Today is The Best Day Ever...

and tomorrow will be the best day ever too, and so will the next day.

We have this little flower that popped up in between the two boards that make up the bottom stair that goes to our back door. It's just so cute. It looks like a viola. Irv planted some in a pot for the deck, but his are all purple.

Looking at the little flower I started thinking about where it came from and how long it might last, and then I thought, "What does it really matter?"

I am "living only in the present" right now, and it's an awesome way to live. I have stopped looking back, and I have stopped thinking about the future. I really can't control either, and since choosing to live this way....my life has really changed, and I have really changed. I don't think I have ever been happier, or felt so fulfilled and satisfied with my life...just how it is today.

So, now when I look at that little flower, I think, "It doesn't really matter how you got here. It doesn't matter that you won't be here for long. All that matters is that you are here today, and you make me smile."


I also think, "I'll try to keep the dogs from stepping on you!"

It's Cootie Season!!

Okay, so I am a bit of a germophobic. I don't stress out about germs. Thinking about germs does not keep me up at night. I don't have a hand washing OCD....well some might find that debatable...

I'm just a little picky about certain things.

I admit that I do wash my hands....a lot. I admit that the second I get in the car after shopping, I grab my hand sanitizer. I admit that I don't like touching the salt and pepper shakers in our lunch room at work. I admit that sometimes my hands just feel "dirty" and I have to wash them. I admit that I push doors open with my shoulder whenever possible or I pull my sleeve over my hand to open a door if necessary. I admit that I don't eat leftover food in our lunchroom at work because I don't know how long it sat out the day before. I admit that I don't like touching money....dirty, dirty money!

I am not like this at home where I know who touches things or where I know how long food sits out. Hey, I'm just trying to stay healthy and in all honesty, I rarely get colds and the flu. (knocks on wood).

I do not get flu shots or tetanus boosters. If I were an unhealthy adult with a compromised immune system, I might consider a flu shot, but a tetanus booster? Not a chance. Could I end up regretting my decision one day? Maybe, but I doubt it.

At the school where I work, we just put up posters and handed out hundreds of flyers about how to stop the spread of the flu. Nothing earth shattering...just common sense stuff like wash your hands, cover your cough and sneeze and stay home if you are sick....duh...no kidding!!

I have a feeling we are all going to get very tired of hearing about H1N1 (swine flu) this flu season. I realize hundreds of people have died from it, but what about the tens of thousands that die from the regular flu every year....why has that never freaked us out?

Sometimes I wonder if it isn't just a way for the pharmaceutical companies to make more money...

I will continue my germophobic hand washing ways and keep my fingers crossed that every one else washes theirs too!

Shoo you cootie bugs....shoo!!

They're Baaaacccckkkk!!

Today was the first day of school in the Elementary district where I work. It was a 1/2 day actually. Do you remember the first day of school when you were a kid? Do you remember the first day of school when your kids were little? Maybe they still are little and getting ready to go back to school.....

I loved summer as a kid. We lived in an awesome area with the river and an amusement park, a theater, the castle and ice cream and candy shops. A kid's dream come true. I also loved the first day of school. I loved my new clothes and my new school supplies. I couldn't wait to see all of the kids that I didn't see over the summer.

Tresa all dressed up for school

When my kids were little, I think they kind of liked the first day of school, but summer was a fun time around here and I don't think they went into it with the enthusiasm some kids do. As a mom, I always had mixed emotions. I wasn't one of those moms that hated summer and couldn't wait for the kids to go back to school. I loved summer with the kids. I loved the activities and their friends, the ball games and the excitement.

Matt and Michael...oh so cool and ready for school

As an employee in a school district, the first day of school brought even more phone calls from teachers and from parents. The phone has been ringing like crazy this past week as parents get in panic mode and teachers need help with a variety of things. I am a Special Education secretary and that means lots of filing and lots of state mandated record keeping and reporting.

This summer was pretty busy in our office and many people don't realize that we don't get a break. We are 12 month employees....so it's always "funny" when people ask if we enjoyed our summer off. Uh, what summer??

So, welcome back too all school teachers and students, and may it be one heck of a CHEE HOO year for you all!

Slow Down...You're Moving Too Fast

Irv came into my workshop last night and asked, "Are you okay? You don't seem to be very into all of this anymore."

"I'm fine. I just have a nasty headache," was my answer.

"All of this" meant my crafting and our upcoming craft shows, and my answer was an honest one. I did have a headache, but his question did make me realize that it's time to slow down a bit.

I have been working at warp speed since April when I was accepted into my first show. About that time I started working with fabric and my entire focus changed. That has meant working every evening and every weekend to get enough items to have a nice variety at my shows. It probably wasn't good timing on my part, but it is what it is.

I am excited about the two indoor shows and my new display...which Irv almost has done...and the prospect of seeing how my aprons and tote bags are received, BUT I have to admit that I am definitely looking forward to the shows being done....because I want my life back! HAHA!

I have a really hard time enjoying what I am doing when I have to work every minute of every day on it, and when I have a deadline. It will be so nice to be able to exhale.

