too true

Well....

What a balance one has to make when you get your hopes up and think positively about something to end up not getting it, or it not happening the way you want it. It's ok, really. Just disappointing when you KNOW what clearly should have been.

Advice to live by (hear that, Karen! This is for you! )

The Thick Skinned
It's not all about you. How becoming less self critical can help boost your confidence.
By:Lybi Ma

.....

Here are a few tips to developing a thick skin:

• Don't take things personally. Sometimes you may need to reframe a person's bad behavior by remembering that it's not about you.
• Don't let others get to you. Refuse to get overly responsive to the negative feelings and provocations of others. Adopt strategies that regulate emotional arousal; otherwise negativity hijacks the thinking brain. Try simple deep breathing or declare time out.
• Remember that everyone gets rejected sometimes. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on. Don't be discouraged if it takes a few times to get it right. Successful people are rejected over and over, but never stop trying.
• When you're rejected or something doesn't go your way, counterpropose a new solution. Often, the person declining your offer is not rejecting you. He may even want to hear another idea. Successful individuals come back from rejection with new proposals. They're creative at coming up with additional ways of looking at things and solving problems.
• Don't hesitate to unstick sticky situations. If you're discussing an issue and the conversation is going off track, stop it and restart it on the right track. You could say: "This isn't going productively. Let's reshoot this scene from the beginning" or "Can we take it from the top?"
• Don't be self-focused. If you do focus on yourself, you'll likely dwell on your shortcomings. Instead, think about your goals and what steps you need to get there.
• Stop the self-talk. Counter self-defeating self-talk with truth talk: "You can be your own worst enemy, so give yourself a break."
• Don't worry about looking stupid. If you are asked a question and you don't know the answer, you can simply say, "I need to think about that and get back to you later."
• Learn to be patient. Don't be impulsive or react to a situation without giving yourself time to cool off.
• Don't be quick to blame. Recognize that other people have their ups and downs.
• Think about others. Enter social interactions with this thought of making the experience itself enjoyable. Ask yourself, "What can I do to make you feel more comfortable."

You know it's going to be one of those kind of days when....

• Daughter wakes up in the middle of the night with night-mares about monsters under the bed.
• Husband wakes up in the middle of the night to cat throwing up on bed.
  
• Wife takes husband's cell phone ... husband takes wife's cell phone by mistake.
• Big diggers and dump trucks wake wife up at 6:30.

alive

It's been a busy few weeks at the House of Eck.

We had a party and witnessed the unveiling of the "LAMBEAU-LANCE". Seriously crazy Packers Fan.






We started Hill #2.


Maddy is doing great.


Joe is stressed out, but does his best to chill out.



I'm trying to be patient.


A chipmunk absconded with the top of my new birdfeeder. Honestly! This is what it started out:

This is what it looks like now. How the hell?

life

And so it goes....

It's been a hectic week. Isn't that always the case? Here's a list of things on my own to-do list for the next few weeks.

• Start preparations / cleaning lists for the House of Eck Fest 2007 next weekend.
• Clean bathtub.
• Vacuum & sweep.
• Weed gardens.
• Harvest food out of vegetable garden.
  
• Go to the bird-seed store for sunflower seeds for the new birdfeeder.
• Purchase more "good-girl" incentives for Madeline. (I'm not above giving out bribes.)
• Send out email notice of committee meeting I'm the chair for.
  
• Create End-of-Summer and Fall "Garden-to-do" lists.
  
• Contact insurance company about upcoming pulmonary test to find out if bronchitis is actually something more like asthma.
  
• Make arrangements with friend to have her kids frequently over the next few weeks to play as she recovers from viral meningitis AND lymes' disease.
  
• Validate and make more clear the plan for the new website design to deliver next week.
  
• Keep smiling cuz life is good.
• Keep smiling cuz the only thing that is consistent and constant IS change.
  

8 things

I've been tagged. Thanks, Heather.

The Rules:

Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.

The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.

At the end of the post, the player tags 8 people, posts their names, and leaves a comment on their websites to let them know that they have been tagged.

1. My dessert of choice lately has been vanilla yogurt sprinkled with chocolate chips. Go figure.
2. I love taking naps. Especially in my own house. With my daughter sleeping in the other room. With my cats snuggled next to me.
   
