i scratch my arms when i'm tired
This one isn't nearly as exciting or as in depth as others, but it's a truth. Whenever i get really tired and sleepy, i will start to scratch my arms. i'm not sure if this is to stimulate myself back to a more awake state of being or to relax myself more into going to sleep. But, either way, i do it all the time. i never knew i did this until one day, years ago, Danielle and Joe pointed it out to me when we were hanging out in our apartment one night. And now i'm totally aware of it when i start doing it. i don't think about it when i start doing it, but when i realize i'm doing it i know i'm tired LOL
Friday, November 29, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
thanksgiving
My Mom never spent a Thanksgiving or Christmas away from her childhood home...never, so there was not ever a question of going some place else....people came to Grandmother's. That's just how it was. And we had so many wonderful people share this day with us. Early on, Jim and Lucy Reich, he was our minister of music, were always present for turkey day. And Gene Herrill and his family were frequent guests as well. One Thanksgiving, i fell asleep after lunch and Mr. Herrill tied my shoe laces together while i napped. He has always been a jokester. Other people would sit at our table from year to year....The Spiegels, Doris Martino, Scott Walker and his family.
Then one year, we began a new tradition. Mom decided that it would be nice to invite the Fornes family to Thanksgiving and that turned out to be a wonderful thing. i think there are some of the Fornes clan Grandmother hadn't seen since Mom and Dad got married in 68. Grandma Fornes, Uncle Tuck and Aunt Betty Jean, Uncle Bob and Aunt Faye, Uncle Raymond and Aunt Geraldine, Aunt Susan and Uncle Tom...and various cousins...Ray, Tim, Todd, Steve, Stephanie, Melanie, Amber. They all came. Such a nice time was always had by us. Some of the relatives stayed a few days, some went back home or to other places after dinner. But it was fun to see them, especially knowing i would see them and so many more at Christmas at Grandma Fornes's house. They came back year after year, almost up til Mom's passing. It was always something to look forward too.
i miss those family gatherings. They are not nearly as frequent as they use to be. Or, at least my being able to attend them isn't as frequent as it use to be. But family comes in all shapes and forms....blood relative or not. And it's nice to have one's family seated around the table, or card table where i always sat lol i need more of that. i want more of that. Time to make it happen.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
thought for the day
growing up as a child of the mid/late 70s and the 80s, Christmas seems very different than it is today. It was not until after Thanksgiving that the Christmas season began...unlike today when it's everywhere after Halloween is over...barely LOL there really was something sacred to the beginning of the Christmas season in those days that does not exist anymore.
Having said that i will admit that yes, i listen to Christmas music early. i try not to do it within ear shot of anyone who it might offend, but it makes me happy so i do it. But i have not touched my Christmas decorations. i see all of these pictures on Facebook of people who already have their trees up and the houses are decorated. If that works for them, that's totally great, but it's not for me. Growing up, the decorations did not come out til December...something i've stuck to all of these years....just my tradition i guess.
Well, since Thanksgiving comes so late this year and the Christmas rush will begin almost as soon as i head back to work after turkey day, i've decided there really is no point in decorating our house. Yes, that makes me sad, but oh well. There is no point in stressing myself out over where to put each heirloom decoration when no one will enjoy it but me...it's just too much to deal with this year.
Like everything in my house, i can pretty much tell you the history of all of my Christmas decorations. My favorites being my Jesse Tree ornaments and the collection of ceramic Santa Clauses that my Grandmother made me. However there just isn't time for it this year. i may regret the decision, but oh well, it's been made. Now i just need to get a storage unit for all of it haha
Same goes for my birthday. Sadly, it comes at the beginning of holiday hell at work and there really is no use in trying to celebrate. Last year's festivities were last minute and kind of a bust for the most part, so again i do not want to stress myself out over it. Yes, birthdays are important, but i have such a hard time remembering other people's birthdays that it's ridiculous. And i've had to turn down so many birthday celebration invites that i don't feel it's right to ask people to celebrate mine. And i'm so socially out of touch as a host, haven't had a group of my own friends over since NYE LOL
Oh well. i will find a way to keep Christmas in my heart this year....decorated or not
Having said that i will admit that yes, i listen to Christmas music early. i try not to do it within ear shot of anyone who it might offend, but it makes me happy so i do it. But i have not touched my Christmas decorations. i see all of these pictures on Facebook of people who already have their trees up and the houses are decorated. If that works for them, that's totally great, but it's not for me. Growing up, the decorations did not come out til December...something i've stuck to all of these years....just my tradition i guess.
