Thursday, September 30, 2010

Talk, Talk

Day 4 of The Challenge...(I am extremely busy with baking for the coffee house, baking for farmer's market, getting ready for a cheerleader sleepover, tonight, and making desserts for 20 cheerleaders, tomorrow and yes...Homecoming...anyway, short and sweet, today..)

Day 4...What is an annoying habit that you have?

I have a tendency, when I am totally overloaded, to verbally begin running down every play by play that I have to do. J gets a glazed over look and just says...You are doing it, again. If I find myself doing it to other people, I simply tell myself to zip it. So, on a day like today, be glad you are not spending the day with me or you would be getting the entire run down of every step I need to make.










Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Atomic Dog

Day 3 of The Challenge!!

Today's challenge is to post a picture of me with a friend. I am going to post a picture from the weekend with two friends. I have a lot of friends and a lot of pictures with them but this was just captured and since I blogged about meeting up with sorority sisters over last weekend, here is a pic of three of us. Virginia is on the left, I am in the middle, and Stef is on the right.





When we pledged our sorority, back in the 80s, we were promised friendship bonds to last a lifetime...and I think that must be true...

To round out this reunion picture is Atomic Dog...at our college, when the DJ put this song on at Dime Draft, on a Friday night, you knew where to find your friends and sorority sisters...on the dance floor!!












Tuesday, September 28, 2010

My Ever Changing Moods

Today is Day 2 of The Challenge...

What is the meaning behind your blog name?

When I decided to start this blog, last February, I was beginning a new journey in my life. I am the mom of an only and that only was beginning to spread her wings. She got her driver's license, she was growing up and growing more independent. My job as full time driver/calendar monitor/planner/even nutritionist was starting to change. She needed me and yet she didn't need me. I fought it, at first, but then when I took a step back, I saw the independent butterfly that was emerging and ready to take life on, on her own terms. I had no choice...I had to give her a bit of independence. But, it also meant that I had to question what was next for me? Who was I now? Where was I going? How did I get here? Did I like me? Where was I taking my life?

You see, mothers of an only are different from mother's of multiple kids. Our only is our life. Not so much in the helicopter sense but the only is the only one we have to focus on. We get used to being there, only for them. Hey...how many times can I use the word, only?? So, when that mom isn't looking, the only grows up. My only is a very mature only because she has been raised by J and myself and we never really baby-downed to her. We communicated on a more adult level, she was my only child and I was a SAHM so she and I spent hours and hours reading books, playing games, building skills, working on word problems and all of that fun stuff. By preschool, she was rocking and rolling and bored. So, she tested out and went to K when she was 4. She has never looked back. It was all good until she decided that she was grown up, last year. But, it happens and it is bittersweet and you are proud. And then you look at life.

So, I had all kinds of emotions and had all kinds of thoughts running through my head and had all kinds of paths to travel, things to conquer, and interests to explore. Many moods to dwell on. My ever changing moods.

Here I am, 7 months later, and my life has changed totally!! I have my business, I am out in the community making new contacts, building a name, became president of my women's group, I am in control and taking charge and loving every minute of it.

So, the only is now a senior and the college applications are looming. Senior pictures are being scheduled and this year presents a lot of last times. But, I am looking at it all with a new sense of purpose and a new sense of empowerment. I know that in my ever changing moods, there isn't much that I can't take on!!

This blog and the name behind this blog have been a great help in taking all of the new steps and the new steps to come. Thanks for coming along for the ride.









Monday, September 27, 2010

She's A Woman

Today begins my 30 Challenge for my blog. I hope I can keep up the pace for 30 days!!

In my ever changing moods, I finally feel like I am back in the swing of things with life, business, blog, senior year....so, to kick off my reclaiming of my blog, this seems like a great idea!!! The idea came from some Tumblr.com blogs...interesting place, Tumblr.com...I wish I could figure out how to use it, lol.

Ok...Day 1 Challenge...Post a recent picture of yourself and 15 interesting facts about yourself.





1. When I was young, I wanted to change my name to Debbie or Marcia.
2. I always wonder what I would say to my father if I ever saw him, again.
3. Until I got married, I made all of my friends, my family.
4. I used to want to be a famous singer.
5. I am obsessed with fashion magazines.
6. Music sets the tone for everything that I do.
7. After I had my daughter, my heart felt complete.
8. I am happy that I have taken chances and risks and leaps of faith, my whole life.
9. I am very content being by myself, at times.
10. I hope that I make my husband as happy as he makes me.
11. I always wanted to be a hippie and live in the Haight-Ashbury section in the 60s.
12. I like to think positive thoughts, at all times.
13. I miss my grandmother.
14. I get excited about an event just so I can plan my outfit.
15. The older I get, I have learned not to worry about the small stuff.








Box Of Rain

This past weekend I had the pleasure of escaping to Cincinnati and reuniting with some of my sorority sisters from college. We try to do this off and on and the time that I spend with them is so special to me.

In my ever changing moods, I think some of the strongest bonds of friendship are made in college. Someone, last week, asked me why these girls are any different from any of my other friends. I really thought about that and then it hit me. These were the friends that I met along the way of paving my first paths of independence. Our times spent in those 4+ years were some of the best memories that I carry in my heart. For me, college was all about the experiences, the learning, the failures, the excitement of living on your own, the bonds that brought us together, in our sorority.

After college, our paths all took us in different directions and we went years without any contact. There were weddings, in the beginning, and we were bridesmaids and then brides and then life took all of us on our next journey, after college.

The past few years have reunited me with some of my closest pals and when we get together, we laugh, we yell, we consume cocktails, we try to retrace different stories from college. We talk about our old crushes, our old humiliations, our sisterhood and our lives, now. Most of us have kids already in college or kids approaching college. We talk about our hopes for them to have the same experience that we had.

