easy vs hard

Just a thought...


losing is easy...winning is hard

lazy is easy....action is hard

dumb is easy...smart is hard

flab is easy...muscle is hard

criticizing is easy...taking criticism is hard

talking is easy...listening is hard

eating is easy...dieting is hard

watching TV is easy...reading is hard

arguing is easy...negotiating is hard

giving advise is easy...taking advise is hard

stop is easy...go is hard

dirty is easy...clean is hard

taking is easy...giving is hard

dreaming is easy...thinking is hard

lying is easy...truth is hard

sleeping is easy...waking is hard

holding a grudge is easy...forgiving is hard

telling a secret is easy....keeping a secret is hard

play is easy....work is hard

falling is easy...getting up is hard

spending is easy....saving is hard

war is easy...peace is hard

doubt is easy....faith is hard

pride is easy...humility is hard

excusing ones self is easy....excusing others is hard

borrowing is easy...paying back is hard

cowardice is easy...bravery is hard

messy is easy...neat is hard

sarcasm is easy...sincerity is hard

can't "do" is easy...can "do" is hard

Sun Shiney Day

If someone (in my dreams) was gonna give me an award, I would of thought the name of the award would be...

Most Sarcastic Award or

Most Anal Retentive Award or

Worry Wart Award (say that 5 times) or better yet

Most Sarcastic, Anal Retentive and Worry Wart Award...but NOOOOO, I was given...are you

ready?


My friend Charlie over at " Art Happens" bestowed this on me. So now what? I gotta act all

happy or something because some one, out there, is gonna have to tell me how to be all

sunshiney and stuff. Do I skip about the house or visit little old ladies and spread some

sunshine? When I get cow poop all over my pants and smile about it cuz it's my

daughters cow, am I'm suppose to be OK with that? So, do I order every single thing

from every single fund raiser that comes my way? Or do I write an endearing and somewhat

sarcastic bog entry about the virtues of being happy and appreciative about all the wonderful

and good things in my life...because if that's what you all expect...it's true...all of it. I just don't

know how Charlie knew that...I'm just sayin'



I'm gonna pass this radiant award to a few of the people who I think, when they step out of

their homes "Here comes the sun" plays in the background...

go ahead and visit them...you'll be happy and cheerful you did!


Blonde Episodes

Dancing in Tattered Shoes

Castles, Crowns and Cottages

Happy Loves Rosie

Martha's Favorites

T's Daily Treasure

Fiona and Twig

Filagree Moon

Destination Seaborn

Plumrose Lane

Squirels on the porch

Had my squirely grandsons the other day and wanted to take them to the park but it was raining. We decided to go to McDonald's so they could blow off a little steam. Never in a million years did I think I would climb on the playground equipment and chase the little one. They look like angels here but they are a handful. I love it when they are around and love it when they go home...lol

Outta pure laziness

Remember that artificial Christmas tree that someone put on the curb? Well, after it took me forever to take down and put away all my Christmas decor and clean, I didn't know where to store this addition. If you know me, I have a place for everything and everything needs to be in their place, so I had a bit of a dilemma....not a big one, but one none the less. Then it hit me...I'll leave it up and decorate it through out the year. I really liked it there in my dining room in the corner with it's little lights. At night we used it for a little night light on our way to the kitchen so it also came in handy. Plus I got lazy and figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and Voila'...


A Valentines Tree


notice that shabby chic picture I practically stole at a yard sale....it's perfect in here


Sometimes creativity evolves from laziness but what the heck...I think it look wonderful.




...I'm just sayn'

Quirky Obsession

What makes you happy beside the usual stuff? You know, like spouse, children yada

yada yada.

Well certain people who know me, know just what makes me happy. One of the best

Christmas gift ever.





A super size jar filled with buttons. Yep! I'm obsesses with buttons. Thanks Brenda.

Doppleganger

It's German for double or identical replica of a person.This is Eric's...





what do you think?



apparently,everyone has one. I'm just sayin'

No man is a Planet

Is it me or are people not aware that other people live on this planet too? Ran a bunch of errands today...Home Depot, Market, Thrift Store, Gas Station and a Feed store where there just happened to be other people, moving about just living there lives.....LIKE THEY'RE THE ONLY PEOPLE ON THE PLANET. Ok, let me explain. Pull into the parking lot of Home Depot and people are walking across right in front of me and not looking at me. I saw them so I stopped, but not once did anyone turn or lift there head to look a cross traffic. Like they were in their own little world and they had carte blanc to the parking lot AND the facility, because inside wasn't any better. People leaving carts in the middle of the aisle to wonder off to look at something or slow walking while talking on their cell phones without a clue that there are 3 or 4 people behind them...trying to pass. It was the same way at the Market and every else I went today. People are just not aware of what's around them because they are so either focused on what they are doing or just don't give a rat's ass. At least that's how I see it.

