Ate a Moth Today....or....Cereal with a Bonus!

The morning meal is usually uneventful and normal at our home.
Coffee, Tea, Toast, BelVita Cookies, Eggs, Leftovers or

CEREAL.

We were actually low on our usual variety of choices so I grabbed what was left of Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries.
Pulled the Ziploc bag out of the box and saw through the bag that there was enough for a bowl.

Well there, inside the bag, easy to see like the cereal......a moth.
One of those gray, smallish, once you see one-you are going to see lots, cupboard hiding, beady eyed, eat everything you are storing, included in the box already so you'll have to buy more, giant fanged, acid drooling, 'get away from me', waving my arms like a maniac, moths.



I squished the moth in the folds of the of the plastic.

Problem solved.

Then....I tried to pour the cereal in the bowl.
Well in the nano second of not remembering that I had just smashed a bug, I let the moth and all its squishings fall into the cereal.

Lets now talk about how most of you are gagging and praying that the next sentence says that the cereal went straight into the trash.
Lets NOW talk about those starving children all over the world that your mother told you about whenever you wouldn't finish a meal.
Lets NOW talk about how some of the people in those far away countries eat bugs on a regular basis and like it.
Lets NOW NOW talk about the crumbs and little bits of cereal that are always at the bottom of the bag AND how tiny bug squishings can be............
Just kidding. Lets NOT talk about it.

I got the milk and ate it.

Bug and all.

Delicious.

Conclusions?

1) I made a conscious choice to eat an insect today and I didn't get sick!
2) I am liberated and ready to travel to exotic places.
3) I wasn't affected at all and still love breakfast cereal.

And yet I can't seem to turn away from the table lamp.....I want to look at it, I want to touch it, it calls me........

"A Place in the Choir"

Used to sing this when Jeff and I were youth group leaders 30 years ago! Loved it then. Love it now.
Enjoy!

Big Dogs......

When my youngest child was near graduation from high school, I told myself that I would not succumb to the empty nest syndrome.
I would be strong and rejoice in my freedom.
I would stay busy catching up on all the things 'I' wanted to do.
I succeeded royally with this challenge too............for two days.
I was putting away the youngest child's socks and had to stop and cry like a baby.
Came out of nowhere.
Hit me like a freight train too.
I needed soothing.
I needed consolation.
I consoled myself with a puppy.
Something that needed me I suppose, or at least to take my mind off the quiet house.
My daughter knew of one that she said would be sweet because she knew the mother, but the father was a great dane that had been roaming the neighborhood, so it would be a big dog.
Fine.
Great.
I wanted a big dog.
We welcomed Eva to our home.



She grew fast.
She was/is smart as anything and sweeter than any dog I ever knew.



I share this post with you because last night as we were coming in from an early evening walk, Eva walked past one of our solar lights and blocked so much light that it came on!
She walked clear of it and it went off!
I was so amused by this because I had forgotten or just took for granted my life with a large dog.

So here is my list of big dog perks so you will get a hint of what it's like to have a large dog.

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A BIG DOG WHEN:

1-they can rest their head on the table to see what's for dinner.
2-they lay on the sofa and no one else has any room to even sit on the sofa.
3-they walk past a solar light and block the sun.
4-people are afraid of them without even coming close.
5-they snore as loud or louder than humans.
6-you can pet them without even having to bend over.
7-they travel in the car and their head is almost to the ceiling.
8-they lean on you because they love you and almost knock you over.
9-you keep their food in a large garbage can.
10-you can almost wear their collar as belt.
11-when they wag their tail they sometimes break stuff.
12-you know you will have to share your ice cream or your foot will be soaked with drool as they watch you.
13-your dog will be able to pull the grand-baby in a wagon!
14-you realize that you need them in your life.

Eva turned out to be more than a distraction or balm to soothe my loneliness.
A big dog is like a hairy family member that fills a vacancy the less hairy ones left behind.
Love my family, love my dog.

Thanks for reading.
Tell me why you love your dog, whatever the size.
Take care.
See you soon!

Tiramisu Baby Blanket

Having been keeping myself busy with life and grand-baby things, I thought I would share one of my favorite, latest, grand-baby things.
If you like to crochet, then this is a fun easy project for you to try!
The daughter who is pregnant is the one who taught me about delicious Tiramisu many years ago, so I HAD to make this blanket.
I have made one following the colors suggested, a yellow one with yellow ribbon and I am almost finished with a pink one.


