Wednesday, September 4, 2013

moments make up the days

 Sometimes I feel like the only one out in Blogland that doesn't get anything major
accomplished. I read through a bunch of blogs and see women who are constantly
rehabbing rooms, painting huge pieces of furniture (not just spray-painting either),
 making quilts, knitting mittens and hats, creating beautiful artwork ~ the list could go
 on and on. I wonder how these women find time to make healthy meals, keep up 
with the laundry, garden, clean the house, exercise, and spend time with friends
 and family members? Or, maybe they let those  things slide? I'll consider my day
 - or even week - and think, "What in the heck did I accomplish?" 


Looking back from the weekend, I realized that I spent a lot of time with family
and friends, which I love. Brian and I usually have "Friday night date night" and
even though it's usually not anything terribly exciting, we at least get out of the
house by going out to dinner and sometimes running errands together. Moments.
Saturday morning, my best friend took me out to breakfast for a late birthday present,
 and then we wandered around a new antique mall. Moments. Sunday, I drove out to
 pick up Tim and bring him home for 24 hours. We had wonderful "real" (versus
 text) conversation time in the car and I took him out to lunch. We grilled for dinner
 and I made a cinnamon bun cake. We spent a lot of time online looking for a 
"new" car for Tim. Moments.


 On Monday, I took a road trip with the bestie to our favorite Chicago hot dog place -
Super Dawg! More moments. I'm not normally a hot dog eater, but I can't resist 
a Super Dawg. It's pretty much world famous and a Chicago icon. Granted, both my
 friend and I also have teenage ties to this place...it was a great  hangout place back
 in the late 70's. 


 And then yesterday...Brian and I drove out to his father and sister's new condo
and spent the day visiting and going out to lunch to celebrate Dad's 80th birthday.
I also made Dad a layered chocolate cake with chocolate frosting - his request.
You got it ~ moments.

So today was catch-up day around here...I made tuna mac salad (Elaine from
Sunny Simple Life's recipe - though I used red pepper instead of green and
Greek yogurt instead of sour cream) and egg salad, cleaned up the kitchen, 
cleaned bathrooms, scooped cat boxes, did a load of laundry, made my bed, 
swept the front porch, went grocery shopping, cut up veggies, and now I'm getting
 ready to go test-drive some cars for Tim since he's back at school. 
These are all moments that make up a day too, right?


As I was sitting here writing and thinking about the title of this post,
the lyrics to the Pink Floyd song, "Time" just went through my head:

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.

So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say.

 Tomorrow, I am promising myself that I will drag that nightstand back out
of the garage and finish painting it! Then I can actually do a post on actually
accomplishing something blog-worthy. Though I seriously cherish my everyday
moments. They make up my life. And nothing is more important than that. 



23 comments:

  1. I think you always seem to have accomplished a lot when I read your blog. I don't know why you'd feel that way about yourself because it doesn't look that way to me! Weirdly, I was thinking about that song while reading your post. We must be on a wavelength today. :)

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    1. Interesting to hear someone else's perspective! Maybe I should stop comparing myself to others - as in the projects they've accomplished - but sometimes it's so hard not to do so.

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  2. Hi Mel, LOVE, LOVE LOVE your post. Nothing is more important than those moments we spend with the people we love. Will our friends and family remember our crafty moments or the times we laughed or cried together? You've got your heart in right place, at your comfy home, with your beautiful family!

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    1. Aw, thank you so much, Penny - you are such a love!

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  3. It sounds to me like you were very productive this week. All of those moments added up to making wonderful memories; making others happy; and living life. As bloggers, it is very easy to get caught up in the need to make something or do something, so we can post to her blog. We may be avoiding doing other things we'd rather not do, but we also may sometimes let the important things in live slide. Obviously, you have focused on the important. Well done! laurie

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, Laurie - you are very encouraging!

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  5. You've accomplished plenty, Mel...I'm not sure what makes you say you haven't. I'm very confused. And on top of it...the things you've done have been very special and not so productive as they were meaningful!! Forget what everyone else does...do what you want at your own speed! :)

    XO,
    Jane

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    1. I meant not accomplishing anything "major", like finishing a piece of furniture or completely doing a room, or some other "wow" factor like you see on a lot of blogs.

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  6. Sounds like you did plenty this week. Sometimes we just have to step back and enjoy different things in life. There are days when I don't want to do anything but garden, bake, clean or craft, then some days all I want to do is socialize. Just make each day count and be happy every day. Thanks so much for your kind comments and visiting, trust me that is one of the cleanest room in my house, everything is a wreak and the flooring is on back order. Oh well that's life, I'll make the best of it. Hope we talk soon.
    Sandy

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  7. "Life's not the breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away" - lyrics by George Strait.

    What a sweet post - the little pleasures in a routine day.

    I loved eating at Super Dawg. My daughter insisted we go there and we almost missed our plane, but it was a good moment even in the rain.

    And, FYI, the reason I can accomplish a lot in a day is because I live in a tiny house which is easy to straighten up, I don't grocery shop, cook or clean up. That frees up a lot of time for creative projects.

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    1. I'm so impressed to know that you've been to Super Dawg, lol! You don't shop, cook, or clean? Can I have your life?! ;-)

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  8. As long as you are doing what you want, what you love to do you are accomplishing things. Far too many women are so bogged down with chores and projects to take an impromptu road trip! Experiencing life is as important as creating things.

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    1. Thank you so much, Jeannie Marie - you're absolutely right!

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  9. I don't know how some blogger do it either. They have their whole house remodelled in a year and then they begin again. It took me the whole summer for just the kitchen window project, because as you mention, I have "moments" to live besides the blog. Fun "moments" and not so fun "moments" that include laundry, cooking, shopping... But it's life and it still goes on if you have a blog, as it should!

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    1. It will probably take us a whole year just to re-do our son's bedroom since he moved out, lol!

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  10. Melanie,

    Whenever I visit you, I am always in awe of all the wonderful outings you manage to go on, whether they are with your husband (date night, lucky you!), your son or your mom and aunt, (such sweethearts). You seem to cook up storms, are constantly changing things up, even if it is adding a new found/secondhand treasure, and taking walks. Your moments make up magnificent days, which we get to read all about, thanks to your moments sharing them!

    Poppy

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  11. Poppy, thank you for putting everything into perspective. Your comment actually brought tears to my eyes! Now I see it more clearly...maybe I don't get just one MAJOR thing accomplished, but at least I do lots of "little" important things.

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  12. Everything you have done IS "blog-worthy", Melanie...and SO much more important...it's living your life!

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  13. Sounds like you have everything in perspective, Melanie! You make time for the most important things in life. It's so easy to compare ourselves to other bloggers. But it's a fruitless exercise. I think you are doing exactly what you should be doing.

    xo
    Claudia

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind comment - I read and appreciate each one!