So I Was Just Thinking

 Today we got our kitchen floor VERY clean. You too can get your floor clean by following these steps: 1) Decide to wash your face before going to bed. 2) Look for a washcloth in the laundry room. 3) Notice that you have an extra water filter on the top shelf. 4) Decide that NOW is a good time to change the fridge's water filter. 5) Recruit your oldest to remove the old filter. 6) Wonder why water is spewing from the port in the fridge. 7) Watch gallons of water pour into the fridge and onto the floor. 8) Figure out how to turn off the water behind the fridge. 9) Watch more water come out of the port. 10) Locate every towel you have when you regret owning only a Swiffer floor cleaner. 11) Wipe out every shelf in the fridge, throwing out old bottles of this and that. 12) Move the fridge back in place and see what interesting detritus is exposed. 13) Recruit the oldest to clean it up.  14) Return to washing your face which is all you wanted to do in the first place. It's been a ...

It's been a long time since I told a proper "Annemarie" story so here is today's antics. You see this dress. I love this dress. I got a deal on it. I think I have worn it once before. I like it because it's 100 degrees here today and still have to dress for my job as a Curriculum specialist at my school, so it's cool enough but long enough to cover the little shorts I wear under dresses. Why is this dress the center of my story?  Follow along my friends. School starts at 7 a.m. We are 100% online and technology issues often arise, so I like to be on time to catch the help line. That means leaving close to 6:30. I was so proud of myself for getting out at 6:35 (I have a 15 year-old who likes to oversleep.) Backpack on, purse over my shoulder, coffee cup in one hand and water cup in the other. All items are being placed in the back seat when I find I can't remove my backpack. The tiny little hook is caught in the seam of the bag. Try as a I may, the hook w...

Long time no post. So what brings me back? Quirky Dutch Summer . Week 1 has me making my own art journal.  This sent me on a field trip to Hobby Lobby where I found quite a deal on journals, canvases and a pad of primed sheets of canvas. (More than 75% off.) I then dug through a very old stash of acrylic paint. All of my art supplies are in the garage after I cleaned out my office for Thanksgiving a year and a half ago. I needed room for a long table. I also didn't want my company seeing my messy workspace. I've not brought much in since then. That's what I'm liking about Quirky Dutch Summer. It has me playing in my art stuff again. I have no plans this summer and my youngest is about to leave for cousin camp, giving me plenty of time to get my hands dirty. So let me show you what I've made. First I painted the front of the canvas. Then I painted the back and let them dry overnight.  I folded the edges over and glued them down. I used Aleene...

Doodling, Tangling, Zentangling....I've been doing these for years. Last year I joined the Tangle It! Pattern Club. It's a great source of inspiration. The folks there are Ah-Mazing! Well, Pattern-collections.com is holding a giveaway. The prize? a Tangle-It Planner. It's not only a planner, it also has tips, tricks and suggested tools for keeping a Tangled Planner. Click HERE for the giveaway Here are some of my latest tangles and doodles. Wanna join the fun? Go to Facebook and join  Tangle It! Pattern Club .

It's interesting how it still hurts to really talk about how much I miss you. However, it does get better. Everyday I feel better.  When you first left so suddenly, the pain was so strong, crippling, paralyzing. Then the numbness came. I had to work. I had to become an automaton. Get up, help the kids, go to work, help other people's kids, get along with coworkers, drive home, be a mom. Lather, rinse, repeat. I did find out I was difficult to be around so I had to numb myself some more. Dusty Shoes - Post Canyon Hike Getting Goofy at Disneyland The following summer, I took the kids on our dream road trip seeing everything you and I said we would see with all of our kids (eight in total). Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Washington, Colorado. We saw it all, minus a few kids. It was fun and sad all at the same time. Visiting your relatives was especially poignant. Sitting out in your uncle's backyard, I could imagine you sitting out there chewing the fat, sipping a be...

One of my favorite online/TV people is Ree Drummond - AKA The Pioneer Woman . When I need something tasty, I often choose her recipes over those of other celebrities like Martha Stewart or Ina Garten. The PW makes meals that aren't complicated but full of flavor and appeal to everyone in my family. The easiest recipe I have found on her site is for oven roasted potato wedges . The problem with most recipes in my house, however, is I don't always have all of the ingredients. This means I either have to forego the recipe or make do with what I have in the pantry. This weekend like most weekends was a make-do kind of day. I really wanted to have potatoes, but when I looked through the pantry and fridge, I found I was short ingredients like olive oil. I also am not eating butter this month (say it ain't so!). This left me wondering what to do. I then looked in the closet and found a jar of coconut oil. I couldn't figure out how to pour a solid over potatoes. Then it hit...