I used Bernat Softee Baby yarn in Antique White ( you can buy it at Walmart and it stays nice and soft).


I used Bernat Baby Coordinated in Lemon Custard (this yarn has rayon in it so it has a great drape and a bit of a sheen!)

Both used H hook.
You can make it as big or small as you need and it is quick but looks fabulous !!

Here is the link:
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tiramisu-baby-blanket





Here is a sneak peak at the pink one !


Enjoy !!
Tell me what you think and I'll see you again soon !!

"I usually take a two hour nap from 1 till 4"

"I usually take a two hour nap from 1 till 4"
Yogi Berra

Mr. Berra gets it.
He had 11 grandchildren.
Of course he gets it.
I can't wait for grandchildren because then napping is not frowned upon.
It's expected.
You are legally obligated to nap with your grandchild.
To make sure they're safe, undisturbed and ready to go back to Mom and Dad like a whirling dervish of restored energy.
If I tell people I took a nap when they ask me about my day, their noses wrinkle as if I just broke wind.
I tell them I'm practicing for grandchildren.
Napping should be a sport.
I would love to train for that event.
I am in top physical form already!
Been training for years.
This all came to mind when I pinned this fabulous quote I saw on Pinterest:



I should have heeded my own pin/advice because I did WAY too much yesterday.
Laundry, sanding baby chairs, pulling weeds, moving logs....twice, going into work for several hours, dancing with a leprechaun to Led Zeppelin (just kidding, we were dancing to Credence Clearwater Revival---wanted to see if you were still with me) going to the store, sweeping, walking the dogs, putting away laundry..... you get the idea.
All with NO nap.
I went napless.
Sounds scandalous.

Today I feel old and weary.
I did find a baby turtle yesterday and held him for a while as I decided where to put him so he wouldn't be mulched by the lawnmower or snacked on by a raccoon.


Baby Garden Turtle.

He napped in my hand, unafraid.
Maybe I got the 'slow' germs off of him for holding him too long because today I feel like a recently awakened, grumpy, wrapped to tight mummy, bumbling around the world. Brain included.
And I've got stuff to do today!!!
Does going to bed early count as a nap?
Sort of a .....pre-sleep-nap??
The going to bed early 'nap' will have to be my light at the end of the tunnel today.
Maybe I'll be fine and get a second wind!
Without a nap it's hard to say what my behavior will be.

......................................

Actually, I must have gotten a second wind because this post is getting posted 12 hours after it was started.
Their was NO NAP.
Stuff got done. But not the right stuff.
I'm ready for bed and it's late. So NO pre-sleep-nap.
A grandchild would have made a nap mandatory.
But who knows, maybe the kid will have to get stuff done too.

“It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
― Yogi Berra

Thanks Yogi.
Nailed it.



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"Well, did you know..........?"

I live in a small town where the 2 grocery stores that are in business have a pact.
If one of the stores has a product then the other store may not carry it.
So customers who enjoy eating occasionally, have to flit back and forth trying to remember who carries what where, just to finish even one simple recipe.
I am assuming that the 2 stores do this to 'share' the business(yea right) or because "bigstorethatcannotbenamed-mart" is afraid it will get bad publicity if it runs every other store out of town.
Customers have to waste gas, time and brain cells just to buy groceries so both stores can so nicely 'share'.
Drives me bonkers. I consider it exercise.
Don't get me started............
Well just yesterday I was in the smaller of the 2 grocery stores and checking out when I heard the ladies in the line next to me say (they actually hollered) to a woman at customer service, "Hey Margaret, How are you ?" (the name has been changed to protect readers from myself in case they don't know me and would never realize that I really don't have any idea what her name was and might assume I am a forgetful dork and stop reading this blog because I was a bit too rambling and forgetful)
Where was I?
Oh......Margaret(not her real name). "Hey Margaret, How are you?"
Margaret(not her real name) says, "Fine thanks. How are you?". Not expecting or receiving a reply.
We all got our bags and left the store.
Yes, well on the way out, the friendly, chatty ladies spoke to each other NOT in a whisper,
#1 "Well, did you know Margaret has been married 3 times?"
#2 "No, I did not........really?"
#1 "Yes Ma'am."

