Mudcrane Moment

Reminder!!

Choice, not chance, determines my day. 

k......

Right.  I'll be smiling today.......no matter what.
Smile Mel.

SMILE DAMMIT.

Right.

<-- smiling!

Ohmygoodness....... This will be an exercise in self correction ALL FRIGGIN' DAY LONG if I don't lose the attitude somewhere between here..........and there.........

k......

<-- smiling!

The Wee Dude Wander

Today's Fairy Thought

One receives only that which is given. The game of life is a

game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words,

return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.

—Florence Scovel Shin

Each of us can attest to the truth of this passage. During

the difficult times, however, it is not uppermost in our mindsT

that "what goes around, comes around." It feels all too

easy to be justifiably resentful or to gossip, or to ignore

another's presence. And the repercussions are seldom

immediate. They will come, though.

Goodness is likewise repaid. Giving love, attention, and

respect to the individuals who share our lives and to the

people who cross our paths by chance, will smooth our own

passage day by day. The effects of our goodness will often

be felt quickly. A smile elicits a smile. Kind thoughts bless

us as well as the receiver. Life events do come full circle.

With a bit of effort, I can smile at someone today, even

though I'm frowning inside. Both will be better for it.

....are better than one.

Wednesdays Whinings

....I don't WANNA be a grown up and I don't wanna HAFFTA be responsible.  I don't WANNA, I don't HAFFTA.  Just sayin'......  Pffffffffffffftttttttttt!!!!!!

....there's nothin' wrong with that coffee stained cup that's been hanging around for years.  Yes, I know a 'good non-abrasive cleanser would fix that'......  :-/

....Toby Toad hiding inside the garden hose reel is not conducive to getting flowers watered in a timely manner........this is why the watering can has to be filled up and lugged multiple times.  No, I'm not using the hose anyway.....HE'S IN THERE.

....I like toilet paper hanging from the tree.  It's ....... festive.  Sorta.  Until it rains.....  Then it's just gross and -- you guessed it(!!) ....I ain't pickin' it up.  :-/

....whatzup with it being dark in the mornings again?  I mean, definite advantage in sunrise watching--but hows come it has to get darker earlier and be darker later?

....hows come hot flashes and night sweats have to look and feel the same?  Why can't one be easily differentiated from the other so brain swirls don't haffta happen at two in the morning?!  Just sayin'.......

....there are fallen leaves on the patio and blowing them OFF the patio doesn't haffta be the answer just cuz I bring a few into the house for safe-keeping.  I like crunchy leaves.........'in the livingroom?' is just details!!

....did I mention I don't WANNA HAFFTA?!  Yup--still.........

*happily humming the Toys-R-Us jingle!*

Thought for the Day

Decision-making is morale boosting. 
It offers us a chance to

exercise our personal powers, an exercise that is mandatory 

for the healthy development of our egos. 
We need to make

careful, thoughtful choices because they will further define 

our characters. 
Each action we take clearly indicates the 

persons we are becoming. 
When we have consciously and

deliberately chosen that action because of its rightness for 

us, we are fully in command of becoming the persons we 

choose to be.

Our actions reveal who we are, to others and ourselves. 

We need never convey an inaccurate picture of ourselves. 

We need only take the time and risk the courage necessary 

to behave exactly as we choose. 

The exclamation mark

I walked away.
She turned to face me--clearly a move on her part to try to engage me, even after I told her and the others that I had nothing more to say, that I was done with the meeting.
I stood up.......and walked away.

She sat at the table and I didn't look back.

There's something about walking away with the other involved persons and leaving her sitting that left a sting.
Should I have turned around?
...That was one of the other involved person's question.
She wanted to turn around three steps into it and take back some of what the gal had been presented with, to soften it a bit........make it more palatable, to be more encouraging......

Nah.  It was exclamation point on the situation, I offered.

It hit me about three hours later.
Should I have turned around and announced one more time "I really DO care about your life--I really AM for you....."

No....walking was the best answer.
She knows that--offering it up one more time woulda been a bad call.  It would have been more about ME than it was about HER.

That 'me' bit is sometimes difficult to leave OUT of situations.
And this situation......is all about HER.

Does she know I care about her life......yes.
Am I willing to continue to do insanity with her?
Absolutely not.

No--walking away, leaving my need to assure her that I truly am FOR her, putting the decision in her hands--right thing to do.

I'll care about her life no matter the decision......
But I ain't cutting deals.
And I ain't buying bullshit.
And I'm not offering up 'me' centered statements cuz I'll feel better.

