Random Wednesday Thoughts

I found this purse years ago at a Ross or Marshal's or some place like that, a close-out store. I love it and haven't given it up even with worn handles. :-) things I love: boxiness, redness, simpleness, timelessness. It makes me happy to use it and look at it, to have a splash of bold color. 

Is it efficient in holding all my necessities? No. Do I mind? No. That is what the laptop bag and/or the lunch bag is for...

And next in my ramblings is my fondness to plant things from seed. It's because in elementary school I read Johnny Appleseed and from then on, I wanted to plant seeds everywhere or in every pot I could find. Just to see if they'd make it. These are two of about ten that I got from a lime I used for guacamole several weeks ago. :-) my first try at it months ago went well but then we were away for a trip and it got too dry. This is my drip system - couple of ice cubes every other day or if I drop any on the floor. 

The mini-mint in the background is from a bundle given to me by sweet friends at market. I didn't have time to use it all up so I kept it in water to prolong its longevity. It smells wonderful. I think I've had this one 3-4 months now. I should put it in soil. 

Señor Pouty-Pants

I suppose he didn't want us to leave him after getting a morning together the day before. He makes me laugh every day. 

Figgies...mmm

Today I finally tried a fig, honey and yogurt treat I saw last week in one of my various recipes email. It was so yummy we can't wait to try my next one - Brie, comb honey and figs. Okay. I must stop procrastinating. I really must blog to the bee blog!!!

Birthday

Yesterday was Mom's birthday. I missed her yesterday but then again I miss her everyday. All my siblings were sending reminders. Not sure if Mom ever had figs but I offered some fresh ones from market yesterday. :-) I love walking up the sidewalk and seeing her Jade and Bong Mai plants doing so well in their new spot. Makes me smile and hopeful that I can keep bits of her with me for as long as possible. 

I Almost Forgot...

...how much I enjoy writing just for me. And I almost forgot how important it is for me to write for pleasure and not because I feel I should (for the business and such). Anyway, we are still on the go and while Blogger mobile was not great for me in the past, I'm going to give it another try now. I also am now primary owner of the Pearl Farmers Mkt Tumblr page. Should be a good learning experience. Of course that means I set up accounts for myself and GBR for practice. And while I was at it I set up a Pinterest account for GBR. I'm going to debut them once I have more content. :-) I think I may get social media'ed out one day soon. But not today. 

This is what I'd like to be doing - chilling out but not all distorted like the Smokes. 

Hi 2013

The bad thing about coming back to La China is that I see my mom pictures and it makes me miss her terribly although I think of her every single day. I think I have been avoiding La China. I'll try and be better. :)

I picked this shamrock to snap when I saw it outside our front door in one of the flower beds I need to cultivate. It reminded me of Mom's shamrocks though her blooms were white. And always abundantly blooming.

Kindness

I am often blown away by the thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity of others. To think of others is wonderful. A kind act, no matter how small it may seem to you, can be tremendous and reassuring to others. That's how I strive to be each day - thoughtful of others. Okay in all honesty, I fail miserably some days. So I try to be as thoughtful as possible to those in my life and then if I can, I try to reach beyond my little circle of life. A smile. A hello. A hug for someone who is down. A little note to tell someone they are awesome. Stopping instead of breezing by when you ask someone how they are and they say, "Not so great." These are things we can do and it's so easy and costs nothing but a few seconds, maybe a few minutes, of our whole, entire, long life. But think what it does for the other person. I have been fortunate in my life. I have family and friends who love me for me and nurture the silly, crazy, click-happy me that bubbles up each morning. I have people who notice that if they don't hear me, then something must be up. I have so much I want to do and even when I'm pooped, I think how nice it is to have the freedom to do so much - anything really. I try not to take these things for granted and I relish each person, each activity, each minute. One day I won't be able to do that so I'd rather go to sleep exhausted than being bored in life. Not sure how anyone can be bored in life but people say that quite often.

