Pumpkin Painting

I saw a craft idea online recently that demonstrated how to paint pumpkins using nail polish and water.  The pumpkins looked very cute and the process seemed easy, so when Publix put their white pumpkins on sale, I decided to give it a try.  I hoped it would be something that I could add to my fall craft projects for years to come.  

To start I placed a crockpot liner in a bucket, filled it with water and placed wax paper under the fall inspired nail polishes that I found on Amazon. Pouring the nail polish was a lot easier than I imagined as it floated on top of the water.  I loved the design it made when I swirled a toothpick through all of the colors.  I held on to the pumpkin stem slowly placing it in the water, turning it around several times, and then pulling it out.  I loved the way it looked.  Most of the polish was gone with the one pumpkin so I decided to use three different colors for the next one.  It looked even better and I added them to the decorations on my porch.  

Although the finished project looked awesome and was easier to do, I am not sure that I will do it again.  The nail polish never full dried and felt tacky even days later.  It would be hard to display them inside because of that.  Even so, I was proud of myself for trying something new and finding some success.

They're Ready for the Holidays

 

I absolutely love walking at Sholom Park. Now that the summer heat is gone, I don’t have to be there first thing in the morning to enjoy it.  Today, however, I was up early and decided to take advantage of my free time and go for a walk.  Although there were very few people at the park when I arrived at 8 AM, I did have a few greeters. These turkeys make walking through the park so much more fun. You never know where they’re going to hang out and as soon as they see you, no matter how far away you are, they start doing the turkey trot trying to get away from you. They have no idea where you are going, so it’s so interesting to see where they end up.

Today’s group reminded me that the holidays aren’t so far away. I am really looking forward to them this year as we have several celebrations planned. Hopefully none of these turkeys end up on a Thanksgiving table, as I would miss them gobbling away, enjoying their carefree day, making mine feel a little less stressful.

Rock Steady Boxing

When Doug found out in June that he had tremor dominant Parkinson’s, I asked him what he thought about going to physical therapy. He had gone three years ago, and they had given him some exercise to do at home, but nobody had really updated those since then. He thought it made sense to try someone else and found a physical therapist close to his work. They were very impressed with all that he could do and even questioned if he really had Parkinson’s. Since he had been down that road before, he didn’t worry about going to another doctor to be tested again and instead focused on the exercises they gave him.

At the end of his six weeks, the physical therapist not only gave Doug exercises to continue to do at home, but information about Rock Steady Boxing as well. We had actually heard about it before from Cora as she had worked as an intern in a gym in Fishers that offered it there to Parkinson’s patients. We read more about the physical benefits of the classes and thought it sounded like a great idea. Doug found a facility close to his work that he could go to twice a week when he was staying with Meg.

Doug started the classes this week and absolutely loved them. They had stations that focused on balance, strengthening, and boxing skills. He found them challenging and rewarding. He was amazed how open everyone was about their own Parkinson’s diagnosis. They asked him about the medications he had tried and his own symptoms. I was thrilled that Doug found a place that suited his needs so well.  As an added bonus, Dr. Aich was able to give us a form that allowed us to turn the class fees into our HSA. That made Doug feel even better about taking the class. Parkinsons was definitely not a journey that we had planned to go on, but one that I think that we have championed as well as possible so far. 

So Many Memories Can Be Found in a Picture

This picture showed up in my memories today and it instantly made me smile.  Cal called this the "good old days" which used to annoy Meg since she wasn't born yet, but now she finds it funny.  I look at this picture from over twenty-five years later and see so much in the photo - Doug trying to keep his eyes open, me trying to smile while keeping the boys focused on the photographer, Brett going along with having his picture taken, but preferring to be anywhere else, and Cal having the time of his life from all of the attention.  

This photo not only captures that moment, but our life during that time period.  It amazes me how many memories flood back from one single picture - our home with only two boys in it, the two of them constantly together, playing, talking and watching their favorite shows, their enthusiasm for life, me worrying just like most young parents, Doug's job at Group Dekko, and so much more happening during those years.  Cal may call them the good old days, but for me it only got better from there.  

A Fun Visit with Meg

Meg arrived yesterday and we had a great weekend with her.  We went shopping, worked on crafts and even celebrated October Fest at Infinite Aleworks.  Although they did not have the stein holding contest as promised, the food was good, the costumes were great and the singer was excellent.  It also gave Meg a chance to catch up with her Uncle Phil since neither one of us had seen him since August.  The conversation was interesting as always centering mostly on which guy in Saved by the Bell was the most attractive.  That was an easy one for both Meg and I since we each had talked about how much we liked Mark Paul-Gosselaar many times over the years.  

While Meg was there, we also made time to sort through all of the clothing, jewelry and purses that Grandma Jane had sent back with me.  We found so many treasurers and held onto a few pieces that we liked.  Meg modeled Grandma's shirt for her and Grandma was glad to hear that she would be able to wear it to work. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend with Meg, and both Doug and I enjoyed having her in Ocala.  

Infinitely Better

Being a wife and mother is the best part of my life, and I wouldn't change that for anything even when times get tough.  Our family means the world to me, and I am so glad that my children know that no matter what they do or where they go, I will always love them.  I also appreciate every day just how close all of us are even though we live miles apart.  

 

I don't normally send these social media posts to my children, but this one touched my heart and I wanted them to read it. I was glad to see all of them respond with a heart emoji right away.  None of my children are perfect, but neither are Doug or I.  Each one of us, however, fits perfectly into our family and that's what is most important to me.  

The Date Book Returns

When I was teaching, I started using a date book.  It helped me tremendously.  I was able to keep track of our crazy schedule at home plus everything that was going on at school.  After I retired, I put away the date book and only kept track of our schedule on my phone.  It worked well for a long time, but this fall I noticed that my to-do lists were getting very long and I wasn't able to keep up with everything that we had going on in our lives.  I was completely overwhelmed trying to remember all that we had to do - doctor's appointments, medicine refills, CCW meetings, trips to the Midwest, household chores and more.  The Post-it notes just weren't working anymore and my anxiety in trying to keep up was growing out of control.

One day after talking to Doug about how I was feeling, it dawned on me.  I needed a date book.  I don't know why I hadn't thought about it earlier.  If it worked well a decade ago there was no reason that it wouldn't now.  I found one on Amazon that was the perfect size and today I started filling out everything that I needed to do in October.  I instantly felt better realizing that it wasn't my to-do list that was upsetting me.  It was trying to remember it all that was keeping me up at nights.  I am positive that the date book will not only help me to stay organized but reduce the stress in my life as well.