2021

It is a bittersweet day today. I am proud to say that I raised two beautiful children but I am heartbroken that one left this world before me. My beautiful daughter is doing so well and I am so proud of her. I miss my son so very much it hurts more than I could ever explain.

I lost my mom when I was 23. It seems so long ago. I remember thinking that my life was left with a big gaping hole in it. Happy Mother’s Day Mom! I hope you are still watching over me.

I put my house on the market and got an offer the first day. I am so happy that it happened quickly but also so scared to make such a big move. I have done so many updates and fixed things so nicely, why move? But, isn’t that what happens? I am sure that whoever moves in will feel the love within the walls. When the house sells I will get to be back full-time with David but also farther away from my daughter. No decisions are one sidedly easy. But with Lindsay succeeding at her work and being so young and a strong person, she will do fine whether I am a town over or many states away.

I have been inconsistently active on my blog. There is so much that has to get done in a day and I honestly feel like I am on the go 24-7. If you are feeling bored let me know what you do to have the down-time! Lol. I appreciate every person who continues to read my work and “chat” with me. I suppose there will come a day where I can start structuring my time again. My father is so needy that it is often hard to sit and write when he is continually asking me questions or in need of something. He will be 89 next month. Holy cow!

If you continue to participate in Simply 6-Minutes on Tuesdays then Thank you! If you don’t participate yet, check it out on Tuesday. It is fun and relaxing and puts such a smile on my face. Spread the word…It’s all for the fun of it.

Does anyone remember when “Baked Lays” first came out and they were wreaking havoc on peoples’ stomachs? Supposedly whatever they put in their food that makes it fat free also leads to a laxative effect. I learned not too long ago and was reminded the other day that “sugar free” candy also has the same effect on the bowel track. So…if you are feeling irregular try the sugar free hard candies they sell at the Dollar Tree.

That is enough rambling for everyone for one day.
Peace to you all!
Have a very Happy Monday!

@stinewriting Blog From my desk Grief I made it love So Grateful stinewriting

From my desk: 03/25/2021

I have not had my usual presence on WordPress, as I am accustomed to and happy with. I have so much going on that my head spins constantly and I am trying to hold on for dear life so I don’t fall off this ride called life!

Back in February my stepmother passed away. It was quite sudden. I didn’t realize that the day she passed was the day my life would change, once again! I could go through all of my tragedies but I won’t. If you are curious, check out my About page. Anyhow, I am now the full-time caregiver for my father who suffers from Alzheimer’s. I knew this day would come but I didn’t think it would come so fast.

My fiance, David, and daughter live 1200 miles away from me. My daughter is doing phenomenally well in her career. She is working for Momentum Solar and is a natural when it comes to sales. My fiance is working his job, taking care of my house and my dog and my guinea pigs. I am busy too! But it is more of a mentally busy thing than physical.

Yes, you read that last paragraph correctly…David proposed and I said yes! We don’t have a date set yet but I am hoping my father will be well enough to walk me down the aisle for the second time.

There is a lot that I miss, now that my life is so….different. Besides missing David and Lindsay, there is so much more….
I miss my dog. I miss making my miniatures at my work station at my house. I miss my comfy bed. I miss my medical marijuana. I miss my alone time. I miss writing every day. I miss blogging all the time. I miss chatting with people and reading about people’s experiences. I miss taking pictures of birds. I miss all the things that were so familiar!
But I am lucky to have as much as I do. I am lucky that my father thinks I am so wonderful! I am lucky I have a roof over my head and food on my table. I am lucky to log on to my blog and see that people are still reading my posts and following me and enjoying my writing.

Life is so strange. I sometimes wonder, “when will life be normal?”, but what is normal? Maybe this life, with all of its chaos is normal! I just wonder if there is ever a time in life where you can just sit back and really just enjoy the world around you without feeling like your head is going to spin right off your neck!

Thanks for stopping by. Thanks for participating in my Simply 6 Minutes Writing each week. Thanks for following me. My blogging world is such a comfortable world!

If you haven’t already seen it, I have a Go Fund Me page for a scholarship I would like to present to the school my son graduated high school from right before he passed away. I want his name to be called out each spring as his school presents two scholarships to students who excel in math. That was his passion. If you could share the page that would be great. It is a large sum of money, so that the scholarship can be sustained for years and years. The more people who see it, the better my chances of reaching my goal will be. If everyone who saw it donated even $5, I would reach and possibly exceed the goal I have set. All money will go to the school for scholarships under my son’s name. If it isn’t enough, then perhaps it will only be a few years of scholarships. If it exceeds what is needed to start a scholarship then perhaps it can be offered to more students that attend his former high school. Thank you ahead of time for sharing the link!

https://gofund.me/3aa1542f

@stinewriting Blog From my desk JusJoJan2021 Random Writings stinewriting

From my desk: 01/21/21

Hello WordPress! I miss my blog, my interactions, my writing. I am in Florida caring for my father and stepmother. Stepmother has not been well. She finished a chemo treatment last week that has left her so very sick. We took her to the hospital today because she was vomiting, dehydrated, and her blood count has been so low. She is there for fluids and a transfusion. My father is so unhappy as he doesn’t remember all the details and is so accustomed to her being with him. For anyone who prays, please say a prayer she gets better.

