Today is my mother's birthday. I stopped over to her house after work to give her a card and some of her favorite danish (yes, I cheated a bit on the diet, but it was her birthday, after all).
We had coffee, talked, got caught up on the recent stuff and then had a bit of fried steak with her and my Dad and then left.
I wanted to share this because I am learning to feel grateful about all the people I have in my life that I care about. One of them, is of course my mother.
There are times when I love her so much it hurts. There are times she drives me nuts, and I'm sure I drive her nuts, too. Tree to Apple, I am my mother's daughter, some ways I don't want to admit, but I am.
I am grateful I still have my mother in my life. Always, even on the days when she and push the buttons on each other and get so frustrated at each other we could pull out our own hair in utter exasperation. But I am able to visit my Mom at her home, she is still in great health. She beat breast cancer and so far so good, it has not dared to come back. She raised me, my sister and my brother. She is a fabulous grandmother and she has aged beautifully through all the good times, the bad times and the sad times.
My birthday wish for my mother is for her to be happy. I want her to laugh more, to do more things for her own good as well as the good of the family. She needs to start living HER life, not living her life for everyone else. I want her to not ever have any regrets about what could have been instead of what was.
Happy Birthday, Mavis. I love you to the moon and back.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Friday, January 04, 2013
Happy New Year 2013!
It's been a year since I last posted.
Hard to believe but I have been really busy. Too busy to do much of anything except work 2 jobs and sleep. Just ask my honey. He doesn't see much of me anymore. I feel a lot like a passing ship when it comes to him. I am hoping to change that in 2013 by getting a job that will allow me to have more time, more freedom and make more money to make all of those things possible.
I was happy to let 2012 go. It was a really tough year. I lost a lot of people I cared and loved in 2012.
My grandmother, Ellen Crawford, passed in the spring after being in hospital.
Then my cousin Bobby Alcorn was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24 in June.
A few months later, my Uncle Keith Ashford died after being in the hospital for complications of a stroke. I miss them all.
Work consisted of me going from one job to the other with no time in between and barely any time off. I did take a week's vacation in September and went camping with my honey. Fishing wasn't the greatest but the weather was awesome and we both needed the time off.
We were blessed with another grandbaby in 2012. Easton Michael Milless was born on November 20, 2012. He is a handsome little boy and his sisters, Ava and Lilly are doing well.
Right now, I am writing this on my first day off of 2013. My last full day off was the day after Christmas. My best present (other than the new tires I needed for my car I got from my honey) was my son, Alex, and his girlfriend, Ali, coming home to surprise us. Andy came home from Iowa and was able to spend Christmas with us, too, which was great.
The book we published in my last post sold a few copies, but we didn't make a fortune off of it. I did learn a lot from the experience of publishing it and plan to have a few other books added to the list to sell this year. I did get a new Kindle from my son for Christmas, which is awesome. I love being able to just read and have all those books on one little device. It's like holding a library in your hands.
I do love old fashioned books because I don't have to recharge them and can take them anywhere.
I know a lot of people are making resolutions. I have decided to embrace the idea of making commitments for 2013. I have listed them here:
Commitments for 2013
1. Give more time, love, energy, and prosperity to my honey in 2013. (Spoil him rotten!)
2. Be grateful and appreciative of each and every day I'm above ground.
3. Take my honey to Alaska to go fishing.
4. Publish my writing.
5. Lose 50 pounds or more.
6. Make $25 an hour or more at one job.
7. Spend more quality time with my family, especially the kids and the grandkids.
I hope everyone has a fabulous 2013. I will be posting again very soon, well before 2014. :)
Hard to believe but I have been really busy. Too busy to do much of anything except work 2 jobs and sleep. Just ask my honey. He doesn't see much of me anymore. I feel a lot like a passing ship when it comes to him. I am hoping to change that in 2013 by getting a job that will allow me to have more time, more freedom and make more money to make all of those things possible.
I was happy to let 2012 go. It was a really tough year. I lost a lot of people I cared and loved in 2012.
My grandmother, Ellen Crawford, passed in the spring after being in hospital.
Then my cousin Bobby Alcorn was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24 in June.
