The Joy of Power Washing

Okay. Today I was feeling kind of industrious, so I decided to clean off the patio. It was all covered with old leaves and stuff, so I pulled out the leaf power and let 'er rip. I love my leaf blower. I feel just like Spongebob when I use it. Those of you who have small children I'm sure are familiar with the episode about the reef blower? Wheeeeeee! They're just fun! Anyhoo, when I was finished blowing all the crap off of the patio, I noticed how dirty it was underneath. Just filthy. So I decided to wash it. I was about to lug out the hose and the industrial broom, when I remembered that my husband had a power washer in the basement. AHA! Now Rodney won't usually let me play with his power washer, 'cause he's afraid I'll break it (I do break a lot of things). But he ain't here, it he? Tee hee! Now the power washer is my new favorite toy! I power washed the patio. I power washed the vinyl siding on the house. I power washed the sliding glass doors. If it wasn't nailed down, it got power washed. I felt just like Tim the Tool Man Taylor....hrah hrah hrah! What should have been a tedious chore was downright enjoyable! Now I know the real reason my husband didn't want me to play with the power washer. He wanted to keep all of the fun to himself. Shame shame! Now if I can only figure out how to use it INSIDE the house.......

Maroon 5

Hello. My name is Donna, and I'm a Maroon 5 fan. (Audience answers, "Hello, Donna.") I've been ashamed to admit it in the past, but today I am coming out. I have been a Maroon 5 fan since "Harder to Breathe" in 2003. Then came "This Love" and "She Will Be Loved" in 2004, and "Sunday Morning" in 2005, and I was hooked. Since then, I can't seem to get enough of them. Yes, I know they're a teeny-bopper bubble-gum pop uptown boy band, but I LOVE them! Those of you who know me well are probably shocked by this. After all, my musical taste usually runs much more complex than this. But I just can't help it. No matter how bad my mood is, Adam Levine's whiny, nasaly, auto-tuned voice parts the dark clouds for me like Moses parted the Red Sea. You could put me in a straightjacket, with shackles on my feet, and I would break out of them to boogie to "Moves Like Jagger". That song came on Pandora at 7:55 this morning, and I just couldn't help but sing and dance all over the house, despite the face that my coffee hadn't kicked in. It set the tone for me whole day. I can't even tell you what it is...infectious rhythms, uncomplicated lyrics, simple chord progressions, whatever. I have loved every single Maroon 5 song I have ever heard...even their cover of "The Way You Look Tonight". It's kinda weird, actually. So weird thing about me #1,536 is that I am thankful for Maroon 5. So there. I feel better now.

Wind Chimes

Today I am thankful for wind chimes. I just love them, especially on a day such as this one, when a strong gust of wind can send the breeze into song. I have quite a few sets of wind chimes, and they're all hanging from one huge White Oak tree in my front yard. I have some really long ones that play deep, melodious notes. I also have some tiny, tinkly ones that chirp at the wind. I have one made of shells, one of bamboo, and brass ones. I would love very much to fill that entire tree with wind chimes, so that every little wisp of a breeze would set off a symphony. I find them so relaxing, kind of like sound energy therapy. I've read that the resonance and vibration of the wind chimes sound can release stress and emotional blockages in the body. The sound calms the mind which expands conscious awareness and connection with spirit. The positive sounds of wind chimes promote relaxation and reduce anger and tension. It is also said that wind chimes help enhance the mind/body/spirit connection, bringing us a sense of peace and well being. Well I don't know about all that New Age mumbo-jumbo. I just know that I like them VERY much. And on this blustery day I can hear them through every open window in the house, and I feel so calm and peaceful. In this day and age, serenity can be hard to come by, so today I express my gratitude for the simple, tranquil sound of wind chimes.

The DVR is the Best Invetion EVER!

Everyone has that gadget or gizmo that they just couldn't live without. For some it's their cell phone, for others their laptop, kindle, iPad, whatever. Mine is my DVR. I believe that the DVR is just about the best invention EVAH! And I will tell you why, using "The Great Pumpkin" to illustrate. Earlier today, it occurred to me that the greatest of all Halloween specials ("It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown") should be coming on TV sometime in the next 2 weeks. Now when you and I were kids, we had to first get a copy of The TV Guide and search through it to find out WHEN "The Great Pumpkin" was coming on. Then we had to go to Mom and Dad and BEG them to miss "Barnaby Jones" just this once so we could watch the antics of Charlie Brown. The we had to actually be in front of the TV when it came on, which was especially hard if it came on on Wednesday or Sunday night when we might have choir practice or GA's (remember GA's?) or something else on that night. Everybody had to sit still be quiet while you watched it, because there was no rewinding because somebody was talking during the best part ("I got a rock."). There was no pausing while someone went to the bathroom....nooooooo. And the commercials! You had to sit through every single stinkin' one! OMG!!! And when those final credits rolled, it was kinda sad because you knew you wouldn't get to see Snoopy and the Red Baron again until NEXT Halloween. But all that is over now, thanks to the greatest invention EVAH, the DVR. Today I put in a search for "The Great Pumpkin", and I found it in mere seconds. I have it set to record on October 27th at 8:00. After it records, my family and I (except for my husband, who HATES Peanuts cartoons) can sit down and watch it whenever we choose. We can watch it as many times as we choose, pausing, rewinding, and fast-forwarding through those pesky commercials to our hearts content. Thanks to the DVR, we never say, "150 channels and there's NOTHING ON!" There's ALWAYS something on at our house. Whenever anyone tells me that they don't have a DVR, I look at them as if they are some kind of an alien...like they're a weirdo. I'm probably the weirdo here, but this weirdo will NOT be missing "The Great Pumpkin" this year!

