To just enjoy a book or two

Posted on July 17, 2020 by emjayandthem

“Today I’d like to sit and read.

Forget I have a job I need.

Ignore the things I have to do.

And just enjoy a book or two.”

I read.

I read a lot.

I read quickly.

I read often.

I read.

I read outside in the sun.

I read at night when my work is done.

I read to enjoy, to escape and relate.

I read at night, usually too late.

I read.

* I’ve not counted how many books I’ve read this year, but it’s safe to say my “Quarantine” pile is tall enough to topple over. I’d guess between 50-60. My favorite this year has been “The Authenticity Project” by Clare Pooley.

Are you a reader? 🙂

Accurate!

Categories: Attitude, Determination, Fun, Growth, Home, Humor, Joy, Life, Personal, Products I love, Thoughts, Uncategorized, Women, Work | Tags: Books, buy books, Clare Pooley, enjoy a book or two, hobbies, pleasure, read a real book, Reading, research books, review books, sit and read, smell books, spare time, summer reading, The Authenticity Project | 7 Comments

Random 5 Friday ~ Classic Rock, Thieves, and B.S.

Posted on July 10, 2020 by emjayandthem

It’s Friday and time for some Randoms from my world. Here we go:

1 ) Opportunity knocks

Today a neighbor stopped by to tell us they were robbed. He admitted to leaving their garage open all night, by mistake. Pandemic or not, when an opportunity is there some have no problem helping themselves to what’s yours. Hubbs shared he is a night owl and regularly outside “at watch” late at night…. and he’s scared off a few shady characters in the process. That deep voice of his cutting through the dark probably landed them in therapy. #notsorry #thievessuck

2 ) Use it or lose it

Took two last-minute vacation days, spent both at/ in Lake Michigan. I work too hard to forfeit vacation days and have many left to use before year-end. Even if I go no farther than the yard, I’m using them ALL. #nomartyrshere

On the shores of Lake Michigan ~ and Emjayandthem(C) photo

3 ) Cry baby, cry

Temps have been in the 90’s with high humidity – I’ve continued my daily walks, getting up & out before the heat. Sweat pours off me, cool showers are delicious and satisfying. I sleep well, move easily and feel calmer.

That + intermittent fasting = 19 lbs & 33 inches lost. #crybabycry

4 ) Classic Rock is classic for a reason

When I cook I love to listen to music, typically classic rock, R&B, old country, and some Gospel for good measure. No offense to Miss Swift, but I’m with Stevie all the way. #mykidspreferourmusic

5 ) Needed B.S.

There are no shortage of pundits & opinions clamoring for attention. To quote my Mom, “it has an off button.” I shut the “news” off, tune out the noise, and snuggle back into my book. Nope, the only B.S. I need is a beach & some sunshine. #30minutestothis

Along the shores of Lake Michigan ~ and Emjayandthem(C) photo

So … how was your week?

Categories: Attitude, Blogging, Home, Joy, Life, Mom, News, Opinion, Random observations, Work | Tags: beach and sunshine, beach day, Classic Rock, home security, Lake Michigan, lock your doors, no martyrs here, opportunity, robbery, Stevie Nicks, summer days, sunshine, sweat is fat crying, thieves, use it or lose it, vacation | 13 Comments

On being a citizen

Posted on July 3, 2020 by emjayandthem

* Originally posted July 3, 2013.

What does being a citizen mean to you? Really mean?

Does it mean you can vote? Does it mean you belong?

What does it mean?

To me, it means a defining moment in my life.

It represents the moment I stepped away from what my family might think and into what I thought.

To me, it means the opportunity to have a voice.

To have a say.

To count.

Sure I’d had responsibilities all along (taxes). But I’d never had a voice to go with it. (the ability to vote)

Yes, as a Canadian, I had those rights already. But as a Canadian woman living in the United States with her husband and sons, I always had an underlying feeling of being in limbo. Of belonging to one place but living in another. Of feeling .. disconnected.

