Spooky!!!

Happy Halloween!

Every year on Halloween, I am reminded of my childhood experiences Trick or Treating. I can remember having to wear my snowboots every year on Halloween because there was always snow on the ground. I remember trudging through snow sometimes up to my knees practically every year. Talk about cold! BUT, we loved it, and really the cold never seemed to bother us at all because we were having way too much fun!

Lately, I am reminded of my own kids' past Halloween experiences. They have had to endure wind and cold every single year. I can remember it being so cold that we only drove to certain houses so that they could Trick or Treat, and they could also at the same time show Grandpa and Grandma their costumes.

This year is our first Halloween in Oregon. The neighbor is going to take the kids with him and the kids' friend, R., so that I can answer the door at home and give away all this candy that I bought. I think it is suppose to rain today too, which I have to say is better than snow. My daughter is going as a tiger this year. We are even going to paint drops of blood around her mouth so that it looks like she was just out on a hunt! My son is going to be a phantom. Spooky! My daughter loves all the scary movies and spooky stories around Halloween. (My son, not so much!)

The best part of Halloween, in my opinion, is when you get back home and your mom has a nice hot cup of cocoa waiting for you, and you sit down and recount all your Trick or Treating adventures with her while warming up with your cocoa. I love it!

I'm In Heaven...

I am in Heaven! I am posting this blog from home, not Oregon, but my true home, Montana! My family and I are on vacation in Montana! I am so excited to see all my family and friends that I cannot even express it right now. We just got into town today after a 17 hour drive that lasted ALL NIGHT! (It was completely worth it though!)

I am going to be in Heaven at least until I have to say good-bye again, which will be soon. So soon, that I have decided not to dwell on that painful fact!

I miss my family terribly when I am gone. I have lived most of my life near my family, so it is tremedously hard not to be near them any more.

Well, in an effort to spend as much time with my family as possible, I am going to cut this post short and will not post anything else until I return to Oregon.

My Work Never Ends...And Today Is No Different!

Oh Boy! I have a whole list of things to do today! My kids have a whole list of things to do today after they get home from school!

I wish I...no I don't, I love being a stay-at-home Mom! Sometimes, I miss working or really just miss my old job, but I really just love being a Mom! I have always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and now I am one! Every mom should get the chance to be a stay-at-home mom if they choose to. It is GREAT! I LOVE IT!

My work just never ever ends! It seems that no sooner do I have everything picked up and cleaned, laundry done, mopped, vacuumed, etc. that I have to start all over again! I have tried to come up with a plan or become more organized than I am in order to make this job easier. So far though, I have not come up with anything that will make my job any easier. (I will become rich if I can do it though!)

I'll admit that this job was much easier when my kids were not in school. I have great kids (mostly my son) who are extremely helpful in getting the household chores done. You see...my kids accept bribery. Yep, I bribe them! (Can you go to jail for that?) It usually doesn't take too much bribery to get them to help me out though.

Well, if you have ever wondered how the moms on TV did it, I will tell you how they did it. They had a whole crew to pick up everything! They didn't have to lift a finger! Now that I have burst your bubble, I will just have to keep searching for the answer for us all! In the meantime, however, I will continue bribing (as it has done wonders for me so far) my kids and sometimes my husband (get your minds out of the gutter...) in order to get them to help me out around the house!

Waves in the Sky

This was the first poem that I ever wrote:

I hope that you enjoy it...

Waves in the Sky

They can be heard soft at first

slowly getting louder and louder

until they are right above you.

They roll across the sky

over and over, never ending.

Their graceful, flowing form

is a perfect formation against

the early morning sky.

They can be seen

at the same time every year

making their journey southward...

like waves in the sky.

I used to deliver papers. I did it for some extra spending money and the exercise. This poem came to me one morning after I finished my route.

Sometimes People Don't Have Enough To Do!

One of my little irritations is sometimes my husband. Don't get me wrong, I love him to death, but sometimes... I could wring his neck. OK, maybe wringing his neck is a little harsh, but hey, if the shoe fits and all...

