My Birthday Wish...

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For the last almost eight months since losing MyGayla, I have told my friends and family that I don't want to have a birthday. Part of that was the fact that the 19th of every month just reminds me that my sister is no longer here. The other part is that I don't want to someday be older than her. It's strange that a rational person would think this way, but I have found that in grief even the most rational people make irrational statements and choices as part of trying to make their reality not so. I came to realize yesterday that I am ready to grow old because that is what I am supposed to do. If anything, the death of my beloved sister-best-friend has taught me that I have to start embracing every day I have for the joyful blessing that it is.


Now here's where I need all of my friends' help. I have a wish list of material things that would make any girl's day. However, I am also aware that these THINGS cost money that we don't have. Therefore I put them away as dreams for someday. Another thought that has stuck with me for the last few months is that the outpouring of love for Gayla after her death has been almost overwhelming at times, and I wonder if we were as passionate about letting her know we loved her while she was alive. Then it hit me...what I really want for my birthday.


I love, love, love to receive mail. It has made my day since I was a little girl to receive personal posts. My birthday wish is that my friends and family will send me birthday cards with their memories of me written inside. Since I will be (eh-hem) thirty-seven celebrating the eighth anniversary of my twenty-ninth birthday, my goal is to receive at least 37 hand-written birthday wishes in the mail before November 19, 2011. Chad and Darby have agreed to help me not open these birthday treats until the day of my birth. Chad also says that I don't need to be disappointed if no one participates...let's prove him wrong!


Now this is tricky...how to put my address out there but keep myself and family safe from cyber stalkers...I am posting this on my facebook with a pic of my mailing address. For anyone not on my friends facebook list, e-mail me at jaimee dot hunter at sbcglobal dot net and I'll send you the address.


Looking forward to it! Much love!

Thursdays are Happiness Reports: October--Having More Energy

So True!

What's that saying? "If you want to entertain and amuse God, make a plan." I must have meant October is all about exerting all my energy to mend and heal. I started the first week by falling in the front flower bed and jacking up my foot to where I couldn't wear a shoe, much less work out. Week two I am wearing shoes only long enough to go to the doctor for the chest cold that turned into bronchitis. Now this week, I have coughed myself into irritating my hiatal hernia so that I cannot eat anything but rice, yogurt and mashed potatoes. On a plus note, I have lost five more pounds this week but easy lost is easy gained back. Also, with the help of all the meds I am sleeping more than eight hours each night. Maybe it's like training a new born to sleep through the night and my body will like it so much that it will become the norm. I have one week left in October, and I am going to do SOMETHING in the way of exercise. The drinking only water thing is going well since everything else irritates my stomach. Like I said during eat healthy month...have a plan but be flexible or you'll go insane.

Thank you for continuing to support this little bit of crazy each day! Visit my blog each Thursday to see how My Happiness Project is going! Here's the plan by month so far:

• August--being organized
• September--eating healthier
• October--having energy
• November--being thankful
• December--focusing on family and friends
• January--focusing on marriage
• February--focusing on parenting
• March--being creative
• April--being helpful
• May--working smarter
• June--being adventurous
• July--loving Jaimee

Write on Wednesday: Bring Me Sunshine In A Cup...

Gill at InkPaperPen inspired me yet again! Ding!

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 19 - Sunshine in a cup. Write the words of Emily Dickinson: "Bring me sunshine in a cup" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Don't take you pen off the page (or fingers off the keyboard). Stop only when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish. Write beyond 5 minutes if you like, you can link it up as an extra post.

Bring me sunshine in a cup...the sunshine in my life is my darling daughter. Each day I get to wake up is another adventure I am blessed to have with MyDarby. Still being fairly new to parenting (fifth year mama to a 14-year-old girl), I worry about her...A LOT! From what my mother tells me, this doesn't end just because she grows up. Where other mothers in my tenure are sending their darlings off to kindergarten for the first time, I am watching mine get on the bus for high school. My counterparts are braiding hair and tieing bows while I am side glancing today's outfit for dress code violations. My peers are volunteering for class mom and play dates while I am begging for ten minutes a day of communication other than grunts and shrugs. With so much uncertainty in parenting, I have one thing I can always fall back to...no matter what is to come, who she will be, what she will do, I love my girl with all my heart, unconditionally, unfaltering. My cup runeth over with the pure joy and unending love I have for MyDarby.

Try Something New Tuesday: Pinterest Inspired Lamp

So last week I wrote about discovering Pinterest and becoming an instant addict. The fun continues! This week I have been completing little Pinterest Projects all over the place. I made Darby a One Sentence Journal for documenting her high school years as well as a Dream Bucket. Although I am very proud of those two items, this fun Tissue Paper Lamp was the winner of my week. To boot, Darling Daughter loves it too! Yay, J-Me!

Supplies: Balloon, tissue paper strips in multiple colors, tacky glue, lamp socket kit from Lowe's and a light bulb.