A few months later, my Uncle Keith Ashford died after being in the hospital for complications of a stroke. I miss them all.
Work consisted of me going from one job to the other with no time in between and barely any time off. I did take a week's vacation in September and went camping with my honey. Fishing wasn't the greatest but the weather was awesome and we both needed the time off.
We were blessed with another grandbaby in 2012. Easton Michael Milless was born on November 20, 2012. He is a handsome little boy and his sisters, Ava and Lilly are doing well.
Right now, I am writing this on my first day off of 2013. My last full day off was the day after Christmas. My best present (other than the new tires I needed for my car I got from my honey) was my son, Alex, and his girlfriend, Ali, coming home to surprise us. Andy came home from Iowa and was able to spend Christmas with us, too, which was great.
The book we published in my last post sold a few copies, but we didn't make a fortune off of it. I did learn a lot from the experience of publishing it and plan to have a few other books added to the list to sell this year. I did get a new Kindle from my son for Christmas, which is awesome. I love being able to just read and have all those books on one little device. It's like holding a library in your hands.
I do love old fashioned books because I don't have to recharge them and can take them anywhere.
I know a lot of people are making resolutions. I have decided to embrace the idea of making commitments for 2013. I have listed them here:
Commitments for 2013
1. Give more time, love, energy, and prosperity to my honey in 2013. (Spoil him rotten!)
2. Be grateful and appreciative of each and every day I'm above ground.
3. Take my honey to Alaska to go fishing.
4. Publish my writing.
5. Lose 50 pounds or more.
6. Make $25 an hour or more at one job.
7. Spend more quality time with my family, especially the kids and the grandkids.
I hope everyone has a fabulous 2013. I will be posting again very soon, well before 2014. :)
Monday, January 09, 2012
Skippy and the Blueberry Pacakes
Happy New Year!
This year we started the new year off with completing a project we have been working on for close to a year. Last year we found a small black dog in the coldest part of the winter. We took him in and he stayed with us for three days as we tried to find his family. We thought he was from our neighborhood, but he was actually from the other side of town. We talked about writing a children's book about this little dog's adventures and publishing it.
I am happy to announce we have made that dream a reality. On January 2, 2012, we published the Kindle version of "Skippy and the Blueberry Pancakes." It is available on Amazon.com. Just click here to find it: Skippy and the Blueberry Pancakes.
It's for sale for $0.99 for the Kindle version and we hope to have a print edition in the near future. We may not make Stephen King money, but the fact we have realized our dream is priceless.
If I can impart any advice for the coming year, whether the world ends (again), or not, is to just do what you can do to move forward toward your dream. I am amazed at how kind and supportive people are when they realize that you are doing what you love and while it make not make you rich financially, it will enrich you personally with the experience.
Until next time, keep moving forward and please be kind.
This year we started the new year off with completing a project we have been working on for close to a year. Last year we found a small black dog in the coldest part of the winter. We took him in and he stayed with us for three days as we tried to find his family. We thought he was from our neighborhood, but he was actually from the other side of town. We talked about writing a children's book about this little dog's adventures and publishing it.
I am happy to announce we have made that dream a reality. On January 2, 2012, we published the Kindle version of "Skippy and the Blueberry Pancakes." It is available on Amazon.com. Just click here to find it: Skippy and the Blueberry Pancakes.
It's for sale for $0.99 for the Kindle version and we hope to have a print edition in the near future. We may not make Stephen King money, but the fact we have realized our dream is priceless.
If I can impart any advice for the coming year, whether the world ends (again), or not, is to just do what you can do to move forward toward your dream. I am amazed at how kind and supportive people are when they realize that you are doing what you love and while it make not make you rich financially, it will enrich you personally with the experience.
Until next time, keep moving forward and please be kind.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
The Last Call
Tonight at work, job number 2, I got a very interesting call.
The gentleman who called was looking for an article that had been published in the paper earlier in the week. I said I would try to help him find it and I did. The conversation then turned to articles and writing and he asked me if I was a writer then what was I doing answering phones for the paper when I should be writing for them, or basically something to that effect.
As Jason DeRusha would say, "Good Question."
