Oh, crap. I'm in my last week of my 38th year. Wowser.
34. If a song comes on the radio by Rob Thomas, I have to stop and listen. I don't even know all the words usually. I just really like the sound of his voice. My guilty pleasure :)
35. I am a detail person. Not control freakish about it (I know some who are!). I just really pay attention to details. Just today when I was leaving the Christie building after visiting the nurse's station, I noticed a detail on the little roof/overhang of one of the doors. There is a black iron (?) detail there with clear glass around the perimeter of the roof/overhang. Not frou-frou pretty. Just simply pretty. My style of pretty.
Chronicles of Daily Life of a Dad plus a Mom and 3 Little Boyd's
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Tiptoe
32. I think my favorite flower has to be a tulip. I love the beautiful parrot tulips that have more than one tone for sure. But I think my classic favorite is the white tulip. So clean and simple. And lovely. I have a pretty green Fenton glass vase Jason's sister gave to me as a birthday gift many moons ago. It is perfect for a bouquet of white tulips.
33. I don't drink coffee. I can drink hot tea or hot cocoa, but generally I don't go for hot drinks at all. I love the smell, but my tastebuds and nose don't tend to agree with one another. I like cold drinks. Not room temperature. Cold should be cold. Right now, Coke Zero is my weakness to maintain my caffeine intake. (Jason's too.) I completely nixed caffeine when I was pregnant, so I know I can do it. I choose not to. One day I will get healthy!!!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Simply Stated
29. I like to wear one piece of jewelry every day. Oftentimes, my fall back piece is this bracelet. Simply stated. Not glitzy. Perfect for me!
30. I love coconut. I love the taste of it (especially toasted or with chocolate). I love the smell of it. Yum-o.
31. I like color but not flashy. I have pulled myself out of the rut of carrying black or brown purses. I absolutely don't do it. I love a colored purse. I'm easing into colored shoes (especially flats) now, too. Little unexpected punches of color.
30. I love coconut. I love the taste of it (especially toasted or with chocolate). I love the smell of it. Yum-o.
31. I like color but not flashy. I have pulled myself out of the rut of carrying black or brown purses. I absolutely don't do it. I love a colored purse. I'm easing into colored shoes (especially flats) now, too. Little unexpected punches of color.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Head to Toe
I've taken way too many head shots of myself for this little series du moi. So now, toe shots. My back flats with white icing still on the toes from Nashie's first birthday cake smash photo session.
(These comfy little numbers are from Target. Black in spring? Yes. When I'm wearing a bright teal sweater!)
But, I digress.
27. I have become quite the procrastinator it seems over the past few years. Lazy? Maybe. Maybe not. I think I've been a product of my environment. I resolved on my last birthday to stop procrastinating so much, especially at work and when traveling. (I HATE packing!) I did really well for a while, and I can say I have improved over the last almost-a-year. But I still have work to do.
28. I hate the telephone. I have always hated chatting on the phone. I wasn't a typical teenage girl who spent hours on end on the tele. Needless to say, I am a fan of the evolution of letters to email to facebook to texting. But I must stay aware and conscious of the fact that these are conveniences of modern technology and not replacements for face-to-face communication. (I come from a lineage of hermits; I could easily fall in to that habit.)
And is it weird that as I inch closer and closer to number 39 on this list, I am starting to get a little claustrophobic? It's hitting me. I'm this close to being 40. The number doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that time is moving so freakin' quickly the older I grow. (Part of this has to be because I am an older parent of young kids. An older parent who works full time. An older parent who works full time and gets way too little sleep. This list could go on and on.)
Now that I have been given so many gifts (family, friends, not to mention husband and beautiful sons), it makes me sad to know that I don't have control over time. And I already miss the things I will certainly miss one day because I'm old or, you know, dead. :) I've been having flash-forwards lately of my boys' lives. Of school and careers and families. Where will I fit in? And I've been remembering things from when I was younger. When I was little. Or remembering my loved ones who have already passed, whom my boys will never get to know.