Time has been good to all of us and as we sat around the table at the restuarant, enjoying fine wine, instead of our old Dime Draft standbys or our Tequila Sunrises, I loved looking around, in the candlelight, at the beautiful faces that were some of my first female influences that helped to shape me. Thank you, girls, for a lovely time.

College...to me, is like this song says...Such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there. And, I was so happy that I was there, on campus, in the early to mid 80s, forming friendships with girls over sorority songs, candlelight ceremonies, rush madness, broken hearts, crushes, classes, all night study sessions and downtown bar trolling...It was a time that could never be duplicated and lives on in my heart.







Friday, September 24, 2010

Going Down The Road Feeling Bad

This has definitely described my week, this week!! I have been sailing down the road full steam ahead and then bam, out of nowhere, I was hit buy some sort of unglam stomach illness. That lasted 4 days. Not good.

In my ever changing moods, my life can no longer handle illness. As the mom of a senior, a new business owner and a president of a group that depends on me, this illness thing is a total buzz kill, drag, time waster.

Of course, I always seem to jinx myself to get sick. I start thinking, wow, so happy that I haven't been sick and even when everyone around me is sick, I am NOT sick. Two days later....hello sickness.

I have been running like crazy, though, so my body may not have been at it's peak in the germ fighting department. I am well, now, though, and that is all that counts.

So, that explains one week of no blogging. My exploding Cosmic Charlie Bread business is another reason. Between baking for the coffee house, stocking my displays at the coffee house, farmer's market and special orders, ordering tshirts, and venturing into even more fab Cosmic oppportunities, each time I want to sit and blog, my time just gets away from me.

And, on top of it all is senior year. We are one week away form homecoming so we have been dress shopping, shoe shopping, the cheerleader is in charge of spirit week and the week will also be filled with hair appointments, nail appointments, pep rallies and then the meltdown that will happen on Friday morning. The meltdown happens, each year. I am prepared for it. I usually have a little gift to give to her just to brighten her mood on meltdown day.

Senior pictures are staring us in the face and I am sure it will be another stress fest of a week. Basically, what I have learned, so far being a senior mom, is that everything is highly dramatic, over the top, emotional, stressful. When she doesn't have a million things going on plus cheer competitions, plus school work, she is biting her nails over sending out college applications. I really do not remember stressing at all in my senior year. I just rode the tides and let life take me where it wanted. That was 1982, this is 2010, soon to be 2011. Senior life is much different. Senior life makes senior mom wonder if her cases of wine will get her through the stress filled year.

So, this is what makes up my life, right now. But, since I miss my blog and I miss my readers and I miss randomly writing about the thoughts in my head, I hope to visit more. In fact, when I was sick, I was looking through some cool blogs on Tumblr.com. There seems to be a challenge happening with some of them to keep up the blogging pace. I don't care so much about the pace but the daily questions seemed interesting so in order to keep my fingers moving on the keyboard, I think I will start my own, personal, 30 day challenge, each day. Could be fun.

Hope you all have been well and as for me, I was going down the road just fine until I started feeling bad. Stay well, stay happy, stay caught up in your ever changing moods.









Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The Boys Of Summer

While I don't like to admit it, each year, this is the time that summer starts to wind down. You can tell it by the sun, by the shadows, by the soft breezes that no longer feel like poolside breezes but more like autumn breezes. My garden containers have just about given me all of the fresh tomatoes that they have to give and leaves are starting to wither away.

In my ever changing moods, no matter how much I look forward to summer and enjoy the three months of really great summer weather and fun in the sun, I am an autumn girl at heart. Most people feel renewal in the spring and while I have to admit, after some of the past winters we have gone through, I have been sooo happy so have spring come to visit, but my renewal comes in the autumn. I love the crisp colors, the chill to the air, the still warm sun that doesn't fry you but just sort of glows on you. I love the orchards opening and the cider drinking and all of the fall festivals. I love the warm tones to the evening sun and the shifting from grilled summer foods to rich and vibrant autumn foods. Yes, I eat for the seasons and yes, in my world there is summer food, autumn food, winter food and spring food.

Today seemed to kiss the summer one more time before we drift further into fall. School started for us and that meant the cheerleader gave up her carefree days to assume the role of a senior!! She is excited and we are excited but inside, I am already a bit teary at all the lasts that are headed our way. Today, was our last first day of school picture. As I sit and stare at it, I see a very confident and excited girl in the picture. Much like her kindergarten picture. She was so excited on her first day of kindergarten and so confident that she would remember her alphabet and her counting and her songs.

Today also found the cheerleader getting a call from a local place for a job interview, tomorrow. She is so excited because except for babysitting, this will be her first job! J and I are excited to see her take on a bit more responsibility and to learn how to deal with the public. She is excited at making a bit of extra spending money.

The start of school also saw the closing of Hotel California, here at Maggie's Farm. Not for good but not the everyday comings and goings of teen girls who came to eat at Alice's Restaurant and hang out until they migrated off to swim or shop or hang out with other friends.

This autumn finds me with a whole different life than I had, last fall. My own little business is flourishing, I have been written about in the paper, people are special ordering, the coffee house and I have a nice bread relationship and I am now an active member of vendors at our downtown farm markets on Saturdays. My breads all sell out and the reviews have been great! I have business cards and a menu and a following.

J and I are starting to talk about next year when it's just the two of us. We talk about how I will then be able to pick up with him and travel and I am hoping that my business is going strong and that the cheerleader picks a college and is happy there.

Autumn always brings good things and this autumn is bringing change, excitement, bittersweet moments and a feeling that all things are possible.








Don Henley - The Boys Of Summer
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