Fire Light, Fire Bright, How You Warm My Heart Tonight

One can enjoy a wood fire worthily
only when he warms his thoughts by it

as well as his hands and feet. 

~Odell Shepherd

Finally getting around to sharing the story behind our new stone patio, well, not so new anymore, as it was started and completed last fall.  My husband, quite a self-sufficient handyman having grown up on a farm, collected stone from that same farm that his mother still calls "home."  Over the course of the summer he made several long trips to haul rock and stone, painstakingly measuring, cutting and laying each one strategically into place.  Voila!  A beautiful stone patio is born.

Laying out the design

Digging up the lawn

With the help of our sons, he unloaded the stones from the truck bed each trip, my middle son, better known as "the big guy," being the force behind manhandling the center stone, a round stone weighing approximately 400 lbs, placed in the center of the patio. 
We have been enjoying a wonderful fire on the patio ever since.  And it all started with a Christmas present to me Christmas 2010 from "the big guy."  He knows his mommy well and how her heart had been pining for a fire pit for years.

Winter has not stopped us.  New Year's Eve was celebrated both inside and out as we kept a warm fire burning throughout the evening.  Even on the coldest days of this winter season, we have managed to build a fire on average once a week.  Complete with wiring for music and lighting, it makes for a perfect end to a long and otherwise uneventful day.

S'mores for dessert following dinner out with friends

And this one....taken Christmas Eve day with my youngest son

~ ~ ~

Last night we decided to unwind by the fire, finding ourselves there for hours, recalling the week's events and planning our days ahead, enjoying our favorite beverages under the stars and sliver of moon above.   Mesmerized by the dancing flames and the crackling of wood, I poked, prodded and rearranged the logs with a childlike fascination.  And when it was time to head indoors and get ready for bed, I exhaled with a gratifying sigh of contentment.  Another day is done.

To poke a wood fire

is more solid enjoyment

than almost anything else

in the world. 

 ~Charles Dudley Warner

Countdown to Confident Beach Body

Well, we're wrapping up February, and it's time to shed the winter coverups, the "safe" clothes, the layers.  It's now CRUNCH TIME for going for the scantier styles, the shorts, the sleevless tops, bikinis, and other body-conscious fashions.

I'm SO over winter, even though we've had a relatively mild one.  Seasonal depression has taken a toll on me, far more than in years past, and has periodically stimulated mindless "comfort" eating.  Enuf of this recklessness.

Knowing the time was drawing near, and just as I was about to get down to business with a sharper focus on planned menus and more disciplined, structured workouts, I seemed to have injured my hip at some point and it ended up setting me back for about a week as I allowed my body time to rest and recover, along with regular doses of Ibuprofen.  I'm pretty sure it was lifting too heavy on the single-leg leg press machine, trying to target outer quads.  That angle seemed to have irritated and inflammed my hip flexors and the surrounding connective tissue, and once the inflammation had set in from the over-exertion, rather than stretching and allowing a proper recovery, I ignored the signs and worked through it until my body finally began to rebel in protest and said: Enough.  No more.  And that's when I began feeling PAIN as opposed to routine soreness.

Well, I made it through the rest time, and thankfully my hip is much better, almost entirely back to normal.  I made it to the gym for the first time this past Monday, working mainly upper body, but experimented with a few sets of body weight walking lunges -- testing the waters.  No issues.  SWEET.  Then again on Thursday, this time testing step-ups, first with body weight, then with very light dumbbells.  This actually felt good.  I also experimented with foam rollers at the end of the workout to release the tension in my muscles.  Felt wonderful. 

I made it to the gym again this morning, and I felt almost no residual discomfort in my hip at all.  I worked mostly back, but did body weight speed squats, step-ups with DB's, and speed squats with a 20# barbell.  No issues.  None.  REALLY SWEET.  Great workout.  How I'd missed the euphoria that comes with hard-at-it training.  My fix.  My escape from stress-induced insanity.

