Confession of Infidelity

I must come clean.  I have been unfaithful to my blog.  Of course most bloggers  are unfaithful to their blog.  They and I enjoy writing so they post in many different places.  If you would like to see some of my other work, you can check me out on Associated Content.  A particular article that I thought you might enjoy is one I published yesterday called Favorite Children's Books to Read Out Loud.  I hope that you will take a minute and check it out. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it enough to forgive my infidelity.

Doing Good = Feeling Good

Do you have those friends that seem like depression is their friend?  They just don't seem happy unless they are complaining?  I swear Facebook has made this even worse.  Some people have turned complaining into an art form.  I think that they are bolstered by the people that post supportive comments, but the positive comments don't actually seem to encourage the people to change:  it just encourages them to complain even more. 

My husband is fascinated by one of our friends who begs for Friday every Monday.  Not once in a while, but every single week.  We've decided that if life is really that bad then maybe it is time to move on and change your life so that Monday is a good day.  Hating 1/7th of your life is not the way to live.

Then there is a certain family member that tells us how awful life is: how tired, uncomfortable, and out of shape he is.  At least once a day, among the many, many posts we are reminded how bad his life is.  We started by trying to be supportive, but clearly he doesn't want or just can't accept help.

So, I'm not sure if my post the other day was in response to this negativity, but my post was "Doing good = Feeling Good". This is a sentiment that I not only espouse but live.  This weekend for example, DD and I worked a blood drive on Friday.  Saturday, we visited our former foster child. Sunday, we wrapped Operation Christmas Child boxes in the morning and then returned to church to hand out Halloween Fair Trade Candy.  All and all it was an amazing weekend.

I think that doing good and helping others is better than any anti-depressant out there.  The power of one making a difference is almost intoxicating.  And I'm always reminded that one + one = even more good work getting done. The only thing better than doing good work yourself is doing good work with others.

I hope that you will find a way to help others and then you can post about it so that we can all be uplifted to do more.

Weight Loss Secret

We have a beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog, Max.  He is a runt for a Berner, but is beautifully colored  and according to the vet weighs just the right amount.  According to her, you should be able to feel the animals ribs but not see them.  The interesting thing is that Max has a ton of extra skin.  You can pull up gobs of it.  He seems to need a tummy tuck very badly.  Of course with all of his hair, you would never notice.  So the question is how can a dog that eats constantly and sleeps in any of his spare time have such a svelt figure.

Yesterday, I realized the answer: his tail is in constant motion. We actually sometimes call him Flip because that is all his tail does: flip, flip, flip.  So I'm thinking that this is the dog equivalent to the person who can stop shaking his leg or tapping his hands.  Maybe if I start to become figitty, I too can become fit and sexy.

Photos of Me - Then and Now

Well, here you go as promised: me - then vs. me - now. The picture to your left is a picture of me in 1988, my senior class picture. The picture below is me from the reunion last Friday - 2009. At least I'm still smiling.

Random Dozen - 10-21-09

Today, I opted to participate in the Random Dozen by 2nd Cup of Coffee. I often read through her answers but never answer. I think it was the Candy Corn question that drew me in. Why are those little things so darn tasty and cute.

1. Candy corn: Your thoughts? I wonder who ever thought of this idea. Corn it is so good and healthy for you. Let’s turn it into a sugary treat.

2. Briefly, what was the first conversation you ever had with your spouse? (or best friend, if you're not married.) (Or someone significant, like your librarian.) Well, it wasn’t our first conversation as we grew up together, but DH actually asked me out on bet. He and his friends debated who was going to have the guts to ask. DH won or lost depending how you look at it.

3. Could you ever become a vegetarian? Yes – as long as I didn’t have to cook for DH and family.

4. Have you ever dressed up your pet in a costume? NO!

5. Name something about childhood that you miss (like Clark Bars, Teaberry Gum, Malibu Barbie, cracking fake eggs on people's heads with your fist and "It's the Great Pumpkin" airing only once a year).
Christmas at my Grandfather’s. It was so traditional we even had mashed turnip. It was like living in an old movie.

6. Have you ever won a trophy? If not, what do you deserve a trophy for?
I think dance when I was like 6.

7. When do you think is the appropriate time to begin playing Christmas music each year?
December 26th – I love Christmas music. It is appropriate all year round and love when it starts playing on Sounds of the Seasons.

8. What's your favorite board game? Hmmmm – Scrabble, Life, PayDay. That is a hard question. Trivia Pursuit, Monopoly, Made for Trade.

9. How do you feel about surprises (receiving, not giving)? Depends on what the surprise is. Surprise, DH is taking me away for the weekend or we won the lotto – yeah! Surprise party which you will have the joy of cleaning – Booo!

10. Is it easy for you to say, "I'm sorry"? I say, “I’m sorry” way too often – even for things that I have no control over. This is a very bad habit.

11. What is your favorite candle scent? Vanilla

12. October is traditionally "open house" time in public schools. If you had a literal open house in your home (like a reception) what light snacks would you serve visitors and what would you show them (as in art projects, graded papers) that would uniquely represent you?

Girl Scout cookies – since that is a huge part of my life (it would fulfill both categories).
I guess I would put out photo albums, play some music, and have books lying around.