Pages

Friday, May 29, 2015

Fragmented Friday

Once again we have made it through another week and Friday is upon us. Well actually Friday is almost over and I am just getting around to finishing up my fragments for the week.

Frag 1
So I read this article and took the quiz to see if it could guess my five dominant traits. Here are the results; "Your five dominant traits are: curious, thoughtful, reserved, perceptive, and analytical. You love gadgets, and people find you to be a philosophical problem-solver. You are observant and inquisitive, and you tend to rely more on the mind. You are technology savvy, more artistic in your nature than the average, and experimental in your spirit." I can't argue with that.

Frag 2
I don't want to jinx anything but there is a rumor going around that we will have sunshine and 80 degree weather next week! Well, not a rumor exactly but it is what the weather channel is forecasting and we all know that can be a reliable as a rumor. I really hope they are right.

Frag 3
Grandchildren are the best! I just wish all my grandchildren lived close by.


I know I shared this photo a few years ago when I took it but since it is the most recent photo I have of my precious "E" I am sharing it again. She lives in Virginia with her mother. I miss her so much!

Liz and Little K, these two sweet sisters are my oldest and youngest granddaughters.


My grandson Bubba peeking across the world.
The middle grandchild Sissy in her cowboy hat and Cowboys jersey. Yes she is a Dallas Cowboys fan big time. She had her eleventh birthday this month and finally got a pair of cowboy boots. Pink cowboy boots!




Of course I can't leave out my two honorary grandchildren, Brook and DJ.











My grandkids are all getting so big, some days I wish I could just stop the clock. Especially when I realized that in not too many more years I could become a great-grandmother. Oh My God! .... that is a very scary thought.


This Week's Blogs Recap
Just in case you missed it here is what I've been posting about this last week.

Surviving Children ... a bit on how some use humor that others perceive as  'wrong' to reduce the stress that comes with dealing with children all day.


Memorial Day 2015 ... A bit of artwork in tribute of Memorial day.

Wordless Wednesday ... A bit of street photography.

 Friday Mix ... A mix of photos taken recently.











Well that's all for me folks! Now if you have some bits and pieces that didn't make it to a full blown post why not throw them together and join the fragmenting party at Mrs. 4444's.

Have a Great Weekend!
Half-Past Kissin' Time

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Surviving Children

Anyone who knows me knows that I have always loved children. Even before I became a parent I surrounded myself with children. In high school I volunteered with disabled children and at the elementary school. I went on to teach in a private k-12 school and finally I was blessed with children of my own. Our home was always full of children of all ages and now I am blessed with grandchildren.

As much as I love children I will be the first to admit that they require not only a great deal of love but also a great deal of patients, and if you are not prepared to face the difficult days with humor you are going to go crazy.

This morning I came across an article on Yahoo about a parent that has demanded the school district investigate one of their teachers because she posted this cartoon to her personal Pinterest account.


My first response was to laugh at the cartoon and then to wonder if the fanatical drive for political correctness has resulted in a large majority of society losing their sense of humor. Then I remembered history is full of such humorless groups. The difference is that now, thanks to the internet, the narrow-mindedness of such humorless radicals is ever in the spotlight.

Most times I don't read the comments but this time I did because I hoped to see people standing up for the teacher and for the most part they were, especially when one commenter going by the name Loki attacked with this comment "Seems like this was written by a teacher who has no idea what a real job is like....no one else gets 14 weeks of vacation every year, and a 6.5 hour work day...." Obviously this Loki person has no idea what it is to be a teacher. 

One of my favorite comments was when one parent said "I have told my children at one time or another they are the reason some mothers eat their young.  This is probably a great teacher because she will find the humor in things when other teachers are actually out getting a bottle of something."

This got me to thinking of some of the phrases and exclamations I have used when my children were being particularly difficult;
"I swear you're driving me up a wall and we can't afford to keep re-wallpapering!"
"At this rate a small white padded room is sounding very nice!"
" You're driving me crazy and trust me I don't have far to go!"


Now for my cartoon contribution.



My oldest son's favorite thing to say to his daughters and nieces and nephews when they become overly rambunctious is "Just keep it up, I can always sell you on E-bay" 

It was a traveling band of gypsies that my daughter Lexi would tell her kids she was going to sell them too. Which turned even funnier when Bubba at 3 years old got frustrated with Lexi and told her he was going to sell her to a traveling band of bitches. He had speech difficulties and I guess gypsies was just too hard a word to say.....LOL 

I guess some people might consider our sense of humor mean but it isn't. We never say it mean but always with a twinkle in our eyes and laughter in our voice and our kids, even the little ones understand it as a joke and laugh and even play along with the joke making silly and smart comebacks. Often it is this ability to joke that defuses what otherwise can be a tense situation. 








Seems like this was written by a teacher who has no idea what a real job is like....no one else gets 14 weeks of vacation every year, and a 6.5 hour work day....
Seems like this was written by a teacher who has no idea what a real job is like....no one else gets 14 weeks of vacation every year, and a 6.5 hour work day....

Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Day 2015

A muse graced me with it's company, 
the results a bit of poetry and artwork for this Memorial Day.


Prints and gifts available

Stay Safe and have a
great day!
 

