A Book Review

I love curling up with a good book and non-fiction is my favorite genre, motivational/inspirational books topping the list of fun reads for me. (Blast from the past book story here.) Imagine, then, the thrill it was for me to receive a surprise package on my doorstep containing one.  There was no note, and after I read the title, GET YOUR SH*T TOGETHER by Sarah Knight, I understood why nobody wanted to take credit for the gift.  It seemed like kind of an insult, but I read it anyway.

Well A BIG THANK YOU to my mysterious benefactor!  I LOVED this read so much that I actually gifted several key people in my life (who shall remain nameless) with copies of their own.  Who knows?  Maybe I  even sent one to the same person who sent me mine.

Aside from the potty words which I believe were inserted to appeal to a generation far younger than mine, the book held a lot of brilliant advice.  I highly recommend it; just change the word "sh*t" to "act" if profanity offends you.  Personally, it doesn't impact me at all.  I guess I was probably inoculated against it in my childhood.

My father, whom I have already mentioned was an Olympic Gold Medalist in Napping (tribute to Dad is here), was also award winning in the area of cursing.  That man sprinkled swear words over each sentence like a chef seasons his signature dish.  Sh*t and damn were two of his favorite trilogy, Hell being the third.  So, in a way, I found reading this book strangely comforting.  That probably is a discussion best had with a therapist...  

One of the ideas that the author threw out there was to pitch your "to-do list"  and she suggested instead to replace it with a MUST DO list.  Yesterday I did just that.  I carefully considered at length what was most important for me to accomplish during my day.  My list consisted of three items.  Three.  I was setting myself up for success, that seems clear. What an ugly shock when at    the end of the day, not one had actually gotten completed -- and one entry was "Take a Vitamin."  Seriously, that one seemed like a slam dunk when I wrote it.

If you enjoy the book as much as I did, YOU ARE A BADASS by Jen Sincere is another fun read. "Badass" is mild in the world of the profane and I'm not even sure it qualifies.   THE LIFE CHANGING MAGIC OF NOT GIVING A  F*CK is another.

My father never, ever used the F word.  Even he had his standards.  

A Visit from the Grands

Here are three ways you can tell our Grands have been visiting:

There is artwork on the wall,

The car vent is now a piggybank,

                                                        and finally...

                                                                   Cheerios in the vacuum.

Once again I will say it: Being a grandparent is the best job I've ever had.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Simple Gifts

My favorite Mother's Day gift has to be the one my baby brother gave my mom when he was about four.  The nine-year-old me didn't "get it" at the time.  It took me decades (and having my own kids) before I truly understood the beauty of his simple gift.

That year Dad decided that Billy was big enough to pick a gift out for Mom all by himself.  Billy was excited at the prospect of a shopping trip were he could actually do the choosing.  He came back smiling from ear to ear.  He was wild with delight, truly thrilled with his purchase.  

"Mommy is gonna love this!" he told me.  "She can use it for so many things in so many ways!"  he enthused.

Mom always had a cup of coffee in her hand!

I was super curious about what this perfect gift was but he wasn't giving even the tiniest of hints.  I had to wait just like mom but, he assured me, it was great. When the day came and Billy offered our mother his gift, he just beamed.  

My mother was charmed by the gift and told the story for the rest of her life.
Billy had given Mom a present that he'd chosen himself...

...a ball of string.

When Hell Freezes Over

Dad is a colorful man and nowhere is that more apparent than in his speech.  "When Hell freezes over" was one of his favorite sayings when I was growing up.  I just hope he remembers telling me that because...


As everyone knows, I now live east of Hell in a place that is so hot in the summer that sweat, like tears, will pour down your face as you sit in air conditioning doing nothing more strenuous than, well, sitting.  Imagine my surprise last Saturday evening when it started to snow, snow and snow! A day later we had six inches on the ground.  Then it happened.  Snow turned to rain, then as temperatures dropped, freezing rain hit the snow-covered ground. 


Voila!  Hell (and everywhere north, south, east and west of it) has frozen over.  The trees look like they are straight out of a Currier and Ives print and the ground crunches as you walk.  It's truly beautiful.  Treacherous, but beautiful.


...I am so excited!  When will my pony be arriving?