Essentials

Good timing! Two days before Ali Edward's "essentials" challenge, I found a business card file from a company apparently called REAL SIMPLE. I thought this is do-able and so "10 REAL SIMPLE Pleasures", was born. Because I was limited not only by height and width but also depth, I had no choice but to go back to essentials: card stock, my computer, some ink, stamp, corner rounder, a couple of rub-0ns and oh yes, three Rain Dots. Works for me.

Happy, Happy.

Don't you love it when simple things make you happy? Frank is happy: The drip stopped. I am happy: For the first time ever, I have a matching set of new pots and pans. Mine have always been a mishmash of hand-me-downs, cast offs, pieces picked up here and there. We bought a glass top stove a few years ago and my not so flat bottomed pots used to eerily dance about on the surface like some inebriated poltergeist doing a Texas two-step. I made stuffed cabbage for dinner and had all four burners simmering away. Clean up was a snap. Bliss. Gotta love non-stick KitchenAid!

Catnip

Gotta love a little furry beastie high on natural herbs. Bru, Moak and Snoop each got their own toys for Christmas. However, Moak was the most enchanted. He'd roll in it, snuffle in it, lick it and inhale in pure euphoria. He was entranced. Giddy. Ecstatic. Happy. Complete and utter joy.

Frank is in a bad mood. Downright cranky with a capital "C". There is a leak somewhere in the kitchen sink area that is happily dripping down into the cabinet below. Is this the first time? NOOOOOO, last time he so thought that he had the problem licked that he actually tore up the old concave bottom and replaced the entire thing and even laid new laminate. So it is no wonder that discovering all his work was for naught was a little unsettling. Aarrrghh. Saturday night, he and his brother, finding the source of the leak, happily patted each other on the back and enjoyed the rest of the game. That is until the next morning, when it was once again dripping. Not to be discouraged, he rebeaded the faucet complex and pronounced it FIXED. Until I did the dishes. Grrrrrrr. Once again he disappeared under the sink muttering unmentionables. This time he has determined that it is a leak between the granite counter and the backsplash. . . again with the beading. He is now, thoroughly discouraged.
I head down for a bowl of carrots. Yes, I am still on a diet. By Easter, I will be THE rabbit. Klutz that I am, one carrot, having a mind of it's own, hops out of the bowl and does a double gainer onto the floor. A perfect 10. I look at Frank and announce that the 5 second rule does NOT apply to my kitchen floor. He looks dumbfounded and then roars in laughter. I am specifically known for my not so spotless floors. Gotta love a man who keeps his sense of humor in the midst of defeat and chaos.

Amazing Beauty

That's Haleakala, the dormant volcano on Maui. I knew we were rising above the clouds on the way up and I knew it was at 10,000 feet, what I couldn't know was how awesome it was on top of the world. What brought this up? I finally scrapped it this morning and the chill ran through me again. Just stunning. And yes, a chill in both senses of the word. It was downright cold up that high. Remember, I live at sea level. The bridge over the intercoastal is the highest elevation for 50 miles. And why am I not sharing the layouts? My scanner is full of built up glue bits. Any suggestions for cleaning?

Cat's aren't stupid. . .

The great debate is whether or not Snoop is a frantic soul because he was feral for too long before he came to us or because he's just naturally 'high strung'. At the vet's he is known as "he who walks on the ceiling," but I digress. We have fleas. Well, not I but Bru, Moak and Snoop. Applying Advantage to Bru and Moak is quick work. But Snoop has to be dosed first. If he smells it on the rest of the clan, he hides for days. He also needs his nails clipped. Desperately. So today I decided to sneak a little "mickey" into his treat and kill two birds with one stone. He took the bait. Now to wait until his pupils get large and he starts to lose his natural coordination and turn quite loopy. . . and manageable. He is a blood brother with the tech at the vet, not a club I want to join. I thought he was ready. He wasn't. Either the pills are too old or like a recalcitrant child, I will find the spit out pill in some out of the way place. I tried my best but he is only half dosed. I hope the fleas get the message and move elsewhere. The nails will wait for a trip to the vet. And yes his file is marked "caution" in big red letters. He is indeed smarter than I.

Happy New Year

It is a time to reflect, a time to give thanks, a time of anticipation. Our family was blessed this past year in big ways and small. Katie's depression almost capsized her life again as she juggled the stress of track, finals, IB and and life as a 17 year old. But she survived for which no words can explain how truly thankful I am. And she grew. She entered college under her own steam and has not only survived a new environment but thrived. She is happier than I have seen her in years. Enough so that she, with approval from her doctor, has weaned herself off her meds and flying free. May she continue on her journey with this fresh breeze under her wings.

And smaller joys came her way: Six months after taking her IB finals while slogging through the depths of depression and missing one exam, news came that she was granted her degree. I am grateful for her advisor who kept plugging away at the system to make this a reality. And to the little Mauian who sends her goodie boxes to welcome her to college and cheer her through finals. Thank you Leonore, for being you!! For a chance to run in the Texas Relays, for the perfect graduation dress, for a cat named Moaky, for new friends and old, for joy and life.

And Frank survived melanoma , a broken hand, and putting up with me! Tomorrow will be our 10th anniversary. When the cancer scared us, I realized that while I have loved him from the beginning, I love him more as the years roll by. Imagine!

I am thankful that we are all three together, healthy and happy. That God had been good to us. That we have love and strength among us. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because I am so bad at keeping them but this year I have decided to make a life change instead and learn to take better care of my body and soul. To find and nourish the good things and let go of the bad. My wish for all of you my friends, at the beginning of this new year, is Peace where ever you may find it and with whomever.