Harvest Time Widow

Kind of like when the guys watch football and we are football widows. Only I know a lot of you women like to watch football. I can be in the same room but doing something else, like reading a book.

Anyway, peony harvest is underway and when that happens I am alone a lot more than usual. But, the harvest is not as strong as usual and Hubby comes home after one episode of cutting and grading before another. Still, I look forward to the harvest being OVER.

I did not sleep well at all last night and ended up sleeping this morning but I am still groggy and lazy and in somewhat of a bad mood. Having a bad night certainly ruins the next day.

I have been crafting lately. I made two "from scratch" journals and altered a couple of smaller notebooks. The journals are 6" x 6" and each of the pages has some unique item to journal on. The second picture shows the pocket with tags on which to journal. The third photo shows a tag that can slide in and out from under the ribbons. Write on the back side of the tag. The left shows a small handmade notebook with a number of pages for journaling or to attach photos to.



My craft room is a mess but I've been enjoying the creativity. I will be making more of the notebooks. They are about 4.5" x 5.5" and have lined paper inside, 200 pages. Great for grocery lists, jotting down notes, etc.

Mother's Day Photos

Noah, Audra, Lily, Gabby

Koen

The trampoline was a big hit.

Katie and Dad (Vic)

Patio at Katie & Rick's house

Lily and Emily

Lily and Audra, her mommy

Koen gets some air. He is fearless.

Melanie and Dad (Vic)

Macie

Gabby and Noah

Melanie, Charley, Vic and Buddy

Day 5

I'm hanging in there with my "new way of eating." I don't want to call it a diet! So far so good on Day 5!

Went to a book sale at a library yesterday; bought a whole bunch of books. Novels, reference, CDs, kids DVDs, cookbooks. Wow! And tomorrow they are having an all-you-can-fit-in-the-bag for $1 sale! Hope I can go, but if I don't, I'm very happy with my haul from yesterday.

Hubby is still working in the peony harvest. Last year and this year the numbers are down from a, hmmm, how should I say this? An operator error...? That's good for now. Hubby manages to come home in the middle of the day and hasn't been working til dark so I get to see him a lot.

I've been working in my craft room, creating. I will take some photos soon and post them here.

All is well on the homefront.

Impatience is not a virtue...

Yesterday was a hurry up and wait day. Lines when I went to the dollar store. Lines in the fast food place. I was a grumbly grouch. I waited in line at the dollar store for about 45 minutes! Really! Everyone was buying flowers and balloon bouquets. Ah, it finally dawned on me, they were getting Mother's Day stuff! Okay, so I didn't have to be so grumbly. I did think the store could have had one or two more checkers, however!

So this morning I'm FBing and there was a loud knock on the door, not the doorbell ringing. I thought it was Hubby and that he had forgotten something. Nope, it was a bouquet of flowers with a balloon for me! From our daughter, Katie and her Honey, Rick. Beautiful flowers! They could have been weeds, though, and my joy would have been the same!

Happy Mother's Day to you!!



Random Acts of Kindness

Recently a friend posted on her wall on FB that she paid for the order of the car behind her in a drive up at a fast food restaurant. What a great kindness that was. She reported that it made her feel good to do that for someone. A random act of kindness actually makes two people feel good, the giver and the receiver.

We will often give a bit of money to a "bum" (used here for lack of a better description and by no means meant to be derogatory) alongside the roadway at a stop light. The last time I put a bottle of water with it and the thanks were so profuse that I thought maybe we should take extra bottles of water with us whenever we drove to "the big city." (We know that we shouldn't leave bottled water in the car in the hot weather as the plastic can release toxins into the water when reaching high temperatures.)

The idea of the bottled water went even further. What if we gave a bag with water, granola bars, antiseptic hand wipes, peanuts, etc., etc.? That idea has been around awhile but I had not thought of doing it until now. I'm still trying to figure out what to call it when I talk to Hubby. He thought I had made up a treat bag for him and wondered why I put a sample sized shampoo in his treat bag! So quickly I told him it was a "Bum Bag." Maybe I should have said, "Homeless Handout." (What would you call it?)

Sure, some of the people with signs alongside the roadway probably just need to get a job, but we always say we would rather help someone who doesn't really need it than to pass someone by who really does need it. If you are suspect - give out a bag of goodies rather than money. You'll be surprised at the thanks you get from the receiver, but you will also feel good the rest of the day.