Happy Holidays, Peace on Earth, Good will to everyone.

Life is a mixed bag and I may be all jumbled up, but I don’t feel bad about it. So I guess that’s all good and good. I did my party and it went really well. Folks are asking me if they can come to next year’s bash. I didn’t know I was doing one next year, but since my hubby said, “ya, plan on it.” I guess it’s going to happen. Would some one please put it on the calendar now and remind me about it in 11 ½ months?

~Happy Holiday’s. Ya they are pretty happy. Like I said jumbled, but happy.

~Peace on Earth. Peace to everyone, in your lives, in your hearts and in your soul. A wish to have peace in your soul. I love that.

~Goodwill to Everyone. This is definitely a good one. How great would it be if we all felt no ill will to anyone. To those we love who inadvertently hurt us, to the drivers who cut us off, to the folks who intentionally hurt us. That would be a learning experience. And would probably lighten the burden of a grudge. Forgiveness should also be included in this batch of well wishes, but put too many things in there and it’s going to sound like a sermon. So perhaps I’ll leave it to those three things: Happiness, Peace and Goodwill.

Holiday Party FUN

From all accounts, my holiday party was a huge success. Lot’s of foodie stuff, desserts, cases of wine, candles, fresh garland, hanging lights, live music, laughter, conversations, seeing old (and new) friends and having what seemed like a bazillion kids. It’s a good sign when your guests say they’re dropping by for a quick hello and end up staying the evening. Some folks came in jeans, some in beautiful party dresses. One family came with their twin 2 year old daughters in matching red and white Christmas outfits. Adorable. (Where was my camera?!) The problem though with being a hostess to a party of this magnitude, is that I didn’t get to visit very long with some of my favorite people. The good thing though, is that I have a ton of rain checks for lunches and get-togethers with said favorite people.

When I look back on the party, I think my favorite memory will be the look on the little kids faces, after having snagged enormous slices of chocolate cake. Absolute triumph and glee. I know they couldn’t possibly eat it all, but they acted like they had won the lottery . What’s not to love about that? What’s not to love about a really fun holiday party.

Tis the Season...

“Tis the Season to be Jolly!” Or something like that. Perhaps, it should be “Tis the season to be Jolly and/or Sad.” When Jolly hits, I’m happily doing the Santa Dance around the kitchen. But when something reminds me of my dad, Sad walks in and sits with me awhile. My Dad’s birthday would have been December 3^rd.

In looking to the future, I have some ideas that I’m cooking up. I’m not going say anything about it right now, but it’s feeling like the right thing to do. Once I have more to show for it, I’ll spill the beans, but be warned, this is something that may take many (Many!) months to get going.

Ps. Thanks to everyone who has emailed me during my absence from this blog. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support and kind words.

Hello

The time off has done me good, except now I care less about things. Maybe that’s not a good thing after all. I was supposed to start with this awesome acting coach, but after I gave her the check, I promptly backed out. I still haven’t figured out why I did that, but hopefully she’ll let me start up after the holiday season.

What else:

~I do have the urge to do some major nest building. Already had he carpets in the bedrooms replaced, next week the interior will get repainted, and then hopefully I can finish laying down the lighting and mulch in the front garden. This isn’t exactly riveting news, but thought I’d share it anyway…

~I saw some stills of Kat and Stacy’s “The Worker” on Kat’s blog, and I have to say it looks awesome. Anne looks great and I know from way back, that the story is perfect. I have no doubt it’s going to be an award winner.

~I have a fierce desire to throw a holiday party. Maybe one of those Open House Holiday types and bring in some musicians. I made a tentative list and it topped 100 guests. That may be a bit too much for me, but if I can bring in some help and have some of the main dishes catered, I bet I could pull it off. Of course all of my blog friends would be invited! All five of you. J

~For the first time in 12 years, we have a real Christmas tree. I’m not sure what possessed me to go for a real one this year, but when I looked at the artificial one in the box, I couldn’t bring myself to put it together. Maybe it represented the sameness that has been plaguing my life these last few years, but what ever the reason, there was no way it was going up! So Mr. Hubby and I loaded up the kids and drove over to our local parking lot xmass tree vender and picked out a beauty!

