Remembering My Mom (Truly Grateful Series)

I love this picture of my Mom.  You may not be able to see it, but she is holding a picture of my Dad in her hand.  She had one of her sisters take this picture of her holding my Dad's picture so she could send it to my Dad overseas.  He was stationed in Germany at the time serving in the Air Force during the Korean war.  They were engaged and planned to get married when he returned home, which they did.

This is another one of my favorite photos.  This is of my Dad and Mom a few months after they were married. They look so young and happy and in love in this photo.

It's been a year since my Mom died.  I miss her very much.  Yet, as much as I miss her, I still feel like she is with me all the time. It's a good feeling.  Scattered in various places in my home are things that once belonged to her.  They are simple things like a white candy dish with flowers etched into the glass, another little dish (or maybe it's a planter?) that is shaped like a pug nose dog looking out of his dog house, and a pair of blue ceramic baby booties.  Just a few simple knickknacks here and there that seemed to be her favorites and that now grace areas of my home and remind me of her.

From where I am sitting right now, I can see three afghans that she made for me draped across the couch.  In other rooms of my house are four or five others.  She was a very talented crocheter and knitter.  She could create amazing things with a needle or hook and a skein of yarn.  She was also an excellent cook and baker.  She took great pleasure in doing for others whether it was crocheting an afghan to keep them warm or making a home-cooked meal for them or baking them cookies.  My sons always distinguished her from their other grandmothers when they were little as the "cookie grandma."

So when I wrap up in one of her afghans on a chilly evening or use one of her recipes to make something for my family, I feel her presence too.  My cooking and baking never taste quite as good to me as hers always did, but I do try.

She really does seem to be with me everywhere. I look down at my hands and see my mother's hands, for they look so much like hers did.  I hear an old song on the radio, and in my head, I can see her in the kitchen of my childhood home stirring homemade chocolate pudding on the stove and singing along softly to that very same song.  In church I think of her often and remember all the times I sat next to her in the church pews of my childhood.  When I am struggling with a problem or trying to make a decision about something, I can remember bits of wisdom that she passed on to me through the years, and it is almost as if she is with me helping me figure out what I should do next.

She was a patient, generous, kind, and wise woman.  I am so very grateful to have had her as my mother.  I don't remember a single moment in my life when I didn't feel loved and cared for by my Mom.  She was a light in my life that was always shining, showing me the way, and keeping me safe.  She was a gift and a blessing to me during all of her days on earth.  I miss her very much, but I am so very glad to have been her daughter.  I'm very glad for all the wonderful memories I have of time that we spent together.  I am grateful to her knowing that I am who I am because she was who she was, and she was someone who was very special indeed.

Lord, for the generous, kind, and caring mother that you gave me, for all the love she shared with me, and for all the wonderful memories I have of her, please help me to be truly grateful.

Some Enchanted Evening...

Thirty-two years ago TODAY, I met this handsome fellow!  Six years later in July of 1985, we were married, and we've been together ever since.  This picture was taken at my brother's wedding which was one month before our own wedding. (I was a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding which explains the quirky little hat I'm wearing.)

So I'm 52 years old now and have been married for 26 of those years.  I've been married now the same length of time I was single!  I'm very lucky to have him, and he's a saint for putting up with my craziness all these years. 

An Update On My Previous Post and a Surprise From My Co-Workers

I wanted to do a short follow-up to my last post in which I mentioned touring the candy company and watching candy canes being made.  I was asked in the comments why I didn't take any pictures inside the factory.  

I wasn't allowed to take any pictures while in the factory, but I thought some of you might enjoy seeing this video I found on Youtube which shows how they make the candy canes there.  This is just what it looked like inside the factory.

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Two of my coworkers at the library decided to do something special for the rest of the staff this week to give us all a laugh and boost our morale a little as we struggle to get through the cold and snowy days of January.  Together they made each of us our very own dammit doll.  What's a dammit doll, you may be asking.  Well, this is the dammit doll they made for me.

