Life has been crazy here lately to say the least. I was very grateful on Thursday for a day off from taxi duty, even though I did have to work. My girls are wonderful, but the additional driving, not so much. I knew it would be busy when I signed up, so I will just try to make the most of it. Having not been a “sports Mom” before, I wasn’t prepared for the insanity, er, dedication the coaches have for these sports.
I took advantage of my “free night” Thursday to dust off my watercolors and to do a little more practice. I found a YouTube tutorial and gathered some leaves from outside for additional inspiration. I was fairly happy with the results, but adding some quotes later really finished them off very nicely!
This morning I logged into WordPress as I often to to check in and see what beautiful photos and insightful thoughts other bloggers have to share. It is always a treat when people take the time to comment on my little meanderings, so when I saw the little red dot that means I have a notification, I was eager to see what it was. To my delight, it was the following:
I would like to sincerely thank every one of you who reads and comments on my posts. I know many of my fellow bloggers have thousands of followers and that in the grand scheme of things 500 isn’t huge. My little site is a labor of love for me, though, and a place where I share a little part of myself. If I can brighten someone’s day or make even a small impact, I am delighted. Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to try ❤ I am grateful for each and every one of you! ❤
Got a bit more practice last night with my watercolors!
Practice puts brains in your muscles.
Sam Snead
I have been neglecting my watercolor practice lately, so it was nice to get a little time with it this weekend. While these pictures still aren’t close to those of the YouTube instructor, I am fairly pleased with how they turned out. I still need more work with blending colors and choosing those that fit well together, but I know in time it will come. I generally like my paintings better after I set them aside for a bit 😉
Mara and Marta did an awesome job carving their pumpkins! I joined in on the fun too! 🎃
But I love Halloween and I love that feeling: the cold air, the spooky dangers lurking around the corner.
Evan Peters
We spent part of the day hollowing out our pumpkins and carving jack-o-lanterns. 🎃 The girls did a fabulous job and I managed to carve one with the help of a template. Now our house is a bit more festive! Happy Halloween!👻 🎃 👻
I love that in celebrating Halloween, we can get lost in the magic of make-believe and fantasy no matter what age we are!
This song popped into my head while I was mowing my front lawn for the last time this season. If you haven’t tried it, I assure you that the steady drone of the lawnmower is wonderful for processing deep thoughts. A year ago at this time, I would not have believed that before a year had passed I would be divorced. It was a whirlwind of “suckiness” that I went through last year and the beginning of this one.
When my ex-husband first told me he had been unhappy for 5 years or more, I was stunned. Of course considering we had been married just over 6 years, the news was quite a shock. Since being unfaithful was something I would never consider, my guard wasn’t up and I was completely unprepared for what I found out in time. I guess the saying that everything eventually comes to light is right. This song by Chicago really hit home with me. Switch the “She” to “He” and I can 100% relate. My ex more than emphatically denied that there was someone else. In fact at the time we met for lunch about a month after our divorce, he insisted that he was not in a relationship nor was he intending to be.
Seeing the photos of him with the new squeeze and reading the posts she shared about their time together after she “accidentally” sent me a Facebook friend request hurt me deeply. At that time in August, I didn’t believe that I would ever be glad that my ex was not faithful to me. I felt sadness and anger towards his new love, but from where I am now, the sadness and anger has dissipated. I feel no anger towards her. In fact, I feel sad that she might eventually be subjected to the same thing I had been.
As in this song by Chicago, it is a wonderful paradox that if my ex had been faithful, I would have been cheated out of the relationship with my new sweetie. Being accepted for who I am is refreshing. I certainly have many faults and quirks, but while he might tease me about them, he never talks down to me or makes me feel like I need to change if I want the relationship to work. I can’t adequately express how much easier things are. It is like a weight has been lifted and I am free to live in the moment and enjoy life. Certainly I want to and will continue to try to improve myself, but I don’t have the feeling that it is a deal breaker if I slip up now and then.
My love language is acts of service and my new sweetheart is fluent in that language. He has been there for me so many times already. Just two days ago he picked up the girls for me when I had a conflict because of the conversation class I help to teach. When he dropped them off he disconnected the back hose that I was having problems with and also covered up the fire pit that I had forgotten to cover. Sunday evening he single handedly cut the ceiling tiles for Marta’s bedroom and got them back in place in record time. It was fun to watch him at work. He is a home improvement pro…..measure twice and cut once, and boy is he steady with the utility knife! Had I tried to do that, I have no doubt there would have been some choice words uttered and it wouldn’t have looked anywhere near as nice!
