Monday Blessings

With my extremely flexible and varied schedule, I never know what the day may bring. I wake up with some sort of plan in mind. That plan usually involves some kind of cleaning task, organizing assignment, or reading plan... how often do those things happen?--we won't go there. Today's plan involved nothing. Now that I've started my TV fast, I find myself sitting on the couch doing nothing for periods of time. This morning I planned for that to not happen.

It didn't. I awoke to the ring of the telephone. I was asked to babysit my 9-month-old cousin. Of course I agreed, as I had nothing else going on. I've realized more and more how fast children grow and I want to spend as much time with the children in my life at every stage that I can. His mother called me ten minute later to warn me that her 4-year-old was staying home because he found out I was coming and my 9-year-old cousin was going to be at their house as well. These three turned out to be the greatest blessing the day could have provided.

I love childhood. Though I am happy to be an adult, missing college greatly as of late... there's enough there for a few posts, I love to play child's games and with toys and to simply enjoy children. They have nothing to worry about, and for a time I have the opporunity to experience that too. We played pirates, pirate language and sword-fighting included, we even gave the baby a bubble wand to use as a sword. I even enjoy the "again" parts of playing with a 4-year-old when he wanted to slide down his slide on a snow sled into the sandbox over and over. And then later when we finally got the "Mouse Trap" game board set up we made the net drop on to the mice at least 22 times. There is something soothing about repeating these activities and seeing him find joy in them everytime. We played train, making noises while pushing a laundry basket train car around the house full of stuffed animal "customers."

We even played memory. I love that Jake, the 4-year-old, is learning to use reason, logic and memory to play games. His rate of learning and retention is incredible. He got the first match of the game. It was by sheer luck, but it was a triumphant moment. We all give little kids "help" when playing games so they can succeed. Of course we helped him, but he had success in the game all on his own. I find myself trying to imagine what these children will be like as they grow. I can't wait to find out and to know them at each stage in their development.

I wonder often if I have the patience to be a mother. Can I love someone enough? Will I be any good? If what I experience and feel with my cousins is any indication of what motherhood may entail, I certainly hope I get the chance to have that experience.

I don't work tomorrow and therefore have no plan. I wonder what blessings Tuesday will hold.

Oops I did it again

Here I go, about to ramble on about how I was going to blog but didn't. Actually don't would be more accurate. I would be interested to see if there is some kind of genetic thing attached to not taking initiative and finishing things or keeping up with things. I would be interested in a medication that would fix this problem.

I am so good at starting projects... knitting, crafting, cleaning, organizing, even reading books and terrible at finishing them. There has to be something that can help with that.

Every summer I make a long list of projects to do and books to read... I usually accomplish a big fat zero of the things on the list. What the heck is my problem? Will I ever overcome it. I certainly hope so.

Are there really not enough hours in the day? No, I am just really good at wasting time. Giving up television would change my life. I am seriously thinking about a No TV month and recording my progress in life's long list of things to do.

Sleep

I'm tired. All week I have tried to go to bed early, but I don't fall asleep until almost midnight. Then when the alarm goes off at 6:30, I am mostly awake and I get up. Something is seriously wrong with this picture. Tomorrow I don't have to set an alarm, so I am going to try an experiment to see how long I can stay in bed. I would bet I'll be up by 7:50. The hardest part of making it that long is that I really want to take a nap... now!

Uh oh!

I was looking through my older blog posts... Holy horrendousness. I obviously wrote some of them when I was in a bad spot and did not proofread. For those of you who've read them, I sincerely apologize for some of the attrocious grammatical errors. It's hard to believe that all of the thoughts came from me. I've had many ups and downs in my last two years, and I didn't realize how much writing I really did about those things.

On to today...
I won a quilt! I thoroughly enjoy Bingo and not only do I get to play two Sunday's in a row(next weekend is Ham Bingo) I am already a winner. Thinking about some of the life highlights up to this point... I've come to the realization that I'm lucky. It's easy to say, and we hear it all the time, "I never win", but I can't say that. And I certainly cannot complain. I feel very lucky, for the opportunities life has given me and for the winnings I've been blessed with. Today, I won a quilt. It happens to have a deep purple backing, and I just happen to love purple right now. In February I went on a free vacation to Laughlin, Nevada--something I won after placing a bet on a Vikings game, and in college I won $300 in a drawing.

Life is good, no cause for complaints, and if you ever hear me say "I never win", slap me. Not only have I won'things', but God has granted me so many other blessings. Making a friend, getting to play an important or even minute role in someone else's happiness, those are prizes that we win from God often and don't truly appreciate. Thank you God! I appreciate them.

Commonality?

I am not an animal fan. I am not mean to them, but you could say I don't appreciate all that they have to offer.