My diet has been on track all week, and today I even confiscated a used half-gallon milk jug to track my water intake, aiming for a minimum of one gallon, not counting what I drank at breakfast and during/after my workout.  (Only 1/4 gallon to go!)  I prepared chicken, sauteed in a tiny bit of coconut oil, lots of yummy seasoning, and had that along with a bit of avocado for dinner.   Today is a low day in my carb rotations (50 or under).  I'll be back to around 100-125 grams tomorrow. 

I'm leaving winter behind, literally and figuratively.  The clock is ticking, and I plan to earn my badges and wear my summer fashions with confidence.  I've been down this road.  I know what it takes.  And I've started the engines...the fire is lit, and the HEAT IS ON.

Countdown to my best body for summer...

building it

dreaming it

planning it

DOING it--full steam ahead.

Wake up, America! Our Country's Tater Tots Are At It Again

Hey,
Mr. Potatohead
-- er, uh,
Mr. Holmes...!!!

Wake up and smell those
candy roses, will ya? 

And make sure all your
Ivory-Tower Tater Tots
in Washington
get a good whiff
while you're at it, K?

In response to the statement by Frank Holmes, CEO of U.S. Global Investors, claiming:  "The Economy Can Handle Higher Oil and Gas Prices" -----


(Texas Citizen):  "Hey, Frank Holmes, can I borrow $60 to fill up my compact economy car?  Because apparently
you live where there are always rainbows in the sky,
flowers are made of candy, and you shit sherbet out your ass!"

Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Recently added MUST-HAVE download to my gym/run playlist...
WHAT a fun song!

Trash to Treasure

Ugh.  Here it is, 2:10 in the morning, and I can't sleep.  I woke up thirsty and jittery.  Likely too much caffeine too late in the day.  But it tasted SO GOOD at the time...!  Paybacks are hell.

I've been going through a major decluttering campaign for the last week or so, and part of that mission has been throwing out old magazines that have served their purpose.  I tend to be a horder when it comes to magazines.  (That word.  Horder.  It gives me the creeps, as my mind flashes to that TV show about horders and the FILTH and insanity that surrounds them.  I can't watch it.  I would have nightmares and be scarred for life.)

Back to the magazines.

So I was going through some Men's Health magazines today, and I have to admit, giving those a pitch was a bit of a struggle.  LOTS of eye candy.  Safe and innocent porno.  Call it what you will.  It's a fun read.  And not just for the illustrations.  There's some really good stuff in that magazine.  I actually like it better than Women's Health.  It rates right up there near Oxygen Magazine in my love-to-reads.  The articles have more meat in them...play on words! ... (oh my mind, how it wanders.  But AT 2:00 A.M. IN THE MORNING?)

So I decided I would try to stick to just WORDS that inspired me, headlines, titles, etc., to create an inspiration board.  I'm gonna glue these words to a board that I've sanded, painted, distressed, then do a poly coat on it to seal it -- at least one coat, maybe two or three.  This should be fun.
Trash to treasure.
Toss the clutter,
save the MEAT,
the good stuff,
the motivation that comes from
"training the brain."

When finished, it will be displayed in a prominent place near my elliptical in the garage, which happens to be near the free weights and Smith machine.  It will give me something FUN to look at during those early morning cardio stints -- far better than a row of shelves stacked with Lord knows what, rows of shoes, ladders, tools, brooms, shovels, mystery boxes...ET cetera.  Ah, yes.  My new wonder wall.

After clipping the words and phrases that sang to me, WORDS that echo my heart, I carefully arranged them into a design, sort of like working a puzzle.  Hey.  Not bad.  It's a start!

So WHERE have I been that I am just now for the first time discovering this profound and incredibly relevant quote by one of the most-loved and remembered female celebrities of all time?

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go,
things go wrong
so that you appreciate them when they're right,
you believe lies
so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes
good things fall apart
so better things can fall together.”