But I don't want to be sad. I want to enjoy every. single. day. I want to collect every single simple defining moment in my memory banks, never to be forgotten. I want to teach my boys and leave a positive impression on their hearts, minds, and souls. I want them to know they are my joy. I want to love my husband and let him know I am thankful for his love, support, and HIM plain and simple. Our family is so lucky he is ours.
Why do I suddenly feel like my life is a countdown where the numbers are descending so quickly I just can't keep up? I feel like I am sprawled out, flat on my belly, arms flailing, screaming, "No! Stop!"
I hope my final countdown from 10 to 1 is a long, long, LONG ways off. {great grammar, huh?} I hope I am really old. (But I hope I don't smell like a really old person.) Still of good mental capacity. Reasonably healthy so I am not a burden to anyone. In a quiet warm (but not too warm) sunny place with their faces smiling at me, holding their hands.
I hope I can make them as happy as they have made me.
(These comfy little numbers are from Target. Black in spring? Yes. When I'm wearing a bright teal sweater!)
But, I digress.
27. I have become quite the procrastinator it seems over the past few years. Lazy? Maybe. Maybe not. I think I've been a product of my environment. I resolved on my last birthday to stop procrastinating so much, especially at work and when traveling. (I HATE packing!) I did really well for a while, and I can say I have improved over the last almost-a-year. But I still have work to do.
28. I hate the telephone. I have always hated chatting on the phone. I wasn't a typical teenage girl who spent hours on end on the tele. Needless to say, I am a fan of the evolution of letters to email to facebook to texting. But I must stay aware and conscious of the fact that these are conveniences of modern technology and not replacements for face-to-face communication. (I come from a lineage of hermits; I could easily fall in to that habit.)
And is it weird that as I inch closer and closer to number 39 on this list, I am starting to get a little claustrophobic? It's hitting me. I'm this close to being 40. The number doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that time is moving so freakin' quickly the older I grow. (Part of this has to be because I am an older parent of young kids. An older parent who works full time. An older parent who works full time and gets way too little sleep. This list could go on and on.)
Now that I have been given so many gifts (family, friends, not to mention husband and beautiful sons), it makes me sad to know that I don't have control over time. And I already miss the things I will certainly miss one day because I'm old or, you know, dead. :) I've been having flash-forwards lately of my boys' lives. Of school and careers and families. Where will I fit in? And I've been remembering things from when I was younger. When I was little. Or remembering my loved ones who have already passed, whom my boys will never get to know.
But I don't want to be sad. I want to enjoy every. single. day. I want to collect every single simple defining moment in my memory banks, never to be forgotten. I want to teach my boys and leave a positive impression on their hearts, minds, and souls. I want them to know they are my joy. I want to love my husband and let him know I am thankful for his love, support, and HIM plain and simple. Our family is so lucky he is ours.
Why do I suddenly feel like my life is a countdown where the numbers are descending so quickly I just can't keep up? I feel like I am sprawled out, flat on my belly, arms flailing, screaming, "No! Stop!"
I hope my final countdown from 10 to 1 is a long, long, LONG ways off. {great grammar, huh?} I hope I am really old. (But I hope I don't smell like a really old person.) Still of good mental capacity. Reasonably healthy so I am not a burden to anyone. In a quiet warm (but not too warm) sunny place with their faces smiling at me, holding their hands.
I hope I can make them as happy as they have made me.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The Mommy In Me...seeing a star
What to see numbers 1 thru 24? Click here.
This has truly been a learning experience for me. Learning about myself. Are these 39 things static or dynamic? Have they always been true, or are they constantly changing? Were they true when I was 19 or 29? Will they be true when I'm 49? Maybe there's a core list that we add to each year as life changes and evolves. I think these next two items would have to be on my core list:
25. Losing someone who you love is devastating. Even if it's someone you've never met face-to-face. May 2008, specifically the weekend of Memorial Day 2008, was the beginning of one of the worst periods of my life. Unlike some of my friends, I only had to endure this once in my lifetime. Thanks to God. A little piece of my heart is with that baby who's waiting on me :). What a great day that will be! {lcb}
I just learned that today is Wear A Star Day in remembrance of those babies lost to miscarriage (among other things) and in support for those who loved them. I didn't wear a star today, but I feel like I've seen one. (It's kind of funny that I've been thinking about this little one so much today.) I love you and your brothers so very much!
