The Glass Dragonfly » Life

Back to School Shopping

Kelly — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:03:14 +0000

Starr and I went back-to-school shopping last night. I know that she asks me to join her, just so that she isn’t bored by her self. I know my place! : -) I also know that it’s part of the routine…”mom and I do our back-to-school shopping together!” I like that.

There is always an feeling of excitement in the air when you shop for back-to-school supplies. The new folders, notebooks, paper and pencils represent change, hope and new experiences.

I realized that this might just be my last school shopping trip with her as she is preparing to enter her fourth year of college. I also realized that we have gone through this routine so many times!! I will miss it!

Shopping for college and sorority activities is a little different than when she was younger, there will be no new backpack or lunch box, but we still had fun cruising the office supplies. For some reason, we both have a little love thing for office/school supplies…we can’t explain it!!

The fact that some things are so darn cute doesn’t help!

Dear Zachary

Kelly — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:41:11 +0000

Starr and I watched this documentary last night. Wow. I’m still emotional this morning.

Dear Zachary: a letter to a son about his father

I recommend it.

Rushing

Kelly — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:48:40 +0000

All of a sudden my house is a disaster. And it’s stressing me out.

Starr and I moved the last of her furniture home from her apartment yesterday. She hasn’t lived there since last December, but left the living room furniture so that her roommate and the girl who sub-let Starr’s bedroom would have a place to sit. We had to hire a mover because…stairs…lifting…truck…more stairs. Spending way more than the furniture is worth, but knowing that replacing these items wouldn’t be cheap either. What to do? Anyway, it’s done.

I found out this morning that our hair stylist/colorist is moving to California. Sarah has been our stylist for six years, Starr was her very first official client and she has always done a wonderful job with Starr’s difficult and unique hair. Over the years we tried so many stylists who just didn’t get it, we felt so blessed to have found Sarah. I knew deep down that we couldn’t keep Sarah forever, but I’d hoped. I am seriously bummed!!!

Starr, Sookie and friends are headed to Estes Park for the weekend. They are planning to have tons of fun! Knowing them, I am sure that they will do just that! Sookie’s family owns a cabin in the area, so the kids have gone up for a weekend in the summer for a few years now. This year one of their plans is to go on the ghost tour at the Stanley Hotel. Fun!

My plan is to clean and pick up the house so that it is no longer stressing me out and enjoy the peace and quiet relaxing here at home. A good book. A glass of wine or two. Maybe a home pedicure? In order to achieve my goal of a relaxing weekend, I need to get busy!!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Finally Finished

Kelly — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:26:59 +0000

In addition to the Vera Bradley Wristlet that Starr wanted for her birthday, I decided that I wanted to make her a Zentangle of her name, similar to the one I made for her sister, my mom and my nephew. I kind of enjoy making them, though if I continue to make them, I will need to get new glasses so that I can really see what I am doing!! Blurry vision just wont cut it!

It’s 6 or 7 weeks past her birthday, but I finally finished it. At least it wasn’t a year like another project I made for her!! Oops, I don’t see a post of that finished project. I will have to remedy that!

Why is it…

Kelly — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:40:34 +0000

…that there always seem to be more dishes that need to be washed than I remember using? This goes for laundry too!

…that honesty is so difficult for some people?

…that I tend to trust even when I know (from personal experience) that I’m dealing with a liar?

…that I am still craving cheeseburgers?

…that things keep breaking and I seem to be always trying to catch up? The latest: stupid refrigerator!!

…that this video makes me smile and very nearly erases all of my previous whines? I did love Star Trek as a kid!

Star Trek: Tik Tok

Beauty, Life, Compassion and Affection

Kelly — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:01:33 +0000

These three quotes caught my attention this weekend and I wanted to pass them along:

To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control, that can lead you to be shattered in very extreme circumstances for which you were not to blame. That says something very important about the condition of the ethical life: that it is based on a trust in the uncertain and on a willingness to be exposed; it’s based on being more like a plant than like a jewel, something rather fragile, but whose very particular beauty is inseparable from that fragility.

