Re-fashioned Denim, Fun Fashion Finds, and Confidence

My mother-in-law went through her closet recently and pulled out a lot of stuff she wanted to get rid of.  She asked my daughter if she'd like to come over to see if there was anything she wanted.  My daughter and I both found several things that we brought home.  We've been busy re-making them into different, more current, fashionable clothing.

The first one I worked on was a long denim skirt.  It went almost down to my ankles.  I think it must have been from the 80's or 90's.  It's a high quality skirt and the top of it fit great.  So, I shortened it for a more current and stylish look.  It has nice deep pockets on the sides too.  I love that!  I even had thread that was the perfect color to match the faded yellow on the other parts.  Cool!

I wasn't quite sure about this dress.  It was a little funny.  But, I love denim so much!  And, I have a memory of a super cool denim dress I bought in the 90's that I ended up returning because I wasn't sure I'd be brave enough to wear the very fitted style that it was.  This dress is different but there was something about it that reminded me of that one.  So, I had to go for it.  Oh, and a cool side note...not only is it great to be up-cycling old clothing but this dress was made in the USA!

Oh that ruffle!  And, the raw, frayed edge!  Oy!  lol

I removed the ruffle.  It turned out that the edge that was left was already surged.  That was nice.  All I had to do was fold it over and stitch it down.  I wasn't quite sure if the tapered look would work or if a hem on the thick denim would even hang right.  But, I think it works.  As far as the top goes, I opted to just cover it up.  It fits funny at the top and there's a tiny hole in the middle that looks like it might have had a flower or something attached at one time.  I have plenty of scarves and shawls and several of them looked great.  I went with a more summery one for the pics.

Oh, and pics!  Yikes!  I've been working at being braver to post pics of myself.  I've gotten better.  It's still weird though and uncomfortable even having my daughter take pics of me.  But, I went for it and got a few I'm fairly happy with it.  I'm not going to let myself wimp out on posting these!  So, here it is....my new, up-cycled, re-fashioned dress...

I've been working on being braver with fashion.  There are looks that I love but I tend to go safe.  My usual way of dressing is jeans and casual shirts.  I'm doing better.  So, now, I'm trying to be even braver and trying not to worry about parts of my body showing....like my legs.  I've been wearing shorts all summer and even some skirts!

I found these awesome boots a few weeks ago at a thrift shop.  I love them!  So, I got them and I'm determined to be brave enough to wear them.  And, now I have an outfit that goes with them.  So, no excuses, right?!  Gulp!

I hit the shoe jackpot the day I found these!  They were only $5!  They're leather and in great shape.  I looked up the brand online and found out that these boots were over $100 when they were brand new!  These look like they've barely been worn.  And, for heels, they're actually pretty comfortable.

I found two other pairs of shoes that day for just $4 for each pair.  They're in great shape and look like they've barely been worn too.  Those who've seen them think they're high dollar too.  I'm still working on finding outfits for them.  

They're definitely beyond what I normally wear but I love them.  So, that's a perfect reason to be braver and bolder to get to a place where I can wear things like this that I love!

How do you all feel about fashion?  Do you stay in a safe zone with what you normally wear?  Do you see things you love but aren't sure you could do it?  Do you worry about an imperfect body like I do?  Are you nervous about trying to be more stylish or letting parts of you show?   I'd love to hear how others feel about this.

I've always been SO self conscious about my skinny bird legs.  As I've been working lately on being OK with me, I've noticed that there are beautiful people out there with skinny legs.  The difference seems to be confidence.  That's what I'm attempting to have!  I'm trying to love what I've been given and make the best of it.  And, besides, I'll never be as young as I am today!  So, why keep waiting?!  Watch out world, here I come!  Gulp!

A Very Special Visit and a Day by the Sea

Last month, My daughter was in Southern California for a college event.  She had one day free and we were thrilled to spend it with her.  We picked her up and headed to San Diego.  It was a gorgeous day!  It was sunny, the temps were in the 70's, and we were all together.  Perfect!

We had a delicious lunch and went to Seaport Village to walk around the shops and along the water.  This is a view looking back toward downtown San Diego and the Gaslamp Quarter...

This restaurant looks so rustic and cute sitting out over the water.

This Seagull looked so peaceful and happy paddling around the marina.  The water was so clear that we could see his feet moving.

