SSFS

Seven Sentences for Someday: The Snowy Monday Edition

  1. When I am super hungry, I get highly irrational. Adam will ask me how many squares of pizza I want and I respond “Eighteen” and he says, “Hmmm. How about we start with three.” And of course he is always right. I hope we never lose this type of interaction. 
  2. Ez killed their senior pictures. We got proofs and they are outstanding. 
  3. R turned 19. The last year of her teens. I know so many good things are going to happen for her this year and she is going to go into her 20s soaring.
  4. The Mayor and I had early dinner out on Friday at one of our old haunts, Dos Amigos. I was thrilled the waiter checked out my cleavage and smiled, only for me to realize it’s because I had already spilled salsa down my top in the 25 seconds between him dropping off the chips and coming back to take our order. I’m 48 and still hopeless. 😩
  5. Today is our first day of snow. I love how peaceful and quiet it is, but only because I don’t have to be anywhere. 
  6. I accidentally dipped my thumb into a 460 degree water bath that I was pulling out of the oven when I made homemade baguettes. My entire thumb is one big blister now, which makes texting and typing a very surreal experience. 
  7. I finished and submitted my 1% Club application this morning. I don’t know if I could make it to the 100k, but it sure would be fun trying!! For my video I sang a made up song to the tune of Seasons of Love from Rent. Fingers crossed they like me enough to cast me!

I love you all, some more than others. 💜🌻

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The Six Sentences and a Hefty Paragraph Edition

Meticulously take one red and one purple every night. This is what remains. If something is off in the universe when I start taking two purple, you know why.
  1. I just approved a comment from a reader from 2020. Somehow I missed it in my review tab and it has been sitting there for 5 years.Apologies, dear reader. -100 for Destiny!
  2. I had my zoom call with Alan Alda and he is an amazing, brilliant, deep man who has all of his faculties, despite dealing with the tremors of early Parkinson’s. I am so blessed to have been able to share space with him. We talked about the meaning of life and it was fascinating to hear everyone’s stories and his response to them. 
  3. Just when I thought the Bengals had their season back on track, our defense gives up 39 points to the freaking Jets and we lose.  Sigh. 
  4. My BFF has started a podcast with a friend about being in recovery. I encourage you to check it out and give it a listen (especially Episode 2) wherever you get your podcasts. It is called Terminal Addiction and you can find them on YouTube, Spotify, instagram, and Facebook. 
  5. Last night The Mayor made a dupe of the famous Golden Lamb shepherds pie, complete with sun-dried tomatoes, Lima beans, peas, carrots, lamb, and a crust of Parmesan cheddar on top of the mashed potatoes. It was outstanding and the best part is we have enough for leftovers tonight, which means the Mayor doesn’t have to cook!
  6. Fridays and Sundays are the only days where I don’t have a commitment. The Mayor works those days, so I have a good 7 hours to myself to get caught up on work and binge the shows he won’t watch. I am eagerly awaiting the return of Emily in Paris and am neck deep in the new Kristen Bell show Nobody Wants This. 
  7. I look forward to Friday nights because The Mayor and I celebrate the end of the week with a joint after I close my computer at 5. I love this ritual and it helps me set aside all of the stresses of the week for an evening of contemplation and traveling the universe. This week Friday night joint was my birthday joint and was infused, so it packed a punch. I had some personal issues with a family member that had been wreaking havoc on my psyche and two puffs in, I was able to release all of that angst into the universe and trust that it would all work out. I got a perspective on a problem that I sorely needed and I was able to let it go. The next day the personal issue worked itself out and I had a load off my shoulders. Now, am I suggesting you should get high when you are faced with an unresolved issue? I mean, I’m not not saying it. Just kidding. But I think we should maybe not be so afraid of a plant with proven medicinal benefits.

I love you all, some more than others 💜🌻

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The 48th Birthday Wish Edition

  1. Our neighbors had a baby so I dropped off flowers and a Panera gift card and today they flagged me down to give me a thank you note. Ezra noticed the note when they got in the car and said, “Who sent you a message via carrier pigeon?!” I guess they don’t see handwritten letters very often. Haha.
  2. In my twenties I used to be paranoid that people would know if I’d just had sex, like I somehow radiated the JBF look. Now as I’m in my late 40’s I have no qualms about a quickie in the morning and then running carpool an hour later. I guess being 47 means realizing that people really don’t know or care. 
  3. One of my simplest pleasures is learning something new from one of my engineering articles and passing that tidbit on to my mom. She loves receiving those texts and is always enthusiastic with her replies. I hope I have 25 more years of those exchanges!
  4. I hit up Kroger this morning for their $5.99 sale on seapaks as well as their 33% off Halloween candy. Got stocked up on salmon, cod, and tilapia as well as bags of snickers, Twix, and skittles. Had to get in before the crazy church crowd terrorizes the public. 
  5. Sundays seem to be my catch up day with my BFF. We text over football about our weeks and all the progress we have made toward our goals. It’s nice to have a sympathetic ear when the world gets to be too much. 
  6. I’m not sure if it’s my bipolar or my neurodivergence, but I have half a dozen active projects in various stages of development and at least 50 more simmering in my brain. My brain can be a lot sometimes. 
  7. It’s the start of my birthday week! I’ll be 48 on Wednesday and my birthday wish this year is for it to be the year I start menopause. It’s about time and I’m about done. Let’s just finish it already. 

