What?! Underwear Is Not A Hat?!

Hi!



Toddlers are my heroes.


They are fearless, full of confidence, never second guessing any decision. They are completely oblivious to the opinion of others, instinctual and incapable of telling any real lie.


I've always been a firm believer that we have way more to learn from toddlers than we can ever teach them.


Living life without fear..............



I've learned so much about living life this way as I make my way along this writing journey and everything it entails. I still have a long way to go, but I am learning. Just so there is no misunderstanding, living without fear, for me, does not mean living thoughtlessly or recklessly. Not at all. For me, it simply means to never let fear get a vote in any decision I make.

When weighing a decision, fear can be that loud, obnoxious guy in the meeting, thinking his opinion is somehow more important and wiser than any other in the room, so he is persistent and always speaks at the highest volume humanly possible.

Just because he is the loudest, does not make him right.

I think back to decisions I have made out of fear. Not one had a positive outcome.

When we are making decisions, especially the big ones that life inevitably throws our way, I think it's very important to differentiate between fear and caution. Caution is reasonable, instinct is awesome. Fear, on the other hand, is irrational.

Fear would have you believe that the worst case scenario is the only scenario. Fear will fill you with self-doubt, and try to convince you that you could never survive failure, that failure is the absolute worst thing that can happen to you.

That, my friends, is a load of crap.

Caution, on the other hand, is where your instincts live, and is besties with your soul. Caution takes hold when the little hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention, or you get that deep guttural feeling when in a certain situation or meeting someone.

Caution is on your side, fear is useless.


Failure is not the worst thing. It's not even in the top ten of worst things that can happen. What does failure even mean, anyway.  That something didn't work?  Another load.


If you have given something 100% of yourself, then failure is not even possible.

If you have done everything, that you, in your deepest soul searching moments know you can do to make something work, and it doesn't, that, my friends, is not failure. It was simply a situation  put in your path to teach and guide you, to lead you in the direction you are meant to take.

Failures can only ever come from half hearted efforts, or never trying to begin with.



Toddlers are my heroes......the masters of living without fear...............................



As for the past week..................


It's been another busy one, for sure.............


Spring is starting to show actual physical signs of showing up (knock on wood), which means a pick up in foot traffic for the shop......looks like things won't be slowing down any time soon! So grateful!


More music prep for upcoming weddings, (including our daughter's)..........

Some rehearsing for our show tonight..............................

Put some baking in the freezer for our daughter's wedding.............

Made a bit of headway with the books I'm writing...........


As for the upcoming week.............



Karaoke show tonight...............

Visit with my mom tomorrow...........

Do an estimate on a trailer on the way home on Sunday............

Month end at the shop....................

Write, write, write............

Bake, bake, bake..............(wedding)

Get ready for Easter, (kids might all make it home!)



Well, that about does it for another week, thanks so much for taking the time to read these ramblings each week, it means more than you know...................




May all that is truly important be given centre stage, spotlighted, be made the star of the show.
May all else become the simple set, ever-changing, for we really can't take it with us when we go.

May life's focus become kindness toward others, both strangers and those dearest to our hearts.
May we remember the power of a smile, and use it, abuse it, spread the joy it imparts.

May all joy given, come back with such force it sweeps you off your feet.
May you wrap yourself in it's delights, you deserve it, your very soul's happy treat.



Until next time.....gotta run


www.margyreidbooks.com

Come On!!! It's Spring! The Calendar Says So!!!!

Hi!


Well, it's the first full day of Spring........Although, I believe someone has forgotten to send Mother Nature the memo..............................................they will be fired.    (I'm pretty sure it's that damned glorified gopher from ground hog day...............)



I would have posted a couple of photos of today, this day, our first day of spring, but, well, I didn't want to.


Instead, I choose to jump into my kiddie pool of denial, with my rose coloured glasses firmly in place. Instead, sharing with you the photos of the ghosts of spring past. I will soak in my little pool until "real spring" decides to show up.... or real life demands a more delusion-stripped response. Whichever comes first. Any guesses as to which it will be?..............Me too.....................Dang it!


Oh well, this really should be the very very last of the snowfall for the season........really........really........last one. April is just around the corner, daylight hours have taken custody of their half of the 24 hour day, and with that, comes heat. It may be timid as of yet, but it's getting stronger with every passing day. I look so forward to the first time I hear "Hot enough for ya?"