Afternoon Naps

It has a been a LONG time since I had an afternoon nap. But today I needed one. I usually get up in the morning at 4:45, and go-go-go at a pretty steady clip until about 8:00 at night. At that time I finally collapse on the couch and try to catch one of the TV shows that I've DVR'ed over the course of the week. I try to get in bed by 9:30 or so, usually tired but not exhausted. So last night when I couldn't hold my eyes open during one of my favorite shows (Terra Nova), I knew it was only a matter of time before an afternoon nap would be the business of the day. I was a little laggy all this morning, but by the time I finished making the kids their lunch at noon, I was draggin' a**. I fought it, though. Lord knows I did. I fought it until 1:30, bless my heart. I was determined not to give in to the sleepies. And then I remembered something that I read about afternoon naps a couple of weeks back on my Yahoo home page. It was an article about the many benefits of the afternoon nap. I found the article again, possibly in an attempt to justify the inevitable. One particular passage called out to me, just as my comfy sofa was calling out to me. Here it is: "Many people feel a mid-afternoon slump in mood and alertness, especially after a poor night of sleep. Many believe that this slump is caused by eating a heavy lunch. However, in reality, this occurs because we were meant to have a mid-afternoon nap. If you have an opportunity for an afternoon nap, particularly after a poor night of sleep, take one; you will feel more alert and energetic afterwards. Mood, energy, and subjective alertness improve beyond baseline; objective alertness and performance also improve. Naps should be limited to 45 minutes and avoided after 4:00 p.m.;otherwise, one may enter deep sleep, which may cause grogginess for a period of time after the nap and reduce the pressure for sleep that night." AHA!!!! I knew it! So at 1:30, I set my alarm clock for 2:30 (allowing myself 15 minutes to GET to sleep...yes, I know that's cheating and I don't care) and drifted off to dreamland. It was a deep, blissful sleep. And I felt wonderful afterward. It's not something I can afford the time to do every day, but once in awhile it's necessary for my sanity. So today, I am absolutely thankful for the Afternoon Nap.

Not Being an Embarrassment

It's one of those things that every parent dreads...the day when you become an embarrassment to your kids. You know, that day when your son doesn't want ANYONE to hear you say, "I love you, Pumpkin." That day when your kid's worst nightmare would be for someone to see you hugging him goodbye. That day when he would rather poke out his eyes than give you a farewell kiss on school grounds. I thought that day would come for me on the 25th of August, 2011...the first day of high school. And I dreaded it. But I am thrilled to say that day has NOT come for me...yet. My son still hugs and kisses me goodbye every morning when he gets out of the car at school. I figured that was because none of his classmates are around in the morning to see him do it. SURELY he would be too ashamed to love his mom in front of other teenagers. I know I was at that age. I found out today that I was wrong about that. You see, I had to take my 14-year-old son to the doc for his flu shot this morning, so he was about 30 minutes late for school. I walked him to the office of the high school to check him in, and then we were to part ways in the lobby. Since the lobby of the school was full of high school kids, I figured it would be just "Seeya later, Mom" or "Have a good day", and then I'd watch him walk away to class. But not my kid (she says proudly). MY kid hugs me AND kisses me, right there in front of God and everybody, with not one bit of embarrassment. Only then does he walk away. But as I turn to go, I hear, loudly enough for everyone around to hear, "Love you, Mom!" I turn and say "I love you" back, kind of astonished. I choke back tears as I walk back to my car, thankful for a kid who isn't old enough yet to be embarrassed by his mom. I hope I get to hold on to that one for awhile.

Open Windows

Today I am thankful for the simple joy of open windows. That said, I am also thankful that I live in place where it is safe enough to open the windows. I guess I'm somewhat of a fresh air junkie. Opening the windows in my house is one of the first things I do when the temperature outside hits that glorious point when it is neither hot enough for the air conditioner, nor cold enough for the heater. In the immortal words of Goldilocks, it's "Juuuuust right". Today is one of thse days. I look forward to days like this every Autumn and Spring. I like Summer and Winter too, but nothing quite compares to that beautiful breeze wafting through my kitchen window, or the tinkling sounds of the many wind chimes hanging in the big white oak in my front yard. The house isn't stuffy, or clammy, or hot, or chilly. I can hear the chickens, and the mockingbirds, and the traffic, and the rain when it falls (ahhhhhhhh). That wonderful smell of rain through an open window...is there anything better? Yes, I have allergies, especially in the Fall and Spring. My nickname may as well by Sneezy the Dwarf during these months. But I am still grateful for this time, when the sweltering heat of the Summer is gone, and the snow and frost of Winter are yet ahead of us. I will keep my windows upon from now until at least Thanksgiving, and hopefully after. I will enjoy this moment, and bask in the pleasure of open windows.

