Thursdays are Happiness Reports! 30 Days of Thankful: Day 3--Gayla

I think this is going quite well! That's the Happiness Report. In the last three days of writing about being thankful for the people in my life as part of my 30 Days of Thankful Challenge, I have toyed and tossed around when to thank Gayla. Although she was taken from us more than seven months ago, I will always be thankful for the 38 years I was given with my sister. I finally decided to go with it now rather than put it off. I needed a good cleansing cry to move forward anyway.

Dear Precious Sister,

Thank you for being my first and dearest best friend from the minute I was born. You may be the only person who could ever have put up with me that much. I thank God that He gave me you as my older sister for 38 years. I keep thinking about the choice we could have been given...only 38 years with you or none at all. I will be forever grateful for the years because they were the most wonderful, if not brief, years of our lives. I also will forever regret that two years we wasted being mad at each other over stupid boys. I want a do over! I wouldn't waste a single minute with you.

You taught me how to be a writer, sweet friend. You gave me those first words to copy from your paper so you could keep me out of your hair, but you inspired and influenced my life forever in that one moment. Thank you, Gayla, for always being my number one fan who believed in me...encouraged me. Your support was invaluable. Your faith, priceless. Thank you for never giving up on me even when I was at my worst. You were my savior.

Thank you, my love, for showing me how to be a good woman. Your heart inspired me to love with my all. You taught me how to give without expectation. I am who I am in part because of your influence. I love you, Gayla...I always will.

Your Sister, Jaimee




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 (hang my head in shame at the failure)
• 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 Moody Music 30 Days of Thankful: Day 2--Darling Daughter

Like I wrote yesterday, I am going to try, when possible to combine my usual schedule of blogging and the 30 Days of Thankful Challenge. Here are the instructions for this week's WOW from Gill at InkPaperPen. I chose a song that I have for Darling Daughter and Hubby Dearest, Keith Urban's "Only You Can Love Me This Way," but this is for our sweet girl.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 22 - Select a piece of music that reflects the mood of writing you'd like to aim for. Press play. Start free writing. Write the first words that come into your head. When the music's over, so is the writing. I'd recommend finding out how long the song is before you start the exercise. You may feel cheated in your writing time if you pick a song by The Ramones. Of course, if you feel like writing a short, punky piece by all means, go for it!


Dearest Darling Daughter Darby,

Baby girl, you are the most precious gift ever shared with me. I am so thankful to God everyday (yes even the rough ones) that He put you in my life. You have made the last five years of my life whole, healing a part of my heart that I just couldn't see ever being whole again. Thank you for reminding me that when God shuts a door, he leaves a window open for me to sneak into...;-)

Thank you for sharing your Daddy with me, sweet child. I know it hasn't always been a walk in the park learning to live with another woman occupying some of his time. I thank you for encouraging him, even when you were so little, to bring me into yall's family. I thank you for the special way that you both protect and challenge my heart every day.

As you grow up and head out to the world, just know that you will always be my baby. Only you can love us in your way. Only you can make our lives whole. Only you are always in our hearts and minds. No one comes close to you, Darby. Thank you for being our girl child...our legacy to the world...our love...our peace...our daughter.

I love you, Darby.

Mama J

30 Days of Thankful: Day 1--Hubby Dearest

Welcome to November Readers Extraordinaries! My normally scheduled blogging is interrupted (or worked in where possible) in order to bring you 30 DAYS OF THANKFUL!

This is the month for being thankful! Thanksgiving is in 24 days and consists of only 24 hours. That's 24 hours to travel, cook a huge meal or two or three, visit with the family and friends, clean the kitchen, store the left overs, watch the games, take a nap, plan the next day's shopping adventure (NOT!) etc. etc. It seems like the point is lost so I invite everyone to take this challenge with me. Make a list of people for whom you are thankful. I am focusing on people, but if you can work in things, do share! Assign each person a day. Then on their day, create something (love letter, craft, photo collage, blog, etc.) in their honor and to show them you are thankful for them. Let's change the world this month by giving out our love and appreciation every day in every way!

Dearest Chad,

Today I thank you for being the love of my life and best friend. I thank God for His paths that He provided for us to find our ways in and out and in and out and back in to each others' lives. Ours is a connection of hearts and minds that can never be severed. With you, I have found my happily ever after.

Thank you, baby, for always taking care of our darling girl and me. Thank you for making sure we have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs and food in our tummies. Thank you for being our rock and our foundation. Thank you for the foot rubs and late night runs to the pharmacy. Thank you for the laughter and the joy. Thank you for making sure our family is first in every way.

My dearest husband, thank you for being you. We love your passion and dedication. Your obsession with fishing is admirable and "pick-able" all at the same time, providing both pride and amusement. From sinking the boat to getting stranded on that little creek, you have made sure almost every outing with you is an adventure. I look forward to the adventures that are still in store for us.

I love you, Chad.