Soon, it will be time for bar-b-ques and water fights with the grandbabies. It will be time for cold drinks in the warm air, under the welcomed shade of over-sized umbrellas. Time for throwing open the windows to suffuse the house with air that fills you with endless opportunities with every breath.

Soon, it will be a difficulty to go more than ten minutes without seeing a fresh flower, growing out of the ground, not sprouting from the refrigerator of a grocery store. There will be lush green as far as the eye can see. Different shades, each more spectacular than the last, daring you to pick a favourite.

Soon it will be time for sand castles, bug bites, sun burns, bike riding, scraped knees, and copious amounts of popsicles.  It will be a time of milestones, and growth, maturity, and overcoming obstacles..............and that's just me..............



One could say I'm looking forward to spring........real spring..........not this......whatever this is............damned gopher.................................



Sooooooo..........



This past week was a busy one.....


Busy shop, which is awesome......................


Final prep and rehearsal for karaoke show.............


Got booked to do another wedding in May..................


Prep for wedding we are doing in April............


Some busy-brained writing attempts............

Errands ran, household chores completed...........

Had a call from a marketing pro who wants to chat about my books...................

Put on karaoke show.....................drove home.........early hours of first day of spring.........blizzard............awesome............made it home in one piece........long day......22 hours between pillow visits.......I don't recommend it.................


As for the upcoming week?


It will be another busy one at the shop............

Start prep for wedding we are doing in May.............

Continue prep for wedding in April..........

Rehearse for karaoke show to be held Friday...........

Laundry, slay dust rabbits, etc................

Squeeze some short people who share my DNA................

Put on karaoke show in Luseland........

Do NOT drive home....visit Mom instead........sleeeeeep........

Stop at client's house on the way home to do an estimate on his trailer...........


Well, that about does it for another week.............


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




May the snow give way to glorious puddles, and may those dry, but not before they've been thoroughly abused.
May you withstand the revolt, in which they hold hostage at least 3 boots, 2 bikes, and a pair of splash pants, leaving parents both frustrated and confused.

May the explanation that begins with, "I really thought I could make it" fall upon patient and reminiscent ears.
May you keep thinking those thoughts as you retrieve the treasures, knee deep in muck, little one giggling himself to tears.

May you laugh along, for it is just mud, after all, nothing a little soap and water can't fix.
May you laugh along, for a child's giggles will forever trump a grown-up's anger, they simply can not mix.



Have a great week! Thanks again for reading these ramblings each and every week!


www.margyreidbooks.com

Fun In The Snow & A Sure Sign of Spring!

Hi!




Ahhhhhh Spring! It's close, I can smell it!







Last weekend we had a chance to spend some real time with our grandbabies! It was a gorgeous day, kinda melty, absolutely perfect for the sort of mutant, zombie- type lookin' kind of snowmen toddlers tend to build.

I mean, let's face it, your average toddler, when drawing, say, a person, has no real concept of proportion, scale, or the fact that arms and legs don't generally grow out of your head.


Without interference, this lack of concept easily translates to snow-made creatures, as well. Shooting for Olaf........ending up with a Picassoesque Shrek.

Kids are awesome!

Jump forward to this weekend and that is when I found the first sure sign of spring on the door of my entryway. (As seen in photo 3)

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm kinda certain it whispered something evil to me right before my hubby nailed him with a fly swatter.

Now, before you start sending me a bunch of angry emails about cruelty to animals and such, just know this. I love animals. Anyone who knows me can attest to that. But, I also have an aversion to getting bitten by something that may or may not be lethally venomous. And, I, in the moment, did not necessarily have the most humane first reflex.  My first reflex was to say some words that may or may not have been exactly PG. My second reflex to call my hubby over to make sure I wasn't going crazy, and this thing was as big as I thought. His first reflex was to grab the flyswatter.

Now, before you start sending him a bunch of angry emails, know this, he's the kind of guy who wouldn't hurt a fly. Nasty, evil-looking, possibly venomous, whispering monster spiders that could take a chunk out of his wife are, on the other hand, always in season. And I will love him for it forever.

As for the rest of the week?


We remain, thankfully, very busy at the shop, chuggin right along...............

I was able to get a start on the music for an upcoming wedding...................

Got some rehearsal in for upcoming karaoke shows................

Did a bit of writing (although, not as much as I had hoped) ..................