A Perfect Compliment

Today I am thankful for a small, simple compliment that just made my whole day. This morning my husband said to me, "You're a really good mom." Now I know that particular statement wouldn't mean a lot to some women, but it meant absolutely EVERYTHING to me. You see, before my kids were born, I didn't envision myself as the "Mom" type. I was going to be a career woman, a big deal in a big city like New York or Los Angeles, or at least Nashville. Sure, I might have kids some day, but that would be secondary to a career in music or radio or who knows what. That didn't happen. But the kids did, and I found my bliss. I was a Mom. A diaper-changing, boo-boo-kissing, bedtime-story-reading MOM. It was unbelievably hard, requiring unending patience, long stretches of sleepless nights, and a cast-iron constitution. But I loved it. I loved it so much, I decided to make it my full-time occupation. I loved it so much, I pulled the little boogers out of school and started teaching them at home. Sure, in today's economy it's HARD to make it on one salary. We scrimp and save like every penny is our last, but it is eternally worth it. And we'll keep on going as long as we can afford to do it. I know there are some women out there who think that we stay-at-home Moms are just miserable, unfulfilled, unambitious women whose talents are being squandered. I think I speak for many of us when I say that we wouldn't have it any other way. I'm a Mom...a really GOOD Mom. And I love it.

What Do I Have to Be Grateful For, Anyway?

One of my favorite sayings is, "It's not having what you want that makes you happy. It's wanting what you already have." An easy, poignant thing to say for sure, but is it really true? I see lots of people who seem to have everything one could ever want. They live in beautiful houses. They drive expensive cars, boats, go-carts and motorcycles. They take lavish vacations. Aren't you envious? I was for a long time, and still am occasionally. But then I found out that "those people" usually aren't happy with all their things. Their big houses keep them separated, whereas my tiny house forces the four of us to be within hollerin' distance of each other at all times. Our cars aren't expensive, so we can eat nachos and fries at the local drive-in without worrying about getting cheese on the upholstery. We can't afford lavish vacations, so we take road trips instead. And if you've never taken a really great road trip with 2 adolescent boys (3, counting my husband!), you just haven't lived. You get it. To further make my point, I'm going to write a blog each day about something simple that I am just SO grateful for. Maybe it'll just be for me, remind me of just how blessed I am. Or maybe it'll help someone out there in Internet Land to stop and take a look around at what they DO have. Either way, my kids will read it someday, and they'll remember what a wise woman their mother was (teehee!). So here we go!

DAY ONE! October 11, 2001
Today I am grateful for paint that has the primer built in. Yes, I am! My house was built in 1963, and is in need of renovation. It has all of the lovely 1960s features that were popular back then, the most notable being a LOT of paneling and dark wood moldings and baseboards. I have debated over the years about what exactly to do about these, and I finally decided to jump right in and PAINT! I think I may have misjudged the difficulty of this endeavor. I am working on a hunter green hallway with dark wood door frames (4 of them), and wood molding at the top and bottoms of the walls. I am painting them white, of course. And I am SO grateful that I didn't have to apply primer first! Two coats of tedious small-surface painting has been a chore, but three would have been AWFUL! I'm still not finished, but I can already see how beautiful it's going to look, all lightened up and cheery. So thank you, whoever it was that came up with this marvelous idea. I am grateful for you and your product.

DAY TWO October 12, 2011
Today I am grateful for chicken soup when I have a cold. I know the old chicken soup remedy has been around for a hundred years, but it still works. I'm not a baby when it comes to colds, but I do find them terribly annoying. So when I woke up sniffling and sneezing this morning, I was truly grateful to find chicken noodle soup in the cupboard. I ate it, and really did feel better. I Google'd why chicken soup helps a cold, and found scores of scientific research to back up the Old Wives Tale. Turns out those Old Wives were pretty smart. There are a number of studies that show that chicken soup actually increases the flow of mucous and relieves respiratory inflammation. They say that any hot liquid will help, but studies have shown that chicken soup somehow performs better than just hot water. It appears to have something to do with the soup's aroma, because the studies showed that the effect was not as great for those who drank the soup through a straw. It is better to drink it from a cup, or a bowl. The effect comes entirely from the broth, by the way, not from any pieces of chicken in the soup. So next time you get the creepin' crud (and let's hope you don't anytime soon), be grateful for that can of Progresso or Campbell's Chicken Noodle that's been in your pantry for 6 months. It's a real blessing.