As if you didn't already know.....

The Story of My Life~Blog everyday in May

Your top 3 worst traits.....


I asked my husband what my 3 worst traits are and first he said "just 3"?  So I said name some off so that I have some direction and he said he wasn't getting  into a fight tonight.  The kids say I take too many pictures......as in *mama-razzi*.
Whatever!   Guess I am on my own.


Procrastination/Disorganization:  I grouped these 2 because one feeds the other.  Both are based on the same issue.  I am always trying to do too much.  There is so much I want to do.  Due to lack of organization and procrastination I tend to fall in to chaos.  For example, currently I am doing 2 blog challenges and prepping for a new one in June;  I am taking 2 knitting classes this month and at the one that was supposed to finish last Wednesday I spent the entire class ripping everything out and starting over;   I have been cleaning the yard, planting the vegetable garden and herb garden.  However, the bathrooms are filthy; the kitchen table is cluttered; there are baskets of clean laundry in strategic locations; the floors need mopping.  I have no idea where to start, so I will worry about it tomorrow....

Emotional:  I cry when I am sad, mad, happy, frustrated, tired.....
I cry at the movies, watching commercials, listening to songs, reading a book.....  It's a little ridiculous!!

I'm a talker BABBLER:  If the opportunity allows~I can go on and on and on and on and ON!  It is usually only when things are less hectic and I have too much time on my hands, but once I get started I need a slap back to reality.  You might also call me a *sharer* as in ~too much!!

My favorite walk.....

Walk

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove

This is my favorite walk.  My neighbors garden catches my eye all season long and inspires me to plant more and more and more.....

Clouds

Clouds

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove

 

May Flowers

May Flowers

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove

May flowers in North Central Wisconsin are a little behind.  But, in the end, always worth the wait.

Where I Live

Where I Live

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove

I love my neighborhood.  It is so peaceful driving down the hill towards my home.

Black

Black

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove


I found this little black ladder at an estate sale.  I have it in my living room.  It is multi-functional~a seat, a side table, a great place to photograph my yarn.   A handy little black ladder.

Fresh Veggies

Fresh Veggies


May 365 photo challenge #eyelove

I'm behind on this challenge.  I have booked my May calendar too full with the Blog Every Day in May challenge, the May 365 Photo Challenge, the 2 knitting classes I signed up for (yes in the same month), planting my vegetable garden, planting new perennials, and potting flowers. *Phew*.  At the same time, I can't stop.  I just want to keep going.  So I'm catching up as best I can and skipping the days that I have to.

 

Peaceful Moments

Peaceful Moments

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove

 

Milestones

Milestones

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove

Aidan's first on base hit in coach pitch baseball!!

Just 10?

The Story of My Life~Blog everyday in May

Ten things that make you really happy

Just 10?  I'm a pretty happy girl.

Being a Mom
My boys
My daughter
Watching my husband have fun with the kids
Having my folks nearby
Yarn
Having a garden
Taking pictures
Christmas lights
Books~fiction, non-fiction,recipes

Laughter

Laughter

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove


Nothing gets to my heart quite like laughter from my middle child....

A Mother’s Gift

A Mother’s Gift

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove

Christy

The Story of My Life~Blog everyday in May

Issue a public apology.....


It isn't hard to figure out who to apologize to.  What is hard is finding the words to accurately convey my feelings.

My apology is to my friend, Christy. 
There was a specific time in her life that she needed my support more than ever.
And I failed her.
I let opportunities slip by that could have opened the door and provide support.  This was fueled by shame and regret.  I was afraid that in failing Christy when she needed me most, she would not accept my support.  I let our geographic distance serve as an excuse.  "If I can't be there physically, what else can I do"?
Then Christy's life was dealt a heartbreaking blow.
I was not going to fail her again.  I shoved my way in.  Amazingly, Christy let me in, without hesitation.  It was a humbling situation.  Despite the hurt I had caused, she still loved me.
I thank God for the resilience of Christy.  I have never met anyone like her, ever.  She is insightful.  She is compassionate.  She is selfless.  She has never done something with any expectation of a return benefit, she just does for others.

I'm sorry Christy.  You have forgiven me easier than I have forgiven myself.  I love you dearly.  Our geographic span makes me miss you terribly.  As you face yet another struggle in your life, I will not fail you.  I will be here everyday.   I will try to give back to you ~ all that you have given me and more (you have set an awfully high bar!).