1. Blow up the balloon and use tacky glue to adhere the twisted paper roses to the balloon. To make the rose, cut a 2 inch x length of the tissue paper strip. Twist the strip into a long tissue rope. Tightly roll the strip into a circle, creating your rose.

2. For an extra measure of security, I sprayed the rose-covered balloon with a matt finishing spray. Let the project dry for 24 hours.

3. Once the lamp is completely dry, gently cut the balloon and let it deflate. I had to gently remove balloon bits from inside the lamp shade. It looked like one of those flower-covered swim caps from the 50s.

4. I then cut a hole in between a couple of the top roses to insert the socket of the lamp kit. I screwed in a light bulb, plugged it in, and ta-da! A funky light for darling daughter!

Try Something New Tuesday: Pinterest Inspiration: Grocery Sack Reuse

I used to think that my once-a-year Garage sale was genius because, instead of pricing each individual piece of crap, I would give out the grocery sacks we collect all year for $5 and tell our patrons, "Anything you can fit into that sack for $5." I cleared out our bag collection and our junk at the same time. Well if that was my genius, then this is whatever is WAY SMARTER AND COOLER than genius.


Originally pinned from "Tatertots and Jello", a blog of DIY crafts and ideas, this is a tutorial for taking your grocery bags and an empty cleaning wipe container and making a dispenser for your car, your laundry room or your mommy bag! It makes that jumble of plastic sacks a neat and compact bag dispensary! Hubby dearest was a doubting Chad until I let him demonstrate with my finished product. Now he wants one for his truck and his dad's boat!

1.  Gather a dozen bags and flatten them out pushing all the air out. I used several more than 12 because my container was the large wipes.

2. Fold the bags in half again pressing all the air out. This took me a couple of tries.

3. Overlap the handles of the bags onto the top of the previous bag. If you’re only working with 12, then you can make a long line. If you’re doing more, you may just want to work with a few at a time.

4. Fold the first bag’s handle upward. This will be your middle and the first bag you pull out of the container. All the other bags will be connected to this first one.5. Tightly roll up the sacks, tucking in the new handles as you roll.6. After you roll the grocery bags, insert the roll into your wipes container, tucking the first bag’s handles through the top.7. From here, you decorate your wonderful little container using whatever supplies you have available. GENIUS!

That's Some Cough Syrup with a Kick!




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Not happy about too much last night, including that there was no family night, I was ready for sleep when my head hit the pillow. Doc Hardline gave me some codeine laced cough syrup earlier in the week to help me sleep through the coughing fits that sound like they are going to strangle me. Wow! I now know how people get addicted to this crap! It has a kick...luckily, I don't like not being in control so I am safe from ever getting so pulled into it that I call it "my precious" other other crazy pet names for vices.

Nevertheless, getting pulled into a deep sleep and held there by the sickly sweet concoction was probably the best night of rest I have had in months. Not because it was restful and refreshing because I feel like there are weights tied to each of my hands and feet this morning. It was my best night of sleep because I finally dreamed of MyGayla. In fact, I spent the whole night with her hanging out like we used to and then creating a made-up mystery for us to solve like crime fighters, a game we played as children re-enacting shows we had watched on TV.

Always the ones to point out the obvious, Sister and I discussed that this was a dream and she was actually gone in real life. After tears on both our parts, we decided together to just take the time we were given in my mind and run with it. We found the criminal, saved the day and had time for making dinner together.

On an interesting note, in my dream, we lived in a high-rise apartment, number 752. I looked up the meanings of the numbers...very intriguing! The number seven "always indicates Spiritual Enlightenment. Our Spiritual Center is our 7th Chakra." The number five is a "male number indicating sensuality, the five senses, Karma (literally learning your lessons through the five senses)." Finally, the number two is "a female number indicating balance, sharing, give and take, two way communication." I have goose bumps thinking about how the mind is a most interesting place to hang out. Don't misunderstand, I am not the hippy-hippy chick with the karma candles and incense with crystals. I just thought if a number on our apartment stuck in my mind, then it must be at least entertaining to find out what those numbers stand for.

RECIPE: Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

I love cooking with the crockpot and having things ready for dinner when I get home from work! This has to be the best Baked Potato Soup I have ever had (even in a restaurant!), and it was easy peasy, baby! Darling Daughter and Hubby Dearest liked it as well (SCORE!). I served it with cornbread, but HD said we should have it with steaks next time.

Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
 5 pound bag of Russet Potatoes, washed (peeled is up to your preference) 
 1 large yellow onion, diced (I puree mine b/c of my texture babies)
10 cloves of garlic, whole
8 cups chicken broth
16 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon seasoned salt 

Garnishes:
- Crumbled bacon or bacon bits
- Shredded cheese of your choosing
- Green onions (we skip this)

Directions:
- Dice potatos into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning and chicken stock to crockpot.
- Cook on low for 10 hours.
- Remove and puree the garlic cloves (they float to the top), 1/2 to 1/3rd of the crockpot mixture, and the cream cheese.
- Reintroduce puree mixture to the remainder of the soup in the crock pot.
- Top with your choice of garnishes & serve!Serves about 10-12 servings. I am freezing the leftovers and will have to let you know if it holds up to freezing.