But not anymore.

Why?

Because I’m a new citizen; Five years ago, I stepped up with 78 others (from 34 different countries) to take the Oath of Citizenship. It was one of the proudest and most emotional moments of my life. (more about my journey here.)

The thing is … I could be a citizen for 40 years and I’ll still choose to say that I’m a “new” citizen. Why? Because I don’t know how else to communicate the significance of it all to me.

God Bless America, Land that I love

Stand beside her, and guide her

Thru the night with a light from above

From the mountains..to the prairies

To the oceans..White with foam

God Bless America!

My Home Sweet Home

Happy birthday, America …. from this grateful citizen.

**This is my 12th Independence Day as a new citizen. I’ll celebrate the holiday with flair, independently, of course!

Categories: Attitude, Faith, Gratitude, Growth, Home, Joy, Life, News, Opinion, Patriotic, Personal, Thoughts, Vote | Tags: America, American, celebrations, holiday, Independence Day, journey, Let Freedom Ring, new citizen, Patriot, U.S. Citizen, what does it mean to be a citizen | 10 Comments

Random 5 ~ Summer & that is all

Posted on June 27, 2020 by emjayandthem

It’s summer in Michigan ~ we all know what that means … Spring’s sweaty sister is here for a visit. Could be long, could be short but move over, ’cause she’s sharing your space! Here are Five Random thoughts for today ~ ~

1 ) Watermelon, Cherries, Blueberries and Strawberries in season. That is all.

2 ) Humidity is regularly 80% … or more. Walks are taken before 7:00 a.m. Books are devoured outside or under the kiss of a summer fan. That is all.

3 ) Michigan is still locked in/down. Just keep living. That is all.

4 ) Speaking of lock-downs – there is a strong physical & emotional resemblance to Hubbs here. Add golf and me and it’d be bang-on. That is all.

5 ) This is just a little too true ~ and that is all!

So, what day is it, anyway? And how are you coping?

Categories: Attitude, Determination, Faith, Family, Food, Fun, Growth, Home, Life, Men, News, Opinion, Uncategorized | Tags: Books, Clint Eastwood, exercise, find your passion, finding yourself, fruit, great lakes state, humidity, lazy days of summer, lockdown, Michigan, pandemic, smile more, summer, summer reads, walking, what day is it | 15 Comments

A Sullivan State of Mind

Posted on June 11, 2020 by emjayandthem

We have grand-dog Sullivan (“Sully”) with us for a week. Actually I should say I do. I’m clearly his favorite, which annoys my tender-hearted dog-loving Hubbs. He doesn’t mean to but his large frame and big voice scare Sully. Meanwhile if I stop short he literally runs into my butt.

When you haven’t had a dog you in a while you tend to forget what it’s like. Here are some “life lessons” I’ve enjoyed revisiting brought to you from the 3 year old wonder dog:

Live in the moment – he has a harness thing that took me 15 tries to figure out – but I got it and we were off! His tail wagged the whole time I tried. 🙂

Appreciate everything: Walks are great & even better with a buddy. 90% of the time he goes full speed ahead. Unless he stops to sniff something. Another good reminder to pause, give thanks, and take in the day.

Mix things up – take an alternate route once in a while. He enjoyed the detour and I enjoyed the shade!

Get outside as often as possible. This was early evening, after storms had rolled through. So. Many. Sniffs!

Play every day. And then do it again as soon as possible.

Never underestimate the restorative powers of sleep. Photo after 2 walks, 8 games of “keep-a-way,” a million in & outs and 15+ yard sniffs.

We’ve enjoyed having him, we always do. I enjoy waking to a small furry face in mine; I laugh when he nudges me with a squeaky toy. I do what is asked, step away from the laptop and run around the yard a few times.

I’m off work the rest of the week but haven’t told Sully yet ~ I’ll just play with him and let it be his idea. 🙂

Life lessons worth repeating.