I miss my daughter and my David! I miss Brody and my guinea pigs. I DON”T miss the cold northern weather! Florida has been “chilly”, only in the 60’s mostly. Better than the 20’s!

I started tutoring. The young man I am tutoring is very kind and nice. You can tell he loves his family. The planning is taking a lot of my time as I haven’t been in the classroom in almost two years and even then I was in high school and my new student is in 6th grade. The one super-wonderful part of this is I have reconnected with an old friend who is an Occupational Therapist, who I worked with many years ago, but will be working with again.

I hope to get back more to my writing. I miss the challenges and the interactions. I miss reading all the other great work of my fellow bloggers. Feel free to tag me in a post if you think it is something I would really enjoy. I feel like I am missing so much!

Thanks for following and for reading. I miss this blogging family but should be back “full-time” soon.

@stinewriting Blog From my desk Random Writings stinewriting

From my desk: 01/03/2021

Happy New Year!

This is the first memo from my desk for the new year and I am so happy it is finally 2021. 2020 wasn’t very good but I feel fortunate to still have a roof over my head and all my things. Yes, COVID sucks but I am ready to stop thinking about it and put COVID and Trump down a black hole of forget-tion. I don’t think that’s a word but that was the first word that popped into my head. Lol.

I am so happy to start the year blogging again. I enjoy the friends I have made with blogging and look forward to seeing their updates and celebrations, writings, and other contributions. Some day when COVID is done and people are out travelling I would love for people from other countries to come here for a visit. Yes, you can stay if I have the room! I also look forward to a little travelling. David and I are hoping to get away on a little romantic vacation in April. We will see.

Vacation won’t be until April because as of tomorrow I have a new job. I am going to be a tutor for a home-bound student from one of the local school districts. My old boss is now the Special Ed director in a town not too far from here and he heard from a mutual friend that I would be willing to do some part-time teaching. I am really looking forward to it but I am very nervous. The tutoring will be via Zoom so I don’t really know what I will be doing. Luckily, it is only about ten hours a week so I will still have time for blogging, making miniatures, and reading. I also want to do more writing.

Goodreads has a challenge where you set how many books you want to read this year. There is an old schoolmate of mine on there that pledges to read 60! You go girl! I put down 26. I don’t spend a lot of time reading and would like to increase that. There are so many good books out there. Another blogger actually has offered to let me read his books for free! I will read them and then post my reviews. I am super excited for that! His name is Martin and you can check out his blog here: https://martinjoneswriter.com/2020/12/18/the-rainbow-by-d-h-lawrence-early-twentieth-century-pride/

I presume I will be giving updates every now and again as usual. Keep me posted with all your updates and I do hope to spend time on as many blogs as possible.

Peace to you all in the new year!

@stinewriting Blog From my desk miniatures Random Writings stinewriting

From my desk 12/10/2020

Sitting here in Tampa International Airport heading back up north. Short visit to my dad and stepmom. It was a bit chilly here…

Heading home a few days early…Sold Welcome Home Miniature and when the customer received it it was in a ton of pieces! 😥 Will have to rebuild!
Cried in the nail salon when I saw the message! I was getting a Florida pedicure. All my work destroyed. Life must go on, as they say.

Sold out of most of my miniatures so this weekend and next week I may be sort of absent from blogging as I have to build…Of course, can’t not come here…this is now a natural part of my day.

Have a wonderful weekend WP family!

Christine

This photo is dedicated to Jez Braithwaite for introducing this awesome tool to me! https://jezbraithwaite.blog/

@stinewriting Blog Christine Bialczak poetry From my desk Grief love Poetry to enjoy So Grateful stinewriting

From my desk: 11/23/2020

Today is the day that I married Bob, 24 years ago. He isn’t here to celebrate this anniversary but I know he is with me. I also believe that he sent David for me, to love me and take care of me like he did, since he is gone. A bittersweet memory of such a beautiful day.

On our Anniversary

Separated my suns, moons, and seas
Forever bonded by love and memories
Love will always be in my heart
For our time together

I am thankful for what I have been given, then, now, and always….

Blog From my desk stinewriting

From my desk: 11/05/2020

I haven’t been doing many challenges this week…I don’t know why except I have been busy (hahaha, yeah, really!).

I have been so busy writing for NaNoWriMo and their 50,000 word monthly November challenge. I figure if I want to reach that I have to write at least 1667 words a day, for the same story. It’s for writing a novel! Mine right now is YA Fiction. Right now, I just wrote “write now” (LOL) I have 7333 words done! I am so on track!

