Random Things Archives - Page 10 of 11

A Black and Gold Nonparty

I couldn’t help it. I had to decorate (at least a little) for New Year’s Eve. It’s just in my bones that I have to celebrate every occasion! From my last post, you’ll remember that Ash and I were feeling a little under the weather. We cancelled the big party that we were going to have. Instead, we had a non-party and my sister and her family came over. Being that it was just family, being perky wasn’t really a necessity. Isn’t that the best thing about family? You can just let it all hang out! At least, within reason…..

When I was planning for the party, I decided to use a black and gold theme. To be truthful, I am obsessed with black and gold! Before Christmas, I ordered a party pack of supplies…for 50 people. We may see black and gold for many years to come. I didn’t feel like driving all over town in search of more black and gold decorations, so I used what I had on hand. I threw the party decor together in less than an hour. The chocolate covered pretzels had me a little stressed, so I was more than ready for a glass of bubbly. I requested that everyone to wear black or gold, which was a great excuse for me to wear my comfy black tunic and new leather leggings. I am new to the legging trend as I don’t exactly love my legs. However, if you don’t have leather leggings, order yourself a pair of these magical things! My legs actually looked leaner. Since my legs looked leaner, I helped myself to another glass of champagne.

I had black and gold wrapping paper left over from Christmas, so I cut it to fit the shelves and secured it with a little double-sided tape.

Note the alarm clock. I was seriously afraid that I might fall asleep before midnight. It’s happened in the past.

I am still crazy over these gold rimmed glasses. I would cry if I were to break one. However, that doesn’t stop me from using them. You can find a similar pattern here, made by the same company.

Although no blood was involved in the making of the chocolate-covered pretzels, sweat and tears were. I never knew that dipping a pretzel rod could be so difficult. I burned the first batch of white chocolate in the microwave. Finally, after my 20th stick, I figured out how to apply the chocolate to the pretzel. Apparently, that’s a job meant for a rocket scientist. I am still scraping chocolate off of the counter top.

My intention was to have a glass of champagne. However, with the excitement of the leggings and the frustration of the pretzels, more than one glass happened.

When I saw these balloons on Pinterest, I had to have them. Luckily, I found them here. I had to take them to the party store to have them filled. Driving with a car full of balloons was not good for my nerves. If one had popped in the car, surely I would have had a heart attack.

Is there anything better than a festive hat? Yes. Champagne and leather leggings.

Cheers! I stayed awake until 12:20am. That may be a record for me!

And this picture appeared on Instagram. I’ll explain that in my newsletter, so you’d better subscribe!

Happy New Year! May 2015 be your best year yet!

How did you choose to celebrate New Year’s Eve?

Categories: Random Things

The Attack of The Tree

I am convinced that Smokey spends the majority of the year planning his attack on my Christmas trees. As soon as we begin hauling the trees down the stairs, his inner wild animal emerges. Zero self control. And, before we get too far, I need to apologize for the lack of quality photos. Any picture of Smokey has to be taken very quickly!

The trees have to endure Smokey’s relentless attacks for the duration of the season. Everyday, there are ornaments that must be rehung. Sometimes the ribbon has been pulled off. Sometimes the tree skirt is in a different location. It would be no surprise to find one of the trees on the floor when I return from work. The struggle is real. And, Heaven forbid, we leave the ladder unattended for a few seconds. This cat has no fear. For the entire season, Ashton and I are constantly repeating, “Smokey, NO!”, or better yet, “Damn it, Smokey!” . He doesn’t respond to anything we say, no matter the tone. He may even think that is name is Damnit.

An unfortunate incident occurred one night last week. I noticed that there was an eye staring at me from the tree. Of course, the eye belonged to Smokey.

Moments later, he jumped out of the tree, as if he were going to attack me. While in mid-air, his leg became caught on a string of lights. Before I knew it, the tree was spinning and he was hissing. Neither Ashton or I could get our hands on him to free him. If he had been there alone, I am sure he would have chewed his leg off in order to escape. Before he was finally freed, his leg had become so tangled, I really expected it to be broken. After we checked him out, he hid under the bed for the rest of the night. I’ll never forget the look of horror as looked at the tree. Clearly, he thought the tree had attacked him. Since that night, he hasn’t been anywhere near the tree. If I try to place him near the tree, he hisses at it. I’m thankful he wasn’t hurt. For once, Smokey did something that had memorable consequences. Last year, he jumped onto a box and it immediately engulfed him. You’d think that would still be fresh in his cat memory….