Took part in my first tradeshow of 2015! More books ended up in new homes, met a bunch of new people, and touched base with some familiar faces. Half the fun is people watching. Personally, I find the most entertainment comes from watching new parents with their little ones. Watching the tiny Houdinis plotting their escape....waiting for that millisecond it takes Mom or Dad or whomever the grown up may be, to turn, blink, or otherwise misstep in such a way as to afford their freedom. They never get far, their valiant efforts ever thwarted by older siblings, parents fast feet or the actions of some other interfering adult. This is immediately following by an understandably guttural reaction of complete and utter devastation from the toddler. They recover, only to quickly begin plans for the next attempt.

Kids are awesome!



As for the next bit?................


Working in the shop..............

More rehearsing.............

More music prep...........

More writing..........................

Hopefully some baby squeezes.....................

Put on karaoke show..................................


Well folks, that about does it for me this week..................


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




May you breathe in the Spring, for it is new, new chapter, new chance, new life......new.
May you run with this opportunity of change, big or small, shake things, obscure your current  view.

May you be inspired to do something never done, create, retool, recharge, reinvent from within.
May you find, in doing so, you'll keep what you love, what is truly you, losing only what's run thin.

May you look to the horizon and see endless possibilities, leaving the shadows of the past untethered.
May you see no life worth living stays pristine, showing no signs of being scarred or weathered.

May you breathe in the Spring, for it is new.
May you breathe in the Spring, for it is you.



Until next time.....


www.margyreidbooks.com

Happy Birthday to Me! Lucky Or What?!?!?!

Hi!


Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me!



Yup! 49! Still Here...... Still have the majority of my hard-earned marbles.......at least most of the time.....still happily married to the love of my life.........still have incredible kids........fantastic grandbabies.............roof over my head............food when I'm hungry............the rest, my friends, is gravy...........



Whenever my birthday rolls around, I can't help but think of my sister who passed just before her 46th birthday.


 I can't help but feel incredibly lucky that I get to be here to experience the aches and pains of getting a bit older. The Symphony of snaps, crackles, and pops that has recently begun to erupt whenever I do something crazy like move suddenly after being still for a while, has been particularly entertaining.

I can't help but feel incredibly blessed that I get to be here to witness my kids falling in love, getting married, becoming parents and stealing as many grandbaby snuggles as I possibly can.

I can't help but feel incredibly privileged to walk with my husband through this, another new chapter of our lives, hand in hand, as always.

I can't help but feel forever grateful for the opportunities to explore new avenues, writing, starting a business, visiting schools, doing what I love to do.

I can't help but feel incredibly lucky. I get to be here. Still.


Sometimes a person gets so wrapped up in the noise of running our day to day lives that it can be so easily forgotten how incredibly lucky we really are. We get to be here to run those errands, pay those bills, work those jobs, plan those weddings, laugh at that joke, listen to that songbird, fall in love, hold that baby,... be..... here.


When my birthday rolls around, I can't help but think of my sister. Whenever I want to entertain the idea of truly complaining about the tribulations of getting older, I can't help but think of my sister.


How dare I complain about the privilege.


As for the day to day?


Well, this cold could take a hike any time now, that would be awesome.....

This week was another busy one at the shop, even busier for my hubby, as I wasn't able to physically be there.....

This week, we were booked for another karaoke show, this one for March 20............music and song lists were updated, 200 sign up slips cut and ready, pencils sharpened and ready to go..........

Today was a wedding shopping/planning day with some daughters, they are goofy, beautiful people!

Tomorrow will include some grandbaby time............(babysitting without parental supervision......hehehehehehehe.....I can't promise there won't be chocolate.......)


Monday is back to the shop!.....


Get caught up on some writing...............


Next weekend I'll be participating in my first tradeshow of 2015! Looking forward to it!



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




May every crackle, pop, and snap that your joints voice become music to your ears.
May you accept that it's just your body declaring, "I'm up! I'm goin! Have no fear.!"

May you see every additional grey hair is but yet another stroke of wisdom showing it's rightful bloom.
May you understand that it's an absolute right of passage, what, this not remembering why you entered a room.

May you come to terms with gravity, for to war against it is simply depressing, futile and exhausting.
May you instead, if you so wish,  invest in good bras and spanks with which to face the world, consider it your personal frosting.

May you, better yet, find the confidence to ditch the frosting, for as we age, as our wisdom blooms, our skin truly becomes a better fit.
May you pass on to all those, still younger, "All that frosting? We've always been enough,  we've never really needed it."



