JustaKrusen/ Mrsjustakrusen

I heard on the radio the other day that it is way too early for the normal seasonal flu and if you have the achy joints or any of these symptoms, you very well could have the Swine Flu.

Let me tell you, if you get it.. it likes to hang on like a close friend for a very long time.

I got sick 2 -3 weeks before before thanksgiving. I think I missed 4 weeks of Church because I did not want to give it to anyone and I did not want to be gagging coughing in church. I had a cough that sounded like my lung was going to come out and land on the floor. I was never diagnosed with the swine flu… but ya can’t help but wonder.

Lets see, I went through 3 different antibiotics, 2 scripts of steroids different strengths, a ton of tissues, and 3 big bottle of DayQuil ( well the third is still 1/2 full ) probably 2 bottles of nightquil, a few benedryl from being allergic to the Rocephin shot in my butt, 4 office visits, chest x rays, nebulizer and puffers, and I am still not 100 % better.

I was supposed to sing a song in church last Sunday, but my voice just was not able to do it. I am committed to do it this Sunday, I think I will be okay.

My post today is to advise everyone if you feel poorly… keep it to yourself! This flu goes in waves, for a day you think you are getting better then whomp- kicks your butt again.

Mark started yesterday with congestion , tonight he has chills, we unfortunately canceled our Rochester adventure tomorrow. No sense driving 1 1/2 hrs, feeling like crap, sharing the air in a closed car with Me, Jeff, Amanda and Brandon ( who have been battling the feeling yucky symptoms then getting better only to feel lousy again for 3 months !!) plus we do not want to give it to Adrianne, Mackenzie and Josh. Just need to lay low.

We probably will  hit the rack in 2009 and waken  7 hrs into 2010. I do not think I can make it till midnight and Mark.. well he looks like he is going to need to snooze sooner than me.

So For all of you who read this.. HAPPY NEW YEAR AND thanks for coming over to share a piece of my life.  I hope this finds you feeling well, and having a safe New Years Eve. love Always, Cindy… Alias Mrs Justa.

In the whole scheme of things , what really makes a difference?

In the whole scheme of things  what ripple has an effect and what does not?

Someone once told me that if it won’t matter in 99 years, than it really is not that important. Don’t sweat it.

I wrote yesterday about the huge feeling of overwhelmed I have because of many changes all at once at work and wanting to make sure everything is laid out as simply as possible for people to understand and to be able to follow and not slow us down any.

As I went to an in-service today on yet another new project, and it is an exciting project for those who might benefit from it, I began to feel like these ducks on the rock. Do you see them??

Here I zoomed in on them. In doing that I thought how Apropo as I zoom in not only are they there in many directions but they appear quite fuzzy. That is how it feels sometimes, like these fuzzy ducks looking out across the vast miles and miles of water, surrounded but billions of rocks. Wondering what makes a difference.

SO these rocks and miles of water resemble the amount of stuff I feel I have to get done, and to top it off I have a class I have a presentation I need to finish, and a HUGE project that we are projecting will take 6 months.  So a lot is weighing on my mind, I know it is fine, and I am trying to figure out what really does not matter… but it all does. In this class I am in 2 different groups each with their own responsibilities.. and then we each also a presentation on our own. It is just a lot of extra stuff…

I did not bring work home tonight, but think I will for the weekend. I bought stuff to do a mini New Year welcoming with Mark and we will hang out here tomorrow night. We are heading to Roch on Friday, that is fun… then we will be back Fri evening and I think I really need to work on stuff then. Have a good night to all of you… I hope to get a few hrs of sleep, but wonder if the mind whirling will cause me to go in early in the morning and start on it. It will feel REALLY GOOD when I am done! It would be great to have it all done before 2010… NOT HAPPENING THOUGH !!!Have a good one everyone. Love mrs Justa…. alias.. Cindy

I worked from home today to shrink the pile of work I have to do. Oh it feels like it looks like this, but it is neatly in folders , just a lot to do. Today I did 13 performance reviews. These reviews take time, I put thought into all the factors and goals and then have to put in future goals for next year. I need to fairly rate the employees and unfortunately all the salary people are due at the same time.

It took me an hr and a half last night and all day today. I stopped at lunchtime and took my shower… kinda fun this morning working in my fuzzy robe and jammies.

I completed them all.. phew. Now I have 3 other projects I am working on, and will have to try to tackle them in the next few days. But it does feel good to have the performance reviews done. The people who work for me are hard workers, and I want to make sure I am fair but use it as a teaching tool and to put on paper how well they do.

Now I feel a sigh of relief but I have many more steps to go before I can see the world from the top of the mountain of work to do.

It seems that all of the sudden things can build up on me. Does that happen to you?

