Doodledash

I like to set the time on the clock ahead several minutes. Two out of the three clocks that are my primary time source are set fast. The bird clock is 12 minutes fast and I use that to warn me when I need to get Amy ready in the morning. The clock in the van is 23 minutes fast. I like 23 minutes. It is my little trick on time that helps me enormously or at least I think it does. It makes everyone else crazy and they constantly comment about it. I don't care. I just laugh it off and tell them tough luck. Live with it. Today when I was driving to work, I thought about the comments my brother-in-law had made about the clock recently and realized I didn't care what he thought about it. My wonderful Lord steps into my thoughts at that moment and said, "You know how it doesn't bother you a bit when someone makes comments about the time on the clock. Well that is how you can and should feel about everything. Let the words and attitudes slide right off like that." I now h...

I was a child who had just gotten a beautiful sheltie named Julie. She was young and soft and furry. I loved her dearly. One night I heard a terrible squeal and an uproar occurred at my home. Julie had been hit by a car and my parents rushed to the vet. I remember laying awake crying and praying that she would be okay. I woke up knowing in my heart that I would be met with bad news. Instead I was told she was alive and had surgery. She survived and lived a long and fulfilling life. This was the first time I really remember loving a pet so much I spent the night crying at the thought of her death.

It gets hard to be the primary caregiver for my daughter. There are so many things that need to be done and I am the one who usually does them. My friend told me the difference between a caregiver and caretaker. A caretaker is doing for someone what they are perfectly able to do for themselves. A caregiver is doing for someone what they are unable to do for themselves. Why is being a caregiver for Amy a gift? I get to spend quality time with her. I get to know her needs. I get to know who she is and what she likes. I learn to read her. I learn to anticipate her. I am able to help her because I know her. I get to laugh with her. I get to hug her. I get to cry with her. I get to be angry at her. I get to hurt with her. I get to shake my head at her. I get to see her for who she is. She can't hide from me. I know how she thinks. I know the look in her eye. I know why she wrinkles her nose a certain way. I know what she likes. I know how much she loves Logan. I know how much she loves ...

I was looking through some pictures and found one of my daughter with some friends from school. They were all dressed up and smiling. They were best friends for a while. I miss them. I found a picture from my parents anniversary last year. I was with Cynde, Colleen and Stef. The four women together==family, sisters-in-law. That was the last time because now Stef is leaving the family. I miss family. I find myself being very sensitive and defensive around someone. It upsets me that I react that way. Maybe it's because I recognize things that I have struggled with and I am still touchy about. I feel like I have to walk on eggshells sometimes. It is very tiring. I can't be myself and feel comfortable. I miss that. I see so many things changing around me lately. It is sometimes hard to recognize. I know change is the only real constant but it does get hard. I miss things. Sometimes I don't miss it. Most of the time I am fine. Tonight I miss....it all.

Grumpus. Crank. Sourpuss. Bitchy. Churlish. Belligerent. Petulant. Sarcastic. Tart. Testy. Irritable. Disagreeable. Grouchy. Ornery. Vinegary. Cantankerous. Crotchety. Irascible. Contrary. Surly. Petulant. Testy. Crabby. Crusty. Brusque. Dour. Curt. Gruff. Peevish. Snippety. Critical. Cussed. Bellyaching. Moody. PMS. Edgy. Peppery. Splenetic. Touchy. I started out being cranky and it turned into something so much more interesting. I like crotchety the best. These are all great sounding words. So descriptive. Wonderful words. I'm not cranky anymore.

My dear sweet sister-in-law told me that I suffer from diarrhea of the mouth versus me telling her that she suffers from constipation of the mouth. I will generally tell anything about myself and freely talk. I am a curious individual who enjoys sharing her thoughts at times. Sometimes I have been known to talk too freely. On the other hand, my beloved Brat doesn't disclose anything easily. You have to pry information out of her if you want to know something worthwhile. Ya gotta dig for the gold! So my dear readers we come to a standoff. Which is better free flowing or stuck?

in my life is my dear friend, Reina. I met her twenty one years ago when I first started working at Dayton's. I noticed her doing cross stitch which was something I enjoyed doing too. We started talking one day about our common interest. It was the first of many talks. I enjoyed talking to her. I would sit with during lunch and we'd chat about life. She was so friendly and cheerful. I needed someone like her in my life then. Sarah had died and I was new in my job and really didn't have any friends. She was a warm patch of sunlight in my cold darkness. We have shared a lot together through the years. She took care of Katie at her daycare and we shared our joys and sorrows of motherhood, children and life. Reina gave me wonderful bits of wisdom and advice that I have cherished. She had practical tips and insights that were invaluable to me. One of the reasons I have such an easy and open relationship with my daughters is because of her. She was loving and open with her kids. ...

I spent a lot of time this weekend reviewing grammar that I was happy to forget a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Amy missed a lot of school the last few weeks and is trying to catch up on her grammar. She has this book which can put you to sleep faster than a minister when he starts his sermon. She was supposed to read and review it and learn the wonderous joys of predicates, prepositional phrases and interjectives. I took one look at the reading and knew it might as well be in Hebrew. I had nothing better to do this weekend so I became intimately involved with direct objects and preposition nominatives. I did the conjunction junction and the adverb rhumba. I went head first into the deep waters of the object and subject in a prepositional phrase. Little did I know the mysteries and rumblings these things stirred within me. I had an orgasmic experience as I read the differences between a direct object and indirect object. The direct object always follows an "action v...

