Valentine's Day, For Real..........

Ahhh, Valentine's Day!


A day of gallant, romantic gestures, expensive gifts, lovely wine, and long, knowing looks deep into the eyes of that certain someone.  Oh, wait a minute, that's the Hollywood version.

In reality, for the majority of us, Valentine romance, generally means a bit of a longer kiss in the morning, with the promise of something more meaningful to come, when the house quiets down. For most of us, the diamond earrings, and trips to the Caribbean, look more like a home made, hand decorated cake, and, if you are very lucky, a trip to the local theater to watch one your Valentine fantasies unfold on the silver screen.  For all of us mere mortals, whose lives are lived unscripted, the sultry looks of longing are not usually as they might first seem, in the eyes of a stranger; but a means of communicating without words, who would be the one "privileged" enough to take the first bite of the "surprise dessert" made secretly by their 5 year old self proclaimed chef. Yep, then, at the end of the day, you remember why that glass of wine is such a perfectly lovely idea.


Ahhhh, Valentines's Day!

For me, as long as this "love day" is spent with my best friend, my hubby, the most romantic guy I know, it's all good. We've been together 28 years, and not a day goes by without me hearing the word's "I love you" and "you're beautiful." I am very lucky, and am very thankful for it every day.


So, besides celebrating Valentine's Day, this week..........


I put the finishing touches on the music for tomorrow night's Valentine Dance...........


Did some fridge filling, as we are going to have a pretty full house for the next little while......(Temporary roommates, daughter, son-in-law, grandbaby, to join in with other daughter, boyfriend, and other grandbaby)


Put the wheels in motion for our radio ad for Integrity RV Service.........


Got the ball rolling for our sign that will hang in front of the shop..........


Made a date to go in and sign the first of many sets of papers that will line the way from here to opening day......


A good week.


So, for the next few days.......



Do our level best to make sure everyone and the dance tomorrow night, has a great time!


Get the new roommates settled in and comfortable.......


Have a meeting with lawyer to start laying above mentioned paper trail......


Receive the report on our Environmental study (Cross everything that crosses for us, that we pass with flying colors!)


Start work on an order for RV parts to stock the shop/store!





Well, my friends, that about does it for another week. Thank you again for taking an interest in this crazy life of mine. Readership passed the 7000 mark this week. I know, to some, that might not seem like a lot. But, for someone who never thought in a million years, that ANY readers, would read these ramblings, it simply blows me away.

Thank you.



So, until next time, I'll leave you with this wish.........



May there always be room in your heart for more; more love, more friends, more happiness, more.
May you never miss that when harsh wind blows a window closed, that same wind opens a door.

May there always be space in your life to accept, the good, the bad, the ugly, the utterly fantastic.
May you see that in simple acceptance, space is freed for solutions to emerge, life will seem enchanted.

May troubles that want to clutter your mind and heart, those that want to make a hoarder of your soul.
May you discover that with release, comes peace, free them all, for they feed the illusion of control.

May you feel the freedom of throwing old baggage overboard, making room for new wonders to unfold.
May you see the advantage of packing light, for old baggage carries no purpose it's just...... old.



Thank You! I love hearing from you!

www.margyreidbook.com
margy_mel@yahoo.ca

Or you can comment right on this page or message me on FaceBook!

Sometimes You Get To Be The Whipped Cream!

Hi!


Sometimes, life can seem like an never ending climb, up an endless staircase leading to a destination we instinctively know is awesome, but remains a mystery. We climb and climb, taking one step at a time, careful enough not to fall, but steady. At times, we are able to climb without hesitation, taking strong, sure steps, sometimes, two in a stride. Other times, we take two or three steps upward just to discover the only way forward is to take ourselves down a bit to replant our feet on a sturdy landing, and maybe get our hands a bit dirty doing a repair or two on some of the steps we may have damaged along the way.

When we get weary, we may need to grab the hand of someone nearby for support. Never mistake this for a sign of weakness, it's simply a sign that we're human. No one can make this climb alone. We're not meant to. The hand may come in the shape of family or friends, or it  may take the shape of words of a stranger, half a world away. The hand may be as familiar as our own, and a constant throughout our lives. It may also take the form of an overheard phrase or a random act of kindness from a stranger, giving an otherwise dark day, a flash of light.

