Pink Elephant

 Halloween

Scary Fun

Candy

Costumes

We have an annual costume party to attend Saturday evening.

Everyone has had their costumes planned for some time now...

...except for Hubby.

He's been pondering, plotting, brain storming for weeks.

Darling Daughter finally had enough.

"I'm going to make him a costume." she proclaimed.

An hour later I get called to the bedroom and see this...

Buah ha ha ha ha ha!!!! That girl is bloody brilliant I tell ya!

I thought it was fun, cute, creative and a tad scary (even).

Guess what? He's going with it.

We're decking him out in full-on pink.

Possibly my pink footie jammies with mask tucked in.

Yes, you heard me right.

I am the proud owner of pink footie jammies.

;0)

I love my family!

My View

 Thank You! Thank You!

...for your kind thoughts, prayers, and well wishes.

This has been my view since coming home on Friday (for the most part).

Every day the pain is less severe.

Every day I am becoming more active.

I am trying to take it easy and slow.

No backsliding here.

No way!

I'm going to have a new lease on life!

Look out world! Here I come!...

... in a few more weeks.

tee hee!

(The surgeries went very well and my peace of mind going in was literally that. Peaceful. I thank all of you for your help with that. You surrounded me with prayers, healing energy and love. It carried me through with peace in my heart.)

Prayer Request

Hello my lovely bloggy friends.

I don't think I tend to delve too deep into my personal life in this space.

I question putting too much out there.

Today I take a leap of faith.

I am sending out a prayer request.

I go in for major surgery on Thursday.

I have been surprisingly calm and okay with it.

The last two days have put a hiccup in my calm.

New computer system at the docs messing up.

Information missing and mixed up.

 Making sure my health and heart are up to task due to recent mini-scare.

 

I believe it's all ironed out now.

I'm being my own hardcore advocate.

I trust and love my doc.

I hope it is not too forward to request any of the following...

good juju

positive energy

loving vibes

prayers

healing energy

more prayers

Any sent out will be captured, appreciated and utilized to their fullest.

Pinky promise.

Love,

Lynn

My Words

Been pondering lately.

Playing with words.

Here are a few...

Acceptance allows us to move on.

Positivity allows us to live.

Love sets us free.

I would love to elaborate on my thought process at arriving at the above little ditty,

or tell you what it means for me but I am short on time this morning.

Perhaps you don't agree with the words.

Perhaps they are just what you need to hear.

Perhaps you see them as 'just' words with no meaning.

I release those words out into the world as they have been sitting with me for some time.

They have been working themselves into that order.

Working their way into my subconscience.

Now, as they sit feeling strong and wise (to me),

I release them and set them free.

Tattoos

This post is a piece of fiction I created from a writing prompt over at Write On Edge. The prompt: "This week, we’d like you to write a piece in which a tattoo figures prominently. Fiction or creative non-fiction. There is a lot to think about: why someone would get one, what they chose, when they got it, what message does the tattoo(s) send? You will have 300 words with which to play."

  

Tattoos

 by Lynn Retzlaff

Hank was big, burly and rough looking. Mandy knew her mother didn’t approve of their relationship but she was in love with him and desperately wanted her mother’s approval. To better acquaint them, Mandy planned a special dinner. Beatrice was punctual as always and was not shy to show her disgust that Mandy’s boyfriend had not yet arrived.

“Please, Mother. He’ll be here. Let me pour you a glass of chardonnay to calm your nerves.”  Mandy suggested.

“I’ll take the chardonnay, but if it’s nerves you think are bothering me, you’re dead wrong young lady. It’s bad enough your boyfriend has those God-awful tattoos, but to be late to a dinner that was planned weeks ago? That’s just unacceptable!”

“He probably had to work late.” Mandy went about her business pulling the roast from the oven and covering the potatoes to keep them warm. Hank may be hard on the outside, but inside he was made of teddy bear stuffing. Her mom simply needed to get to know him better.