Thanks for taking the time to read these ramblings!

To order books www.margyreidbooks.com

The Oscars And A Winter Cold!

Hi!


Yup....still winter..........................................




The Oscars.................


As a lover of movies, I've watched the oscars faithfully for as long as I can remember.  I love the pageantry, the glamour and the tradition. But, I think, more than anything, what I enjoy the most is seeing the love of the craft of making said movies plastered on every face in the room. This is room filled to the brim with people who truly love what they do. It's pretty fantastic.


It's awesome to see the joy that doing what you love brings.


I'm afraid I've been hit upside the head with a not-so-lovely cold. So if this week's ramblings are a little more rambly than usual, it's probably because I'm under the influence of my friends Benylin and Tylenol.

This isn't one of those pretty colds you see on tv, where they sneeze like a kitten, and ever so delicately dab their pretty little noses. Nope, this is the rudolph the crusty nose reindeer, cough till you pee or puke or both, type deal. Sorry if that was graphic.

Anyway, a cold is hardly the end of  the world. I'm sure I'll live.


This week also was another busy one at the shop, as we are trying to get all of our winter work completed, before spring. So far, so good.


We were also booked for another karaoke show for the end of March. This cold really needs to bugger off, so a person can rehearse!


I tried to get some writing done yesterday, but that, well, it just didn't work, what with the grossness dripping  profusely from every orifice of my face.


As for the upcoming days................


Tomorrow is our Grandson's skating carnival. If I can harness the grossness, I would love to be there to cheer him on...............

Then, it will be off to the shop for month end and other such work type things.........

Get some writing done.....................

Do some wedding prep shopping with a daughter or two or three or four..................



And that about does it for this week.

Until next time, (and I promise to be much more coherent) I'll leave you with this wish............



May you find the courage to follow your passion, wherever it may lead.
May you find a way to make it at least part of your life, if, at first it can't provide all you need.

May you understand that dreams and passions are living things, ever changing, ever evolving, ever growing.
May you see that even if ignored, they never perish, they follow in the shadows, without you even knowing.

May you see that they will show themselves to you again when you are ready; to embrace them, nurture them, let them bask in the sun.
May you see it's within your passions that your best talents lie, acknowledge them, let them shine, once you've done this, your life has truly begun.




Thanks!

www.margyreidbooks.com

Fifty Shades Of Controversy

Yup, it's still winter, still cold, still snowy......nuff said......aaaaaand moving on................




Hi!



Have you ever noticed, that in social media,  tv news, and many other sources from which we gather our information, "controversy" usually stems from things that really shouldn't hold actual controversy in any real sense of the word?


It seems to me that a lot of things labelled as "controversial" really aren't, if given a bit more thought. To me, in order to have real controversy, both sides of the scenario being disagreed upon need to have validity.


For instance, when it is discovered that someone in authority, has abused their power to molest, persecute, bully, or to perpetrate some other equally horrible thing, this is not "controversy." Controversy requires two opposing sides. I don't think anyone is "for" this kind of crap. At least I hope not.



I think the confusion comes in when judgement and opinion are inserted, replacing solid stance.

A case in point ..........


There has been much ado about the movie "Fifty Shades of Grey."  It has been labelled controversial because it is perceived, by some, to promote violence against women.

Well, my hubby and I went to see it for ourselves, and here is what I came away with............


First, let me make it very clear that this is not a movie I would like to sit and watch with my Mom....

yeah....no.....


It is pretty explicit in places, and no, it doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination.

But, as I sat and watched, I didn't see anything that I would perceive as particularly sexy. On the screen, what I saw unfold was a story of a broken young man who was sexually abused as a child, and a very naive college graduate, both of them intrigued, confused and frightened by what they were discovering about each other and within themselves.

I discovered nothing that "promoted" violence against women. If there was a point made in that realm, I would say it was more toward empowerment, as she decides her fate. In this story, "no" still means "no", and nothing is done without consent.

If there is to be an argument made about the media and the glorification of violence against women, you should check out some old westerns, and in real life, maybe some court cases, where domestic violence, rape, or child abuse is concerned. Sentencing, when it gets that far, is a joke.


Although this was far from the best movie I have ever seen, it's also far from the worst. Oddly, it's merit, or lack thereof, has nothing to do with it's sexual content whatsoever. Go figure.