No matter how we climb, we climb. Regardless of injury, regardless of pain, regardless of loss, regardless of strain, we climb. Because we love the challenge, because we love the view, because those who follow watch how we step, because it's what we're meant to do, we climb.

Besides, what's the alternative, to quit? What the hell kind of fun would that be?!


So, this week............

Well, we were able to take a peek in our shop (well soon to be ours) to get a few measurements for a counter and workbench. We'll be so glad to get in there and get to work!

We were also able to finish off a few more things in the paper work department.. income taxes...done....business registration....done.......GST number......done......PST number......done......brochures for trade shows........done and done.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of reading "Tags Go In The Back" to the kids at the Dinsmore Hutterite Colony.  As I entered the school, I was greeted by beautiful harmonies being sung by the students. They were singing in German, so I didn't understand a word, but it didn't matter. The notes were so pure and sweet and perfect. I still have to pinch myself sometimes. If I hadn't taken that first step with "Lexi", just think of all of the things I would have missed out on!

Then, today, my friends, our baby grandson, Jakey, turned 1! So cute, diving face first into the mini-cake his Mommy made just for him!

It's hard to wrap my head around all that has happened since he was born. But, it's the same for all of us. Time goes by at lightning speed, we have to reach out and snatch moments up and hold them close.



So friends, that about does it for another week, until next time I'll leave you with this wish..........


May you be dipped in joy and rolled in delight, then sprinkled with glittery good news.
May you be covered in obscene amounts of deep, rich, decadent laughter, so incredibly amused.

May you find your "a la mode' companion to join you in this delectable time of bliss.
May you rediscover the mischief of your childhood, and all the joy that comes with this.

May you be the irresistible morsel that makes someone take a step away from their stringent routine.
May you realize you don't always have to be the vegetable, sometimes you get to be the whipped cream!



Until Next Time!

www.margyreidbooks.com

The Art Of Licking The Spoon

Hi!

Ahhh, the rite of passage of "the licking of the spoon".



I remember, as a kid, the anticipation and excitement I felt every time Mom was making something that would inevitably conclude in this fantastic treat. Now, because there were quite a few of us, sometimes we had to take turns, sometimes Mom would "accidentally" leave enough in the bowl as to try to avoid a bowl/spoon licking war. Then, sometimes, if you were very lucky, you were the only one in the kitchen when the time presented itself and were the one and only spoon licker for that particular day.

I remember when my kids were small, seeing the same excitement in their eyes. The waiting, after watching me mix and stir, smelling the delicious gooey ingredients each in turn, making their way into the bowl, taking an obvious toll on their patience.

Well, my theory is this, just because we grow up, we don't have to give up what we love as kids.

Maybe we don't literally "lick the spoon" so much anymore, but we should never deny ourselves the sheer joy that the reward after a long arduous journey smothered in anticipation brings.

Maybe now, our "licks of the spoon", take the shape of having an extra long bath, or going out to a nice dinner, or a date night without the kids. Maybe the excited anticipation looks more like hard work and worry, but that should simply make the spoon taste that much sweeter.


As life goes on, there will be a lot of different ingredients making their way into your bowl. some will be sweet and gooey, and it will make perfect sense why they would be added. Other ingredients may be sour or bitter and their presence won't make sense until the different dishes are complete.

The tricky part is, we are thrown into this whole thing without any recipes to follow, we just have to make it up as we go along. Make sure to lick the spoon along the way.

Struggle, get through, lick the spoon. Illness, get through, lick the spoon. Having an "Everything you touch is turning to crap day," get through, lick the spoon.  Kids are screaming, get through, lick the spoon. Making your 8th batch of brownies for the school bake sale, for the love of Pete, Lick The Spoon!


Sooooo....

This week, we had pretty awesome news. We finally received the go ahead for our RV service and repair shop. Integrity RV Service will be opening the doors for business in Rosetown, Saskatchewan, this Spring!

There will be a lot to do, and we couldn't be happier! Looking so forward to it!

