Tag Archives: #grandparents
From the Lady Cave: Sharing a Fabulous Book List
I am sharing this book list, partly for selfish reasons (I need to add a few to my TBR 😁) and to hopefully inspire someone else to read some of these.
I am incredibly Thankful for alot of things, people and situations that got me to this point in my life.
Can’t think of a better day to share this than on Thanksgiving Day, which happens to also be my Birthday ❣
Enjoy every minute my friends, make it count!
Here is a link to a post from The Orang-utan Librarian, she has the best lists: https://wp.me/p6boOO-4Ht
So, we don’t have Thanksgiving here in the UK, but that doesn’t mean I can’t share some BOOKISH GRATITUDE! I tried to narrow this down to books that have a special place in my heart or that came into my life at exactly the right time (although of course, most great books feel like that, simply by virtue of being great 😉). Annnd I’m gonna be honest, I ended up with a very different post to the one I started with, because I took out anything too dark. I think I just prefer this to be a *happy place*. Without further ado, here are some of the books I’m most grateful for:
Harry Potter– starting way back when I was 7- this was the first big book I ever read and I will always be thankful that it made me the reader I am today. Yes, I am a stereotypical millennial reader and proud of it 😉
The Hobbit– aside from being mythologically rich and having wonderful characters, this book gave me my love of fantasy- how could I not include it?
Peter Pan– this is another childhood favourite and I’d feel remiss not to include it, especially given how often it inspired me to practice flying as a child 😉 (granted, I never actually achieved my goal, but not for want of trying 😉)
Rebecca– this book always reminds me of my mum, cos it’s her favourite. And I’m always glad that she foisted her favourites on me!
The Idiot– I originally felt like I had no special reason for including this one, but whenever I think about books that have shaped me, this springs to mind. I read this at about thirteen and it just clicked. Not only did it start a lifelong love of Dostoevsky, it taught me so many valuable lessons that I carry with me to this day.
Emma– okay, quick confession, I’d already read Pride and Prejudice when I read this and I think I was too young to get the irony. I’m really happy I read this book, because it unlocked Austen’s humour for me. I ended up rereading Pride and Prejudice shortly after and loved it the second time round! (which was lucky, cos I was set it for school). Then, of course, I read all the others and have never looked back!
Dr Faustus– it just lit up my brain at exactly the right moment- yes I am enough of a dork to include academic inspiration on this list.
Man’s Search for Meaning– part autobiography, part exploration of logotherapy, Frankl’s book may seem a bit heavy on the surface. However, it’s actually the most uplifting book I’ve ever read and my brother was a hundred percent right about getting me to read it!
Mort– I *needed* this book in my life- I just didn’t know it. Fortunately, a couple of my friends did know that I needed to read this and pushed me into it… and I couldn’t be happier that they did! Plus, one of my friends knew exactly which Pratchett to get me started on. So I know you’re not reading this, but thank you.
Vicious– fun fact, I was giving blood for the first time when I read this- and it was the *perfect* distraction! It was simply too brilliant! You simply can’t pay attention to anything else going on when you’ve got Schwab for company! (also, guys, give blood- it’s a great excuse to sit and read and you get free biscuits 😉 )
Grey Sister– ah this is just a pleasure to put on the list. I was in a horrible slump a couple of summers ago and trying to deal with big life changes- this gave me a welcome distraction for a few hours- which I was immensely grateful for, I can tell you!
Carry On– I can’t stop being thankful for this magical book- because it has the power to pull me out of any slump and give me all the *warm fuzzies*!
That was fun- I feel like I should steal more traditions from across the Pond 😉 Hope all my American friends have a Happy Thanksgiving! (and if it’s not to late, the same to all you lovely Canadians!) And, I’m curious, what books are you most grateful for? Let me know in the comments!
From the Lady Cave: Just Do It!
I am speaking from my own personal experience and hindsight.
I’ve often said “Be like Nike; Just Do It!”
(No this is NOT an endorsement)
What is your first thought when you hear this statement? I am willing to bet it starts with “But…”and then you list all the reasons why you can’t.
I get that there are financial constraints, so please don’t use that excuse.
What I am getting at is “How do you know unless you try?” Believe me, I know something about this; I haven’t lived this long without figuring out that I am the only person standing in my own way.
If you read my last post you’ll know that procrastination is not good.
Take that step, one little step! Nothing easy is worth doing, but I’ll guarantee that once you “try” you’ll realize it’s never as hard as you thought it would be. Sometimes doing stuff outside your comfort zone is Scary as Hell! But holy moly can it be an amazing experience; like driving my own motorcycle.
