The Porch Postscript

It's really simply amazing the thoughts people think about women who don't have children.  It's also simply amazing how rude other women are about the whole concept.  Now that I'm 40 no one is asking me about having kids anymore, thank heavens, but when I got married at the age of 29 that was a hot topic of conversation.  I used to come home from work at least a few times a week and complain about the constant topic of children.  My husband always said it had to be a female thing. Let's face it, men don't go through the barrage of questions women do.  It all starts with "why don't you have a boyfriend", then you get a boyfriend.  Next, they ask "is there's a wedding in the future", you become engaged.  Next, come the questions about a date for the "big day", finally a date is set and you tie the knot.  Questions don't stop there, they always move on the badgering you about when are you planning to start a family, to

What if I wrote what I really thought?  No really.  What if I actually wrote all the things I think.  All the raw uncensored emotions that run around in my head.  Would you read or would you be a troll telling me how stupid I sound? I'm always full of questions and unrequested advice.  Sarcasm and words often flow out of my mouth without much thought.  I talk too much, which magnifies when I'm wound up in anger, frustration or on the edge o tears.  I'm jampacked with opinions that are mostly unwarranted and judgments no one is ever seeking.  I come off sharp and even mean at times without really meaning too.  I've been told my whole life that I'm loud and bossy. Again I ask, would you read it if it wasn't censored? I have the vocabulary of a well-educated sailor.  I make my Marine husband proud because I have a mouth that would make a church lady blush and a Marine welcome me to the chow hall.  I don't have a college degree, and no I don't want o

Here we are in week two!  Here's hoping I can keep the momentum going in week three. Day 7: I have a small thimble collection, that I've had for years.  I have a few vintage one and some wooden ones with a smattering of ones my mom gave me. Day 8: This ring brought together two special pieces to capture some sacred memories.  On the left a piece of sea glass from our honeymoon and on the right the original garnet from my engagement ring.  Made by Meg Jewelry created this custom piece and I wear it nearly every day. Day 9: Is there really any better way to eat peanut butter than straight from the jar? Day 10: Adding to my essential oils collection.  I recently singed up for the Recipe Box from Simply Earth .  Each box includes a few essential oils, recipes and everything you need to make the recipes they include. Day 11: Friday night drink after a long week.  Don't judge I work around teenagers. Day 12: Saturday Night Date Night.  Pub steak

Are new habits that hard to build or are the old ones just too hard to break?  Think about that a minute. Sip your coffee or tea and we'll come back to that in a minute.  I recently turned 40 and started thinking about a lot of things, especially my habits and that very notion popped into my head. We all have habits, good ones, bad ones, big ones, small ones.  Some of us are creatures of habit, some of us don't even realize we have habits.  We even refer to some of our habits as routines.  I think everyone is trying to change their bad habits and build good ones.  Often we let society dictate what our good habits and bad habits should be. I'm totally a creature of habit or routine as it may be.  I like to get up and enjoy my first cup of coffee before I really engage in too much conversation.  I like to be awake for a while before I eat breakfast.  I want a shower, every morning.  As of late, I've made morning Yoga part of my day four to five times a week.  I'

Source - Pinterest Friendships are such a unique dynamic thing.  They come in all phases of our lives, are constantly evolving, ever growing and sometimes only last for a season.  At a certain point in your life, much like romance, age won't matter. I have friends that are 20 plus years older than me that I just click with.  Many of these are friendships that happened in unlikely ways but have bloomed into friendships I treasure dearly.  These are the friends that have no inhibitions and are totally the people I discuss those things no one else thinks is dinner conversations. Then there are the friends that are more than 20 years younger than me.  Several of these friendships started out almost in a mentorship way and with time grew into friendship built on common interests.  They're the friends that keep my heart young and challenge me to look at the world in new ways, the friends I push to be strong and grow their dreams.  Friends that I support and reassure, lendin

Title:  Author:  Type:  From the back of the book:  Why I picked this book up:  My thoughts on the book:  Excerpts from the Book:  In Conclusion:  *Please note this post does contain affiliate links*

What is sexy? Does that question conjure up images of thin, well toned, barely clad women?  That's what society has influenced us to think and to believe, but what is it really?  We're lead to believe that it's about how we look.  I asked if I was sexy and I was told yes.  I asked what made me sexy and the list he gave included things I never thought about.  Things that are who I am, not how I look.  Then he asked, "don't you understand that?"  I had to answer no.  I'd never thought about or considered what makes someone sexy is their mind, their heart, the kind things they do.  I'd been drinking the stereotypical cool-aid of the media, thinking that sexy was about being thin, having long hair and big boobs.  Go ahead and laugh, but the next time you're standing in a grocery store checkout line look at the magazines and tell me that's what sexy is portrayed as. I've struggled with my body image for years, and while I think I'm w