We sat by the water and watched the boats go by.  We even saw a seal or sea lion (I'm not sure which because he was far away) playing in the water. 

There are a lot of interesting boats to see down there.  There are military ships, small sailboats, tour boats, kayaks, and much more.  A couple of years ago, we saw a fancy boat/yacht that was so big it even had a helicopter on the top deck!

We later drove north to Encinitas for a walk along the beach.  It was wonderful...the parking lot had plenty of spaces and the beaches were wide open.  In fact, there were times that it seemed we were the only ones there.

Gorgeous!

There's always so much to see with the gorgeous scenery and the surprises along the sand.  This plant that washed ashore is pretty with it's delicate leaves and pretty pink color. 

 We had to be careful where we walked because there were thousands of tiny, blue, jelly fish that had washed ashore.  Some were about the size of a dime.  The larger ones were a couple of inches wide.

These jellyfish have a little sail on the top to propel them across the water.  I just looked them up and it turns out that's their only means of locomotion.  Because of that, they're subject to mass beach stranding.  We've seen them in years past where there were so many of them that the beach looked like it was covered in paper trash.  Their technical name is "Vellella".  If you look closely, the inside, center part has rings (click on the photo to see it larger).  So interesting.  The blue color is pretty too.

Sadly, there are lots of dead bees along the beach.  We've been seeing more and more of them over the years.  I'm not sure if it has to do with whatever is causing so many of them to die or if it's just a natural occurrence.  Either way, I watch where I step so I won't be stung!

We saw quite a few ladybugs that day.  Here's my daughter with one on her hand.

Looks like he posed for a photo!  

This outing was perfect for trying out my new camera.  I'm amazed how I was able to get a photo close up of a seagull flying high above me.  I'm anxious to see what else my big, zoom lens can do!

After our walk on the beach, we headed a little further north for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Las Olas.  And, then, another walk along the beach in Carlsbad to see the sunset.

I spotted a tree on our walk to the beach that had fuzzy, yellow, blossoms.  Aren't they cute?! 

These surfers were pretty far down the beach and I was surprised how well my camera lens did.  I'd like to go back down there with a tripod on a good surf day and see if I can get some good pictures of surfers riding the waves.

I always love seeing sandpipers.  They're so cute!

What a wonderful day we had together!  It couldn't have been more perfect!

Daddy and daughter!

We watched until the sun slipped away. 

We dropped her off that night with lots of hugs, a little sadness to say goodbye, and anticipation of seeing her again very soon.  It's been tough with her living in another state but we cherish every moment we have together even more than we did before.

Tears for My Mommy

Right now, I'm not feeling the hurt and anger I've felt for so many years...my whole life...over the way my mother treated me.  Instead, I weep.  No. I sob!  Over what is happening to her.  Over the loss of my mommy.  Dementia is evil!  It's horrible!  It's mean!  I hate what it is doing to her.  It's not fair for her to lose her mind like this.  It's so painful for those of us that love her!

I woke up this morning and just started sobbing about this.  I'm writing this through blurry, tear filled eyes, with momentary stops to sob and grab a tissue.  It's interesting how things are changing...

I've gone from hurt and anger over how our relationship has always been; how she never seemed happy with me; how negative she's always been...to, now, where all I see is this tiny woman who needs us.  She's sad.  She's afraid.  And, she truly needs us to help guide her, keep her from getting lost, help her make decisions, help her to make sense out of simple tasks like choosing something from a menu and ordering at a restaurant.

She's moving from her anger stage to realizing that her mind is changing.  That's very hard for her and she's been crying a lot.  I can only begin to imagine what it would be like in her shoes.

She's given up on getting her driver's license back.  I know that must have been so hard for her.  But, it's a good thing because it's safer and we won't worry about her losing her way.

My dad says she still has moments of anger and she rants.  The rants are mostly about me and things that she's dreamed up that aren't true.  But, I think...I hope, those moments are becoming less angry and less often.

She was getting so angry that my dad would tell me to just stay away as to avoid making it worse. However, staying away didn't seem to be helping.  So, I've started going over there more.  I've been taking her clothes shopping and then picking my dad up and going out to lunch with them.  The time together is allowing me to see how much more she's changed than I even realized.