Ain't about me.....
It's all about her.

Do.  Or DO NOT.


And no one can do FOR her..........but her.......

Babbling Bit

Things that make me happy....

....the wee candy corn guys that followed me home!

....splashing in puddles!  We actually had puddles......wooohooo!!

....Toby Toad hiding inside the garden hose reel.

....the beans fields turning yellow and gold.

....cooler mornings for sunrise watching.

....the Halloween display at the wee shop in town.

....the four hummers taking turns getting in my face when I sit on the patio.  LOL  They're just silly.

Fairy Reminder

All that is asked of us by our Creator is that we love one another. Where love doesn't flow easily, perhaps we can just decide to not hurt someone. If we each avoided hurting all people, for just one day, lives would be transformed. We'd each see the world with a fresh perspective.

The more we love others, any others, the deeper our love will grow for all others. Loving lifts our hearts and lightens our burdens. Every day's tribulations can become triumphs when we carry love in our hearts. Love fills us up, and the more we share it, the fuller we become.

We are connected--each of us to one another, all of us together. Our contributions to the whole are necessary. Its completion is made perfect by our presence.

Yesterday's 'Pull over!' moment....

Thought for Today

Blaming other people and the "unlucky" circumstances of our lives for all our troubles is deeply rooted in who we are. But coming to believe that accepting full responsibility for ourselves will empower us, even when we are guilty of wrongdoing, is a major step forward.

Looking squarely at ourselves and owning all of who we are may not make us proud, but it does make us honest and humble. We have to be both, first, if we ever hope to forge the qualities that will make us proud.

Today I will reveal qualities that I like very much. If some that I don't like surface, I won't deny them; I will correct them.

Lemme see......

Ooky spooky eyeballs to go in the cemetery....they were on sale.... AND they glow in the dark!!!

 :-D

The wee house that can't get smooshed by putting it in a box, dontchaknow.
OH!  And two new candy corns guys.

:-)

They're too darn cute!  I couldn't NOT take 'em home....

The wee house that got smooshed--which is why it had to be liberated....so it could be fixed.

:-(  

Broken fence.....poor house.....

OH!!  And the orange tub in the livingroom.....with the bags of treat bag toys.

k.....I drug those up tonight...

HEY....can't be waiting til the last minute to make sure there's enough toys for the treat bags!!

Right...

72 puzzles

60 packages of crayons

450 stickers

24 bouncy spider balls

60 bracelets

18 fangs

60 pencils

50 pens

75 erasers

50 skull rings

60 boxes of tatoos

And whoknowshowmany leftovers from previous years....

Right--'bout enough for two/three toys and two stickery thingies in the treat bags.

TREAT BAGS!!!  Here's a sad tale..... None.

k.....that's not true--some......leftovers...

Might as well be none....poor things.

Good for emergency treat bag making, though!!

k.....

Must buy treat bags!  I need 200+!

Must make a list of things to buy!

Oh, and CANDY!!  I need candy.....

Ohhhh.....must find Halloween LIST PAPER to write the list.

:-/

Gee.....I think it's in one of the OTHER tubs...

Oh, dear....I might haffta bring another one upstairs to look.

The lighting is better in the livingroom than in the basement storage room.

:-D

Tweet Seat

Reading for the Day

A big decision is like a mountain built on a million small rocks. 

When we find ourselves stuck and feeling paralyzed about making a big decision, perhaps it is because we didn't pay attention to how we stacked the little rocks.

We may develop the habit of being less than honest in our little decisions. 

Neglecting and avoiding our needs in small decisions may cause us to feel confused when we need to make big choices. 

Facing small choices honestly gives us a solid base and allows us to freely face the mountains in our lives. 

When we look at it this way, it's easy to see how important today's small decisions are.

Today let me make all of my decisions, big and small, honestly and courageously.

Alto Seating

Today's Fairy Reading

We all carry it within us; supreme strength, the fullness of wisdom, unquenchable joy. It is never thwarted and cannot be destroyed. But it is hidden deep, which is what makes life a problem.

--Huston Smith

How does one lose touch with his strength, his wisdom, and his joy? Perhaps it is in the nature of humanity. Our most profound qualities are hidden deep. They never go away, but we cannot always find them. There may be nothing wrong with us when we lose touch. It doesn't have to mean that we are "bad" for getting depressed or for feeling inadequate. Who doesn't have that problem? It is the nature of life that we sometimes feel this way. This program helps us unearth the resources hidden within us.