Well, they turned right I went left and giggled to myself.
My check out neighbor was as amazed by this revelation as I was!
Margaret(not her real name) deserves a medal!
Who in their right mind gets married 3 times?
Who thinks like that?
Marriage is so hard that most of the young folks today just live together!
I am such a wuss that I could only marry once. If anything happened to marriage #1, I can assure you that there would NOT be a marriage #2
Margaret(not her real name) had so much fun she married 3 times ?!
The stories she could tell......
Why am I telling her story?
Because maybe Margaret(not her real name) is trying to get all the ingredients for her recipe of marriage and she is having to run all over town trying to collect them from whichever man carries them.
I just hope her recipe is not too complicated and full of exotic items and fanciful techniques.
Good Luck to you Margaret(not her real name) I hope you get this one right!




Todays post is not directly related to BEING a Re-mom except that it was written directly by one. :)
I just had to write it down. Couldn't stop thinking about it.
Thanks for reading my blog!
I enjoy comments and followers!
Have a great day !

Domestic 'Gourdess'

If you are sitting at your computer as you read this then that sitting is probably a very good thing.
I shall reveal to you today that I am NOT a clean freak.
Shocking, I know.
While my mother was of the mind that things must be dusted, vacuumed and wiped down on an almost a daily basis, I am a branch that has fallen far from the tree.
This branch fell, made a mess and stares at it daily, but will not get around to cleaning it up till later.
I'm sure my neatness rebellion resulted in the fact that my sister and I were the domestic caretakers for our mother.
We whined, we complained, we grumbled but to no avail.
My mother has the ability to shut off her ears to anything she finds not to her liking...except cussing.
She can hear a curse word four miles away....that was whispered.....in Swedish).
So I am also quite sure that she never heard our childish malcontent.
I have done so much cleaning in my past that ANYTHING else I want to do as an adult is way more important.
Anyway, my lack of tidiness lately is only a cause for concern because of my impending grandchild.
I CAN NOT have a scooting, crawling, everything in its mouth child in my home.
Why now?
I found a pumpkin seed on the kitchen floor.
In July.
There has not been a pumpkin in this house since October 2012.
And even then I don't recall it being a REAL one...with seeds !
So who is to guess when that seed made its appearance.
And why wasn't it cleaned up?
Seriously?
I can't even guess.
I am kinda, almost ashamed.
I raised 4 kids with my housekeeping skills and they are all seemingly well adjusted, healthy and productive members of society.
But this kid will be different.
It is not really mine.
I can not have it going back to it's parents needing a nap with filthy knees and pumpkin seeds stuck to its face.
Or can I?
It is not really mine after all......
I am just its adoring grandmother (re-mom).......
Problem solved.
I have to go now.
There is a spider web in the corner that needs some ignoring.





The future??



Thanks so much for reading my blog.
Comments and followers are fabulous !!!

Never in a million years..........

I have long hair.
Almost to my waist long hair.
I like long hair.
I flat iron it.
I highlight it.
I pick at split ends.
I get it tangled when the car windows are open or when I fluff my pillows and turn over in the bed.
It gets caught in my armpits, my bra straps and my glasses hinge.
It is quite a bit of work to take care of long hair.
It is quite a bit of NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS will I ever cut it and perm it and have "usual" grandmother hair !!!
I was told over 20 years ago that I was too old to have long hair.
Of course I was feeling old cause I had never been that old before, so I believed them and cut it.
It was new and easy and I liked it.
For about a week.
I tried the perm.
I tried the layers.
Nothing I did helped me get over the regret I felt for cutting my hair.
My pledge to myself after that week was to NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS cut my hair short again.
No matter how old I become, it will not happen.
And thats OK.
Re-moms are different these days.
They listen to heavy metal.
They drive a bit over the speed limit sometimes.
They have tattoos.
They have long hair.
I grew up believing and experiencing that if you were a grandmother, it was a proper and required to have short, gray, curly hair.
But the real, true test and constant re-mom characteristic is that they love their grand-babies to pieces !!!!
LOVE, Love, Love !!!
They can't wait to kiss and hug and spoil those babies !
Long hair, short hair, curly hair, shaved hair.
It's all good and doesn't matter a toot to the babies.
Any hairstyle will do.
I am hoping that the thing that truly matters to being a good re-mom is love.
Lots of love.......for a million years.