It is like I am going along in life and everything is smooth, things feel in control, them wham, I am staring at a mountain of tasks and the only way to the other side is over it… step by step.

If you have a want to better health, weight to loose, want to get in better shape, if you have a book report to do, a sewing project, a project for work, maybe you are taking on line courses , even getting ready for this most recent holiday,the mailing of cards, the buying of gifts, whatever the things are… they can grow from a speckle of a task to this big ass mountain while you are not looking.

I am going to go and make some supper first, then I will sort through my 2 folders I brought home and try to make a plan. Yeah that is it, I need a plan. A process.. A list…

Someone once asked me in a time of feeling  extremely overwhelmed

“How do you eat an elephant?”

Well after getting over the gross thought of eating an elephant, picturing gnawing on that hairy leather skin, and eating oh lets say

15,000 pounds of meat, fat and tough skin….

I said intelligently “I dunno!”

Their answer…” One bite at a time”

That was comforting in a jigunda sorta way…

One paper at a time, one idea at a time, one pound of weight to lose at a time…

and before you know it…you have completed the tasks at hand.

Good night to all… I am going to go take the first bite…

Love Mrs Justa… CIndy

A Vermont fir swag, I believe that is what this was called. It smells of sweet pine. This was made by my niece from Vermont. She is the most down to earth, au natural family member that we have. She and her boyfriend live in a log cabin over looking a huge mountain in Vermont. The mountain they see is actually the mountain they both work at, he works on the trails and she teaches snowboarding. She is also working in a school as an aide, but she has her teaching degree and is hoping to land an art teaching job at that school in the near future. They run a co-op in the nicer weather, all organic veggies, and they run a mini farm. They are very busy and loving life, and making it work.

For the Christmas exchange this was one of the gifts from her- accompanied with a 10.00 gift card to a local grocery store. We have it hanging on our front door, but it is starting to shed, so I do not know how much longer we will be blessed with its beauty.

We look at it though and we think of her, and her enjoyment she must have had as she made it.

That is a true meaning of Christmas really, finding things to make something to give of yourself to another person.

I think we get too caught up in the newest gadgets, the newest computers, the biggest TVs, the best video games, and before we know it the charge companies are loving us and we are wondering why we spent what we did for a moment of hastily opened gifts, and really expectations beyond what they should be.

And in the end, will people remember all you gave them? A year from now, will you remember everything that exchanged hands on Christmas morning? Did you give people gifts this year out of a feeling of an obligation? Or because you wanted to give someone special something? And of those gifts you gave, what thought and meaning went with them? Or was it a task that needed to be filled? I will remember this swag, I will remember the look on Natalie’s face when the person who initially opened it was looking at it. What was special for you this holiday season? I hope there is something that touched your heart. Love always, Mrs Justa…. alias Cindy

Our toy is complete now. Jeff and Amanda gave us a carousel for the coffee flavors to go in, plus they gave us 4 boxes of different flavors… .

So if you are ever in the neighborhood.. we can give you gourmet coffee, hot chocolate, tea …many flavors to choose from, strength to your liking.

We are winding down from an icy morning, and a wonderful visit at Jeff and Amanda’s, a surprise drop off of a gift at our friends house, the routine house cleaning, and I am about to undo all the Christmas decorating and get back to normal… whatever normal is.

Next week we are aiming to head west and see Mackenzie, Josh and Adrianne, so I don’t want to wait till next Saturday to do it. The stuff all goes out in the shed, I bring the wheel barrel out and load it up… it looks like tomorrow is a better day to do that then next week.

I do love this time of year for many reasons. I love knowing we made it through another year, I love the thought of a fresh start, good intentions and seeing where they ended up the end of the next year. I love having to empty all the bill receipt folders and starting with empty ones, I even like feeling that the first day of winter is behind us and every day is ONE DAY CLOSER TO SPRING!

This year we will have another gran-baby in May- we are getting there quickly. I have things I did not accomplish and goals for the future I am heading for.  I have wishes for others and prayers for health, I have ambitions and destinations I do not know even yet what they are. What have you accomplished, what got away from you ? What goals do you have for 2010, 

I can do a cyber cup of coffee for you…

here you go…

take an imaginary  sip a hot cup of your wishes…

can’t you smell the aroma …. we can compare notes!

Life, it is fun, we have to take each day with a sense of humor and a positive outlook. Bless you all, Mrs Justa .. Cindy

Christmas Eve is a traditional time for all to gather at my moms old house, which now my brother and his wife home.  We have done Christmas Eve in that house since 1963. This photo is precious to me, because it shows the love of a father for his son, and the joy from a son for his father. How special. How priceless.