 

Nancy

The Story of My Life~Blog everyday in May

What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)

I am lucky to have 2 sisters.
Nancy is one of my sisters.  Or was.
I don't know.

The last time I talked to Nancy was in February of 1997.
I was in Denver with a friend for the weekend and trying to get some visits in with family while showing my friend the sights.  I visited with my Grandpa for the last time.  I wanted to see my nieces and nephews, sister and brother.  My sister was angry with my brother at the time and would not agree to all of us meeting at my brother's house.  I was irritated and frustrated.  I just wanted it to be easy.  Nancy wanted to meet with me at a separate time and place.  I declined.  There was just no time.  I will never recover from the regret of not seeing her.  I never spoke with her again.
At some point between then and May 21 (when my grandfather died) Nancy and her 2 kids were placed in a domestic violence protection program.  She has a new name.  She has a new home
There are days that I accept never seeing her again.  There are days I do not accept never seeing her again.  Either way, I miss her.
 

 

Sell Yourself in 10 words or less

The Story of My Life~Blog everyday in May

Sell yourself in 10 words or less....

Anyone that knows me will tell you that limiting me to 10 words on anything is torture.  I'm a talker!  I'm going to go with ten individual words rather than a sentence. 

Joyful
Mother
Determined
Insightful
Malleable
Caretaker
Traditional
Witty
Enthusiastic
Mama-razzi

Phew!  10 individual words was harder than I thought!

Framed

Framed

May 365 photo challenge #eyelove

This is the angel that watches over the *earth angel* hasta a friend gave me when my brother was transitioning to hospice care last summer.

Most embarassing moment? Try momentS!!

The Story of My Life~Blog everyday in May

I have had so many moments that would be considered embarrassing in my life that I could probably write a novella.
Moving from Arizona to Wisconsin was a major life change and has brought about a lot of embarrassing moments.

My most recent event occurred this winter-we had a lot of snow this year.  A majority of our storms occurred on Sunday nights into Monday morning.  The worst ones seemed to coincide with my husband's trips out of town.  The driveway was not always shoveled in a timely manner and we ended up with a 4+ inch layer of ice. 

Late in the season, on one of these snowy days, the kids had a 2 hour delay.  Again, my husband was out of town.  I wanted to warm up my car while we were waiting for the school bus. My friend Renee taught me when I first got here that if it snowed the night before, just back out of the garage really fast.  I backed out of the garage  (really fast)and turned my car around so it was facing the street, no problem.  This way my 7 year old and I could sit in it and watch for the bus, sheltered from the snowstorm.

The bus was running late due to the weather, but it finally arrived.  I walked with my son to the street, he boarded the bus and headed to school. 

I returned to my car, put it in drive and pressed on the gas.  No forward movement.....I put it in reverse, hit the gas- nothing.  Well, the tires did spin, but there was no forward or backward movement.  My car was warm and while it sat in the driveway running, it had sunk into the ice.  I shoveled out the tires, tried again, nothing.  I put cardboard  in front of the tires, tried again-the cardboard flew into the street.  I put carpet pieces in front of the tires, again they shot out into the street. I repeated the process again, this time putting the cardboard/carpet behind the tires and trying to go in reverse.  No luck.

My neighbors were out shoveling their driveway.  I went over and asked if they could try pushing. Our neighbors are Hmong. We have a wonderful relationship and have helped each other out in different situations.  Here is the catch~this morning it was grandma and grandpa out.  They do not speak any English.  I mimed pushing the car until they understood.  They came over to push, but nothing.  I thanked them.  They returned home.

I called my office to let them know.  My clinical leader, Emily was very understanding. 
Em: "Where are you stuck?" 
Me:"Um...close to home."
Em:"Oh, good"
Me:" In my driveway"
Em:"Oh......"

Emily told me to try pouring salt around the tires.  I did and checked in 30 minutes, nada.  Then 60 minutes and the car finally broke free.

When I got to work there was a lot of razzing from both patients and coworkers.  Not only were they amused that I got stuck so close to home, but that I was facing toward the road.  I reminded them that in the 6 years I have lived here, this was my first time getting stuck in the snow. They weren't impressed.  When I got home from work that evening my dear neighbors had shoveled the fresh snow for me (no one could Shovel up the ice at this point).