I love you all, some more than others. 💜🌻

Seven Sentence for Sunday: The trying new things edition

  1. I finally went to a free crochet class that I have been meaning to attend for the past few months and I made three new friends and am well on my way to making a dish rag.
  2. I am also relearning French via Duo Lingo and am at a level 43 out of 160, so I have a ways to go.
  3. Biscuits and gravy for dinner tonight; sometimes we have lots of veggies, tonight we had none. I ain’t complaining, that gravy was delicious!
  4. I am 3 pounds away from losing 50 lbs from my top weight. I wouldn’t mind losing 50 more, but I’d be happy with 30-40. I think my doctor would be fine with that too. I just seem to be okay with losing at a turtle’s pace—especially if it means I get biscuits and gravy for dinner every three months!
  5. Harvard released their applications for their extension campus. I have vowed that when we get moved and settled I am going to apply for my masters in creative writing. I feel like I should be able to finish my novel as a capstone project.
  6. WWE’s women only event Evolution is on tonight. When Rhea Ripley walked into the arena with no makeup on I swear my heart took an extra beat. That woman does things to men and women alike!
  7. This is the first time I have written in 3 years. In the spirit of doing new things I figured I d revisit an old thing while I was at it. I am glad to be back, for however long.

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The Anxious Annie Edition

  1. The Mayor and I completed our first 5K together yesterday in honor of suicide prevention. Such a worthy cause and such and incredibly fun workout. We held hands the entire way and had some great conversation. And now we already want to do another one again soon.
  2. I gained 0.2 pounds this week. Not bad considering I didn’t hit the gym once, but I still need to get my butt in gear and get those numbers going in the opposite direction.
  3. The closer we get to closing on our house, the more nervous I get that something is going to come along and screw it all up. I am trying to remain positive, but this anxiety is getting the best of me.
  4. The Mayor got a job where he has to work outside of the house. This seems like a silly point for most, but we have worked side by side at home for the past 20 months, so it’s going to take some getting used to. I’m incredibly proud of him for following his passion, though.
  5. I am looking forward to working out this week with my new gym partner—my 12 year old daughter J. Maybe I can instill the love of exercise with her at an early age since it seems to have bypassed me.
  6. R is looking for a new book series to read. She is finishing Percy Jackson and couldn’t get into the Lord of the Rings that I bought her. Maybe another Rick Riordan? Narnia? Or Lemony Snicket? Suggestions?
  7. Every year there comes a time—and it’s never predictable when it is—when work is slow. I am lucky to get an article a day. That time has been this past week, which has only made my nerves worse because I have nothing to focus on but the creeping negative thoughts. But I keep fighting the good fight.

I love you all, some more than others.

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The Fed Up Edition

  1. Hairballs are disgusting; I am glad I have The Mayor to clean them.
  2. I must remember that losing weight is a journey not a sprint. I am 7 weeks in, 7 lbs down and already fed up with how slow this is happening.
  3. I had a mini breakdown yesterday due to lack of motivation for working out. But as a good friend says, those days are going to happen, it’s how you handle them and then crush your goals despite them.
  4. I might be looking to bootcamp again. I think I miss the camaraderie and the accountability.
  5. Any bootcamping will have to be done after June 1 because we will be moving before then.
  6. That’s right, we got approved, put an offer on a house, it was countered, then I accepted. Closing is May 16, which means I only have 36 more days of nerves to deal with.
  7. I want to go to the first day of Bunbury so bad: The Killers, The Mowgli’s, Red Wanting Blue. Now I just have to find a sitter for 12 hours.

I love you all, some more than others.

Seven Sentences for Sunday 3/27/16: She Has Risen Edition

  1. I forgot to blog this week because I was so busy digging through paperwork for our mortgage broker and the underwriter who are doing their damnedest to help us get the house we love. We’re close.
  2. I am down another 2 pounds and I felt both of them because I have been bouncing around the same 3-4 pounds. It’s nice to have landed low.
  3. Ez is guest writing for a sentence: I LOVE CHOCOLATE!!!!
  4. And now J is taking her turn: I can’t drown my demons; they know how to swim.
  5. Clearly J is neck deep in angsty preteendom and she made me promise not to ask her any questions about it but she did tell me that it was a quote she found that resonated with her.
  6. And not to be outdone, R would also like a turn: I WILL SMASH THINGS!!!
  7. I’ve left my tomb unattended and I am risen again like a mofo.

I love you all, some more than others.