The tradition has changed a bit. For years we read the story of Christ’s birth from the bible. The kids would share in it. Mom would always cook a buffet type meal , now Tom has replaced that with his incredible stroganoff. For probably 28 years I have brought over sugar cookies with my own special fluffy frosting, and recently have added an assortment of cookies- complements of the cookie exchange at work.

We used to buy gifts for everyone. Let me tell you, that got to be pretty expensive as we all grew up , got married and had children of our own. And as we grew up and there were more of us, the one person get a gift , open it and the pick one for someone else lasted for 3 hrs.

Now we have each adult bring a gift worth 20.00. And for the kids we have name drawing- so one kid gives one gift to another kid. The adults are counted and each draw one number out of a bowl. This yr we had 15 adults. When you get a gift from under the tree you can opt to keep it or take someone else’s gift . You can only make this choice once. So number one gets the gift they chose, unless someone above them chooses to take what they have. one yr I was number 6 and I think I had 4 different people take what ever gift was in my hand at the time.

It is fun and that is really what it is about., Enjoying each other, not really about the gifts. This yr I got number 13, Mark was number 12. He got 20.00 in scratch off lottery tickets, I got a utility knife, Jeff’s wife Amanda was going to take Mark’s gift  “  no matter what it was “ she kept saying… so I chose to steal his lottery tickets and gave him the utility knife. ( Hee hee we won 28.00 in lottery winnings )

Well she got her eyes on a 20.00 Pizza hut gift card that my nephew had gotten, so she took that, gave my nephew a evergreen swag for a front door and a 10.00 Wegmans gift card- so Mark ended up offering to trade my nephew the utility knife for the evergreen swag and gift card. It was such fun.

Today , well it was a quiet day, we went no where, had crock pot roast beef ( umm it came out very good) Yorkshire pudding, veggies and will have some apple crumb topping pie. Tomorrow we will meet Shawn and Pat for breakfast then go over to Jeff and Amanda’s to bring them their gifts. Mark and I had gone out together, bought stuff we wanted for each other and wrapped it. It was a nice change- and it was funny because some of the stuff was almost a surprise… that is what is  great about getting old.. Everything is new !.  Mark talked to Adrianne a little bit ago, Mackenzie is pushing 11 pounds and doing great. We get to see them next Friday…

Yes today is almost over but it was a really nice day, yes a really really nice day. I am sitting in my new office chair, we have got Marks web camera working , the new individual serving coffee pot is set up and we have our health and our family…. Life is good… Merry Christmas to all.//// and to all a good night. Love mrs justa. ( Cindy)

The sun has set and many many children are anxious about Christmas morning, many are trying to sleep so Santa will come and bring them something special

Santa, the magic we have added to Christmas. Santa, a stranger but someone they are to accept, to know, someone they know loves them no matter what.

Santa- bringing smiles to children old and young. Santa who knows us throughout the year.

I remember when Jeff was 4 he was very upset because we lived in an apartment, and no fireplace, and you needed a key to get in the main door. “How can Santa come here?” He asked me. and I assured him that Santa comes everywhere. He faithfully left carrots for the reindeers and cookies and milk for Ol Saint Nick.

I love the magic of Christmas.

I hope that there is something special for each of you, even though the Christmas days change in their activities as years go by, but that does not mean it can not be special.

Mark and I are together this Christmas, No one else will be over, we will sleep in, and try out our new single serving coffee maker that we bought for each other but have not used yet- nope not till Christmas. And I will put together my new office chair that has been sitting in a box looking at me for 3 weeks.

Yes it is different, but not bad. Just a change. Brandon will be with his parents opening gifts at home, where he should be. Christmas is not for tug of war between homes, no it should be shared with the parents and children, and intimate time for their own families.

We will go over on the 26th with their gifts, that way they will not have to bring stuff there afterwards. We will have roast beef tomorrow, with yorkshire pudding and veggies, we will enjoy the day.

it is nice to age really. It is nice to  know our kids have families of their own , and to not feel pulled or tugged in directions by our demands. I have had friends who really hated the holidays because they felt committed to follow their parents demands, even though they just wanted to stay home and do their own thing. I swore I would never be that way with Jeff or with Adrianne.

It is nice to know we aren’t waiting for our kids to finally go to sleep so we can bring out their gifts from hiding places, ( that was a nice time… but so is this)

Merry Christmas to all, I hope you find some time to be special, and take a moment and remember the real meaning of Christmas. Peace, Cindy … mrs justa.

Testing things in life. We learn to do that at a very young age. We know we are not supposed to do something, but the temptation to break the rules, to disregard your little voice in your head telling you not to, that becomes very strong.