My family has a dog. This dog isn't all bad. He is well trained: he stays away from me and knows not to cross the carpet line into my bedroom. I do get a kick out of him sometimes and have even petted him once or twice (we've had him for 3 years). I constantly remind him that we are not friends and he tends to get in my way a lot. Plus, his hair covers everything. I try not to look at the bottom of my feet when I wear black or brown socks.

What shocks me about this dog is how much he and I seem to have in common. He likes to lay around in odd positions on the floor, he loves pepperoni, and we have similar taste in craft items. Today, my sister was vacuuming around his area his bed and toys lay between a couch and loveseat that are back to back)( and found an object. She asked me if I was missing anything... when I looked at what she had, I was stunned. Toby (the dog) took my corner rounder. This object has no real use in the world other than to round the corners of pieces of paper. I love rounding corners, but the dog can't even use the thing. Last weekend, he took one of my favorite rubber stamps. Somehow, he got the rubber off the wood. The rubber was in perfect condition, the wood had some teeth marks. Perhaps he looks up to me and wants to be like me, or maybe he just likes to toy with my mind.

There seems to be very little logic behind his item choices. Shortly after we got him he chewed on a crochet hook, and tried to eat my favorite highlighter. The highlighter was a loss; I've used the crochet hook since. Then, this winter, he began playing with a ball of yarn.

I'm beginning to wonder if he's trying to get on my good side or just wants to be a crafter.

8 Months!

I haven't blogged in 8 months! That is terrible. Yet another example of the non-committal person in me. As I've said before, I should blog or journal everyday... I do nothing about this. What the heck is my problem.

Alas, I will consider this a new beginning. Well, at least until my next post (most likely 6 months from now).

My sister and I explored a new and exciting store today. Aldi, a grocery store chain, intrigued me. I heard about it on television and thought it would be interesting. That it was. Unlike most grocery stores we are used to with thousands of different products, this one has basic products and brand names we've never heard of, but the prices are great. That was the fun discovery of the day.

I continually become more and more aware of the effects maturing has on life, and how we are all so very similar. As a teacher, I've met many students. I can't wait to know some of them when they grow up. Growing up has such a profound effect on all aspects of life.

If this blogging thing is going to become a habit, I'll have to come up with a more interesting method. Perhaps a topic of the day. Tomorrow's topic will be cleaning. I made an unbelievably ambitious list of things to do. It will take me a couple of weeks, but I think I will feel better if I do everything on it.

Until then,
Chantelle

Reading... Writing... Acting...

I recently found out my blog is on some one's Google reader, which makes me think I should make it worth it and actually post something. Here we go!

For those of you who follow me, SURPRISE I am actually writing and I know I've said this before, but I fully intend to blog on a regular basis. Perhaps I am finally at that time in my life when I feel compelled to record the goings on of life. I have to face the music. My brain is going and I like to write. Why not use those as motivators.

In my normal random fashion, this is going to be superbly random.

Reading...

I am a member of a book club which meets once a month at my local library. Every month I get the book and go into the whole thing with the attitude that I am going to finish the book, read every page, every word, and have lots to say about it. Why is it that I always seem to catch myself 4 days before the meeting having read only a couple of pages. I have finished more books than not since I joined this club, but I still frustrate myself. Though I have made leaps and bounds in the positive direction of overcoming my procrastination habit, I can seem to break it. Is there medication for procrastination, because I don't believe in medicating much, but I would be seriously interested in that pill.
The book club met last night, and I have the new book. This time I even plan to take notes. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Writing...

I have never understood people who don't like to write. I like the actual physical act of writing. Whenever I have a new pen, I find myself writing nonsensical sentences and words just to use the pen. When is comes to writing I have to admit, there is some narcissism... BUT and that a huge BUT, I only like my handwriting about half of the time. I'm practicing. I want fun, pretty, and most of all, legible handwriting. I like typing too, but there is something about pen on paper that just makes me happy. I bought a new pen yesterday. I am a huge Sharpie fan and now they make pens that supposedly don't bleed through paper. I, of course, had to try them out. So far, so good.

Acting...

I am a community theatre director, which is pretty much the greatest job I've had. The latest show, Vaudeville's My Home, is my favorite directing gig so far. This is my sixth show as director and I've enjoyed every one immensely, but this one makes me laugh everyday. I need that, I needed this show right now. For everything there is a time and season, right.

I find myself more motivated to write or I should say blog when I'm feeling down. The same is true today. Though I am having what may be the greatest summer I've ever had, I feel like I am at that truly awkward place between birth and death. I don't have a niche... I'm floating. I should work on that.

In the spirit of keeping it random.... I got a new coffee maker yesterday. I had a 12-cup one, which was a total waste. I didn't make coffee often because you are supposed to make at least 4 cups at a time and I don't drink that much at a time so it felt like a waste. So, I bought a 5-cup coffee maker. I didn't get to use it this morning. But, I fully intend to use it tomorrow. I think my days are better when I have coffee... not that they are bad without, there's just something about starting the day with a caffeine and anti-oxidant burst that brightens things.

All for now.