So before you pass judgement, or form an opinion, please see the movie, or read the books. If you don't like it, or choose to pass, that is fine, you are entitled to your own tastes. But please, don't label food you have neither tasted, nor made, so there is no way you could possibly know the ingredients from which it's produced.


And that is simply my opinion, worth no more or less than that of anyone else.




Soooooooooooooooo.........................



The past week has been pretty productive........

Got some work done at the shop, where things remain, thankfully, very busy...........

I was able to put the finishing touches on the prologue of the novel I'm working on, and get some mapping done for upcoming chapters..............


I was able to make some headway on "Flitflee"............

I'm still finding it pretty challenging to write both simultaneously......working on that..........


I was able to sneak in some quick grandbaby snuggles.............

Killed some dust bunnies......did laundry.....and other glamorous things.......


As for the upcoming days.............


Having company for supper tomorrow night..........

Watch the Oscars.....................

Go to work at the shop............

Squeeze grandbabies..........................

Put some more meat on the bones of the books I'm writing......................


Should be a good week!!!!!



So that about does it for me for another week!


Thank you all for taking the time to read these ramblings each week. It never seizes to amaze me, and I'm forever grateful for your support.


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



May understanding settle in, helping differentiate, perception from fact.
May judgement of what is not known be avoided, as ignorance should motivate no act.

May we see our beliefs as that, ours, content to appreciate that others may not agree.
May we accept that this does not make them "wrong", it simply means, like ours, their will is free.

May it simply be accepted that we all have our own road to travel, our own rhythm in which to live.
May we see that ours is no better or worse than those of others, just different, acceptance is ours to give.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!



The holiday of romance is once again upon us.

If you are in a relationship, casual, committed, or some combination thereof, this day brings with it pressure.



Hell, even if you're single the pressure is there.

Single- pressured to find your "soul mate"

Casual- pressure to make it committed

Committed - pressure to make it "perfect"


As someone who has been in a committed relationship with the same person going on 30 years, my entire adult life, I offer this..............

Don't buy into the crap.


First..."perfect" doesn't exist, and no amount of Hollywood romantic comedies will ever change that.

Relationships are life. They are messy, they have crap storms, they involve imperfect people. Expecting a perfect relationship to somehow sprout from imperfect people is just crazy.

Let's move on to "commitment.".......commitment should never feel forced. It needs to be organic, feel natural. It's never good for it to be prefaced with "we should".  It's one of the few times in life you don't really have to make a conscious decision. Your heart and your instincts tend to make it for you before your brain has a chance to catch up. Once you are at a place to make the cognitive choice, you discover  your heart beat you to the punch long before.


Now, as for finding your "soul mate"........................ I believe deeply that there are special people brought in to our lives. People we share levels of connection we simply don't share with others. I think "soul mate" is one way of phrasing it, kindred spirit, may be another. I don't think these people are limited to the one you "fall in love" with. I know I, for one, have a few "soul mates."

I think we all do... you know them when you meet them. You know, those people you meet for the first time and it feels like you've known each other for years. Brother from another mother..sister from another mister.....those people. Soul mates....absolutely.

So for those in search of your "soul mate", chances are, at least a few have come across your path already. As for the one you will fall in love with, I really believe that they will come into focus when you are ready for them, and they are ready for you, and not a minute sooner.


That being said, celebrate! This Valentine's Day, celebrate! Celebrate being single! Celebrate a newly found friend! Celebrate the one you love! Celebrate the one you fell in love with, and will continue to love until your last breath. Celebrate!


As for this past week......................


Things are moving along quite well at the shop, busy, but not crazy.........

The books I'm working on are coming along, a little slower than I'd like, but coming along.

Wedding plans are moving along.....a daughter who is also an organized bride doesn't hurt a bit.....

All in all a great week!......


As for the upcoming week..............


Date night with the hubby....always a lot of fun...........

Long weekend shananigans....you just never know.............

Working at the shop...........

Writing...writing....writing...........



Aaaaannnddd that about does it for another week....

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



May your day be filled with love, celebration, joy, pure bliss.
May you participate whole-heartedly, for if you don't, such fun you'll miss.

May romance fill the night, making this a date night extraordinaire.
May it be a night of beautiful surprises, an evening without worry, without a care.

May you enjoy every minute, every second, every breath, every flash of a flirty smile.
May you enjoy, whether the first timid steps, or the comfort of tried and true love, it's all completely worthwhile.


Until Next Time.........


www.margyreidbooks.com