Once upon a time and they all lived happily ever after! I am not going to eat that meatloaf! I like it! I like it! They grow up so fast. Treasure every moment. Inhale and breathe in their scent. Kiss their tears. Stroke their hair. Hug them silly. Scream silently. Smile constantly. Love incessantly. Treasure every moment. For now and eternity. They grow up so fast. And then they are gone.

Maybe today I will write that letter. Maybe today I will bake those cookies. Maybe today I will talk to my kids. Maybe today I will learn how to knit. Maybe today I will take time for me. Maybe today I will turn off the tv. Maybe today I will learn Spanish. Maybe today I will sign up for that class. Maybe today I will tell my husband how much I love him. Maybe today I will tell my friend the most important thing in my life. Maybe today I will let the world know that life isn't worth anything unless you Know HIM. Maybe today I will let go of my fears. Maybe today I will take that risk. Maybe today I will reach out to the needy. Maybe today I won't yell at my daughter. Maybe today I will be more patient. Maybe today I will stop saying maybe and do it before I don't have anymore todays.

and it doesn't mean that He isn't listening. It means that He is God and He doesn't want to say anything at this time. He is the one who made us and He doesn't owe us an explanation for anything. I grew up knowing about God from childhood. My grandma was a prayer warrior who was a bitty little thing and a strong breeze could blow her over. She was physically frail but spiritually a mighty giant. She introduced me to God, to prayer and to faith. It was as natural to her as breathing. I loved her dearly and wanted to have what she had. I wanted to have her faith and believe in the God she knew. So at some time at a very young age I got to know Him and He became mine. He has been the center of my life and I cannot imagine how anyone lives without Him. When Sarah was born, I prayed and believed she would be healed. I truly believed but I never saw it. She died and she was finally healed in heaven. My prayers weren't answered my way. I had to give her up since she was ne...

Have you ever been to Neopets.com. It is a virtual world with pets and stores and games and fun. My daughter introduced it to me 40 months ago and I am the one in the family who still visits it regularly and enjoys it. I like it because I can escape for a few minutes and play or read or have fun. I highly recommend it for kids and adults. Tonight I watched Lorelai and Luke come to terms with their breakup. They belong together and now will have learn some lessons before they can reunite. I am talking about Gilmore Girls one of my favorite tv shows. It is a Tuesday night experience that us girls share. My husband usually works that night so we kick back and enjoy it. I have a lot of fun watching. We bond and discuss and we even got our dog's name from the show. Logan is one of the hot guys on the show. Well time to clean up and say good night. Good night.

Kirby Puckett died this year. The Twins have been wearing his number 34 on their uniforms in honor of his memory for the past season. I have never been the world's biggest baseball fan but I loved Kirby. I remember the '87 World Series. I remember trying to call and get tickets for the game. There was dead air on the phone. No dial tone. No rings. No nothing. It was amazing. I remember the '91 World Series. My husband went to the last game. It was an incredible moment. I remember sitting and watching the tv hoping and praying. I have never screamed so much at the tv in my life. I remember the parade and I remember the pride and wonder at our Twins. My husband is a huge Twins fan. His dad was a huge fan and instilled the love of baseball within him. He went to games and they watched them together. I loved his dad very much. I am glad that he was part of my life and that he gave my husband such a wonderful gift. My daughters are not the biggest fans but they enjoy going to th...

Dane and I took a ride on the Mississippi Queen, a riverboat, that goes through the last lock on the Mississippi at St Anthony Falls. It was really fun. I really enjoyed it. When you go into the lock, you drop 50 feet and 9 million gallons of water empties out in the river. People have scratch names and messages into the wall of the lock. A guy on the boat put his initials and offered to do mine. I declined. There was this houseboat just north of downtown Minneapolis. I didn't know there was such a thing here considering our winters. There is a Mill City Museum that was built and incorporated part of the destroyed General Mills flour mill. I loved the view from the river.

The first one....when I was in my early teens, my cousin Becky, who was ten, was hit by a motorcycle. She had been to a store and decided to cross the busy highway instead of going under the bridge where she would have avoided the traffic. She was on the crest of a hill and the bike never saw her. She never had a chance. In a moment of time she turned from a vibrant child into a brain damaged girl who was confined to a wheel chair. My aunt and uncle could have been defeated by this accident but they turned a tragedy into a victory. I watched them face the challenges of taking care of a young girl who was physically and mentally disabled. There weren't a lot of choices available at that time for disabled children and young adults. Instead of giving up they and other like mnded parents formed a new type of group home for the care of the disabled. It was called Homeward Bound and it has made a difference in a multitude of lives. My aunt and uncle became very active in the rights of th...

It was going to start out as a small family gathering but it took on a life of its own and grew into a party of 22! We got together at our house for burgers, brats and Dane's famous potato salad. The food was good, the weather perfect, and the company wonderful. Here are a few shots...

Manhattan from the 84th floor. Night becomes day in Times Square. Statue of Liberty was amazing. It was incredible to be there. To see and stand and behold that beauty who represents all that we hold dear.

Quiet within the chaos. With liberty and justice for all. Gondola ride anyone? TRAITOR!

Katie's dream come true, PHANTOM on Broadway! Amy's dream come true...A Hershey's store!!! Ellis Island view from the Great Hall. Crushed sphere from Ground Zero. Have a seat.