Through The Tulips Words of 'Wiz'dom

The past few days, we’ve been having what is considered a heat wave for this area.   Considering that I’m from the very deep South, temps in the mid to upper 70’s are definitely not something that I’d consider a heat wave, so I’ve actually been enjoying the weather.  It isn’t too cool, or too warm-  the humidity is low, so it’s perfect really.   My only complaint is that it doesn’t cool off in here enough in the evenings, so it’s a little warmer than I’m use to in the evenings when it’s time to go to bed.    I manage though.

I”m not sure how much I’ll be around in the next few weeks.  I’ll probably share a few words here and there, but with Samantha arriving and us having SO much planned, I’m not sure that I’ll have too much time to write, but I will try.   I’m really excited about her visit.

This morning, Marcel and I ran out for a little while to pick up a few last minute things before her arrival on Friday.  We stopped in a store similar to Sam’s Club, where we saw a lady who lives in her neighborhood.   She stopped me and asked what happened to me..  At first I wasn’t sure what she meant, and I’m sure I looked at her with a puzzled look on my face, and was actually about to ask her what she meant, when she popped out with- “You’ve lost so much weight.”     She followed it up with asking how I did it, and asked if I’d been taking diet supplements. I’m not sure, but I always find it funny when people ask me that. I let her know that I hadn’t been taking supplements, but instead had been eating right and exercising.

She gave me a thumbs up and told me to keep up the great work, when I told her that I still had a little more to lose. It’s a good feeling when people notice, but for some reason, I’m still not to the point where I feel comfortable discussing the process with everyone who asks. Looks like something I need to get past though.

With this warm weather, my darling husband becomes a little grumpy, so I actually got up during dinner because he had on his grumpypants. I’ll go back when I finish this, but rather than have a tiff over absolutely nothing, I decided to just walk away. Sometimes, saying nothing is the best thing.

I was checking the weather a little earlier on my iPhone, and I noticed there was a drastic change in the temps over the next five days, in comparison to what they were saying yesterday.  I clicked the weather button again and again, convinced there was a mistake- but low-and-behold  the temps stayed where they were.   

I don’t mind warmer temps, but I’ll admit that I do mind them when I have to stand in the kitchen with the oven on, and I have plans later this coming week to make a coconut cake for Samantha to have when she arrives on Friday.  

I hope she doesn’t read this journal, since it’s suppose to be a suprise, but considering she’s now on a business trip in Chicago, and she’ll be home 3 days before she leaves for here, I’m going to assume that she won’t be peeking in and finding out about the surprise cake.

Her 40th birthday is the 6th of July, and every single year on her birthday, her mom makes her favorite cake-  Coconut.   I figured that since she won’t be home on her birthday, that I should be the one to carry on the tradition, so wanted to make sure I made a cake for her.  Since we’ll be going out of town on Monday (which is her birthday), I decided it may be better to have it ready when she arrives, and whatever is left over we can bring along with us out of town, or stash it in the freezer until we return.     I hope the weather will cooperate.

I have a few things that I’d like to get done so I’ll say goodbye for now.   I am in serious need of a soak in cool bath water, and I think I’ll do that right now, before I have to wake Marcel for work.

My Gratitude List for June 27, 2009.

Today I’m Grateful For:

• A breeze which has started to blow, after a day of stillness and warm, muggy temps.
• Having my kitchen pantry not only cleaned but organized.
• Left Overs- which means I don’t have to cook Monday!  Yeah!!
• Iced green tea.
• Marcel for cleaning the windows-  one of my least favorite tasks.

We finally received the call today that our car has arrived at the dealership, and now they have to get everything ready for us to pick it up.   Of course, that also means making sure they have the moolah in their account before we head over on Tuesday afternoon to pick it up, otherwise we won’t be taking anything home, but the time has finally arrived- well almost anyway.

Marcel is excited, and I’m really excited for him.  I’m sure he’ll have me taking loads of photos so he can add them to his facebook for his friends who don’t live locally to see.   I’m sure I’ll be adding a few ‘girly’ things to the inside when he isn’t looking, but we won’t tell him that- we’ll let him find out on his own.

We’ve got to let our insurance agent know, so when we drive off the lot we’ll have insurance, plus I was talking to someone yesterday and realized that we only have a small life insurance policy on me.  Marcel has great coverage, but if something were to happen to me, it would be a different story.  

I suggested while he’s got the insurance company on the line tomorrow, he may as well see if they can give him life insurance quote, so that we can maybe change our policy. Life is short, and you just never know.

I think alot about those things these days. I’m really not sure why. Part of me thinks it’s because of getting older, and other parts of me feel like it’s seeing more and more people become sick, or pass away suddenly for various reasons.

Treasure every moment- it’s all you are guaranteed.

Yep, you guessed it- some of the very best things in life are F-R-E-E, or at least pretty close to it.

With summer a few days away, I thought it would be a great time to talk about some of my favorite affordable pleasures.   You know the ones-  those little things that we love, ohhh soooo muchhh that don’t break the bank to enjoy.

Ten of my own personal favorites are:

• Reading-  You don’t have to buy a book to enjoy it-  Head over to your local library and borrow one, or check out some of the book swapping sites online.
• Bike Riding-  The bike I currently own was given to me by one of my best friends when she bought a new one, and it sat in the storage shed for close to a year before I ever decided to venture out.   Now that I have, I LOVE it and would bike every single day if the weather permitted.
• Museums- I’ve recently discovered that many of our local museums are either free or admission is very inexpensive.  On those rainy days- it’s the perfect place to spend your time.
• Letter Writing- Forget e-mail- grab your favorite pen, a piece of paper and scribble out a few words to some of your favorite people.   Give it to them the next time you see them, or add a postage stamp and send it the old fashioned way- through the mail.   Not only is it fun- knowing that you made someones day is a wonderful feeling.  Trust me, more people want to hear from you than you think.
• Walk in the park- There is usually a park to be found somewhere in most neighborhoods, so put on your walking shoes and walk, walk, walk.  You never know what you’ll run into while you’re out walking.  Take the time to enjoy your surroundings.
• Go to the beach- If you live near the beach- pack yourself a bottle of water, a sandwich and head off to the beach.   Spread out a blanket, enjoy the sound of the waves, and relax.  It’s one of my very favorite things ever- and if I’m feeling weary, stressed or even frustrated- my troubles magically melt away.
• Window Shopping- I live in a place where the stores close fairly early, and one of my favorite things to do is to visit a nearby city and walk along the store fronts window shopping. 
• Music- Turn on the radio and listen to some music.  I love music, and nothing can bring me out of a slump like a good song on the radio.
• Photography- With the age of digital cameras being so affordable,  almost everyone can grab a digital camera and go on their own personal photo shoot.   The great thing is- no expense of processing photos you don’t want-  just click and choose the ones you’d really love to keep.
• Painting- Technically speaking you could paint with mud if you wanted to, but I prefer acrylics and water colors.  Not that I’m very good mind you, but it’s fun, and fairly inexpensive. 

Your turn!   Please share some of your affordable pleasures with us.    Who knows, it may become one of mine as well.