I was comparing people with shopping carts to people driving cars...it's the same darn thing. They just merge or turn or exit or enter without thinking that that decision might affect another person. There is roughly 7 billion people on this planet and I really think that half of them live in there own little bubble and just go through life without a care in the world. Just driving and walking and shopping and merging and doing what we all do but unaware of their surroundings.

I on the other hand, am always conscience of what and who's around me. Why...because that's what human beings do. Being human means to interact with, communicate to, validate and if your lucky...smile at someone, preferably another person, from this planet.

It's like peeling a grape

My life has come to this. No, not peeling grapes but close. Because I have Diverticulosis I can't eat a lot of things...including foods with seeds which includes tomatoes...the ones in my fridge that have been sitting there since Christmas. Oh, they're still good, they're Grape Tomatoes and they keep a very long time. Did I tell you that I LOVE Grape Tomatoes? And that every single time I open the fridge they mock me. All cute and red and plump in their cozy little packaging that caught my eye at the market. Told you I'm a sucker for presentation. So...what to do. Eric prefers regular tomatoes and Raquel doesn't like them at all and I certainly will not throw them out.

Today when I came home for lunch and opened the fridge, again my little friends began mocking me,"ha, ha you can't eat me", "go 'head bunny and see what will happen". Oh yeah, I'll show them. I took them out and decided to slice them in half and take out the seeds...

Do you know how meticulous that is and was? I did it, but I won't be doing that again...what a hassle plus most of the taste is in the pulp. Looks like I'm making salsa. Wonder how they feel now?

I scored...big time

Went to a yard sale Saturday morning. The choir teacher at work is moving and from knowing her and her taste I was chewing at the bit....why?...because this why...


White rooster, wrought iron stand, shabby chic tray and round ornate plaster mirror....there's more...



black wrought Iron container and two pairs of pink shoes..one of them has little jewels all over them....wait, there's more...


A beautiful planter with roosters on it that I already gave to a friend with a rooster fetish




Wow! you say...wait there is still more...a vanity mirrored tray and another cute little mirror with delicate little etchings all around the edge......


Can you believe all this wonderful stuff...but wait....a greenish gold garden trellis..




Oh...I'm not done yet my friends....a shabby chic pic that fits perfectly in my dinning room






and the Pièce de résistance...wait for it....wait for it.....BAM! A huge wrought Iron planter...with 2 doves in it...not sure what I'm gonna do with the birds but I plan on painting the planter white




Now if this is not impressive to you, the price for all this will knock you off your computer chair...


$20.00...yep that's twenty dollars...American moola. Actually, I felt so bad and shocked at the price...I gave her $25.00 just so I could sleep tonight...but I tell ya'...I was so thrilled at my finds that I was practically high...not that I know what that feels like...

Needles and Cupping

This is gonna be a long post so go on a potty break or grab something to eat and settle in for my Eastern Medicine Ride...

Well over 20 years ago something happened to my back..what, I don't know. I have had constant back pain for that long. Most of the time it is tolerable and I've learned to just live with it. Over the years I have tried various treatments such as Massage Therapy, Chiropractic, Yoga, stretching and now...losing weight but even that hasn't alleviate the pain. The pain, for whatever reason has flared up recently...perhaps because of the walking that I've been doing or the fact that I feel pretty good, I'm doing more or who knows. All I know is it's time to try something else. I've been talking to some people at work and a couple of friends who have tried Acupuncture and every single one of them have sung the praises of this method.

In my neighborhood to my benefit, is the Southern California School of Chiropractic and the Southern California University of Health Sciences that specialize in eastern medicine and practice state of wellness.. I've been there before for massages and adjustments but always made a bee line past the Chinese medicine and doctors thinking that all this wellness stuff and Chinese hocus pocus was not for me.

So I bit the bullet and make an appointment for a free consultation right? What can I lose...it's free. By the way, it's a learning facility so most of who you deal with are students...usually 4th year ones. I fill out the 5 page questionnaire regarding my health...everything from, was I an easy baby to how many babies I've had, to when I first started my period to mental illness. From the top of my head to the bottom of my toes, there was nothing this questionnaire didn't ask and I was told to answer honestly from the nurse. I was ushered into a very small room by 2 people...I'm still not sure what their job titles were....nurse, tech, custodian? They took my blood pressure and each one took my pulse at the same time and then switch wrists and did it again....very strange. One of them asked to see my tongue and I so politely stuck it out for her while the other one was feeling my neck and shoulders. When this was over, they asked me to take off my shoes and left. Enter the doctor...a very Chinese one with a very think accent. You know the kind where you have to focus on every single word as not to miss anything and still your not quiet sure what the heck he said...but I tried. He told me he could help me with needles and that after my 1st treatment I would be feeling better. He tells me "No blood, no pain....very relaxing" and asks to see my tongue....again. What's up with the tongue thing? I had so many questions I didn't ask that one. He looked at my feet and again felt my pulse. Later I learned that they are not timing my pulse like regular doctors but listening for sounds, pressure and tone which in turn will let them know certain things like, what you ate, how you slept, the sex of your baby that your carrying and much more...it was an eye opener for sure.

