From Chaos Comes Happiness

I'm behind in my blogging. I'm behind in my reading. I'm behind in my commenting (and promise to catch up on all of your blogs this week!!!!) If you've wondered where I've been . . . I'm going through another one of those multicreatively challenged times in life, when I seem to only be able to do one creative thing at a time. After a lovely Saturday of creative fun in the cellar, I've been working on scrapbooks, making decorative boxes (I discovered Mod Podge and wonder what I did in my life before it!) and doing little things here or there to fill my creative spirit. But, as always . . . when I increase my creativity in one area of my life, I let another one fall behind. Oh, one of these days I hope to embrace all avenues of creativity at one time ... wouldn't that be lovely? In the meantime, I seem to be embracing something different this morning that I wanted to share with you. Today, I am Embracing Life and Our Differences. To do this . . . it

Alright . . . we're doing it. . . a few weeks ago, I spent the afternoon at my Mom's coordinating our upcoming FAMILY VACATION trip to Disney. Yes, Disney. Pinch me, I must be dreaming . . . You see, I've never been there. Never ever. Neither has my Mom. Or my daughters. So, we're calling out the stops, gathering a slew of family members, and hopping on a plane to the ol'Magic Land of all Magic Lands as we make Disney World our home for one week in September. Holy Cow. I have no idea what to imagine. But the planning alone that this trip requires is enough to put any Mickey Mouse lover into therapy. Do you know we've had to make reservations for all of our meals, like, MONTHS in advance? I don't even know what I'm having for dinner tonight - yet I'm expected to make dinner reservations with Mickey, or Belle, or Cinderella, like, MONTHS in advance? Yikes. So, we've mapped out our days. The spreadsheet is full of reservation numbers a

I’ve never been one to like the game of “tag” as a child. I was never good at it … always looking at something else when playing it … like a flower, the clouds, or the cute boy next to me … so I ALWAYS got caught. Then, when it was my turn to do the tagging, I could NEVER catch anyone. NEVER. The kids I played with were always faster, so I’d find myself a bit frustrated when the suggestion to play the game would come up. Yesterday, I was tagged (darn!), by my dear blog friend Nicole over at Destination Unknown . She left me a little comment on a post that said simply, “Tag, you’re it!” “SERIOUSLY?” I thought to myself. I really thought I was done with this tag stuff. Evidently not. So, here is how this game of tag is played . . . I have to answer the following 8 questions about myself (thank goodness, there is no running involved. I don’t have the right shoes on for that today, so I’m ok. Oh, wait a minute . . . I get the insightful and deep-thinker Nicole to ask me the questions

I know what you might think this post is about . . . but I assure you . . . it is actually yet another post obsessing over coloring my hair. I KNOW! Enough is enough, right? I surely have some sort of issue with this part of my life, because when I look back, I've written about coloring my hair here and here . Oh, and here , too. Today, I bring up the subject because again ... it's time. The temples are gray, the roots are coming through at the top of my head, and as PG and I sat enjoying our picnic at Ravinia last week, he ever so lovingly said he really liked those little gray hairs coming out of my temples . . . BAMMMMM! I guess it's time. But today I throw a new question out there . . . this time, I'm asking - when is it time to give in to the "Gray Hair Gods" and let it be? You know, throw the bottle away? Go el'natural? Hmmm . . . I wonder. My Grandma (the late, great, Josephine), had beautiful white hair, as white as snow. I tried to find a p

I have a neighbor across the street who I really don't know very well. I'm not proud of this, since I'd like to think of myself as an outgoing and welcoming person. But we've never really gotten to know each other. What I do know about her is that her name is Theresa (I know this because our mail lady has accidentally given me her mail once or twice). I know that she has a pleasant smile and wave, as we often find ourselves greeting each other with a smile and wave when checking our mail. I know that together we can shovel a driveway very quickly, as we both have found ourselves helping each other dig out from some crazy Chicago winters. And I know that we both like to talk about the weather, which is what we usually talk about when we are helping each other dig out from these crazy Chicago winters. I know she is single, and she appears to be in her late 40's, early 50's. I know she has a close knit family, because I often see them coming and going from her home