Then he asked if I really liked what I was doing and I said, "I love this job. I get to talk to really cool people and yes, there are those who complain, but they usually have a right to complain and I don't take it personally." He asked where I was a writer at and my stock answer was I wrote for my local paper.
He asked if I was making any money off of it and I said, "No, I don't get paid to do it, it's more of a nice way to feed my ego." Then the conversation took a turn.
"When you start believing you are good enough to make money at what you really love doing and are brave enough to take the risk, the money will follow."
I forwarded him the link, thanked him for the conversation and I logged off and went home.
On the way home, I couldn't help thinking about what this random stranger told me over the phone. I have been debating, like I always do, of whether I should just give up this writing dream and just make as much money as I can doing "real work" and just save up and do the writing when I retire, if I ever make it to retirement. I have been thinking of this quite a bit over the last few weeks, looking for some answer to my dilemma and hoping something would speak to me and clarify what I need to do.
I got the answer I wanted.
Through the last call of the night from a random stranger.
Thank you. I know what I have to do. And more importantly, I have to do now, not when I retire and not one day later. I have to take the risk and see what happens.
When I got home, the conversation I had with the love of my life, doubly clarified it for me. Ok. I got the messages, loud and clear.
Thanks again. And I'll keep you all updated with what happens next.
The gentleman who called was looking for an article that had been published in the paper earlier in the week. I said I would try to help him find it and I did. The conversation then turned to articles and writing and he asked me if I was a writer then what was I doing answering phones for the paper when I should be writing for them, or basically something to that effect.
As Jason DeRusha would say, "Good Question."
Then he asked if I really liked what I was doing and I said, "I love this job. I get to talk to really cool people and yes, there are those who complain, but they usually have a right to complain and I don't take it personally." He asked where I was a writer at and my stock answer was I wrote for my local paper.
He asked if I was making any money off of it and I said, "No, I don't get paid to do it, it's more of a nice way to feed my ego." Then the conversation took a turn.
"When you start believing you are good enough to make money at what you really love doing and are brave enough to take the risk, the money will follow."
I forwarded him the link, thanked him for the conversation and I logged off and went home.
On the way home, I couldn't help thinking about what this random stranger told me over the phone. I have been debating, like I always do, of whether I should just give up this writing dream and just make as much money as I can doing "real work" and just save up and do the writing when I retire, if I ever make it to retirement. I have been thinking of this quite a bit over the last few weeks, looking for some answer to my dilemma and hoping something would speak to me and clarify what I need to do.
I got the answer I wanted.
Through the last call of the night from a random stranger.
Thank you. I know what I have to do. And more importantly, I have to do now, not when I retire and not one day later. I have to take the risk and see what happens.
When I got home, the conversation I had with the love of my life, doubly clarified it for me. Ok. I got the messages, loud and clear.
Thanks again. And I'll keep you all updated with what happens next.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The Gift of A Day Off
I know it's been a long time since I last posted.
Since my last post, I have been laid off from my job as a customer service representative for a lawn care company because the season ended. I will be going back in the spring and have taken on working two part-time jobs.
One job is at Target and I work from 4:30 am or 5:30 am to 9:00 am or 10 am or longer, doing logistics, which is unloading freight from the truck and stocking the shelves. My second job is as a customer service representative at a call center for the StarTribune. I love both jobs and love the fact I am not sitting around the house. Since working at Target, I've lost over 20 pounds. My clothes fit better, my sleeping is better (since I have to go to bed earlier), and I get paid to have a very intense workout lifting and walking and bending. I also am home by 6:00 pm which gives me more time to see my honey everyday, even if I have to work at both places on the same day.
I've been working almost everyday at one job or the other since late October, and today was my first day off from both jobs in weeks. I am very grateful for this time and spent it the way I wanted to, with no errands or driving around all over town, or working on a lot of stuff around the house. I was tempted to go nuts and clean and work on stuff around the house, but on the other hand, I wanted to just relax, to rest, to take stock and breathe a little bit. It's been such a crazy time, I haven't allowed myself any time off to just do that.
