Thursday, January 31, 2013

Pondering Dec and Jan

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." ~ Wilder
 
It is the end of January and a crispy warm breeze is blowing through my open windows and my back and front sliding glass/ screen door.  Outside my windows, the tops of the pine trees, our American flag and our little landscaping flag are all swaying back and forth.  The air smells like fresh rain drops due to the little patches of morning showers that left little sidewalk puddles. The 70 degree temps that rolled in yesterday and is only staying today before downward spiraling back into the lowers 40s is only a tease!  And, now, I have spring fever.  My spring fever is hanging in the balance though.  My extended family is making me envious of all their snow mobile pictures. But, then that also subsides with small snippets of guilt that rolls in when they show me their Alaskan thermostat pictures that reads 60 below zero.  I am a weather yo-yo.

The sounds in my learning room are rather quiet today. I am listening to the children who are sitting with their school books open to math problems talk about the Redheaded Wood Pecker who is busily moving up and down the pine tree and flipping with his beak chips of wood.  The  soft 3 year old voice coming from our Little Miss is delightful. She keeps exclaiming over her little giggles, "He is making such a mess." 

This is all going on while I am sitting in my rocking chair holding a sleeping baby. I know I should put her down and begin moving through the house and at least do several different 5 minute hot spot clean ups if I am not going to exercise  but the contentment of just snuggling is too hard to resist.

Truth be told, I can come up with all sorts of excuses not to exercise but I at least start my day off right.  I have my exercise clothes on which is what I am wearing now.  There has to be something to this thought, I tell you!

 
All this contemplating about exercising reminds me of a phone text conversation that I had with my sister.  We are trying to lose weight and in the conversation I quoted something I had heard before,  "I don't want to brag or anything but I can still get into my high school earrings."  She just wrote back "Ha!"   Then, I told  her a little funny thing that happened to me. Due to moving here my third trimester and blowing up like a big balloon people have only seen me pregnant and post partum. Well, after each pregnancy I only lose about 30 pounds the first couple of months. The rest of the weight begins to come back off after I am finished with nursing about a year or more.  I do not lose weight when nursing. So, I found it rather funny that one of the young ladies came up to me at Church and said, "Your back end is starting to get a lot thinner! It isn't as wide."  I cracked up.  She asked, "It is always good to tell a woman after she is pregnant that she is looking thinner right?"   (Me thinking - what? no!  but,  Um, I guess -not quite that way but I suppose I appreciate it. - giggle)  So, I told my sister what was said and  sent her a picture with this caption, "This is on my phone to remind me of my back end!"  (Which has more meaning to me because as you know we have a Maincoon Cat. I don't like the "shut up"thing. We don't say that in our house but the back end of this cat squeezing into his bed is awesome!)

Besides losing some extra pounds, I am also hoping to lose some house weight as well. I am working on a home project this month particularly  in the thinking thrifty department. Our local big consignment sale is coming up in March so I am in the process of sorting, washing, hanging and tagging the items in my storage containers.  (These are the quality items that are not worn out that could be reused by someone else.)  It is always a really big project and one where you put a lot of hours into  it with just a small monetary outcome. However, it cleans out the garage, the children's savings accounts gets tossed some change and the Children see the process of hard work.  Plus, it is just something that needs to be done, it's the next thing that this girl has to do as a peaceful homemaker. 

Since I mentioned money, a few months ago, Beloved put on our phones the Quicken app. It synchs are computer, his phone and my phone together so when we are out and about we can immediately see what is in our budget categories. We both really like it.  We have worked off a budget for 15 years. So, having it in front of me works extremely well. Now,  I don't have to take the time to write the money amounts down before I head out to the stores. And, it is giving me more reason to tease him.  An example? Well. Thursday is horseback riding day. I have a habit of going to the ATM machine to get money out to pay for the lessons, going to Horseback and getting a little something for the Kiddos for lunch on the way home.  There was one day he wasn't sure if I was going to go to the lessons or not.  So, instead of picking up the phone to ask, he just looked at the Quicken App to track my outgoing expenses. He is Quicken stalking me! Apparently, I am a creature of habit.  Pay back is going to be fun! I don't know if he has thought about the fact that Valentine Day is coming or not. But, he will be reminded when íts closer and I don't see a transaction for Valentine's day! ;)

Valentine's  Day Month.  Red. Hearts. Love! I already have red little things around the house  for the festive month. And, tomorrow we begin February on a new devotion subject -  1 Corinthians 13. 

I am so glad to have January coming to a close. Our family got sick just days before Christmas with the flu or a stomach virus. It went through our home and since then we have been fighting colds, little nagging coughs and I even lost my voice too. Finally, everyone is healthy and I am thankful for it.