Well, since Thanksgiving comes so late this year and the Christmas rush will begin almost as soon as i head back to work after turkey day, i've decided there really is no point in decorating our house. Yes, that makes me sad, but oh well. There is no point in stressing myself out over where to put each heirloom decoration when no one will enjoy it but me...it's just too much to deal with this year.
Like everything in my house, i can pretty much tell you the history of all of my Christmas decorations. My favorites being my Jesse Tree ornaments and the collection of ceramic Santa Clauses that my Grandmother made me. However there just isn't time for it this year. i may regret the decision, but oh well, it's been made. Now i just need to get a storage unit for all of it haha
Same goes for my birthday. Sadly, it comes at the beginning of holiday hell at work and there really is no use in trying to celebrate. Last year's festivities were last minute and kind of a bust for the most part, so again i do not want to stress myself out over it. Yes, birthdays are important, but i have such a hard time remembering other people's birthdays that it's ridiculous. And i've had to turn down so many birthday celebration invites that i don't feel it's right to ask people to celebrate mine. And i'm so socially out of touch as a host, haven't had a group of my own friends over since NYE LOL
Oh well. i will find a way to keep Christmas in my heart this year....decorated or not
10 things you don't know about me...#3
i love wills
i love reading them. There's just something interesting to me about the disbursement of property and personal items that i find intriguing. This all started when i was in the 6th grade and my Great Aunt Sara passed away. She left something to everyone of her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews...which i was one of. At the time i was only 12 and didn't know anything about wills, but Mom, who was Aunt Sara's executor, showed it to me where my name was listed and what i was to receive. i was thrilled and honored that Aunt Sara had remembered me in such a nice way.
After that, literally, i would search high and low for old family wills. i found them very interesting and for me, at a time when i was just learning to love antiques and heirlooms, it was fun for me to see what my relatives possessed. i'd ask Grandmother, usually, about certain pieces and what happened to them because some wills of certain relatives changed multiple times...i found that interesting as well.
i'd get books from the libraries about wills....giving examples of them and teaching how to write a proper one. i found, and still find it, absolutely fascinating....morbid though it might be to some people lol
i don't enjoy, however, wills where it is obvious someone is being punished out of temporary anger. i don't think that is a moral thing to do, because there isn't always time to go back and change what you've done before you die. Or wills when the person writing the will has obviously been taken advantage of. i had a cousin who was used by her neighbor and several other people and it showed in her will as to the amounts of things she left them as opposed to her family who had taken care of her most of her life. That was infuriating. But, karma's a bitch sometimes and it did come back to bite those people in the behind....not that i wish ill things on anyone, but hey, it happens.
So, there ya go. i love to read wills. i should've been an estate attorney. i'd seriously thought about it at one point in my life. i use to have a will of my own, years ago. i think i need to find it and have it re done. i'm afraid, with all of my stuff, that it's definitely going to be a long one haha So if you want anything...just speak up....i'm kidding...sort of LOL
i love reading them. There's just something interesting to me about the disbursement of property and personal items that i find intriguing. This all started when i was in the 6th grade and my Great Aunt Sara passed away. She left something to everyone of her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews...which i was one of. At the time i was only 12 and didn't know anything about wills, but Mom, who was Aunt Sara's executor, showed it to me where my name was listed and what i was to receive. i was thrilled and honored that Aunt Sara had remembered me in such a nice way.
After that, literally, i would search high and low for old family wills. i found them very interesting and for me, at a time when i was just learning to love antiques and heirlooms, it was fun for me to see what my relatives possessed. i'd ask Grandmother, usually, about certain pieces and what happened to them because some wills of certain relatives changed multiple times...i found that interesting as well.
i'd get books from the libraries about wills....giving examples of them and teaching how to write a proper one. i found, and still find it, absolutely fascinating....morbid though it might be to some people lol
i don't enjoy, however, wills where it is obvious someone is being punished out of temporary anger. i don't think that is a moral thing to do, because there isn't always time to go back and change what you've done before you die. Or wills when the person writing the will has obviously been taken advantage of. i had a cousin who was used by her neighbor and several other people and it showed in her will as to the amounts of things she left them as opposed to her family who had taken care of her most of her life. That was infuriating. But, karma's a bitch sometimes and it did come back to bite those people in the behind....not that i wish ill things on anyone, but hey, it happens.
