No time to write

Wow.. What happened to this blog? I wrote one post at the beginning of the year and failed inbetween since then. Not good. However, I will admit my life has been extraordinarily busy, so finding time to write has been next to nil. "No bueno", as one of my dearest friends would say to me. Life gets in the way for sure. I am caring for my elderly mother, within my own house. They say two cooks spoils the soup, but in this case, I am the only cook and have to spoil her. Not always easy to do. I am in charge of her medications, doctor appointments, laundry, grocery shopping, and taking her to the hair dresser. She is temperamental and I am inpatient, so we sometimes clash a bit. So far, we do manage to get a long, but there are days I'm not the perfect daughter. I realize i have to work on this myself, to make her comfortable and content at the very least. On top of that, I'm also going to college. So far, the spring semester brought me A's, and this fall I finished with a B in A&P 1, which replaced a D I made in that course over ten years ago. And I made another A in an internet health course. My GPA is not bad at all. I'm not at a 4.0, but I am trying to be a dedicated student. Perhaps in a year, I will be able to apply to the nursing program. :) My personal writing has slipped onto the back burner. I have managed to pick up my manuscript twice this year, but have progressed no further in editing it all the way through to get book three into press. I am hoping to get that done in 2013. That's the goal, at least. Managing my health and weight this past year hasn't been too bad. I have managed to hover around 200 mark, within a five pound range. My diabetes was being managed, but the latter part of the year has brought on stress and my numbers did go up a little. I know what I have to do to bring it down.. exercise. I just need to motivate myself back into it again. To ease up my stress, i devote my time watching the cooking networks. I love these and strive to find new recipes. Maybe once in a while, i will share a favorite recipe here. This blog has turned into a diary of sorts and I don't really mind sharing my thoughts with the world. I do apologize that this year has been lacking, but hopefully you can try to understand. I do wish anyone who still tunes into my blog a very Merry Christmas. Times are hard, but with God's love, we can manage them, with grace, compassion and humility. It is better to give than to recieve, and there are plenty of souls needing help all around. If you have been blessed in your life, share it with someone out of luck. They will appreciate your generosity. If you are one who is enduring hard times, things can turn around. Remain optimistic. I know I take in the little things and cherish my loved ones. They bring me great joy and love and material things can never take the place of that. God bless you and keep you well as we venture into 2013. Hugs :)

Manageable resolutions

Happy 2012 everyone! Isn't the new year always about starting over and doing things better? Or to stop procrastinating on projects left undone last year? One of mine is to improve the look on my blog. How do you like it? I think it encompasses so much of me that is easily readable by all. So on day one, I have achieved a simple thing off my resolution list. But how about the rest? The time to make those other pesky resolutions is upon us. Can they last longer than the month of January? Qhite simply, to achive this, we should all make resolutions that are manageable: I will jot down a few of mine: Exercise at least 3 or 4 times a week 30 to 45 minutes. (If I do it first thing in the morning or right after work, this should be easy) Take breakfast/lunch to work instead of buying from the cafeteria. (I can save $800 a year by doing this. Prices in the cafeteria are outragious! And I can choose healthier options.) Eat more carb freindly fruits and vegetables. (lots of berries and sweet potatoes and more green veggies such as spinach) Eat more fish and salads (I tend to eat too much red meat so for me, these are healthier options) Be more mindful of people's feelings. ( I tend to be a bit snappy when crabby) Get more sleep. (Set my bedtime a bit earlier and strive for at least 8 hours of sleep) Write more. Get some creativity time in. (I've been lacking on this for quite awhile, so this is definetely for me.) Take time to study more (I'm taking college classes, so I got to read more and understand my classwork.) Take time to destress often (Work can get crazy; Needy family members can make you cringe- so I need to find time to listen to music, read, or just sit in quiet to balance out my life) I am sure there are more I can jot down, but I believe it's always best to start off with a few resolutions. Why overwhelm ourselves? If we can tackle these items into being routine then soon it should become second nature to us. At that point, we can add more to our list. Anything to better ourselves and get balance in our lives is supurb. It will make us feel better overall. When life's bumps get in our way, we can handle it better. As you jot down your resolutions, I hope you will strive for those that you can easily manage too. Let 2012 be a year you can accomplish all that you dream. Happy New Year to all of my friends and readers.

