The Song in My Head

Quintessentially Random

I was sitting here this morning, thinking about the number 47.  It's not a very exciting number...nothing really special about it.  I have no connection to the number 47 at all, other than, today, I AM it.

(source)

I googled it, of course, because I'm a google-maniac, and boy was I ever wrong! 47 is quite an interesting little number...THE quintessential random number...according to The 47 Society. Wow. It has a whole society named after it!

I'm sorry 47. I underestimated you.

Last night, I went to bed with big dreams of "structure" dancing through my head, and this morning, I woke up to...

...a decorated shoe box, and a handmade card that reads, "It's your time to shine." (That kind of chokes me up a little.)

The box was full of goodies, like this hat...

...and this bag...

...both from the imagination of, and sewn on the machine of, my daughter, Crafty McCrafterton.

Finally, a My Little Pony, with a note attached, "This is from (scribble, scribble). He calls it a unicorn."

Then, I opened these...

Yum! Cupcakes made by my neighbor. That girl's got skills! Here is a link to her facebook page. Check it out. Her stuff is almost too pretty to eat (but...I will).

The cupcakes and I were going to have a photo session, but there was something hindering our progress (see little hand in right corner, zooming in).

I thought I had successfully shooed the cupcake thief away, then...KaBlam!

It was so sudden. It came out of nowhere. Poor little cupcake, flattened by a Macy masterpiece. (p.s. "Flat" had no effect on it's taste. It was still delicious.)

So, I guess, Dear Structure, our time is over. It was fun while it lasted (one day).

Today, I woke up in the world of quintessential randomness...a world full of unicorns, cupcake attacking art, and the number 47.

What's Cookin'

I make time for blogging because it's important to me. It's my outlet. It's a way of recording memories, tracking growth, yada yada...

But, sometimes I get frustrated with the process. It can be time consuming. It can feel pointless, and unrewarding, etc...

I think it's because I'm so unsettled right now. I need direction.

Please bare with me, I'm in that New Year's state of mind...examining, reevaluating, reorganizing...

I recently noticed a stack of old Cooking Light magazines sitting on a shelf in my kitchen. I say "noticed" because they have become more like decor than anything useful.

My first thought was, I should toss them...I'm never going to have time to get to them. (They are from 2007/2008, but in my defense, my neighbor didn't give them to me until 2009. :))

Darn, and learning to cook is on my bucket list too.

Maybe you're already guessing that that's when I had a light bulb moment.

Hmm...making time for something that feels pointless, but not making time for something I hope to do before I die...think...think...

Oh! Hey, I know...what if I combined the two?

I think my brilliant idea startled the squirrel. There may have even been an earthquake.

So, I'm going to add a little more structure to my blog, not just cooking, but other things too. Structure is not one of my best qualities, but I'm going to give it a try!

Bouncing Back

Have you ever read, The Bounce Back Book, by Karen Salmansohn?

It's a fun little book, full of quotes and tips to keep you thinking positively in the face of adversity, setbacks, and losses. I have it on my bookshelf, and I pick it up from time to time for a little zap of inspiration.

I love quotes. I love it when an enormous amount of worldly wisdom is condensed, and clarified, in two or three sentences (sometimes less).  It reminds me of how simple life really is, if we let it be.

This morning, on Pinterest, I found a quote (tracked back to Karen Salmansohn's website), that just about knocked the wind out of me...

I did...I forgot. Or I didn't remember to think that way.

Have you forgotten? If so, then I am happy to remind you...

"YOU are a miracle." (simple as that)

Soap and Soup

I'm thinking I'm pretty lucky.

Lucky to have won this awesome soap dispenser from Post Road Vintage...

I can't remember when I got the package, but it was at the exact same time the repairman came to fix the washing machine.

In the chaos, I shoved it into the basket by the door, and forgot all about it, until the other day when Griffin dumped the basket, and out it fell.

I love it! It's beautiful. The whole package ensemble was a heart warmer for me...right down to the cute, little linen bag with the fabric drawstring, that held Heather's card and note.

It's going straight to my parent's basement, where all of my favorite and special things now reside, until my little man's breaking and dumping phase is over.

In other heart warming news, I'm feeling pretty lucky to have you. Yes, YOU!

Thank you so much, dear friends, for your wonderful and supportive comments on my last post.

Did you ever see the commercial where the little boy comes in from the cold (well, you don't actually know it's a little boy at first, because he looks more like a giant snowball)?

He sits down, and his mom gives him a bowl of soup. Little by little, the snow and ice melt off of him, until he looks completely warm and toasty.

That's what each of your comments did for me...they warmed my heart like warm bowl of soup. :)

I think I picked a good word this year. 2012 is already off to a great start. So, really, thank you!