I have also not touched my etsy shops in ages. I'm finding it difficult to prepare for the shows and keep up with listing new items. I am renewing as needed, but haven't listed anything new.

So, my plan is to make what I can without causing myself to have a mini meltdown, and just go with the flow until after the shows. My shops are doing okay, I have made some awesome aprons and totes and all will be well. The pictures are some of my new things.

What do you do when you have too much to do and not enough time to get it done....I'm thinking chocolate just might help!

What's In A Name?

I was born in 1951....yep, way back in the dark ages. In my classes at school, there were a lot of girls named Kathy and Susie. Popular names back then. My given name is Kathryn, but no one ever called me that. My mom sometimes called me Katrina. Not sure why she did, but I liked it.

My parents had a difficult time keeping me and two of my sisters straight because they named us Karen, Kathy and Kay. Not a lot of creativity there.

When it came time to a name our first child, I wanted to be different. I didn't want a regular name that everyone else had. We chose Tresa. Not Theresa or Teresa, but Tresa...pronounced tree-suh. A simple and easy to say name that turned into a mini nightmare. I should have known it was going to be a problem when the hospital staff came in twice to ask me if that spelling was correct....and kept asking, "How do you say that?"

Having an unusual name also means you can't find any cute little personalized things at the store...like the pencils and little license plates with your name on them. It also means a lifetime of correcting people when they pronounce it wrong, or just allowing them to pronounce it wrong because you are tired of correcting people.

Our boys were easy. Our first son was named after his dad and his grandfather. He is Irving Michael....very old fashioned name. He has always been called Michael. His dad was always Junior to his Aunts and Uncles. I love the name Michael so there was no argument from me. I wasn't really sure about a baby named Irving, but it made some grown men very happy. Michael took a great deal of teasing when his friends found out his real name, but it didn't phase him.

Our youngest was going to be a Matthew no matter how popular the name was. It has always been a favorite of mine. The name suits him well. He decided in Junior High that he was to be called Matt and not Matthew. I usually call him Matti.

How about you? Do you like your name? If you have children, how did you decide on their names?

Where Is My Seam Ripper?

Oh where, oh where has my seam ripper gone

Oh where, oh where can it be?
With it's handle of blue, and it's pointy end too
Oh where, oh where can it be?

TEE HEE!

I was working on a tote bag Saturday night. I was getting really tired and was just about to call it a night when I realized that I had sewn one of the straps on about an inch to the left of where it was supposed to be! Oops!

I decided I would fix it and then head to bed. I hate looking at mistakes first thing in the morning.

I reached for my trusty little seam ripper and it wasn't on my sewing table. For those of you that don't sew, a seam ripper is a magnificent little tool that allows you to quickly, safely and efficiently pull out stitches. I lifted up the tote bag. Not there. I looked in my accessory basket. Not there. I lifted up a stack of fabric. Not there. I looked under some pattern pieces. Not there.

Oh, I know. It rolled off the table into the garbage can like it did the other day. I picked through the trash. Not there. Now I am getting ticked. Where the heck is my seam ripper??? I didn't really say heck. I never say heck. I used a different four letter word.

I decided I would just have to do my best with a tiny scissor. It's a much slower process with a much bigger risk of putting a hole in the fabric, but what was I to do? I finally finished it up and went to bed.

Sunday afternoon I'm working on my tote bag again and head out to the kitchen to fill my water bottle.

Hmmmmmm....."Hi Wrigley....what is that in your mouth honey? Give that to mommy."

Oh, gee...I found my seam ripper.....what's left of it.

Guilty as charged!

A Weekend of Looking Back

Irv and I were at the grocery store this morning and came around a corner....and holy cow! There was the owner of the company Irv worked for about six years ago! It was so nice to see him. Great guy. We talked for about a half hour.

Irv had worked at this guy's marketing company for about nine years. He was the Operations Manager. The company was booming. Always busy, always growing, great place to work, perfect hours, great pay, wonderful benefits, fun people......and then it happened. The slow down....and then the lays offs. They started slowly at first and then picked up speed.

They had about 165 employees back in the day....they now have 22. So sad.

Irv had a wonderful relationship with the owners and they told him they would give him plenty of notice if his job were in jeopardy.

This was the company Irv thought he would retire from. He loved working there. He did an awesome job for them. He saved them money on everything they did with their facilities. After they moved to a bigger location they gave our family of five a dream vacation to Florida as a bonus for all of his extra hours and help.

When the lay offs got to Irv's level, they held him on with part time hours and pay, but full time benefits...like I said...they were good people. They gave him plenty of notice when the time came. It was so hard. Irv was 50 years old.

We had been keeping our eyes open for jobs, but there weren't many. He finally found one and it turned out to be hell on earth. He stayed a few years and then found the job he has now at a Catholic church and school. The pay is fine and the benefits are fine, but it isn't the amount of responsibility or the challenge that Irv loves. In this economy though and at our age....it's where he will stay for now.

After the pre-reunion get together on Friday night, which I will talk about another day.....and seeing his old boss today....all I can say is that is enough "Blasts from the past" for me for a good long while! I am a "live for today" kind of girl and my head is spinning!