Word for the Day - Perception

In my usual events of the day, when going to prepare dinner before my husband gets home from work, I load the dishwasher with odds and ends cleaning out the sink and wiping down counters. Then items come out to cook. It never fails that my daughter will come into the kitchen and ask, "What are you doing?" So tonight I asked her if she could see what I was doing. She replied, "Cleaning up to cook dinner?" I said, "Yes, good girl". She then told me that I did not have to talk to her like a dog.

I was taken back by this comment. I did not intend or perceive that I had done such a thing to her.

Only later at the dinner table when I told her dad what she had accused me of did she conclude that when she hears the words "good girl" that she thinks of a dog.

I told her my intentions were good and supposed to be compliment.

A teenager she is. A special lady with disabilities she is. It is hard some times to understand or communicate with her, but I am delighted to have her as my daughter.

per·cep·tion
   [per-sep-shuhn]
noun
1.
the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.
2.
immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment: an artist of rare perception.
3.
the result or product of perceiving, as distinguished from the act of perceiving; percept.

Elephant in the Room

“By a sweet tongue and kindness, you can drag an elephant with a hair” Persian Proverb

“When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run” Abraham Lincoln

“God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant, and the cat. He has no real style. He just keeps on trying other things.” Pablo Picasso



Ever feel like there is an elephant in the room? When tempers flare and then tension remains even though there is silence from all parties involved. Well the calming down from the holiday highs can cause this. I find my house is going through what I have just described. Could it have something to do with having almost 3 teenagers (ages 12, 14, 17)in the house?

Found it a little ironic that something on Etsy caught my attention while the "situation" was developing -- Pink Elephants.



The elephant seems to have disappeared for the moment and now I am off to repair an internet connection after a power outage overnight.

Compliments

On Christmas Eve my daughter and I visited the Personal Care wing where I work and delivered some finger cakes dipped in chocolates and made some fruit punch with sherbet for their snack. There are three lady residents on the floor right now and all are in their upper 80's.

Excitement was in the air over me doing this little treat for them. The staff and I had decorated everywhere on the floor for the holidays including their dining room so everything was pleasant and spirits were up.

As we sat visiting at the dining table it was fun to ask questions and hear their history of how they ended up in the town of Fort Benton. All three had been married; two to farmers (one in cattle, one in wheat) and the other had owned a store and post office in a distant town saying, "As the kids moved in closer so did we".

One who had lost her husband last year around Christmas smiled when telling how she had traveled to Fort Benton to help a brother's wife who was having her third child to care for her small young ones years ago. She had been set up on a blind date -- and gone to the big town of Great Falls on their first date on April 1st. I loved seeing the smile on her face when telling this almost like she was that young girl again on her adventure with love.

Many thanks were given by them for this special snack. One even told me yesterday morning as I was helping her get dressed that my activity was the "best" out of everything she did for the holidays this year.

I know it isn't the big things in life that please people the most, but having shared this short time with them brings a smile to my face as well as my daughter who left saying, "They remind me of grandma. I know she is not with me anymore, but I still feel her around me."

Spirits Are Merry

Well, yesterday and today have me in a very MERRY mood! Right now I am jamming away to classic Christmas tunes online and smelling some wonderful smells from the kitchen where two loaves of Eggnog Bread are cooling on the rack. (The kids have started coming around to see when the 1st loaf can be cut.)



After working three nights in a row and now having a few off, I am happy to see some white stuff on our ground. (I image the farmers in our area are very thrilled to see the moisture as well!) Happily, I can stay inside and watch the weather from my windows. A feeling of a want for some hot chocolate or hot tea right now is ensuing. (A tea pot was my request for Santa, but then I spotted something similar at Sam's Club that I especially liked for less than $20 -- Mrs. Claus purchased it and has it under the tree. Gonna be a good girl and leave it there till Christmas Eve when we open goodies.)



Happy to report that my efforts to get an Amaryllis to grow and eventually bloom are starting to perk up. I have had it a month and have moved it from one window to another to another. Finally seeing some growth.

Maybe it is the nutcracker guarding it that is causing the change?!!

Patchwork Gift

I have spent this weekend putting together a patchwork throw for a lady who has been very sweet in carpooling my husband to work 72 miles a day 5 days a week since we moved to Fort Benton, MT in September.



Don't know why it takes me time to figure out what I want to do or make and then it seems like last minute.

Instead of quilting, I decided to use buttons to tack the quilt together. I like using buttons and like the end results also.



My 14 year old was in the room when I was checking to make sure I had everything finished. I told him I liked the back especially to and turned it over for him. He said it is a double sided quilt, but really it has some adorable pink raccoons (vintage fabric) with borders on the back.



My husband walked in the room when our son said, "Mom you know raccoons are not really pink." The reply my husband gave, "You know son, women like that sort of thing." Adorable -- the raccoons or what men think women really like!!!