Brandon can look at this Santa, but DO NOT TOUCH> so he figures ways to try to make the touch happen by doing something else .

Here he chose to sit on the dogs toy bin . He was acting like if his butt slid just a little to the left , then that finger pointed oh so carefully might just ACCIDENTALLY touch the Santa. Then it would not be his fault. He had his little tongue sticking out between his lips in that deep concentration look.

It is fun to watch children process things, try to figure out what is okay and what is too far from okay.

Their curiosity is amazing and also very eye opening to those who might think watching a toddler is a piece of cake. It takes total concentration on the child. You can not leave them for a second.

This sword that Brandon has is what he has figured is an extension of his hand. So  if he touches with the sword, maybe it will be okay.

I saw him go after the Christmas tree slowly with the tip of the sword, and he tried to convince me that Santa could get touched with it too.

It is interesting to watch the processing in a child. But we need to know as we age that we should no longer test chance.

I watch people driving on slippery roads as they test fate. People do all over the place. I watched this person in the store test fate with how high she reached to try to get something off the shelf. It could have easily  toppled on her and anyone else in the area.

Do you test the waters? Do you test fate? How about going thru yellow lights, driving with the low fuel warning light on, drinking that last drink and then getting in your car, driving without your seatbelt, doing things other while you are driving your car, this list can go on and on and can become very incriminating.

And it all starts from when we were young, and we tested our parents, tested the boundaries… except as we age—we need to stop- we need to know better, we need to GROW UP.  Mrs Justa and working on not testing the waters…..

Fascination with Grandpa telling a story. Fascination with life. Adventures of today creating memories of tomorrow.

Brandon loves his books. He has so many books that he will never bet bored with them .

This book was about Christmas, and he can actually point out different characters in the books.

We are amazed each time we see Brandon because he has learned something new. he can point to his nose, his eyes, his tongue, his ears. He knows what certain toys are by name now, he eats with a fork and a plate on his tray.

It is fun, it is always a surprise.

He is getting more teeth and is chewing on anything he can find that rubs his gums. And he loves to laugh.Laugh my precious one and enjoy life , before the stresses of adulthood try to take away the innocence, take away the smiles.

We are looking forward to next weekend when we venture out to Rochester and see Mackenzie. We wish we were closer, I guess she is around 10 pounds now.

I am anxious to see how she has developed, To see her awareness, her smiles, and her personality.

This is a really fun ride we are on, this ride of grandparenting.

A friend of mine, my Best friend # 1 as I so kindly refer to her, was telling about this past weekend when she had all her 8 or 9 grandchildren over decorating cut out gingerbread men.

She said each one had its own personality, its own beauty and creativity.

She loves being grandma.. life is good… even when it is not so good- grandkids make it all disappear for a moment.

Love to all, Mrs justa… ( just look at that face, how can you not feel teh troubles melt away !)

Another wow moment in the sermon today. Pastor Carl has a way to do that !

It is a moment when something hits me in the face, when something takes life and puts things in a perspective that kinda takes things and turns them around, so I am looking at something from a different direction.

Today’s moment was during this awesome sermon. He told a story of 2 best friends who were walking across the desert. For some reason one got annoyed with the other and punched him  hard in the face. They kept walking together and the one who was punched took a stick and wrote in the sand “ My best friend punched me in the face today.”

They walked on together and as day was turning to night they were very thirsty and they came upon an Oasis. Approaching it, the man who had been punched stepped in quick sand, and his friend pulled him out, saving his life. A little later this man who had been punched then saved etched deeply in a stone-“ My best friend saved my life today.”

The friend who had hit the other asked.. “Why did you write in the sand that I punched you in the face, and why did you etch in stone that I saved your life.”
The man answered because the winds of forgiveness will blow away the bad part, but the whole world can see the good things that were done.

Then he asked each of us to think about what we have etched in the stone, or written in sand in our pathway of life.

Well I have to admit, I have etched some pretty ugly times in some pretty massive stones for all to see. And by doing that, I have kept them fresh and powerful, always there to throw a self pity party for me, to add salt to wounds,  always there like tarnished armor.

I have some pretty big rocks to break up and some stones to etch- like this one… like sharing this thought that seemed to be such an intense lesson in life. Today this blog is a stone in my life…

How about you ? Do you show the world the wrongs that have been done and do you let the winds of time erase the good?

Do you have times when you were really hurt or offended and you can remember every single second of that time as if it just happened? Can you feel the pain so intensely that the reliving of the moment still makes you cry? If so… I think it may have been written on the wrong surface- and etched too deeply.

Thanks Pastor Carl, this really opened my eyes to the etchings of my own life.

