Where Did That Come From

One of the fun things about middle age is going to bed one night and you weigh 115 lbs. Your hair is dark, the skin on your face is firm and all is right with the world.  The next day you wake up. You weigh 150 lbs and not only has your face (and other body parts) fallen but there are spots, bags and wrinkles!  Where did  that come from?
OK, so it doesn't happen over night but it seems like it.  What's that old saying?  If I'd known I was gonna live this long I would have taken better care of myself.
Oh, so what. Just take off your glasses put a dimmer switch on the light in the bathroom and you'll look just like you used too!

"FIVE THINGS"
1  I DON"T like being hot
2  Red is my favorite color
3  I love all things French
4  I wish no one in the world ever had to go to bed hungry
5  I think baby pigs are soooo cute

Give Your Life Away

What have you done with your life?    I've been asking myself this question all day.  What have I done?  I mean what have I done with my life that really matters?  What have I done to make a difference in the world or more importantly in someone's life.
Did I do anything today to make someone's life a little better?  Sometimes a person just needs a smile or a kind word to brighten their day.  We're very good at acting like everything is OK when sometimes on the inside we're falling apart.
My teenage grandson like all teenagers gets bored easily.  I 'm trying to teach him to always look for opportunities to reach out and help someone.  Maybe there's all elderly person that he could run errands for or even just check the mail for them.  He might see something a person dropped and pick it up, who knows maybe their back has been hurting lately. 
If you keep your eyes and ears open you would be surprised at how many people you could be a blessing too.
I guess what I'm trying to say is instead of living your life only for your benefit give it away to others. After all isn't that why we were put on this earth, to love and help each other?
I challenge each of you to do one thing everyday that will brighten the day of someone even if it's just a smile or a kind word.
Now on a different note I'm starting a new section I call "5 Things".  Every Monday I will list five things about myself.  This way you will get to know me a little better.  I would love it if you would list "5 Things" about yourself.
1  I have hazel eyes
2  I love key lime pie
3  I wish I had gone to college
4  I like to paint
5  I love children

Life In The Middle

Middle : Half-way between two given points, times, etc.
  I hosted a birthday party yesterday.  The guests ranged in age from one to eightyfive.  The party was for my eightyfive year old father and the one year old is my youngest grandchild. 
The children were  running around, playing and having fun.  The adults were eating, joking and remininacing about times past. I was in the middle.  One minute I was on the floor playing with the little ones and next I was fixing my father's plate of food so he could eat. 
My emotions are all over the place.  It's so much fun to watch the children play and listen to their laughter.  At the same time I'm watching my father as he tells one of his old jokes we've all heard a million times.  He laughs and we all laugh with him.  But I know that my time left with him is short and one day I won't hear his laughter any more.
So I guess I'll enjoy being in the middle as long as I can.
My seven year granddaughter Maddie said "Nana, I thought we were going to have a party." We are I said. "But Nana there's nothing but old people here!" she said with her arms in the air like old people don't know how to party.
I'll close with a French Proverb I learned today.
"Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age". That is oh so true!

"THINGS"

When we're born we are our happiest when we're in our mother's arms.  All we want is time with those we love.
As we grow into childhood  new toys makes us happy.
In the teen years it takes a new outfit or the latest "cool thing" that all our friends have to make us content.
As a young adult it's a new car, money, and the attention of the opposite sex.
In our thirties and forty's we surround ourselves with lots of  "things".  Things for the house, the kids, the car, us and our friends.
In our fifties and sixty's it takes more than "things" to make us happy . We don't want to dust, clean or take care of  all the "things" we've collected over the years.  We slowly begin to rid our lives of "things" and just like in our beginning what we want is time with those we love.  
Life is short so spend time with and pay attention to those you love.
"What most people need to learn is how to love people and use things instead of using people and loving things."

Who Says You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

Things I've learned since I reached "Middle Age":
Opened a gift shop.  That was something I always wanted to do.
Opened a coffee shop.  Learned to make coffee. Believe it or not I didn't drink coffee or know how to make it before I opened my coffee shop.  Now I know how to make coffee, espresso, lattes, etc.
Traveled to wineries and learned about wine and added that to my coffee shop.
Took French lessons.
Traveled to France and Canada.
Wrote a short story for children and began writing a book.
Learned to blog.
Learned to add widgets to my blog.
Learned how to program a cell phone.
And because life happens, I've learned to care for the elderly and hold the hand of the dying.

Behind Every Great Woman Is Another Great Woman

Have you ever stopped to think about all the women that have come and gone in your life?  The time spent with each one shaped you into the woman you are today.  Even the women that effected you in a negative way.  Of course the first woman to come into my life was my mother.  We had our differences over the years but she was a good Christian woman.  She taught me right from wrong and she always made sure I had everything I needed and most of what I wanted.  My mother's mother died when I was two so I don't remember her but I do remember my fathers mother.  I called her Grandma.  Her name was Claudia.  She always wore her hair up in a bun, she made yummy biscuits and she had a soft voice.  I had several aunts most of them have passed away.  Some were so sweet and a few were not.  As a matter of fact the sweet ones are still alive and I know they would do anything they could for me if I needed them.  I have a best friend that I don't see very often but when we do see each other or talk on the phone it's like we've never been apart.  She's the kind of friend that you can totally be yourself with.  She doesn't care how you look or what kind of mood you're in.  My coworker is the most compassionate woman I've ever known.  She truly cares about everyone she comes in contact with.  And then there are "The Three".  My daughter, my daughter-in-law, and my stepdaughter. I hate the word stepdaughter.  It sounds so impersonal.  In my heart they are all my daughters. Three very different women yet very much the same.  They're all beautiful, inside and out. They're all very strong willed women with deep convictions. They're all hard workers and I love them.  I hope that I have been and will be a blessing to my daughters, granddaughters and other women that I have the pleasure of coming in contact with.

New Technology and The Middle aged Woman

OMG I have spent half a day trying to add new widgets to my Blog!  If you're a Baby Boomer stay at home mom you've had very little experience with computers.  As little as I know about them I still have friends that know less, but I'm learning.  Mostly by trail and error, like today. 
I learned about a new company  called, Open Sky.  Very interesting.  The concept is they connect people with a product to sell with someone like me that will talk about it and sell it on their Blog.  These are products you don't find in stores and you only sell the products you like. 
I once owned a gift shop and I love retail sales so this is something I might enjoy. 
Lord help me I'm also trying to setup a widget from Amazon.com.
If you hear someone screaming in the night don't worry it's just me!!!