Throw back Thursday...The year my Perm went really wrong!

When I was young I had straight blond hair.  But what I really wanted was curly hair. Spiral curly hair.

I'm not sure if this is a perm that got my hair curly or if this was a night spent with my hair tied up in rags.  Yes I would do anything to have curly hair.

So at the end of my junior year in high school I went and got a perm....I dreamed of spiraling curls and I got Puff head!  Kinky tight puffy curls.  I spent hours and hours in the shower with conditioner trying desperately to tame those curls.  This photo looks good, but this was a bit after the perm...That is one funny thing I remember about high school...My really bad perm!

Now my hair it curls all on it's own.  Just the way I like it.  Not too much, just right.  Perhaps deep down I always knew my hair was supposed to be a certain way, and I couldn't wait for it to be that way on its own.
Happy Thursday.
G.G.

New plants for my Garden....

I've been trying some new plants in my garden this year.  Here is one of them.  Unfortunately I lost the little marker that comes with it to tell me what it is... So I'll be searching the garden books to figure it out.  The other sad thing is that I can't find any more at the garden stores....and I like this little plant.  It is perfect for the front of my garden.  It is small, and pretty and keeps on blooming.  I love it!

This is a Portulaca.  It is another small plant for the front of my garden.  it has a bunch of different colored flowers.

I like the different colors.  So I hope these little plants will survive.  I'm trying to find plants that don't require much water, and like a lot of sun.

My new Carnation plant.  I love Carnations.

I like all these little plants.  I look forward to seeing how they do this summer.

This is the book that I need to buy....Or take out of the library over and over again.
Happy gardening.
G.G.

I've Gone Seed Crazy This Year......

Every time I go to the store I buy a packet of seeds or two or three...OK maybe it's four because they have these buy one get one 1/2 off deals...which I know isn't really the greatest deal...but please it's just seeds.

The photo's on the seed packets they call to me...Look...Your garden could look like this...You could have these flowers...They are so pretty!    So I take a few seeds home and put them aside for a day when I can plant them.

I'm reading this garden book, and the author talks about how seeds are little living organisms..  She list all the things you are supposed to do with the seeds once you buy them....Things I've never done...and have no time to do.  In New Jersey I just opened the packets and threw the seeds into the garden.  Then watched and waited for them to grow.  Everything grew in that garden....My father would say it was because of all the toxic chemicals in New Jersey...He didn't like New Jersey...I hadn't ever really thought of seeds as living organisms before... Maybe that is why my cat wants to attack the packets.  There is something living in here...I'm going to get it....

I think what she likes is the rattling noise the seeds make in the packets.  She is such a helpful garden companion.

This year I have been using the little Jiffy green house starter kits to grow seeds.  Because I don't have much luck getting seeds to grow in my Utah garden.  I throw seeds out there and nothing comes up..Perhaps the New Jersey soil was toxic...or maybe it was full of all the good things seeds need to grow... The one thing I've learned so far is don't put different seeds in the same green house, they don't germinate at the same time and that causes problems.

Add warm water to the tray, and the pelts magically grow...

Is this a treat...Milk?? Just water! It is fun to watch my cat investigate all that I'm doing...

Put the seeds in, it says to put three seeds int each little section, I put one in, because I hate having to kill the little seedlings when they all come up...And you are supposed only keep one of the three... Makes me think of the song "Faith is like a little seed....if planted it will grow."

Put the cover on, place in a warm sunny spot and wait.....Wait.....Wait......

A few days or weeks later...Seedlings....Take the cover off and wait....Wait...Wait....

Baby plants...My bedroom window sill is now a home to many baby plants waiting for the perfect time to be put into the garden.  I'm nervous about this next step, taking the plants out and putting them in the garden.  Will they survive?  Or will they die?  I could have a really great garden or a garden catastrophe!  We will see.

My husband thankfully has been very tolerant of my garden craziness.  I'm not sure what he is going to do when there are more little baby plant cups in the bathroom window, and along the kitchen window, and the dining area window.  I still have lots more seeds to plant...
Happy Gardening.
G.G.

Things I want to do this year......

I have been writing down my goals for this year...I didn't want to call them resolutions...I was going to call it my "Bucket List"  until I Goggled "Bucket List"  and found out that is the list of things you want to do before you die...And I'm hoping I don't die this year.  So it's become my Yearly to do list....

1. I want to go on a trip to New Jersey and Vermont with my husband and children.  This will be our last family vacation together.  My son graduates next year...How can that be???  Any other trips will either be my husband going to New Jersey or Me going to Vermont.
On this trip I have photo's that I want to get.  I want a photo like the one above of my children looking out at the ocean, and one of my husband and I looking out at the ocean. 