3. I'm an avid gardener, both flowers and vegetables. I love the feel of the dirt between my fingers - the smell of the earth as I dig a whole for new seeds or new plants. I particularly enjoy being able to immediately transpose a section from a weeded mess to a clean and beautiful area.
   
4. I'm an avid photographer, especially with our new Fujifilm FinePix F20 camera. I put most of our pictures up on Flickr.
   
5. I don't like pickles, not even when I was pregnant.
   
6. I find Holly-weird, well, weird, as in a gawking at the horrible car crash weird.
7. I miss pottery. I took classes for 2 years and loved the zen of the wheel. 2 weeks ago, I went up to Egg Harbor to meet a friend of a friend. Renee, as it turns out, is living a dream - creating art on a 100-year old farmstead. Beautiful. Inspiring.
   
8. I haven't always followed the Packers. It's kind of hard not to, living with a GB native and whose family has been been employed, in years past and presently, by the Packers. It's ok. I'm not a psycho-fan. I didn't even get to one game last year. Not that I'm counting or anything.

There. Done! I tag Annie and Jamie!

4 days

Definitely not a record, but I finished #7 in 4 days. I loved it. It worked. It was fitting. It wasn't dumbed down - a regurgitation of everything that happened in the previous 6. Brava, Ms. Rowling. I hope you continue writing and continue sharing your talents. I for one am glad I hoped on this particular band-wagon. I can't wait to begin sharing Harry with Maddy. I know she'll love him too.

Without Prejudice?

Are you WITHOUT PREJUDICE?

Watch what happens on this new Game Show Network interesting series. You'll be surprised. I was.

HP#7

When Tracy called to tell me my copy of book 7 arrived, I did the happy dance! I pictured myself at a Potterhead self-help session, " Hello, my name is Karen and I'm a Potterhead.".

Oh well, I'm in good company.

Yes, I prepared sufficiently for the release date by re-reading each book yet again. I've done that before - so I've actually read #1 6 times, #2 5 times, etc... At least I don't have different publication versions like some people I know. Don't you think that would be excessive?

hah!

It's done!

Phew.....I finished it! I needed to just DO IT. I feel MUCH better now that I got it done with. I was making myself and my husband nuts. Ok, I am already nuts, I know that, but I was mucho cranky with him the past few days. :(

But at least this part is over. Now the WAITING. And we all know how patient Karen can be! NOT!

Oh, I'm sorry....You can't read my mind, I suppose. You haven't a clue as to what I'm talking, about do you?

Well, there are a few open library positions in the area. One in particular is the one I am hoping for. It's funny - I've been living here now for, what, 6 years? Since December 2001 anyway. I had that poor experience at one library in town, and ever since, there really hasn't been a position that was for me. And now, at least 2 professional positions are open, plus 3 other non-professional! Crazy, isn't it? When it rains, it pours!

I'll let you know what happens. Cross your fingers for me! :D

nerves

Why should I be so nervous? It'd be a great thing! I know I can do it. I know it can be done. So why are the butterflies just bumping in to each other in my belly? Maybe it's because I haven't done this in so long. Maybe it's because of the unknown factor. Maybe it's because I may be the teeniest bit afraid of success. I know - weird, huh?

Everything will be ok. I know I can do this. And everything will work out. :)

The wedding of the summer

WOW.

Maddy, Joe and I hopped in the car early Saturday morning for Schaumburg, Illinois. The car ride was actually quite ok. Maddy and I sat in the backseat, watched movies on the laptop, colored, read books, and generally kept ourselves entertained.



The reason for the trip was to witness our very good friend Larry get married.


I hadn't a clue that he was serious about anyone until a little while back. It's not every day, nor everyone, who can go to their friends' wedding when that friend used to be an former boyfriend! Larry and I met 16 years ago during the Oregon Straw Hat Players show "South Pacific". We dated for a year, and have always remained friends. The funniest part of the story happened after I started dating Joe, 11 years ago. I was on the phone, telling Larry about my new boyfriend and described what he had done at the University. Larry paused and asked what Joe's last name was. I told him and asked why. Larry laughed and immediately asked to speak with Joe. Soon, the two of them were on the phone, giggling like school girls. Finally, after they hung up, Joe told me that he and Larry knew each other in college and had hung out. The craziest thing was: This was before I knew Larry!