~ Marilyn Monroe

Can I just say....Hell yeah!

Life Is Too Important To Be Taken Seriously

This word arrived in my inbox this morning.  I studied it for a few minutes.  Read and re-read it.  Pondered. 

Then in occurred to me.....

Dionysian     

PRONUNCIATION:

(dy-uh-NISH-uhn, -NIS-ee-uhn)

MEANING:

adjective: Uninhibited; undisciplined; spontaneous; wild; orgiastic.

.......In my opinion, everyone needs just a WEEEE bit of this characteristic.

Obviously, in the literal sense of this word, being too
"dionysian" could (likely would) wreak havoc to one's life.  But a small dose of this now and then?  Yeah.  It appeals to me at least.   

Unbridled, unhibited spontaneity offers a sense of color to the "black and white," a refreshing balance when we tend to get caught up in the everyday monotony of must-do's, can't-have's, do-this-not-that, and countless other expectations within the norm of censured social restraint.

Given, there is a fine line between responsible and irresponsible.  But like everything else, it's always about balance.

So go ahead.  PLEASE!

UNLEASH!

Happy Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day, I wanted to bring together a mere sampling of my favorite quotes on love.  Though my list is actually endless, these are a good start for a single blog entry.  A heart fatally pierced by Cupid's arrow, my personality is living proof -- particularly obvious to those who know me, REALLY KNOW ME -- that I am an incurable romantic.  I suppose there could be worse labels; therefore I make no excuses.

But how did I get this way?  When did it begin?  Or WAS there a beginning?  Has it just always been, no beginning and no end?  How has my life been affected by these forces?  All questions which have riddled me for as long as I can remember.  Omg, my mind wanders ...smiling...a flashback to Barbie days...she was in love with GI Joe because he was a Man's Man and had the body to prove it.  Ken just never quite did it for her.


Indeed, being an incurable romantic 
is as much a curse as it is a blessing.

But for the one day out of the year when it's perfectly acceptable to be "over the edge" about love and romance without being noticed or judged or questioned, I can unleash the giddiness.

Happy Valentine's Day 

to all those who have been blessed by true love.

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. 

It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." 

-Judy Garland

 Love is when you don't want to go to sleep

because reality is better than a dream.

- Unknown 

Love is running into his arms, colliding with his heart,

and exploding into his soul.

Love won't be tampered with, love won't go away.

Push it to one side, and it creeps to the other.

-Louise Erdrich

Love is the energy of the soul.

Love is what heals the personality.

There is nothing that cannot be healed by love.

- Gary Zukov

"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more,

that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.

And that's what you've given me.

That's what I hope to give to you forever.

I love you."

- The Notebook

"The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected.

Maybe they always have been and will be.

Maybe we've lived a thousand years before this one

and in each of them we've found each other.

And maybe each time we've been forced apart for the same reasons.

That means that this goodbye is both a goodbye for the past ten thousand years

and a prelude to what will come."

- The Notebook

Love is giving someone the power to destroy you…

but trusting them not to.

Before you, my life was like a moonless night.  

Very dark, but there were stars, points of light and reason. ….

And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. 

Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. 

When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, 

everything went black.  

Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. 

I couldn’t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.  

- Edward Cullen – New Moon

 

 White tulips.  Always white tulips.

Rice Krispie Treats Valentine For My Son

(Made His Heart Smile)

Good Enough - Evanescence

I Write. Therefore, I Am.

"I shall live badly if I do not write,

and I shall write badly if I do not live."

-Francoise Sagan,

playwright and novelist

1935-2004

(This blog post of several months ago now inadvertently "republished.")

I remember as a young teenager keeping diaries, journals, not a daily thing, but when the SPIRIT MOVED me to write. I would write about feelings, events, family, accomplishments, relationships; a potpourri of seasons of myself punctuated with poetry, letters, and lyrics.