I've been taking her clothes shopping because she's lost so much weight that her clothes are huge on her.  Not to mention, very outdated.  On our first shopping trip, she insisted that she was a size 8-10. I really felt she was more like a four or six but she insisted.  So, we pulled larger sizes and she tried them on.  They were huge!  I started bringing her things in smaller and smaller sizes until a pair of size six pants fit.  When she's in clothes that actually fit, it's amazing how tiny she is and those size six pants are a bit loose.  She could possibly wear things even smaller.  Below her waistline, she's probably about a size two.  And, she's barely five feet tall.  So, she's very tiny.

We found one pair of pants on the first outing and she seems to be enjoying having something that fits.  She's been wearing them a lot.  And, she seems to enjoy the compliments she's gotten from my dad about how nice they look on her.

We went shopping again yesterday.  She went straight to the larger sizes again.  I just started pulling smaller sizes and she eventually joined me in that search.  It was interesting that when we went into the fitting rooms that she started changing without closing the door.  I reached in and closed it for her.  After showing me the first thing she tried on, she left the door open again and it seemed better to just let it stay that way than to keep asking her to step aside so I could close it.  There was no one else in the area we were in.  So, I figured it was fine.  But, it was interesting that it seemed like privacy never crossed her mind.  We only found one pair of pants yesterday.  I guess we'll eventually have a new wardrobe for her.  It just may take a while.  But, it gives us a reason to get together and something to do.  And, I'm hoping that nice, new, well fitting, updated clothes will give her a lift.

Through our time together the past few weeks, I'm noticing how her mind has changed so much more than I even realized.  She repeats more than before.  And, she also seems to get a little confused or lost in more situations than before.  Those times seem to require a little gentle guidance to help her through.

What is happening to my mom is hardest on her, I'm sure.  But, it's so incredibly hard for my dad.  He's cried a lot of tears lately.  However, they've decided to move onto my brother's property and that seems to have given my dad a huge lift.  He's planning projects to work on there and making lists.  It's great to see him excited about it.  It'll be nice for them to be close to my brother in case they need help.  And, it will be nice for them to be closer to their doctors and medical facilities.  They're currently about forty miles from the hospital and doctors on their insurance plan.

I find it interesting how I've gone from feeling so hurt about how my relationship with my mom has always been and how badly she's always talked about me, to feeling so sad for her and just needing to care for and help her.  I have always appreciated the many things I learned from my mom growing up but I'm appreciating them more than ever before.   Even the tiniest of things...like how to thread a needle or set the table.

I've always loved her even though I often wondered if she loved me.  But, now, I'm starting to find ways to see beneath the things she says and does to see that she probably loves me too.  I'm grasping those little revelations and holding onto them with all my might! And, I'm trying to cherish every moment I have with her, even though those moments can be hard. I love my mommy!

Gnomes!

I just finished knitting another gnome!

So, now I have two!

I love these little guys!  Aren't they adorable?!

They're made from the "Yuletide Gmome" pattern I found on Ravelry.  The pattern is written to knit them on straight needles and sew each section closed.  Way too much work, too much purling, and too much time. Luckily, other Ravelers have posted directions for knitting them in the round.  That's a lot more fun and I think they look a lot better that way.

Sorry for so few posts lately.  Life has been crazy busy.  That seems to be the norm lately.  Whew!  But, I'm still working on trying to post more.

Here's a little of what's been going on....

My husband's grandfather had just passed away on my most recent life update.  Since then, we've all helped grandma go through things and get grandpa's things out.  She wanted to do that quickly as she felt it would help her.  She has tough days and that's so understandable since they were together for 75 years.  But, she's so incredibly strong too.  She's been keeping busy and moving forward.  She's an amazing woman that I find myself becoming more and more impressed with and inspired by everyday.  I love her so much!

My parents came to the funeral and my mom was doing really well that day.  She was a LOT less negative and repetitive that day and very pleasant to be with.  I really cherished time with her that day.  It gave me hope.  However, she has a lot of bad days.  My dad says that she can change like the flip of a switch.  It's becoming increasingly difficult for him and we are all trying to figure out the best way to handle it all.  When we go over, it upsets her.  And, when we stay away, it upsets her.  She usually doesn't show that anger and upset when we are there but after we leave and every day in between.  My dad says she just goes on and on with negativity of things that aren't true.  She thinks my brother and I hate her.  SO not true!!! She goes on and on that I don't call her.  But, when I do, she doesn't answer her phone.  When I do talk to her on the phone by calling my dad, she doesn't remember.