Categories: Animals, Attitude, Family, Fun, Growth, Joy, Life, Opinion, Uncategorized | Tags: compare, daily walk, dog, exercise, happy, happy things, life lessons from the dog, simple pleasure, sniffs, Sullivan, Sully, walks, what makes you happy | 13 Comments

Random 5 Friday – Life Lessons, Favorites and Dogs

Posted on June 5, 2020 by emjayandthem

It’s the first Friday in June – wow!

Memorial Day passed without the Holiday ~ no parades or BBQs, somber or otherwise. Lock-downs continue, with “social distancing,” face masks and the like. I’m in Michigan where businesses are just now beginning to re-open but haircuts are banned (you can’t make this up).

Here are 5 randoms from my world view ~

1 ) Daily walks – what started in winter has continued and daily walks have saved my sanity. I get away from the laptop to admire landscapes, pets and flowers while enjoying podcasts as I meander the neighborhood.

Lilacs in May

2 ) Lifelong learning ~ In addition to podcast learning and regular reading, another AHA lesson of late has been realizing AGAIN how much I love being home and how compatible Hubbs and I are. We have our little rhythm going; part of the day is spent together, part not, and we like and need both the connection and the time apart. I can’t imagine what this “stay at home” time would have been like had I been sheltered in place” with someone other than him. 🙂

3 ) Ch-ch-changes I feel my body changing, adapting to and craving daily exercise. My FitBit registers the “jump” in activity, from 5-6K/daily steps to 12-13K daily. On rainy days I use my rebounder inside. As a result, no “Quarantine 15” for me – actually, the reverse – I’ve lost lbs & inches, some due to exercise but most due to intermittent fasting, otherwise known as “time-restricted eating.” No longer noshing throughout the day, I drink black coffee/water in the morning, open my “eating window” when my body signals that it’s hungry, usually somewhere around 12:30 -2pm. Later, I enjoy dinner, listening for the “sigh” (your bodies’ signal it’s satiated) and stop, “closing” my eating window around 7-8pm. Since I give my body a daily break from constantly digesting, fasting is healing and restorative. Think of it as letting the cleaning lady in to do the heavy lifting for you – she clears the junk away ~ As a result my clothes are bigger, I’m smaller, and my eyes, skin & hair are brighter.

I feel ah-mazing! The best part? It’s. Free. 😀

4 ) Dogs & cats ~ 76 days in and I’ve yet to see one dog unhappy with the “stay home/stay safe” order. I see cats in sunny windows; everyone is adapting. Below is my pal, Chief, a favorite from my walking route:

5 ) In Summary ~ the first half of 2020 brought us Russia-Gate, impeachment attempts, COVID-19, Murder Hornets, Civil Unrest & Riots ~ this about sums it up:

So, how’re you doing?

Categories: Animals, Blogging, Determination, Faith, Family, fear, Gratitude, Growth, Home, Life, News, Opinion, Seasons, Self Discovery, Thoughts | Tags: 2020, changes, comfort, COVID-19, Delay don't deny, dogs, eating to satiety, exercise, favorite people, Fitbit, Gin Stephens, health-19, home, hubbs, inches lost, Intermittent Fasting, Intermittent Fasting Stories, intuitive eating, life lessons, lilacs, Michigan, murder hornets, podcasts, rebounder, Seven good minutes, shelter-in-place, Spring, stay home order, unrest, weight loss | 12 Comments

What Mom wants for Mother’s Day

Posted on May 10, 2020 by emjayandthem

Every year ( well, maybe not every year) my kids ask me the same question. After thinking about it, I decided I’d give them my real answer:

What do I want for Mother’s Day?🌹

:: I want you ::

I want you to keep coming around, I want you to bring your kids around, I want you to ask me questions, ask my advice, tell me your problems, ask for my opinion, ask for my help. I want you to come over and rant about your problems, rant about your life, whatever.

Tell me about your job, your worries, your kids, your fur babies. I want you to continue sharing your life with me as you do.