Honestly, I am so tired of my back giving me problems, I caved, yep, I told him I would think about it but I knew I was gonna try it. I made an appointment on my way out...


...fast forward 2 days later.



Again I am surrounded by two interns (i found out what they were) and again, the wrists, the feet and the tongue. The doctor comes in and explains what he will do and then leaves. I lay on my stomach on the bed, you know the type...a massage table and they try to make me feel as comfortable as I can being that I'm on my stomach and that's a position that I don't do well in. One of the interns name is Sabel and the other, Lisa. Sabel tells me that they will apply cupping to my back to help massage and loosen the area before the needles. Very interesting...I've heard of it but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would experience it.
Now that that's over, the man walks in and asks if I'm ready. As ready as I'll ever be, I replied and he and the two interns proceed. I see nothing and I hear everything. Cupboards being opened and shut, things being shuffled about, clinking of glass and all three of them talking out loud and whispering. Let the needles begin...and honestly, I hardly felt anything. Once in a while a little pinch but nothing to speak of. One of them tells me that they will apply some sort of electrode thingy to a couple of the needles and that I will feel an impulse..nothing more. It's true, I felt a little impulse that when they put 2 heaters on me and dimmed the lights and left for 20 minutes....I fell asleep...seriously, I was put to sleep by the impulsing. Someone opened the door at the half way point and said, "10 more minutes Victoria..are you alright?"

When it was all over, needles out, lights on and sitting upright, I have to tell ya...I was very relaxed and had some sort of feeling of calmness. And...my back felt decent. Now I know that after 20 years of back stuff, one treatment does not make a miracle happen, but, I will continue with this treatment until I see something happen...good or indifferent. I'm just sayin'

My Motto...

One morning when I was dropping Raquel off at school, before she got out of the car I turned to her and said, "remember, business before pleasure", her response, "is that your motto mom?...well yeah, I guess so. I have picked a motto every year since. In 2008 our motto was "make it happen". And in 2009 it was "beware of geeks bearing gifts. I or should I say we have used these inspirational sayings as a joke at the most hysterical and inappropriate times.
Raquel has even let a couple of her friends in on our joke motto and once in a while they will surprise me with it. We were coming home from downtown L.A and we had just watched a performance of Mary Poppins at the Ahmansen Theater. By the way...it was fabulous. Anyways, I was driving and we were talking about the play and the music when Raquel tells me she liked that song "practically perfect"...well, almost simultaneously we looked at each other and laughed out loud and yelled...our new motto!

So let it be know that this year...2010's motto is "Practically Perfect" and no doubt, not only will we be saying it a lot but I will include it into this years blogging....I'm just sayin'!

Age...the dictator

It dawned on me the other night, while sitting in a restaurant scanning the menu and searching for things that I could digest that wouldn't upset my stomach....that my age is dictating my every move. Yes, it's come to this...where I have to time my eating habits with the time of day. For instance...no garlic, onions, dairy, caffeine, beef or any heavy meals after 6:30ish. If I do there is a price I have to pay and it's not pretty. Which leads me to this next topic. While trying to pick the right formula off the menu, I need my reading glasses. Holding the menu up to the hanging light above the table or asking Eric "what does this say?" just doesn't cut it anymore. And I've taken a whole new approach to shopping too. I just hang my little readers from my clothing so that if need be, I can just reach for them...kinda like a six shooter but instead of reaching from the hip...I reach for the bosom from which they hang...the readers that is.

Now that I've reach the 50 mark..Oh, OK...past the 50 mark, there are certain body parts that demand our attention . Certain tests can only be taken when the magic number comes up...50, it's like Vegas, all the bells and whistles go off. It seems that not only do our outside gets old but our insides do too, so we are now subject to pricks, jabs, insertions , squeezing, pamphlets and brochures with pictures of very happy seniors on them.

Activities? Sure I'm active...even more so than before except I don't do Aerobics, run, play a sport that involves the above or participate in any contact sport. You see, these activities are not so good on knees, backs and shoulders...all of which I have problems with which is why I swim, do water aerobics,yoga and walk. Thank God not one of these activities needs reading glasses.

How 'bout the stuff you can't see...like Hormones. Oh I know their there, just not all the time and when they do show up I think they go get their buddies and play street hockey in my head because honestly, it seems that where they show up the most...in my head. I can see crying once in a while and at appropriate times but every freakin' day? I'm sorry...no one has that many Kodak moments in their lives.

Sex...yeah, I got your attention now huh? You know your older when you have to stretch a little in anticipation AND sometimes during and perhaps after too. I just tell Eric it's a new move...hey! at least I'm moving!

So my point being that everyone has to fine tune their lives and their daily routine just so we can adjust to our getting older. And when I'm 80 years old, I just hope I can still find the humor in it...some one have a camera ready cuz it'll probably be a Kodak moment...I'm just sayin'