I have always been able to tell when my husband is bored at work because he calls me for no reason at all. At first, yes, it is a little cute and sweet, but after about the fourth or fifth call interrupting the flow and concentration it does get a little irritating.

He calls and says, "Hi, what are you doing?"

I say, "I am busy. I am working."

So, then does he say, "Oh, ok, sorry didn't mean to interrupt." NO, he just keeps talking and telling me how bored he is and what has been happening at the store. OK, at this point in the one-sided conversation, I am thinking to myself, "Would it be rude to hang up on him right now?" (I know it would be, but ...) (No, I don't actually do it, but I feel a little better thinking it, he, he, he)

I know I don't have a job anymore, but I still have things to get done around the house, and I have homework to do as well. I like to get as much done as possible before the kids get home from school. Plus, he did this to me all the time when I did have a job.

Now, I sometimes feel like he thinks that I am at his beck and call. He calls me to do little things for him that he could really do himself. For example, he called me just the other day to find a phone number because the number was not in the phonebook. Ok, but how am I suppose to find it if it is not if the phonebook?? I am good, but I am not a miracle worker. I can't find something that is not published. Yes, I could call information and probably get the number, but I guess my feelings about this are a little different than his. First, he called when I was in the middle of something, so he had to leave a message (which he did). Second, his fingers aren't broke (at least they aren't since the last time I saw him). Third, if his fingers aren't broke and he has soooooo much time to call me to get the darn number, I think he could call information himself and get it. The number was for a new restaurant. He wants to make reservations for Friday night because he wants to take his boss to dinner. OK, I am going to be a little selfish here, but this whole thing is for his boss and his work, so why do I have to take care of all the details?? I am already strapped with the task of trying to find a babysitter in a town where we know a total of three people!!! I think I would rather make the reservations. (Plus, I have to get my school assisgnment done by Friday)

Well, he is just going to have to take care of this one himself. He is a big boy now, I think that he can handle it.

It's About that Time of Year Again!

Well, it is almost that time of year again. That time of year that women all over the country dread! Yep, that's right, I am talking about the dreaded Hunting Season! This is the one time of year that men begin to grunt and scratch uncontrollably. These men turn our sweet, little, innocent sons into a grunting, scratching mini version of themselves. It is sad really.

Of course, there are two types of hunters. The "sportsman" who hunts for the trophy and the sport of it, and the "hunter" who hunts for the food (and the trophy, because you know it is all about the horns!). My husband hunts for the food. The deer, antelope, and elk that he gets fills our freezer for the entire year (and then some most of the time).

My man is no different. He began to grunt and sratch uncontrollably the minute that he began making plans to take a vacation to travel back to Montana to fill his tags, and my son has spoken of nothing except going hunting with my husband since the subject first came up! There should be a limit of what we widows of Hunting Season have to put up with from our men and boys!

The Widow Season, as I like to call it, began in September for me but will last longer for others! I sympathize with you all! Just know that you are not alone. There is a therapy out there for us widows. This therapy has been around for ages! It is called SHOPPING! I suggest that while your men are out hunting, you go and get some therapy in!!! Get as much therapy as you need! And remember, the Widow Season only comes around once a year!

I was tagged by SML!

As promised...here are my responses!

3 smells that I love:

• my puppy after he has been napping under a blanket
• babies!
• my front yard after it rains because I can smell the rain and the forest from my house!

3 smells that I hate:

• dead skunks on the highway
• exhaust smells from trucks
• spoiled milk and foods

3 jobs I've had in my life:

• bookkeeper/grocery clerk
• operations clerk (@ a bank in the trust department)
• senior trust asset assistant - specializing in managing real estate held in trust accounts

3 movies that I could watch over and over:

• Chocolat
• Under the Tuscan Sun
• Sense and Sensibility

3 fond memories:

• vacation visiting my Grandma O. as a little girl
• Hawaii (the second time I went!)
• the summer my family and I hosted an exchange student from Japan

3 jobs I would love to have:

• Artist!
• Artist!
• Artist!

3 places I have lived:

• Montana (two different cities)
• Oregon

3 things I like to do:

• Eat at Olive Garden with SML and T.
• Play games with my family
• Draw and Paint!!!!