Before I start todays story . . . To those dear dear blog friends who left me such amazingly touching and supportive comments on my last post about "Who am I?"  - I adore each and every one of you.  I can't even begin to tell you how much all of you mean to me.  I was in a pretty "Woe-Is-Me" mood, wasn't I? But every single one of you dear friends who commented just wrapped your arms around me and squeezed tight - and I felt it. I sat reading and re-reading your comments like crazy yesterday. Over and over. I smiled. I felt less alone and more whole than I have for a long time. I felt confirmed, once again, in this community of bloggers who I have come to adore. I felt blessed to have each and every one of you in my life - and I mean that sincerely. You each wrote such wonderful things to me ... reminding me that I haven't lost myself, and that I am just rediscovering, evolving and am a newer version of me. Is it crazy that I honestly never even tho

Last night, I went on a date. And it was so lovely. No kids. No friends. Just PG and I. It has been a long time since PG and I got our act together enough to go out on a date. Sad, I know, but true. So, last night, we gathered up some goodies, packed up the kids for Grandma's (thanks, Mom!) and headed to a concert at Ravinia . There we enjoyed a lovely picnic of our favorite things (wine) and sat under the trees and stars while one of our favorite bands (Counting Crows) performed. . . it was a relaxing, lovely evening. And one that I desperately needed. It's sort of strange - PG and I haven't been out in a while (with the exception of grocery stores, school meetings, family gatherings, things like that.) I can't remember when we last did this. At first I did the usual people watching - Oh, I love people watching! And you can always find some interesting people to watch at a music concert. (A concert, and an airport. I think those are my 2 favorite places to w

So, the strangest thing happened to me in Target this week. I know . . . it seems like strange things are always happening to me in Target , doesn't it? Well, this time, it happened while I walked through the book section (because, you know, I don't have enough books on my nightstand right now, right?) As I gingerly perused the shelves, picking up books and reading the back covers (ok - I read the last page of one or two), I heard . . . " Pssssst . . . . hey . . . . . remember me?" I looked around and realized that no one was near me. Not a single soul. Then my eye saw it . . . " The Pioneer Woman Cooks " cookbook. Now, for the record - I really don't need another cookbook. But then I heard, "Remember? Your friend Kiki wrote about me once . Then you came and visited my blog once or twice, but haven't been back since."   Hmmmmm . . . . I thought to myself. Yes, that did happen. "Remember? You thought tha

Earlier this week, I started thinking about my Friends . I miss them. I'm wondering how they are. Are Rachel and Ross together? How are Monica and Chandler? Did Joey ever make it as an actor? What about Pheobs? Is she still as awesome as she was back then (and is she still singing about her smelly cat?)? When Friends went off the air, I was so so so sad. I guess it's not healthy to become so obsessed with a television show - but I went through some great college years spending my Thursday nights with these people. I had come to LOVE these characters so much - and even to this day, I can't help but tune in to their re-runs when I see them on. Then I started thinking about those other televisions shows that I miss terribly . . . like this one . . . Ah, West Wing !!! So exciting. Is Santos still in office? How is President Barlett? Where is CJ now? Are Josh and Donna together? and God Bless Leo (*sigh*). Yes, I loved this show, too. SO well written - SO well acted - SO go

We are in the midst of preparing for the start of the school season in our house this week. School supply lists are being checked and rechecked, teachers are being met, hair is being cut, shoes are being purchased, and bed times are moving up (yeah! finally!) It's such an exciting time of year. Katie will be starting 2nd Grade - she is an old pro at school now, having been through it all before. And Ella . . . Ella will be starting a 3yr. old preschool program this year. She will be going to school for three half days each week. When I told Ella that I met with her teacher last week, my little " hot mess " asked me, "Is she still mad at me???" I wasn't quite sure what she meant by that question - and I assured her that her teacher was NOT mad at her. I can only think that this is some sort of foreshadowing of the weeks ahead. As I get things set for the start of school, I am reminded of Katie's first day of school last year. It was a pretty special