            Half past the hour Hank came barreling through the front door. “Sorry I’m late ladies!” he practically sang as he flopped into the head chair at the table.

            Beatrice had downed two glasses of wine while waiting and could no longer bite her tongue. “You should be sorry! You should be downright ashamed! Look at you showing up late when Mandy has put so much work into this dinner, and WHAT is with those tattoos!! One is bad enough but you look like a road-map gone dreadfully wrong!” She focused in on one particular tattoo on Hank’s upper right arm that had bothered her since their first encounter. “And who in the world is Desiree!!”

            “Desiree was my kitten when I was a boy. She died in a house fire...”

For The Dogs

Hubby, Darling Daughter and I were running errands the other night and the first place we stopped was the hardware store. As we were leaving the back of the parking lot we saw a vehicle parked near fencing full of dogs. Hubby drove around for a closer look. I insisted that if he drove us that close, it would be teasing if he didn't stop to see what was going on. We pulled over and met Debbie. She is a volunteer for Luv-a-Chin (a rescue organization for Japanese Chins). Debbie was heading from Minnesota to Florida to meet with some potential adoptees. She had pulled through our local coffee shop and stopped to let the dogs stretch, eat their dinner and do their business. She had gotten the dogs out and organized when her coffee was dumped over. She seemed a bit frazzled so we offered to run and buy her another. We came back with an unspilled version of her drink and spent some time getting to know her.
Debbie lives near the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. She has grown children, grandchildren and is retired. She volunteers her time with the rescue because she adores the dogs and knows they need people who care. She fosters as well and claims that "once you've fostered them for a while, you almost hope they don't get adopted because you fall in love with them and would love to keep them all yourself." Of course she knows she can't keep them all and wants nothing more than to find good, loving homes for them.
The dogs she had with her had been rescued from a puppy mill. They had been spayed/neutered, treated for worms, ear mites, had their shots and exposed to that which most of us take for granted with our pets but these dogs had not experienced (grass, baths, love). A few of the dogs seemed a bit timid, but for the most part they were all happy little bundles of pup.
It started getting dark so we offered to help Debbie load her vehicle and she gladly accepted. I told her I had a blog and would love to write about her. She was more than happy to have the word spread. We packed her up and wished her a safe and successful trip. She thanked us for our help, we thanked her for helping the dogs. Her sidekick Hunter (German Shepard) hopped on board and they were off. 

This morning I raise my mug of coffee in thanks to Debbie and all the animal rescue workers who work tirelessly to help those who cannot help themselves. I'm also thankful for my husband who has the patience to put up with the fact that I tend to stop and talk to everyone who crosses my path even if it ends up taking all evening.

Japanese Chins

Debbie

Hunter

Animal rescues and shelters are constantly in need of volunteers, donations of supplies and/or funds, and forever homes for their residents. To find a rescue near you, check your local yellow pages or go to one of the following links...

Pet Finder Animal Shelter List

AnimalShelter.org

ASPCA

Aahhhh Sweet Music!

Couldn't get this song out of my head the other day.

Thought I'd pass it on. 

Enjoy!

And what the heck! Sing along while you're at it.

You know you want to.   ;0)

Flip-Flop

 
 
Mama Brain
I was hungry for lunch which reminded me I had to put the chili in the crock-pot for supper.
Headed to the basement to retrieve crock-pot.
Hit the bottom of the stairs and remembered I needed to change the load of laundry.
Opened laundry room door and realized hubby still didn't fix florescent plant lights as requested.
(keep plants alive locked away w/false light due to cat who eats plants & ends up deathly ill)
Checked out lights myself and couldn't find the fix.
Changed load of laundry.
Changed full laundry room garbage bag (tomorrow is garbage day).
Headed up stairs with laundry basket in one arm and garbage bag in other.
Hit top of stairs and remembered I originally went down there for the blasted crock-pot which was not under EITHER arm!!!!
Went back down to fetch crock-pot.
Answered phone call for hubby's business (yup. one of my hats is 'secretary').
Caller was heading over and requested I gather some flyers before he arrived.
Gathered flyers and business cards.
Proceeded to put chili ingredients into crock-pot.
Realized this whole train of thought started with the fact I was hungry for lunch.
Now that I was STARVING for lunch, I grabbed the closest thing at the front of the fridge as I knew I only had a moment before customers would arrive.
As I closed the fridge with containers in hand, I stepped on something squishy. My overworked mind thought, "Aaack!!! That better not be a mouse!" which is a silly thought since we've never had a mouse in the house.
Alas, it was only a half filled balloon left on the floor with umpteen other odds and ends from the kids.