Regular mom with regular baby. Jurassic Period-Mesozoic Era.


Re-mom with chicken baby. Quaternary Period-Cenezoic Era.


Thanks so much for reading my blog !
Come back again soon !!
Please feel free to leave comments or follow my rantings !!

Must..re..sist,....temp...ta....tion,..too.....strong.......

OMGsh..

Yes, it has happened.

Re-mom twilight zone.

I see cute things.

Baby things.

Re-mom things.

They are orbiting in my world. They say "Look at me!, Look at me!" "Buy me!, Buy me!" I see them every where !!

Here are a few :


1) Saw this and LIKED it ??? Thought it was sweet. I wanna BE this Granny? What ??



2) Saw this on pinterest. Loved it !! Wanted to buy it already but the etsy artist was sold out. Already ??



3) Know I HAVE to have THIS gadget ! Wanted this when my kids were little!!!! ALL of them loved a rocking chair. This one is for Re-moms on the go ! Able to make a rocker out of any chair !



4) Or how about this ?? All things grandmotherly !?!



Looks delightful, but not for me.

Anyway, I notice Re-mom stuff and Re-mom stuff notices me. It was inevitable. Kids are great all the time, so I will begin the assent into grandchild temptation..........


Pray for me...............


(I can't stop !)




Thanks for reading my blog !!

Egg hunt in June.

When I think of my growing grand-baby, I of course get excited but that excitement is also met with trepidation !

-Will it like me ?

-Will I remember how to do all the necessary baby things ?

-Will I have any energy to DO ANY of the necessary baby things ?

-Will I have the energy to do anything at all ?

-Will my daughter even trust me with the baby anyway ?

After all, I'm old and tired and on the internet writing a blog...........

But as I pondered these trepidations and walked the dogs around our woodsy trail (multi-tasking at its finest!), I came across an Easter Egg !

It still had a prize in it........ 27 cents !!!

Nice.

How could my kids have missed this one ? It was right on the leaves !

Kept walking.

Looked down and saw another one !

It still had a prize in it........$1.00 !!! And it was only slightly moldy !

How did my kids miss this one too ?

Putting it in perspective, my children are all adults. It's not like they are 10,9,8 and 3, falling down, spilling their eggs and running to mom and dad about it !

We still have an Easter Egg Hunt every year though, to remember past glories and triumphs of Prize Eggs containing $10 or $5 or of pushing each other to the ground and stealing ALL their eggs while they lay on the ground actually wounded !

Who wants to forget that ?

We have such fun that we also have a Turkey egg hunt on Thanksgiving !

More chances for prize eggs and flesh wounds !

The grand-baby is gonna love it !

And the fact that she/he can come over to Re-moms house 2 1/2 months later and still find treasures makes me think it might not be so bad !

My worries are for naught.

I got this.

Kids LOVE Egg Hunts AND Band-aids !

I got this !


(The third egg is one Re-dad found a few days earlier !)



Thanks for reading my blog !!
See you soon !

It's all about the verbage...............

Last Sunday I was surprised and excited to find out that I was expecting my first grandchild !

It is so exciting, in fact, that I can not sleep, get a bad cases of the 'what-if's", and can barely bring myself to tell people about it !

It is the verbage.

My Mothers mom was a fabulous grandmother but she had white hair the minute I remember her.

I have seen pictures of her when she was young and she was gorgeous with black hair and a lovely smile.

And while I don't have white hair or consider myself a knockout, I don't consider myself old !

Old is Galapagos tortoise old, pyramid old, dinosaur old, even universe old !

The word grandmother is almost a synonym to the word 'old' in my mind.

Not older...... but OLD !

How will I avoid this?

I will be a 'Re-Mom'.

Like recycling my motherhood.

It is my 'green' word for grandmother.

Just taking care of and enjoying kids........AGAIN.

No age involved. None.

Re-Mom........ I like it !

Phew.

Dodged that bullet. I feel better already.

Lets go eat cereal, watch some cartoons and then build a sheet fort.


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