A Little Off Course

Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men.......seems my blogging plan has gone awry.  Not without good reason though.  We have been prepping our other house for sale and have been away from home and when I get home I am too tired to even care so I am falling behind.
Also, in addition to Trixie, I am caring for Bean’s pets while they are away.  I have a hamster named Sprinkles and a guinea pig named Dot here.  The hamster isn’t difficult at all but the guinea pig takes more time and care and affection.  Yes, affection.   So, between brushing the pig, cuddling the pig, washing vegetables for the pig and giving her hay, I am really up to my ears in guinea pig care.  I will post photos later.
I have to speak to Bean about her participation in the book club postings.  I think she needs to write her opinions as well as me.  So, going to work on that when she gets home which will be soon.
I thought Trixie killed herself this morning.  She was jumping up to grab a dog biscuit from me and slipped on the kitchen floor and banged her head on the tile floor.  She didn’t miss a lick though and got right back up and continued jumping so I guess all is well.
Well, off to meet the realtor so fingers crossed this house sale will go quickly.

Aggravation

I am having trouble posting on my iPad.  Seems that blogger and iPad don’t play well together.  So, I downloaded the blogger app and now I can post but i cant read the blogs I like to visit everyday.  I have to figure this out.

The Trixie Chronicles

Hiya! Everybodee! It’s me, Trixie!

This has really been a week! I have been a very busy terror  uh I mean terrier.  My Hooman mommy has been getting lots of exercise with me.. Did I tell you her knee has flared up? Did I do that?  Probably.

Anyway, we have been doing lots of potty training.  Mommy Nona put a Christmas bell on the door but it sounded like a bomb going off so she bought these -- proper bells.

They sound better and I actually ring them when I need to go out.  Not all the time though but I am




getting better.  I had one accident free day but slide back once but I am getting there.  Especially
 with these nifty bells.

Another thing that happened is that I had to stay home all by myself for a long long ticme whIle the hoomans did something else.  They have been very busy and have gotten very tired.  Even Mommy Nona has been whining.  It is sad.

I think I have grown.  I look a little porky.  Mommy Nona can’t figure out if I look more like Alf or Chewbacca.  Whoever that is.  I think I am beautiful.. what do you think?

Oh, I have lots of toys but this is the best ever and I found it all by myself!  I am so resourceful!

So, that has been my week!  Wonder what is going to happen this week?  I heard the word bath.  

Diolch (Gratitude in Welsh)

I was never so aware of feelings of gratitude as I was after I got sick.  Getting sick can be very
humbling.  You need help and when you get it the feeling of gratitude is almost unbearably overwhelming.  This all happened quite a long time ago but I still have a heightened awareness of the feeling of gratitude.

Every morning, without fail, I am grateful for another day.

Then each day has its own opportunity to feel grateful.  It might be small or it might be big but it is always there.

Today I am grateful that my kids got across the great pond without issue and that the Bean is spending some time  with her other grandparents.  They have a number of neat things planned to do so they should have a good time.

This sounds silly, but I am grateful that Trixie seems to be catching on to going outside.  That is one of the little things.

And I am grateful that the Mister is doing so much better since his episodes in March and April.

All that and it is just 7 am.  I am so blessed.

Hot Mess

I received a request to show my “hot mess”.  Well, here it is.

This doesn’t look like the well planned clutter of the Gilmore Girls.  Granted four grandkids left stuff out but that maddening stack on the end of the table belongs to the Mister and he likes it there.

Homekeeping

For some reason I am still interested in homekeeping.  I read lots of blogs and magazines and I have even explored Marie Kondo’s method of tidying up.  The thing that really has my attention, however, is television programs and set designs.

I recently watched the entire series of Gilmore Girls and was totally fascinated with the Gilmore house.  Nothing matches, it defines shabby chic and is so welcoming and doesn’t look the least bit cluttered even though it is.

Now I am watching Parenthood.  I have loved the Braverman house since I watched it originally.  Again, it almost looks like the clutter was purposely designed that way.  I guess it was.  Again, it looks warm and homey and inviting.

I have tried to aspire to the minimalist agenda but I know my pack rat husband just can’t do that.  It would take about five seconds for him to clutter up a minimal coffee table because he is very dysfunctional with flat surfaces — he likes to see them covered in stuff.  I hate it but I have never been able to change him.  At this point in my life that struggle is over.

So I have been trying to create a warm, eclectic living environment that is welcoming and comfortable. What do I call it, this style?

Hot mess.

Faith

Getting older has some perks.  Some of those perks are time and opportunity.  We have the opportunity to be around our granddaughter on a daily basis.  We have the time to spend with her and to share her life experiences with her.  Because we have fewer obligations now than we did with our own children, we have the time to spend with her and see her through good times and bad.