Here are two examples of people making the extra effort in life when they didn't have to and in the total span of perhaps minutes in their lives, they made a huge impact on me.

Last weekend at the Come & Take It Festival, a customer (Anne) saw my Think Pink bracelet and chose to pay cash rather than by credit so that we could keep all the money for GBR. I told her she didn't have to do that but she told me she is a breast cancer survivor and she wanted to support us so I told her my sister had been diagnosed with it and we shared a few minutes with each other in supoort of Thuy. Anne came back later that day and she came behind the tables to put a necklace on me that she had bought with Thuy and me in mind. I was so touched and I will never forget Ann and the time she took out of her day to talk with me and to bring me this gift.

And yesterday a good friend told us he bought a pillow with my sister in mind. What touches me is that these two people don't even know Thuy but they think about her. They pray for her. And I am so incredibly moved by the goodness of those actions. It fills me with hope in a world where the negative things are in the forefront of media so much. Too much. So I'm tuning in to my own channel where 95% of the news is good. Or better than good, even.

Moody Monday & Mom Memories

It is a cloudy Monday and a little chilly. Nice to some people like me, but makes some people sort of moody I am noticing today. So that made me think I wanted to write. I love everyday! You never know if you'll have another one so you don't want to waste time being negative, right? I know it's hard to always look for the positive in things that happen because it's hard. I wonder why it is in our nature to the let negative things in life impact us so much more and sometimes so much longer. I don't have the answer to that. All I can say is that I am trying my best to embrace life and be as positive as possible for myself and those around me. It's not that I dwell on the thought of dying or losing others. I don't let it consume me. But I do recognize that it happens. And it happens real close. And then you don't have another chance to tell someone something. You don't have a chance to call them when you think about them even when you don't call as often as you should. You don't get to tell them again how awesome they are for knowing exactly what to cook you when you need a lift. You don't get to try and make them laugh when they are angry because they had a fight with someone. You don't get to talk about and thank them for doing the fun but naughty things in life when you were younger - like picking you up early from school because you were ahead in all your school work. And you certainly don't get to thank them for the incredible green thumb they have or for the lovely rose they leave next to your bed when you come home from college. Oh my gosh - those are just some of the things I am thinking about as I am missing my mom. And sometimes, she'd do something just when I needed a pick-me-up or some help and I'd ask her, "How did you know, mommy?" She'd look at me and turn her head to the side a little and she'd smile and say in her cute accented English, "I know." On several occasions, she'd say to me, "Con là con mẹ. Tất nhiên mẹ biết những gì con cần." You're my child; of course I know what you need. :) Sometimes I sit and allow myself to just hear those words and that voice. I miss it. Sometimes a lot if I just let myself be immersed in it. It's still weird to realize Mom is gone. It's been five months now and it still an odd realization.

I like this picture because I was always her sous chef once my older sisters went off to college. This was last December when we went home to visit them in Florida. I'm glad she still felt like doing a little cooking because I know it made her happy.



I like this shot of her hand because it makes me think of two things she often told me:
1. I needed to take better care of my hands because they look like field worker hands and no man wants to marry a girl with rough hands.
2. I need to also watch it with my tomboy ways (when I was young in NC). My bloody elbows and knees will NOT attract a husband. I liked tree climbing and biking and I always had a bloody knee or elbow. :)

Random Thoughts from La China

Hi there. Sorry it's been so crazy busy that I haven't blogged. But here I am again. Because I love to write. And I have a lot to say. :)

RT #1: Fresh eggs from friends and the Pearl vendors are way better. They just taste better and they last longer. I love them.



RT#2: The Working Wonder Twins have now separated into two separate offices. Feels a little weird and I do miss my office mate but I am excited to have my own space in which to do my crafty stuff. Without having to put it away at night. Heck, just having a space for everything is awesome!



RT #3: Haha - a honey bee doing stomach crunches!

