I am grateful to live in a small town.  I especially like to support the local stores in order to keep our village quaint and worthy of visitors.  I picked up a flyer from the 3/50 project this week.  I just wanted to share it so perhaps others would support their local mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, etc.

3 - Think about which three indepently owned businesses you’d miss most if they were gone.  Stop in and say hello.  Pick up a little something that will make someone smile.  Your contribution is what keeps those businesses around. 

50 - If just half the employed US population spend $50 each month in indepently owned businesses, their purchases would generate more than $2.6 billion in revenue.  Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the emplyed population did that. 

68 - For every $100 spent in indepently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payrool, and other expenditures.  If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here.  Spend it online and nothing comes.

1- The number of people it takes to start the trend.

Visit www.the350project.net

Dick Wolfsie, of WISH-TV/Channel 8, interviewed us a few weeks ago as we passed the year anniversary of Tim’s return from Iraq.   The interview airs tonight on the 5 o’clock news.  It will also be available tomorrow on Dick’s Home Page.

After seven long months of reading the ‘Outlander’ series, I really didn’t need to dive right into another series.  But I felt almost sad saying goodbye to the main characters in the book, Jamie and Claire.  I needed a diversion.

I am going to flat out be honest.  I got totally sucked into (no pun intended) ‘The Twilight” series.  I have avoided the pop-culture phenomenon quite easily until it was suggested as a read for my book club.  I even went so far as to relentlessly tease the woman in our book club that suggested it.  I accused her of being into ‘teenage romance.’  Well…hook-line-and-sinker, I am a total vampire fan.  I love Edward and Bella.

Literally, I sunk my teeth into all four books.  DONE.  Once again, I lost a lot of sleep.  My house is in disarray.  And I have avoided some necessary work.

I am pleading…please do not suggest anymore series that I am going to sink my teeth into.  I need sleep.

Maybe I was giving off some ‘vampire vibes’ today because Emerson appeared at my side as I was trying to finish up the final few chapters with these…

It has been a long time since I last posted.  I have been busy and preoccupied.  However, I have oodles of posts to write.  I just have to get a few of these lines down.

The twins’ favorite game to play this summer has been ‘Mommy - Baby’.  About 80 percent of the time, Campbell is Mommy (go figure).  It is rather interesting to watch.  Emerson even changes her voice to be more ‘baby-like.’ 

After a game of ‘Mommy - Baby’, Campbell and Emerson were sitting at the table for a snack…which let me explain is rare…they are usually running around eating a snack, leaving a trail of crumbs behind.  It is NO wonder why I have a sigificant ant problem this year. 

Anyway, Campbell firmly stated to Emerson, “Baby, if you don’t eat your snack you are not going to be able to go to Elin’s <their cousin> house tonight.  AND…if you cross the street without looking both ways, you are going to die!  A car will hit you!  Oh…and if you use a bad word, I am putting pepper on your tongue.”

Campbell is like a voice recorder.  She sounded so much like me, I was scared.  Within one swift conversation she took all of my threats from the day and lumped them into one. 

Thankfully, a few minutes later, Campbell switched to sweet mommy, “Come on over, Baby, so I can put you in bed and rub your belly.”

Briggs won the local essay contest…he was so proud!

After a brief conversation with my friend Kathy on Saturday night, I put the notion of living in the now in my brain to stir.  She is like a mini-buddha, consistently challenging my inner peace.  She also happens to be a mother of four rambunctious children.  Thank goodness there are more of us out there!

Anyway…

Sad to admit, I realized I am not a person that ‘lives in the now’ successfully.  Honestly, I don’t think I have ever given it much thought! 

With deadlines and milestones to meet, with clients to please, it is difficult to focus on today.  My life is admittedly filled with tasks and to do lists.  And my list never gets fully completed at the conclusion of a day.  I often lie awake at night consciously churning over what I need to accomplish the next day. 

But I kept thinking about how trying to live in the now could significantly change my life and my family.  If my Aunt Nine (or for anyone that unfortunately dies suddenly) would have had the foresight of her death, would she have made different decisions day-to-day?

On Sunday, I focused on just enjoying the day with whatever came along.  We had a wonderful invitation from our friend Jessica to attend a party in the country.  It was one of those days that brings out my famous quote, “I love Indiana!”

This wasn’t just any simple party in the country…it was an all-out festival.  The kids were treated to a watermelon-eating contest, a bounce house, pony rides, balloon tosses, face painting, carnival games, fishing, paddles boats, a splash house, cotton candy, cupcake decorating, and pinatas.  Gage managed to catch three Blue Gill.  And, Emerson indulged in playing with the night crawlers.  The girl isn’t afraid of creep crawly things in the least!

We thorougly enjoyed ourselves.  It was a mixture of peace and pleasure looking across the meadow watching horses graze and cat tails blowing in the breeze. 

Who knows if I am capable of  ‘living in the now’ but I am going to make a go of it.  I think I deserve it.  But I know my family deserves it.

…I got some pictures of our trip to Hawaii from Nate.  It is hard to focus on your personal images when you focus on your client’s for a living.  Anyway, we visited Maui just a few weeks after Tim’s home from his deployment.

We found a new use for Baby Legs from Ballerinas and Bruisers owner and good friend, Steve Schwartz.  Besides that I had seen it in a magazine.

P.S.  Don’t tell Gage…he thought he was superhero cool.

It is officially summer time…the kids are consuming enormous amounts of food, they have come close to seriously injuring each other on several occasions, Gage took scissors to Emerson’s hair (after finally getting her bangs grown out), I cannot keep them inside, there have already been complaints of boredom, they are nasty dirty (doesn’t going to the pool count as a bath?), and our yard could pass for a toy dump.  Thankfully camps and extra curricular activities begin soon.  With all that being said…they can be kind of cute (even if there is food or muck on all of their faces below).

Call it what you will but I fully intend to listen in on the ‘goings on’ of my kids and their conversations.  I even kept a baby monitor should I ever feel compelled to stick it under their bed during their teen years. 

But for the first time last night, Briggs asked me to leave his room so that he and Gage could have their privacy.  I was slightly offended but more elated that they were actually getting along. I agreed to depart.  After pleading to them on their intentions.  I got a ‘none of your business’ response. 

I pretended to leave and hovered outside the door. 

It was very interesting. 

I discovered the Gage has an unknown talent.  Briggs bribes his little brother to rub his head. 

YES!  Apparently, the headrubbing talents of Tim and I don’t hold a candle to that of our four year old.  Briggs was even willing to pay him!  Briggs even designed a contract for Gage’s ’Headrubbing Company’ and signed it.  His payment…Star Wars books. 

So, later I wandered in to find Briggs half comatose on the floor of his room after a full treatment of Gage’s ultimate headrubbing abilities. 

Gage shared some of his secrets with me. 

So tonight, I tried using the Gage technique on Briggs before bed.  He said, “It isn’t quite as good as Gage.”

Oh well…maybe I should start having Gage put me to bed.