Sucessfull swimsuit shopping.... and no babies!

I think that one of the worst things to do, and I know that many women agree, is the task of finding a new swimsuit. Every time a new one is needed I dread it. This year was no exception, and I looked and looked here in town and found nothing - now granted I did not go to the cruise ware or specialty swimsuit stores, that was not in the budget for this year. I just needed something that would cover and be reasonably comfortable (an oxymoron I realize!), and be in the budget, not a huge problem - or so I thought as I set out. Sure there are LOTS of suits on the racks, however once you rule out the 4 racks of mix & match 2 piece numbers with string closures- OBVIOUSLY! Then there are ones that are cut so high in the leg that they come up to your armpits - OUT!. Fabric that is too thin, or even single layer, OUT! Tummy control is a nice option - but hard to find on a suit that does not look like an old iron maiden girdle that my grandmother used to wear (A sorry fashion era for sure!) There is really very little left - well actually there were still a great many styles, just not the size I required! (Must be every women in the lower-mainland that shares my size beat me to the racks this year!) I can not recall how many suits I tried on, lets just say it was LOTS! Some that the girls just rolled their eyes, or shook their heads - a good sign I am about to make a fashion faux pax! (Thank you girls!) All that said I left for holidays with the suit from last year that was o.k. but a little snug in the bust.... so swim with a T-shirt on..... workable but not the best option as far as ease of swimming.
Fast forward Shushwap day two... or was it 3 no matter, a trip into Chase is needed to pick up a suit Mary had ordered for one of her girls. I decide to go along. We are in Feilds - there is no Feilds close to home - and there is one very SMALL rack of suits, I flip through thinking will not find one here.... however I find 5 to try on - amazing! One that if it does not work Mary says, hey I will try that on if you do not take it... It is a Tankini - I am thinking just give it to her, and cut your losses.... The tankini style as a general rule never fit correctly because I have a longer than average back/ waist ! No I decide to try all of them on. Of the 5 - THEY ALL FIT! Now i have a choice to make, as I only really need 1. Black one too boring, Lime and orange one, too bright etc... Brown one not on SALE. I am now down to 2 - a blue one piece and the tankini... both will serve the purpose, both are on sale for the same price. I LIKE both of them, the little voice inside my head is saying just buy both.... my practical side kicks in and says if you buy one you can buy the little skirt you also saw and the t-shirt. That won out - I bought the Tankini because the size label said M - total pshycological choice - I do not remember the last time I bought anything in a M! happy dance..... So for the price of the swimsuit at regular price $69.00 I bought a Skirt, T-shirt and the bathing suit and still saved 20.00 - Successful shopping day! Happy Happy Happy!
We get back to the house, I get ready to go to the beach, my new suit is on and I start to think, it really does fit well, I love the colour etc. It is a bit odd that it is a M as I read the tag more closely just to check.... It certainly says "M" but not for MEDIUM - "M" stands for MATERNITY!!!!! What the heck I just bought a Maternity swimsuit... no wonder the top was extra long...... Good thing I can laugh at myself - because that tops the cake for funny here these days! And No that is NOT a back handed way of making an announcement (That would so NOT be funny!!!) So just to be perfectly clear there are no little ones being added to the Hilstad clan! Moral of the story - if the suit fits wear it! Then laugh.
I still think I got a good suit and a great deal. The bonus I have a funny story to tell to go along with it!

Totally random - Quiz

Found this tonight as I was blog hopping..... have fun

You Are a Glazed Donut

Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that.You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness.Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you.And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatdonutareyouquiz/">What Donut Are You?

Try it and see what kind of donut you are....

Love this. . .

Love "mini grass daisies"

Love that they are in an egg cup sitting on my kitchen table.

Love that they were just waiting for me this morning.

Love that one of my girls thought to pick some for me.

Love that at 141/2 , 13 or 11 they still do this.

Love that I did not know which one picked them at first.

Love that when I took a photo, my oldest wondered why I would take a photo of her flowers.

Love that she just let on that it was her that picked them with out coming right out and saying so!

Love that when I told her that I was going to blog this she smiled!

Love this life!

A MONTH . . . .

Over a whole month (well almost over a whole month) seems like so much longer since I blogged here! Agh where does the time go...
What has happened in the last month? Way to much! Thankfully God does not give us more than we can handle, of that I am certain.

Over and above the regular routine of life - There has been appointments at children's hospital with Teryn, Band trip for Ashlynn, Youth Conference for Teryn, Dance performances for all 3 girls, Church meetings, appointments for me at RCH (2nd operation went well, I am feeling great and this whole thing should now be over!!!), required rest (hard to not do anything!) helping friends move, sleep(not) overs, extra hours at the store.... All in the day or month as the case may be.

Through it all there is much to learn - we truly are not the director of our destiny (to a point) - there is a plan laid out for us to follow and there are things put in our way to direct us back to that path. However we do have choices to make along the way and we may very well make choices that are way off the path - however in those choices lays discontentment, unhappiness and just a feeling of things not being right. It is when we are with in the path that is ours and ours alone that we can truly feel good about life. I think that is one of the reasons I have been able to deal with the tumor and surgeries I have had with what others have said to me as "an amazing attitude" Sure I could have wallowed in it, but where does that get me, or those around me... I want to be a positive example to my girls. Bad things happen in life, sure that is just one of those facts we can not avoid. However how we deal with those bad things can truly make a difference. I am certain that my positive attitude has aided hugely in my healing process. And that my friends comes directly from God!
Has it been a rough month - sure! But it is the tough things in life that form character and build us into the people we are intended to be! May each of us deal with the tough stuff with the right attitudes! (notice that I did not say that may each of us avoid the tough stuff in life... think on that for a minute!!!)