Random Thoughts

RT #1
This pair of flip flops is perhaps one of THE most comfortable shoes I have ever bought. Yay! See? You know it's got to be really comfortable for me to make that my first random thought to share. The straps on the flippies are a soft fabric so they rest gently on top of your feet. And cute. Very cute. And just so we're clear, I was on my lunch break so it's okay that I kicked up my feet for a bit. :)



RT #2
All the technology we have is great but often I find that I still like my handwritten lists. There's something satisfying about seeing it all written right there on the paper. And I like that you can stash it in your pocket and then reach for it whenever you want. And if I don't have paper? Yep. I still write on my hand. Remember when you were younger and you'd get in trouble for writing on your hands? I do. And I still get told by some people that I should NOT do that. I don't know why it's a big deal. Maybe because it's like tattooing? Not sure on that.



By the way, that's delicious pineapple icing lemon cupcake a coworker made for a birthday celebration. Pretty and yummy.



RT #3
This is actually an air freshener that was gifted to me. I didn't even peel off the cover because it's coconut and vanilla - an interesting mix of scents. I got to pick it out among a wide selection at Bath & Body Works and while ladybugs and flowers and frogs were adorable, there was just something so sweet about Birdy with her cute little bow. I like having her right above me and she makes me happy when I look at her. I think I may go buy a few more of those little cuties and give them to people in need of a smile.



RT #4
When I saw this cool turtle (you know I love turtles), I automatically wanted a picture and then I automatically got on it. Does that happen to you or is it just me? Maybe it's just me. That reminds me of when I sat on the Boteros at the library. There was just something about the sculptures that just called to me to sit on them.

Missing My Mom

Everyday I miss her. It's not that I used to call her everyday and now I can't. It's just that I used to be able to and now I'm not. Since I last wrote here, my mom passed away and I have a million things to write and yet I am all muddled. So much happened since the moment we found out we needed to go to Florida to be with the family. Maybe I will feel like writing more tomorrow. I thought I felt it now, but I don't.

And sometimes, when I think, oh I've done pretty well today. Only a few cries...along comes pictures or a card or a bouquet of flowers she would have loved. And then that feeling of missing her is so fresh.

Two Things I Don't Understand This Morning

I'm all for continuous improvement and I am an IT person by trade in my other life away from GBR, but I don't understand the constant changes applied to FB. I love FB but I sometimes just don't understand their updating schedule.

Secondly, who on Earth does not "get" the whole "666" connotation? We applied for a bee brand with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service out of A&M land and they gave us a number that ends with "666" and then they didn't understand why we wanted something different. Do you?? Would you want that on every single hive you have? In pictures? At trade shows if we take a hive for display?

On a happier note, happy Friday! Have had a great time with Tuan and family here. Wish it was for longer and that Tuan lived closer. Too much to do and say and see. Not enough time. I sure love him.

Easter Munching

Happy spring this year - rain has made our countryside quite lovely and the weather is pretty perfect right now. We enjoyed a lovely three-day weekend that flew by and now Friday seems like a distant memory. I had a great time filling Mark's Easter basket up with treats from Lily's Cookies and Godiva. Went with that this year and he's sweet enough to share. I got a lovely spring bouquet delivered Saturday morning as I readied the bee suits for students. What a great surprise. Of course the ladies thought it sweet but assumed it was our anniversary or my birthday. They thought it extra sweet when I said it was neither. :)

Random Thoughts to Kick Off April

Holy cow, it's April!!?!?!! What the heck am I in, a fast-forwarded time continuum? If you actually know about time continuum, please don't leave me comments about how I used this incorrectly. The rest of us know what I mean. I think. Thanks!

RT #1
I'm about to sound old but I can't believe how much memory you can get onto this cute little itty bitty stick. I remember when I bought a 1G stick for Mark about four years ago and it cost a little over $100. Yes. True. And now? 4 mobile gigs can be had for as little as $30 on sale. Wow.