I stopped at the grocery store on my way to work this morning. I needed a banana to eat with my oatmeal. The first thing I noticed was the smell of fresh bread. Who doesn't love the smell of fresh bread? It lifts your spirit and warms the soul...it just makes me feel yummy.

The second thing I noticed was the mold growing on the peaches. I was tempted to grab them and throw them away myself. Bad fruit makes me sad.

I look up and see a man in a green shirt. His hair is very long and matted. He has a full beard and is filthy. He reminds me of a stereotypical caveman.

I pick a banana, turn to leave, and find myself walking behind the caveman...his jeans have NO seat. I think this is very sad. He HAS to know that his ass is hanging out, yet it is obviously the least of his worries.

I pay 19 cents for my banana and leave the store. I drive to the far end of the parking lot and pull up to a gas pump. My little car is going to start coughing if I don't get some fuel in it. As I empty the trash from the little pocket on my door, I notice this man is at the pumps next to me. He's picking through the trash and seems to have found a container with some kind of food. He begins to pick at the food. I have one dollar and 81 cents cash on me and for a moment I consider how many bananas I could buy with $1.81. A well dressed woman walks across the parking lot and shoves money in this mans hand, then turns and walks away. He stands there and stares at it. What is he thinking? Is he calculating what he can buy with the money? Is he suddenly struck with the state of his affairs and wondering how he got to this point? Maybe he's high on drugs and the money is speaking to him.

I throw away my trash, swipe my credit card and begin pumping fuel into my car. As the fuel pumps, I walk up to this man and reach out my hand with the $1.81. He just stares at it. I reach up with my second hand and touch his shoulder, "Go get some food." I tell him. He looks up at me. "It's okay," I tell him, "go buy yourself some fruit." I wish I had more money to give him, but at the same time, I don't think it would matter. I think that if I gave this man $10,000, he would give it to someone else.

He takes my money and I walk back to my car. My tank is full. As I close up my gas tank I watch the man walk to the cashier booth. He takes the one penny (it's a shiny one) and places it into the drawer, then walks away.

I wonder, was the penny insignificant or was it an offering of some kind?

Last night, I finally made good on that 2-year-old threat to move my alarm clock across the room. Then at 5:10 this morning, my husband was very conveniently returning from the bathroom at the exact time the alarm clock went off. "Hey, Babe. Be a saint and push that snooze button for me, would ya?" Unfortunately, when the alarm sounded again at 5:19, he was snug as a bug in bed with me. UGH!

But I did it. I dragged my happy ass out of bed and I stayed up! I have always said that the hardest part of my day is the part when I have to get out of bed. Once I'm up, I'm up. I brushed my teeth, pulled on a t-shirt and shorts, laced up my sneakers and was out on the trail by 5:32.

I love being outside at the crack of dawn. It's a fresh day, and the possibilities are endless. Everything feels crisp and clean and in Colorado, even August mornings are brisk. And the trail I walk is right across the street from me. The area is full of wildlife. I always see deer and today, I saw a big ole fat raccoon. Sometimes I see coyote, fox, rabbits, and there are hundreds of birds. I'm also amazed at how busy the trail is at 5:30 in the morning. It's quite obvious that I am not the only one who enjoys this time of day.

So anyway--I got in two miles. Now, let's see if I can keep it up. My goal is to average 7,500 steps a day. That may not sound like much, but if you consider that I sit on my butt for 9-hours a day, 7,500 steps is a LOT!

Long time no write

Wow...It's been awhile since I blogged, huh? My first reaction is to claim that not much has happened, but we all know that's not true.

My husband lost his job in March 2009 and we have since decided to start our own business. It's named, "Mark Made It". Mark (my husband) builds bird houses, bird feeders, bird baths, and butterfly houses. We have a Web site (www.Markmadeit.com) and are at the Parker Farmers Market part-time this summer.

So this bird thing has really started to consume us. I have a crabapple tree outside of my kitchen window. Its a beautiful tree and we filled the tree with whimsical nick knacks and a variety of bird feeders. We've started sitting at the kitchen table longer and longer every night to watch the birds. Then, after a few weeks and a couple hundred arguments over what type of bird is feeding, we bought a couple bird books.