Thursdays are Happiness Reports October--Having More Energy by Sleeping and Hydrating



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My therapist loaned me a book
titled The Worry Cure.
1. Accept the present situation
and uncertainty.
2. Commit to taking action where
action is needed.
3. Live for NOW not a future
that is unknown.

I don't know if it's that I am suffering with the nothing-tastes-right-because-I'm-congested thingy or if, after a week of drinking nothing but water, I just don't care for the taste of my soda I broke down and bought. Either way, staying hydrated this week has been a must with all the cold meds I have been consuming. Also, sleeping 8 hours each night was a breeze with the cough medicine the doc gave me. I am feeling more energetic and have been able to stay busy each evening after work instead of crashing on the sofa and being a lump. I have been cooking dinners, making "I love you" pressies for Darby, and trying to get the house in order.

This next week will be a kicker though...seven days of working out. I have my choice of the recreation centers, videos at home or walking around the neighborhood (so glad the heat wave of 2011 is over!). Wish me luck!

Thank you for continuing to support this little bit of crazy each day! Visit my blog each Thursday to see how My Happiness Project is going! Here's the plan by month so far:

• August--being organized
• September--eating healthier
• October--having energy
• November--being thankful
• December--focusing on family and friends
• January--focusing on marriage
• February--focusing on parenting
• March--being creative
• April--being helpful
• May--working smarter
• June--being adventurous
• July--loving Jaimee

I'm OBVIOUSLY a Big Dork!

Inspiration found on Pinterest

According to Marshall Kirkpatrick, I am now a member of the Big Dork Club (although I think I have always been a member) because I am finally into Pinterest. Go read his blog about this new addictive web site to see a full description of the many uses of Pinterest. I liken it to the cork board I hung on my wall as a kiddo that collected anything of interest to me. It's funny to see Darling Daughter's bulletin board piled with years and years of hand-made arts and crafts, certificates for her latest and greatest feat of awesome childhood-ism, pictures of funny faces, award ribbons, special messages, etc. Yeah, this is a digital version of that, which helps walking contradictions like myself (pack-rats who are also clutter-phobes).

What's awesome for for this crafty gal is that I can "Pin" those items of "Interest" to me (get it? Pinterest?) and see all the virtual cork boards of my friends and strangers. WARNING!!! Snagging ideas for future fun is freaking addictive, y'all! Once you get started, it sucks you in...WAY IN! Like you look up from your click, click, clicketing and multiple hours have snuck right past you!



I am totally
going to buy a scarf
and wrap my head up now
that this totally easy tutorial
has been discovered!

Last night, I grabbed three recipes that were of interest to me, ran to the store to buy supplies and made dinner and dessert. This totally knocked out the "I don't know; what do you want to have for dinner?" conversation. I even got up this morning and started a slow cooker baked potato soup for dinner tonight. In addition to Fun Foodie items, I collected 155 various crafts, card ideas, holiday fun items,  inspirational quotes, etc. just last night! I may be in more trouble because I discovered the Iphone App for Pinterest this morning...looks like Angry Birds just got some competition for my attention! Anyone want to give me an IPad for my birthday so I don't go blind using my little bitty phone? :-)

Come follow me on Pinterest and let's share ideas! I login using Facebook so if we are friends on Facebook, we can connect on Pinterest.

Try Something New Tuesday--Waffle House O.M.O.

"What is Waffle House O.M.O.?" you ask. It's lunch at the "Aweful Waffle" on my own. Further more, it's probably a one time endeavor. Missing myGayla terribly, I decided I wanted to walk her path of being okay with meals at Waffle House by myself. I ordered her favorite hashbrowns with peppers, tomoatoes, cheese and ham, opting not to go forward with my plan of hashbrowns all the way (Bert can keep his chili--beans! really!). Although completely yummy with a little salsa on top, I am sure the lovely waitress was stricken to find me crying in her booth as I stared longingly off into space while eating this ugly mess of fried food. After snapping back to reality, I gulped down the rest of my lunch and tipped her 100% as I fled for the safety of my car. I wonder if I'll ever look at pedicures and Waffle House the same way again.

The list isn't growing but is shrinking! Got anything you suggest I try?

· pomegranates
· making jam
· Russian cuisine
· New Boston Pioneer Days
· business travel all in one day
·  Be an insane sideline mom with glittery sign and all
· kayaking
· 5k training to eventually RUN a 5k
· mud bath
· banya (not just food; they have a spa too)
· Zumba
· Ballroom dancing class
· Watch a Bollywood movie at a Bollywood theater
· Quilting
· Take Darby to see a Midnight show of Rocky Horror
· Participate in a flash mob
· Boot Camp
· Art Class
· Dance on a Bar
· Puerto Rican food
· Meditate at a Buddhist temple
· Volunteer at a homeless shelter
· be a tourist in my own town
· snow ski
· order and eat hash browns "all the way" at Waffle House
· Make a Funny Face Book