May you all find some peace in your life !. Love mrs justa…

No folks this is not because I miss screens in the windows, nope this is to air out under the kitchen sink and keep the cat out!

Last night I was taking something out from under the sink and noticed it was wet on the bottom. It was 11:50 at night and I really was pooped and a part of me really wished I had not seen this, another part was really glad I did.

So I got out my portable battery light, dropped to my knees and started to empty the cabinet to see what the problem is.

Fortunately is was a drip- I traced it up to at least the last junction of a fitting and the water pipe for hot water. So my not so handy self turned the shut off to that water line off and the problem went away. I dried the bottom of the cabinet the best I could, and I really have no idea how long this was leaking, I am hoping it just started.

So the weekend before Christmas and I have not got hot water in the kitchen ! Bummer. But we have a son, a handy son, who said he would come over when he gets up. I called him at 12:05 AM, he was working. I do not know what I would do without him. HE has been a joy as a child, and now he is available to help when we need it.  We try to never ask for stuff though, do not want to bug him, but when it comes to plumbing, I think I feel much better with his expertise then other people I know… not naming any names. But lets just say there was a plumbing job that was done in the early 90s,  and the fittings were never tightened, So as we peacefully went off to sleep the hoses whipped around under the cupboard and in just a few hrs, we had a waterfall out the front door, cabinet drawers filled with water, a really wet carpet and all the heat vents in the floor filled with water. I would go into the dramatics after we discovered this problem, but I think I will let that stay our little vision.

So as I go to clean today, I will use the hot water from the tub, and not worry about the kitchen sink. We debated if we should go get a new faucet, but that seems silly when this faucet is 1 year old. It won’t seem silly if Jeff needs one !.

Ahh, life is just full of surprises. We are blessed for many reasons, today though Jeff is standing right up front for the blessings. I hope he feels blessed to !. Have a great weekend… Love, Mrs Justa.

Every time I get greeted by this little guy’s face, feel the tug of his little hands on my pant legs, am welcomed by a smile that goes ear to ear when I walk in his house..I realize that all these years of life have led me to that very point. And if I had not chosen the paths I have in life, well I would not have this incredible joy in my life!

I stopped by Jeff and Amanda’s tonight on my way home, and as soon as I opened the door, Brandon’s eyes lit up and this big old grin on his face. I am GRANDMA. Wow, I am GRANDMA. It seems so surreal. Mark missed tonight, cuz he was home and it is another 15 miles north to have gone home to get Mark to return there for a brief visit. Had Mark shared the moment, Mark would have the same feelings I did. This child is able to make the heart feel warm, make stress disappear, make frowns turn to smiles. He loves his grandpa , and his grandpa loves him.And Jeff and Amanda were there , we sat, we chatted, it was a give and take conversation, laughter, and the true feeling of love. 

When I have gone through times in my life I wonder “Is this it? Is this why I was created for this moment, for this person?” But life continues to go on, I have not yet succeeded to do whatever the ultimate reason for my existence, because more wonderful things happen all the time. And I again wonder , is this why?

I am fascinated by the circle of life. We look at life and it is a big  circle. Around and around, different characters, different situations but the core of each situation is the interactions we have with others , with instances.

People are born, we grow up in spite of our parents, and we become adults , to create more children who grow up in spite their parents.

We want to do good, this makes us feel good. We want to be liked, this makes us like ourselves. We want to feel worth, the worth makes us feel proud. We live, we die, and more people live to die.

Life, it is so very precious. Life, it is too short. Life, it is not always fair. But when there is a moment in life when life is really okay, yeah all the crap of life continues, but for a brief moment- the crap disappears and there are people you are around that melt your heart- well that is what life is about! I would feel this when Jeff’s little arms so long ago would hug my neck and tell me he loved me. I feel this when I see that Jeff and Amanda have started a wonderful life. And I am sure this is the same thing that Mark feels when he sees his little girl all grown, and in a good strong marriage with a little girl who beat so many odds, and who also melts hearts and creates smiles.

So as I lay my head down to rest away the nighttime peacefulness, I will thanks God for my family once again. And for this precious little boy who took all of the stuff today and made it disappear. Sleep tight oh little one, be safe Jeff and rest comfortably Amanda. Love to all, Mrs Justa .. grandama

I am dedicating this post to the most conceited, love himself guy I had the pleasure of dealing with today. He was so abrupt on the phone, so condescending, so full of himself, that I really did not want to let him have the power to know how utterly annoyed I was by him.

I think before he leaves for work each morning he looks in the mirror and sees more then the shell he is.

He insulted the place I work for, he insulted our very being, he insulted our knowledge and at one point inquired if there were any professionals available with a brain.

But I got him, I treated him with kindness, I made him get his digs in and find out he was stabbing air instead of a person.

