Live today as if it is your LAST...

I heard this somewhere today, either in the news or somewhere...
..but it is a phrase that has always bothered me.

Live today as if it were my last?  How?  If I took this literally, it
would not be productive at all and if I did it each day, I'd be poor
and homeless.

If I lived today as if it were my last, first of all I would skip work!
Why work 9-10 hours or even longer as I sometimes do for the almighty
dollar if it is going to be my LAST day.  That is no way to spend
my last day alive!

I would blow off work and do something fun with my family.
First though I would get my youngest to figure out how to record
my music on a CD.  I would play my guitar and sing and record until I was
hoarse.  I would ask my hub to try to get my music streamlined somehow.
After all my greatest desire has been to be a singer.  Everything else
is just going through the motions..

Once that was done, I would probably board the dogs although
I'd give them each a huge hug and kiss before I left.

I would insist on going up to where my other daughter is to include
her and her new hubby as well.  We'd eat out at a wonderful restaurant
and order the most expensive wine and fanciest entree' for once, instead
of always thinking about how much we are spending. I'd make sure to
save room for the highest calorie dessert my stomach could handle.

The conversation would range anywhere from light and carefree,
to serious and full of any words of wisdom that would come to mind.
I would remind my family how very important they are
and how much I love them.

I would want to be home in time to pick up the dogs, go home, pick
up my favorite Tika and put her on my lap, sit next to my husband
and watch one last sunset.

These are the first thoughts that come to mind if I were living my last day...

I suppose what that is saying really means is try to live each day to
the fullest and live by the Golden Rule.  I do that every day to the
best of my ability.  And when I can I sing and watch the sunsets
and do at least a snippet of what I would do if it really were the
last day..

~ Eclipse ~

I suppose I'm the last person on the planet..okay maybe just the last female on the planet who is remotely interested in the Twilight series to read Eclipse for the firs time.  I hadn't read any of the books before, but with the next movie coming out June 30th, I promised my youngest I would read the book before we went to see it.  She said "you GOT to read the book, mom".

Anyone who knows me, knows that I just do not read books.  I think it was due in part to my childhood.  My mom loves to read and I remember as a child often seeing her sitting in a chair with her face in a book more than I saw her doing anything else.  And as I kid I kept thinking there were so many things to DO, why waste time reading a book?!   So that is partly why I just don't ever take the time to sit down and read one.

Of course I am always busy too. If it isn't work, it is household chores, or furkids to tend to and then there are my favorite TV shows like Lost and 24 that are soon to end forever.

But back to the book. My youngest promised me it is an easy read and she read it surprisingly fast . That is another reason I don't like to read. I am not a fast reader and when things get really descriptive, if they do not keep my interest, I tend to skim over drawn out paragraphs. 

I started reading it on Monday and like so many others, I am just racing through it.  I only have about a third of the book to go and then I'll be done!  It is that good!  But I also know why it is going fast. It is mostly dialogue and when there are conversations, there are many one and two line paragraphs so the pages get read faster.  The print is not tiny either as I've seen in many books.  And I have to admit I am stealing minutes here and there just to read a few more pages.  Now this proves it has GOT to be good for ME to be doing that.

Of course I picture the actors from the movie as I'm reading, playing out everything that I read which I enjoy.  Beats trying to make up what these folks ...and monsters would look like.

Okay..got to get to work now. ..read later.    ;-)

Ahhhh....

Thursday I took the day off work so that I could drive out to help our youngest pack up her dorm and come home for the summer. With about an hour to go I accidently took a business route instead of staying on the main highway but after a call to her and her internet skills, she told me the road to turn left to get back on track. I was only about 10 minutes longer than I otherwise would have been.  I found a great country music radio station out of Houston too so I got some good singing time in.  I kept hearing song after song that I hadn't heard in a while and turned up the volume more and  more...and by the time I got to the college I had it cranked up like a teenager.

My daughter was was waiting for me with her room pretty well clean and packed up. I was very happy about that because all we had to do was lug her stuff and pack it into our cars.  Her boyfriend helped us with the heavy things too, thankfully!  If he wasn't there waiting for his family to come, I probably would have asked a man I saw who had a furniture dolly if I could borrow it.  We treated my daughter's boyfriend to lunch to thank him for his help.