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Spring Market and Frühlingsfest


On Saturday I headed to Main Street Square with Sissy and Bubba to check out the Spring Market and hear a bit of bluegrass music from the local band Six Mile Road.


The event wasn't nearly as busy as I had anticipated, nor were there as many vendors as I expected. Maybe the overcast dreary skies and the forecast of rain kept many people home. 


This is only the second year for this event so maybe it just needs a bit more attention so that people will know it is there and join the event. The kids and I enjoyed ourselves non the less. There were some really neat looking items like the lambs wool feather dusters and handmade iron works. The beading supplies were Sissy's favorite. Bubba was most impressed by the artificial turf... lol


Thank you for stopping by I hope you have enjoyed this mini look at Rapid City, South Dakota. To enjoy more virtual travel, or share about your town join the virtual travelers for Sunday In My City with Unknown Mami.

Unknown Mami

Friday, May 22, 2015

Fragging on Friday

It's Friday!
If you follow the wonderful Mrs. 4444's you know what that means.

Half-Past Kissin' Time

I have decided to make it a time for me to compile bits and pieces of what is going on in my life and share it here. Kind of a way to say yes I am still alive and kicking, so here goes.

Last night turned out to be a bit of a wild night. I was all set to get this post together and posted to the blog when Lexi went into a really nasty asthma attack. One would think that with three asthmatic's in the house there would be a rescue inhaler in every room, but nope. As a matter of fact all three inhalers were empty! Thankfully we do have a nebulizer, but when that didn't seem to be helping I made a call into 911. It was a very tense ten minutes before they arrived and were rushing her to the ER. After another neb treatment and steroids to open up her airways Lexi was breathing much better and released to come home.

It happened! 
The contestant that I was hoping would win the voice won! If you haven't heard Sawyer Fredericks sing check out this video of his first official original song.



Bit by bit my creativity is coming back and I have even managed to take advantage of the occasional nice day here and there to capture a bit of the scenery around me and even enjoy a nice lunch downtown.


The old Fairmont Creamery building on main street in down town rapid has a nice little sandwich shop on the lower lever and a cool record store on the main level. That is where I snapped the idea and photo for this next image.


Wishing all a safe Memorial Day weekend!

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Entwining Journeys

For every existence within the universe there is a unique and separate journey to be traveled. Millions of journeys all intertwining and yet independent, be it human, creature, or the earth itself. While we travel our own unique journey we are never alone in that journey. We often benefit and hopefully learn from the experiences of those that journey around us or have journeyed  before us.

The ladybug for example has a very short journey and yet it is a very important one. Their life journey takes them a mere four to eight weeks and yet in that time they travel over what for them must seem very difficult terrain in conditions that are not always comfortable. Their journey may not seem important to them or maybe even to many of us but it is, for without them our gardens would become over run with aphids and other bugs that harm the very plants we wish to grow.


" I've learned that fear limits you and your vision. It serves as blinders to what may be just a few steps down the road for you. The journey is valuable, but believing in your talents, your abilities, and your self-worth can empower you to walk down an even brighter path. Transforming fear into freedom - how great is that?" 
~ Soledad O'Brien ~
 

"Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey."
~ Tad Williams ~


"Autobiographies are only useful as the lives you read about and analyze may suggest to you something that you may find useful in your own journey through life."
~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~


While there are many quotes on life's journey by many influential people I consider these bits of insight to be most beneficial no matter where our journey is taking us at any particular moment.

I would love to hear your insight on life's journey, be they philosophical or humorous. Just post them in the comment section below. Most of all though may you be blessed along your journey!

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Weekly Quote

I had this all ready to go for Thoughts on Tuesday, and well let's just say I ran into technical difficulties ... seams yesterday wasn't Monday after all. So here are Tuesdays Thoughts on Wednesday... LOL

Click here for Note Cards and products with this design
Now being as it is actually Wednesday and the day Claudya at Unknown Mami has set aside recognizing the abundance of the universe and making our wishes known, I too shall make a wish.

My wish is to incorporate the above quote more fully into my life. In the past few years so much of what is happening in my life has been out of my control that it has become harder to tell what is within my power and what is not. So Oh Abundant Universe open my mind that I might make the best use of that which is within my power.

I also wish each and everyone one of my readers a very happy day and the abundance of the Universe!


WednesdayWishes

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Walking With Little Ones

While out for a photo walk at the end of April I captured a few photos of parents out enjoying the day with their children. It was a beautiful day, one of the first this spring. A glorious day filled with sunshine and above normal temperatures, the perfect combination for sharing time with a loved one in the great outdoors. 


I noticed that most of the parents were like this gentleman and walked companionable beside their children, with the children occasionally running ahead. 

Then I noticed this woman, and it really seemed wrong to me. The whole time I watched her she was always way ahead of her little one and the little one only looked to be about three years old.


I personally always preferred to be either beside or behind my children, how about you?




Saturday, May 9, 2015

Spring In South Dakota

Spring Is Here


I was even beginning to believe we had seen the last of winter. Yet the view from our parking lot sure looks like winter to me.


After checking the weekend forecast it is confirmed. Blizzard in the west; tornadoes in the east- yep, it must be spring in South Dakota! 

Wishing all a safe and enjoyable weekend!