Carmen and I have a somewhat not normal mother daughter relationship.
First, please excuse the very casual pictures. Second, I don’t remember what the conversation was that began these “snaps” (I have a Snap Chat account mainly to chat with the kids), but this is us some of the time.
So when I try to get a picture of us before she left for school — I get this expression.
But in the end…always smiles. Love her. So grateful she has spunk, and sass. Well, and that she is mine.
Blessings!
Below is a Bucket List that I put together in August of 2012. I have recently purchased a Passion Planner (www.passionplanner.com), and have written goals. I somewhat did this last year with my weight being the highest priority.
So this year I wanted to revisit my Bucket List. I have been thinking a lot of what I want to do, and how to go about getting there.
Original post in August 2012 – update
1. Get a good camera –August 2012
2. Travel to Australia
3. Travel to Japan
4. Travel to Scotland/Ireland (they are nothing alike, but are listed together. I am not sure why.)
5. Spend a week in New York –see a Broadway play a day.
6. Jump out of an air plane (preferably when I want to, not need to.)
7. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon.
8. Dance on Broadway (was an original dream of mine at 17.)
9. Make a quilt (like my grandmothers.)
10. Learn to speak German – really!
11. Learn to speak Japanese
12. Open a restaurant.
13. Open a store (scrap?)
14. Write a cookbook
15. Walk on the Great Wall of China.
16. See Paris again with my love.
17. See London again with my love – September 2012
18. Conquer Algebra – beginning Math classes January 2017
19. Eat at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in London – (The Savoy) September 2012
20. Eat at Morimotto’s sushi restaurant – Orlando, Disney Springs, August 2016
21. See U2 live in concert (front row preferred.)
22. See Motley Crue in concert (I tried in 1987), and now finally done!
23. See Poison in concert. – done
24. Meet Bret Michaels – done
25. Run a 5k. Walked a 5k December 10, 2016
26. Live at Disney World.
27. Be the Fairy God Mother at Disney World.
28. Grow a vegetable garden.
29. Write a book.
30. Be a mentor.
31. Refurbish a piece of furniture.
32. Color my hair (or parts of it) pink.
33. Be a size 12 again – on my way…size 16 or XL
34. Organize my scrap/craft area – if Stephen moves out – his room will be my craft room.
35. Take a trip around the world.
36. Be a tour guide.
37. Sew a dress – see 34.
38. Crochet a blanket.
39. Learn to knit – still basics but I know how to knit and purl January 2013
40. Meet the Queen of England.
41. Meet Nathan Fillion.
42. Speak in front of a group of people without freaking out.
43. Learn how to can vegetables.
44. Learn how to make jam or fruit preserves.
45. Be a friend to my children.
46. Get a Bachelor’s degree – in process – began my AA in October 2016
47. Learn more than 6 words in sign language.
48. Live in Germany.
49. Own a Corvette.
50. Own a BMW or Mercedes.
51. Go to a Dallas Cowboys Football game.
52. Attend an Olympic event.
53. Zip Line – done – Labedee Haiti – August 2016
So I have a ways to go with a lot of my items. But I find that I want to add things daily. Reminding myself to take things slowly as to not overwhelm myself.
Blessings!
Jerry Ann
In all of life’s difficulties I always come back to “breathe.” That is all you have to do. Panicked? Breathe. Stressed? Breathe. Overwhelmed? Breathe. Baby won’t stop crying? Breathe. You have to get calm to resolve the situation. Remove yourself if needed. Big, deep breaths. Breathe.
I have said before that I Momma. I have Momma’ed since I was 16. It is a gift or a curse, not sure which. New moms not knowing what to do. Breathe.
A song came on KLOVE the other day as I was driving into work. Jonny Diaz – Breathe
This was so needed for me that day. It is easy for me to calm others by saying Breathe, but this time I listened.
Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe
Blessings, today and always.
