Raisin-a-ruckus One Day at a Time

Summer....

Vacation starts today!! The boys are out of school! I slept til 10 and then went outside and worked in the garden! I love it! It's a great day!! Tonight?? The comedy club in Kansas City with Aaron.....a Mother's Day gift from Emily. I do love laughing! It's a great gift! Enjoy your day, folks! Peace and love to you. :)

BOB!!

Look who came to visit!! Bob!! I was out in the yard bringing in groceries and all of a sudden there he was! He lives a few blocks away. He said he doesn't drive any longer so he refers to his scooter as his "town car". I think that is awesome! So I pulled up a chair and we sat outside on this glorious day and gabbed. It was nice to catch up. I seriously haven't talked to him I a few years except in passing at the grocery store. We enjoyed ourselves quite a bit. Them cousin Ronnie texted and she was at the pub eating after a day of fishing soooooo.......of course I had to go over there and gab some more. Plus I got birthday hugs! It was a double bonus!! So basically, I have been gabbing all afternoon and it has been great!! I love days like this. I think I'll just lay here and bask in the delightfulness of it. So what if I get nothing done. It's ok!

Celebrating......

50 Years all weekend takes a toll on a body. Dang!! We had so much fun! I feel like I got hit by a bus. We danced a lot. We ate a lot. We laughed a lot. We drank a lot of beer. I woke up this morning and put on my walking clothes but seriously....I can hardly move at the moment. I may take a nap and start again after awhile. It was all worth it. I have photos to share and stories to tell.....but not today. Today?? I will bask in the rest mode. Aaaaaawe!! Life is goooooood!! Enjoy your day!! and to all of you who helped in the celebration.....Thank you sooooo much!!! Peace and Love to you!!

On the agenda!

1. Trip to Walmart to buy tiki torches for the par-tay!

2. Hair salon....I may go for a complete new do. I'm feeling feisty!

3. Flower store....color! I need color in my new beds!!

4. Maybe the boot store....just to look.....maybe.

5. Visit Mel.....I miss her.

We had a late night with Sam's first ball game. We all had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. Now I'm just thinking about all the kick ass things I get to do! I'm loving this day all ready!! You?? What's on your agenda? Whatever it is, I hope it kicks ass, too! Peace and love!!

I'm excited!.....

About my birthday! Jubilee! I can feel it. Remember? that was "my word" for the year. Ok. I admit I sunk to an all time low there for awhile and wasted a lot of time but I'm over that. I. Am. Content. It's true. After a few months of self doubt and mental turmoil....and encouragement from....YOU!, I feel I am back on track.....and I'm excited about my birthday. I think a lot of it has to do with not focusing on myself.....focusing on others and other things....fun things like bike riding and planting stuff and preparing for a party!! I have to admit the sunshine helps. ALOT! I'm excited to see lots of people who have made a difference in my life this weekend and drag sweet LOLA out of the driveway and fix her up all glamperish.....and sleep in her. And you know what?? We have been playing horseshoes in the backyard. It's FUN! Funner than puzzles. It may be one of my favorite games!! Sam has his first baseball game this week! I love baseball season and swimming and sunning and boating.....and all things summer! Max passed his drivers test so he will be driving which could be stressful for me but good for me. I was talking to a friend today who was explaining a tough situation she is going through. I told her, "you know? Don't lose heart, friend. When things get tough, I like to see how they turn out because we are not in control and a lot of times things turn out a lot better than we could ever imagine! It's exciting!" And that is true! Isn't it? It makes me think of that verse in the Bible...."no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." I like to think that applies here on earth and not just in heaven.....at least it applies in my world. I'm so blessed!! So I will not lose heart on what the future may bring but rejoice in the excitement of what could possibly take place....that makes me smile. YOU?? I hope so! Peace and love to you! Enjoy!!

Happy!!!.......

Little buntings! Oh!!! And the bathroom is complete. So nice! So fun!! AND I'm walking today! I feel great about it....it's the 3rd day in a row this week. You know 21 days of doing anything turns into a habit!

and later?? I am going to ride this! My birthday gift from Aaron. I love it.

Have a great day!! Peace and Love!

It helps!

Do you ever feel insecure? Feel vulnerable? It helps to voice that stinkin thinkin....for a few reasons......

1. Once stated, you can let those thoughts go. You no longer have to rethink them over in your mind.

2. You can gain perspective from others.

3. You change your thoughts.

It's a good thing!