I can honestly say that since March, bird watching from my kitchen table has all but consumed the entire family. We have a pair of binoculars, two bird books, a camera and tripod on the table at ALL times. We almost wet out pants the first day we saw a grosbeak. Then a few days later, I swear I saw an oriole. Seriously--that window gets more attention than the television.

So, anyway. Go check out my Web site and order a feeder. Meanwhile, I'll think of something funny to write about.

...a snip it from my mind...

My husband has his grandfather's kitchen table and buffet. He's has it in storage for years. He finally decided to get rid of it, so he packed it all up and hauled it to a furniture consignment shop. The owner of the shop cleaned the hell out of this furniture. It didn't even look the like the same stuff. It was amazing. So the furniture sat in the shop for 3 plus months and didn't sell, so we brought it home and stashed it in the garage until we could figure out what to do with it.

This furniture is really pretty. The buffet is in good shape, but the table is fragile. I mean, it's a hundred years old and it wasn't the sturdiest table to begin with. So anyway, we completely fell in love with the polished up pieces and shortly after getting the Christmas decorations down, we decided to re-arrange the front room so we could accommodate it. The plan was that we would get rid of the book case and move the couch to where the book case was. We'd set the table under the front window and keep a picture puzzle on it all the time. The buffet would replace the hutch.

I emptied the dang-blasted six-foot book case (that was packed to full capacity) and hutch (where I kept everything that I didn't know where to keep), hauled the "old" stuff to the garage, swept, moped and dusted, then we hauled the "new" stuff in. It didn't fit. Not even close. I mean, we measured everything before we moved it, and it fit, but it didn't "fit"...know what I mean? The wood was too dark, the table stuck out into the room too far, the balance was all wrong...it just didn't work. It looked like crap.

We hemmed and hawed and bickered, then hauled the "new" stuff BACK into the garage and the "old" stuff BACK inside. I busted my butt all afternoon, cleaning and moving and I have nothing to show for it. We did end up moving the couch and the chairs around a little bit, so it does look different, but it isn't what I expected. And those dust monsters that resided under the couch have been evicted. And my floors are moped. And my hutch and bookcase are clean. Aside from that...

But let me tell you something, people. I scored BIG brownie points. How many women would re-arrange her main room (which is 1/3 of my entire house) to accommodate her husband's grandfather's cheap, old furniture? Unfortunately, these days, my brownie points are worth about as much as a Zimbabwe dollar. (For those of you who may not know, earlier this week Zimbabwe released a new 50 BILLION dollar note--it's worth $1.25USD.)

Meanwhile, I have a substantial pile of "stuff" next to my bed that needs a home.

Where does all this "stuff" come from? And why do I have so much of it? I just don't know what to do with it! Do I keep it, do I throw it out? What if I throw it away, but then find out that I need it?

Side A: NO! No. I don't need it. "When in doubt, throw it out!" That's what I always say! Why do I need a 10-year-old map of Washington DC? If I go to Washington DC, I'll get a new map. Dang-blasted things are free for crying out loud.

Side B: But it's a souvenir from our two-week, cross country road trip. I could put it in a scrap book along with the 8 rolls of 36-exposure film that we got double prints of. And those pictures are stored in those boxes along with every other picture I ever took over the last 14 years.

Side A: Okay, then fine...keep the map. But what the hell are you going to DO with it?!?!

Side B: You're right. I'll throw it away.

Side A: NO! WAIT--you could decoupage the back of that bookcase with it!

Scared Stiff

I work in a suite (office) with only one other woman. The suite (office) across the hall from us is also very small (4 people at maximum capacity, but throughout the day to share food, borrow coffee creamer, or just to chat--whatever. So, late Friday afternoon, my friend Sharon comes into the suite. I can't see the door to my suite from my office, but I know it's her because no one ever comes into our office except the girls across the hall. When I sit at my desk, there is a very large window into the suite on my left and a window to the outside on my right. So I don't get up from my seat, but I turn to look out my window into the suite. Sharon is standing RIGHT at the window wearing a stupid paper old-lady mask.

Now folks, let me tell you, I was all arms, legs, and lungs. You'd have thought someone plugged my ass in. She scared me so badly that I screamed so loud, that I scared her so badly, that she screamed. Then I started laughing. We laughed until we cried. When it was all over and our heart rates returned to normal, I congratulated her with a, "THAT WAS AWESOME!!!"

That incident is definitely rated in the top 5 of my all time greatest scares. My only regret is that we didn't catch it on video.