Jerry Ann
Yes, poop. You really can’t tell what is going on with an infant 0-18 months until they are able to communicate with something other than crying. So…
A new Mom asked me about her daughter’s poop (by accident the baby pooped in the bathtub, and having to clean up the baby and the poop from the drain the Mom discovered worm like objects in her daughter’s poop), and if it was worms? My first reaction when listening to her tell me about the incident in detail, was bananas. So I ask if she was uncomfortable at all, like crying in the middle of the night? No. Had she eaten a banana recently? Yes, everyday. String like items? Yes. Well, sometimes processed bananas can look wormy like they do when you bake banana bread. Ah….
I did tell her not to feed the baby bananas, and to watch the poop for a couple of days just to make sure that it was dietary and not worms. But if they remained to contact her pediatrician.
The relief on the young Mom’s face was evident, and I once again realized I have boundless knowledge of nothing.
Happy Sunday. Blessings,
Jerry Ann
And so it begins, another chapter.
Starting again, this time with actual goals.
2016…and first goal already met…purged the pantry. I had more crap in that pantry than anyone really should.
Goals. I have more than I should for this year especially since I haven’t done this (goal setting) before. So, I will share only when I accomplished them.
Do you have any goals for 2016?
Blessings.
Crazy. Something I grew up with, used once or twice, in a paper that I never would think had ever heard of my little town.
I love the Sunday edition of The NY Times. Where I live now, there isn’t home delivery. I would so have it every Sunday, and read it all week.
My little town of now 4,600 people (when I was there the population as 1,750 at most), is in the paper. And not just any paper but the NY Times!!!
It is a great little town. I loved it then. Miss it now.
Enjoy!
Time does heal all things, right? It has been eight years since my Mom passed away (yesterday, February 8th), and it doesn’t get any easier.
In fact, there are times, especially today, where I think it is worse.
I see my two beautiful children growing into responsible, (well – almost) beautiful adults. I want my Mom to see that. I want her to see every step they take. Bake her wonderful chocolate cakes for birthdays.
Everyone close to me still has their parents, and in some cases, grandparents. That is so foreign to me. They are sympathetic, and try to understand. But they really don’t. Death has been a part of me for so long, with so many of my loved ones that I am certain no one understands.
I just miss her. All of her, the yelling German to the sweet Mom who would just sit and brush my hair.
Oh, how I miss you Mom.
I know that I should be more specific, but eh, that wouldn’t be me. A reminder that I ramble, or forget where I am going (unless it is a recipe – but then I forget the items to put in it), or turn right three times and still get lost. So hang in there…
Today’s calendar thought:
“You can’t get anywhere today if you are still mired down in yesterday.” – unknown.
I went to bi-monthly Mom’s group today. One that I last attended regularly in the Summer of 2000. Yep, 12 years ago. I know that my children are almost done growing (youngest is a 15 year old boy, and oldest 19 year old girl at college), and that I may not have much to offer or gain. But I did today. I did one of the hardest things in a long while for me to do, and that was admit that I have been feeling lost.
The Lord has been working on my ego, and pride much to my dismay. Ah, why can’t I just learn a lesson and be done? Why can’t any of us read what scripture tells us, and do it. Simple. Right?
Proverbs 16:18 (MSG) First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
The weekend has become my down time. Monday through Friday I work outside the home. One day, hopefully sooner than later, I will be able to work from home. But for now that is the way life has it. I have been off of the medicines recommended by my RA doctor for over a year now. Overall, I believe that I have less issues without the side effects from the medicine than being on so many different prescriptions. I hate taking pills.
Although there are days that are extremely difficult with joint pain, and fatigue. Weekends seem to get me more now than ever. The weather is becoming really nice outside, and with low humidity. This just makes me sad. I need to rest, if I don’t – Monday will not be a good day, or the rest of the week. I have off Labor Day Monday, but we had activities this weekend. The family goes and does, and here I sit, resting, with my hips throbbing, and thoroughly exhausted. I slept until 1030 or until my back couldn’t take it anymore. You would think that I had plenty of sleep. Nope, not today. I have been focusing less lately as well. It has been a long while that I have felt this bad.
So another weekend, and I have spent my time either in bed or on the couch. I am grateful that my determination is better come Mondays but overall, I still don’t feel well. Days like today I wonder if I should go back on the medicines, but they seem to make the bad days every other day, then allow me to wait until the weekends.
So, the house is quiet, and I think it is time for a nap.
mommajerryanns.com 