- Martha Nussbaum

Sound when stretched is music, Movement when stretched is dance, Mind when stretched is meditation…Life when stretched is celebration.

~Ravi Shankar~ Thank you Martha for this one. I love it.

From one viewpoint, religion can be seen as sort of a luxury. If you have religion, that’s good, but even without it you can manage and survive – but we can’t survive without human affection. While anger and hatred, like compassion and love, are part of our mind, I still believe the dominant forces are compassion and affection. Therefore, usually I refer to these human qualities as spirituality.

-Dalai Lama

You Deserve it Monkey

Kelly — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:11:50 +0000

On the Internet, Haley wrote “hayley mustafa writes, why do you look so much like my dad?”

These are all over the place this week…and I love most of them! This one is super cute!

Hope you have a great weekend!

For Pete’s Sake

Kelly — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:13:56 +0000

For the past two weeks or so, my exclamation of non-choice has been “For Pete’s Sake”. I don’t want to say it, I don’t like it, but out it comes!

For the first week I just said it in my head, but it was already starting to bother me when it started coming out vocally. “Oh, for Pete’s Sake!” Eyeroll!!

I may have even snuck in a “for the love of Pete” here and there. Ugh!

Luckliy I say it at appropriate times, in frustration, annoyance or dismay, not (yet) say in greeting!

Microfiber Cloths and Homemade Cleaners

Kelly — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:47:18 +0000

I mentioned the dirty rag bin that Sammy was napping in yesterday. I thought that I might elaborate a bit:

Microfiber cloths are one of my favorite things. I bought a pack of about 25 for less than $10 in the automotive department at Sam’s Club.

I wanted to try them, I wanted to like them. I didn’t expect to love them. I love them. I use them dry or damp, depending on the job I am attacking. I love the streak-free finish on windows and glass.

It is important to wash them in a load of microfiber cloths alone. If you wash them with other clothing or towels, particles and fibers from those items will cling to the microfiber and make them less effective. Also, don’t use fabric softener as the oils will attach to the fibers of the cloths taking away some of their awesomeness. I designated a bucket for clean cloths and one for dirty ones, once the dirty pile is large enough to make a decent load for the washer, I do a load. Simple as that.

With these microfiber cloths, I also use my homemade non-toxic cleaners:

All Purpose Cleaning Spray

32 oz water in a clean spray bottle

2 T natural dish soap, I used Mrs. Meyers Lemon Verbena

20 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract (which can be found in vitamin and supplement section of your local health food store) to disinfect

Optional: add 5-10 drops of essential oil for fragrance. I found that the Mrs. Meyers was fragrant enough, I don’t need to add any additional fragrance.

Give the bottle a shake and you are ready to roll!

Window Cleaner

1/2 t natural liquid detergent, I use Mrs. Meyers again

3 t white vinegar

2 c water

Mix in spray bottle and use! I really like it.

I like the way they work and they are inexpensive to make. I found the spray bottles at Sam’s Club too.

Monday Monday Sammy Sammy

Kelly — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:28:35 +0000

Sammy is always finding a new place to nap. This weekend I found him in my dirty cleaning rag bin. He looks cozy and cute, but ick!! I might have to find a lid for this box and use it! I guess that I need to cover the clean rag bin too…cleaning with cat hair coated rags seems counterproductive!

The other day I heard Sammy crying for help. I was having trouble locating him, but finally narrowed it down to the laundry room. I thought maybe he had jumped behind the washing machine and started pulling out the little cart that lives between the machines so that he could walk out. He wasn’t there. Looking up, I found him distressed and DUSTY!!! on top of the cabinets. Silly. You can’t see the dust in this picture, but apparently I have never dusted up there because the dust bunnies were enormous!!

Yes, we painted the laundry room red several years ago, but never finished!! Someday.