It's supposed to look like me.  I don't know.  Do you think it looks like me?  Hahaha!  Here's a closer look at the face.

Along with the doll, we were all given a copy of this poem which explains just what a dammit doll is:

When you want to climb the wall,

And stand right up and shout.

Here's a little Dammit doll

You cannot do without.

Just grasp it firmly by the legs,

And find a place to slam it.

And as you whack the stuffing out

Yell Dammit, Dammit, Dammit!

If Dammit's not a word you say

Then twist its little neck

And grumble out repeatedly

Oh Heck, Oh Heck, Oh Heck!

Now whether or not this doll really looks like me remains up for debate, but I thought you might get a kick out of seeing all the dolls that were made for our staff at the library.  Each one was individualized with special details to try and make it look like the person it was being given to.  You can see we have quite a variety of people working at my library.  Although I'm not sure who all the dolls represent, some of them are very easy to see who they are supposed to be if you know the people I work with.  My doll is in the back row second from the right side.  We're quite a bunch of characters, don't you think?!

Speakers, Soup and Sandwich, Suckers and Swag

Those who have been reading this blog for a while know that I have been taking a leadership class the past few months through our local Chamber of Commerce Office.  Our class met again this week and our topic was the "Business of  Business."  We spent the morning in the Chamber Office listening to speakers from local area businesses talking about what all is involved in trying to start and run a business. We then had lunch at a local soup and sandwich restaurant while listening to another speaker talk about how to start a small business.

After lunch we toured two of the larger companies in my town.  One was a plastic molding company which makes plastic boxes to hold electrical wires and other such components and the other, one of the best known businesses here, was the Spangler Candy Company.  Spangler Candy Company makes candy canes, marshmallow Circus Peanuts, Saf-t-pops, and perhaps their best known product, Dum Dum Pops suckers.  This tour was the best part of the day, of course.  (It's hard to compete with a tour through a candy factory!)  I actually have toured this company before, but it was several years ago.

It was fun to watch as the huge machines stretched and pulled the sugar and corn syrup mixture as flavorings and colors were added to make candy canes and suckers.  There were workers there to run the machines, of course, but much of the process was mechanized.  We watched from beginning to end with the candy canes as the candy was first mixed and pulled, then two men hand pulled and shaped some of the candy to make the stripes for the cane, which was followed by the striped lump being stretched and pulled and twisted through a machine until it was thin enough to be a candy cane.  The confection was then cut and crooked into a cane, wrapped in plastic, and packed into boxes.  It was fascinating to watch, but the machines were quite noisy, and the air was filled with the super sweet smell of the candy being made, almost to the point that it got a little overwhelming at times.  I really enjoyed the tour, though.  

Before we left the candy company, we were each given a black t-shirt like the one below.  Mona Lisa holding a Dum Dum Pop sucker is on the front as you can see.  She is thinking about Dum Dum Pop suckers which we are led to believe is the cause of her famous smile.

The back of the t-shirt looked like this.

We were also each given a bag of Dum Dum Pops to take home with us.

After the tours, we returned to the Chamber Office to talk more about what our community service project is going to be and to make plans for our next meeting.  Once again, it was a long and busy day, but it went well, and we learned quite a bit.

Fresh Start

Fresh Start

I knew you would be too busy 

to see the colors of the morning sun,

so I got up early and caught them for you,

so you could see how the day had begun.

And now I give you this new beginning,

a clean slate, this morning sky, 

to use when you need a fresh start:

another chance, another try.

Because we all need a do-over

every now and again

when hindsight shows us where we are,

where we could be, and where we've been.

Take a deep breath

and start anew,

with glowing colors and light.

Spread your efforts across the sky.

Share them with those 

who flee the night.

No Excuses. It's Time.

Sometimes you can accomplish things on your own, and sometimes you can do much better when you have the help of friends.  Sometimes you don't realize how MUCH you need the help of friends until the help has arrived, and suddenly you see how much better things are.  This has been my situation of late.