Mother's day. Mine started out with a visit from my mom. A beautiful woman. Luckily, she came a bit early so we had some time to visit. She has always been my biggest supporter. We took a walk. We talked. She gave me some perspective on life. On being a woman. It was nice. She has a beautiful soul.

Then all the kids showed up! Team Kuenzi!!

One of the things that  I love about having 5 kids is how the family grows....the wonderful people who come with them.

I am blessed beyond measure. Surrounded by loving good humans.....who know how to love and be loved and have a good time! It was a perfect day full of fun and laughter....and a boatload of dip.  I don't even mind that every dish in the house is dirty today.....and the laundry is piled a mile high. I actually wouldn't have it any other way. I am happy and thankful for....everything. Just the way it is! Right now. Today. It's all good!!

Peace and love to you!! Enjoy

Some things...

I have to admit I have not been dealing well with the thought of turning 50. I don't know what it is about that number but it's been driving me out of mind. I have been telling people I'm 50 years old since I was 44. It was a very creative way to fish for compliments on my youthful appearance! And it worked! So I don't have a problem with admitting that I am a seasoned woman. 50 years old or young....however ya want to put it. It's just an internal dialogue I have with myself and my aging process. I have decided there are just some things that i have started doing that I'm not going to do any more.....as an act of self love and kindness. A gift to myself!!

1. It seems lately In my mind I have jumped straight from 49 to.....ancient. I think about turning 70 and 80 and wondering if I will live to 90. Basically, I end my life in my mind constantly. Hell, I never even consider that being 50 is fabulous! Today is good! I'm gonna focus on that. If today is good and tomorrow is good and the next and next and next is good and I live every one of them to the fullest.....well, when I turn 90 I will have had 40 years of good days! Right??

2. I drive a lot and I tend to over analyze my face in the rear view mirror. I'm gonna stop doing that. What a waste of time and its frustrating. I will say that one day a few weeks ago, that mirror did save me as I caught a glimpse of an eyebrow that had completely grown into a bush so I immediately pulled into a hair salon and got them waxed....it was an emergency brow wax. I felt a lot better that day. But mostly I tend to look at my fine lines and think bad thoughts. I'm gonna just avoid that rearview mirror. I like my big mirror at home that I can stand back and smile at myself. I'll just use that one!

3. I'm gonna stop over analyzing my body. It's a good body. Healthy. Fit. I'm going to stop hating it. Seriously, who really gives a shit about my body? I don't hate anybody else's body. Why should I hate mine? I don't actually hate it but I have been watching it age and nitpicking at the wrinkles in my hands and stuff. I don't want to have an old body. I guess there are precautions to prevent that....like a good diet and exercise. And for today? Well, I'm pretty happy with it.

See? It all goes back to number 1....live for today. This moment. That's what I'm gonna do. Today I am at work. And tonight max is singing in the pop show at the high school! And tomorrow we are going to dinner at Aaron's parents t house and the next day is Mother's Day and all the kids are coming home! There is too much to enjoy to have a negative dialogue running through my mind. Self love. Self kindness. Two good things! As are.....peace and love....to you! Enjoy your day!!

Earth gym fun!

You know what I love about beautiful spring days? You know. Working out in the earth gym! Aaron is a fun one to work out with! And he likes projects! And making things all neat and tidy! My little garden that I started last fall has grown! Now when I look out the kitchen window, I see a beautiful big spread that I love! And it has so much potential! We had fun filling up Old Blue with mulch. Man!! I love that truck! We filled it and covered it up with a tarp and drove home, layed down landscaping fabric and mulched every bed in the yard! It took the whole afternoon. I not only have one big bed but several others too! In the back and the front yard.....all mulched!! After all that work was done, Aaron put a "Y" adapter on the spigot so I have a hose running to the front and one running to the back so we don't have to drag the one long ass hose back and forth. It's nice! And he hung up one of those hose things on the fence then looped the hose up so its not laying on the ground. Then he fixed the gutters while I mowed the backyard! While he mowed the front yard, I cooked dinner.....well, Asa grilled pork chops and I made a salad. It was a glorious day! Very fulfilling and pleasant.....and rewarding. I love days like today. I'll post the finished project tomorrow! Tonight I shall sleep well! Peace and love to you!!

Finally

I have a geranium in the front yard. It feels like all is right with the world now! You may notice that I went back to red. I tried pink or salmon or some other new color last year but truly I love the red ones. It's a nice pop of simple color that to me says, "Welcome Home!" One of my true loves.....red geraniums. What's your favorite summer flower??