So, in the words of the song, my ex and his new honey were, “doing me a favor, A blessing in disguise.” I am so happy with my sweetheart. It is ironic that I had to lose to win. I am truly grateful for him and I know how lucky I am to be with such a kind, thoughtful and faithful man ❤
The new fire pit that my sweetie and I snuggle in front of and that he kindly covered up for me
“If She Would Have Been Faithful…”
I was thinking about her Visiting the past Reconstructing details with old photographs Studying the faces With an objective point of view Suddenly remembering doesn’t haunt me At the time you couldn’t tell me That one day I’d be glad That something that I thought was love was misinterpreted She had another lover, she emphatically denied But they were doing me a favor A blessing in disguise
If she would have been faithful If she could have been true Then I would’ve been cheated I would never know real love I would’ve missed out on you
I watch you sleeping, your body touching me There’s no doubt about it This is where I want to be You know it’s so ironic, I had to lose to win I want to thank her (Thank her again)
If she would have been faithful If she could have been true Then I would’ve been cheated I would never know real love I would’ve missed out on you
It’s a paradox, full of contradiction How I got from there to here It defies a Logical explanation
If she would have been faithful If she could have been true Then I would’ve been cheated I would never know real love I would’ve missed out on you (Missed out on you) If she would have been faithful If she could have been true Then I would’ve been cheated I would never know real love I would’ve missed out on you (Missed out on you)
If she would have been faithful (If she would have been faithful) If she would have been faithful (If she would have been faithful) If she would have been faithful (If she would have been faithful) If she would have been faithful
This past week has been challenging to say the least! My hot water heater died Wednesday night, and I found out while I was in the shower. Not fun. I was hoping that someone was washing dishes or doing laundry, but it was confirmed Thursday that I definitely needed to replace the hot water heater.
I was lucky enough to find a contractor who could get a new tank installed on Friday! Thank you Loyal Plumbing!! They arrived as promised and installed a new hot water heater, got everything up to code and also installed a pressure valve and a salt-less water softener and filter. I was delighted and couldn’t wait to enjoy a hot shower!
Alas, it was not meant to be. Marta came upstairs shortly after we got home that evening and urgently asked that we come and look at her room. When we got down there, water was pouring from her ceiling. 😳. I took the ceiling tile out only to have it crumble in my hands as a torrent of water sloshed down on me.
After turning the water off and investigating, my sweetheart discovered that the water was seeping from an old copper line, probably to an icemaker on a long gone refrigerator. The line had been pinched off at the end, but had somehow corroded and started leaking. He found that it had a shut off valve that had no switch, so the water was just running into the defunct line and from that line into Marta’s bedroom.
Because all the hardware stores were closed, a repair would have to wait for the next morning. The plan was for my sweetie and me to hit the hardware store in the morning to find a cap for the pipe. The next morning I was prepared to head there first thing to find that part. Instead, my sweetheart showed up holding a bag with the needed part and proceeded to cap the line, allowing all of us the opportunity for hot showers and even more importantly the ability to flush the toilets without filling up the tank with stored water. 😉
To him, I know it is a small thing, but to me it is huge! Being there for me in my time of need means so much more than any gift he could give me. I thank my lucky stars and my guardian angels and whatever divine intervention brought us together ❤.
As you can tell, Fall is on my mind lately. I think the changing colors on the trees has inspired me. 🍁🍂😊🍂🍁 Last night I was also thinking about my sweetheart and how thankful I am for him. The combination of the two led to my latest little creation. Hope he makes you smile too!
My newest Gnomie drawing😊🍁😊
Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the Autumn tree.
I was blessed with certain gifts and talents and God gave them to me to be the best person I can be and to have a positive impact on other people.
Bryan Clay
While I may not be the most talented artist, I have a lot of fun with my drawings and watercolors. I try to find subjects that make me smile and gnomes are always good for that! I made these little cuties for my coworkers and gave another one to my sweetie. I like to think that my little creations have a positive impact on those I give them to and remind them that they are important to me. ❤
Some happy little gnomies – my latest creations!
What I strive for is that everywhere I go, I leave a positive impact.