Today, I slept in as late as I wanted, did some laundry, the dishes and watched my favorite shows in the afternoon: Rachel Ray, The Doctors, The Dr. Oz Show, and Jeopardy. I also caught up on Facebook and on my emails. I even made out my To Do List for the next couple of weeks and also my grocery list for the next week. I will be finishing my NaNoWriMo novel for this year, and posting my word count once I have it verified, and will probably start working on a few ideas for some articles. I haven't allowed myself much time for my writing either. I realized how much I missed it until today. And how much I missed the time to just do what you want to do. It's very precious. Don't waste it.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and I will post again soon. Take care.
Since my last post, I have been laid off from my job as a customer service representative for a lawn care company because the season ended. I will be going back in the spring and have taken on working two part-time jobs.
One job is at Target and I work from 4:30 am or 5:30 am to 9:00 am or 10 am or longer, doing logistics, which is unloading freight from the truck and stocking the shelves. My second job is as a customer service representative at a call center for the StarTribune. I love both jobs and love the fact I am not sitting around the house. Since working at Target, I've lost over 20 pounds. My clothes fit better, my sleeping is better (since I have to go to bed earlier), and I get paid to have a very intense workout lifting and walking and bending. I also am home by 6:00 pm which gives me more time to see my honey everyday, even if I have to work at both places on the same day.
I've been working almost everyday at one job or the other since late October, and today was my first day off from both jobs in weeks. I am very grateful for this time and spent it the way I wanted to, with no errands or driving around all over town, or working on a lot of stuff around the house. I was tempted to go nuts and clean and work on stuff around the house, but on the other hand, I wanted to just relax, to rest, to take stock and breathe a little bit. It's been such a crazy time, I haven't allowed myself any time off to just do that.
Today, I slept in as late as I wanted, did some laundry, the dishes and watched my favorite shows in the afternoon: Rachel Ray, The Doctors, The Dr. Oz Show, and Jeopardy. I also caught up on Facebook and on my emails. I even made out my To Do List for the next couple of weeks and also my grocery list for the next week. I will be finishing my NaNoWriMo novel for this year, and posting my word count once I have it verified, and will probably start working on a few ideas for some articles. I haven't allowed myself much time for my writing either. I realized how much I missed it until today. And how much I missed the time to just do what you want to do. It's very precious. Don't waste it.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and I will post again soon. Take care.
Friday, August 12, 2011
I Still Have a Dream...
I came to work on Monday and there seemed to be different kind of energy as I walked in the door. Then as I stepped inside, I heard, "Was it you, Laura? Did you win?" I had to think about it for a moment, and then I realized my co-workers were asking if I had won the Powerball Jackpot.
The answer: NOT YET! :) However, there was a retired couple who won from Dakota County, and after watching the report on the news tonight on WCCO, I am happy it was them. They both reminded me of my parents, they are both salt of the earth people, people who have worked hard all their lives and were trying like so many of us to figure out if they would ever be able to afford to ever retire. Now they don't have to worry about that. I wish them many, many blessings and I hope they enjoy their retirement in style along with the rest of their family.
As for me, I bought my tickets, playing the same numbers, so am I still dreaming? Yes. Am I going to win? Yes.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
I Had A Dream...
Yes, that is a million dollar bill. What in the world am I thinking putting it up on my blog? What gives?
Well, a few months ago, I had a dream. I dreamt I was at the official lottery drawing, like you see on TV where they pull the balls out and put them up and for the first time in my whole life, I saw all the numbers be drawn one by one. I thought, "I'll never remember them." But I did, when I woke up from that dream, I remembered every single number, and I wrote them down and I have been playing them ever since. Just those numbers. Not any other. In both lotteries, the Powerball and the MegaMillions. If I'm going to win, I want to win big! I have a lot of family to take care of, and a lot of friends who will need some help. Not to mention, I would love to help the veterans in our country and their families.
I heard about a family recently who won the lottery more than once. It got me to thinking. I would love to be the first one to win both jackpots one after the other. The Mega Millions is drawn tomorrow night and the Powerball is drawn on Saturday.
What would you do if you won the lottery? How much would you spend and how much would you put away? Who would you help? Think about it. In the meantime, remember, money is just colored paper. The only value it holds is the value we place upon it. The things that are worth more are worth having, and most of them are free.
Have a great weekend, and Good Luck! :)
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