I got a little teasing from not being able to talk well.  A friend of ours asked if my Beloved enjoyed having a wife who didn't have a voice for the past week. I played along and said in a shocking manner, "He didn't get to enjoy it. Can you believe it? "  Beloved was gone for some training. He was in Arizona doing loops and spins for awhile. He was flying in an acrobatic plane called the "Extra 300".   I have a short video clip  of it and I am hoping that I will be able to upload it so I can share it a little later this week.

Well, I guess that is all that is on my mind today.  There are only a few other little things that I can think that would be fun to include in this wrap up of December and January's journal entry. 

One thing that I want to remember from my Christmas shopping  experience this past season is this: Beloved had taken the Children out of a toy store so I could sneak back around to pick up a few things without them knowing. While I was in line the lady in front of me saw him take all 5 Children out to the car. Not knowing that I was his wife, she began to say things to no one in particular,  "Wow. That is a lot of Children. Why would anyone want that many? How can he afford them? etc."  The Lady behind me had seen me with them earlier and apparently she finally said to the Lady, "I don't know how the mother, who is standing right behind you, is being restrained from hitting you."  The Lady turned around and said, "You are the mother. You don't look old enough to have 5 Children."  I just laughed. I said, "Thank You. I am almost 40."  She said, "Are you on welfare?  You must be to be able to afford that many children?"  I said, "No. Why are you? Do you need me to help you to pay for your purchases?"  She didn't know what to say. She was way to curious about my husband's occupation and a little to open on her opinions which I found insulting.  I told her that we live in a military town and that she can assume I live with a train killer. She found my comment funny and shocking.  The conversation continued with more of her remarks and my sweet sass but eventually I had mercy on her and told her what his occupation and took the time to witness to her about Children being a blessing. The point of the story?  It pays to have pre-arranged comments for such situations! As much as Mr. Collins annoys me in Pride and Prejudice, it is well worth contemplating thought!  (giggle) It is 200 year old wisdom, you know?  Pride and Prejudice turned 200 years old on January 29th.  Happy Anniversary, Jane Austin!  


* As usual the items in bold are the snippets to help write the journal entry for the "simple homemakers journal


9 comments:

  1. That story still cracks me up. She should have known not to mess with a redhead. You go girl.

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    1. "You go girl?!" so funny! Mom, are you including a snap with it too? ;)

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  2. I love reading your snippets of life. I'm trying to lose a few pounds before summer, so I can relate to the cat picture.

    I've got a phone stalker at my house, too. Whenever I buy something for my husband online, he always sees the confirmation email on his phone, so I have to be extra sneaky and buy locally if I want to surprise him.

    I can't wait for the "loops and spins" video. What an exciting job!

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    1. Extra sneaky! It is proving to be more difficult here as well. (smile)

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  3. I love this post. It was such a joy to sit down and read little things from your life. Thanks so much for sharing them. I look forward to seeing the video clip. Enjoy your day and God bless.

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    1. It requires me to get on Beloved's work computer so it will be about a week or so...

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  4. Enjoyed reading Carmen. Oh my. Those comments!!! The one about your behind from a church acquaintance. Who would make a comment about your rear like that? Is it that important to people??? Perhaps they thought they were giving you some back handed compliment who knows...

    And the toy store...Oh wow. Our society is soooo anti-children. It's grievous to my spirit....How old was the woman? I have my suspicions. ; ) Your answers were spot on.

    Oh dear me....

    I'll have to come back and read more. (btw, I was just like you, I never lost wait nursing) and I could kick myself for worrying about it now!!! It cut my nursing short because I didn't eat enough. And God help ignorant people who make comments about weight. That is AWFUL. They need to get their eyes on what is important in God's eyes! The WWII generation seems really bad on that little subject.

    Sorry if I sound sour grapes this morning. I'm 52 now, not that young, not that old but wise enough if you know what I mean. : ) And believe you me, I'm training my four adult daughters at home quite differently than the generation above me did. They know what nursing and babies are all about. Praise the Lord!

    xxooo ~Mrs. Amelia

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    1. Mrs. Amelia. The toy store lady was problaby in her early 30s. While standing there I thought to myself, "Where can you take children these days with out a comment if you can't take them to a toy store?" But, it appeared that she just needed a reality check on her words all the while revealing her heart or at least I thought so. She said this, "The only children I have are those names I pick from a Christmas tree." Apparently that was why she was in the store in the first place. Who knows what her life story is but it would be nice if our society had more discretion with their comments. (Sigh)

      It reminds me off all those older ladies who ask your 5 girls why they aren't married yet? Where are the boundaries in our society when it comes to conversations? I have come up with a comment for them to. Heehee! You must pull it out in only the sweet Italian way you can do to get by with it. You should say, "Why haven't you raised Godly men for them to marry?"

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Your comments are a gift to me and they warm my heart. I read and treasure every one. If you leave a comment, I will visit you as well. ~ Carmen