Like many others in my age group, I have gained weight that I don't need. I am tired of weighing more than I should.  I'm tired of being tired all the time.  I'm tired of my clothes not fitting the way they should.  I'm tired of all sorts of things that come with being heavier than I should be.  I have decided it is time to take some action.  What is amazing to me is that about the same time I was reaching this decision, one of my co-workers also reached this decision for herself.  She decided to start an exercise group at the library for herself and any of the staff who wanted to join in with her.  


The exercise group meets after work for half an hour four days a week.  Staffers are invited to join in for any or all of those four days. We meet in the conference room of the library and exercise to the Leslie Sansone  DVD you see pictured here.  It is a walking exercise plan, and it is easy enough for just about anyone to do.  We have been doing the 2-mile exercise plan, but there is also a 1-mile plan for those who need to ease into it.  She has several other DVDs too which you can see at the link from her name if anyone wants to try something different.  

Although not everyone takes advantage of the class, we have several regulars and several others who come to it part of the time.  We just follow the exercises from the DVD, so the only cost to us being in the class is our time while we are there.  You can't beat free!  For those exercising alone at home, even the price of the DVD is probably affordable to most.

The "walking" combines walking or marching in place with side steps, front kicks, knee lifts, and heel lifts to the back and various combinations of these moves.  Arm movements are also added in for part of the class.  You can add weights to the plan too if you wish as you grow stronger and need to increase the intensity of your workout.


My co-worker decided to call our little after work exercise group F.L.A.B. (Friendly Librarians Against the Blahs).  Ha-ha!  That's probably not the name I would have chosen, but it is what it is.  We have been exercising for two weeks now.  Not long, I know, but we have been having fun.  It really does make a difference when you have someone else to do a workout with you.  We are supportive of each other and encourage each other when we struggle.


The library director thinks our group is a great idea.  So much so, in fact, that he is having an empty room in the basement of our building painted and converted into an exercise room just for us.  Currently we use the conference room, which works fine except that tables and chairs have to be moved out of the way every time we exercise and then put back again when we are done.  Having our own room will make it much easier to not have to rearrange the furniture every time we want to exercise.  Also, currently the conference room is only available to us four days a week.  Once we have our new exercise room in the basement, we will have access to it five days a week.


So my co-workers are some of the friends who are helping me with this new venture of mine.  I have two blog friends who have recently blogged about weight loss and how they were able to set and reach goals. These two friends have also helped me decide that it is time to act and start taking better care of myself.  No one can do it, but me, after all.  Both Diana and Dorothy wrote what I thought were very inspiring blog posts to encourage others to set goals to improve their fitness and health by losing weight.  Thank you to both of these ladies for their supportive words.  You can click on their names to read how they lost weight.


Another friend of mine recently told me about a free weight loss website which has some tools on it to help you meet your weight loss goal.  The site is called my fitness pal, and it provides a very handy calorie counter and tabulator along with several other tools to help you lose weight.  It does all the math for you and remembers foods you eat frequently and even shows the break down of the food that you record each day in your personal log into calories, carbs, fat, and protein.  It has a nutritional database that I find to be very easy to use.  There are many other websites, of course, that can help you with weight loss if this one doesn't suit your needs.  I like the way this one is set up, though, and I'm hoping it will help me to relearn what and how much I should be eating.


I debated about whether or not to blog about this, but I am hoping by writing about it that it will make me stick to my workout plan and continue to be conscious of what I am eating.  I am hoping to report back here with the news that I've reached my goals in a few months.  I also thought that, perhaps by writing about it here, that it might help others who struggle with their weight to get back in control of their lives.  We will see whether or not I succeed.  With the help of so many friends, I feel that I at least have a fighting chance.

So What's New With You?

So what's new with you?  Apparently, the biggest news around this town of mine lately is that the new Taco Bell has reopened.  Pretty exciting stuff, don't you agree?  What?  You don't think that's exciting?  Perhaps if you knew the whole story you'd understand why it is exciting.  