When we cannot find those reassuring feelings of strength and wisdom and joy, we may think they are gone forever. We even doubt we ever had them or could have them again. But they are still there. They cannot be destroyed. And when we regain contact we know they have been with us all along.

I will have faith that the innermost places in me can never be destroyed.

Happy Bug--Another Happy Friday!

Fairy Reminder for Today

My father taught me that only through self discipline can you achieve freedom.  Pour water into a cup and you can drink. Without the cup, the water would splash over. The cup is discipline.

--Ricardo Montalban

It is no accident that the words discipline and disciple come from the same root. To be a disciple of any path, one must be disciplined. Life works best when we learn to discipline ourselves.

Discipline liberates rather than confines you. Discipline allows you to function with ease and grace. After years of practicing his strokes, a tennis player can hit the ball without having to think about it. What once took conscious effort is now second nature.

Unfortunately, many of us had discipline forced upon us as children. Naturally, we rebelled against an externally imposed structure. We were not shown that true discipline always comes from within, and the motivation for that urge is love. When we are doing what we love, when we are pursuing something that has meaning, discipline becomes natural. As one Olympic athlete explained, "I don't mind working out every day. Because I love what I am doing, my training is not a burden but a joy."

Discipline is your ticket to freedom and path to excellence. Choose to be disciplined in all your endeavors and become the master of yourself and your life.

Quilt Barn # 50

Today's Fairy Reminder

You are stronger than any circumstance, stronger than any thoughtless comment made by another, and stronger than any disappointment. 

You can adjust, adapt, and re-commit yourself again and again to moving forward.

You are already strong and capable and experienced. 

Use that strength to grow stronger and stronger with each passing day.

Success!!!

April's trial shoot in magic white powder....

..........August and bloomin' like mad!

Wow......I GREW that!!  :-)

Dustings

Don’t find an excuse. Find a way.

Some days.......

Don't get me wrong.

I had some awesome moments today.

The kiddo who greeted me and told me that my grumbles weren't going to ruin her day......and lived happily through that challenge.....a pure joy!

The staff member who gifted me with a funny story about her cat nestling on her shirt prior to dressing--who discovered kitty has messy paws (after she arrived to work) and left a nice design all over her shirt....LOL  Another joyous moment.

And there was the therapist who looked at me and informed me that I'd repeated myself three times during the clinical review I was conducting--and then spent the last two reviews making the point to remark "I hear ya...."  She's cuter than cute!

Oh, and the painters who put a bulletin board on a freshly painted wall .....and promptly took it down with a "we can do that!" when I politely informed them it needed to stay down.  Not a word of complaint and a smile on their faces......

And there was the cool 'a little witchy' pin that I donned this morning--cuz I could!  THAT was fun.....

And there was the contracted gal who arrived early and made a fresh pot of coffee.   MOST Excellent!  She drinks it just as strongly made as I do--it was good to have someone to share REAL coffee with.  And it was time for a fresh pot and I didn't have to make it!! LOL

But then there were the unpleasant moments when I got told something I'd guessed at and was concerned about--but didn't KNOW.  I'm not a rumour mill kinda gal.  And trust me, folks know that so I'm THE last the rumour gets to.
And I won't do 'contempt prior to investigation'--that's just not cool.

So now I know....
From multiple sources....

I wish I'da been wrong.

I'm not--

Dammit all........

I'd rather been wrong and happy than right and in this position.

All that and a bag of sugar...

Things that make me happy....

....the big orange tub in the livingroom!

....hummer wars at the feeder.

....stealing--borrowing a tomato from the neighbor's garden.
(I left an IOU sticky note!  LOL)

....wee kiddlings with biggggg backpacks.

....that golden colour the world turns right before the sun sets.

....big fat bumble bee guys on the buddleias.

....asking "do you have money?"......and getting some!

TFTD

We can't control the events of our lives, but we do have mastery over our attitudes. The chances will be many, today, to react negatively or positively to circumstances we find ourselves in. We can consider that each circumstance has something special in it for us.

Positive expectations regarding the planned as well as spontaneous activities of the day will influence the activity's flow, our involvement with it, and our interactions with the other people involved. A positive attitude seems to breed positive experiences. In other words, we attract into our lives that which we expect.

*snickering*

Is this where I brag about my abilities to manipulate?

Oh yesssssssssssss........the big orange tub with the Halloween village????--

......yes indeed......

IN THE LIVINGROOM!!!

*shining fingernails*

Uh huh........I STILL have it!  :-D

Conjoined

A bit of personal plotting........

Yes, there's a rule that nothing Halloweeny gets put out until AFTER September 11.