26. I love swings. Especially porch swings. Maybe it's the southern girl in me. Or maybe it's the mommy in me. Either way, I love the feel of swinging.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Digging Deep
So here we are again!
I'm finding it difficult to list 39 things about me. I've made it up to 18, and I feel like I've been diggin' deep already to come up with little tidbits if info about the one and only me.
19. I love the smell of vanilla anything.
20. I don't wear perfume or scented anything (deoderant, lotion, etc). I think I started this habit after I had kids and didn't want to compromise their sensitivities to scents, chemicals, etc. (My mom and sister think that's insane!) (Plus, I don't think my mother-in-law walks out the door without strongly scented Bath and Body Works something.)
21. I don't wear very much makeup at all, especially lipstick or lip gloss. My skin is sensitive and I have a mild case of rosacea, so I do have to wear moisturizer and foundation with SPF every day for my own peace of mind. I usually like mascara, too, because I have lighter puny lashes. On normal days that's it. On special days, I add a little eye shadow and blush.
22. Some favorite phrases of mine: "Lucky like a four-leaf clover." "Be glad in this moment." "Grow roots; sprout wings." "Every blade of grass has its angel bending over it and whispering, "Grow.""
23. My new favorite jewelry is from Lisa Leonard Designs. I can't afford the sterling silver pieces, but she has a pewter line of many pieces that I love! I love the organic feel and easy care. And her family's story is pretty special, too.
24. Being able to sleep all night is just a dream nowadays. But I can't imagine many things better than sleeping in a bed freshly made with crisp clean sheets! I don't use it all the time, but I love the smell of Downy (April Fresh scent) fabric softener on my sheets and towels. Ahhhhhh. Or a nap on an afternoon with the window open, a breeze floating in. Oooohhh. And waking up feeling refreshed, not groggy. Hmmmm. {One day, girl. One day.}
I'm finding it difficult to list 39 things about me. I've made it up to 18, and I feel like I've been diggin' deep already to come up with little tidbits if info about the one and only me.
19. I love the smell of vanilla anything.
20. I don't wear perfume or scented anything (deoderant, lotion, etc). I think I started this habit after I had kids and didn't want to compromise their sensitivities to scents, chemicals, etc. (My mom and sister think that's insane!) (Plus, I don't think my mother-in-law walks out the door without strongly scented Bath and Body Works something.)
21. I don't wear very much makeup at all, especially lipstick or lip gloss. My skin is sensitive and I have a mild case of rosacea, so I do have to wear moisturizer and foundation with SPF every day for my own peace of mind. I usually like mascara, too, because I have lighter puny lashes. On normal days that's it. On special days, I add a little eye shadow and blush.
22. Some favorite phrases of mine: "Lucky like a four-leaf clover." "Be glad in this moment." "Grow roots; sprout wings." "Every blade of grass has its angel bending over it and whispering, "Grow.""
23. My new favorite jewelry is from Lisa Leonard Designs. I can't afford the sterling silver pieces, but she has a pewter line of many pieces that I love! I love the organic feel and easy care. And her family's story is pretty special, too.
24. Being able to sleep all night is just a dream nowadays. But I can't imagine many things better than sleeping in a bed freshly made with crisp clean sheets! I don't use it all the time, but I love the smell of Downy (April Fresh scent) fabric softener on my sheets and towels. Ahhhhhh. Or a nap on an afternoon with the window open, a breeze floating in. Oooohhh. And waking up feeling refreshed, not groggy. Hmmmm. {One day, girl. One day.}
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
And So On, And So Forth.
Where, oh where, did this begin?
15. I always paint my toenails. But I never paint my fingernails. My toenails are a minty shade of green right now :) On purpose.