I had to keep redirecting him from his bloviating ( oh how I love that word!) “blo·vi·ate (blv–t) intr.v. blo·vi·at·ed, blo·vi·at·ing, blo·vi·ates Slang To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner: "the rural Babbitt who bloviates about ‘progress’ and ‘growth’" (George Rebeck).” ( thanks wikipedia …. ) and get him back on track. I killed him with kindness, and finally after maybe 15 minutes he came down from his high pompous love himself cloud and become kinda decent.

People who go off like that just frost my butt. They think they are better then others and have no problem smearing their self pleasure in other people faces—or ear in my case- since he was on the phone. Before I was blessed with this experience, he had hung up on people, and was irrational to others. But ( even though I wanted to take the phone and slam it down ) I kept an image in my mind of him pumping his chest as he flaunted his love for himself, and that kept me calm.. even had to make myself smile as I spoke to him , cuz if you are smiling, you can’t be angry.

This is a Special month,

2 full moons this month… 12-1 and 12-31….

I think we are getting the magnetic pull and forces all whacked up this week.. take caution, and if you run across someone like this… kill them with kindness… they can not win than. Love to all, Mrs Justa…

To sail in the wind, to go to destinations unknown, to have the breeze of the ocean air on your face and the worries behind you. To conquer life’s challenges.

I have come across some different situations today with people I know where I wish I could give them a new lease on life, a fresh start, a sail on the ocean to somewhere fun and safe.

New beginnings, fresh starts, we all can use them once in a while. I do not want to get into specifics, I do not want to post their problems for anyone to see, but I will say to them that life can be better. It does not happen without effort and we need to always protect our selves from people using and taking advantage of us.

We need to remember that each second that goes by is gone, not ever to return, each year we avoid doing what we need to do, is another year wasted. And each year we do not take care of ourselves, our well being, well we are robbing others of years of our lives.

So if there is anything that you are needing to do, anything you are procrastinating about- start right now… take care of yourself, stand up for your rights and set the stage for a New Year, and New outlook, maybe a new improved you. Love to all, sail on that ride, and let the wind comfort you. Cindy .

Life is funny, it is not just humans who have to tolerate things,

animals do too. This is a photo of Milo and Squeaky. Milo had been our cat for a few years before Squeaky came into the mix. And it took a few days before they were able to be in the same place at the same time.

Squeaky would harass Milo, wanting him to run, batting at him when he tried to eat his meals, beating up on him whenever he walked past her.

One day I went looking for the 2 of them, making sure Squeaky was not caught somewhere and this was what I found. This picture comes to mind often as I think of tolerating and accepting things. I think finally Milo came to realize this little girl cat was his sister and not going anywhere soon. It was neat to see that switch.

What things have come across in your life when you finally just stop fighting the newness and face the fact that this is how it is?

A few years later we added another addition to our family. His name was Chip And we got him for a birthday gift for Jeff. Mark had said for years that if “we” ( Jeff and I) ever wanted to get him to leave then get a dog. So Jeff was kinda surprised on his birthday to get a dog, because immediately he wondered if that was our way of telling him Mark was leaving.

Mark did not leave, it was Mark’s Idea to get the dog, and I immediately agreed because I had grown up with dogs, so once Mark mentioned getting Jeff a dog, it did not take me long to get to the pet store !! Poor little Chip was harassed by the cats, so for a while we separated him from them as he became accustomed to the new ,living environment. Chip would cry if we put him in the breakfast nook area, because he wanted to be with people and with the cats. At night we had him closed in the kitchen breakfast area. One day he was remarkably quiet, and I thought (AHHH I think he understands it is just for a little while) but when I came around the corner to find this  sight. Jeff asleep on the floor next to chip in his bed.

It was not long before Chip had the run of the house, but once again this showed me how we adjust to situations in life.

What things have you adjusted to? What things have you not accepted?
And if there are things out there that have changed, look at them differently. and try to accept them. The world is forever changing, spinning and changing. And we—well we have to change with it. Love to All, Mrs Justa… Alias Cindy

Christmas Season Shopping… it seems really crazy to me. We know all fricken year that Christmas is the 25th of December, yet we wait ( and I mean WE) and then run into everyone for 3 weeks before Christmas. And why all the hoopla of buying thousands of dollars in gifts?

I went into a Kohls last year… did you notice I said last year? ( That is the ONLY time I have taken the pleasure of this check out pattern) It was like this line in this photo. I had to buy a roaster, and  it was in the back of the store. I get this roaster, kinda awkward to hang onto, and I did not realize when I was number 55 in line how heavy it was, but let me tell you by the time I got down to being 25 in line the lady in the front of me was looking more like a shelf to rest this increasingly HEAVIER roaster on then a person. By the time I was 5 till the checkout I was feeling my nose itching, my back aching, and wondering how the heck I was holding onto this 1000 pound roaster.