Today is my mom’s 76th heavenly birthday!

I started physical therapy for my knee yesterday. The therapist I see, Stephanie, is great but the whole place doesn’t have any appointments open until December! I am on the cancellation list but she gave me exercises to do at home until then. I haven’t seen Stephanie for almost two years, since having to go for my neck. With the psoriatic arthritis it seems that I get a lot of hang-ups but she is able to really help! I am keeping my fingers crossed that this gives me some pain relief because I already have a titanium hip, I am not ready for a titanium knee!

James, the man I found at Home Depot, to do work on the house is here for the start of all the projects. A while back I was leaving Home Depot and I saw him putting stuff in his truck. He seemed nice and the truck looked organized. Well, I hired him to take out the skylight in the upstairs bathroom, because it was leaking and the roof’s plywood was starting to rot, and he did a very nice job. So now, instead of a skylight we have a fan with a nice bright light right over the shower. I just have to repaint the ceiling to blend the “popcorn-ish” look better. Today he is starting by taking off the gutter on the front of the house to replace the facia board, which looks like swiss cheese from carpenter bees and from woodpeckers. He will check to see how much damage is behind it and fix what needs to be fixed. That will be nice because although I love the woodpeckers they sound like a jack-hammer from inside the bedroom!

I just received a shipment of miniature kits to work on for the holiday season. If you are interested in seeing any of the ones I have yet to put together just let me know and I will add a pic.

@stinewriting Blog From my desk

From my desk: 10/26/2020

About two weeks ago I took out my brand new, used only once, Stihl backpack leaf blower to blow the leaves on the driveway. It has to be done because the driveway is long and steep and tires slip when the leaves get wet. I won’t even talk about the snow! Anyhow, I blew the driveway, which was the second time this year, and it only took about 45 minutes. Looking at the front lawn I thought to myself, “hmmm, not too many leaves. This shouldn’t take too long.” Three hours later!!!

David bought from a neighbor last week a mulcher that you hook up to the lawn mower tractor and it vacuums up the leaves! He finally got it working last night. He took one loop around the front yard and the whole thing was full! The bin part of this could easily fit two adults sitting down! Thank goodness for this though, because I don’t know how many more times I can blow the front yard….and not all the leaves are down yet!

Peace to you all!

@stinewriting Blog

From my desk: 10/24/2020

Hello! It has been a busy week and it flew by. Yesterday, Friday, I didn’t get to any of the writing challenges that I usually do. I will probably go back and do them anyhow because they are fun. Like Fibbing Friday! https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2020/10/23/fibbing-friday-23rd-october/

So, I have a question I am hoping someone might be able to answer…
I published some children’s books through Page Publishing which is a vanity press. I decided not to renew my contract for my first book because 1. I don’t sell many and 2. I want to make revisions but to do so through them it is way too expensive. Now, what happens if one of my books sells on Amazon or somewhere else? I was getting royalties through Page but if I don’t have a contract anymore, now what? I guess I could ask them but I thought I might contact my WP world first.

I picked up my new cabinets today for my kitchen. I went to this Outlet store and the cabinets were only 1/3 of the price of Home Depot and they are better quality. Now to get them installed….I have a guy but I have work to do to get the kitchen ready for them.

I just finished reading the book Tea with Rasputin and posted my review. I was just so amazed with how it ended, I thought it was great. Just saying…

Peace to you all! I hope you are all staying healthy and safe…I read there have been a lot of earthquakes around our globe.

Pop in anytime for a hello!

@stinewriting Blog From my desk Random Writings stinewriting

From my desk: 10/13/2020

First, let me apologize to all of my readers for the switching of themes…I mean like three in the past 24 hours! I just couldn’t find what I was looking for….Is that a song?

Anyhow, tomorrow I am so excited I am going on a Drive Through Safari with my Dad and Step-mother. I also get to feed the giraffes! It is near Orlando FL. I’m sure I will have tons of pictures to post.

Just recently, I applied for a Supervisor of Special Education position. I also applied for a bartending job. Ugh! I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, yeah, yeah, age means nothing in this case. I would love a job at a zoo! Those animals are so awesome. I would also love to be a famous author who goes from state to state and people line up to buy my books with an autograph inside the front cover. I would like to have a new therapy dog so I could go to schools and read with kids. COVID is really messing up a lot of plans for me (okay, for the entire world, pretty much), so I guess I should stop whining.

I am so grateful for my blog, my blogging friends, David, Lindsay, my friends at home, all of my family members, and my pets. I am truly so lucky to have all the things that I do have. Although I lost three people in the past three years, I am still so fortunate to be able to blog, smile, laugh, and do most of the things I do. I look forward to many more blog posts, comments, and tons of stuff to read!