3 of my favorite foods:

• Anything Italian
• Sushi - yep, it's true
• My family's traditional foods - grebil, peanut rolls, rival kuga, myaldasia, I could go on & on!!!

3 places I would like to be right now:

• Montana!
• North Shore - Oahu
• Snuggled up with my kids, puppy, and hubby watching a movie

3 websites I visit daily:

• www.americanartist.com
• www.dodieart.com - Great watercolor artist from Oregon
• Blogs!!! (of course!)

3 things that make me cry:

• Any sad movie!!!
• The song "Friends" by Michael W. Smith
• The song "Pray for Me" by Michael W. Smith

3 friends I am tagging:

• Sorry, I am not tagging anyone as I don't have many friends out here yet, but I will be sending this to 3 of my friends via email!

My Grandmother, boy I miss her...

I would like to share a dream I had a few years ago. I was in a room with my father and his mother, my grandmother. We were all talking about the things that makes us happy. I was asked what the most important thing in my life is. Of course, I said, "That's easy, my family." My grandma got really mad for some reason, started yelling, said things like I took the easy way out and everyone says that. I then grabbed her by the shoulders, made her look into my eyes and said, "I love you. Do you hear me? I love you." Then, we hugged, and she whispered in my ear, "I love you too. I love you." The weird thing about this dream.

I know she was there that night in my bedroom. You see my family had just moved to a town about three and a half hours from our family, and my grandma, well, she passed away about a year before I had the dream. You might be skeptical, and you might not believe me. But...I know she was in my bedroom. I know because I felt her whisper in my ear. I felt her breath on my ear.

Well, this dream inspired this poem.

The Ones That Have Gone Away

Think of them often the ones that have gone away.

They are in our thoughts monthly… weekly… daily.
They have a special day each year when they are remembered.

Though they can’t be with us during the holidays, special occasions, and into the new year,…
They are in our thoughts and dreams to tell us they are still here.

They come to us on a gentle summer breeze or a whisper in our ear.
When they come to us be assured there is nothing to fear.

They have not left us just merely gone away.
They will come back to us some day.

Think of them often the ones that have gone away.

Written by Jodee Stein
December 1, 2003

Follow Your Dreams...

WOW! I can't believe it! My art is on-line. This is the official first step to getting my own website. I have always said that we all need to follow our dreams. This is my dream, and I am finally ready to make it happen. Whatever it takes! I am not afraid of hard work, and I know getting my artwork out there and getting people to buy it will be hard work.

Here is the link to my work...
http://www.art.com/memberartist/Jodee_Stein

Once I am done with this graduate program that I am in, I will be spending as close to 100% of my time on my artwork.

I hope everyone visits my first website and enjoys my artwork.

Procrastination!

I have decided that "when procrastination doesn't work, try, try again!" I spent an hour this morning, as I do every morning, picking up the house before sitting down to get some schoolwork done. It took me an extra half hour at least to get my new "office" set up. I have taken over the dining room table, which is now my desk, and the dining room, which is now my office, little TV and all! (I know, I know, the TV does wonders for the procrastination!)

I have gotten some work done today believe it or not. I answered some questions regarding issues from my old job, and I also did some work for my husband! I should definitely be charging for my time.

The only thing that I have been procrastinating with lately is my schoolwork. I have so much to get done this week that it is kind of overwhelming. I wish I could yell for Calgon to take me away!

Dieting...The Endless Battle

I really hate dieting! At times, I have a lot of will power, but at other times, I have none. Why can't we just eat whatever we want to and never gain weight! (that would be utopia) It just seems like every time I lose a few pounds that I just gain it right back again. I take one step forward and three steps back. I wish losing weight was easier than it is. Why can't there just be a magic pill or something!

Weight is the endless battle...for some it is a battle which will be won...and for others it is a battle which will never be won. I hope this battle will be the one that I can and will win!

Creepy Crawlys!