16. My favorite colors are green and blue. But I really like some shades of orange and yellow. I dress my boys in those colors a lot of the time. Curiously enough, I don't think I own any orange or yellow clothing personally. I really like them, but I would feel so daring wearing them.
17. I can't settle on artwork for my house. We have lived on Lower Coach Rd for 4 years now. I still have many a blank wall. I can't get a happy design straight in my head, and I hate putting holes in my walls. Luckily, nowadays they make the 3M Command Strips. Maybe I'll try them out one day, hopefully before we hit the 5 year mark!
18. In our family, my husband cooks most meals and does most of the grocery shopping. {Pretty cool, huh ladies?}
15. I always paint my toenails. But I never paint my fingernails. My toenails are a minty shade of green right now :) On purpose.
16. My favorite colors are green and blue. But I really like some shades of orange and yellow. I dress my boys in those colors a lot of the time. Curiously enough, I don't think I own any orange or yellow clothing personally. I really like them, but I would feel so daring wearing them.
17. I can't settle on artwork for my house. We have lived on Lower Coach Rd for 4 years now. I still have many a blank wall. I can't get a happy design straight in my head, and I hate putting holes in my walls. Luckily, nowadays they make the 3M Command Strips. Maybe I'll try them out one day, hopefully before we hit the 5 year mark!
18. In our family, my husband cooks most meals and does most of the grocery shopping. {Pretty cool, huh ladies?}
Monday, April 9, 2012
Birthdays and Every Days
What's this about? Click here.
After Easter, it really hits me that my birthday is right around the corner. *eek* Should I be excited? Anxious? Depressed? Sad? A little of all the above? I like to say birthdays don't matter when you're an adult, but inside I believe they do. I believe they matter a whole lot. I hope I have lots and lots of birthdays and everydays with the people I love :)
11. My grandmother was born in 1913. My dad was born in 1943. I was born in 1973. My oldest son was born in 2003. 30-30-30. I wonder what's going to happen in 21 more years from now? My dad will be 90. I will be 60. Ethan will be 30. ?????
12. I love sleeping in the early morning. I think the prime sleep time for me is 5 am - 7 am. Of course, this is when I should be getting up and getting ready. I hate alarm clocks.
13. I really do not like cherry-flavored anything. I have learned to like fresh cherries recently. But artifical cherry flavoring or baking/cooking with them or anything of the sort makes me want to gag. Maybe it reminds me of cough syrup?
14. I have a whack-a-doodle family. Lots of aunts and uncles and cousins, but I'm really only close with a handful of them. And I hate that. It's just the way it is with our family. My dad is a little bit of a recluse, so I think that's why we lived (and my parents still do live) in the Boonies at least a county away from the nearest relative. My uncles just "pop in" on a weekend morning as easily as most people would pick up a phone - even though it's at least an hour's drive to get there. This baffles and amazes my husband. Mainly because his family are so freakin' close to each other, and they always have been. See your uncle once every 5 years or so, or at a wedding or funeral? Yeah. So? I love my mixed up crazy family. Hopefully, they can say the same thing about me. Or they can just ask if I'm still fat. (That's how my aunts think of/remember me.)
After Easter, it really hits me that my birthday is right around the corner. *eek* Should I be excited? Anxious? Depressed? Sad? A little of all the above? I like to say birthdays don't matter when you're an adult, but inside I believe they do. I believe they matter a whole lot. I hope I have lots and lots of birthdays and everydays with the people I love :)
11. My grandmother was born in 1913. My dad was born in 1943. I was born in 1973. My oldest son was born in 2003. 30-30-30. I wonder what's going to happen in 21 more years from now? My dad will be 90. I will be 60. Ethan will be 30. ?????
12. I love sleeping in the early morning. I think the prime sleep time for me is 5 am - 7 am. Of course, this is when I should be getting up and getting ready. I hate alarm clocks.
13. I really do not like cherry-flavored anything. I have learned to like fresh cherries recently. But artifical cherry flavoring or baking/cooking with them or anything of the sort makes me want to gag. Maybe it reminds me of cough syrup?