We got it home in one piece and after a lot of irritation on Mr. Hubby’s part (and giggling on my part, which increased Mr. Hubby’s irritation tenfold , etc.), we got the tree to stand up straight. I can’t wait to put the lights on and decorate it. If I throw that party, you can check it out for yourself.

~The Christmas tree is shedding a lot of needles. At this rate, it’s going to be bald and we’ll be having a Charlie Brown Christmas.

~

delete the blog

I’ve been thinking about deleting this blog and I’m surprised at my reluctance. As I got close to the delete button, it felt like I was ending a long term relations ship. The kind where you go, - what was that about? How did I end up here? What do I do now?

It’s not like I want to stop this one because I’ve been eyeing another blog, as if there’s a secret blog fling going on or anything. Or that I have several blogs that I move around in. I guess I’m more of a monogamous blogger. But the idea though, to delete every thing - every picture, word, image and shared memory, feels more like I may not have really existed. O.K., obviously I exist to some degree. I exist to my friends, and family. But it’s still a really odd feeling. Both freeing and sad at the same time.

Time to go

~L~

sigh

For many reasons, I’m very proud of Storie Productions. Here's yet another:

Congratulations! You have been chosen as an award recipient for
the Heroes in the Fight SM program. Through this program, Mental
Health America of Texas along with Partner Organizations Depression
and Bipolar Support Alliance Texas; NAMI Texas; National
Association of Social Workers, Texas Chapter; Texas Council of
Community MHMR Centers, Inc.; Texas Counseling Association; Texas
Mental Health Consumers and Texas Psychological Association is
recognizing you and a select number of individuals who provide
exemplary care and dedication to those affected by severe and
persistent mental illness.

The Heroes in the Fight SM recognition program was established by
Eli Lilly and Company to celebrate dignity, courage, hope, and
recovery in the ongoing treatment of people with serious and
persistent mental illness. Lilly co-sponsors the program with
local mental health organizations in communities across the United
States. The local partner organizations manage the nomination and
selection of honorees in their areas.

We hope you will be able to attend our luncheon as our guest of
honor.

School time ...again.

Oh Bother! I have the End of Summer blues. What else should I call it. My kids have gone back to school and now there’s nobody around to play with, and in fact, there’s no playing at all! The house needs new floors, new paint, a new water heater, and there’s a leak in the wall, which has made the sheet-rock yucky. I want to go back to the beach and play in the sand. I wanna run and jump and shout in the rain storm again. I want to have that “everything is perfect at this very moment” feeling, as I watch my kids play in the surf or snuggle up with me in the beach towel.

I’m not ready for this start of school stuff. This blasting out of the house first thing in the morning only to sit in interminable traffic. Then not seeing my sunny sweet kid faces until 6 or 7 at night. Pooh! I wanna play. I want my kiddies! We still need to do more traveling and exploring! We were just getting warmed up! Now it’s school time.

Oh Bother!

I have been studying and meditating on living in the now. Some people think that it’s a process of letting go of past experiences and future expectations, but for me, it’s understanding that the past and future don’t exist. The past has happened and the future will happen, but right now, they are not here. They don’t exist.
A little before 7 this morning, I was sitting on my driveway, contemplating existence, when a half a dozen deer came up and discovered me. It seems I was in the way of their morning migration. Of course, they could go in a number of directions to get from the green belt to the back yards, and after 15 minutes or so, one of them figured this out and the rest followed. I’m usually not too thrilled with deer. They eat every bloom, rub off the bark from my newly planted trees, and they recently ate several bushes, but still, they are truly beautiful creatures. They have lovely necks that arch up and back and long tapering legs that diminish into tiny black hooves. Hooves that make a delicate clickity-clack as they run across the street. There was one deer that almost made me laugh out loud. He walked behind a bush, craned his neck back and gave me a double take. Then he walked across the street, went behind another bush, reached his neck way out again, and did another double take. I won’t put human notions to his actions, but he was very funny and it made the moment wonderful.