Come over and laugh with me, or laugh at me, I don’t care. Hearing you laugh is music to my ears. And laughing together is the best! 💖

I’ve spent the better part of my life raising you the best way I knew how. Now, give me time to sit back and admire my handiwork.

Raid my refrigerator, help yourself, I really don’t mind. Hungry? You know I’ll make you something good. In fact, I don’t want it any other way.

Spend your money making a better life for you and your family, I have what I need. I want to see you happy and healthy and loved. So when you ask me what I want for Mother’s Day and I say “nothing” it’s because you’ve already been giving me my gift all year.

I want you. 💖

If you’re a Mom who feels the same way, feel free to copy and paste… I did!

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, people sitting and child

an Emjayandthem (C) photo

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, child

an Emjayandthem (C) photo

and Happy Mother’s Day to my Mother in Heaven ~ She was the lead Kid-wrangler, barn helper, cake baker, costume sewer, 4-H leader, farm Treasurer, horse racing Secretary, shower & wedding organizer, party planner, master gardener, chief cook & bottle operator, farmhand, piano teacher, chauffeur, dog trainer, baby chick nurturer, horse breeder, speech preparer, Sunday school teacher ..and more.

She was something else. In her kitten heels & red patent purse on date nights, or with curlers in her hair off to town to get groceries. She took no guff, imparted quips and wisdom daily ~ She was hilarious,intelligent, well read and loving.

Man, I miss her. Not sure how she did it all but she did – and with flair! my Mom!

that’s me on Mom’s knee; an Emjayandthem (C) photo

and one more:

said over her shoulder in the Oldsmobile!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there!

Categories: Attitude, Faith, Family, Food, Fun, Gratitude, Growth, Holidays, Love, Mom, music, News, Opinion, Wisdom, Women | Tags: children, kindness, Mother's Day, motherhood, Motherhood: All love begins and ends there. Robert Browning. The Look, patience, rest, sleep in, what a Mom wants | 9 Comments

Hello in there, hello

Posted on April 26, 2020 by emjayandthem

A few weeks back I heard the sad news that John Prine, legendary singer/songwriter, passed away.

I grew up singing to classic John Prine songs like this one, “Hello in There” – songs with lyrics that wrap themselves around you and deliver a punch line that still stings …

You know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers grow wilder every day
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there, hello”

He was in his early 20s when he wrote that, writing songs while delivering mail. I laugh at and love his humorous songs like “Please don’t bury me” or “In spite of ourselves” and feel his thoughtfulness in “That’s the way that the world goes ’round,” and “Illegal Smile.” Others that still pack a punch are “Sam Stone” and “Angel from Montgomery,” but the list is as long as my arm and then some. For more visit here.

I’ve moved so much, and gotten rid of a lot, but still have this ticket stub from the night a 17 year old girl experienced two musical geniuses in concert. After the show, the lot of us went out for snacks/drinks and there they were – John Prine and Steve Goodman, in the hotel bar. Couldn’t have been nicer or more down-to-earth … smiling as they signed my ticket stub.

If you haven’t added John Prine to your music library yet, make time to. And as for me, when I take my walk later today, I’ll be singing along to “Illegal Smile” and “That’s the way that the world goes ’round” while I hike up hills and say hello to neighbors, old and young.

Thank you, John.

Categories: Beauty, Faith, Family, Grief, Home | Tags: Angel from Montgomery, concerts, death of a legend, Illegal Smile, In Spite of ourselves, John Prine, memories, music, Paradise, Sam Stone, Steve Goodman, that's the way that the world goes round, things we keep | 5 Comments

Random 5 Friday ~ Bored & busy, dogs, rules and Grover

Posted on April 17, 2020 by emjayandthem

It’s Friday, here are my 5 randoms from “shelter in place” / COVID-19. Such a strange time we’re living in.