This is how my mind works throughout the day. Spinning, swirling, twirling with all there is to do and think about with an active and creative family of six.

Funny thing. For all I forget or cannot focus on, there are those bizarre thoughts that never seem to leave! An example would be the thought... "we're out of Cream of Tartar". Time and time again I will go to the store remembering we're out of something and completely forget the more recent "I already purchased that last time." So this is what my cupboards tend to look like.

Three of this, three of that, half a dozen of another and none of what I need.
And what the heck have I ever used cream of tartar in anyway??????
Calgon!!!! Take me Awayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

That is just a fraction of minutes in a day. Compound that by the fact there are 24 hrs. in a day and factor in the time when four kids are home to boot. What do you have? A flip-floppin' mama brain!

Afterthought: Today's Dove (dark chocolate) - "Be Free, Be Happy, Be You" - Love Dove

Conditioned Thinking vs. Freedom

 

con·di·tioned

[kuhn-dish-uhnd]

adjective

1. existing under or subject to conditions.

2. characterized by a predictable or consistent pattern of behavior or thought as a result of having been subjected to certain circumstances or conditions.

3. Psychology . proceeding from or dependent on a conditioning of the individual; learned; acquired: conditioned behavior patterns.

think·ing

[thing-king]

adjective

1. rational; reasoning: People are thinking animals.

2. thoughtful; reflective: Any thinking person would reject that plan.

I struggle daily with discovering my authentic self.

Darling Daughter IS her authentic self.

She is creative, caring, generous, gentle.

She is fearless with her self-expression.

What an example.

What a teacher!

She creates and often...

it is hard for Husband and I

to allow her freedom of expression.

"Why?" you may ask, "would you ever STOP

her from freely expressing herself?"

 

Conditioned Thinking

We were taught there is a right and a wrong way 'to be'.

There is an acceptable and an inappropriate way 'to be'.

We were taught to fear judgment.

We were taught to fit in.

We were taught embarrassment, limits, conformity.

Our struggle to allow her to express herself freely

is an internal struggle. We do NOT halt her creativity

nor do we stop her from expressing that creativity

(unless of course, there would be some REAL danger,

not the man-made, fear monger, judgment danger).

 

She's young. I want to support her freedom.

I want to support her amazing creative mind.

She has no fear and no worry of judgment.

NONE

I could put it in her head, but why?

If someone doesn't like what she creates it doesn't seem to phase her. If I try to nudge her toward a different way, she takes or leaves my opinion, so why should I push?

 

You may disagree with my way of parenting.

You may worry she will be hurt by others (words/judgments).

I say, "so what?".

I fret and worry and conform and use my conditioned thinking to care about what others think entirely too much

and I am hurt all the time FOR it.

If she hears negative comments, who doesn't?

Everyone deals with negativity in life.

There are so many Negative Nellies out there

just dying to give their opinion.

Why let them win?

 

No. I will let her be.

She is an artist. She is a free spirit. She is creative.

She is my teacher.

I am learning from her. I am learning freedom of expression.

I am learning sheer joy and happiness.

I am learning how to "be" me

by watching the master.

 

Don't worry. I will always protect her from harm.

I would never let her do anything that was

genuinely dangerous or absurd.