Happy New Year!

Psst...is it over yet? Whew--that was a close one! There for a while, I wasn't sure I was going to make it out live. On one hand, it seems like October was just yesterday. On the other hand, it feels like two years has past (at warp speed) since October.I'm just glad it's over. Don't get me wrong--it was fun. Crazy, but fun.


And now it's January 2009. I'm ready for 2009. I only have one new year's resolution: "Be happy."

That's the short answer. The long version includes:
I am going to be a better wife and mother.
I'm going to get in shape (I only gained 3 pounds over the holidays!) and I'm taking my daughter with me (she needs to get in shape, too). And we're going to have fun doing it.
I'm going to give more (time and talent as well as money) to charity.
I'm going to go to church regularly.

And I'm going to learn Fair Isle.

I have a pair of socks I need to finish (the ones I started in October). I stepped on the bag and broke the needles. I ordered more needles and got word that they shipped today. Aside from that, the only project I have going right now is a dress-up shawl for my daughter and a victory scarf for my sister (she deployed today with Air Force).

So...wish me luck and I'll keep you posted.

OMG--speaking of keeping you posted...I need to update you on the child whose mother was in jail. Mom got out of jail. I met her just after Thanksgiving. She gave me a HUGE hug, looked me in the eye and said, "I can't thank you enough for taking care of my baby while I was gone. She talked about you every time she came to visit and I just can't tell you how much you meant to her." I told her it was no problem, that her daughter, "...is a delightful child and we enjoy having her." This child has been to our house several times over the last month and I've chatted with her mother on as many occasions. I still have not gotten up the courage to ask about her rap sheet. Until I do, that child will have to play at my house.

Holiday Fun

OMG--has it really been 7 weeks since I posted? Wow...


I think you knew I went to Phoenix for business. I left late Sunday afternoon. Monday morning my dad called. My aunt (who lives in Denver) is dying and my mom and dad are coming to Denver. Can they stay with me. "Sure!" I tell him, "Except that I'm in Phoenix." I owe my husband BIG time for that one. Not only did he host my folks while I was gone, but he had to give them our bed because our spare bed furniture was in the garage. I got back to Denver Friday night and my folks were around through the weekend. It is always so good to have them. I just love it.


November just flew by. I don't know what happened to November. I do know that Thanksgiving Day was a pajama day at my house. We watched movies and napped and ate turkey all day. It was GREAT! So great, in fact, that we stayed in our pajamas practically all weekend. And like icing on the cake, the weather was even crappy, so I didn't feel guilty about it!


So December is almost gone. My co-worker just hollered "Christmas is NEXT WEEK!" I choked on my tea. I always think I'm ready, but I'm never really ready.


Saturday was the carriage parade in Parker. It was an incredibly beautiful day with highs near 60, so I planned to take my daughter. I called V's mom and asked if V could come with us. Meanwhile D came over to play, then L. They both wanted to go, too! How do I get myself into these situations?


Oh well--we got an excellent, sunny spot to watch the parade with the wind at our backs...POI-FECT! Only I soon realized it was maybe too perfect...like not-even-on-the-parade-route-perfect.

So we moved to a spot in front of the speakers. While we waited for the parade to start, the girls entertained themselves (and all those around us) by dancing jigs...

The parade was full of horses of all shapes and sizes, but our favorite were the miniatures. This little fella's name is "Tiny". We love "Tiny" so much, in fact, that we got into a fight over who "called" Tiny first.

And then there was "Buster". Buster is anything but tiny! Can you see that Buster has antlers on his head?
Well, of course he wore antlers...he was pulling none other than the big guy himself! The girls were SO excited because, "Did you see that? Mrs. Clause WAVED to ME!" "I know, I know" another one screamed, "She waved to ME, TOO!"

I agreed to treat the girls to ice cream, so on our way to the ice cream parlor, we found a saddle and a step stool next to the horse statue. How could I say no?? Each girl got to climb aboard for her picture. This little one is mine.

And then we stopped to pet the reindeer.

By the time we got ice cream, I was totally over it all. The girls wined and complained the whole time, "How come I got my ice cream last?" "Why does M get to hold your hand?" "I wanted to sit on the top step!" "How come SHE got a bowl and a spoon?" Over and over and over they cried, "That's not fair!"

I always say "I'm never doing THAT again!" But I will. I always do.