She passed the driving test but wasn't able to get a doctor to sign off for her to drive.  So, she lost her license.  That has upset her a lot.  But, it's given her a reason to go to the doctor...something we were having a very hard time getting her to do.  She's had one gerontology appointment so far and a brain scan.  She still needs to go see a psychiatrist and go back to the gerontologist for results on everything.  To get her license back, she'll need to get approval from the doctor and start the license process from the beginning...driving test, written test, etc.

I feel for her.  I understand that this must be SO frustrating and difficult.  But, she just won't let us support her and love her through it.  That's what we SO want to do.  Shes pushes us away, leaves when we go over so she won't have to see us, and won't allow us to go to the doctor with her.

She's angry that my brother and his wife keep bringing food over too.  But, she doesn't cook and they need to eat!  My dad is getting stronger and doing better and better (except this stress which isn't good for him) but my mom continues to lose weight.  She's so tiny now and it has us worried.  She's lost close to 50 pounds since last summer.  I hope the doctor can get to the bottom of everything that's been going on.

After the funeral, my husband and I went on a trip to Utah for a week.  He did a mountain bike race, we did a little shopping and exploring, we ate great food, we did a little hiking, and we relaxed.  We really needed a little get-away!  I'll try to post about that soon.

Have a great weekend!  :-)

Lucky Lettuce

Our brown thumbs just might be turning green....maybe!  Or, we just got lucky!  We have somehow managed to grow lettuce!  We're not the best at gardening and we've never had any luck with lettuce...until now!  Every time we planted lettuce in the past, nothing came up.  This time, it's not only coming up, it seems to be thriving!  We had a salad for dinner from OUR garden!

Here's our harvest for the evening...

We even had some beet greens that we picked and added to it.  We were going to try adding some radish greens as I read that they're even more nutritious than the radishes themselves.  But, they were spiny and it turns out it's best to use young, non spiny leaves.  So, we'll try that another time.

The lettuce is growing so fast that we're going to need to eat a lot of salad in the near future!

For anyone who's following along about my mom...here's the latest...

She passed her driving test.  Sigh!  But, I've heard it's common for that to happen and that it may not be until a person gets lost, in an accident, or has a scare that they're willing to stop driving.  A doctor needs to sign off on it for her to keep her license.  She was able to get a doctor to extend it for six weeks but she'll need further evaluation by a gerontology doctor to see if she can keep her license.  That appointment is scheduled for mid-March.  That's good news because she may willingly go to that doctor appointment now.  Before this, we weren't quite sure how we were going to get her there as she has been very adamant about not needing to go.  I just hope the doctor sees what we see...that it's not safe for her to drive now.

Goodbye, Grandpa

My husband's grandfather passed away yesterday.  He was 96 years old.  He came close to losing his life quite a few times in his 96 years but miraculously made it through.  He was quite a fighter!  He loved life and loved trying new things.  He became very skilled in a lot of the things he did...oil painting, gardening, fishing, and much more.  He served in the Navy and the Marines.

Here's a photo of them at their 70th wedding anniversary celebration.  Grandma wanted so badly to make it to their 75th in September.  But, 74 is an incredible accomplishment and very rare. 

He fought as long as he possibly could but the last week was tough.  He was taken home from the hospital last Friday and put on hospice care.  They hired a 24 hour nurse to care for him.  That was wonderful!  He had many visitors in his last days....an example of what a great guy he was.

He had rough night on Monday and was scared and agitated.  Grandma climbed into his hospital bed that was in their living room and calmed him.  She stayed with him the entire night. Early yesterday morning, the nurse saw a sign that he was about to pass and woke grandma and her two daughters (my mother-in-law and my husband's aunt) who were staying with her.  They were by his side in his final moments.  I got there shortly after and more family had arrived.  Grandma sat for a couple of hours holding his hand.  It was so hard for her to let him go.  It's so sad to see how heartbroken grandma is but so beautiful to see how much they loved one another and how close they were.

We'll miss grandpa very much and will continue to cherish every moment we have with grandma.  She'll need extra doses of love, hugs, and support in the days ahead.  But, that won't be hard to do as she is one of the sweetest people you could ever meet!  

Thank You!

I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my last post.  Especially to all those who took the time to leave such thoughtful, caring, and supportive comments!  You've helped me so much!  I've learned a lot and found out that many of us are going through or have gone through very similar situations.  I feel like I'm in a totally different place mentally and emotionally because of all of you!