Jaimee

Happy Halloween 2011!

Some thought we didn't dress
up last year...hmmm...what are
they trying to say???

When my parents were just starting out with our little family of five, they were like any other fledgling family financially. I often laugh with my husband that both of our favorite evening meals as children were when we had breakfast for dinner. Neither of us understood until we were in our parents' shoes that those favorite meals were the last ones right before pay day and grocery shopping, making do with what was in the kitchen. Some of my favorite memories are from that time when my Mama and Daddy used their ingenuity to provide for us with what they had. They taught us that happiness is not in the "things" you can get but in looking more closely at what you have. We were richly blessed with lots of love and wanted for nothing.

Our Vampire Old Lady

One of the things my parents did economically was dress us up for Halloween. I have seen 8 mm film with Sister and me wearing clown make up on our faces (probably Mama's make up used creatively) and our hair teased and ratted into the round clown hair. We are laughing and rolling around on the floor with new-born Bubba having the best time. The only down side that year was that our neighbor on the corner made cupcakes for trick-or-treaters, and we weren't allowed to eat them because there was a razor blade scare, which was the weirdest thing to me. Who was dumb enough to think razor blades were treats? Seemed like a dirty trick to me.

Darby's date last year wasn't
nearly as scary as she was!

Another memory I have is the first year Sister and I received our first vinyl dress and plastic mask costumes with the little nose and eye holes. I think they both were Barbies although I remember comparing the mask to my doll and thinking the little nose holes made her look more like Miss Piggy. We had grilled cheese sandwiches that night before our adventure out, and Gayla thought she would eat her dinner while wearing her mask. Mama or Daddy made her remove it at sometime in the meal and somehow our masks got mixed up. All I could focus on as we walked from door to door later on is, "Why does my mask smell like cheese?" Combine that with the design's structure making you create a sauna for your face, and I was never really keen on having masks again.

One of the only other Halloween's I remember is when we were all three in Elementary, and our school hosted a carnival set up throughout our classrooms. We purchased tickets to exchange for games that provided plastic trinkets or handfuls of candy to its participants. I spent all of my tickets walking around the numbered squares placed on the floor of Ms. Young's classroom in hopes of winning a cake for my Daddy. I won a huge German Chocolate confection on my first trip around and just thought that was the bees knees. I continued to play and walk each go around. After I won my second cake, I was politely asked to go find another game. I wasn't hurt because My Daddy bragged on me that night for winning him his favorite cake. In later years, I would try to win him more cake but never was triumphant.

She's talented!

Now that I am grown, I sit in amazement at Hubby Dearest's and Darling Daughter's obsession with this holiday. We probably have more Halloween decor than Christmas decor. They each have costumes that they embellish and improve on each year. Darby is even getting quite the reputation among friends and family for creative make up artistry. I keep thinking I will get into the spirit and start developing an alter ego of my own, but I have yet to catch the spooky bug. I guess I'll keep looking for a yellow hoodie sweatshirt and some overalls so I can be a Minion and carry my Dave Minion around with me.

Family Night: Halloween

We had so much fun last night during family night. Thanks to Shawn and Amanda for joining us in Halloween Shopping! The Rangers kept us on pins and needles too, and all I have to say about that is, like Aggies, Rangers never lose although they may run out of time.


Have you been to a Halloween store lately? Darling Daughter and I both would like to know why Halloween is turning into "sexy ____" dress up day. I don't even think it's so much sexy as trashy. IN THE TEEN SECTION no less there were sexy fairies and sexy lady bugs and on and on.

I love that Darby takes after her daddy and, the scarier her costume is, the better. We still laugh about her going to a party a couple of years ago where the teens were going to go trick-or-treating. When I dropped the Darbster off in her half lizard, half monster costume, she was surrounded by boys and girls in similar costumes save one or two wearing high heals and such. Darby was ticked that they only got to go to two or three houses before those not wearing sensable shoes were too tired to continue. I think that sealed the deal for her...no sexy lizard monster for her!





















Another thing we noticed this year is that the pickings are pretty slim at the Spirit store. They seemed to have spent too much on the crazy merry-go-round with possessed babies to have purchased enough stock to be interesting. They had some pretty scary stuff though...it just cost too much! I am off in search of a yellow hoodie sweatshirt, some yellow face paint and a pair of denim overalls...I want to be a Minion and carry Dave around with me! Wish me luck!

Thursdays are Happiness Reports: October--Having More Energy

Good lord! I am so glad this month is over. I did diddly squat to my goals and it's pathetic to keep writing that. I don't know what is worse: missing my goal consistently or writing about it constantly. I failed this month...fail, fail, fail! And to boot, I am more tired than I was at the beginning of October.