That's me, and extroverted introvert.  Left in the wild I will seek out one-on-one conversations, avoid large groups and get hives at a sign of a big crowd.  I will avoid public speaking at all costs. The flip side of that coin is I have a job that is very public and very much a people-oriented game.  I get hurled into large groups of strangers and which often leads to the public speaking opportunities I loathe.  I'm a program cordinator...I've got no choice.  It just comes with the territory. I'm loud and often funny, maybe even a bit quirky.  Most people mistake me for an extrovert that loves the wild world of entertaining.  I'm a good jokester in the right company and I enjoy a good round of teasing.  Left to my own devices though, I'll choose to alone.   I often decline party invites, especially if it's a party where I know very few people. The other part of my personality that is often misunderstood and misjudged is the public withdrawal.  After

How much of your life is based on someone else's perception of you?  No really, think about that a minute.  Home much of what you do and how you act is based on the thoughts you perceive others to have about you?  Go ahead, mull that over.  I'll wait. Are you a little shell-shocked?  It really does put a little perspective into your life when you think about it and actually, consider some of the more mundane things we do. Do you wear make-up?   Why?  To hide your imperfections.  To enhance your natural beauty.  To highlight you check bones.  To make your eyes pop.  I really could go on and on with all the lines we're fed in our daily lives through advertising and social media. Why do you hate your body?  You don't feel you're thin enough.  You don't feel you're swimsuit ready.  You don't feel your boobs are big enough.  You feel your butt is too (insert descriptor here).  Again, society has influenced these thoughts. All of these things are bas

Excuses are like ass holes, everyone has one and they all stink.  Yep, I sure did.  I just said it.  I put it out there for everyone to know.  I have the vocabulary of a well-educated sailor, but in all seriousness is anyone ever interested in someone's excuse? When is it that we learn the behavior of blaming others for our shortcomings and failures?  No seriously.  When?  When is this taught to us?  Grade school?  Middle school?  High school?  Or do we learn it as young adults? I've learned in my nearly 40 years, that's it's just better to man up and take the blame for the misstep and move forward.  That's not to say that the perfectionist in me doesn't beat me up for a few days after the misgivings of the failure, but if everyone survives without injury it's all good.    Yes.  I am still learning to let it go, but I do accept blame for the missteps I take.   What I'm wondering is why is this so hard to do?  Do we hold ourselves so highly,

I took Friday off last week and gave myself a long three-day weekend to rest, relax and reflect.  The 2017 year has been a bit tense and I needed some time to just chill.  I'll spare all the details, but I can say I definitely needed this weekend to unwind and recharge. Day 1 : I enjoyed an iced coffee and a good book after running a few errands in the morning.   Snapped a pic of the honey bees that are enjoying the dandelion field where my garden usually is.   Sat on the grass and supervised Hubby repairing our garage roof. Day 2 : Enjoyed a homemade waffle for breakfast while doing a bit of journaling. Spent some time hanging out in the yard with the pups, enjoying a large glass of iced tea. Did a bit of reading about Nature Journaling. Grilled some chicken and bacon for dinner. Which I turned into a delicious spin on a cob salad, to go with my red wine and Sunset magazine. Took an evening stroll around our property.  I

I don't want a busy life.  I'm not interested in what's referred to as "the hustle."  I hate hearing the phrase "you know how it is." The answer is NO!  No, I don't.  I've never understood the feeling that you constantly have to be on the go and always doing.  I physically can't and mentally won't.  When life gets too busy I reach a saturation point and will withdrawal from everything!  I become angry and less tolerant of people, noise, and places.  Busy isn't good for me and what's more is I find it maddening when I ask someone how they are and I get the pat answer "busy" or my other favorite "crazy busy."  Either of which is followed by "you know how it is."  No.  I don't.  I've made the choice not to live like that. To be quite honest, when you tell me about your "saturated" or "busy" life, it all sounds like complaining.  It sounds like you're letting your lif

I've been writing for years, like my entire life years, or at least since junior high.  I've written in starts and spurts.  I've had long dry spells, and I've had those moments of scribbling on any piece of paper I could find in my bag. For me, writing isn't about scribbling out the next great American novel.  It's about getting all the thoughts and ideas out of my head and onto paper.  If something creative comes from all the nonsense, then that's a bonus. I was never much of a journal keeper until a couple of years ago.  I took it on as a challenge for myself.  Somewhere to just get random stuff out of my head.  Looking back I wish I'd developed this habit years ago, but hindsight is always 20/20. The type of journal I keep could be referred to as a "commonplace book" or a "brain dump book" or even an "everything book."  I'm not a "dear diary" kind of person, those kinds of restrictions make me hyperv