With this news came a flurry of phone calls and text messages to siblings and friends, contractors, lawyers, and real estate agents, sign makers etc.


That, and chasing Jake in his efforts to literally love our cat to death, as babies tend to do, pretty much filled the week.

As for the next few days?......

Finish prepping for the upcoming Valentine Dance (Feb. 16th 9pm Milden Hall, kids welcome!)

Make a trip to Rosetown to check out the "shop" again.

Same trip....donate blood (Clinic at Rosetown civic center Wed. 2pm-8pm)

Get caught up on laundry and other glamorous things.


So that about does it for another week, until next time I'll leave you with this wish........




May every struggle, every worry, every stress be lifted without leaving scars.
May every good thought sent your way be as countless as the stars.

May every hardship dissipate like a single candle's smoke in the path of a hurricane's might.
May every blessing be multiplied and amplified as the boom of the most thunderous of night.

May any and all sorrow, worry and stress be ever gone from you very soon.
May you, when it takes it's leave, truly celebrate, and Lick The Spoon!


Until Next Time!

www.margyreidbooks.com

Ahhhhhh...Munchkins!

Hi!



Well folks, this week brought with it some pretty positive and encouraging news!


Not only did we gain some real ground on the RV repair shop front, I also had a really great experience doing my reading at Eatonia School.


The weather was passable, the storm from the night before clearing enough by the time we had to hit the road. The school and kids were awesome, very warm and friendly, it would be a fun place to hang out on a regular basis.


The kids were so cute, it always surprises me when kids, and, sometimes, a few teachers, act all nervous to meet me!  It's so funny! Some get all tongue tied and giggly, it's just me, for cryin' in the sink!


To top off a great day, on the way home, we stopped for coffee, and ended up picking up a couple of new customers for our RV shop!


I also found out I made it in to the Trade Show in North Battleford in April, yay!


All in all, a pretty productive week!


Now, for the upcoming week........


...Onward and upward with the preparations to get our shop open
...Do some prep for Valentine dance
...Try to get some work done on next book
...Do some baby wrangling (Daughter is out of town for a few days)


That about does it for this week,


Now, if you will indulge me, I have come to find out about a family experiencing terrible hardship, and with them in mind, I'll leave you with this wish.....



May you draw solace and strength from those who surround you, let it in.
May you feel, in your soul, all good thoughts sent your way, from both strangers and friends.

May this storm not take you down, a little tired, battered and bruised,maybe, but standing.
May you fight to stay upright, not give in to the fall the weight of this is demanding.

May you conquer this storm, at it's end be victorious, glorious, wrapped in health and peace.
May the clouds disappear, leaving nothing but sweet breezes, sunshine and flowers at your feet.


Until next time.....

www.margyreidbooks.com

Just Keep Juggling....Just Keep Juggling....

Hi all,


 I don't know about you, but I thought another little injection of summer again this week might not be such a bad idea. I'm starting to feel a little daylight deprivation, as is fairly usual, at least for me, this time of year, and sometimes a reminder of the sunshine to come helps!


Well, it's been quite a week! The wheels are in motion for the environmental assessment, we've decided to help organize a Valentine's Day Dance here in Milden, birth certificates are sent for, and, at least I think, all questions are answered in every direction for the time being.


Did you ever have one of those weeks when you felt like you were juggling eggs while finding your way through a maze, and just for a bit of an extra challenge, they blindfold you, put you on a unicycle, and shout directions at you in a foreign language? 


Well, that's the kind of week it's been. Now that things are in motion, and hopefully, the right questions were answered in the right way to the right people, maybe it won't feel quite so frantic this week. Maybe.


I know I am far from being the lone egg juggler on the planet. I know that pretty much all of us feel like this at some point during our lives, and likely, on more than one occasion.


I have found the only way to do it, is just do it. However you can, with whatever skill set is in your arsenal, you just do it. So I put on my kid gloves, x-ray glasses and training wheels, strap my GPS to my belt, and make my way through the maze. It may not look picture perfect, and it most likely is not the way the majority of others would do it, but it works for me.


Just keep juggling...........