I remember buying hardbound journals at office supply stores for my writings, illustrating them from time to time with sketches, photos, mementos, ticket stubs, even pressed dried flowers.

From my early years, somehow I knew that "words" -- writing, in one form or another -- would become a meaningful and lasting part of my future, both in my personal life as well as my professional life. I seemed to have an insatiable desire to write, to document, to capture, preserve...

A means with which to memorialize the events of my life with a permanency.

As a mom to three sons, I suspect that I have become more introverted over the years. Gone is the urgency to converse, express, share or release outwardly. Let’s face it.  Guys don't say a lot.  They are often monosyllabic in their communication attempts.  Brevity is the objective.  The less you say, the better.   The necessity to talk just to fill the void of silence?  Nah.  To speak just to "take the stage?"  Nah.  No need.  In our house, if you don't have something really important to say, then you just don't say much at all.   Details are the clashing cymbals of conversation.

I will often compare my reticence to other women. Regardless of their age, they all seem to prattle on far more than I care to. Fascinating.  At times it seems their loquaciousness goes on and on and on... And on.

I frequently will find myself scrambling to process in cliff-note fashion their circuitous conversations.

It can be challenging.  It's all I can do to suppress the urge to say:  "Hold up! Hold up...."

Just give me the gist.

Is there a point to any of this?

Am I supposed to be impressed by that?

Do you have something to say? Really?

Or do you just, um, enjoy hearing yourself talk?

Maybe that is why writing has evolved into an even stronger release for me.

I don't need anyone to "hear" me.  Or to listen particularly.  Or to pass judgment, compliment, criticize, or compare.  I just want to get my thoughts out of my brain, my head, my heart, and onto paper. Unleashed into a repository.  I just need to write it down.  Freedom to purge.

Cleansed. Emptied. Defragged.  It lends a sharper focus to my inner perspectives.

Fast-forward to the 21st century.  My journaling now is done via the World Wide Web.
I'm a blogger.
(I've never liked that word.)

Writer

Scribe
Reporter
Wordsmith

Okay.  All of these work too.

writer - n.

1. A person who composes with language.

2. A person engaged in writing books, articles, stories; a clerk, scribe or the like

3. A person who commits his or her thoughts, ideas, etc., to writing.

All that matters is that I write. I write; therefore I am ...

 

Potty Room Facelift: JAZZED!

I'M JAZZED!  I recently repainted my downstairs half-bath.  It's now a deep rich brick red, "Fireweed."  I finished the project with polishing touches of word art stenciled around the door facing, down the wall, and around again...the words taking on a life of their own as they seem to dance with THE MUSIC.  Framed music quotes hung here and there.  And the only things left to do -- free hand a music score behind one of the prints, an abstract display, trailing out either end of a sax print...then stencil a repeated chorus of "I've Got the Music in Me" in smaller print around the baseboards of the room.   

It all began with my inspiration piece, purchased well over a year ago, hanging out in room after room, looking for a resting place, a home.  Over and over it kept speaking to me---better stated:  IT WOULD SING TO ME.  And it never quit singing as time passed.  The music just kept getting louder, begging for my attention.

YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME.  SO DO SOMETHING WITH ME ALREADY!

AND WHILE I WAIT...I'LL JUST KEEP THE MUSIC PLAYING....







And then I stumbled across another steal  on clearance at a local discount chain, the PERFECT complement to my inspiration piece...

 

CURRENT FORECAST: Fair, Fine-n-Dandy Friday!

I'm headed here in minutes to grab a brew and some of the best pizza in town.  It will be my "cheat meal" of the week, having kept it to very low carbs all week until now.

 


My nose has been to the grind stone all day, getting transcripts out, coming up only for water and coffee refills and pee breaks.  I've glanced at the clock all day long, counting the minutes till I can head out on this fabulous mild & sunny Friday afternoon and take in this great little pizza place that's gotten rave reviews.... an extensive beer and pizza menu... And they even serve Rioja wine!

Outta here....!