Worry

Is there an imaginary cut off period when offspring become accountable for their own actions? Is there some wonderful moment when parents can become detached spectators in the lives of their children and shrug, 'It's their life,' and feel nothing?

When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my son's head and I asked, 'When do you stop worrying?' The nurse said, 'When they get out of the accident stage..' My parents just smiled faintly and said nothing.

When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted the class, and was headed for a career making license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher said, 'Don't worry, they all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them.' My parents just smiled faintly and said nothing.

When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open. A friend said, 'They're trying to find themselves. 'Don't worry! In a few years, they'll be adults. 'They'll be off on their own, they'll be out of your hair'. My parents just smiled faintly and said nothing.

By the time I was 50, I was sick and tired of being vulnerable. I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle. Even though they were on their own I continued to anguish over their failures, be tormented by their frustrations and absorbed in their disappointments..and there was nothing I could do about it. My parents just smiled faintly and said nothing.

My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life. I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my parent's warm smiles and their occasional, 'You look pale. Are you all right' ? 'Call me the minute you get home'. Are you depressed about something?' My friends said that when I became a Grandparent that I would get to enjoy the happy little voices yelling "Grandma! Papa!", but now I find that I worry just as much about the little kids as the big ones.

How can anyone cope with all this worry? Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown? Is concern a curse or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of earthly creation?

Recently, one of my own children became quite irritable saying to me, 'Where were you? I've been calling for 3 days, and no one answered I was worried.' I smiled a warm smile.


God Is Good.....

BUT, then there's the whole issue of reversing roles and raising your parents and worrying over them....but that's a different story for another day...

Be Quite House!

This very well could be the most photo's ever in a blog for me... but this has been a "thorn in my side" so to speak lately.


I think I may have a problem....



My home seems to be speaking to me everywhere I look...

I've become so aware that I've actually picked up things to purchase and realized it was "speaking" to me and I didn't need anymore "talk" at my house so I put it back!

I became most aware of this problem in my 9x6 utility room...

Maxine sits on a shelf next to the dryer with a whole tablet of messages...(if you can't read this terrible shot, it says "when life hands you lemons ask for tequila and salt")

and just in case you weren't sure what room you were in or where to "drop your drawers"...

yet another reminder that also holds the laundry powders....

and also from the utility room, a sign my beloved hung over the entrance to the garage...

On to the kitchen...

a Caton find...

a BUNKO gift... (actually it's a box)

a flea market find...

a resale store bargain (in case you can't read it..."There's nothing like the pity patty of little feet....going home!")

Estate sale goodie...

thermometer collection with two little plaques I've had forever.

boy this one is right on...

a box from Ross....who couldn't pass up a box that said it was needful???

blocks on the mantle that let you say whatever you like in this verbal house....

another BUNKO win...in the guest room

this one was my Mother's and I ask her for it many, many years before her death, because it is one of the most profound statements in the good book...

Joshua 24:15

what can I say....I'm a real winner when it comes to BUNKO!

Maxine clock in the crafty room...just love her!

"If it is to be it is up to me" in my bath....

along with this one....kind of ironic...

I even have my babies labeled with their names....lest I forget

one of my favorite grouping in the hall...

with the appropriate wording for all the generations of parents before us.

But this one sums it all up~

($1.50 at Ross!!!!)

Allen Philharmonic Orchestra

Saturday night we had a wonderful night listening to the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra. Which just so happens to have a very extinguished violinist... our daughter-in-law Heather!




It's hard to imagine that the little city of Allen has it's very own orchestra!! The music was wonderful with two guest artists.... A baritone Donnie Ray Albert and a beautiful harpist Yumiko Endo Schlaffer...both were excellent.



But not nearly as special as our Heather!



These are not the best photos but without embarrassing Heather and walking right up to the front, these are the best I could do...

Proud hubby and father-in-law~

Bravo Heather! We love you and the beautiful music you make!!

P.S.

Along with teaching and tutoring violin, Heather manages a very busy etsy business and keeps up with her own personal blog and is the perfect wife for that son of ours.

Voted Most Fun Couple on a trip to Seattle

I can't believe it was two weeks ago today that we were departing on our trip to Alaska!

It was the wee hours of the morning and we were both giddy....the usual...hubby making wise cracks with the air staff and them having the utmost sympathy for me for putting up with it for HOW MANY YEARS!?

Well it finally paid off.......

Shortly before touch down the stewardess brought us a bottle of champagne.....

and snuck in some grub from first class to us.

All at no charge!

They said we won the prize for being the most fun couple on board!

I was so excited I ran up a few rows to where our traveling friends were to tell (BRAG) of our good fortune.

Only to find why we must have been voted the most fun!!!!

Scrappy Supper in a jiffy

Take one pound of FREE Eckrich sausage (our customer who recently had a successful experience in our plant packaging their product...sent a pound of their sausage to each of our employees...aka "perk")



Scrounge through the semi empty pantry...find some spaghetti


boil and mix with a half empty jar of pesto in the frig....

Rummage through the freezer and find a hidden bag of yummy broccoli & carrots with garlic & herbs...(for real these are yummy, fast and only 40 calories a serving!)



Here's our cast of character's as all the food bloggers point out (usually at the beginning of their blog, not toward the end....oh, well)


Dressed up spaghetti with some pesto and parmesan cheese.



Browning up that free sausage...


Assemble nicely on a plate and devour.



This dinner was actually prepared faster than this blog was created. FOR REAL!!

Looking for motivation...

OK lurker, are you happy? I'm making a lame attempt at returning to my blogging.



There's been a few obstacles



(A trip to the other side of the world,

impending grandchild, ladies retreat....just to name a few),

but I'm putting a clean card in the Kodak and setting my sails toward some new blogable material.

Wish me luck!

P.S. The dead wasp in the previous blog post, was mysteriously "swept" away a couple of days after the post.....