So, there ya go. i love to read wills. i should've been an estate attorney. i'd seriously thought about it at one point in my life. i use to have a will of my own, years ago. i think i need to find it and have it re done. i'm afraid, with all of my stuff, that it's definitely going to be a long one haha So if you want anything...just speak up....i'm kidding...sort of LOL
Friday, November 22, 2013
Black Thursday or Black Thanksgiving or whatever you want to call it....make something of it
There's been a lot of uproar among my friends about stores opening up on Thanksgiving. i have to admit, that in some ways, i'm very neutral about the whole situation. i do believe, in a perfect world, that some days really should be sacred like Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc...and places should remain closed. However, we do not live in a perfect world, so that is not really an option anymore.
i am not going to judge anyone who goes out shopping on turkey day. i'm definitely not going to be among the throngs of people joining in, but that is my choice as much as it is theirs. As for people having to work, i hope it is an option for them and not a requirement....to force someone to work retail on a day such as that would be wrong, but giving them the opportunity if they wanted to earn extra money i think is fine. Of course, in the cold corporate world, i doubt this is true in many cases.
So, if you intend on going shopping on Thanksgiving, try to find some ways to make it count. Actually the same is true for Black Friday and all other shopping days til Christmas.
If you have an elderly neighbor or relative that might not be able to get out as much, ask them if you can pick up some things for them while you're out hunting the bargains.
Find a church or some other organization that has an angel tree and buy some things to make a stranger's holiday special.
Contact a nursing home or an assisted living facility and see if you can help any of the residents with some holiday shopping.
With everything on sale, homeless shelters could use some supplies and clothing.
Animal shelters might need things to that you can find on sale.
We all have a few friends who are teachers...and since many things in their classrooms are paid for out of their own pockets...ask them if they need any more supplies.
i'm sure there are many more scenarios i could think of to add to this, but you get the general idea of it. if you're going shopping, just remember that it's Thanksgiving and be thankful that you have the means to be out and about taking advantage of sales...not every one does...so take a few minutes and do something for someone else while you're out.
i am not going to judge anyone who goes out shopping on turkey day. i'm definitely not going to be among the throngs of people joining in, but that is my choice as much as it is theirs. As for people having to work, i hope it is an option for them and not a requirement....to force someone to work retail on a day such as that would be wrong, but giving them the opportunity if they wanted to earn extra money i think is fine. Of course, in the cold corporate world, i doubt this is true in many cases.
So, if you intend on going shopping on Thanksgiving, try to find some ways to make it count. Actually the same is true for Black Friday and all other shopping days til Christmas.
If you have an elderly neighbor or relative that might not be able to get out as much, ask them if you can pick up some things for them while you're out hunting the bargains.
Find a church or some other organization that has an angel tree and buy some things to make a stranger's holiday special.
Contact a nursing home or an assisted living facility and see if you can help any of the residents with some holiday shopping.
With everything on sale, homeless shelters could use some supplies and clothing.
Animal shelters might need things to that you can find on sale.
We all have a few friends who are teachers...and since many things in their classrooms are paid for out of their own pockets...ask them if they need any more supplies.
i'm sure there are many more scenarios i could think of to add to this, but you get the general idea of it. if you're going shopping, just remember that it's Thanksgiving and be thankful that you have the means to be out and about taking advantage of sales...not every one does...so take a few minutes and do something for someone else while you're out.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
10 things you don't know about me...#2
i believe in reincarnation
i think that every spirit is on a journey and it is only when that journey is completed that the spirit can rest. Until then, it keeps coming back until the journey is over.
my questioning of reincarnation began at an early age. my Great Aunt Mary Lee, when i was born, took to me very quickly because she told people that i looked just like her brother, Henry, who had died at the age of two and she had helped take care of him. And it made me wonder, as a child, what it would've been like to be Henry. Ah, well.
Fast forward about 20 years or so. i was a junior BFA acting major at UNCG and was doing a supporting role in a production of Tony Kushner's adaptation of "The Illusion" This was the first show i did after Mom died, so i was pretty emotionally worn down, but yet open to many things. For our first dress rehearsal for the show, i had a wonderful dresser, Danielle (who has ended up being one of my very best friends). This was a period show, with gorgeous costumes custom made for each of us in the show. One day i'll talk about the amazing leather boots that were custom made for my character...but that's another time.
Anyway, i digress. One of the costume pieces i wore was, and i can't remember the proper name for it, but it kind of was like a male version of a corset, only it was worn outside of the shirt. It was heavy brocade and laced up the back and of course, i had to have help with that. The first time Danielle laced me into that thing, i had a major sense of deja vu. We had done this before...in another life.