We live at the tail end of tornado alley and we can have some really rough weather.  Bean is totally afraid of storms.  Recently we had such a storm while she was here and her behavior completely astonished me.  Now, she has been in church since she was born—we are active, practicing Anglicans.  She has been Catholic School educated since age 3.  The child is well indoctrinated so it shouldn’t have been such a shock to me but the thunder started and I watched her as she fell to her knees, crossed herself and started praying furtively through the tears.  Then she came to the table where we were all sitting  and asked us to please pray with her.  We did, of course, and then took the pets to the safe place in the house and as the storm subsided we learned that there was a small tornado that went through her neighborhood and did some damage.  She asked why her house was spared.  I asked the question back to her and she smiled and said “because we prayed”.  

The next day or so a friend of mine who has an uncanny knack of posting scripture that is just what I need to hear when I need to hear it posted this—

“When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I am” — Psalm 61.2

How could I not think of my sobbing, frightened little granddaughter when I saw that?  She knew exactly what to do when she couldn’t do anything else. She was overwhelmed and she went to the rock.

I am so glad to be at this time in my life where I have the time to sit back and watch and wonder at the growth and development of this young mind and heart.  I am so glad to have the opportunity to witness her faith in action.,

The Bean and Me Book Club

The Bean and Me Book Club is a joint effort of my granddaughter and I to read the same books and review them.  Obviously these are youth books but don’t mistake that for being childish or simplistic.  Some of the books Bean brings to the table are really good and very engaging for an adult as well.

Right now I am reading “Wish” on her recommendation.  It is about Charlie, a girl who has been shipped off to live with her aunt and uncle because her mom is severely depressed and can’t get out of bed and her dad is in jail.  She doesn’t fit in very well in her school and she has a chip on her shoulder as big as the county.  She has become obsessed with rescuing and caring for a stray dog that has been lurking about trying to get her attention.  Her uncle and her friend Howard, who walks up down (limps) are going to help her.

That is my stopping point.  I am hoping that today they figure out where the dog goes when he is hiding out!  So far it is a good story although some of the circumstances are a little adult but certainly not unrealistic.  Bean handled it well and didn’t get bogged down in the sad parts.  She won’t tell me what happens so I guess I am going to have to finish soon so I can find out for myself.

I will let you know!

Redeaux

I read some really lovely blogs.  I love visiting with my blog friends every day and seeing what is going on in their lives.  I love seeing all the photos as well.  It makes me think about my own blog and not in a very good way.

I enjoy playing with the layouts and color combos.  I get a kick out of different fonts. However what doesn’t seem to be as good as it should be is the content.  That is sort of a big deal because that is why people visit blogs.  So I am thinking about being a bit more organized about my writing.  I am thinking about assigning a topic for each day of the week.  For example, Monday could be The Trixie Chronicles, Tuesday could be the Bean and Me Book Club, Wednesday could be about cardmaking, Thursday could be about faith (that should actually be first), Friday could be about cooking or fashion or something.  Anyway, you get the picture.  So, since yesterday I introduced The Trixie Chronicles, I think today will be about the Bean and Me Book Club.

I have always thought blogs should be sort of random but that makes it difficult sometimes when there is no direction.  I really enjoy blogging because it gives me a venue to write.  My goal in life was to be a writer and, of course, that didn’t happen but I still like to put my thoughts down on paper. Sometimes it is a great way to clear your mind.

So, I am hoping to be a better blogger with a plan.  We will see how it goes.

And here are some photos for you — my fairy gardens in pots

The Trixie Chronicles

Hi there! My name is Trixie and I am a 4 month old Yorkshire Terrier.  I came to live with Mommy Nona and Grampsey two weeks ago.  I came from Cleburne where I  lived with my four sisters.   I am  not much dog —less than five pounds —but I am so much more than that.  I am a supreme escape artist, a potty training challenge, a cuddly ball of fluff and an Olympic grade runner every night about 8 pm.

I am also a practical joker.  The first two days I was here my human folks thought I was so quiet and polite.  I didn’t let them hear my big threatening bark for the first week.  I had to laugh because the first time Mommy Nona heard me she wasn’t sure it was a bark!  I really only bark when they put me in my crate and I don’t want to be there.  Seems they think it’s ok to ignore me.  Hmmmmp.

Mommy Nona is really beside herself because no matter how hard she tries I still have accidents in
the house.  I am really stealthy like.  So today we went on an outing to Petco.  I went and even got to ride outside my crate.  BUT, when we got there she bought a big box and some pellets and she thinks she is going to make me potty like a cat!  Haha, Mommy Nona is so fun——-ny!  We all know that isn’t going to work but we will play the game for a while because apparently she doesn’t have anything else to do.  It does look like the laundry is piling up though. Oh, the pellets are really tasty too.

So, the last two weeks have been interesting.  I have been loved on (that’s nice), yelled at (just once), taken outside a bazillion times and told to “go potty” more than that.  I am pretty independent, really slippery, rather tiny and loved by everybody even if I have no intention of ever telling them when I need to go out.

Well, it is past my bedtime.  So until the next time......Nighty nite from me, the Trixster!  Oh, hi Jack!