Hopefully, my trees will have a much needed break from Smokey’s adventures.

Since Smokey became a part of our family, life has been an adventure! Although my patience wears thin at times, I love the black furry baby with all of my heart! His warm cat body snuggles next to me every night. While I could live without some of his crazy antics, I wouldn’t trade him for anything!

I Think I Like Myself…

How many times do you criticize yourself in a day? A little criticism can sometimes be helpful. Too much criticism? Completely destructive! I used to feel guilty for complimenting myself. Somehow, complimenting myself seemed indulgent or even arrogant. For years I let negative thoughts cause me to fall into a deep depression and it was extremely difficult to pull myself out. I realized that I was much harder on myself than I was on others. One thing that I have learned from my IIN classes is that health is about more than exercise and food. Good health is having a good relationship with yourself. Be nice to yourself!

Here are a few things that I like about myself….

I am tenacious! I admit that I had to look up that word. I set goals for myself and I stick to them…even if it nearly kills me. Now that I am healthier, my goal is to run. Although it’s going slowly, I will eventually get there. I’m also determined to get my certification as a health coach, which means juggling home, school, the blog, and my job for the next year. Once, in Honduras, I was determined to take a ride on a sea plane even though I was terrified of heights. My tenacity outweighed my fear. I could call myself stubborn, but in the spirit of being positive, I am calling myself tenacious.

I have a sense of humor. Finding the humor in life has gotten me through many difficult situations. When having the pool installed this summer, we had one problem after another. The water kept filling the pool, slowing the progress. We took advantage of the mud by allowing the kids to have a huge mud fight. You can see that post here. If I had a dollar for the times that I have said, “You can laugh or you can cry”……

I like my shoulders and my feet. Those are strange, random things to like. I like that my toes are all pointing the in correct direction and they are all the length they are supposed to be (with no extra joints). There are some things about my body that I will never like (we won’t even go there). Instead of focusing on how much I don’t like those parts, I cover those parts up and only focus on the things I do like. Perfection is never going to happen. “Good enough” can happen right now.

I have a big heart for animals and little kids. If I could save all of the animals and make all of the kids in the world happy, I would. Smokey knows that it’s true…..

I make an amazing homemade pie. It’s not as good as my moms (of course!) , but it’s close. I chill the ingredients, I roll out the dough, and I bake pies with a passion. My apple pie is the best.

I am an awesome mediator. I probably should have been a lawyer.I can see every side of every situation. I am the queen of compromise. If my kids don’t learn much else in my art class, they learn how to compromise and work out their issues. Just the other day, my husband complained that we are always having to compromise. He wants to be right and I want to be right, but we are completely different. It’s an issue for us. This summer, when we were choosing a liner for the pool, he and I chose different designs. Because we had to compromise, we chose one together that was even better than either we had chosen on our own.

So, I’ve been a little down with the cooler weather and cloudy days. I’ve been hard on myself because I haven’t exercised as I should and I’ve fallen behind on my cleaning. I’ve decided that it’s ok to not be perfect and it’s ok to like my imperfect self. The next time I feel a little down again, I am going to remind myself of my good qualities. I challenge you to do the same. Because your fabulous self is amazing and unique!

What is something you like about yourself?

Categories: Random Things

Hello, Fall!

I’m giddy with the excitement of change! I love the changing seasons because everything seems fresh and new. Every year, I anxiously await October because fall is my favorite. While some aren’t a fan of change, it excites me. I’m always welcome fall with wide open arms!

Here are the things that I love most about fall…

I love the crisp air and clear, blue skies. I love the beauty of the vibrant leaves. Not too hot and not too cold, fall is the epitome of perfection.

I love decorating. From year to year, I forget what I have hidden in those black and orange rubbermaid boxes in the attic. It’s so much fun sorting through the treasures I’ve collected over the years. For a month and a half, our house is transformed into a wonderland of sparkling fall glory.

I love sipping hot beverages. Apple cider, spiced tea, and hot chocolate make the list! There’s something so cozy about sipping hot beverages!

I love our family camping trip to the mountains. I’m not usually a camping sort-of-girl. In fact, the only time I camp is in the mountains, during the fall. Camping in Roan Mountain brings back the best memories of years past. Nothing is better than sitting by a campfire, clothed in a warm sweatshirt, roasting marshmallows. Camping in the fall really makes you appreciate the beauty of nature.

I love wearing layers of clothes. After baring an alarming amount of skin this summer, I am ready to layer on the comfy sweaters and fluffy scarves. No more swimsuits for the next six months! I am loving this vest and plaid shirt combo that I found on Pinterest. I must have a chunky gold necklace and plaid!