We were on the road a little after 1:00pm and I followed my daughter home since she would not need to glance at the directions like I would have.  It continues to amaze me the amount of folks that want to pass someone already going the speed limit of 70 mph on a two lane road, but we had many jerk drivers who did.  One almost clipped my daughter's car trying to get around her before oncoming traffic caught up.

Anyway...we got home safe and sound and now we are back to 3 plates, 3 forks, 3 cups, more laundry and the like...but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I am glad she is home for the summer.
Hope it goes S L O W !!!

All hands on deck....

It is spring cleaning time and I decided to tackle the back balcony as well as the front this year.  Last weekend I 'swabbed the deck' of the front balcony and today I did the back one.  Those who know my house know that back one is a big one!  It looks so much nicer now.  I hadn't mopped the back since we moved here and that is nearly 5 years ago already.  I also scrubbed the balcony walls in front and cleaned up the furniture out there today.  Now it is all ready for sitting and having a margarita on.....just need to remember to DO that sometime.

Last Sunday I also went out to Home Depot to cheat on the vegetable garden that I have on the front balcony. This year I didnt' start anything with seeds and wasn't sure I was even going to bother, what with last years poor 'crop', due to months of 100 degree weather.  But I kept seeing commercials having to do with the outdoors and flowers and gardens..and so I got the bug and got some different pepper plants. Green bell, red bell and even banana peppers. There is even a small pepper on one of the plants already!

I also did get some cucumber and zucchini seeds that are already coming up now! :)   I got some penta flowers for the balcony too!  Here are some pics I took last weekend. One has two of my furkids too, Tika and Kaci. Tika is my shadow!

~ Happy Mothers Day ~

Tomorrow is Mothers Day and although it will be much like any other day, I will make sure to get my mom something special for her. I already got a wonderful surprise from my oldest daughter ad new son-in-law. Beautiful Hyacinths, just like the ones we used to have 10 years ago at a townhouse we once lived in. My daughter remembered them...funny what they remember. Keep in mind she was only 11-12 at that time.
There are two photos because there were so many flowers I had to put some in a second vase and set those right here in my home office.  They smell wonderful!!  Thank you again D & D ! :)

I doubt my youngest will do anything tomorrow for Mother's Day but that is quite alright as soon she'll be home for the summer and that is enough Mother's Day gift for me! :)

Take some time to stop and.....check the back SEAT!

I just came down for my morning coffee a few minutes ago and a newsman was announcing that a baby died after being left for 4 hours in a car in the heat here in TX! The driver claims s/he forgot to drop the 7 month old at daycare. And just last year in the Austin area, a man forgot to drop his child off at daycare and that child died as well due to being locked up in a hot car (in a car seat). The fact is...this wasn't intentional. These people did not set out to do this, they simply did not take the time to look in the back seat when they got out of their vehicles. And look what it cost them. The life of a loved one!

Everyone is so busy these days, thinking about what all they have to do, talking on the cell phone, running here and there and in my opinion needing to SLOW DOWN. I'm not saying everyone can lazily sit it their rocking chair day in and day out (unless they are one of the lucky ones), but everyone just needs to take it slower in general. Maybe leave for work 15 minutes earlier so that there isn't the urge to speed, not schedule so many things in a day, say no to that evening 'home party' even though that is the one evening that is free.

If everyone did this they might be surprised how less stressed they are, how much happier they are and maybe even a bit healthier! And most importantly, they won't be in so much of a hurry that they forget to stop and check the back seat!

Almost forgot..

to post about my youngest being home last weekend. She came home to watch the high school's dance team spring performance and of course to spend a little time with me. It was a quick weekend but we did get some time in at the Red Poppy Festival on Saturday. I got a few vegetable plants so I did get them planted but that is it so far. Hopefully will get more in the balcony garden within the next week or so.

Although the weekend flew by I am looking forward to next month when she will be home for the summer. Woo hoo!

Work is getting steadier which is a good thing. The days are getting warmer which is a good thing. I'm still waiting to resolve my income tax discrepancy which is not a good thing. I will give it a while yet before I mail them another letter.

My mom is getting a surgical procedure tomorrow on her back as she fell backwards from a crouching position in her kitchen and hurt her back and it is not healing on its own. She did this about 2 months ago now. So hopefully this operation will solve her back injury. Fingers crossed! She hasn't felt good enough to do much of anything which has been hard on her and in turn hard on my dad who is doing the best he can to accommodate her.