From Chaos Comes Happiness

Time for another "Keeping it Real!" post. Here are some of the truths in my life this week . . . The truth is . . . I don't like the heat. Heat, is heat . . . whether it's dry heat, humid heat, north heat, south heat . . . it's heat, and my crevices don't like it, at all! It's been darn hot here in the mid-west (and all over the country) this week. And while I don't love the heat - I am enjoying our little pool. It's amazing how a $200 investment can bring so much joy to our days. :) The truth is . . . I am so glad that some of the summer activites for Katie and Ella are coming to an end. While I really wanted the summer to be full of lots of fun things for them to do, I'm tired! It seems each and every day, we are running to some sort of activity or another. I'm ready to just enjoy the time . . . in our home . . . without having somewhere to be. Welcome July! The truth is . . . the things that used to matter, mean very litt...

A girl in our community died last week. She was 18 years old. She graduated the catholic high school in town just this past May. She was said to be full of life and happiness. And she died. Apparently, drugs are involved. I am not sure what kind, and at this point - does it really matter? But, from what I have read in the condolences and comments on various online sites, it was drugs that did it. I didn't know this girl. Although I can just imagine now that I probably crossed her in the street at some point in our lives. I could have easily drove right past her in parking lot at Ella's Preschool, since the schools are located nearby. Or, perhaps she was in line behind me at the McDonald's once or twice. Maybe she was the teenager I "shhhh'd" at the movies that one time last year. Or, she could have grabbed a coffee at Starbucks with a friend of hers once, as I smiled at their  friendship from across the room. Maybe, even, I shook her hand in...

I absolutely love watching our garden come to life each summer. Basil that flourishes, bright red tomatoes and deep green peppers . . . each plant brings great happiness to our summer season. But there is nothing in our garden that makes me as happy as our sunflowers. Did I tell you about our sunflowers this year? Last year we grew our sunflower plants from seeds, and were rewarded with some of the most beautiful flowers imaginable. As we do every fall, we cut down all the plants in October and prepped the area for a harsh Chicago winter. However this winter wasn't quite as hard as expected, and we had a much warmer March than ever before. At some point this early spring, our garden came back to life . . . on it's own. We thought they were weeds at first, but the plants looked a little too familiar and much to kind to be nasty old weeds. So, we waited them out just a bit, to see what they might turn into . Here is a photo of the garden in...

We spent the afternoon in our back yard today . . . in our little happy donut ring pool . . . playing little happy games of water volleyball and Marco polo. It was a wonderful time, and one that we really needed for all the souls of our little home. Phil is home this weekend. We are feeling better than ever right now, talking and listening, listening and talking (it's amazing how much actual communication can do for a relationship), and we are really enjoying our time together. I love days like today. Suddenly, the faint music of the local ice cream truck was heard in the background, and Katie and Ella went into full blown ICE CREAM attack mode. "P-LLLLLLLEEEEEEEASE? Can we PLEASE have ice cream?"  they asked. It might surprise you to know that I am one tough momma when it comes to the ice cream man. We don't often partake in his delicious treats, because he usually comes right before the dinner hour. And as you can imagine, if the ice ...

I started working out this week. Yep. I've gone three times in the past five days. 1.25 miles on the treadmill. 3 miles on the bike. And 20 minutes of weight lifting and strengthening. It's not a lot, but for someone who hasn't taken care of herself in years, it's just short of a miracle. Don't get me wrong . . . I don't like it. I really  don't like it. And anyone who says they like it, quite frankly, is lying. Well, either they are lying, or they have never had really good cheesecake. Because I am certain there is nothing better in this world than cheesecake. And if you say that working out is better than cheesecake, well . . . you obviously haven't had good cheesecake. But right now, I am working out. And it's good. I go to a nearby Lifetime Fitness Club. It takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to drive there. So, all in all, the whole adventure is over and done in about a 2 hour window. 2 hours x 3 sessions = 6 hours this week, so far, t...

Here it is, a few days after my "being the best me I can be" post, and I'm behind in my blog writing and reading. Boy, does that make me mad. But, life . . . . yadda yadda yadda. The truth is . . . . the past week has been crazy busy, and my mind has been going round and round. And while I am more focused on me than ever before, this current 'state of being' has caused me to take an even closer look at everything around me. And that, my friends, is always . . . . scary. And ugly. But often times, really really cathartic. So, I decided on a new post subject here at the ol' From Chaos Comes Happiness blog. This one is being titled . . . "Keeping it real . . . ".  I even made a little logo for us . . . well, by us, I mean . . . me, and my thighs. Yes, my thighs. Thunder thighs. Turkey legs. Chunky Monkeys. Whatever you want to call them. They are mine. And friends . . . I don't think I can get any more real than that. So, "Keeping it...

My lifelong friend, Kathleen, was over for a little visit last week. While the kids (her daughter and my two) were running around the house laughing and playing, Kath and I sat at the kitchen table and did what we do best . . . we vented . . . about life. Mind you, both Kathleen and I have incredible lives. We know it. And don't worry . . . we both are spiritual in nature, and often count our blessings and give thanks for what we have. But every once in a while, we need to vent it out and talk about those little, nonsensical things that are weighing us down. Our sessions are few and far between, but when they take place, we can both usually bring the other out of whatever funk we may be going through at the moment. It was just like that last week. "When is enough . . . enough?" Kath asked. Like so many women out there in the world, we both have been feeling like we are moving in a thousand directions at any given moment. And we often feel like we are not...

I had a million and one errands to run yesterday . . . post office, Walmart, gas station, Starbucks ;) . .  .you name it, I probably had to stop there. Driving around town on a beautiful summer day sure can bring you happiness. At least for me . . . that's exactly what happened. It was the hair. The bright pink hair. As I was be-bopping around town, I saw a young girl riding her bicycle with a friend of hers. By young, I'd say she was probably 16 or 17 years old. It wasn't the bicycle that caught my eye, or the friend on his bicycle, for that matter. It was, her hair. Bright bright pink. And it made me smile. Never in my life could I have done that. But boy oh boy . . . I wish I did. I actually wish I could do that right about now. Because I feel it, you know? But I could never do it.  Remember when you had courage like that? To be who you wanted to be, and not care or worry about it. To be free. Completely and totally free to exper...

I've been extremely productive this weekend . . . cutting and trimming, painting and gluing, sketching and outlining, dreaming and believing. I think it has to do with this new tablecloth I picked up (above). I bought it our local Home Goods store a few weeks ago (I have re-discovered Home Goods! Oh, how I LOVE that store.) At first glance, I thought the table cloth was crazy busy and a tad . . . gaudy. But after further inspection, it screamed out, "TAKE ME HOME! YOU LOVE ME, and you can't deny it!!"  Yes, the colors . . . they spoke to me. I think this is my new palette in life. I don't know what it is about these colors. They just . . . make me . . . happy. Sigh. I had an amazing evening last night. All my my lonesome. At a Barnes & Noble bookstore. With a cup of coffee, five different Somerset art magazines, two books, and a few uninterrupted hours. It was bliss. Here is a photo of the moment. Makes me laugh, when looking ...