so a year ago I had a friend who needed money for school. She wasn't getting much help from family or so it seemed. So she opted not to go to school and work for a year instead to save money for school. And while that seems like a good plan on the outset....most people who postpone don't go back anytime soon. So the fixer in me really really wanted to help her and fix it. I had the money and almost offered it up. But then I stopped and thought about my own best advice. If I feel the need to fix it..I need to stop and see why I want to fix it. Is it a real need or just my need to fix it? I decided it was just my need to fix it, so I didn't make the offer. And here it is a year later. My friend is not going to school. So I was right about that, but I think had I offered the money...she still wouldn't go to school. So nothing changed and I still have my money. That has to be a good thing. You can call me Ms. Fixit, but sometimes I opt not to. Life is always a learning lesson.

Natalie

So I was Natalie on Friday and that made my new friend feel better. He even then seemed accepting of Nate as that could be a shortened version of Natalie or Nathan. I'm glad he isn't mad anymore or annoyed. Now I have to remember to be Natalie next quarter.