How do you explain Cinderella?

That is what is going on here....

Kate is explaining to my sweetie,

Who Cinderella is...

Where she lives (see photo in Kate's hand)

Why she is important...(duh!)

what she wears (see figurine in his had)

Why he should know these things

(in case, he ever has grand daughters of his own)

and

why

she is the most

important thing

in the world

to a 2 year old girl

on her birthday.

Well.

Now that we have that covered...

I am glad to report that

the sweetie is well informed

and I dare say prepared to

receive grandaughters into his life.

Got that?

Good.

Smiles.

What does your desk look like?

Cluttered...

Interesting...

busy....

dusty...

dis-organized...

I noticed that everyone has the

"Organizational Flu"

and it seems to be spreading like wildfire!

Help me!

I'm dusting and I cannot stop!

Nope....you won't be hearing that from me.

I like my strange way of

organizing.

There are piles,

and

piles,

and

you guessed it,

piles

of stuff on my desk.

But,

I have an idea

 of where

everything is...

unless you ask for something..

then I panic...

for a moment..

and then it seems to just come to me.

and

I shuffle thru

a pile or two..

and

Presto,

Change-O

there it is...

how's your organization?

Brrrrr.....

I am rarely cold....

Hot Flashes are de rigueur these days...

Even my sweetie, who has always run hot...is cold...

Only in the last week have I

 started to wear slippers AND socks around the house.

And I have cut a slit in the sleeves of a "felted" wool sweater

that I had sitting on my sewing desk, and have tugged them onto my

forearms in an attempt to keep my

wrists and joints warm.

(Am I sounding pitiful enough yet?)

You would absolutely laugh at me

if you knew what the temperatures were like

here where I live....

in the sunny south....

(head hanging down...)

But I am coping well

(I know you are relieved)

and

I have adopted a routine

that helps.

I make

many

cups of coffee for

me and my sweetie...

I love a good French Press..

which in itself sounds

slightly sexual...

it's not.

Here is what it actually is...

You start with

the carafe, coffee

and hot water.

Simple is good.

Stir it up..

Put the lid on...

Wait...

While waiting...you can prepare your cups....

Once you have waited about 3-5 minutes,

press the plunger down..

and pour out that hot brown goodness..

Add additives as needed..

And enjoy...

warm..

actually, hot...

cradle that mug close and

enjoy the snuggly warmth..

and

feel the little

pick me up that the caffeine

imparts...

smiles.

Oh, yeah...

that is a cozy that I made out of

left overs from Christmas projects..

it keeps my French Press warm.

Certainty...

To be uncertain is to be uncomfortable,

but to be certain is to

be ridiculous.

-Chinese Proverb

I like this.

It reminds me of how far I have come on this journey of life.

I am no longer certain of everything....

in fact, I am certain of only a few things.

Which actually

makes things easier....

It has taken me a very long time

to realize that I usually do not

have all the information.

Imagine that!

Now most of you

are probably thinking....

"Well....that's pretty obvious!"

But...

to me

it wasn't...

I was pretty sure

that I knew how everyone should act,

what their job was...

and how they fit in to the

grand scheme of things.....

But....

I now know that

it isn't my responsibility,

job, mission, or goal

to know these things....

In fact I don't even know

what my purpose is most of the time.

But if I trust,

have faith,

show up,

encourage,

praise,

smile....

well, I

believe

that is

just about enough.

My word for 2010....

As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just

watch what they do.

-Andrew Carnegie

Isn't this good advice?

It has taken me a very long time to learn lessons of life.

I feel like an infant in the realm of human relations, sometimes.

I am exactly what my junior high teacher, Mr Sherrill said in my

yearbook,

"Constantly surprised by life,

and seemingly amused".

You might think,

in my 5th decade of life,

that I would be a bit more savvy.

But no...

I am constantly surprised....

and

amazingly,......still amused.

"Authentic"

is now my chosen work fo the year.

I have noticed that several, of the bloggers

I follow, have chosen words.

So, I thought I would, too.

Authentic: genuine, real.

Yes...

that fits in nicely with my outlook for this

year of 2010...

I want to be authentic in my acts and deeds...

and

I hope to choose my fellow travelers carefully,

by watching their actions,

rather than

their words.

Now...

you may say

"Ellen, how the heck are you going to judge whether

bloggers are authentic?"

Ha!

As those of you who do this daily,

whether reading or writing or simply perusing..

you can tell..

smiles.

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Betcha By Golly Wow!

There's a spark of magic in your eyes

Candyland appears each time you smile

Never thought that fairy tales came true

But they come true when I'm near you

You're a genie in disguise

Full of wonder and surprise

And betcha by golly, wow

You're the one that I've been waiting for forever

And ever will my love for you keep growin' strong

Keep growin' strong

If I could I'd catch a falling star

To shine on you so I'll know where you are

Order rainbows in your favorite shade

To show I love you, thinking of you

Write your name across the sky

Anything you ask I'll try, `cause

Betcha by golly, wow

You're the one that I've been waiting for forever

And ever will my love for you keep growin' strong

Keep growin' strong

Betcha by golly, wow

You're the one that I've been waiting for forever

And ever will my love for you keep growin' strong

Keep growin' strong

Betcha by golly, wow

You're the one that I've been waiting for forever

And ever will my love for you

(Thom Bell and Linda Creed)

 

Actually,

our anniversary is January 1st....

but I plan to be busy tomorrow,

so this is my opportunity to

let you know how

fortunate I find myself.

 

As some of you know...

my sweetie and I are

"re-treads"

meaning...

we have tried this marriage thing

a time or two...

and well....finally God intervened

and we found each other.

It has been five years.

Doesn't sound like a lot...

but in 50-something years, it is a lifetime.

 

I have never been happier,

and find myself

excited when ever he comes home from being away...

giddy even..

blessed (I know)...

smiles.

 

Listen here..

 

 

I am ready to take it all down...after one more look....

The stockings are tired....

They are just a bit droopy...

The gifts have all been delivered...

And I have only one more

holiday event to host...

tonight.

My book club ladies are coming.

Coffee, regular and decaf...

Christmas cookies..

Fruitcake...smiles.

and

celery and carrots....

(bigger smiles)

I dont' know about you but I am so

sick of the "sugar highs" that

permeate the holidays.

My head can't take it anymore.

And as much as I love me some coffee...

I might just have decaf...

well..

not really...

but I thought about it.

smiles.