So for the upcoming week......


This week involves a bit of running around. A trip or two to Rosetown, one to Saskatoon, and one to Eatonia for my visit to their school.


I'm looking forward to Eatonia. Apparently, I'll be reading to some pre-k kids as well as the Kindergarten to Grade 3! Toddlers, Teeny Tweenies and mayhem, yay! The more the merrier!


I hope the weather is half decent! Cross stuff for me!


I should also be getting the yes or no from the trade show in the Battlefords this week. I hope I get in. The proceeds from this show go to benefit the Battlefords and Area Sexual Assault Centre, a great cause.

Hey, before I go, I'd love if you checked out my page on facebook and I'd love it even more if you"liked" it! Thanks! Just search margyreidbooks.com on FaceBook!


Well, that about does it for this week.... until next time, I'll leave you with this wish.





May your ability to juggle whatever comes your way, be profound, accurate, poetry in motion.
May the things you are juggling be light, few, and able to withstand any, and all commotion.

May any blindfolds put upon you, only enhance your other senses, listening, inhaling, caressing.
May you discover things that would have otherwise been missed, the blindfold becomes a blessing.

May your unicycle bring with it, balance, even and smooth as still water in a glass.
May balance become like a second skin, so much a part of you, you hardly ever fall on your ass.

May your sense of direction keep you from ever getting lost, hold you from straying too far.
May you understand that both "lost"  and "straying" are relative, whatever your route, smile, cuz here you are!


Until next time!

Shack Wacky? Maybe a little.........

Hi!

For the past couple of days it's been bitterly cold here, in good old Saskatchewan, so I thought I'd throw a bit of summer into the blog, this week. This is in hopes of alleviating some of  the shackwackiness that can start to take hold of a person this time of year. Now, I suppose "shackwacky" isn't exactly the politically correct expression. The more genteel of our society may refer to it as "winter blues."  Either way, it sucks when it's so cold outside, you can not only see your breath, you can slice it!

Winter rant over.

So, this week involved a bit of house checking for neighbors who are off in Jamaica for a while, ( is it wrong to hate them just a little?), setting the ball in motion for taking all of our karaoke music into a digital format, having yet another meeting with the powers that be about obtaining our building for our RV service and repair shop, and getting the green light from said powers to begin the process of the phase 1 environmental study needed to move ahead.

This week also involved booking another school reading. This one will be in Eatonia, Saskatchewan and I'm really looking forward to it. I also have successfully secured tables at two trade shows in March and should have another secured for April by the end of the week.

Then, to wrap the week up, I thought organizing Sibfest 2013 was a good idea. You see, since we've become adults, my siblings and I don't get together nearly as much as we should. I'm sure we are not alone in this. Life gets busy with jobs and kids and, well, life, and before you know it, the only time you see each other is at weddings or funerals. These never allow anybody to really get caught up with each other because these occasions are crowded and chaotic by nature. And really, it's simply sad that something as momentous as a wedding or as tragic as a funeral needs to take place to get us all in one room.

In the past ten years my husband, our girls, and I have had to deal with a fair amount of loss. First, there was my Dad, then two weeks later, my husbands grandmother. Within the next short while we lost both of my remaining grandparents. Then, we lost two of our girls' good friends to suicide. Shortly thereafter, we lost my sister, the following year, my husband's brother, and then a couple of years ago, my husband's Dad.


I don't mention this to receive pity, nor to bring you down. I only mention this to reiterate a point I often make. Life is precious, it's longevity is not guaranteed. To waste it, is to disrespect the gift that it is.

We need to get together, celebrate, with no need of an "occasion." Just because we can.

So, for the upcoming week.

*get aforementioned ball rolling on environmental study
*send for new copies of our birth certificates (hubby's in at the bottom of a huge lake as of about 15 years ago, and mine, well let's just say I put it away so it wouldn't get lost, but it didn't listen)
*get income tax stuff finished up
*celebrate my baby daughter's 22nd birthday (Happy Birthday Binky!)
*flesh out some stories I'm working on

That, my friends, about does it for another week.  To those from the Philippines to Germany, from Australia to here at home, and everywhere in between, thanks so much for your continued support and for reading these ramblings each week. I love hearing from you and about you whether on here, on Facebook or via email.