So, a while back, I visited a little town called Crankville . Do you remember? (Click the link on Crankville if you forgot). Crankville is an ugly place - kind of lonely - very quiet - sort of gray - not very crowded, although you can usually find SOMEONE you know when you are there. During that time, I realized I desperately needed to GET OUT. I needed to return to HAPPYVILLE . I allowed myself a few days in this town, but when enough was enough - I took the next bus OUT. All with the help of this card . . . This card makes me HAPPY!!! Yesterday and today, a dear blog friend (Leslie from { Words of Me Project } has been in Crankville. Yep, she has. So, I decided to spread the "Get out of Crankville" Love, and bestow upon her my very own "Get out of Crankville" card. This post is dedicated to my dear friend, Leslie. Leslie, You are hereby gifted this post, with one "Get out of Crankville" Free Card! With it comes the opportunity to escape

Ever have one of those moments when you wish you could crawl into your own skin and disappear? When something came out of your mouth and you think, "Oh, s***! What did I just say?" I have those moments . . . regularly. Ok, maybe it's not as bad as that . . . but still, every once in a while I say something and the minute it comes out, I know I did it.  Like this moment, with an old friend. Let's call her . . . "Terry".  A couple months ago I was at a birthday party for a dear friends husband. It was a fanTAStic gathering of friends, some of which I hadn't seen in months. It was a great "grown-up" party, with wine and great food -  SO MUCH fun! While there, I got to visit with my dear old friends, one of whom was Terry . I was so excited to see Terry . She makes me laugh. She's a smart, hard working, amazing person (and I'm not just saying this because Terry reads my blog - I'm saying this because it is the truth.)  I ha

I am not one to put value on material things in life. . . I recognize my life is blessed with a richness far beyond what house I live in or the car that I drive. However, I do have one possession that I have come to honor much more than I ever thought I would. Did I ever share with you my very most prized possession? The one object that truly means the most to me? The object that brought tears to my eyes when received, and the thing I would be most heartbroken over if ever lost or damaged? Here it is . . . This little statue. It brings tears to my eyes just looking at it right now. I first saw this little angel about one year after my Dad passed away. Katie was about 6 months old and PG and I were at a nearby mall doing some quick Christmas shopping when we went into a little gift store and saw this little angel. I must have been extremely hormonal at the time . . . because I started crying the minute I read it.  Ok, it wasn't the hormones. It was the words . . . it reads: Pe

I just had to share with you a little book I am working on . . . if you are NOT a scrapbooker, please don't give up on me (or scrapbooking) yet. I've got the easy-peasiest way to gather your memories from this summer, and quickly journal about your adventures. . . why not CREATE a Summer 2010 book? Too bothersome? Too much work? Too crafty? Too expensive? Too . . . too . . . challenging? I used to think so, too. I started scrapbooking when my oldest daughter, Katie, was 6 months old. For the past 6 years, I have gone to the crops (cult-like gatherings of crafty ladies with glue and ribbon), I have purchased the papers, embellishments, and rolling luggage bags. I've developed the THOUSANDS of photos (I'm not kidding). And while I still regularly meet with some dear friends for a night of scrapbooking - it truly has become more of a spiritual and soul-enriching gathering than a "scrapbooking" sort of thing. You see, this summer - something changed. I want to