As Halloween approaches, I am reminded of what happened to us when we first moved into our house here in Oregon. It was the 4th of July, the sky was clear, it was a beautiful night. My husband was lighting some fireworks in front of the house, when suddenly, he noticed a black widow spider resting on her web. He very calmly sent our daughter into the house to get the Raid and then sprayed it. It disappeared almost immediately after being sprayed, probably with the hopes of getting away. My husband went back to lighting fireworks, and after a time, he saw the spider struggling to crawl across the driveway. It was obviously hurt. He finished killing the spider. The night ended in fun and fireworks.

We told the kids, especially our daughter, not to touch one of those spiders if they saw another one. We told them to tell one of us so that we could take care of it. We emphasized this to our daughter because she had never been afraid of an animal or insect and is always picking them up and looking at them or whatever.

A couple of days after the 4th of July, the kids came running into the house out of breath. They said they saw TWO black widows on the side of the house. I was thinking to myself, "Yea sure, I bet! They are either trying to freak you out because they know you are afraid of spiders, or they are paranoid and now think every spider is a black widow!" I told them to stay away from them and to show their Dad when he got home from work. Well, my husband verified that the kids were right about the spiders. They were indeed black widow spiders, and there were not two spiders... there were THREE of them. I was completely freaking out at this point! He ended up spraying Raid out there, and he ended up killing FOUR black widow spiders. Not too many days later, we killed yet ANOTHER black widow in our garage. That was the last straw!!! I told my husband that either the landlord send someone over to kill them, or else I was leaving to stay somewhere else until the spiders were gone.

The landlord did get a person to spray around our house for black widow spiders. He told me we had A LOT of black widow webs. It kind of sounded like he had never seen that many webs all together before, but he did not come right out and say that. All in all, there were SIX black widow spiders that were killed. (The exterminator killed another one just inside the garage door.)

Writing this story now, the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up, and I have that feeling like bugs are crawling on me!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! I can honestly say that this experience has NOT diminished my fear of spiders at all!

:)

Commitment!

For over a year and a half, I have been taking classes in a graduate program with the hopes of obtaining a Masters in Business administration. I am currently half way through my fourth from the last class! This class in particular is going by so quickly. The work gets tougher and tougher after every class. So far, I have only gone through one class while not working. I actually believed that it would be easier to attend these classes while not working, but I am beginning to re-think that belief. I am struggling to keep my commitment to these classes. Don't get me wrong, I am not planning nor have I ever been thinking of quitting. I am just noticing that the urgency is not there anymore. I believe that urgency that I used to feel, which believe me really helped me (well, pushed me really) in obtaining such high grades, is gone because the stress level that I had in these classes while I was working is gone. Stress can be a motivator! I know it was a motivator for me. I used to be stressed out because I spent every night until at least midnight on homework and that was only during the week. I used to spend all weekend on homework too. Thanks to the stress in my life (my old life), I was able to get my homework done early, usually. I know stress is not a good thing, but... sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise.

I am just going to keep "plugging away," and I will just have to take my classes one week at a time. I just hope that I don't get that dreaded "short-timers disease!!!"

:)

Happy Birthday!!!

Recently, my daughter celebrated her birthday! It was the first year that we had a friends party. It was a little hectic for me as I was the only adult at the party, but her closest friends were there, which made it bareable for me. I am really happy that her closest friends came to the party. We only invited 8 kids, so I was a little worried that only one or two kids would show up. I know that would have broke her heart... I know because it happened to me. I was right around her age too. I wanted to have a slumber party and had invited a just a few people to come and well, only one person showed up! How humiliating!!! Well, my good friend and my god-sister saved the day for me and made the slumber party really fun! I really hope that my daughter never has to go through that! The party ended up being pretty fun. There were both boys and girls. The boys played with my son, and the girls wanted to watch movies. I tried to get them to play a game all together, but they did not want to. I think they all had fun, at least I hope they did.

At one point during the party, my daughter got sad because her dad was not at the party. He has been working a lot of hours recently and is rarely home when the kids are awake, so they have not been able to spend much time with him. His work schedule will not slow down for a while unfortunately. I just hope that he makes it up to them when he does get a day off. I am going to have to talk to him tonight after he gets home. Of course, by the time he gets home, the kids will be in bed. It would be nice to do something fun together as a family. Those are the times that bring families closer together... At least I know it does my family.

:)