Until next time, I'll leave you with this wish............



May you look in the mirror at the beginning of each day, and see a person ready to take on the world.
May you go out, and about your day with purpose, and pride, prodding great things to unfurl.

May you, midday, take stock, have a look, redirect your mojo, if it's gone awry.
May you cause a smile, open a door, offer a hand, take a chance, give the unknown a try.

May you look in the mirror at the end of the day, and see a person who is only the best kind of tired.
May you climb into bed, proud of your day, what you gave to it, and fall deeply to sleep, inspired.


Until next week....

www.margyreidbooks.com

New Year's Resolutions!

Hmmmm.... for some reason the blog site isn't letting me put a picture up, this week. I'd draw you something, but I don't think I could stand the hysterical laughter.


Well folks, the new year is upon us, and I hope the first days of 2013 have brought you a ton of joy.


We rang in the new year doing a show in Denzil,Sk. It was a 6 hour celebration that contained a lot of laughs, some cocktails, and fireworks at midnight. A great time had with great people.


So this past week included not just our New Year's show, but, taking down Christmas decorations, laundry, cleaning, and a road trip with my daughter.


Yep, sadly the snowmen are back in the basement, the house is now completely un-Christmasfied, and everything is back to "normal".


Once that was complete, it was time to accompany my eldest daughter on, what turned out to be, a 16 hour road trip. To make long story short, let's just say that spending about 13 of the 16 hours sitting on a soda-soaked, (dog's fault) dog-hair covered, (white dog hair vs. my black yoga pants and bunny-hug)  blanket, is not the mode of travel I would most recommend. It's very cold and wet, then sticky, and at about hour 10, starts getting itchy. In case you were wondering.


New Year's Resolutions........


Last week I told you I would post my New Year's Resolutions, well, here they are.

For the entirety of 2013 I resolve to do the following:


1) Make someone smile every day. It doesn't matter if it's a stranger, an acquaintance, or a family member, whether it's on the phone, online, or in person.

2) Have a "fun" day. At least once a month have one day dedicated completely to fun. No "have to's" allowed.

3) Do something I've never done. At least 3 times during 2013 I want to do something completely new. Take a ride in a hot air balloon, write a play, ride an elephant, it doesn't matter, as long as it's something I've never done.

4) Cut myself the same break as I tend to give other people. I don't know about you, but I tend to be harder on myself than I am on any other person. Even those I'm not particularly fond of. What is that?! I need to be kinder to myself. Period.

5) Make 2013 a year to remember. I plan to squeeze every bit of life out of every day of 2013. After all, none of us live with the promise of ringing in 2014, so I think it's our duty to wring all we can from the year at hand.

6) Continue on with random acts of kindness. You just never know what impact it might have. Besides, sometimes, the looks on people's faces is priceless!


Well, that about does it for my resolutions. I don't usually "do" resolutions, I guess, because in the past, any I made were the usual, drop some pounds, don't eat chocolate, go on treadmill every day, kind of stuff. They never stuck, I suppose, because they didn't mean that much to me. I guess the trick to resolutions, at least for me, is to make them about things that really matter.


Anyway...........


So the upcoming week will involve putting the finishing touches on our income tax stuff, making some calls to try and book some readings and karaoke/dj shows and a trip to the city for some errands, both big and small.


So my friends, as we embark on the new adventures of 2013, I'll leave you with this wish...........




May this year bring you utterly obnoxious, obscene, gratuitous amounts of joy and laughter.
May you achieve, beyond imagination, every dream you were even thinking of going after.

May you meet wonderful, positive, people, and embrace them, letting 'em in.
May you discover talents within yourself you were unaware you were given.

May every month bring something even more spectacular than the month before.
May happiness and contentment make light even the most mundane chore.

May any and all hardships that come your way be diminutive in size.
May you react to them with actions that are courageous and wise.

May you get to know yourself a little better this year, get more comfortable in your skin.
May you learn more, with each passing day, about the beautiful person within.

Until next week..........

www.margyreidbooks.com