14. I have a whack-a-doodle family. Lots of aunts and uncles and cousins, but I'm really only close with a handful of them. And I hate that. It's just the way it is with our family. My dad is a little bit of a recluse, so I think that's why we lived (and my parents still do live) in the Boonies at least a county away from the nearest relative. My uncles just "pop in" on a weekend morning as easily as most people would pick up a phone - even though it's at least an hour's drive to get there. This baffles and amazes my husband. Mainly because his family are so freakin' close to each other, and they always have been. See your uncle once every 5 years or so, or at a wedding or funeral? Yeah. So? I love my mixed up crazy family. Hopefully, they can say the same thing about me. Or they can just ask if I'm still fat. (That's how my aunts think of/remember me.)
Friday, April 6, 2012
10!
What's this all about? Look here. Or here.
7. I love milkshakes. I love chocolate. I love strawberry. But a plain old vanilla milkshake is my favorite. And is it any coincidence that a Dairy Queen is literally less than 5 minutes from my house?
8. I hate wearing glasses. I've needed a prescription for glasses since I was four years old. (I wonder how in the world you know a four-year-old even NEEDS glasses.) Keep in mind, I was four during the late seventies. And I was four-year-old kid who played a lot, so I broke my glasses a lot. So, my glasses started as brown plastic, evolved into shiny silver metal (which was NOT cool at all back then). Then the eighties came. Glasses were bigger and rounder and more glam for even the common folk. I even had a pair with my initials/monogram in little gold stickers on the bottom corner of one pair. Oh. My. Gosh. I remember how excited I was each year to get new glasses. (I led a very boring life.) I didn't get my first contacts until I was in high school. But I couldn't live without them now.
9. Some of my "signature" dishes are lemon chicken rice soup, marinated cheese, mushroom-pepper-provolone sandwiches, and brownies. With little ones, the brownies are the only thing I make with any regularity. Wow. Now I'm hungry!
10. I love to wear jeans. I wear them nearly every day. They're part of my "uniform." As are flats. But I'm proportioned kind of funny. I'm 5'7", so I'm not a shorty. But by pants are. Most jeans in "regular" fit are just too long in the inseam, especially if I'm wearing flats. "Petite" is cut differently altogether, not just the inseam. So, I have to find "short" jeans. Old Navy online has hooked me up recently. If I work on learning the sewing thing, maybe I could hem "regular" jeans myself one day.
Happy Good Friday!
7. I love milkshakes. I love chocolate. I love strawberry. But a plain old vanilla milkshake is my favorite. And is it any coincidence that a Dairy Queen is literally less than 5 minutes from my house?
8. I hate wearing glasses. I've needed a prescription for glasses since I was four years old. (I wonder how in the world you know a four-year-old even NEEDS glasses.) Keep in mind, I was four during the late seventies. And I was four-year-old kid who played a lot, so I broke my glasses a lot. So, my glasses started as brown plastic, evolved into shiny silver metal (which was NOT cool at all back then). Then the eighties came. Glasses were bigger and rounder and more glam for even the common folk. I even had a pair with my initials/monogram in little gold stickers on the bottom corner of one pair. Oh. My. Gosh. I remember how excited I was each year to get new glasses. (I led a very boring life.) I didn't get my first contacts until I was in high school. But I couldn't live without them now.
9. Some of my "signature" dishes are lemon chicken rice soup, marinated cheese, mushroom-pepper-provolone sandwiches, and brownies. With little ones, the brownies are the only thing I make with any regularity. Wow. Now I'm hungry!
10. I love to wear jeans. I wear them nearly every day. They're part of my "uniform." As are flats. But I'm proportioned kind of funny. I'm 5'7", so I'm not a shorty. But by pants are. Most jeans in "regular" fit are just too long in the inseam, especially if I'm wearing flats. "Petite" is cut differently altogether, not just the inseam. So, I have to find "short" jeans. Old Navy online has hooked me up recently. If I work on learning the sewing thing, maybe I could hem "regular" jeans myself one day.
Happy Good Friday!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
A Few More Things To Add To The List...Six of Thirty-Nine
What's this all about you ask? Look here.