We live about 30 miles north of Syracuse, 15 north of The Great Northern Mall, and let me tell ya, I like doing whatever shopping I can in Fulton ! The other day I went into Walmart up here and there were open cash register lines, employees smiling and offering to take you in their lines. We went over to the dreaded Great Northern Mall area yesterday evening, and we thought we were going to need to call 911 so we could get out of our parking spot, people in and out of the stores, hustling , bustling. Mark described it as watching ants in the sand.

It really makes Christmas a disappointment. After 2-3 weeks of the pushing and grabbing, and the folks using plastic like it is cash.. when Christmas morning comes it goes by so quickly that the afternoon can’t help but bring a feeling of “Is that it?” It is so easy to forget what it is all about.

I love going around at night and seeing the different decorations, I like to hit stores at 8 or 9 PM. I love the magic of Christmas in a child’s eyes, the magic of Santa, the wonders with the lights and decorations. I love Christmas Eve and gathering with the family for Stroganoff buffet dinner and gift exchanging. We changed the gift exchange process a few years back, we used to buy for every other person- and when there are up to 17 people maybe even 20- it was a struggle! First the opening of gifts went on for hours, and secondly the financial strain on everyone was incredible, and finally buying stuff because you are supposed to, but not having any idea what the other person needs made it feel almost phoney. So now, all over 18  bring 1 gift each worth 20.00 The under 18 group all exchange names.  The adults draw numbers, and number one picks a gift first, then as more people open gifts, each new gift opener has the chance to trade the gift with someone else who already opened the gift. It is really funny, last year Mark got a counter top fountain, and we constantly tease Amanda cuz she took it from him when it was her turn to open a gift. She was eyeing that fountain until it became her chance. It is fun. and we share time with one another.

Than Christmas morning, all are at their own homes, doing their own celebration, and we try to see some during the day. I always cook a Christmas dinner, and it depends who comes over for it. Each year is different.

I hope none of you get too frustrated by the Christmas chaos, and maybe just maybe you can put your feet up, put on a little relaxing Christmas music and enjoy the season. Love to all, Mrs justa.

The wind is blowing, dusty snow is flying, and it was a blustery day. Yes, it was cold. We had the client Christmas Party this evening , so I did not venture out until 7:55 tonight.

So we just had dinner at 8:30. I made taco salad. Yummmm. I think that is one of my favorite meals. When Mark used to be gone from Sunday or Monday thru Saturdays, I would make up a batch of it and have it during the week. I think I could have it every night ! That and kielbasa, mashed potato and sauerkraut. Alternate them, I am a happy camper.

Isn’t it funny how things in life seem to tug and pull, like in this photo. It looks to me like a koala bear ( on the left) is being tugged by a bird, like he has the bears paw in its bill and is tugging on his leg.

I think part of it is how busy Christmas time is. The gift buying, the cookie exchange at work, wrapping gifts, sending out cards, wanting everything to be just perfect, and then knowing nothing is perfect. Trying to balance the day to day with the stuff that is extra.

I am thinking about how tugged at Jeff and Amanda must be feeling with Brandon now sick with pneumonia. He had the swine flu weeks and weeks ago, but it has kicked him in the butt. Ear infections, bronchitis, now he is teething (4 teeth !) and dealing with pneumonia. He is so young, and trying to give him the nebulizer treatments is really hard. He is afraid of the mask, so they try with the mouth piece, he will do it a little but does not understand it. The tugging between him understanding and trying to be compliant.

Tugging pulling, challenging.

I watched people today as I hustled through a store at lunch time. People with lists, people standing at the card display wanting to find the perfect cards. Some studying them like it was notes for a final exam. It was neat to see that, because when we get a card, I think sometimes we forget that often someone spent a lot of time before they picked that card out for us. There were people looking at novelty things, stuff to buy that someone that you are not sure what to get them. This made me think about how darned commercialized Christmas has become.

Then around the corner was a Christmas Tree vendor, and I saw it.  “X-Mas trees for sale” and I felt that tugging again… I wanted to go and write on their sign “ Let’s put the Christ back in X Mas”  .

Yes the tug and the pulls, from right and wrong, from real to pretend, from spend to save, from truth and lies, tugs and pulls… just like my icy friends in this photo.  Have a warm evening and healthy day. Love to all, Cindy… alias Mrs justa

Lazy day, lousy day, but tomorrow will be better I hope ! Just kinda feeling icky today. Sinus infection gone to bronchitis , some wheezing , less coughing today then yesterday but not gone enough for me. A warm blanket, cup of tea and somewhere comfortable to place my weary body was what I needed today. I imagine similar to how “I-man” musta been feeling in this sun filled window sill.

