Have a Coke and a smile!

Greetings!

I just wanted to announce a happy surprise. The Home Depot near my house sells Coca-Cola in the bottle. Yep, a real honest to goodness glass bottle...and it was in the cooler so it was frosty cold. Home Depot trips are normally hopelessly boring, but, finding Coke in a bottle made it happy. Ah yes, the simple things that amuse me.

Last night I had a wonderful time with my good friend, Cheryl. The original plan was to go to Party City and look at Cleopatra wigs, but, we altered course and had a blast just being spontaneous. Why a Cleopatra wig? Well, I am so glad that you asked! My son wants to be a mummy this year and I will be Cleopatra dutifully escorting him from home to home as we trick-or-treat. If I can't find the correct wig, I can just straighten my hair and pin my bangs under to give it that "walk like an Egyptian" look. ;-) The make up should be simple enough as well and fun to do.

I will go for now and post the other two sections of my story after a brief explanation of exactly what it is that I am doing. When I posted yesterday, it was an experiment. Oh well. Hope that the reading was enjoyable and I do like your feedback/comments. Thank you!

Much love!

-the busy bee

Work in progress

The evening was unseasonably warm. By this point in October one usually needed a light quilt to sleep under while the windows remained opened. However on this evening, with the full moon brightly shining, no coverlet much less a quilt of any kind was needed.

It was well past midnight and I searched for that particular spot on my pillow. That one particular spot that is cool and comforting, ushering in peaceful slumber. My search was in vain; perhaps another bath would aid in my body reaching the point of not caring about the temperature of the pillow.

With purpose in my steps, I walked to the bathroom and turned the shiny knobs. A cool bath would be best, so, I did not bother to move the one marked “H” much at all. While the cast iron tub was filling, I decided to pour myself a glass of ice water. “Refreshment second only to Coca-Cola”, I thought to myself.

The tub was now ready and so was I. Lowering myself into the cool water, I took a deep breath as small goose bumps suddenly appeared on my arms. Maybe I hadn’t noticed the change in temperature but my body sure had taken notice. “It’s just like swimming in the creek. It’s just like swimming in the creek”, I repeated to myself getting used to the bath.

What a night it had been! The dancing was particularly lively down at the Magnolia and the entertainment even more so. Clyde Cobb and his group sang and everyone demanded an encore. The boys were gracious and obliged the club with three more songs. I had spent the evening with Robby Brown.

Robby was visiting from Florida. The stories he told were breathtaking. Alligators! Why would anyone decide to jump on the back of an alligator and hang on for dear life just to wrestle the animal into submission? When I asked him that very same question he smiled and whispered in my ear, “It’s practice for wrestling a woman into submission.” I knew that I had blushed. Hopefully Robby thought that it was because of the wine that I was drinking and not from what he had just whispered. At any rate, Robby Brown was a handsome man. To be honest, he was everything that I had hoped to find but none of the men around me ever quite fit the bill. All of my life my friends and family commented on how “picky” I am about the men that I date. Why should I lower my standards? Why should I accept just anyone’s offer of dinner, dancing, or a movie?

With those thoughts spiraling round and round in my head, I slid under the water.

Autobiography or work of fiction?

My, my it's been a while! Right at eight months since I have posted anything. So much has happened and changed in that small span of time. If you know the details, then you understand. About a month or two ago I saw a most interesting quote. It was, "A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's is her work of fiction." - Oscar Wilde. How to interpret this? Literally? Metaphorically?

As I pondered the statement I thought about how women use cosmetics to conceal any flaw, perceived or real. Men tend to be more "wash and wear" although I have met some men that use cosmetics. That being said, it would appear that a literal interpretation would be a little more difficult although somewhat obvious.

Often times women portray a "skin deep" beauty that quickly fades as the water disappears down the sink. I think that most of us have seen the magazine covers that "reveal" celebrities without make up. In many cases, most of us would not recognize the famous person. Is their beauty all just a grand work of fiction? Digital enhancements abound, and most everyday women feel less than pretty when looking in the mirror. Simply put, it's sad. I haven't even started on the cosmetic surgery aspect of it all and, honestly, I don't want to.

Now, what about the fact that for many years women were taught to hide their emotions and thoughts behind a demure smile and a mask of pure serenity? Would that not constitute a work of fiction as well? "Smile and look pretty" no matter what was going on in the heart or head, right? I am thankful to be a woman and I am thankful that I am able to let my emotions show on my face. Honestly I believe that even if my face were to be the picture of a peaceful lady, my eyes would betray any thoughts or feelings to the contrary. It was generally more accepted for a man to reveal the inner workings of his mind through facial expressions. I've always wondered exactly why that was. Who exactly made up that rule of society?