Several months ago, they tore down the old Taco Bell.  There wasn't anything wrong with it as far as I could tell, but they tore it down anyway. 

 They then began building a new, bigger and better Taco Bell in that very same spot.  I have no idea why they didn't just put an addition on the old building, but I suppose they must have had their reasons.  So Taco Bell has been gone from my town for several months now while the new building was being built.


They finally finished the new building, and about a week and a half ago, they reopened for business there.  At meal times now, ever since it has reopened, long lines have been forming around the building.  The parking lot is full.  Cars fill the lane that goes by the drive through window and are backed out into the street blocking traffic.  It has been this way every day!  I am quite puzzled by this.  They aren't having any special deals or prices.  

And, it is not like we don't have other restaurants in town, because we do.  We have many restaurants of all types including others that serve tacos and other Mexican fare.  Have the people living here missed Taco Bell food so much that they can't stay away from it now?  It's like the whole town is jonesing for a taco fix.

So, like I said, apparently this is pretty big news in my town.  Now, do you see why it is so exciting?  No?  Well, I don't either (I was kind of hoping one of you could explain it to me), but there's no denying it has been a very popular place to go recently.  I suppose eventually all the excitement will die down, and then we'll go back to being excited about the weather when it changes.

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So what else is new, you ask.  (The Taco Bell news wasn't enough?  You want more?  You're really a glutton for punishment, aren't you.)  One thing that is new is I have a new passenger riding along in my car keeping me company now.  

Yes, I do realize you are jealous and you wish that Darth Vader was riding along as co-pilot in your vehicle instead of mine, but what can I say---only a few are lucky like me.  Why is Darth Vader riding shotgun in my car?  Well, allow me to explain.


My older son was home for the holidays for nearly three weeks.  He flew here, leaving his car in Florida, of course.  While he was here, he borrowed my car several times.  One of the times he borrowed my car, he went to a white elephant gift exchange with some of his friends.  He came home with Darth Vader as the gift he received from the exchange.  So ever since the gift exchange, Darth has taken up residence in the front seat of my car and has been going everywhere with me.  My son left today flying back to Florida without Darth. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not that he left Darth behind (I'm thinking, yes, it probably was intentional. haha!), but in any case, Darth remains, waiting patiently in my car for our next car trip, wherever that may be.


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My third bit of news... (Seriously, you are still here?  After reading the first two parts of this post, you are still here reading?  Bless your heart.  You are indeed a dedicated blog post reader or a good friend of mine, or maybe just a little touched in the head. ).  

Anyway, my third bit of news is that I have a new laptop computer.  I am finally getting rid of the giant dinosaur desktop that I've been using for years now.  As my younger son so quaintly put it, "Welcome to the world where everyone else lives, Mom."


I'm going to be transferring all my photos and documents from my dinosaur desktop to an external hard drive that is the size of a deck of cards and holds 1 TB of information.  No, in this case, TB doesn't stand for tuberculosis or tablespoon.  TB stands for Terabyte which is the equivalent of 1,000 gigabytes of storage.  Those who have been reading this blog a while know that I sometimes get carried away when I take pictures.  Now I will have a place to store all those pictures without slowing down my computer.  I also have a new printer to go with my cute little laptop and deck of cards external hard drive.  The printer also makes copies and scans documents and sends faxes.  I think it might even walk the dog, fix dinner, and wash the dishes if I can figure out the right buttons to push!


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Now you're up-to-date on what's new with me here.  So tell me, is there anything new with you?  If there is, you can tell me about it in the comments below. 


 While you do that, I think Darth and I will put my car into warp speed and head on over to get in line at the Taco Bell.

(In case you couldn't tell, and I'm sure that you could tell, the only photo in this post which is mine is the one of Darth sitting in my car.  The rest  came from elsewhere and were just added for comedic effect.)