Meadowview~

Where we live there is a common area called the Meadow. It was the selling point to us when we were looking at property all those years ago. We loved it then and love it even more now.Our old house looked out over it and I never tired of the view and the changes in the season.There used to be sheep grazing and my boys loved to ride their bikes down to see them. It is brown and kinda plain in the Summer but still so pretty.Then in Spring it comes to life again. There is wild lavender and tons of wild life. I often see coyotes and still take my turkey carcass down there on Thanksgiving night to let them feast. My aunt Kay always fed the coyotes so I do it in her memory. It always made her sad that they looked so hungry. They never bother us and seem to stay off the main paths.There are hawks and lots of wild birds. It is where I always head to on my walks and Brody loves it! I take him off leash and he runs and runs(& has to greet every other runner with hugs and kisses) This morning Steve and I went out for a long walk, my first time since I got hurt and I almost cried! I was so happy to enjoy the beauty and quiet.I just love this area so much and wanted to share one of our favorite spots!Can you even imagine what heaven will be like if this is what God paints on just an ordinary day.
This little video I shot in September. (out of breath and my very annoying voice so be forewarned)

Brody 2 from Karen Carter on Vimeo.

Lucky Girl...

I feel so blessed today to have my hubby Steve. He truly is the bestest friend a girl could ever have. We are looking more and more like Paula Deen and Michael every day. We are sure getting old and so far from perfect. So even more a blessing that beauty is all in the eye of the beholder.Because that is what we see when we look at each other through Gods amazing,never ending love. I give God all the glory that after 28 years we are happily married.
Yesterday the sun was out when he was leaving for work and he opened the blinds and sang "You are my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray" That was the song he would always sing me while we were dating. Talk about a sweet way to wake up in the morning. And I found myself smiling all day long.

Then recently he sent me this email from work and it also made my day! He is buried at the office and the thought of him stopping to think about his wife sure made me smile. It simply read "I checked and it was exactly 28 years ago on a Monday night that we met and watched Chariots of Fire together, well sort of ? I love you!!! Again so sweet!! The "sort of" was because we were on a double date, each with other people. But not for long!
I thank the Lord so often for the man he sent me. So far from perfect, but perfect for each other.

Say What?

Last week while we had company we all went to Little Italy in San Diego. In our car we had Travis Ashlyn and Chad (my three pride & joys) Chad mentioned that he just found out that the saying goes "Play it by Ear" and not "Play it by Year" I guess someone had asked him how long he was going to be gone and he replied that he was going to "Play it by Year"
Then we hear a "WHAT" from the back seat and it's Ashlyn saying "You mean its Play it by Ear? I never knew that!! Travis was stunned and said "Ash, that is almost my theme for life, that we are going to Play it by Ear, I say it ALL the time" Guess she has always thought it was "Year" just like Chad. After many giggles and high fives between Chad and his sis in law (who think their way makes much more sense) we were still laughing...

Two days later I told Dave that something was a "Mute Point"...He replied you mean Moot Point? Again total confusion? Whats a "Moot" ?? He had to explain that something is a Moot Point not a Mute Point? I still didn't believe him until we googled it. Who knew?
I guess everyone but me!!

I was in my forties when I found out that it's a " Dog Eat Dog World" I always thought and countless times said it was a " Doggy Dog World" Finally Steve asked me "What exactly are you saying? I told him and he couldn't stop laughing.So now of course when I am having a bad day he hugs me and says "I know honey it's a doggy dog world out there"

So that's it...no more Access Hollywood or Everyone loves Raymond! We are tuning in to Jeopardy every single night and we are going to learn something darn it.But I am going to keep a stiff upper chin and not let these foibles get me down.

Columbus, Magellan and Carter?

Chad years ago was bitten by a bug and the lasting effects of the bug bite are still lingering (much to the dismay of his momma) He was bit by the "Travel Bug" He has such a love for life,discovery and adventure! I love all those qualities in people. I love to hear stories of people who have traveled and met strangers that become friends. Who camp in tents on the beach and fish for dinner. Who stay in hostels and carry only a back pack. Who buy one way tickets and figure they will come home when they are ready. Those are the MOST fascinating people to talk to. But it's another thing all together when your baby boy is one of those people!
Chad leaves Sunday night for Costa Rica and Panama. He literally has a back pack and a surf board. He purchased a mosquito net to sleep under and a first aid kit. He has no reservations and no plans?I find myself wondering why God would team a mother who is a homebody worry wart with a child who lives and works to travel. Don't get me wrong, I love traveling too. Perhaps a cruise with 24 hour room service, a flight with my own pillow and earplugs.I will venture out on a raft while inside a resort pool. I like a few suitcases and plenty of shoes. But his kind of travel I just don't get.But as I did when he went to Spain,Portugal and Mexico I will be on my knees praying for his protection and safety. I love Psalm 91 and often have prayed those verses for my family. One of my favorites is verse 9-11...
If you make the Most High your dwelling-Even the LORD who is my refuge-then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways
Will I be nervous? Yes, but I am trusting in the Lord and praying that he has the time of his life!Whenever we would leave for a trip my Mom would say " Take Jesus with you and bring back lots of beautiful memories" So when I drop him off at the airport I will keep a stiff upper lip and say the same. And begin the countdown to when I can wrap my arms around him and see his cute little face.I would covet your prayers for him and will keep you posted on his travels.

Seems to be all that is on my heart these days.
I am so frustrated with those who are stalling the progress of getting help to the ones who so desperately need it. The thought of children being hungry and scared overwhelms my heart. So I am continuing to pray, knowing that God has them in His mighty grip.As much as we love our children God loves them SO much more....