Slamdunked in 2011

I don't know where to begin, but if I were a basketball in the game of life, I just got slamdunked in 2011. The events that happened to me were in a series of Kapow- Kapow - Kapow!! One, two, three: castrophes, chaos, or just life in general. Let's see.... what things occurred to make my world rocky to keep me from blogging? Well, back in Feb / March / April, both my mom and my oldest daughter were ill enough to get into the hospital. My mom had issues with her blood pressure. When she went in, my stepdad went to a nursing home as he had dementia. Then when my mom recovered, she moved into my house and my youngest daughter moved to her place. What an ordail of switching out furniture, getting a storage for my mother's things, and just the hassle of cleaning up at both places. Meanwhile, my daughter, in another state, had setbacks with her kids & spouse getting the crud/colds/sore throats, over and over again, enough to wear her immunity down to acquire walking pneumonia; and then on top of that a type of menigitis. Luckily it wasn't the type that could kill someone, but it was a terrible illness to endure. So I flew out to help take care of the kids, spouse, pets, her household, and especially my daughter. She got through it all (barely), with love and prayers, thank goodness. But we couldn't catch a break! In May, my stepfather died of natural causes and his funeral was a stressfull event. We didn't get along with his relatives in the first place. At the service, they didn't treat my mother very well or my family, so to endure the ceremony was bittersweet. I didn't get a chance to really mourn for my stepfather as i should have because of the ill will I had felt, but he was a good man to my mom while he lived and my children's "grampa". May he rest in peace. Now that my oldest felt better, on her first outing, she wound up in a car wreck. Totaled her car and broke a bone in her hand. My youngest granddaughter lost her bottom teeth, the same ones she had been born with! yet, you gotta be thankful things weren't any worse. The vehicle can be replaced, but not human lives. In the summer, she then decided to fly down with her toddler and visit for three weeks. What joy! We played in the pool; we talked a lot; we celebrated her 32nd birthday; we went to the zoo and visited San Antonio for a couple of days. It was terrific!!And I think she really had fun. I love being a Nana and playing with MJ. She is such a beautiful child. Smart, cute. Can't you tell I'm partial? LOL.. and these memories will last long in my heart. But soon, they flew home, back to their normal lives and I looked forward (nervously) to going back to school. This is my third attempt going to college. So when fall came, I began my psychology and american literature classes. Doing homework again has been a challenge; plus quizzes and research papers. The weeks have flown by. I've learned a lot and I find myself learning things, a bit harder but things are sticking to my braincells. LOL.. but the semester is drawing near and in two weeks, I will take exams. It is my hope to have done well in these classes and I believe I have. :) There was one major challenge that loomed over everything all year long that I haven't mentioned and that was chaos at work. I love my job and try to do the work exediently and correctly. Let's just say that another key player wasn't up to par on her work ethic and was let go. WE got overtime to clean things left undone and I must admit the extra money was great, but it wore me out trying to keep up with long hours I put in. Soon, we interviewed a great candidate and she was hired. Then the training began and I have been doing my best to teach her well, for we want her to stay a long time. Lucky for us, the work she finds interesting and challenging. And we get along great. So here it is... the middle of December... and I'm finally blogging again. Like I said, this year has been hard on me. I did forget to mention that around the 4th of july, I lost my favorite dogs, Tiny & Bella, within days of each other. Bella snuck out the yard and wondered down to a busy road. She was struck by a car. And Tiny had crawled under a neighbors fence and was mauled by his pit bulls. Horrid to see their frail bodies in this manner after their accidents. Yet I held them in my arms and witnessed their last breaths. My kids were so sad. My hubby just as heartbroken. We buried them on the side of my house- the graveyard of all our pets, it seems. The house didn't seem the same without them. Things were too quiet and it was difficult to come home without them greeting us. So within a month, we bought to puppies. Now, I do love playing with them; seeing their burst of playful energy and personalities take over our household. It will take time to build up a strong bond again, but they are not Bella or Tiny. Those special dogs will live in my heart forever and I can't wait to see them again when/if I reach heaven. I think with all that's happened, it was difficult for me to write on my own projects. My 3rd manuscript lays in a drawer and it needs much revision. I'll get to it, but don't know exactly when. There will be a short break over Christmas, but in January I will return to school again, taking biology and a speech class this time. Will the new year go by just as fast? I wonder. My only hope is that 2012 will be much kinder to my family. My hope is that all my friends and family will stay healthy and happy. I hope that love warms their souls and that their love ones will bring them inspiration and great memories. Let's all pray for a terrific 2012 and that God's love will keep us safe within his arms. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my family and friends.