I really struggled with whether or not to post last week about what I was dealing with.  I had no idea if anybody would be interested or or if I'd even hear from anyone.  It turns out that I didn't need to worry.  In fact, the response was amazing!  I'm stunned by how many people I've heard from and at how long and thoughtful the comments are.  I not only received comments on my blog and my Facebook post but I also through private messages on Facebook, emails, texts, phone calls, and people at my stitch group gathering who talked with me about it.  I've learned a lot and I feel more connected and supported more than ever before.  It's incredible!

It really lifted me up to have so many people tell me that they saw me as a positive, caring, and good person.  And, that they were surprised at what I'd been through as a child.  Hearing that others look at me in such a positive light helps to melt away some of that pain and slow down all those memories that tend to replay over and over in my head.  Thank you...thank you...thank you!

One thing I love the most about what's come from posting about my situation is how others are now feeling like they're not alone.  And, how many of us are now supporting one another through this chapter of our lives.  It really is surprising how many people had similar situations growing up and at how many are going through similar things to what I am now.  It's so much better going through these things together!  We will get through this!

One of the comments that touched me the most was a message on Facebook.  Her mother was unkind when this person was growing up and her mom only continues to get worse.  My post moved her to tears and she thanked me for putting into words what she'd felt her whole life.  Wow!  That's powerful!  I had no idea that my post could have done that but I'm so grateful that it did.

Again, thank you all so much for your love and support!  It means more than words can say!

Reaching Out

I've struggled with whether or not to post about this.  I've thought about it many times in the wee hours of the night when I can't sleep.  I've been encouraged by some sweet blog friends to post about it.   And, I've decided to go for it.  There are probably a lot of people out there struggling with similar situations.  Maybe, together, we can help each other out...even if it's just to know we're not alone.

I'm going to try to simplify as much as I can.  Bear with me as I struggle to figure out how to put this all into words that make sense.  It's hard to even figure out where to start.  Here it goes...

I guess I'll start with saying how my mom has never seemed to like me.  Throughout my entire life she's told me what 'she' thought was wrong with me.  That includes a lot of things that have never been true.  She's always been a negative person who looks for bad stuff.  Even good things in life can somehow appear to be bad things to her.  If she can't find a negative, she dreams it up.  I guess that's how it works.  I've never been able to understand.  

Thankfully, I've always seen that as a way NOT to be and it has caused me to strive to see the good in life, people, and situations.  She taught me a lot of things but I don't think she intended to teach me this.  It's turned out to be the biggest lesson, the biggest gift, and the biggest impact on my life.  And, even though I'll never have a mom that's proud of me (one of the things kids want most in life...to make their parents proud), I'm going to be ok...more than ok.

Lately, my mom's negativity towards me seems to be magnified.  Really magnified!  All she talks about is what a horrible person I am.  She's making up stories about how she thinks I'm stealing money from her, that I'm an alcoholic, that I'm trying to ruin her life, that I was a terrible child, etc., etc.  None of it is true!

Her mind is changing.  And, it's not in a good way.  We think there's something like dementia going on.  But, we're not sure.  My brother, our dad, and I took her to the doctor.  She failed one of the tests and was referred to gerontology and for further tests.  We lovingly explained that we care about her and that's why we brought it up and want her to be checked to see what's going on and what can be done.  After all, we'd want someone to love us enough to do the same thing.

I understand that it must be SO hard for her.  I want to be there for her.  To talk with her and love her and hug her and walk by her side as she deals with it.  But, she's become angry.  Very angry!  She got in the car a couple weeks ago to try to run away from the whole situation.  I guess that's what she was doing.  No one really knows where she was headed.  I like my mother-in-law's theory that my mom was trying to go back to how things used to be.  I know that's not a place but it makes perfect sense.  But, she was angry and yelling and we already know she's become an unsafe driver (I've seen her run a red light, weave in and out of her lane, cut people off, change lanes without looking and cause someone to swerve....I've filed a driver safety form with the department of motor vehicles for her to be tested).  So, we were scared!  I asked my brother-in-law who's a sheriff what to do when that was happening and he told me to call 911 and file a "Silver Alert".  I did.  Luckily, she got home safely.  