Although it is 2010, do any of us still live according to Mr. Wilde's theory? Certainly I am not discouraging cosmetics in any way, shape, or fashion. I LOVE make up. It's fun! I love to enhance what is already there, on myself and others. I do not believe that anyone should hide behind a mask of make up OR behind a mask that disallows the mind and heart to shine through.

So, those are some of my thoughts regarding a most interesting and observant statement. What do you think?

Fluttering around the house during this beautiful Autumn evening,

The busy bee

One direction, then another.....

While I do not like the candy peeps, I love this shirt. I think it is absolutely adorable! "Hangin' with my peeps" is something that we do best in the busy bee's family. There are times when the busyness of the world seems to get out of hand and it is nice to just sit back and breathe. My husband has been working for the last (almost) four years to teach me how to "just be". I will tell you that it is not easy for this type A personality. Every now and then I want to pull my hair out, but, all in all it has been a great learning experience for me.

Today my co-teacher and I were talking about life and she brought up the fact that while it would be great to be able to skip the bad times, we would miss the learning experiences that those bad times bring. With bad always comes good. Keep that in mind, especially if you are going through a rough time right now. It is always worthwhile to sit back and relax. Life zooms by. Before you know it, you are one year older and you wonder where the previous year went. Kids grow up really fast. You know something? I really did not believe that last statement until I became a mother. Now, my "baby" is almost seven years old! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was making bottles, changing diapers, and lugging around a diaper bag. Of course I miss the baby stage, but this curious little boy stage is awesome as well. Would I go through the rough times of teething and diaper "blow outs" again? Absolutely, one thousand times, yes. My son had to go through those not so fun times to grow and mature into the little boy that he is today. I had to go through those times right along beside of him because, well, I am his mother and that is what we do.

Do you ever stop to think about that is how God is with us? He sticks with us through the rough times (even when we think or feel that He has deserted us) because that is what He does, and He is oh so proud when everything turns out for our good. God is a god of love and joy. I believe that He is saddened when we have to go through our not so pleasant experiences because He only wants the best for us. Think about that this evening and I hope and pray that it speaks to someone out there reading my words.

I started this post thinking that it would go in one direction, but, it went on a direction of it's own. Thank you for taking time to read.

As always,
- the busy bee

Talking to yourself is perfectly normal!

How many of you talk to yourself? It is safe to admit, no one will judge you. I will be the first to proudly stand up and say that I talk to myself on a regular basis. Why? Well, because it is perfectly normal to express one's inner dialog. Of course, it is not socially acceptable to do this one hundred percent of the time. It wouldn't be "nice" to see someone that you may not like and say aloud, "Geez, there is that jerk, _________. I really can't stand him/her!" So, there is a "fine line" that must be walked in expressing your inner feelings.

Years ago, a Russian psychologist studied the importance of children talking to themselves. He discovered that children often talk to themselves when making a decision or when trying to remember something important. It really makes sense. If I try to remember something important, I need to say it aloud to fully commit the tidbit to memory. As a teacher, I notice that many of my students walk around repeating specific instructions that I have given. They also "talk out" problems or feelings that they are experiencing. Some of these "conversations" are absolutely hilarious but, then again, I am sure that my "conversations" are funny to the person listening.

So, despite the t-shirt shown above, talking to yourself does NOT mean that you are crazy.

- the busy bee

My new furry daughter!

Hello,

Here is my new, furry daughter. Her name is Sable and she is the sweetest thing. It's been a while since I have been around a dog this gentle and loving. All she wants to do is to be around her people. David adores her and he even gave his new sister one of his teddy bears so she wouldn't be lonely while we were at school. Now she carries it around like it's her puppy and she sleeps with it at night. I told my husband that it was just like having a little girl that has to carry her baby doll around. What a blessing she has been to our little family. Thank you, Sonia, for loving Sable and allowing her to live with us.

- the busy bee

Looking out my back door...

Hello,

This is a picture of the view from our backyard. We were heading out of the boathouse for an afternoon of exploring and family fun. It was such a lovely day. David, Robby, and I saw some beautiful landscape and we found an abandoned boat in the mangroves. We assume that it was washed back there during one of our famous hurricane seasons here in central Florida. That area seemed to be a catch all for all kinds of "treasure". My mind conjured up all sorts of interesting stories and possible movie plots. I guess we watch too much "Criminal Minds" in our house. hahaha

I just wanted to share our lovely view. It is truly beautiful.

- the busy bee