So we hiked down to Chicago and were treated to one heck of a party! The reception was at the Chicago Marriott in Schaumburg. Very nice. There was close to 49 tables - 9 people per table plus the head table, so about 500 people. The table we were at was already full when we arrived. It was wonderful of Larry and Carolyn to think of the details. Here was our companions for the night:

The Daniels family: I remember Jeff. Here are he, his wife Vicki, and their two children, Lukas & Holly.


Maddy and Holly had a fun time together coloring.



The other two at our table were Jace & Pat. I knew he would be there, but it took me a "hi, my name is..." for either of us to recognize each other. He went to school with my sister Amy - his sister was in my grade. Pat has been a part of the Oregon Straw Hat Players for many years. Larry, Pat, Jace and I were all a part of the South Pacific show.


So, it was a nice reunion of sorts! Then came the FOOD. Oh. My. Stars. As Pat said, one usually goes away hungry from a wedding. Not so for this wedding. First of all, the menu.


Yes, folks, you saw correctly. There were 4 courses. That's not including the cake. (note, that's a little blue-lit waterfall)



In fact, we never got a piece of the cake. We were too full! The meal was delicious. We didn't need to stop anywhere for any food. We were delightfully satiated. It was so good, we took pictures of all the food. Enjoy. (Make sure you clean up your drool ;) )

Appetizer:
Tri-Color Ravioli, served with a Basil Tomato Concasse / Saffron Cream Sauce.



Salad:
Tossed Romaine Garden Salad topped with Shredded Parmesan Cheese and Garlic Roasted Croutons and Tossed Tableside with our homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing.



Entree:
Filet Mignon topped with a Peppercorn Cognac Sauce coupled with Breast of Chicken Florentine, Dauphonoise Potato and Steamed Bundle of Asparagus.



Dessert:
Vanilla Mousse topped with mango chunk and shredded coconut and coffee.



The presentation of the food was so good, we took pictures of the bread and the butter too!




The children at the table were all served a different kid-friendly food!

Appetizer:
Chicken Noodle soup

Salad:
Fresh Fruit


Entree:
Chicken Fingers & Fries


Dessert:
Vanilla Ice Cream with topping of strawberries.



So, all in all, we danced, we laughed, and we had a fantastic time.

newsflash

I am not a patient person....

Poetry

My coworker Pam has reminded me that I am a GEEK. She was bemoaning her dislike of "Ode to Grecian Urn" and actually said she disliked poetry! The GEEK I am, I found myself on the mission of changing her mind about poetry and found the following three poems (by the wonderful Billy Collins). Enjoy.

• No Time

I can just imagine my grandmother telling my grandfather this.

• Questions about Angels

I truly can see that one female angel, eyes closed, entranced in the music.

• Today

Why I love springtime in Wisconsin.

Alive and well

Joe is back today, after being off of work for nearly 2 weeks. He's starting a new job at the same place as a manager. He will do well. :) The surgery went well, and his recuperation went smoothly. It helped having so many women telling him to STOP LIFTING: his mother, his grandmother, his daughter and his wife.

Maddy had the week off too, and the two of them spent 4 days up at the cottage. I had to work the 2nd & 3rd but went up in the evenings to say "howdy". They were ready to come home on the 4th. Maddy LOVED being able to stay up late for the fireworks one night, a concert in the park another, and a bonfire over the weekend. It's been a challenge getting her back on schedule but it's working out ok. Oy- is she ever cranky when she doesn't get good sleep!

Men!

Why can't men be more like women?

Joe's surgery went well - better than we had hoped. It was a minor one, but a long 7 hours in the hospital. grrrr..... Now for the recuperation. That's the hard part, especially for dear husband. He doesn't just sit - he has to be doing something. So when the doctor says, "No lifting anything heavier than a fork or spoon for 2 weeks", and Joe says this morning, "I feel fine - I'll do the dishes," I just want to SCREAM!

It will be good for him though, I think, in the long run. He has the Godfather trilogy on stand-by, it's a beautiful day, and he has many books to choose from the Eck library. Maybe he'll learn what it means to RELAX!

The chosen....

You Are Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"We saved the world. I say we have to party."

What Superheroine Are You?

The longest day

I've always loved the solstices (or is it solstici?) . Today, June 21, is the Summer Solstice. Here are some random links. I love the sunrise picture.

