HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE GIRL

My favorite girl in the world with her son

Well, 31 years ago tonight at 11:30 pm the little girl I always wanted was born. I was young and thought I could do it all - two kids, single, a job and life lay out in front of me. The future was something I looked forward to and my little girl and her older brother were the center of my life.

They still are. When we think that our work will be over when they get to be adults and parents themselves, it is quite a big surprise to discover you still worry just as much or more (life experience gives you more reasons to worry)! Not only do you live daily thinking about your own children, you also worry and wonder about their children. No one warned me about that one. I certainly never saw myself as a "Jewish mother" worrier but I am becoming my grandmother. Good lord.

When I visit Seattle we are up and out of the house before noon and on the run all day - berry picking, parks, zoo, shopping; keep those kids entertained and busy all day long no matter what the weather. I come back home and need to rest up from all the activity I experience with grandchildren who like to DO things - outside - away from the house - NO sitting allowed. I lose weight with every visit. We have so much fun!!

How did my two survive? Going to the park was a special event not a daily routine. Maybe it's my fault they go go go so much. Maybe if she was in therapy, my daughter would say it's all my fault she feels claustrophobic being in the house all day. If only I had been outside more she could relax and stay at home more. Oh well, they seem well adjusted adults with great marriages, and no matter how hard we work at being great parents we are bound to fail at something. At least one thing is going to be our fault no matter what. Just go with it. Enjoy your children for who and what they are and take credit for the best in them and blame their friends what what you dont like.

I wouldn't trade my life with anyone - even if I'm not rich - I'm not poor either, and have been blessed with my children, grandchildren and a husband I adore. Life is good, and birthdays are the perfect time to remember that.

As always...I'm Dreaming in Colors

Tiptoe through the tulips with me.....

I just returned from a wonderful trip home to spend time with the kids and get a dose of Green. The weather showed off with temps in the mid 80's and Seattle did it's best to make me long to be back where my heart belongs. It was an eventful weekend with the opening of the tulip feastival in Mt. Vernon and the Green Fest in Seattle. I was in heaven.

We hit Greenlake park on the way from the airport to the house and EQ showed me how much she can do now. I was terrified as she climbed the steps of the slide and came down like a big girl. She showed me how to dig in the sand and loved having her legs buried. We both had such a good time. She was so happy to see me and remembered I was one of the good guys.

On Saturday we wanted to head North for shopping and tulips.We started with the outlet mall in Tulalip which turned out to be shopping vervana. I have never seen an outlet with so much~ We all shopped to exhaustion. Then we headed further North to the tulip fields where all we could see was yellow from daffodiles everywhere. It was a sea of yellow. The weather had been too cold for the tulips, which decided to stay closed until this week. I love daffodiles though and enjoyed seeing all the fields at the base of mountains. The sights are unbelievable. We took EQ there last year when she was only 6 months old, and this year she was walking and running! Her mother decked her out in an adorable Laura Ashley dress and we were ready for the pictures to start. EQ wasn't having it. The fields, unfortunately for her, are made of dirt, and she and dirt aren't friends. She was quite unhappy having to stand and look sweet when all around her were strangers and dirt. It was a riot. Then AR of course had to sleep through the whole event.

The next day we went to the Green Festival in Seattle. It was terrific and we learned and saw so much! I try to do as much as possible to leave a small carbon footprint, but living in the SW it's hard to know if I'm on the right track. Sundance and their green programing leaves me feeling like such a failure sometimes, so seeing I was doing a pretty good job made me so proud. I have changed all my lightbulbs, inside and out to low energy, I have a front loading washer and hang my clothes out to dry, and use as little water as possible in my garden. If it would ever rain I could cut back even further on the watering. My next house will be 90-95% green inside and out. We discovered several great green clothingdesigners,(www.textureclothing.com and www.smallaxeclothing.com) from the NW, and a new social website dedicated to green folks called Greeniacs and there was vegan food and great music. EQ took advantage of the music and danced and flirted with the bass player. (Who flirted back ). We had a great time and learned a lot.

It was nice to be with family and play with kids again. When I'm here in the SW I work too much and laugh too little. Being around the little ones and my kids makes for a lot of laughter, love and snuggles.

In an effort to give back and open my horizons I have become a volunteer Wise Elder with the Elder Wisdom group and have offered advice to several people. I've lived a pretty colorful life and love sharing what I've learned with younger peeople. I certainly don't feel elderly, but have learned a few things along the road to where I am now and people seem to appreciate what I have to say. I also got my first 'bulk' order on Etsy for my Obama shirts. Yippee. I love him. I want his vision for the United States to come to fruition. We need a major change and for me he answers all my hopes and dreams for what we can be as a nation.

Well, that's it for now. As always....

Dreaming in Colors

Hannah