The Stuff I Live For

I Hope You Dance November 30, 2007

Do you? You should! It's one of my favorite things to do. I dance when I'm happy, and especially when I'm not. It helps. A lot. I love club music, and I know that I don't share the same taste in music as too many other people I know, especially my husband. He things it's like 'noise.' Funny, isn't that what our parents said about our music when we were kids? I'll have to remind him again that he's getting old.

The Quote Garden is a neat site I have visited recently for a certain project idea I have. Related to dancing, I found these so-true quotes there:

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good. ~Edwin Denby   

We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance. ~Japanese Proverb  nbsp;    

There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them. ~Vicki Baum

Next time you're mad, try dancing out your anger. ~Sweetpea Tyler

I consider driving somewhere alone in my husband's car and listening to Channel 81, BPM, on XM Radio cranked all the way up like a mini (OK, very mini)-vacation. I am the queen of car-dancing (did I just invent a new term?). I get lots and lots of stares, smiles and laughs and I couldn't care less.

Here's one of my favorites - Damaged by Plummet. Not sure what the video is all about. Just listen, if you dare.

Now This Is the Life… November 29, 2007

It's been pretty warm here in NJ this autumn, but this past weekend was chilly and windy and most of the leaves finally fell. Eric raked up a big pile and Ayla and Shay could hardly wait till he was done to jump right in. Jumping in a pile of leaves. Google that, and over 2 million pages are found. What's the fascination? Why is this so fun? Maybe it's just one of those simple things that… just is. That crunching noise sure does bring me back. We used to have a rope hanging from the tree in the backyard when I was a kid. We'd swing and dive in. Ahhh, it was so fun!  And why didn't I jump in with the girls this year? Honestly, I just didn't want to get dirty and have to clean up and get changed. That's so silly! Writing helps me think these things out more. I can't go back in time, but I vow to jump in next year.   

All About The Stuff I Live For November 23, 2007

Welcome to my blog. First off, a little about me and the stuff I live for… I have a family that is near-perfect, at least in my mind. I've got a wonderful husband who works hard, is always happy to come home to see all of his girls, makes pancakes on Saturday mornings and almost always takes the trash out without being asked. We've been together for 11 years, and married for 5. Ayla is my first born, and will be 4 in March. She loves to dance and sing and, well, just be the center of attention. She doesn't like to play alone and so is always close-by to me or her little sister. And she tells me she loves me incessantly. She really is my friend.  Shay was born just 17 months after Ayla and I sometimes think she's the polar opposite of her big sister. She's a lot more independent and she can be very tough, though if a single tear ever falls from my eye, she's the first to come give me a hug or wrap me up in a blanket. I even have a great dog named Mosey. I don't know what I'd do without any of them. My younger sister Ashlee is my best friend, which I'm especially thankful for because we didn't get along for more than 30 seconds of our childhood (my fault mostly I think). She's given me a perfect little niece, Natalee, who's just over a year old and one of the happiest people I've ever met. I didn't think before she was born that I could love her as much as I do. I am thankful for all the good Lord has blessed me with, and all He hasn't too. I have all I need, though I many times must remind myself of this, like when I'm out shopping or see a shiny new car in the neighbor's driveway. I am creative, emotional, impulsive, sarcastic, loving, and honest and realistic to a fault. In fact I have plenty of faults - I enjoy General Hospital, for one; some of which I'd like to change, and some just make me who I am. Sometimes my creativity keeps me up at night, which is the main reason I'm starting this blog. When I turn off the light and close my eyes, there are nights that I'm inundated with images of patterns which I envision on fabric. I love fabric. I thought of getting one of those huge sets of colored pencils and keeping it next to my bed and maybe putting some of my visions down on paper, but there are really so many, I'm afraid I'd never sleep. Besides, what would I do with them all? Take a trip to NYC with my folder of scribbles on computer paper and knock on some doors?! Who knows, maybe I missed my career calling. Oh well! I am pretty handy. I love to do remodeling projects like tiling, new bathroom sinks and toilets, painting, decorating, flooring and lots of other stuff. I worked with a carpenter for a short while this past summer, but had to quit because apparently there are some men in the world who've never seen a 108 lb. woman doing construction work and can't keep their mouths shut and their eyes to themselves. To be expected I guess. So, I'd like to share some of this stuff I live for. Be it a project I've enjoyed, something that makes me laugh, or just one of those everyday moments that I don't want to just pass by. Please check back with me and enjoy some of The Stuff I Live For.