Jump Rope Rhymes

Well today is the letter J. My daughter Jen reminded me that her name starts with a J...and she also told me that her first graders would remind me not to use "F" words:)

Sorry, Jen, for my "F" words and also will have to do a post on another day for Jen. As I understand the challenge these are supposed to be random things about me and so I will stick with just that...

J has been hard for me, so I googled "J" words and got a lot of them including joyful, jowl and JPEG! In fact, the more I looked the more I realized that there are a lot of things that start with J that I am not particularly fond of...jello, jerky, jogging to name a few. Then I remembered something from my childhood that I loved...jump rope!

I would spend hours after school and at recess jumping rope with my girlfriends. I knew so many jump rope rhymes like "Policeman, policeman, do your duty. Along comes (insert name) the American beauty...."; Down in the valley where the green grass grows..."; "Fortune-teller, fortune-teller, please tell me, what will the name of my husband be? A, B, C..."; "I took a trip around the world, and this is where I went..."; and my all time favorite, "Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor lawyer, merchant, chief..." In fact, I think this one was a variation of the Fortune-teller one.

Can anyone tell me if any of these rhymes are still used? Also would love to have you share some you might remember;)

I think I may run out and buy a jump rope...

My "F" Words

In case you are wondering...the above photo is a baby picture of me...


My sister reminded me yesterday that I still have not written something for "F"...she suggested "fabulous" or "fruits of my labor". These are both great suggestions...thanks, Sis!

Actually when I think of FABULOUS...many things come to mind. Things such as my religion and my Savior, my kids, grand kids and family, Arizona sunshine, great friends, Mexican food (thanks to all the wonderful Hispanics who live here, and yes, like my state, I am an advocate of legal immigration;), Charming Charlies (my favorite accessories store), spending time at the ocean/Hawaii (they just seem to go together), swimming pool, dark chocolate, morning walks, lunch out with girlfriends, the smell of a new baby, good books, hiking in the mountains...wow, the list could just go on and on!

FRUITS OF MY LABOR, now this one is much more challenging. I have had 66 years to work on these so they should be really good, right? Actually, I would describe myself as a slow starter, thinking back on all the "sidetracks" I took along the way. But thanks to a wonderful Savior, who doesn't give up on us and who loves and understands me better than I understand myself, I managed to get back on the path. Without a doubt, the best "fruits" are byproducts of my 48 year marriage to a sweet husband;-) Namely, my kids, grand kids and great grands. My many wonderful friendships that have developed over the years...you know who you are:), the "me" I have come to know and accept (including my many flaws), and probably my work, more like a passion in interior design.

Well, that's enough introspection for today...I'm getting a headache!!! Tomorrow is "J";-)

I for Imagination

On my morning walk, I was thinking how wonderful our imagination is. With it, we can tap into our memories and travel back in time or visualize new places we may want to visit. We can create new things and see the world in a much better light.

In graphology there is a thing that our subconscious does when we write certain words or phrases that shows up as "traveling"...meaning we actually allow our thoughts to leave our present situation. In other words our imagination seems to take over and, believe it or not, it shows up in our handwriting. It think that is amazing. Our body and mind stores up so much more than we realize and "communicates" things to us in so many ways. We have only tapped the surface of its wonder.

Anyway, I am so thankful for my imagination and to think I work in a profession where I actually get paid to use it;-) No wonder I am so passionate about my work!

Happy traveling...

H is for HOA

This one was a no-brain-er for me after this morning's walk! The flowers and trees are getting their summer colors and it was amazing. I actually took my usual morning walk, got home and went out again for one more walk with my camera so I could always remember how blessed I am to live in such a beautiful place. I also hoped you might enjoy seeing the pictures as well.

One really interesting thing...while I was out for over an hour doing this, (other than the gardeners) I only passed one other person! I felt as though I had my own private Garden of Eden;-)

I know we all have our "moments" with HOAs, especially when it comes time to pay the bill or trying to get approvals on things, but watching the workmen out there this morning mowing and trimming and digging...I was really thankful that I did not have to worry about all that and just enjoy the results it brings;-) Kudos to our HOA...at least that is how I am feeling about them today!

And, for all my friends and kids who live "far, far, away" as my grandson Caide puts it...how about coming down for a visit to enjoy some of this with me???

Graphology

I'm skipping F for now and jumping over to G for Graphology...after all it is my blog so I make the rules...

In a nutshell it means personality profiling through handwriting analysis. I met my first graphologist this weekend and I am hooked! It is so fascinating to learn what is hidden in the way you cross your "t"s, slant your letters, shape your "s"s etc., etc... I was also privileged to sit in on a session with some other family members. Very revealing;-)

I think I have found a new profession! Anybody want to show me their handwriting???

A Different Kind of Mother's Day

Wow...what a fun "packed" Mother's Day! It was so fun to have friends come visit from Utah and they in turn invited some of their friends from Mesa to join us...we had a houseful! Anyway, the day flew by much too quickly and the highlight was all the phone calls, texts, cards, gifts and skyping with my kids;-) Thanks to all who made it so special!

The Letter E

Well, it has been a long day and I want to get off to dreamland so this one will be short...

Escape...this random fact about me probably won't be much of a surprise to many, but my idea of escaping when I need to just have some "me" time is a good old Doris Day movie coupled with some good creamy Dove type dark chocolate. Now that is a perfect afternoon away from it all! Yes, indeed;-)