I love fall baking. For me, the summer months consist of salads and fresh garden fare. In the fall, with less yard work to do, I like to spend my spare time baking goodies. My goal this year is to find healthier alternatives to my usual less-than-nutritious recipes. Over the weekend, I tried a broiled grapefruit for breakfast. It was delicious! I’m not sure if it counts as baking, but I’m counting it since I used an oven. Who needs cakes filled with sugar and flour when you can have God-created treats that are filled with vitamins! To make the broiled grapefruit, I sliced the fruit in half and sectioned it. After putting it on a foil lined pan, I topped it with sliced bananas, brown sugar( I used sugar free brown sugar) , cinnamon, and ginger. You could even omit the brown sugar and drizzle it with honey. I broiled it for a few minutes until it began to brown. I liked that it was hot and carmelized on top, but still cool in the middle. If you wanted it hot all the way through, you could bake it for a longer time. Yum!

I’m grateful to live in North Carolina with it’s ever-changing seasons. For now, I will bask in the beauty of fall. When fall is over, I am sure I will welcome winter just as enthusiastically, with it’s promise of holidays and the possibility of snow. With age, I’ve learned to embrace change. Change is beautiful!

Which season is your favorite?

Categories: Life, Random Things

Sisterhood

Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. ~ Margaret Mead

Sisters. The very word is a paradox. It’s the hardest, most wonderful thing. It’s simple, but complicated. For me, it’s a story that began in the fall of 1974, when my only sibling, a sister two years younger than myself, was born. Although I don’t recall the first few years, my first memories consisted of a playmate that I adored. Maybe I did convince her to surrender her money a few times. Maybe she was a slave to my random demands, but I loved her, heart and soul. Often trying to take a motherly role, I was more than a little protective of her. I was subject to her bright ideas, which, possibly, could have been considered my pay-back. I clearly remember the time that she convinced me to stand up on the porch swing because she knew a “quick way” to stop the swing. It was definitely a quick way to stop, because both of us were flipped backwards onto the ground! For years, we spent summers and evenings romping in the yard. As we didn’t live in a community, we were sole playmates. We learned to entertain ourselves as we discovered new games and and used our vivid imaginations. She was my best buddy.

Things became more difficult as as we neared the teenage years. There were arguments over friends and clothes. Once so much alike, we began fighting for our individuality. The teenage years created a deep wedge in our once close relationship. A slice of our sisterhood was removed as insecurity and jealousy formed. I secretly longed to be like my sister; smart, pretty, thin, blonde, and fun. It wasn’t fair that she should have it all. As a cloud of resentment rolled over me, I shut her out of my life, refusing to have anything to do with her. Although I loved her, my insecurities wouldn’t allow me to express it.

Through college, I’d see her on occasion and there would be brief glimpses of our old relationship. I missed her terribly, but we were busy with our own separate young adult lives. Through the next years, trials brought our relationship closer together. Even if we didn’t see each other often, we were there for each other during the hard times. My sister played a motherly role as I struggled through my eating disorder. She planned activities that coaxed me out of the house. I was there for the birth of her babies, and went to appointments with her as she was diagnosed with her autoimmune disease. Our relationship and our sisterly bond became stronger.

My sister became my neighbor last November. Although she only lived a mile away before, our lives continuously took us in different directions. We rarely saw each other, except for planned outings. Having my sister as my neighbor has been the greatest gift. Through many tears and honest talks, we have rediscovered our old relationship. We have began to know each other as adults, individuals, and friends. It wasn’t until we stopped trying to be so different that we could embrace how alike we truly were. Just a few weeks ago, we discovered that we had many of the same songs on our playlists. We shrieked with joy, never having known that we shared similar tastes in music. We have also discovered that we have many of the same clothes in our closets and we share the same sense of humor. Several times a week, we cook meals together and run errands together. And often, after a hard day, one of us walks to the other’s house to share wine or hot tea while we wistfully solve life’s problems.

As I look at my twin nieces, I see the same sisterhood struggles. I see their need for individuality as well as their need to be alike. Looking back, I wish I could tell my thirteen -year -old self to value the person I am, without wishing to be someone different. I wouldn’t blame my sister for being her wonderful self, and I wouldn’t let jealousy or insecurities interfere with our relationship. Although we did lose a few years , the most important thing is that we have learned to value the amazing sisterhood that we share now. My sister is the greatest gift that I have ever been given.

For there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather; To cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen as one stands. Christina Rosseti