My brother and his family were heading over to visit as that was all happening.  But, she locked the doors and told my brother to "GO AWAY!".  After a while, she came out with her car keys and wanted to leave again.  My brother wasn't about to let her drive in that condition.  It wouldn't be safe!  She could hurt or kill herself or another person!  The situation became intense.  My dad was crying and my brother was having chest pains from the stress of it all.  Eventually my sister-in-law got her calmed down.  My brother later took mom's car key and told my dad.  He seemed supportive.  I'm sure that angered her when she found out.  But, it was the right thing to do.

Since then, we've become terrified of going over to our parent's house and the chance of that happening again.  So, we all go over there together.  But, sadly, even that backfires!  We had a nice visit the next weekend.  My dad enjoyed it very much and we enjoyed seeing him and my mom and that our time together went smoothly.  But....she's complained ever since.  She says that I "smiled and acted like nothing was wrong".  What did she want me to do?!  Bring it all up and provide the opportunity for her to escalate the situation again? NO WAY!  That won't help anyone or anything!  The conversation would have just gone in circles and upset everyone.  

My brother and I talk a lot these days.  Sometimes daily.  It's SO hard knowing what to do.  But, for right now, we're figuring that she is going through an anger and denial stage and that we're only going over there together....with my brother's sweet sons.  Because, in front of them, she's less likely to cause a scene.  We're hoping that in time she'll calm down and welcome our love and support

My poor dad.  He calls me when she's not around and tells me how hard this is for him and that he doesn't know how much longer he can stand it.  She's been repeating the same false and negative stories over and over and over.  She's so angry!  And, sometimes she cries.  If only she'd allow us to love her through it!  We've decided that all we can do right now is take it all a day at a time and deal with each thing as it comes up.

We're not sure what's wrong because she's refusing to go to the doctor.  Although, we have another appointment scheduled....fingers crossed we can get her there.  I've heard that a person with dementia can get mean, make up stories, and even pick one person that they take their frustration out on.  I seem the one that gets that role.  And, even though I've been told that she really does love me and that it's "mental illness" that's causing her to do and say these things, it's really hard.  I'm having to work very hard at finding ways to try to let it go and relieve my stress.  I'm so lucky to have such a supportive husband, daughter, brother, cousin, family, and friends!

Have you or do you know someone who's gone through something like this?  I'd appreciate hearing from you and hearing your stories about how you've dealt with it or are dealing with it.  I knew that the day would come that I'd need to help my aging parents but I never imagined something like this!

Bargain Bonanza

I'm so excited about all the bargains I've found lately!  I'm a budget shopper that's very tight with my money.  That makes shopping a bigger job than it already is.  But, it also makes it like a treasure hunt.  When I find a bargain on something I need or want it's like a win!  I've had a lot of wins lately.  So much so that I just have to tell about my finds!

My most recent one was today at Michael's.  I went into the store to look for a picture frame but also wandered through all the sale and clearance areas I could find.  It's a good thing I did!  I found four skeins of a kind of yarn I like and in a color I love.  They're all the same dye lot.  And, they were marked down from $4.99 to $1.99.  I have no idea why these four were marked down because they still have this same exact yarn and color in the yarn area at full price.  I'm not going to say anything!  I'm just happy to find it.  I wanted this yarn, in this color, for a project I've been thinking of.   Woot!  Score!

You may have already read about my new red shoes on a recent blog post.  I got Keen brand shoes that are normally close to $100 for just $24.99  I've also scored on clothes lately...something I have a hard time finding no matter what the price.  I found a super cute long dress at Kohl's for just $13 that originally was $80!  I've found some great tops at TJ Maxx that the MSRP was about $50 but I only paid $9.99 and $16.99.  I got a great pair of exercise pants/tights that were $78 for just $16.99 there too.  Then, last week at Sport Chalet there was a sale that reduced clearance items an additional 70%!  My daughter and I searched through everything and we both scored!  I found a Prana dress that I'd looked at about a month ago but wasn't about to pay $65 for (marked down from $80).  Last week I got it for $17!  I'm so excited!  I've been searching for a dress like it to wear with my tall black boots and tights.  Now, we just need some colder weather!  Although, I'm not complaining about the high 70's and low 80's we're experiencing this week.  It is quite nice!  Ok...back to the deals...  My daughter got a great pair of red skinny jeans at Sport Chalet that were normally $60 for just $9!  Then, I took hubby back and he got a Pearl Izumi wind breaker that he'd actually been looking at for months online and elsewhere.  It's a jacket and vest in one and will work great for bike riding, hiking, etc.  It was originally $120 but he got it for $32!  Oh....and, we went to the Five Ten outlet to find climbing shoes and not only did my husband find a great deal on those....$100 shoes marked down to $30....but he also found a great pair of casual shoes marked down from about $70 to $32!