I want to get a photo of my family at Bowlby Street in Hampton New Jersey.  I think we may have one of us when the kids were little.
I want to go to all our favorite New Jersey places: Pizza Brothers, As You Like It Ice Cream store, Gee Gee's Pizza place, Carlsons Corner.  I hope to get a few family photo's too.

 I want to go to Dukes Island park, and walk the trails, feed the fish and turtles, and have a picnic.

I want to walk down the streets of our old neighborhood.  And visit with friends and family.

Then we are going to drive to Vermont....Re-live the 7 hour yearly drive and visit my parents and possibly go

Camping in Maine and tube down the freezing river.  We also want to walk the rabbit track trail, and do the big walking loop with my mom.  And I hope to see some old friends...
2.

I want to visit gardens...First on the list is the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival.  So please let next weekend be nice!
I also want to garden more...It's my Retail Therapy.
3. Read lots of books and share with you all my favorites
4. Continue to write about my Retail Reality...It's a form of therapy to me...
5.

Continue to do family history.  This year I have been collecting tomb stone photos.  It's amazing how many people take photo's of tomb stones and share them.  I can hear my father..."Still playing with the dead people"....
I also want to teach my children how to do family history.  And share the stories I've found with them.

6.  I want to actually learn how to cook and use these cook books...I am looking for fast,simple, meals for a crazy life...I hope to share the recipes that my family actually likes or I find super easy to make....
7.  EVERY DAY,  EVERY DAY,  EVERY DAY....This is one thing I remember about conference...I want to read my scriptures every day!  I'm doing pretty good too.

8. Get back to going to the Temple weekly....After my father in law passed away it seems as if life became crazy, and catching up and regaining my balance has been a struggle.   I need to get back and hope to get back soon.
9.  Figure out my Peri-menopause problems.... May 6th is my doctor appointment...

10.  Put more Romance in my life....Not that it was lacking but more can't hurt can it??  I'm always trying to find new and fun ways to connect with my husband...One thing we do is have a lunch date at least once a month.
11. Do simple act's of service.  I make cards from my flower photo's and send them to people who need a little pick me up.  If you know of someone who would like a pretty card let me know.
12.

And one silly thing...Find the perfect lip stick color...I want to do a blog... # 50 Shades of pink, berry, and red...This Tomboys search for the perfect lip stick.... I've already started a collection....
I hope to share my adventures with you.... What things do you want to do this year??
G.G.

# Throw Back Thursday....The day I took my Daughter to work....

A friend on facebook posted a photo of her child helping her at work for take your child to work day.  It reminded my of the year I took my daughter to work with me.   I think my daughter thought my job back then was pretty cool.  I was the Library Assistant for her school.  We got to see each other everyday and I got to take her home when school ended which made her very happy, because like all kids she hated riding on the bus.  When take your child to school day came along she was so excited to come to work with me.
She got to check out books, and help put books away.  She had a great time.

It was wonderful to have a job that I could take my daughter to that she thought was cool.  I don't think I'd get a thumbs up happy photo of her if I took her to my job.  I don't think she really understands that my new job is a lot of work and some days can be very stressful.   I know she doesn't think my job is that important.  Keeping people in clothing is not as important as being a doctor, nurse, or other jobs.  I hope someday she looks back and realizes that my not so important job paid for her to do a lot of things.  Like Karate, and book shopping trips, and allowed us to have health and dental insurance.. Keeping people in fashionable clothing might not be that important to her, but it does pay the bills.  I am happy that I had the few years in the Library.  I loved working in a well organized place, every book had it's place and it didn't change from week to week.  Clothing has a place for about a week and then it's place changes.  I'm glad my daughter and I had time together because of the Library job too.  It is hard to believe this was 5 years ago...and yet it seems like a very distant but lovely memory.
Can you believe it is already Thursday?? Seems like I blink and another week goes by.
Have a great Thursday!
G.G.

#TBT...The year the skunk came before school photo day......

     Spring and Skunks coming out and spraying and getting hit on the road all remind me of one thing....
The year the cat and the skunk got into a fight in our basement.  I was in second grade and it was the night before school photos.  Woken up by my parents to the most horrible smell in the world...at least that is my thought.  We left our house and went to one of my  mom's friends houses....If I remember correctly.
The photo above is the the result of the spraying skunk.  A not so great looking school photo.  I also realize as I look at this photo, that I have no front teeth.  In my mind I always thought the photo was much worse, looking at it now I think despite it all I still look pretty cute!
     My husband for whatever strange reason is not bothered too much by the smell of skunk....and knowing I am whenever we pass by a smelly skunk place he takes a deep breath in, while I hold my breath for dear life.  Ugh skunk smell !  He laughs and I remember the night of the skunk! 
Happy Thursday.
G.G.

Throw Back Thursday....Easter through the years.....