Great Lake Michigan Sunrise #2
Scientific
Pagan

blogging

I love blogging. Truth be told, I haven't always been sure that people READ it though. I don't have the PROOF. Every once in a while, friends or family will tell me they liked a particular post, or say they have caught up the news in the House of Eck. However, it made my DAY when a colleague here at the college actually called me up a few days ago to say she'd spent the past 20 minutes reading my blog! LOL I loved it! (Thanks, M!)

life

• Joe's in Anaheim at InfoComm.
• I'm on steroid inhalers to get rid of this stupid cough (which I still have!). ***(update) DUH! I have bronchitis! It all makes sense now. I met my new primary care physician and he mentioned that "my case of bronchitis" takes time to recover from. I must have had it when I was pregnant (similar issues) and over the years. Wow. ****
  

• Maddy woke up last night to go to the bathroom (omg - my baby is growing up!) and doesn't have to wear pull-ups for naptime!
  
• She has taken to sitting by her window and reading, especially in the morning before we leave for the day. This morning, however, I found her IN the window sill (like the cats do) talking to the neighbor! LOL
  

huh? how could it be?

Dear darling daughter is:

• Not afraid of heights
• Not afraid of being pulled behind a boat on the Wisconsin River with her cousins in a tube
• Not afraid of speaking her mind

And yet she was TERRIFIED of swimming in the bay today. It was hot this weekend, and all I wanted to do was float in the water. But she screamed holy terror at being in the same water as SEAWEED! I was completely surprised by this.

Joe reminded me of an event that happened this week that made me realize how smart this little girl really is. There were carp spawning earlier in the week near the shore and I guess were HUGE. She didn't see the carp today. We have always made a point to say that seaweed was good - it's what fishes eat. So she must have figured that since she didn't see the carp near the shore that they were eating the seaweed. She is a smart cookie.

goals

It's that time of year when my department goes off-campus for 2 days on retreat - trying to make sense of the leaderships' ideas of goals for the next fiscal year and trying to figure out what our goals are. It's a nice get-away, but for some reason, today, I wasn't there. I was the doodle-queen. I was listening, but I wasn't focused. By the end of the long day, I actually fell asleep on the couch! I never can do that, especially with dear chatty Maddy.

Thankfully - a half-day tomorrow.

Mental Health days

I didn't mean to. I just woke up this morning, feeling funkier than usual. I haven't been sleeping well (again ... still) and I just didn't feel well, physically or mentally. So I took a mental health day. And you know what? I'm glad and thankful I am able to do so! :) I slept in, read (reading "The Historian" right now!), ate some chicken and drank some coffee, watched the cats meowing at the cat outside watching the birds at the feeder, started to draw up my "map" of the "Hill", and read email. I needed this.

Gardens & the HILL

Lupine & Iris


Clematis


Sweet and sweeter


Preparations for the HILL - BEFORE (1)


BEFORE (2)
'

and...

AFTER (1)


AFTER (2)

The Veggie Garden 2007

25 feet by 12 feet.

We (Stacey, Jodi, Joe and I) planted:

• Squash (two kinds)
• Onions
• Beans (pole & bush)
• Cucumbers (two kinds)
• Lettuce (two kinds)
• Peas
• Carrots
• Herbs
• Peppers (3 kinds)
• Broccoli
• Spinach (2 kinds)
• Celery
• Tomatoes (3 kinds)
• Potatoes

Pics from Cousin Visit

At Lambeau Field:

























Can you tell they were a bit pooped?















Getting ready to go on the bike-ride (though S & M ended up in the bike-trailer)















The dress-up Princesses.

Medieval helpdesk with English subtitles

"So, what's new in your world, Karen?"

• Had my nieces for the weekend. Oi. Not that they were awful - not at all. Maddy enjoyed having them visit, and Samantha and Alison were not exactly happy to be leaving Sunday afternoon. There were some really nice moments that I'll treasure. That said, S & A are not my children and, well, taught dear sweet M some things I'd rather not have her learn (Like saying "I don't like you" instead of "I'm frustrated!").
  
