Posted on by ChatterLei

Unshaken

What podcasts are you listening to?

Unshaken Saints | a podcast by Jared Halverson
https://unshaken.podbean.com/

Jared is intelligent and educated… outside of Utah. Give him a listen.

Actually, I often forget to listen to podcasts. Plus, time is not most plentiful in my life these days. Working full-time, spending quality time with my husband every day, cooking, cleaning, extended family time, counseling appointments to prove to myself the insanity of life has not taken me down yet, and throwing in a blog reading and post now and then takes up plenty of time.

When I am cooking or cleaning and feel like seriously learning, those are the times I listen to podcasts. If not in the mood for listening to talk, I like to “move it, move it” to Zumba music or crank up Miranda Lambert. Or when chilling and journaling by the fireplace, slow it down a bit with Macy Gray or the jazzy voice of Emma Nissen.

Whether you listen to a podcast or your favorite music, make it a great day!!

Posted on by ChatterLei

Tails up?

What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?

This is probably not the hardest personal goal, but it is a challenging one… to journal and/or blog every day. My full-time job gets in the way sometimes, but I hope to write and blog as often as I can….

My sister works in the billing office for a hospital. She gets along really well with her coworkers. They laugh and joke with each other at work. She and several of the women even get together for dinners outside of work.

Tonight, while we were playing pinochle with our parents, who are in their 80s, my sister said there is a penny on the floor in one of the hallways where she works. None of the women she works with will pick the penny up because it is “tails up”. No way! Apparently, that brings bad luck.

If it were “heads up,” it would already be picked up and placed in someone’s pocket by now. 🤣

I have never heard that before tonight. I live by the saying, “Find a penny, pick it up. All day long, you’ll have good luck!” It does not matter whether the penny is heads or tails up.

What are some fun(ny) superstitions you have heard of or done as a child?

Posted on by ChatterLei · 3 Comments

Blogging… Seriously!

What could you do more of?

I could do more blogging! If only I did not work full-time!

My job satisfies my need to work. I like my job and my coworkers, which has not always been the case with other jobs I have had. Currently, I work in an environment that encourages cooperation, respect, and fun. It is a good balance. It is easy to go to work when you like it. BUT…

Working full-time cuts into my available time to blog! If I could, I would get up early, go for a walk, listen to or read the news, or listen to a podcast, and read a few of my favorite blogs. Then I would write all morning.

Posted on by ChatterLei · 1 Comment

So Many Thoughts

Daily writing prompt
What do you enjoy most about writing?
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I enjoy stringing my thoughts together in words on a blank screen. A lot of times, I sit down and don’t know what to say, so I read what others write. The times when I sit down and start writing because the thoughts come easily, are my favorite times! Stream of consciousness writing can be enjoyable and healthy too. Have you ever tried that?

Posted on by ChatterLei · 1 Comment

Wanna Go To The Moon?

Daily writing prompt
Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.
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Aug 7 (Reuters) – Russia will launch its first lunar landing spacecraft in 47 years on Friday in a race with India to the south pole of the moon, a potential source of water to support a future human presence there.

India headed to the moon four days before Russia goes. Both are seeking to find evidence of water on the moon that would be enough to sustain life there. The moon is large enough for the both of them to be there, probably without even seeing one another there. The USA is not in the race to the moon, apparently. We are too busy talking about going to Mars.

This started me thinking about whether I would want to go to the moon or not if an affordable opportunity presented itself. I remember, as a teenager, reading in the Enquirer that one day we would have classes on the moon. I thought at the time that I would not ever want to go to the moon (or Mars, either). I still don’t feel a desire to go to the moon. Then, again, I also said I would never need a passport because I did not want to travel outside of the United States. Well, we received our passports last year and traveled to Mexico on a cruise ship. So, never say never, I guess!

Posted on by ChatterLei

30 Things That Make Me Happy

  1. Faith in God
  2. My Parents – They are wonderful – Card night every Friday night with them is a gift!
  3. My Husband – He is my greatest blessing
  4. Modern medicine that is healing my husband’s infection in the hospital even as I write this.
  5. My Children – Their creativeness astounds me
  6. Spending time with our grandchildren
  7. Spending quality time with family
  8. Working on Family History – so fun getting to know our ancestors
  9. Being in the mountains
  10. Fishing in the boat
  11. Catching the first fish
  12. Sitting near a stream
  13. Floating a lazy river in the mountains
  14. Camping, you guessed it, in the mountains, in a tent. The sound of opening the zipper first thing in the morning to greet a new day…well there is nothing like it.
  15. Four-wheeling in the back country of Idaho
  16. Walking, talking and laughing with a friend
  17. Seeing our children happy
  18. Hearing my parents talk about their memories
  19. Spending time with my mom and her sisters – such great memories of photo excursions and scrapbooking!
  20. The smell of rain
  21. Autumn leaves – vivid colors!
  22. The smell of autumn – leaves, cinnamon, pumpkin
  23. Girl time with my daughters
  24. Playing Monopoly with my teenage grandson
  25. Hearing the laughter of my 6-year-old grandson
  26. Hugs from my 6-year-old grandson – they don’t stay little long enough!
  27. Laying on the trampoline watching for shooting stars at night
  28. Doing anything creative
  29. Sitting by the fireplace with a cup of peppermint hot chocolate watching it snow outside.
  30. Sitting and talking with my sister on the beach

Numbers 8-30 are in no particular order. These are the thoughts that came to mind today. If I completed these questions on another day, my answers might be different. There are so many things to be happy about!

Posted on by ChatterLei

The End of a Week Long Vacation

Daily writing prompt
What notable things happened today?
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At home. My vacation was spent at home. Should have been spent in northern Idaho, but my DH and I decided to stay home and repaint the interior main floor of our home. It took six half-days to paint the kitchen, dining, living room, hall bath, hallway, laundry room, and the walls along the stairs. As boring as that sounds, it feels so good to be at day six, today, and note all that we accomplished together.

While working side by side, this week, we also took the time to get to know each other better (even after 37 years of marriage) by asking one another thought provoking questions. I even learned a few things about home maintenance, something my DH has always taken care of.

After a long week of hard work, we are looking forward to a fun weekend of family time celebrating my dad for Father’s Day. He is 83 years old. Any reason to celebrate and spend time with him and my mom (80 years old) is a notable gift, for sure.