Beehive and Me

This past weekend, I finally was able to spend time with a woman that I had met through the HGTV Dream House blog.  While commenting and posting on that blog, we realized that because I lived in SLC and she lived in Midway, Utah, that it wasn't out of the realm of possibility we could actually meet face to face.  The opportunity to finally say "Howdy" in person came about because I found myself in Midway last weekend and a day with time on my hands.

We had been able to use my BIL's vacation home in Midway for some family time with kids and grandkids.  They all went home after 3 days and hubby and I stayed an extra day.  I decided to email Beehive (the moniker she used on the blog) to ask if she had the time to get together for a bit.  She did!

From the moment that we sat down in the Fill'r Up Coffee Station in Midway-she with her coffee and me with my skim milk- we were fast friends. It's been a long time since I've had a connection like that.  Over my years of marriage, we've moved a lot.  I know many women in several communities, but I'd put the majority of them in the category of acquaintances.  That has particularly been the case since moving back to Salt Lake City.  The women that I've met since moving back here are all wonderful gals.  However, because of their deep, long history with each other, it's been difficult to develop any significant relationships.  And due to the nature of  LDS ward boundaries, sometimes those relationships have dwindled because we moved.  It's probably mostly my fault, but that's the case. Anyway....back to Beehive and me.

We discovered that we have so much in common, from having hearing loss, loving the same authors, agreeing that the worse book we had ever read was "Twilight" and using the same brand of moisturizer. It was uncanny.  I asked her "Are you sure that we aren't twins separated at birth?"  Beehive is a master quilter.  So we went over to the local fabric shop where it was decided that she'd teach me to quilt.  Then she drove me all over Midway to show me her favorite places in town.  I told her that my husband and I were toying with the idea of actually moving to Midway (that's another post by itself).  She then said "You should rent something to see if you like it here."  and she knew of a couple of places that might be available in the future. She told me in an email sent since we got back to SLC that she could visualize me living in her neighborhood and teaching me to quilt.  She's also been on the hunt for possible rentals.

I'm headed back to Midway next week to spend time with her and the local church ladies, as she calls them,  to help make Swiss bread for the Swiss Days celebration in September. I'll also have my first quilting lesson. Beehive and I have both said that we were meant to meet.  Funny that it would be through a public blog sponsored by a cable channel.  Who would have thought?

Getting Some Zzzzz....

It's a known fact that as people age, mainly women, falling asleep and staying asleep is a problem.  I've battled this problem for years.  I'll go to bed physically and mentally exhausted, but don't fall asleep - sometimes it takes hours. I avoid anything with caffine in it after about 3 pm because caffine keeps me awake. The situation isn't helped when the hubby falls asleep in minutes and is snoring loudly.  It's really frustrating.  Sometimes, I've used OTC sleep aids, but they take a long time work and don't always work for me.  I also have a prescription for Ambien.  But you can't take that every night.

Recently, I saw a piece on television or the internet, (I don't remember which) that addressed this problem.  There was the usual information, except for one little tidbit..."lie still on your back, try to relax your entire body and then breathe in deeply through your nose, hold for a couple of seconds, and then breathe out through your mouth.  Do this for several minutes.".

Since I had taken at least half an Ambien every night for the past week and didn't want to continue that pattern, I decided to try this three nights ago.  I was skeptical.  I realized the next morning that I hadn't tossed and turned for an hour or more before going to sleep.  Coincidence, I thought.  So I tried the method the next night.  I had the same results.  Still a little skeptical, I did the breathing last night and had the same results.  I fell asleep quickly (for me) and slept rather soundly until I had to get up to use the bathroom at about 4:30. 

Historically, if I have to use the bathroom during the night, it takes me a long time to get back to sleep...particularly if it's around 4 am or so. Often, I never get back to sleep.  So I tried the breathing method after returning to bed.  I slept for another 2 hours.

Could it be that I have found a solution to my sleep problem?  If so, "Hallelujah!!"  The true test will be when I try this when I'm away from home, traveling.  Ambien is usually the solution in that scenario.

No Kidding

My six year old grandson is a very literal boy.  He has never been one to understand the kidding and joking that you sometimes do with kids.  His grandpa came up with a nickname for him several years ago.  Many times when Grandpa has called him "Pookie Boo", my grandson would respond "I'm not Pookie Boo.  I'm Aidan.".

When he draws a picture of something, he does his best to make his picture look exactly like the object.  Once he got very upset with his sister when she drew a picture of their family.  She had given her mother dark hair (she's a blonde) and their Dad blonde hair (his is dark).  Also, in her picture, Dad was shorter than Mom.  (Dad is over 6' and Mom is about 5'3".)  To calm him down, I had to explain to him about artistic license and that it was OK for Emily to give their Mom brown hair.  She was the artist, after all.

Last evening, he was spending some time with Grandma and Grandpa.  He overheard our casual conversation about money.  Grandpa said, "Well, you know, money makes the world go 'round.".  Aidan promptly told Grandpa, "Money doesn't make the world go around" ... and then proceeded with his six year old understanding of the solar system.

Of course, Aidan....thanks for setting Grandpa straight.