 

 

 

Darling Daughter decided she wanted to create an outfit. I told her I would sign us up for a class as I have zero sewing experience (minus the attempted pillow case or straight curtain). She had her own idea in mind (pattern and all). We went in the basement and sought out some fabric. Why I have fabric when I don't know how to sew? Because I LOVE fabric and hope to someday learn. So down we went. She found some suitable flannel. I ironed it and she went to work. First with a skirt. She hand sewed the sides and I stitched them over with the machine (her request). I folded the hem in the bottom and sewed. We sewed a big hem(?) on the top for a ribbon waist. We figured that if we had a square skirt and pulled it in at the waist, perhaps it would look skirt-like. Guess what? I forgot to leave holes for the ribbon! We cut holes and found an appropriate ribbon in my ribbon stash. She insisted on a shirt to make it "dress-like". I begged her to wait for a class as I have NO CLUE how to sew a shirt. She said She knew what to do! She cut two holes for arms. I then saw her vision as she wrapped it around herself so I helped her lay it out, make the holes uniform and cut the edges so they were all straight and even. She proceeded to go back to my ribbon stash and cut an appropriate length pink ribbon to tie the shirt on. Little did I know she had plans to wear it to school today!!!! Yikes!!! I told her that probably wasn't a good idea in case it didn't hold together. "That's okay," she said. "I'll wear a shirt and shorts underneath in case I need to take it off." She was dead set on wearing it. I had to admit it was a little a lot adorable. What was I to do? She was dead set on wearing it and Oh So Proud of her creation. She had back-up clothes. It wasn't a nightmare outfit (or I would have drawn the line - I'm not a heartless monster you know!) So... off to school she went this morning in her handmade outfit. My little fashion designer. Cute, eh?

skirt (obviously)

 

(skirt + top = complete ensemble   *    notice the added matching cloth choker)

 

(back of outfit with cloth choker draping)

 

(every outfit must be tested with a twirl!)

 

In Memory

 I ♥ My Mac

 Thank you Steve.

Rest In Peace.

Dream, think, believe, achieve. 

Steve Jobs Quotes

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful … that's what matters to me."

"That's been one of my mantras -- focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."


“My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better.”

“We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.”

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life."

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Wordless Wednesday

Glimpse

Here is a quick glimpse of our trip to Colorado.

 

Beautiful Wisconsin farmland.

Heading over the Mississippi

Miles and miles of Iowa windmills (yay wind power!!!!)

Balanced Rock in Garden of the Gods - Colorado Springs, CO

Amazing house built on the side of a mountain. - Garden of the Gods - Colorado Springs, CO

Heading up the Big Thompson toward Estes Park, CO

That's Mr. Elk to you! - Estes Park, CO

Nebraska sunrise heading home.

Nebraska truck stop (exit 312) had on display a piece of one of the World Trade Towers.

One of my favorite trip pictures. Me and my honey in The Garden of the Gods.

I have experienced so much this past week.

Through my experiences I have learned a lot.

Some of what I have taken home with me...

The world is a very large cup and I want to drink it up.

I am still truly, madly and deeply in love with my husband.

The best way to live is with eyes wide open.

There is much love in the world. Be open and receive it.

Children embrace life at a heart and soul level. Watch and learn.

Whew!

What a trip!

This was the view from our balcony at Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

Breathtaking.

Our trip started out quite well.

I spent the first morning relaxing in the room

while hubby went to a work conference.

We had a lot of fun and saw a lot of sites.

Then came my ambulance ride to the E.R.

Long story short...

illness +  dehydration 

led to off blood levels and irregular heartbeat

which led to faintness and numb extremeties

which led to hyperventilation

which led to oxygen, heart monitor and ambulance ride

which led to testing, medications, monitoring,

and ended with appreciation, respect, and many thanks to the awesome medical staff at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs

and the EMT responders who work hand in had with them.

Came home a day early.
I'm exhausted.
Will post mountain pics real soon.


So happy to be back here with all of you!