1 I’m grateful to be employed and my job is busier than ever, so many conference calls – 3, 6, 10 a day. Now, because we’re working remotely, we’ve transitioned to Web/Video calls. Maybe I’m just punchy from being home this long but there’s a small part of me that wants to train the webcam on my Grover puppet (had since I was 7), wonder if anyone would notice?

Bueller? Bueller?

2 Sometimes the calls I’ve been on are very interesting and sometimes they are calls to prepare for other calls. During the latter, I bundle up and take a walk. But other times, after a flurry of morning calls, I might have one or even no calls that afternoon. I walk anyways but instead tune into podcasts (free). One still resonates … the author talked about being “bored or busy.” In this pandemic, many find themselves on one side or the other and wish for the opposite. Busy? Man, wish I had time to be bored! Bored? Man, wish I had something to do! The point being that, regardless what we’re doing through this, NO ONE LIKES IT. Why? It wasn’t our choice. Ding! Ding! Ding! All we can do is do it.

Outta my way, peeps, I’ve got stuff to do!

3 Back to my walks, I’m dead serious when I say they are saving my life right now. Getting fresh air, sunshine or not, with my Toque, scarf, coat and mittens, has been life-saving. I wave to neighbors I’ve never seen before and smile at the dogs being walked. And I haven’t seen a sad dog yet! 🙂

Our Frankie-bear resting during a walk; an Emjayandthem (C) photo. Sure do miss him.

4 Hubbs and I are adapting – missing out on Easter with our kids & grands was hard, very hard. He’s cried a few times from the stress of it all. I’m a pretty strong individual but seeing my big-shouldered man cry makes me cry. On the flip side, we belly-laugh about the silliest things: songs we’ve made up, the 3,000 paper towels he has in reserve (but not so much TP), pictures the kids send us of our grand kids and grand dogs. Jokes back and forth. Going through this together, I’m grateful that the life we live is a life worth rushing back to.

5 Michigan’s Governor has enacted some of the most Draconian stay-at-home orders possible; folks are ticked, to put it mildly. Under the rules, you can buy Pot, but not seeds for a garden. You can buy Lotto Tickets and Liquor but not carpet or paint. If you own a Michigan cottage “up north” you can’t travel there, but if you live out of state and own a Michigan cottage “up north,” you can. Stupid. People are stressed and some have ratted others “out” for perceived “wrongs.” *Shudder*. Freedom isn’t free and what’s legal isn’t always what’s moral. And there are some in power who want this to drag on and on so as to create a nation of people dependent on the government. Not me! *Shudder*

PS Not a Libertarian

So … how are you holding up?

Categories: Attitude, Determination, Elections, Faith, Family, Growth, Home, Life, News, Opinion, Personal, Women, Work | Tags: busy or bored, can't buy paint or carpet, chicken, cottage up north, COVID-19, Democrats, dogs, Draconian, Easter, emotional, fresh air, Grover, happy dogs, jokes, legality vs morality, lotto tickets and liquor sales, missing our kids, new normal, podcasts, rush to return to normal, shelter-in-place, sunshine, walks, what's worth rushing back to, you can buy pot but not garden seeds | 10 Comments

He is not here

Posted on April 12, 2020 by emjayandthem

Good morning ~ The Church may be empty but so is the Tomb! He’s Alive! He’s Alive! He’s Alive and I’m forgiven Heaven’s gates are open wide, He’s alive!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I listen to this song every Easter morning and it makes me cry every single time. This year, being locked in at home, the opening words really got to me…

The gates and doors were barred

And all the windows fastened down

I spent the night in sleeplessness
And rose at every sound

Half in hope of sorrow
And half in fear the day

Would find the soldiers breakin’ through
To drag us all away

But then I heard the good news: He’s Alive!

He is not here!