I understand the outside display 'stuff'.  It's the honourable, respectful thing.
However--

Ya can't send Halloween cards until you make them.  :-)
Yup--I think I've made an even dozen now......  They're drying on the coffee table.
k....they're probably dried.  They're remaining there cuz.......I'm lazy and haven't gotten around to putting them in the box yet.  Oh--but if I put 'em in the box I might forget they're made and forget to send 'em!

k.......they probably need to stay on the coffee table then!

And really--ya can't wait until September to make that wee house outta foam that you were gifted--I mean where's the sense in that?  People don't give you things so you leave 'em in the box.  Besides---you only get to enjoy it for a small chunk of time if you waited!  And besides, it gets a bit busy in September and October!  Yup....that's why the house is constructed and on the 'puter desk!  Well, it's on the 'puter desk cuz I wasn't willing to box it up and risk smooshing the stickey-up moon with the bat on it!
Geeze, that'd be horrible.....going to all that trouble and then smooshing the stickey-up moon with the bat on it......

*thinking*

I'm thinkin' I oughta bring the Halloween village out.  There's all sorts of de-construction that'll be going on in the basement this week and next.  They'll be tearing out a wall, for crying out loud.  And moving plumbing.
I don't wanna risk getting in anyone's way--I think they might haffta go into the storage room for the plumbing stuff.....I know how those fella's move boxes that are in their way!
Oh yeah.....I better move that box upstairs to a safe place.......

:-/

Wow.
I wonder if that'd work for bringing Studley upstairs and inflating him in the garage?!

I mean---the basement's going to be torn up......there won't be space to inflate him to get the wrinkles out!

Ohhhhhhhhh......  and I was wondering if this was 'good timing' for the de-construction/reconstruction?!
Hellllllllloooooooo!!

:-D

Today's Reading from the Reading Fairy

If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin into his nest again, I shall not live in vain.

  —Emily Dickinson

The gift of attention to each other is "passing on" the love of God. In order to feel love, we have to give it away. We will know love when we give love.

Our attachment to the world, the sense of belonging most of us longed for the many years awaits us, is showered upon us even as we reach out to someone else. We are no longer alone, scared, alienated when we let others know they are not alone. 

Each day, each one of us can ease the pain of a friend, a co-worker, and a child. The beauty of God's plan for us all, is that our own pain is relieved in the process of easing the pain of another. Love is the balm. Loving others makes our lives purposeful.

No day is lived in vain, if I but cherish someone else's presence.

Moveable Point Frog

Fairy Dust

Soft water wears away the hardest of stone, 

not by sheer force, but by relentless persistence.

Friday night at the ballpark

"Why stay at home and have a 'boring dinner' when you could have an evening at the ballpark?!" he-who-had-the-afternoon-to-plot asked.

Yeah, well......after a week of work, I was ready to just be done.

But, yes thank you, I think I'd like to do that.

And yaknowwhat?  I WAS GLAD I shushed and just got in the Jeep!

Oh gosh......that was a fun time.

I'm thinking we oughta do it again.  :-)

Fairy Reminder

Hearing the good words and praise of another person is harder for some of us to accept than criticism and abuse. 

Perhaps it is easier to receive what we are accustomed to, or maybe we feel a loss of control when someone compliments us. 

This is a time for us to begin accepting others' actions. 

We do not need to be in control of our relationships at all times. 

When friends offer sincere compliments, we don't need to push them away or brush them off.

All we need to do is allow others' positive messages to come into us. 

In a good relationship we listen to the feelings of our friends, and sometimes that means truly listening as they tell us their good feelings about us.

Today, I will be open to the compliments that come my way without controlling them.

Happy Friday, Happy Flower!!

Today's Reading

I was forced to live far beyond my years when just a child. Now I have reversed the order and I intend to remain young indefinitely.

  —Mary Pickford

We can all learn to change our lives so the child within each of us can live in balance with the people we have become. We can learn to give the child a voice, let the child play, let the child express needs and fears and pleasures.

We might look at our old baby pictures for a valuable lesson. We will see pictures of ourselves on rocking horses, grinning and waving; pictures of ourselves with our most precious toy - a crude metal car, perhaps; pictures of ourselves rolling in the grass. The lesson we learn is that it doesn't take much to make this child happy - even today.

We keep our own happiness safe inside us to call on whenever we need it, as long as we keep a healthy relationship with the child within. When we nourish the child, we can be assured the child will also nourish us.

What simple thing will make me happy today?

Lily on a Stick

k......new glasses maybe?