I was grateful when the spring thaw finally came because there was 4 deep gouges in the ice where my tires sank in and I poured the salt.  It was cathartic to break up the *Glacier* as we called it.  I was razzed for a long time at work and I am sure that with the first snow next winter, the razzing will come again.

Geese

May 365 photo challenge

Animals

Thing(s) I'm afraid of....

The Story of My Life~Blog everyday in May (I'm a bit behind)


The thing(s) you're most afraid of


I have worries and the things I worry about can change from day to day-these are the things I consistently fear.....

• losing a loved one
• tight spaces
• drowning
• screwing up my kiddos

Candy

May 365 photo challenge


Candy

What do I do?

Story of My Life May blog challenge ~

If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?

 I am the Mamma~razzi

I knit

I garden

 I collect

I do experiments in the kitchen (aka cooking, meal prep, baking)

Fried Green Tomatoes

Refrigerator Pickles

 

Blog Lovin'~ Dreams of Nyssa

Story of My Life Blog May challenge~

Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them?

The majority of my blog love and devotion goes to Stefani at

Top 5 reasons I love Dreams of Nyssa http://dreamsofnyssa.blogspot.com/

• Her photos make me drool
• She opened the door to me creating my own blog
• She keeps me motivated in my knitting, photography and blogging
• Her posts make me smile
• I feel like she's the girl next door even though she is 2000 miles away

I hope you are always feeling the love Stefani!!

Fresh cut grass...er, a little early here

May 365 challenge ~

Spring had a late start here in Central Wisconsin.  We are in Spring clean up mode.  The grass is starting to green and *fluff*up.  No mowing yet.  Pine needles are my Spring frustration.  Still raking and sweeping them up.

A Wide Angle

May 365 photo challenge......

I have been so use to focusing on something in paticular.  It actually took effort to look at the *whole picture*.....

I like this one because there is a lot to look at, but if you look carefully you see the frisbee.....

Then there is the photo bomb....I actually liked this one.  It's quirky, like Aidan.

My Favorite Quote ~

 Blog everyday in May......

I don't know if I should care for a man who made life easy; I should want someone who made it interesting.
~Edith Wharton


This has been a favorite quote of mine for years.  It makes me smile and say - indeed! 

 It also makes a lot of sense if you know my husband and I.  He certainly does not make my life easy...but it has definitely been an adventure!!


Edith Wharton is my favorite writer of historic fiction (Jane Austen is a close 2nd).

Those Eyes

May 365 ~ Those Eyes

In those eyes ~ I see a man with courage who is bound and determined to live, laugh and love.

Things that make me uncomfortable.....

Day 3 ~ Story of My Life May blog challenge.....
 

• compliments
• being the center of attention
• criticism
• being alone among strangers
• tangled yarn
• couples arguing
• trying on swimsuits
• tripping on my own feet
• tight clothes
• asking a favor
• getting mush mouthed while talking 
• small spaces
• causing disappointment
• political arguments
• rude people

My Life

I was born December 31st the youngest of 6 kids.  Already a people pleaser, I came in to the world just in time to be a tax deduction.   Living in a Denver suburb, I learned to love gardening and nature.  The Rockies were my backyard. 
In Jr High we moved to New Mexico.  Living in Albuquerque, I learned to love green chile and my love of nature continued to grow. 
When I graduated High School  I was accepted at the University of Arizona in Tucson.  I was proud to be a Wildcat.  After 2 1/2 years at the U of A I ventured back to Albuquerque.  I went to nursing school in Albuquerque and earned my RN degree.   I wanted to be a trauma nurse.  My nursing instructor felt differently and had me to my final clinical on an Oncology floor.  She really knew her stuff!  I have worked on an Oncology floor, Bone Marrow Transplant, Oncology Research Nursing and outpatient Oncology.  19 years and counting.
I met my husband June 1, 1996.  Over 11 years we had 3 kids and in March of 2007 we got married.  We moved to central Wisconsin that same month.  We moved to give our kids the best life and education we could provide them.
Living in Wisconsin I am able to live out my love of gardening and nature.  We are in northern WI so we live in the woods and get all 4 seasons.  Green chile is scarce- thank goodness for the internet.  Living in Wisconsin, I have learned to love knitting and photography.
Our kids are thriving.  As a native Arizonan, my hubby has adapted well.  Buy a boy a snowblower and lawnmower and he sees ~ TOYS!
That is the condensed version of my life- and how I am now Raising Arizona in Wisconsin,

 

 

May 365 {eye love}

#eyelove day 1