Sunday, March 8, 2009

100 Things We Learned the Hard Way

The last time I added to these was a year ago. My, how time flies! (Numbers 1-70 can be found here.)

71. If you need to mow the lawn, it will rain; if you need the lawn watered, it won't rain.

72. The ceramic terra cotta tiles you were so proud to have installed in the mid '90s will not be a selling point in the early 2000s.

73. The level of restless persnicketiness of any group of small children will always be in precise inverse proportion to the level of listless irritability of the caretaker.

74. Cheap Vacuum Cleaners Suck. (Well, actually, they should, but they don't. )

75. St. Joseph and St. Thomas Aquinas are sitting at the heavenly workbench just waiting to be called on to help with "guy projects" like plumbing and car mechanics. St. Martha, St. Zita, and St. Anne are always hovering around the kitchen. If we don't get their help, it's our own fault for not asking.

76. A bar of soap clogging the toilet will eventually dissolve.

77. Standing on the sidelines watching our oldest child preparing to graduate from college and get married is less like watching a dive off the cliffs in Acapulco than it is watching a ship being launched into a harbor.





78. But... one child's experience never determines another's.
Sometimes launchings are more like this:





79. Painful but worthwhile practices: double-digging a new garden plot, seasonal closet cleaning, dentist appointments, any kind of cleansing diet, potty training, piano lessons, Lent.

80. Life is like my mother's made-from-scratch soups. It pays to trust the creator; just dig in without expectations and don't ask questions. Some of the ingredients might be mysterious, but they almost always blend together marvelously, and there is no doubt that it's all good for you.

8 comments:

Shosannah said...

Cheap Vacuum Cleaners Suck. (Well, actually, they should, but they don't. )"
Ha! Yes, learned the hard way over here too!
I just love these :0)

BTW) Lisa, the giveaway ends next Saturday! So you've got a whole week left.

Plus some!!! 'Cause it's you ;0)

Therese said...

oh my that second launching had me wide eyed. My husband asked me if it was meant to happen like that.

I like number 80. A friend of mine won't eat anything she doesn't know the complete ingredient list for.

A Bit of the Blarney said...

"The level of restless persnicketiness of any group of small children will always be in precise inverse proportion to the level of listless irritability of the caretaker." How I love this one! This is pretty inclusive. I see me, grandmother, in this picture, too! Have a GRAND week! Cathy

Maria (also Bia) said...

your vacuum cleaner lesson? fuuunnny!

Anonymous said...

Double digging? What's that?

Lisa said...

Suzy ~ Thanks! You're so nice! Can't wait to see the e-book!

Therese ~ From what I gathered, looking through several launching videos, there are a couple methods of launching, depending on the set-up of the dry dock, I guess. Some of those sideways dips are more graceful than others, tho, by far. I wonder if that's a function of the managers or the facility? If it were my ship, I'd much rather see it launched like that first one!

Cathy~ &:o) My Mom and sisters and grown kid baby-sitters would agree with you!

Bia ~ Aint it the truth, though??

Hey, Anne! ~ Double digging is one of the prerequisites of intensive or raised bed gardening. It's not at all complicated, just labor intensive. You basically turn over the soil in your beds by digging a series of holes , into which you dump the turned over soil from the holes you just dug... Clear as mud, huh? &:o) Here's a video on it that might explain it better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPivuNSm4Hc

MightyMom said...

awe well, so long as she doesn't sink!

hey I need advice on picking a Confirmation Saint...and I only have till Easter Vigil to make up my mind....none of the one suggested "fit me right" you wanna take a stab?

Saint Maker said...

I love it when I stumble on a good blog. I enjoyed looking over your blog. BTW, I have "I child proofed my house but they still get in" as my coffee coasters. Too funny.

I'll be back. Also, enjoyed your daughters blog. How lovely they are.

Peace,
Judy