I had gone to the gym 2 weekends ago… , and it was embarrassing, the longer I went on the treadmill the more I coughed. People were looking at me like typhoid Annie. So this past week and past weekend I did not subject myself  ( or them) to the same thing. By last Weds I hoped to be better, but the cough did not go away, seemed to get worse after the antibiotics were thru, so I had to go back.

I tried to fight off the stuff with NiteQuil, DayQuil and fluids , but after 5 more days I went back to the docs. Kinda sucks, I could not go back into work again today and serenade everyone with my  cough/wheeze symphony plus I was kinda whipped. I have faithfully taken my meds and think tomorrow will be a better day.

Life can be crazy, one second everything seems peachy and the next second everything seems to be like a rotten peach . I am thankful it is only bronchitis and not pneumonia, I was concerned because the 2 nights prior to going to the docs I was waking up A LOT during the night. Sometimes cuz I thought Mark was talking to me, he wasn’t… it was the different tones of the wheezes- they sounded like someone speaking to someone in different tones. Kinda freaky, my left lobe chatting with my right lobe. It is a little better, but a couple times they got chatty as I vegged today.

My heart goes out to those who are suffering with much worse then this. Cancers, severe diabetes, asthma, cardiac or neurological problems, mental health issues, blood disorders, bone disease( the list goes on and on ) … hmm I am feeling a little better already!

Tomorrow is Thursday, cold and really blowing winds are being projected, but it is just 2 more days till the weekend. The plan is for Sunday to head out to see Josh, Adrianne and Mackenzie. I am really hoping this thing is a memory by than:) Hope this finds you in great health!. Love to all, Mrs justa….. Cindy

Too quickly the days go by. Have you noticed that? We were just weeding the garden and mowing the grass, and now poof, big white snow flakes, the kind that land on my eye lashes and melt. The kind that reflect in the headlights and make it like a kaleidoscope through the windshield.

In only 14 days the days start to have a little more light . In just 18 days Christmas will be here. In just 24 days 2009 will be through.

What did you accomplish this year, the year of 2009?

What did you say you were going to get done or achieve?

Did you do it?

Do I feel sighs from some of you out there?? Or is it maybe my sighs.

I was going to be drop dead model beautiful,,,, and again a year has past and that did not happen.

I wanted the credit cards paid off, we have done that. I hoped for a deck or two, but next year maybe we will achieve that.

I wanted to live through the year to watch the grandchildren grow, that has happened. To treasure each day and thirst for the next day.

I hoped to succeed in the management role that I had been asked to fill, I am trying my best at that.

I have wanted to be supportive for my family and friends. To be a good wife, mom, grandmother, Aunt and friend.

I think I have achieved that.

To become more active at the gym… well maybe a couple times a week I go, and then I walk at work. So I am partially there.

I want to write a book.. Not there yet… But there is always tomorrow… how about you? Love to all, Mrs justa

What lies ahead for all of us? What has happened in your life, that when you are faced with the challenge or dilemma, you think you will never get through it, and poof it is years later and you learned to cope through it and maybe even are better because of it.

I was thinking that as we watched a family of 6 at a restaurant. A girl maybe 10, a set of twin girls about 6 and a little guy about 4. The parents were so calm and cool, and the kids were well behaved. But it made me wonder what the parents expression was the moment they found out they were expecting twins. Was it joy? Was it oh my goodness, where are we going to put 2 new babies?

I remember times in my life when I was told about a diagnosis of myself or someone I loved…

, or a life changing event and when it smacked me in the face I had to pick myself up be the sock tops, lower the socks so I could see and start to put one foot in front of another as I planned for whatever challenges lied ahead.

Death of a parent, marriage that you thought was going great but the other made it clear it was failing, job that no longer is, bills that are hard to pay, cars that need massive repair, surgeries gone wrong, roofs that leak both literally and figuratively, restarting ones life from the bottom of the barrel,not understanding why people don’t like you, idolizing to be something that you have finally figured out you will never be—, realizing that you child has made a terrible mistake( I saw bits of a film on U Tube that was real life looking about texting and driving- everyone should see this before they get in a car the next time), realizing someone you cared about had failed at something, these are all challenges we can be faced with.  And even finding out you are expecting more then one child… to many even though it is welcoming there can be a time of trying to figure out how to adapt. Finding the good from the bad… finding the sunshine in the darkest day. Good luck to all as we are faced with challenges. Love to all, Mrs Justa….