I was asleep until my cell phone rang. It was my house phone calling. Why is my house phone calling? Hello? Hello? James is that you? Click Me: (debating whether to get up or not and finally getting up to look for the phone.) James, why do you have the phone? James: I thought there was someone looking through my window? Me: (confused how he saw someone in the window with the lights off, dark outside and the view of the  window blocked by a bookcase. ) Give me the phone. (Hanging it up and heading to bed) James: Sorry, mom. Me: Goodnight  (but now I'm curious. Did he really see someone? Dang it! Putting on winter coat and boots, I head outside with the phone as if I could do anything) NOTHING Now I lay awake when I should be asleep since I have class tomorrow morning. And people wonder why I don't leave him home alone.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I guess that's so. When you look at photos taken by Ansel Adams or Annie Liebowitz, they definitely tell a story. The only difference between your photos and photographers like these two is you may never see yourself in a museum or on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. That doesn't diminish the stories that your photos tell. Take for example this photo that showed up in my newsfeed today. What do you see? The man was my Sweetie Bobby. He would have turned 50 on Monday. The car was his pride and joy. There was a carwash near his house that offered a rain check up to three days after your first wash. He used that raincheck and would upgrade to a full wash every time. When asked what kind of air freshener, he would always get New Leather. He took very good care of it, making sure to get the oil changed as directed and rotating the tires regularly. He needed to do this because his job had him driving long distance, and every ...

I've heard that many times in my life, and today wasn't much different. It's actually a funny story. There is a girl who calls me mom. I never did get a chance to officially become her mom because Bobby and I never married. Nonetheless, LM is one of my children. LM called me today while Caitlin and I were driving down the highway, and just like my other two kids, if she needs me, I'm usually going to do what I can for her. Her question was a funny one. "You speak Spanish, right?" Now the answer to that is a complicated one, but yes, Spanish words have been known to come out of my mouth. So I tell her I do and ask her why. Well, it seems while she was having a garage sale, there was a man there interested in buying a car she had. However, he only spoke Spanish. I tell her I am five minutes away and head over there instead of going to Hobby Lobby. When I get to the garage sale, I introduce myself to the man who starts talking a mile a minute in Spanish. Uh...

It's that time again, time to reflect on the past year and decide what kind of progress I've made. My word for the year was FORWARD. Even though I didn't write about it at all, I feel I have managed to move forward pretty well. But to see how I've moved forward I would like to take a look back - waaay back. A look back at where it all began - 2009 I said I wanted to develop good habits such as: Cooking at least 5 days a week  ✓ Drinking Water  ✓ Exercise  ✓ Reading books  ✘ Playing with my children   ✓   Sticking to my plans   ✓ Saving Money  ✘ Go to bed no later than 10 p.m. on weekdays  ✘ Did I? Not so much then, but I do  many of them  now  and I think that says something. It says you may plant a seed to something that may take awhile to grow but with patience you will see results, especially with periodic reflection on where you have come from. The year 2012 found me looking to live more BOLDLY an...

This summer found me being a bit lazy, especially because I was on vacation for three weeks and my youngest was away for three weeks. So imagine six weeks of not cooking when the little one asks, "What's for dinner?" James's favorite dinner is spaghetti. I usually keep ground beef, pasta and sauce on hand as a go-to because I know it is something he will he eat. The other day Cait and I went to Sam's Club and bought a big box of spaghetti and a four pound package of ground beef, but I didn't bring home any sauce. My go to is Hunt's Traditional spaghetti sauce. It's inexpensive. It can be used for pasta, lasagna, meatball subs and many other things. However, when James said, "Spaghetti," my mind did a mental inventory and realized I had none. So what's a mom to do? Improvise. I have never made spaghetti sauce from scratch but could imagine what would go in it. Here's what I came up with. I found two small cans of tomato sauce (...

My mom doesn't live too far away but we only see each other three to four times a month. Sometimes I drive to her, sometimes we meet at the movies and many times she drives to where I live to eat at the local diner. Today was one of those days. Lunch at the diner is nothing special. We usually see the same wait staff and eat the same food. Today, however, I got a big surprise. My mom and I were looking over the pictures from my vacation when one of the servers complimented me on my sneakers. I looked at her and saw a flash in the eyes that made me ask her what her name was. When she told me, I couldn't believe it. She was a student from fourteen years ago. I told her, "I was your teacher!!!" She shouted, "Mrs. Victory!!!" and hugged my tightly. Aren't they cute? We then started talking about her and how she'd been. She was proud to tell me that she was married and had a child. She remembered being a difficult student. (She was.)...