Happy Easter

Categories: Attitude, Faith, Family, Forgiveness, Friendship, Gratitude, Holidays, Joy | Tags: Happy Easter, He is not here, He is Risen, He's Alive, it's not just about candy and bunnies, Matthew 28:1-10, Ressurection, what is the meaning of Easter | 6 Comments

12 Tiny Things You Can Do Right Now

Posted on April 2, 2020 by emjayandthem

Go outside, look all the way up and take 3 deep breaths
Open a window ~ let the spring air in
Find sunshine and sit/stand in it 🙂
Call a friend or family member just to check in
Drink a glass of water
Write a letter
Turn off the “news”
Offer to help someone – a meal, groceries, a roll of TP
Sing & dance to a favorite song
Push your shoulder blades back 3 x – feel the tension release?
Reach down and touch your toes, ahh!
Laugh

How are you doing in self-isolation?

#12tinythings

**This is my 1000th post, who knew?

Categories: Attitude, Confidence at any age, Determination, Faith, Fun, Growth, Home, News, Opinion, Personal, Self Discovery, Uncategorized | Tags: 12 tiny things, coronavirus, COVID-19, mental-health, self-care, self-isolation | 10 Comments

Random 5 Friday ~ Soup, Social Distancing & Life Lessons

Posted on March 27, 2020 by emjayandthem

It’s Friday, the first Friday of our “stay-at-home” COVID-19 order. I hope this finds you all safe & well ~ Here are my random 5 for today~

1 ) Being home is fine with me & Hubbs ~ we are both more introverted than not and home is our happy place. He’s wandering around, suffering from sports-withdrawal and is our resident news hawk. Reading is my escape. When it all gets too much, and it does, I turn off the 24/7 coverage and jump head-first into a book.

Lesson: both of us being home full-time has been a good practice run for retirement.

2 ) It’s been a week since I got sick, and 10 days for Hubbs. We’re still coughing and appetites are slowly returning. We’ve noshed on soups and omelettes, fruit and coffee. Beef noodle vegetable was on the lunch menu yesterday and, because I come from a family of 7, I made enough for us, neighbors + some to freeze. 🙂

Lesson: Yeah I could pare it back but neighbors are happy and the freezer is stocked. All good.

3 ) I feel for the parents, home now full-time with kids, while worrying about safety, finances, job security, etc. I say build a fort, play a board game, draw pictures, and cook together. Let them get bored, it’s OK. Kids don’t need to learn a new language or master advanced math right now, they just need you.

Lesson: Do what you need to do & keep a sense of humor – for the best parent tweets about Social Distancing click here .

4 ) Benefits of staying home:

It takes me no time at all to get ready for work 🙂
- I’m working longer hours and on back-to-back calls
  - Cough cough
No need to pack a lunch, I’m only 15 steps from the kitchen and the cook’s pretty good 🙂
- Trying to avoid the “Quarantine 15”
Lesson ~
- I love being home, I still enjoy working, and I miss being able to go out when I want
  - The lesson for me is that there’s always a lesson in there (Thanks Mom)

5 ) It’s a crazy, scary surreal time. We’ll get through it. After all, many of us grew up using this:

Lesson – we are a (mostly) hearty bunch and a strong nation ~It might take a while but we’ll come back from this.

So how are you holding up?

Categories: Attitude, Blogging, Confidence at any age, Determination, Faith, Family, Food, Growth, Home, Humor, Life, Life Lessons, News, Opinion, Personal, Random observations, Relationships, Thoughts | Tags: Books, comfort, COVID-19, food, grateful, humor, lessons, news, pandemic, random 5, rest, retirement, self-care, shelter-in-place, soup | 19 Comments

To just enjoy a book or two

Random 5 Friday ~ Classic Rock, Thieves, and B.S.

On being a citizen

Random 5 ~ Summer & that is all

A Sullivan State of Mind

Random 5 Friday – Life Lessons, Favorites and Dogs

What Mom wants for Mother’s Day

Hello in there, hello

Random 5 Friday ~ Bored & busy, dogs, rules and Grover

He is not here

Happy Easter

12 Tiny Things You Can Do Right Now

Random 5 Friday ~ Soup, Social Distancing & Life Lessons

Peeps Poppin' in

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