And then the dreams started. i was seeing life through the eyes of a woman, somewhere around the turn of the century. Some dreams were of daily life...she was a wife, but not a mother. She was not wealthy, but more upper middle class. Her widowed sister and her children lived with her. The dream that i had the most was she was at a ball, dancing. Her dancing partner was not her husband, but a friend....a good friend. There was no romantic attachment between them, just a lot of love and a sense of great comfort.
i had that dream about every other night for several months. i don't know the name of the person she was dancing with, but i've seen his eyes in one of my friends. About the 3rd or 4th time i had the ballroom dream, something different happened. The dream was extended to include this woman's preparations for the ball including, you guessed it, getting lace up in her corset....by her sister. She danced a lot longer that night with many different men, but always came back to her confidant with the eyes.
when i woke up the next morning i woke up in some pain and discomfort. i had some strange bruising on my abdomen, so i went to the campus infirmary. They took some x rays and discovered that i had a few bruised rib bones. Since i had no idea how it could have happened, they determined that i fell out of bed during the night and just didn't remember.
i knew better. Those bruises were vertical. They were boning bruises brought on by the corset in the dream the night before.
i see this woman every now and again in my dreams. Her/our spirit's journey is not done yet.
i think that every spirit is on a journey and it is only when that journey is completed that the spirit can rest. Until then, it keeps coming back until the journey is over.
my questioning of reincarnation began at an early age. my Great Aunt Mary Lee, when i was born, took to me very quickly because she told people that i looked just like her brother, Henry, who had died at the age of two and she had helped take care of him. And it made me wonder, as a child, what it would've been like to be Henry. Ah, well.
Fast forward about 20 years or so. i was a junior BFA acting major at UNCG and was doing a supporting role in a production of Tony Kushner's adaptation of "The Illusion" This was the first show i did after Mom died, so i was pretty emotionally worn down, but yet open to many things. For our first dress rehearsal for the show, i had a wonderful dresser, Danielle (who has ended up being one of my very best friends). This was a period show, with gorgeous costumes custom made for each of us in the show. One day i'll talk about the amazing leather boots that were custom made for my character...but that's another time.
Anyway, i digress. One of the costume pieces i wore was, and i can't remember the proper name for it, but it kind of was like a male version of a corset, only it was worn outside of the shirt. It was heavy brocade and laced up the back and of course, i had to have help with that. The first time Danielle laced me into that thing, i had a major sense of deja vu. We had done this before...in another life.
And then the dreams started. i was seeing life through the eyes of a woman, somewhere around the turn of the century. Some dreams were of daily life...she was a wife, but not a mother. She was not wealthy, but more upper middle class. Her widowed sister and her children lived with her. The dream that i had the most was she was at a ball, dancing. Her dancing partner was not her husband, but a friend....a good friend. There was no romantic attachment between them, just a lot of love and a sense of great comfort.
i had that dream about every other night for several months. i don't know the name of the person she was dancing with, but i've seen his eyes in one of my friends. About the 3rd or 4th time i had the ballroom dream, something different happened. The dream was extended to include this woman's preparations for the ball including, you guessed it, getting lace up in her corset....by her sister. She danced a lot longer that night with many different men, but always came back to her confidant with the eyes.
when i woke up the next morning i woke up in some pain and discomfort. i had some strange bruising on my abdomen, so i went to the campus infirmary. They took some x rays and discovered that i had a few bruised rib bones. Since i had no idea how it could have happened, they determined that i fell out of bed during the night and just didn't remember.
i knew better. Those bruises were vertical. They were boning bruises brought on by the corset in the dream the night before.
i see this woman every now and again in my dreams. Her/our spirit's journey is not done yet.
recipe of the week - double layer chocolate pie
this is ridiculously easy to make....you know who i love my cool whip recipes! But it's sinfully delicious...if you like chocolate that is!
2 cups cold milk
2 (3.9 oz) packages of instant chocolate pudding
1 9" prepared pie crust
1 (8 oz) container for frozen whipped topping, thawed
Cook pie crust according to directions. Let cool completely
In a large bowl, mix milk and instant pudding. Beat with a wire whisk about 1 min or until nice and thick. Spoon half of this mixture into the pie crust.
Mix half of the whipped topping into the remaining pudding mixture. Spread this on top of the pudding layer already in your pie crust. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
*You can also top the pie with the other half of the whipped topping that's left over.
*Chocolate shavings make a nice garnish for the pie as well!
Enjoy!
2 cups cold milk
2 (3.9 oz) packages of instant chocolate pudding
1 9" prepared pie crust
1 (8 oz) container for frozen whipped topping, thawed
Cook pie crust according to directions. Let cool completely
In a large bowl, mix milk and instant pudding. Beat with a wire whisk about 1 min or until nice and thick. Spoon half of this mixture into the pie crust.