At least November is a pick me up! Can't wait...being thankful comes naturally to me. This first week will be coming up with a written plan to follow each day. I am going to incorporate the 30 Day Mom Challenge from iMOM.com to keep that going. In the second week, the goal is to pray purposefully every day, listing all the people and things I am thankful for. The next week will be to make a point to thank at least 10 people a day...you'd be surprised how the words "Thank You" improve someone's mood. Then finally, I am going to create something...will give that some more thought.

Thank you (look at me already getting started on next month!) 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 (hang my head in shame at the failure)
• 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--I Thought I Saw...

Gill at INKPAPERPEN, I just have to write this once so I won't use it as my piece for this week! "I thought I saw a putty tat!" Whew...now that that's taken care of...DING!

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 20 - Write the words " I thought I saw" 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.

I thought I Saw...

YOU
I thought I saw you pumping gas into your car and my heart leaped.
The way she stood was just like you.
Poor gal probably thought I was a crazy attacker running toward her.

YOu
I thought I saw you at the mall window shopping.
The way she wore her hair was just like you.
I must have looked like a stalker following her from store to store.

You
I thought I saw you pass by our house last week.
That silver car was just like yours.
I must have been insane to run out waving like a maniac.

you
I thought I saw you in my dreams last night.
Your laugh and smile were just like you.
I ran through all those rooms to catch up with you so I could hug you again.

I think I see you everywhere.
I wish it were true.

Ding!

Try Something New Tuesday--Insane Sideline Mom (Glittery Sign and All!)

Yep, I have found my calling on the Insane Train! I am "that" mom when it comes to supporting my kiddo. Coach asked Chad and me before the first hockey game what kind of cheering parents are we. We told him to watch us and let us know after the game. Turns out, we are the loud kind that are totally excited to see a year of skate school and private lessons paying off as our Darling Daughter zooms out onto the ice to steel the puck away from the opposing team. We are the kind that invite our friends and family and fill up half of the team's stands with just our gang. We are the kind that make signs, yell loud and stomp our feet when the team scores. We are the parents who high-five and go-team each other for never giving up and always finding a way to make this dream of hers come true. Yessireebob! We are the best kind of sideline crazy parents tsk-tsking at the rents who are bumps on the bench, or worse...critical of the coach, team or player when they oopsie. Go Flyers! Hoorah Darby! Everybody plays and everybody has a great time! That's what matters!

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 (Well, I am at least waiting to hear if I get to do this! All the training and paperwork are completed.)
· 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

Star Struck Even by Class III M Stars...

I am a big dork...yes, I know we have established this more times than not...but I am a star-struck big dork. I have always prided myself on maintaining only a handful of super celebrities that I would like to meet (Mathew Mc, Ellen, Reba and Queen Latifa). And I would probably die of heart failure should any of these ever happen. However, every time anyone of fame or infamy visits my blog, I get all goofy in the head as well. When Elizabeth from Flourish in Progress visits, I equate my giddiness to the popular girls saying hello to me in the halls of high school. When I received an e-mail from Florence Henderson, I about puked on myself with excitement. So last night was no different when the artist Daniel Martin Moore e-mailed me back about my post "It Is Well With My Soul", which is interestingly enough the second most popular post I have written so far.

My e-mail to him on September 28, 2011:

Your cover of "It Is Well" spoke to me last night. I blogged about it today and wanted to share that with you. My older sister was killed when her car was hit from behind by a tractor trailer this past March. I am devastated and have been having a crisis of faith. Your voice and this song gave me the first peace I have felt in months. Thank you.
Jaimee

His response to me yesterday:

jaimee,

thank you for your message.  i'm gladdened to know the song found its way to you in a time when you needed it.  my heart goes out to you for your loss, and i wish you all the best as you move forward.

be taking care,

dmm

I Am Truly Blessed Beyond What I Deserve

As hard as I try to stay positive, I think I am always waiting for something to go wrong. I love when everything goes above and beyond my expectations though...it reminds me to have more faith in the world. This weekend was just about as close to perfect as we can get. Darling Daughter's first hockey game was a winner not only because her team whooped up on the other but because her entourage was extensive and full of team spirit. We all hollered for our girl and her team and made complete sillies out of ourselves. It was GREATNESS!

When we were leaving to head to her celebratory lunch, I asked DarbyGirl if she wanted to call Memaw and Papa to let them know she won. After she left them a voicemail and handed me my phone back, I said with the same enthusiasm, "Now let's call Aunt Gayla!" It's moments like those that rip the air right out of you (and make me wonder how young early Alzheimer's usually kicks in). Ever the wise child, Darby comforted me and said, "She already knows." That girl saves me every time from myself. I love her, love her, love her. We sent pics to her Uncle Bubba and Aunt Dana. You could tell DarbyGirl loved being everyone's winner by her giant smile and chit-chatty demeanor.

We spent the rest of the day DIY-ing for Sosie's wedding. It was so comforting and gave me great peace in my heart to have the Little Rascals and their little-uns at our house playing, laughing and just being together. It's when our house is full of friends and family that it really feels like home. We are blessed beyond measure.