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.....

I absolutely love going to plays and thought that none would ever top "Wicked" which is my all time favorite...
But...
Mary Poppins did just that! What an amazing play and a very memorable night. While Dave, Sandy and Sara were here they treated me to a night at the Ahmanson theater. I'm sure it was made even more memorable because I was sharing the evening with Dave. We grew up listening to our mom singing the songs from Mary Poppins! She knew every word to every song and would sing them ALL the time. There is a sweet scene in the play where the bird lady sings"Feed the Birds, Tuppence a bag" and I literally began to cry and could not stop! It brought back such sweet memories of my mom tucking us in and scratching our backs. Oh how she LOVED that song. The whole play was just magical! The actors were amazing and the production was spectacular. If you have a chance to get a ticket I would encourage you with all my heart to do so! You wont be disappointed. You will long after find yourself singing "Spoonful of Sugar" and "Chim Chim Chimerey" while smiling from ear to ear. I asked Dave and Sandy on the way home "why do you think we all loved it so much? and Dave hit it right on when he said " It evokes such happy memories of such a happy time"
It sure did and I loved every scene and song.

Having too much fun to blog~

My family is still here from Tennessee and we are having a blast! It's amazing to sit at lunch with your brother and cry because we are so grateful for the family that we have. All the Greeks, us four kids, our spouses & now our own kids make up what we believe is the best combination of people you could ask for! No one is ever mad at anyone for longer than a minute and we love each other unconditionally. What a rare thing! We are BLESSED indeed and we know it with all our hearts.
Just a couple snapshots to share. I will be back soon to share some funny stories and photos.





Love and giggles......Karen

Unplug~

"Unplug"

Seems like this has been an ongoing theme in my life and conversations lately.Even my sweet DIL blogged about the time demands on her with her business and newly married life.My brother Dave and Sandy are here for vacation and we talked at length about the need to "unplug" When we were kids if the phone rang my parents would answer (or not) I cant tell you how many times I heard them say "If it's important they will call back" We would never dream of answering the phone during dinner,we never had an answering machine and never missed it for a second! We would talk quickly and hang up because the yellow phone was attached to the wall in the kitchen and it was so bothersome.

I miss those days...

Now if someones not home, we call their cell. If no answer we text them. And you feel compelled to at least text back because we do not want to appear rude? If it goes a few days and you don't call back they can "facebook" you to make sure everything is OK? I am beginning to think it's all too much.I hope no one misunderstands.I LOVE to be social! But I am finding that I much prefer the old way of socializing. A little walk, meeting for a iced tea,meeting up midweek for a quick dinner. Real relationships,not social networking ones.I am actually sick of my cell phone. And I feel bad if I have put those demands on my family and friends unknowingly. I started a few weeks ago leaving my phone off on Sundays and it has fast become my favorite day. I don't mean to question those who twitter about getting new jeans or sipping a Starbucks,but all the information makes me feel like we are so busy documenting our lives that we don't have enough time to live them? I went to the Library to get a book that I have been wanting and I found two other titles that looked good too.So I checked out all three,then instantly wondered when will I have enough time to read them? But I used to read that many and right now I'm not even working? What the heck is sucking up all my time?

I found my answer...

I check my email three to ten times a day, I check facebook to read updates, I jump on one blog and then another and another. I am out of balance for sure. So I am going to scale back. I am going to be quiet,sit outside with a book and enjoy the sunshine, get caught up on my house stuff, SEE friends and family instead of emailing or calling them, blog a few times a week and "toss out my junk" in a whole other way!I am going to make room for the things that truly matter that I LOVE! I am cleaning out some of the clutter that is filling my life and stealing my time. TwentyTen is starting out on a new path and so far I like it!

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.Psalm 86~11

Tossing My Junk!

I am starting the New Year off with a confession. I am addicted to the show Hoarders! I have it set up to DVR so I make sure not to miss a single episode. And it takes ALL the willpower available not to jump up during commercials and start filling a trash bag. I first heard about people who cant throw things away on Oprah. And I was intrigued. But then they started the series on A&E where they feature two families every week and it is riveting! It has turned out to be a therapeutic show for me. I am very sentimental and even though I don't like junk,I tend to save too many mementos.I also have jeans in almost every size.

Well I used too!

NOT ANYMORE!

After last weeks episode I called The Salvation Army to come the next day. I had four bags of clothes and shoes to give away. I also threw away at least five bags of trash.The night Sandy came and spent the night we watched an episode together. I literally grabbed a bag and started tossing while she was here. "Sandy do I need this" "Sandy would you keep this" And every time she said NO it went in the bag. I even got extra large red bags from Target this season so I can use a big bag and not be able to see what's inside headed to the trash and question myself. I now have the opposite compulsion I call "Tossing My Junk" I signed up for a great new online calendar at "mysimplerlife.com" & I LOVE it! You print a monthly calendar and each day it gives you little ideas of things to do to simplify your life. While Lindsay was here over New Years I threw out a bunch of gadgets from my kitchen drawer. Too funny cause on January 8 the calendar says "let go of some cookie cutters" Not even knowing that was coming up I tossed at least 8 in the trash.Who would ever need all those cookie cutters? Some other ideas the calendar shares are, Give away some CD's ...Go through your belts...Get rid of any magazines over two months old.I have my January page printed out next to my desk and am determined to use it all year long. My house already feels better and fresher! And it feels so good to give things away. We all have too much stuff and if we are not using it why not bless someone else and give it away? So jump in and toss some junk.And promise to watch Hoarders at least once. It is fascinating TV. And if you need some help getting started call me! I LOVE to toss junk