Random this and that...

First off , it has been quite some time since I last posted.. Time flies by, I did not realize how much time had gone by. (Then I went to post this and realized that there was a draft sititng there that I thought I posted.... so it had not been quite as much time as I had first thougth!) I need to set a date with myself and be here regulary, but then again where is the random in that!

I love to make my kids say "Mom that's so random!" I hear it most from Shanna - and it is not even like I try to it just happens. Take yesterday for example - I was driving down Austin Ave right by the Vancouver Golf Club - for those of you who do not know it - it is a beautiful private "country club" in the middle of the city ( I think Coquitlam is a city?) with beautiful manicured lawns and gardens. As I am passing I notice that just off to the side of one of the fairways there is a HUGE pair of cherry blossom trees - one is white the other vibrant pink.

So in the middle of the conversation about school and friends I interject

"You know one of you should get married in April or early May so that you can have wedding photos taken in front of a beautiful cherry blossom tree"

Conversation stops dead - Shanna pipes up with the

"What ?? Mom' that was totally random"

I smile to myself - it is true - totally random - not planned it just happens! No one is quite sure when odd things will pop into the conversation. I think that it is because my brain is always thinking - seeing - on the other hand likely not totally 100% there in the conversation going on around me (hmm, maybe I have to think about that a little....

Here is a totally random bit of fun - I stumbled upon this while "Blog Hopping" "Blog Hopping" is a allot like pub hopping (from what I hear) you go from one Blog to the next, not quite sure where you will end up and what you will come away with - usually quite fun and always something is learned - except there are not any next morning surprises! (If you read Donna Downey's blog this will not seem quite so random! Poor girl)) I digress.... here is the random bit of fun . . . .

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the "SPORTS CAR QUIZ"

I can honestly say that I have never thought of myself as a Corvette! For the most part I do not even like the look of the car, the front end is too long! However - it is a classic - and it would be fun to drive (under control and with-in the speed limits of course!) The description is not so me, but hey it was a random little thing that took all of 1 minute to complete! (And now there is a photo of a hot car on my blog.... how random is that!)

Have a great Sunday - it actually looks like it might be nice!

Fun and other things.

I have made a new discovery - Facebook - and I must admit I feel like a bit of an "old lady" but none the less it is fun - It is like an address book with email and photo albums all in one place. A fun way to keep in touch. Also a great way to find old friends from school or clubs, random meetings etc. It is the place to "hang" if you are the high school to 20 something crowd (so not me but.....)and I guess for us "old ladies" too. A 20 something Friend at church once told me I was a cool old lady when she was introducing me to a friend of hers from school. At first I thought, man who is she calling old... I guess I am that - however for the record I am so NOT old! My grandmother was old (87)! I guess at 20 something I thought 42 was old, I hope not, but probably did considering that is double their life experience! I guess that is my lot in life these days - to be the "Cool Old Lady" (Thanks L.L.!)I guess it could be so much worse!

Stop spinning world - I want a vacation...

We are only 4 months into the year and already I feel like I have lived the whole thing. So many things have been happening. The spinning and buzzing here and there - and it is not things I really have any control over. Sickness, surgery, recovery, death... these are the things one can not control - but that when they happen can be all consuming. I am ready for a serious break! Not just a Sunday afternoon nap! Then on the other hand, maybe if life would be back to normal it would be o.k. But then what is NORMAL! And have I ever been normal? As a teen my mom gave me a button that I wore every day for years that read "Why be normal" then it was a statement of individuality, and a great conversation starter. I do not know how many "what is normal" conversations I have had in my life time. What is considered NORMAL for me would not be your normal. . . this is what makes our world interesting..

Just so I do not get questions re the death reference above.....
My Grandmother (Mom's mom) passed away this past Friday after complications from a broken hip and pneumonia - that and 87 years of living. I have been very reflective of late. Grandma and I were not close, we had VERY different views on life - there are still a great many things that I learned from her, from observing her and her view of life...

One person can truly change the world, even if it is just the little corner that we call home. That change can be either positive - embracing the world around us, enjoying people and places, or negative - shutting out the world and living in quiet solitude. May I influence my world in a positive way!

There is power in keeping secrets - however secrets usually become public information at some point and all power is lost. There is also sorrow in keeping secrets that really need to be told to yourself. Robbing yourself of the joy of seeing others celebrate.

Stubbornness is a family trait - the strength in which I know I have inherited - however I hope I realize that there is a time and a place to dig in my heels. And a time and a place to give in and meet 1/2 way (there is strength and power in knowing when and where)

Honesty is the best policy - it leaves the doors open for communication and closes them to speculation and second guessing. Honestly the truth as steerage as it may be is far less harmful than lies and the stories others think up on their own. Trust me on this one! Truth is stranger that fiction (hmm, who said that first? I think it would be a great title for a book.)

A vacation would be nice, hmm so would a spa treatment. In the meantime I will indulge in a bubble bath and a good book. (which is a mini vacation - it is all in the attitude!)