I can't believe all the deals we've found in the past month or so!  Happy dance!

Oh...and one more.  This is little but fun!  On one of my recent trips through TJ Maxx I found this cute little sign for just $4.99.  I love it!  I later found the same sign at another store for $10.

Oh...I just remembered a couple more deals.  I got some coupons last month for my birthday.  One was $10 to use at Kohl's.  I couldn't find anything except some cute kitchen towels.  So, I left the store and planned to go back another day to look.  Well, when I did, the towels I'd found were on a sale of buy one set and get another for $1.  So, I got four great little towels for just $5 (after the coupon).  I got a $15 coupon for Loft.  I had a hard time finding anything I really wanted but in the end found two cute knitted skirts on the clearance rack (one for me and one for my daughter) and a set of hair accessories for my daughter and only spent about $1.  Woot!

I normally hate shopping because I have such a hard time finding what I'm looking for and the prices I want to pay.  I would love it if I could find deals like this more often.  But, then again, my bank account might not be so happy.  ;-)

Memories at the Station

I was driving through San Bernardino, California a couple of weeks ago and saw the old train station.  I have history and memories there and couldn't resist stopping by for a visit.  I was so happy to see that it's being preserved and is even more beautiful than I remembered.  My memories there aren't just from a few travels in my past.  You see, my dad worked for Santa Fe Railroad when I was a small child.  That not only provided us free or discounted (I'm not sure which) travel when he worked for them but we also lived on a train for while.  How cool is that?!

When I was about three years old, Santa Fe sent my dad to do some work in Needles, California.  It's in the middle of the desert, on the border of California of Arizona.  They provided a place for us to stay...a train car that had been outfitted like a little home and it was on the tracks.  As crazy as it sounds, I actually have memories of it.  I was recently talking with my dad about it and found out that he was stationed out there for about six months and it was during the hot part of year.  So, my mom sometimes drove back with me to their little home in Colton, California where it was cooler.

I remember lots of train trips with my parents and brother to go see my grandparents in Missouri.  Sometimes it was just my mom, brother, and I.  I have some pictures in my mind from the train.  My favorite memories from those trips are of a hat box my mom packed some fun little activities in to keep me busy.  Later, when I was a bit older, I remember having a little suitcase that she'd packed things in.  I wasn't allowed to open it until the trip.  I was so excited though that my mom gave in and let me open it at the train station as we waited for the train.  What she packed kept me busy for hours and hours....paper, little scissors, stickers, a coloring book and crayons, silly putty, and I think there was even a little doll.  There may have been more things in there but that's all I remember.  It's one of my best childhood memories.  What a great idea it was too!  I ended up doing something similar with my daughter on some long trips.  I bought some fun little activities and craft supplies and pulled them out as needed.  Some were even wrapped like little gifts.  She loved it and so did I.

I was flooded with emotion as we walked up to the train station a couple of weeks ago.  So many memories and thinking about being young and my parents being young and what different times those were.

In my memory, these benches inside ran the other direction.  But, I think they're movable.  So, it's quite possible they've been moved.  Back then, this was a bustling place, filled with people waiting to travel or waiting for loved ones to arrive.  There was even a restaurant at the station.

We went into the restroom and this big, bright, beautiful room was just inside the doors.  The window even had old, bubbly glass in it.  The actual restroom was small and through another door.  I wonder if this room used to have benches in it?

Inside the main part of the train station, and tucked over in a corner, is an old shoe shine stand.

As we stepped outside, I could no longer hold back that flood of emotion and the tears began to flow.  In fact, I'm having trouble holding it back now.  I think it's a combination of sadness about my parents being old now instead of young and of the memories here being some of the good ones from my childhood.  It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me but the emotions are strong.

This is the back of the station that faces the railroad tracks.

I stood out there for a while and waited for a train to come along.  I remember the rumble of them going by when I was small.  It was thrilling and scary all at the same time.