I would like to thank everyone who helped me through this past year. A year ago today I lost my other half. It was one of the most heart crushing losses I have ever experienced. Bobby brought me so much joy, happiness and support during our time together. He was loving, patient and kind even when I was difficult. I am thankful for the time we had together. It taught me that there are people out there like my dad who are willing to do anything for you without asking anything in return.  Christmas 2012  Alpine, TX 2013 White Sands Missile Range 2014 So today I thank some of those people. Renee thank you for dropping everything and picking me up off the floor that first day - oh, and for folding laundry with me. Erica and Junior thank you for letting this blubbering mess stay with you, teaching me how to shoot at things and going with me to the cemetery. Janet and Brian thank you for opening your home to me when the stress got too much. It was just what I needed. Tho...

As a teacher, I am very much looking forward to summer break. The kids and I have lots of plans. What are your plans for this summer? Are you planning a road trip? Will your kiddos be going along? Do you dread hearing, "I'm bored"? I have an idea for you. My good friend Mimi has put together the most amazing Travel Activity Binder you could ever imagine. AND it's only $2.99 . Can you believe it? I don't want to give too much away, but it is jammed packed with over 30 pages of fun. I know my kids will enjoy them (even the teenager), and I am excited to see how much unplugged time we can get this summer. Want to check it out? Hey, it's only $2.99  and well worth it. Just click on the image below. Mimi calls herself  a self-proclaimed " creator-holic ." Her wholesome  recipes  make me want to get back to basics. I also wish we lived just a bit closer so I could drop in for dinner. So w hile you are at her site, go through her ...

That's right. I ran/walked  a 5K race today, and I was not last. In fact, I was seventh. When I signed up for the race, I knew it would be cold, but I didn't expect the icy day that ended up happening. Neither did the race coordinators. As the race date approached, I was watching the weather. It was going to be the coldest day of the month. In preparation, I bought cold weather running gear and kept watching the weather.  People asked on the race's Facebook page about possible cancellations/postponements, but organizers insisted that the only reason they would cancel would be because of lightning. So I prepared myself for the worst and was definitely going to be bundled. (Two dri-fit shirts, an undershirt, dri-fit sports bra, two pair of leggings, two pair of socks, neoprene gloves, ear warmers...you get the picture.) Late Friday night, after I had pulled all the tags off of the gear, I found out the race that WOULD NOT be EVER postponed, was postponed. T...

Now that 2015 is here, I find myself reflecting on 2014 and trying to choose a word to direct my life. A lot as happened this year and I want to move on. Since July my main goal was to accept the hand I was dealt. This year I would like to move FORWARD. I know that's what my love would have wanted for me. So as this year ends I will share with you how I worked through the pain and heartache of Bobby's loss. I kept a daily art journal where I wrote to him and shared with him the things I would have told him on the ride to work and in our evening talks. Here are a few of the last pages I made to help me through. In the future I hope to use this blog to help me continue in a FORWARD direction. I would like to do that through storytelling, especially stories about my children and the crazy and wonderful things they do everyday. I remember how much joy that brought me during previous trials and I believe that writing will help me again. I also look FORWARD to creating more. I...

I am not sure how many posts I have started that try to give an example of the craziness known as the thoughts that run through my mind. Let's try again, today. This morning, I got up early like I usually do to meet my friends for my Saturday morning run. It was still dark out and no one in their right mind is up at this time on Saturdays. I have a new neighbor, and I noticed that the lights are on in their kitchen. However, I don't think anyone has moved in officially. I have seen the owner and her parents working on the yard and such, but no boxes have moved in yet. So I started thinking about all the things that probably needed to be done on her house, and that got me thinking about the things that need to be done on my house. This led me to think about the honey-do list Bobby had before he passed away. Suddenly I was picturing the hole in the fence and felt sad that he will not be here to fix it. As I was winding my way to meet my friends, I found myself crying. What is...

I took one of those online quizzes on Facebook about which part of the brain I use the most. According to the test I use both halves equally. I posted the results and one of your former bosses and friends, J.S., responded with the comment about being left-handed and being his right mind. This made me laugh because you being left-handed used to make the same joke. The conversation continued and led to JS sharing an article about engineering and art: Popular belief is that the left hemisphere of the brain is for rational, analytical and logical thinking and the right hemisphere of the brain processes visual and audio logical stimuli, spatial manipulation, facial perception and artistic ability. Oddly enough, you were the logical, rational one, but you could put things together like nobody's business. You never considered yourself artistic until I shared with you the art of Zentangle . You thought I was the creative, artistic one. This started me thinking about how you and I co...