4. My hair changed after having babies. Not crazy changed, but changed. I've always had dark hair, like my grandmother and dad. A few hairs have changed forever from dark to gray. Like my grandmother's was and my dad's is. But unbelievably, my hair has gotten darker since I was pregnant. And it has achieved a natural curl it never had before. On many days with little boys, I don't get to blow dry or style my hair with a flat iron. Au naturel on purpose. Just a quirk I've noticed over the past few years.
5. I love taking pictures. I've had so many cameras in my day, but they're all basically just of the point-and-click variety. I really want to learn to use manual settings on a real DSLR camera. And then OWN a DSLR camera. *sigh* One day.
6. I have a honest-to-God fear of large open bodies of water. Or getting sucked down into rapids. Pools in general. I hate them. Water baby I am not. Plus, I'm really not looking too hot in a swimsuit nowadays. And I sunburn really easily. Not a good combo!
4. My hair changed after having babies. Not crazy changed, but changed. I've always had dark hair, like my grandmother and dad. A few hairs have changed forever from dark to gray. Like my grandmother's was and my dad's is. But unbelievably, my hair has gotten darker since I was pregnant. And it has achieved a natural curl it never had before. On many days with little boys, I don't get to blow dry or style my hair with a flat iron. Au naturel on purpose. Just a quirk I've noticed over the past few years.
5. I love taking pictures. I've had so many cameras in my day, but they're all basically just of the point-and-click variety. I really want to learn to use manual settings on a real DSLR camera. And then OWN a DSLR camera. *sigh* One day.
6. I have a honest-to-God fear of large open bodies of water. Or getting sucked down into rapids. Pools in general. I hate them. Water baby I am not. Plus, I'm really not looking too hot in a swimsuit nowadays. And I sunburn really easily. Not a good combo!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
"The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes."-Frank Lloyd Wright
So, here's where I got this idea. I will be turning 39 in a few short weeks. I'm not that worried about that; maybe I will be next year? Maybe not.
I googled "39" and stumbled upon these interesting facts about this very important number on Wikipedia...
 |
| The F26A graph is a symmetric graph with 39 edges. |
). Given 39, the Mertens function returns 0.
39 is the smallest natural number which has three partitions into three parts which all give the same product when multiplied: {25, 8, 6}, {24, 10, 5}, {20, 15, 4}.
39 is the 12th distinct semiprime and the 4th in the {3.q} family. It is the last member of the third distinct biprime pair (38,39).
39 has an aliquot sum of 17 which is itself a prime. 39 is the 4th member of the 17-aliquot tree
The thirteenth Perrin number is 39, which comes after 17, 22, 29 (it is the sum of the first two mentioned).
Since the greatest prime factor of 392 + 1 = 1522 is 761, which is obviously more than 39 twice, 39 is a Størmer number.
The F26A graph is a symmetric graph with 39 edges.
Cool things for a girl who loves math.
I've decided that I would like to share 39 things about myself in celebration of my upcoming birthday. I will start with one or two here. Granted, they are small in the big scheme of things, but they're ME.
1. I've stated I love math. And, really, I do! I think math is it's own special language. A language of love for engineers, mathematicians, scientists. Math is the primary reason I decided to become an engineer. Not an accountant. Even though I love math, I don't love accounting. So, here's a fact about me: I never ever balance my checkbook. I write down my checks (which are generally the same amount at the same frequency), and I keep a running balance in my head. But I don't balance my checkbook. I've gotten bitten a time or two because of that, but it's a conscious decision I make. Math. Love. Checkbook. Hate.
2. I love cereal. There is always at least one box in our house. Today, I think there are 4 varieties. Corn flakes. Rice Krispies. Multigrain Cheerios. Special K Red Berries. I always have at least one bowl a day. At bedtime. Rarely ever at breakfast time.
3. I want to learn to sew. I learned the basics in middle school in our quarterly Arts rotation in Home Ec. Basics only. Many, many moons ago. I would really like to re-learn to do this.
More later!