What’s the worst can happen? You find out it doesn’t work out? So what! Now you have a better idea of what will work, so you back up and try again.
Recently for me I’ve discovered that in crochet, I really can do most of the things I thought were way to complicated.
Did I do it all on my own? Nope, sure didn’t. I used video tutorials, asked experts and I leaned heavily on what I already knew and BAM I FREAKING DID IT!
From the Lady Cave: Making Time
Making time also speaks to procrastination!
Procrastination is the Devil!
Everyone procrastinates, I feel compelled to point out that you really need to stop doing that.
There is no one worse than a Mom or Wife, we procrastinate about taking care of ourselves because we are taking care of everyone else in our lives. I am not telling you to not do that, I am saying you need to take care of yourself too. Make damn sure that everyone around you sees you doing it also. Make sure your people understand that taking care of yourself is as important as being Momma or Wife.
I say this because of two reasons. One, you are teaching your children that it’s ok to be selfish once in awhile or even on a regular basis. I know selfish is a strong word but go with me on this. Two, you are showing everyone that you care about yourself, this is so important!
It has been my personal experience that because I was taught, Moms were supposed to be the martyr you don’t show that you have respect for yourself. Now I know that is a very strong statement also, but that’s the best way I can express what I mean.
Respect is such an important thing to learn.
From the Lady Cave: Grandchildren ❣
Talk about a whole new chapter, when you become a grandparent thats a whole new level!
Regardless of the circumstances, becoming a grandparent is like nothing else. At some point, you realize all the work you put in to your children has now come full circle. I’ve said this a million times, ” Kids learn what they see” and they are about to really show you what they learned.
You know that saying “Be careful what you ask for” this, this is a perfect example! Lol You know “The Mothers Curse” oh it works!
From the Lady Cave: Empty Nest
I saw this topic on a fellow bloggers page: debbiehipster which gave me this idea of the “From the Lady Cave” topic.
So this is the first of several posts that I’d like to share. I also think this will help bring my blog together and may warrant a blog name change. I’d love to hear your thoughts…
My blogger friend is new empty nester and we have been empty nesters for about 5 years.
We are loving it! It has been a huge adjustment. When your universe develops a void, like the sun is missing, your orbit gets wonky, you have to learn to adjust and that takes time.
It’s like being newlyweds again! But we are “Older and Wiser and have better insurance ” (that’s a movie reference, want to guess?) So we can watch whatever we want, go out to dinner, walk naked through the house and “Do” whatever else wherever we feel like it! 😁
Don’t get me wrong, We Love hanging out and talking on the phone with our kids, we miss them immensely. But, it’s time for them to be grownups and make their own decisions; good bad or otherwise.
Boy am I enjoying watching them. They are both married with children now. Yep, we have 2 granddaughters and a boy on the way! Gosh, grandkids are the best. But you know what the really best part is? When our adult children ask for our help or advice in general.
I have often referred to my life experiences as a Wife and Mother to that of a Combat Veteran! There are occasions that a smell or a tone of voice will make me have a flashback that invokes all kinds of emotions; good and not so great. But man, what a journey its been.
So being an empty nester is the opening of a new chapter in your book of life. So enjoy it, make it count! Do all those things you set aside for various reasons: money, time, for the good of the family.
I’ve done alot of thinking about that young teenager who had the world by the balls and didn’t know it, who wanted to do and go and experience all kinds of things. Some of those ideas were dumb as hell, some weren’t. But life steers you in directions you never even considered. My favorite saying to my kids has been “Go where the road takes you, you just never know where you’ll end up”
In our experience, Life is too damn short, LIVE IT!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post and by all means if you’d like to chat anytime please reach out❣
Our Lovie
So our granddaughter is 3 weeks old❣ WHAT, an amazing journey, so far. We are all twisting in the wind over this little being. I have seen so many amazing transformations in all of us, its been, well AMAZING❣😁
I love coming up with nicknames for the kids in my life. I have a Mooshka, who has the mooshiest cheeks, a Lizzy because she was always sticking her tongue out, a Ms. Thing because she was always in to something, a Princess PJ because she rules mightily, a monkey because he is all boy and i could keep going….but Lovie, now that one just struck me. I made a few “lovies” while we were waiting for her arrival. And as these last few weeks have flown by she became our little security blankie. We are all just so attached to her already. 💞
If you can envision a human pyramid with this little one being on the top with all the rest of the family holding each other (and her) up, this kid has one hell of a posse!
We are so incredibly humbled that all of her family members on bothsides, not only get along but truly are her village. To help make her one of the next generations greatest citizens, whatever her path.
Our Lovie❣
Cindy Head Photography 