One sure sign that summer is over is the Fall Crazy Horse Volksmarch. We made record time this year and I managed (barely) to keep up with all the young ‘uns. 😅
Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.
Daphne Rose Kingma
My newest watercolor creation. Like the leaves in the Fall, we can learn to let go; let go of the mistakes of the past, and to let go of hurt and fear in order to look forward to new beginnings. 🍁🍂🍁
Life moves forward. The old leaves wither, die and fall away, and the new growth extends forward into the light.
Let’s take it nice and easy It’s gonna be so easy For us to fall in love
Hey baby what’s your hurry Relax and don’t you worry We’re gonna fall in love
We’re on the road to romance – that’s safe to say But let’s make all the stops along the way
The problem now of course is To simply hold your horses To rush would be a crime ‘Cause nice and easy does it every time
We’re on the road to romance – that’s safe to say But let’s make all the stops along the way
The problem now of course is To simply hold your horses To rush would be a crime ‘Cause nice and easy does it ‘Cause nice and easy does it ‘Cause nice and easy does it every time Nice and easy does it Nice and easy does it Nice and easy does it every time
Lately I find myself wondering if it is too early to be falling so quickly and deeply for my new sweetheart. How, I ask myself, can I already picture far into the future with him? I don’t have a picture of exactly what the future will look like, but I know I want him in it. ❤
Strange duck that I am, I find myself asking Google for the answer 😉 I found several articles, but I liked the one linked here:
This article is titled “20 Signs It’s Love Not Lust” – I know the beginning of a relationship is always more intense, but I believe what my sweetie and I have is more than just physical attraction and chemistry. Since I am one that makes lists and checks boxes, here is a list of the signs. Click on the link above to read the entire article – definitely worth reading!
#1 – You show affection, even when sex isn’t on the cards. – Check
#2 – You want them to meet your family and friends. – Check
#3 – You’re happy making plans for the future. – Check
#4 – You have deep conversations. – Check
#5 – Your friends are sick of hearing about them. – ?? – Haven’t heard complaints yet.
#6 – You’re willing to go the extra mile (altering plans to see each other). – Check
#13 – You’re quick to compromise. – Haven’t had to compromise, but I’m very willing to. 😉
#14 – You re-asses your priorities (putting things off so we can spend time together). – Check
#15 – They scare the shit out of you (because they have the power to hurt you) – Scary, but I trust him 🙂
#16 – You have great chemistry. – Check, Check, Check!!!!
#17 – You can’t wait to spend more time with them. – Check
#18 – You value their opinion – Check
#19 – They make you want to be a better person. – Check
#20 – You just can’t get enough. – Check
The article says, “If you can say yes to most or all of these signs, then you’re in love! If not, don’t give up just yet – sometimes love can take a while to grow between two people.”
According to this article and the others that I have read, I’m definitely on the “road to romance”. Even though those three little words haven’t been said yet, I am confident that they will be eventually ❤ . In the meantime, I am very much enjoying the journey and the stops along the way! “Nice and easy does it every time!”
Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so.
Robert Green Ingersoll
The sight of gnomes always makes me happy, but these are very special because the girls and I had a fabulous time painting them! They did an AMAZING job for their very first class!
It was a memorable week in our little household. Last Sunday, the girls and I took a class at Canvas 2 Paint downtown. Our teacher, Kelly, did an amazing job instructing us and I think all of ours turned out fabulously!!
Happiness isn’t something you experience; it’s something you remember. Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant
Both girls got under par for the 18 holes. I, however, managed to get the “high score” at 8 over par.
Me and my sweetie. He was the mini-golf champion!
Mara and Marta had never done mini-golf before, so I decided that they couldn’t miss out on that experience. Friday night we headed to Putz-n-Glo which has black lights and is themed from the 60s through the 90s with murals on the walls commemorating all that was “cool” in those decades. My new sweetheart joined in the fun and wound up being the champion with a score several strokes under par!
Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.
John Harrigan
To top off the wonderful week, Mara and Marta found out on Saturday (after their Thursday tryouts) that they made the cheerleading squad! Congratulations girls!! 🎉🎉🎉
My name is Himanshu Singh. Master in Arts ( Political Science ) from Jamia Milia Islamia. Alumni Dayal Singh College University Of Delhi.
B.A Honours in political science. Traveler by nature. 🇮🇳 I am here to express my thoughts and ideas.
picturingpositive 