Easter the time of year you dress up all fancy for church, get together with family for a big meal, and hunt for Easter eggs.  Here is a photo of my husband when he was young ready to go to church.  Of course they let him play outside on his new tricycle and he ruined his church shoes.

When we lived in New Jersey we would alternate which family we visited for Easter.  One year was spent in New Jersey with my Husbands family, and One year we would make the long drive to Vermont and visit my family.  This photo is of one of the Vermont years, they still had snow and were headed into Mud Season.  The kids loved the mud.

The Easters in New Jersey were almost as big as Christmas, ton's of eggs to find, toys, and lots of food to eat.

It was fun to watch the older cousins help my kids find the hidden eggs.

It's hard to believe my kids have grown out of the egg hunt stage...It was such fun.

I think this year in Vermont they asked "Is Bubba the Easter Bunny?"  Looks like it was still pretty cold in Vermont that year.

The brave Grandparents introducing young kids to the art of dying Easter Eggs...What great memories.

Looks like someone has found a lot of eggs.... Living far away from our families we have new Easter traditions.  We go down town to Salt Lake City and walk around the gardens at Temple square.  I'm not sure if we will do it this year though as Conference falls on Easter this year.  There may be way too many people there.  We will miss our Easter with family this year.  Can't wait to visit them all this summer.
Happy Thursday.
G.G.

I'm Almost 43 or 44 and Pregnant.....NOT..... THANK GOD!

Here it is....the test I took last week after being late for over a week....I didn't think I was pregnant...but there is always that chance that your birth control method did not work and since I'm the type that worries a little too much, I took a test so I would know for sure that I wasn't. (plus when you call the doctors office that's the first thing they ask you)  As I thought of making this blog post April 1st seemed the best day to actually publish.... I mean either way what a good joke...Oh and Pregnancy tests are so different from 17 years ago...they count down to the answer....all digital....I also have to say...I felt a little silly buying a pregnancy test...I should have 1. worn my wedding ring ( I take mine off at night as it bothers me when sleeping and often forget to put it back on) 2. gone through the self check out line...I went through the regular line and then had the little old lady cashier staring at me and the little old man behind me...I felt almost like a teenager again.....I actually hid the test under stuff encase anyone I knew happened to be in the store...I didn't want to have to explain it all.... I'm so silly!

Of course my Fur Baby had to help me....( Cat's just don't understand privacy....) I have to say even at almost 43 or 44 I can't keep track of my age the thought of becoming pregnant is not something that I really want to even have to think about...  And after a week of being late, I was thinking of all the problems a baby would cause to my life because the children I have are about to fly out of the nest so to speak.... and I have dreams of what I want to do with the rest of my life...And a baby is not that dream....

I saw this statement on a friends Facebook page yesterday and replied there are worse things than a period.  That worse thing is a body that has hormones that are out of balance.  I have had issues with this since I was 35 and can tell you it is no fun.  A little over a year ago I missed my period, missed it for 2 months.  While those two months were wonderful... (who doesn't want to not have a period and not be pregnant,) I knew something was wrong and that I needed to go to the doctors, but I thought, any day my period will start.....And then I learned what it was like to have the never ending period.  Let me tell you if you get your period every month be happy.  You never want a never ending period.....That is no fun....Absolutely no fun......( I knew what the woman with an issue of blood felt like...and wished the Savior was there for me to touch!) I was talking about this issue with a friend and she said, I had two this month....I said maybe you had mine for me thanks! 
I now have a doctors appointment, because Peri-Menopause HATES me....I'm sure I'm growing some kind of ovarian cyst....I hope to find some other treatment than birth control pills because I HATE them...(thus the reason I'm in this state again, because I decided to stop taking them, let my prescription run out...and ignored that fact that I hadn't been to the OB/GYN  in awhile... Can you blame me?? does anyone like to see them?? especially someone like me who always gets sent for ultra sounds and the violating wand thing...) ..my life is one of those where no day is exactly the same and taking medication at the same time is something I just can't figure out....

This is the biggest I want my family to be...and most likely that is how big it will stay...My husband well.. he I think would be all for a baby, I watch him at church just playing with every little child there is.. He even joked about us being like "Sarah and Abraham" in the bible having the late in life child. But to me another child is more work than I want ,sleepless nights, losing my identity again....I'm not the person I was 17 years ago, the young woman who wanted babies and wanted to stay home...I feel for those women who have what I have and want children because every missed period to them is the possibility of a bigger family...for me it is not that....Well what a way to bring in April fools day....My body out of balance and thinking "OH MY GOD I MIGHT BE PREGNANT....THANK YOU GOD THAT I'M NOT...... Did you fall off your chair at first...when I sent an e-mail to my mom she said she did.
Do you have any Peri-Menopause horror stories???
Have a great April Fools day!
G.G.