(aka . . . The Books I WILL read this Fall) I had the best intentions when putting together my N.O.N. (Nightstand Of Novels) for summer reading. "Sure," I thought, "I'll definitely get through these. . . easy." Right? Nope. Dead Wrong. How could I even remotely think I could complete all of them? PG was out of town for 3 weeks, the kids were home ALL DAY LONG, and I work. Not to mention the housework, cooking, grocery shopping, that darn garden (yes, let's blame it on the garden.) Oh, yeah, and . . . I guess I do need to sleep for at least 4 hours a day, right? (Notice how I ever cautiously left 'blogging' off of the list of why I didn't get my reading done. I'm smart . . . I know better than to name the real deterrent!) So my "N.O.N." has become my  NON -reading stack. Bummer. The one book I DID read: Eat, Pray, Love. Yep - the one they made into a movie. I could have probably just saved that one for a later date, and

Just returned from Eat, Pray, Love . . . and it was . . . wonderful. I am a Julia Roberts fan, and have SO been enjoying reading the book this summer, so I knew going into it that chances are I was going to LOVE it. And yes, it did not disappoint.  I know that most films adapted from books are usually missing something from the original source, and there were a few moments when I felt they were 'rushing' it a bit . . . but how long can my bottom really sit in those movie theater seats afterall? I mean, the 2 hour mark in most films is when things start falling asleep. So, I understand they had to move it along. All in all - I was so completely thrilled with the outcome! I joined along in this amazing, self discovery journey. And at the end, my heart was FULL. I am feeling peace. I am feeling whole. I want to meditate. I want to travel. I want to get to know myself again.  (Of course, the whole evening may have been even more of a joy as it was my first evening out with

This is the road I take to and from work every day. While there are probably 30 other ways I could go, I've come to love this short stretch of road, and I choose to drive this route every single day. It's beautiful . . . almost my zen like place where I can clear my mind and forget the chaos of home and focus on the day ahead. It is planked on each side with such lovely trees that feel as if they are reaching out to hug me each morning and afternoon, as I head to and from my job. In the morning, when this picture was taken, the sun beams down between the branches, as if a message was coming straight down from the Big Man Upstairs (aka. God). I always feel like he is sending me a message when I see those sun rays between the leaves. So so heavenly. No matter what time of year I drive down this road, it speaks to me. In the Summer, the foliage fills every open space, so much that you can't see very far into the woods as you drive down the road.  Occasionally, a family o

Just a quick moment to share with you today . . . in follow-up from my " Born to Be Wild " post earlier this week. After sharing my secret with so many of my dear blog friends, I've been feeling (in my heart) like I AM that biker chick on my drawing . . . It's as if just putting the idea out there in the universe was almost enough for me to actually FEEL like the biker girl. So, this afternoon, as I drove home from running a few errands, I came to a 4-way stop at the same time two bikers guys did. And I did what ANY biker person would do . . . I waved. Excessively. Except, my wave was kind of like a really dorky, "HI DUDES!!! IT'S ME  . . . . THE WANNA BE BIKER GIRL . . . REMEMBER ME??? HIIII!!!!!!" Yeah. That was me. Remember when I wrote over the weekend about things happening in slow motion? Well, I swear at that moment, I was on my HARLEY. I WAS COOL. I was waving . . . to.the.biker.men. And, I was really driving my Honda Odyssey Mini-van.

My friend Sherri over at The Tightwad Chick wrote a great post this week on "Smelling the Roses" (you can link to it here ). I absolutely LOVE Sherri - not only because is she my favorite hot-headed Italian, but she happens to be my next door neighbor, who constantly cracks me up and makes me smile! She is a hard working lady, who does absolutely EVERYTHING for her kids, and I am constantly in awe at how she fits it all in. She is constantly running from swim practice, to football practice, from work, to grocery shopping. From here to there. I don't know how she does it. Her post this week was about how fast the summer is going - and how she hasn't taken the time to STOP and smell the roses. She goes on to list a bunch of things she plans on doing to STOP . . . they each tug at my heart strings. Well done, Sher!!! SO, I'm joining Sherri on the "Stop and Smell the Roses" theme. . . and making my own list. Here are my plans for the remainder of summer