Or maybe I just need more coffee?

*laughing*  I always need more coffee.

But I gotta note that the silly word verification thingies are becoming increasingly more difficult for me to decipher.


Yes, I know there are numbers now--some of 'em are even kinda cute.
But the silly letters are mooshing all together and I can't tell the difference between a 'cl' and a 'd'.  NOR can I decide if that's a 'capital I' or an 'l'......or if that's an 'n' or an 'ri'.  And yes, I'm looking for dots....

*sigh*

I'd say new glasses--or the computery ones that are lost somewhere on the desk shelf below the keyboard thingy--ya know.....the ones I can't be bothered to retrieve until I've had an 'elegant sufficiency' of coffee, IF even then!
But I prefer to blame the silly folks who invented 'em.
And the sillier folks who created the need FOR the darn things to begin with......

WHY oh why can't we just get along?!

We need to.
'Specially if it's going to mean having to fumble around in the dark for a pair of computer glasses that are probably on the night stand anyway......LOL

*shrugs*
Sometimes I wear 'em to bed and don't mean to?

Right.
Skip the glasses and go straight for another cuppa java!

TFTD

The process of detaching in love from family members can take years. So can the process of learning how to react in a more effective way. We cannot control what they do or try to do, but we can gain some sense of control over how we choose to react.

Stop trying to make them act or treat us any differently. Unhook from their system by refusing to try to change or influence them.

Their patterns, particularly their patterns with us, are their issues. How we react, or allow these patterns to influence us, is our issue. How we take care of ourselves is our issue.

We can love our family and still refuse to buy into their issues. We can love our family but refuse their efforts to manipulate, control, or produce guilt in us.

We can take care of ourselves with family members without feeling guilty. We can learn to be assertive with family members without being aggressive. We can set the boundaries we need and want to set with family members without being disloyal to the family.

We can learn to love our family without forfeiting love and respect for ourselves.

No Calgon....but we do have bubbles and duckies....

Duckies.....bubble bath....

O
M
Goshbygolly......

Definitely required.

........Since when have professional people TALKED so much?  I mean Master's level people....and BA's and licensed social workers--for cryin' out loud.......
I'm not kidding--9 people to each team and talk, talk, talk...  And that was with people MISSING from the meetings because of other meetings or trainings.

AND the painters are midway through painting the classrooms--which is an awesome thing to finally have the contractors show up.....'cept today was the first day of school--which made it sorta not such a good thing.  Oh, but it's a lovely colour......
And so what if the sign says WET PAINT, DO NOT TOUCH...
They're KIDS......and curious adults who don't necessarily trust signs, apparently.....  WITH their Master's......  *shaking head*

Right.  DARN good thing the contractors are patient people who have a good sense of humour?

Right--  So....melting down educators who can't GET to stuff to teach cuz it's sealed under plastic.
Talking, talking and MORE talking staff members for HOURS on end.....gawddddd I love team meeting days......*rolling eyes*

And kiddos who are off the wall nutz cuz half of them are showing up at public school with strangers they're convinced are gonna THINK things about 'em......cuz they're that darn important........

Oh.....and paint....where there SHOULD be paint.
...and a bit where there shouldn't be paint.......

Oy......

Oh YEAH duckies and bubble bath!

<-- GOING!!!!!!!

Sunning on Pink

Fairy Diddy

That the birds of worry and care

fly about your head

This you cannot change

But that they build nests in your hair

This you can prevent.

-- Chinese Proverb

Rollin' In

Things that make me happy..........

....himself helping me construct the ooky spooky house!  (there were 92 pieces......LOL....I NEEDED help!)

....the ooky spooky house sitting on the puter desk! (too cute to put away dontchaknow...)

....ghostie stickers and punkin cut-outs and bats and orange and black STUFF....(...it's COMING, it's COMING!!!)

....the cute little card I made with the ghostie stickers and black paper!

....the photos of the tattoo the sister made from stampery thingies I sent her.  LOL  Yeah, yeah.....so it says to press on PAPER--who CARES about following instructions!

....punkin patches.....did I mention we went?  :-)

....rearranging basement stuff to make room for STUDLEY!

k.....might be a tad early.....LOLOL...

Reading for the Day

Don’t let the worst of life get to you. Instead, let the best of life shine through you.

Let your attitude be based on your most positive vision rather than on what may or may not happen. When the world threatens to bring you down, choose to lift the world up.

Set a positive, purposeful agenda for the day and then follow through with action. Show all of life how beautiful and meaningful it can be by the way you live it.

Quilt Barn #49