Mix half of the whipped topping into the remaining pudding mixture. Spread this on top of the pudding layer already in your pie crust. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
*You can also top the pie with the other half of the whipped topping that's left over.
*Chocolate shavings make a nice garnish for the pie as well!
Enjoy!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
just today's thought
well, trying to fill my week with people didn't exactly turn out as i'd hoped, but that's ok. it was not a complete bust haha several sets of plans fell through, but we did manage to have our friends Lois and Charles over one night for dinner and conversation and that was glorious.
This will take time and i'm ok with that. i've gotten to an age in life where i do not expect overnight miracles. That attitude accompanies a mid life crisis very well i think haha And also, i've spent so much time declining invitations, that it's going to take some time to build up people wanting to ask me.
One of the reasons that i have such a hard time extending and accepting invitations is that i've developed a severe fear of rejection. And the MLC has only amplified that. i don't really think anything, other than my own insecurities, has caused me to have this fear. it's something i can't just "get over" but i can work through it. i'm not sure at what point i decided that i was not good enough or entertaining enough or pretty enough to think that other people would enjoy my company, but somewhere along the line i picked up those feelings. It may not be immediate, but it will happen.
So, i may not have my dance card full right now, but i'm bound and determined to at least start asking people to dance!
This will take time and i'm ok with that. i've gotten to an age in life where i do not expect overnight miracles. That attitude accompanies a mid life crisis very well i think haha And also, i've spent so much time declining invitations, that it's going to take some time to build up people wanting to ask me.
One of the reasons that i have such a hard time extending and accepting invitations is that i've developed a severe fear of rejection. And the MLC has only amplified that. i don't really think anything, other than my own insecurities, has caused me to have this fear. it's something i can't just "get over" but i can work through it. i'm not sure at what point i decided that i was not good enough or entertaining enough or pretty enough to think that other people would enjoy my company, but somewhere along the line i picked up those feelings. It may not be immediate, but it will happen.
So, i may not have my dance card full right now, but i'm bound and determined to at least start asking people to dance!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
10 things you don't know about me....#1
i collect music boxes
This began when i was in the 1st grade. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Richmond, would bring in one of her music boxes to share with the class about once every two weeks. It was what she shared with us during Show and Tell (do schools even do that anymore? lol) i immediately became fascinated with them, especially the ones that rotated or were animated in some form. That year for Christmas, i got my first music box from my Aunt and Uncle. It played "Send In The Clowns" i was so excited. For years after that, every Christmas or birthday or just as a surprise reward, i would receive another music box to add to my collection. Sadly, it stopped when i got to college. i had between 30 and 40 in my small collection. Maybe one day i'll pick it back up again...when i have more room for more stuff lol
And yes, i have this one too....was another Christmas present :)
This began when i was in the 1st grade. My 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Richmond, would bring in one of her music boxes to share with the class about once every two weeks. It was what she shared with us during Show and Tell (do schools even do that anymore? lol) i immediately became fascinated with them, especially the ones that rotated or were animated in some form. That year for Christmas, i got my first music box from my Aunt and Uncle. It played "Send In The Clowns" i was so excited. For years after that, every Christmas or birthday or just as a surprise reward, i would receive another music box to add to my collection. Sadly, it stopped when i got to college. i had between 30 and 40 in my small collection. Maybe one day i'll pick it back up again...when i have more room for more stuff lol
And yes, i have this one too....was another Christmas present :)
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
recipe of the week - broccoli casserole
This is a recipe Mom made a lot. It's easy to make and i think it's delicious. Growing up, i was not a fan of cheese (i'm working on that as an adult lol) so finding a good broccoli casserole that doesn't have cheese in it is not always easy. Hope you enjoy!
Broccoli Casserole
2 10oz boxes of broccoli spears
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 Cup of mayo
3/4 stick of melted butter
2/3 pack of stuffing mix
Cook broccoli until just tender. Place in casserole dish. Mix soup and mayo and spread over broccoli. Mix butter and stuffing mix and spread on top. Bake at 350 for 35-45 min.
This can also be made using low fat and light soups and mayo and still tastes good!
Broccoli Casserole
2 10oz boxes of broccoli spears
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 Cup of mayo
3/4 stick of melted butter
2/3 pack of stuffing mix
Cook broccoli until just tender. Place in casserole dish. Mix soup and mayo and spread over broccoli. Mix butter and stuffing mix and spread on top. Bake at 350 for 35-45 min.
This can also be made using low fat and light soups and mayo and still tastes good!
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