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The Parenting Lessons for Myself Edition

check-list

  1. When the kids are in public and behave so well that I just can’t believe it, I will never again rehash the experience with Adam (or anyone, for that matter), for that will only cement a meltdown at the nearest possible future moment.
  2. Having the Mayor around as a partner during Christmas time has countless benefits, not the least of which is his uncanny ability to remember to move Dobby the Elf into his daily hiding place—something I failed miserably at last year as he stayed in the same spot for 5 days straight and I blamed the children’s obvious misbehavior on his inability to take his eyes off them.
  3. 8 is a super cool age. It was for J and it’s working out so far for R. Just don’t tease her about having a pretend crush on Carrie Underwood or point out if she might be crying…No. Seriously. Don’t.
  4. R and I were exchanging favorites in her family journal. She asked me about my favorite book and when I wrote her, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” she responded with concern, “Your favorite book sounds sad…” Must. Remember. Their. P.O.V.
  5. This is the last year for Santa for J—she refused to tell me what she wants the big guy to bring her. She even went so far as to whisper in his ear when we went to see him this afternoon. Just a little test to see if he’s real.
  6. Lesson for The Mayor: No matter how solid your grounds are, never, I mean never, say Elsa is a brat and Anna is the one who everyone should like.
  7. Backup my pictures. I seem to have lost a ton of pictures that I had earmarked to scrapbook later—including all of J’s pictures that I took of her crossing the borders of the 37 states she’s visited. I see many more road trips in our future.

I love you all, some more than others.

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The Battle of Wits Edition

  1. I think I’m going to start asking my children to respond with “as you wish” to my requests. And if they don’t I’ll remind them “I’m no one to be trifled with…” Yes, I introduced them to The Princess Bride this weekend.
  2. I’d forgotten how many great lines are in The Princess Bride…perhaps my favorite line of all time is when Westley says, “Death cannot stop true love…all it can do is delay it for a while,” something I firmly believe.
  3. “Oh no! She didn’t stop, drop, and roll.”—Ez, upon watching Princess Buttercup’s skirt catch on fire in the Fire Swamp.
  4. With Christmas coming up, my schedule feels like Prince Humperdinck’s of late. “I’ve got my country’s 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it. I’m swamped.”
  5. “Wuv. Twue wuv…will follow you forever.”—the Impressive Clergyman has only an inkling of the truth as I have traveled the galaxies through time with mine.
  6. “Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that have been rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.”—quite possibly the best ending line of a book.
  7. “I didn’t like all the sword fighting…”—Ez; “It was really good,”—R; “Not at all what I expected. I can’t believe Westley was alive the whole time!”—J

I love you all, some more than others.

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The Terror Strikes Again Edition

I’ve been gone. For 9 long months. You’d think I could have done something productive with such an extended period of time away…something like conceiving and growing and eventually producing an infant—but I’ve done that before. Maybe writing a full-length screenplay, or finally shopping my children’s books that need a publishing home? Nope. Sad to say I was simply uninspired. I had plenty going on to write about, including the beginning and end of another relationship, watching each of my children jump a year in age, the beginning of what I am hoping will be my final intimate relationship, as I have found someone who inspires my soul yet keeps me grounded…. Oh, yes, there was plenty of fodder on which to write. But I lost my way in editing land and am only recently finding my way out.

It’s time. My friends say it’s time. My love says it’s time. My doctor even told me to write for ten minutes each morning in order to get my rhythm back. So I figured the best way to use my 10 minutes is to start with the tried and true Seven Sentences for Sunday.

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The Terror Strikes Again Edition

1. When it has been a while, forming an idea for a post is a bit like sex with a new love. All it takes is a bit of a connection, a raised eyebrow, or a half-smile, and suddenly the emotion takes over. You find yourself immersed in the experience, grasping at threads, and excited about the possibilities.

2. There’s also the terror that comes from the dichotomous struggle of worrying that you won’t be able to replicate the experience, or that you’ll fall so head over heels in love that you can’t possibly imagine your life without your lover or your writing. Both are equally terrifying.

3. Once I have written something….no matter how small…I begin to find inspiration in everything. I think this is true whenever you are doing something positive for the world—acts of kindness, peace, love, and yes, creativity, beget the same.

4. I have two writing challenges, one from my boyfriend and one from my sister, that have been set before me. I think I write best when a challenge is presented.

5. I had forgotten how seemingly easy but practically difficult it is to write 7 coherent sentences….maybe that’s a reason I stayed away so long.

6. And yet, I have already begun to think about next Sunday’s SSFS. I’m an enigma.

7. I hate horror movies. I steer far clear of haunted houses. However, when it comes to matters of the heart, I go for the thrill. I put my writing out there in the awareness that criticism could tear it to shreds. I hand the essence of my being over to my love, trusting him to hold it dear, but with the niggling fear that he has the power to crush it. That, I believe, is scarier than any John Carpenter or Wes Craven flick out there.

I love you all, some more than others.