This station is now used for commuting into Los Angeles and other Southern California areas.  Travelers don't even need to go into the station anymore.  Tickets are bought from a little electronic box out by the tracks.  If someone wants to travel far distances, I think they have to go into Union Station in L.A. to catch a different train.

An Awesome Year!

This last year was one of the best years of my life!  It was filled with so many blessings, adventures and fun!  It's one of those years that we'll always say...."2014...what a great year!"  We should get some 2014 wine and store it away just because of that!

Here are some of the highlights...

My husband's grandfather surprised us all at the beginning of the year when he pulled through a seriously scary stay at the hospital.  We didn't think he'd make it.  He'll be 95 this month!

My daughter and I organized a Marine care package project.  The response was amazing and inspiring!  And, it was a lot of fun!  Click HERE if you'd like to read more about that.

My daughter performed her junior recital at her college in February.  She did a wonderful job and was extra beautiful that day in her gorgeous gown and hairdo.  We're so proud!

In March, we headed to Zion during my daughter's spring break.  We had a great time, as always.  We're so in love with this part of the country!  There's so much beauty to see and adventure and fun to be had.  HERE's a link to posts about that trip.  This is a picture from the top of Observation Point.

In June, my daughter and I headed out on a three week road trip to 10 different states.  We had SO much fun and made memories to last a lifetime.  HERE's a link to blog posts about our adventure (they go from the end and scroll down to through the earlier parts of the trip to the beginning).

We got back in early July from our trip and the rest of the summer went by super fast.  That's probably because we filled it with lots more fun and together time.  This is a picture of a toast at a special dinner in the mountains just before our daughter headed back to college for her senior year.

In September, hubby and I headed out with our RV for a two week adventure in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.  It was an early celebration for our upcoming 25th anniversary.  We visited Grand Canyon's North Rim, Capitol Reef National Park, Escalante (Utah), Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim and Sedona, Arizona.  The weather was perfect, the scenery spectacular, and the wildflowers were blooming like crazy!

This is a picture I took as we traveled 26 bumpy miles on "Hole in the Rock Road" to explore slot canyons.  We saw hundreds of miles of yellow flowers during the two weeks of that trip.

All those bumpy miles were worth it.  The slot canyons were amazing!

Grand Canyon and the glorious scenery and sunsets were the perfect way to end the trip.  HERE's a link to posts from that trip...going back from the end to the beginning.

I had another endometrial biopsy this Fall and found out that the endometrial hyperplasia is gone!  Woot!  What a huge relief!  And, I went for a mammogram and that was good too!  Yay!

In November, hubby was given tickets for box seats to a Laker's basketball game in LA.  We made a date of it and went early to explore downtown LA a bit and have dinner before the game.  Across from Staples Center is a place called "LA Live".  There were Laker cheerleaders there, sports radio was broadcasting live, music, and lots of other things in the center of restaurants, bars, and more.  This guy had the fun job of watching bubbles come up through a stencil with the numbers of the radio station and slicing them off to float away.  The bubbles were filled with helium.  It was fascinating!  We had so much fun that night...even though the Lakers lost.

December 9th was our 25th wedding Anniversary!  Happier together than ever and looking forward to 25 and 25 and 25 more...at least!

A few weeks before Christmas, we went to see our daughter perform in her university Wassail.  It was amazing, she did a spectacular job and we got to see it all on TV on Christmas Eve.

I did better at not being such a Scrooge this Christmas.  In fact, I can actually say that I enjoyed Christmas a little more this year.  We did things a bit differently and that was nice.  On Christmas afternoon, my parents and my brother and his wife and boys came over for dinner, fun, and gifts.  We always love seeing them all!  I made it a little extra fun for the boys with some games and prizes.  I'd think of something in our house that might be a little challenging to find and the first one to find it would get a prize.  We did that a bunch of times throughout the afternoon.   They loved it and so did I.  It was also a great trick to keep them entertained.  lol  What a bunch of cuties!

And, now, it's a new year!  I'm amazed at how fast this year seems to have flown!  But, my!...what an amazing year it was!  I hope 2015 can be just as awesome!

All of you who follow my blog and take the time to leave comments were a special part of my year too.  Every time I hear from one of you, it brightens my day.  Thank you!  I always try to write back to your comments.  If you never hear from me, it means your comment doesn't have an email address, just a "no-reply" on it.  But, know that I appreciate your comments too!

Wishing you all a wonderful, healthy, happy, blessed 2015!