Murraytalk

Happy Columbus Day! In fourteen hundred and ninety two Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Do you remember learning that little rhyme in elementary school?  Speaking of elementary school it's also American Touch Tag Day - You're it!  I think playing tag was one of my favorite things to play as a kid. It was the game that never ended - you dodged and ducked from the hand coming towards you never thinking about how long you had been running around. Fun, fun fun!  If you have Columbus Day off get some people together and get a good game of tag going. I didn't do much yesterday - Tom left early morning on his motorcycle for a business trip in Colorado. I took the day off from cleaning and cooking - did laundry, some shopping with Melissa, and relaxed the rest of the day. Today my plan is to clean out the pumpkin I bought and use it as a center piece. I saw this in Southern Living and love the look. http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/decorating/fall-decorating-i...

I'm fried! I'm so exhausted from the week... I feel like I could sleep for 24 hours. It's the kind of exhaustion where you can't even have a conversation because your words come out completely wrong and you pretty much forget what you were going to say by the time you get the right words out. (maybe that part is old age) I'm not sure if I shared with you that my 2.5 year old granddaughter loves to drop the F bomb - once  she starts she just keeps going with it like she's possessed. Here's an example - My daughter's boyfriend came over and here comes Makenna walking down the hall with her hands on her hips..."What you doing in my house, you here every night, this is my house you need to get the F out. (her hand is now waving and head bobbing) You go to your F***ing house, this not your F***ing house."  That's just part of the dialog that went on.                                   ...

This morning the guys went fishing off the pier while some of us girls went running on the beach and some went shopping.                                                                                                                                            I love the little shops with all the cute and trendy styles - most of my shopping for my shop was done in California. My granddaughters were having the time of their life grabbing their clothes and running to the fitting room to try them on and walking out to model them like it was their private fashion show. Unfortunately, I had to shut it down due to a 2 year old and the nightmare jog...

 My Week! Chalk Drawing Face Painting with wet chalk It's Raining! This has been a week of venue shopping, pool playing, chalk drawing, some face painting, rain playing, bubble blowing, waiting for the trash truck, and writing. I was actually able to sit and write for 4 hours yesterday and will be getting back to it after some grocery shopping and a visit to the cemetery this morning. Bubble Time! Pool Fun! Recycle Trash Day (she has to wave at him) Pool Time! Have a fun filled Saturday!

After spending the afternoon outside yesterday while the kids played in the pool, I made the decision to be diligent in my quest to find a second home to escape the heat. I don't know how I've lasted this long - maybe with age your tolerance for heat lessens. I remember running around and riding bikes all Summer long in Tucson as a kid/teenager and never thinking it was too hot to be outside. I asked my 2 year old granddaughter if she wanted to go outside and draw with chalk. She looked at me and said, "It's too hot outside." I said, "You're a kid!" I didn't think they cared. She even added. "I'm sweaty." I'm praying at this time next year I will be enjoying the Summer weather. “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”  Gai...

I can't get Makenna to eat in the morning -  I'm lucky if she eats a tiny bite of yogurt. So yesterday I decided to have her make her own breakfast to see if it would entice her to eat. "You're making homemade blueberry pancakes for breakfast." She quickly responded with, " No I not." But once I got her scrubbed up and in the kitchen she was happy to work for food.  While she was working on the pancakes I made fruit kabobs; which she was both curious and excited about.                                                                                                                                               ...

Happy Mother's Day! My Mom Wishing Everyone a Happy Mother's Day, including all the mom's in Heaven.(like my mother)                 What will I be doing on this special day? Probably the same as most days since I'm not good at sleeping in, and I never really want breakfast until around noon. So breakfast in bed is out of the question for the simple fact that I'll be out of bed long before I want food. And I'm just not good at relaxing, I love being busy!                                                                                    So do whatever brings a smile to your face and enjoy your special day!   "Mothers are the people who love us for no good reason. And those of us who are mothers know it's the most exquisit...

May 10 National Clean Up Your Room Day & National Shrimp Day! I honestly was thinking about cleaning my room today - now that I know that it's a National Day I'm feeling the pressure of actually getting it done. I don't know when Clean Up Your Room originated, but I can bet money there was a mom behind it. Just talking about cleaning the words "pig stye" keep popping in my head. They were my mom's  words to use when referring to cleaning up a room, and I know I carried it on with my kids.                                 So put some pressure on your kids today and make them clean up their pig stye, and throw some shrimp their way as a reward.  National Shrimp Day... add some shrimp to your menu tonight.  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/shrimp-bruschetta-10000001875628/ Shrimp Bruschetta http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/shrimp-cucumber-cups-50400000120821/ Shrimp Cucumber...

Last night I was watching Modern Family.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Modern_Family_episodes The episode had a bit about Manny (pre-teen son) who created a center piece that was ridiculous and ugly, but his mother showered him with praise and compliments on how beautiful it was, how creative he is, and how he's so good at everything. Ed O'Neill (plays the step father) asked why she makes him believe that everything he does is wonderful. He went on to say that now days kids get a badge if they cross the street. I thought isn't that the truth. The kids now are praised for everything and anything they do - they're told that they can do anything and are the best at everything. Of course you can do anything, but it requires work and you just might not be that good at it. Also, you might be the best today at whatever your forte is, but tomorrow there might be someone that's going to kick your ass at it. That's reality, that's life. Don't get me wrong...

Valentines Day is just around the corner. Personally that's one holiday (if you can call it that) I've never bought into. My feeling is, it's just another overly commercialized day that retailers guilt people to spend money on. I shared that opinion with my 10 year old granddaughter, and her response was, "How can you not like Valentine's Day, it's a day of love." Do you really have to take one day out of 365 of them to show and tell someone that you love and care about them? I don't think so. I pick up random gift items for  the people in my life through out the year, along with putting cards in the mail, or sending a text message when I'm thinking of them. I know it's fun for kids... they get to pick out a cute box of cards for their classmates and decorate boxes to put them in, but truthfully, it gave me anxiety as a kid. I had the stress of creating a beautiful box that would be displayed in the classroom, and then the headache of what ca...

Here I am 52 years old and my boss is a 2 year old that's in a foul mood today. Typically her disposition is pleasant and she's fairly easy to accommodate. But today she has a scratchy throat, running nose, a low grade fever, and she's a bear! She has me thinking of quitting this gig since I've held this position many times before. So far this morning she's been relaxing in bed while holding the remote tightly as she surfs through the channels. However, during the process she continually summons me just to scream, "I want Elmo!" As I explain to her that Elmo isn't on yet, and as I proceed to leave the room, she yells, "Turn it off!" Mind you she is still controlling the remote. I ask her to hand me the remote so I can grant her wish on turning the TV off, and she quickly says, " Don't talk to me!' As I'm explaining to her that she's being rude and isn't allowed to talk to grandma like that. She politely says to me, ...

While watching my grandchildren that range in age from 2-12, I was thinking of how sedentary their lifestyle is. Each of them sitting with their faces staring at an electronic device, and yes that includes the 2 year old. I don't even know the correct names for all of their techie toys, nor do I know how to operate most of them. I have always been active and my children have been active and now I feel like I have not so active grandchildren... not at my house! Outside we go with a basketball, football and sidewalk chalk. The football and basketball was a no brainer for them, but hopscotch they seemed to have trouble with... didn't understand why you couldn't step on certain squares, how to roll the rock and what the point of the game is. Oh how I loved hopscotch, hula hoop and jacks when I was a kid. Anyway, as they were tossing the football the mailman walked up with a smile on his face and said, "What, kids playing outside, what's up with that?" I guess play...