• I lost my voice - literally. Turns out coughing and sinus drainage isn't good for the vocal chords. Go figure. Of course, dear husband was "so sorry" to hear that I was to be on vocal rest for a bit. ha ha
• My 25' x 12' garden has been tilled and the potatoes have been planted. The rest (onions, squash, beans, broccoli, spinach, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peas, carrots, herbs, and peppers) the next few weeks.
• A new section has been tilled in the way back for the "native" garden.
• A new section has been tilled at the side for the "vertical" garden.

YEAH! I love springtime.

Life

I've always loved Thursdays. It's a time to look forward to the weekend and give thanks for all that has happened.

Trapeze artist:




We spent a wonderful Mother's Day weekend at the cottage (just inside Door County). I let my dear daughter become a next-generation tree-rat., thanks to her uncles. The highest she went up was probably 25 feet. OMG. I must have been crazy!

Going UP!


This is Maddy, doing "ROCK STAR" - probably at 15 feet. So calm - no fear.



Her uncles, tree arborists Justin & Zac, are the epitomy of tree-rat.



All in all, a beautiful weekend....


Thankfully we have the new(to us) car and a fully-functioning replaced sump-pump. We spent a VERY enjoyable evening seeing the LION KING in Appleton last evening. Wow. See it if you are able. I just spent 3 hours with the rest of the faculty and staff in recognition of the college's hard work this past academic year. Maddy and I are getting over the frakin' cough we both had from our spring allergy attacks. The plants are growing (like weeds) in the "greenhouse" and we're making strides finding someone to till the LARGE plot. (Thanks to my dear husband who suffered an injury removing the sod to make it larger.)

This weekend, we will be hosting dear niece Alison and dear niece Samantha. Maddy is so excited to see her cousins. They haven't been able to spend a lot of time together as they live in Lodi (home of Susie the Duck). Haven't a clue as to what we will do, but I don't think that's going to be a problem. Sunday is also Joe and my 7th wedding anniversary. :)

If you want to see more pictures, check out my flickr page!

Death by PowerPoint

Hilarious video!

Updates

It's a perfectly muggy beautiful spring day here in Northeast Wisconsin. The birds are singing, the grass is growing, flowers are flowering and my seasonal allergies are awful. As they say...Better Living Through Pharmaceuticals. So, after the eye drops, the nasal spray, and the decongestant, I'm ready to go out into the great green world.

Update #1: I still love my job! It's not really news or an update, but I do indeed love my job. I know I'm one of the few and I know I'm extremely lucky. My department is shifting a bit, but it'll be even better :D

Update #2: The Jetta died last week. We indeed ran it until it couldn't run no more (or in this case until the brakes died). It was the last straw in a long list of symptoms the Jetta exhibited over the past few years as it heralded its ultimate demise. Long live "the grape".

Update #3: We were able to find a really cute, nice, new-to-us, affordable Honda Accord to replace the Jetta that died. Leather interior - sun roof - low-for-its age mileage. NICE!

Update #4: A few months ago I mentioned that I wanted to go check out the GBUU. Well, we have been and we are still continuing to go!

Update #5: We've (Jodi, Stacey and myself) started the seedlings for the expanded garden (oy - that's a lot of garden!) and Joe (my darling amazing husband) was able to remove the sod for said expanded garden (even with the whining about biting ants). Soon we'll be able to do the planting!

Ok Ok....work is calling....darn work....:) But I do love it!

Rethinking How Title IX Is Applied

Morning Edition, May 2, 2007 · As more young women go to college funding for some men's sports will be reduced to comply with Title IX. That's the federal law requiring schools to offer athletic programs in proportion to gender population. Should the law be tweaked to address inconsistencies?

Listen to Frank Deford's take on Title IX. I was never an athlete, but I am a musician. As I was driving down to work, listening to his very thoughtful commentary, I found myself applauding his suggestions.

Of course it is!

The full moon, that is. Craziness seems to be running rampant in our household.

The carpet removal was successful (thanks to Jodi, Gavin, Teresa, Jason, Terri, and Julie!). The result - something that looks like a brand new house! Getting all of our house back in some semblance of order is the tricky part. But I'm pleased it looks as good as it does.

Of course, however, the Jetta has decided to caput. SOOO...off to the used car lots with the little $ we have to find a replacement.

Maddy has decided that she wants to see the moon while she goes to bed. The moon, however, has not been cooperating, ending in tears and frustration for all.

*sigh* Life is crazy, but I wouldn't know what do with myself if it were any other way!

Happy May Day everyone!