Oh the memories that family pictures creates

There is nothing like family pictures to build family ties....
NOT!!!
Why is it that my normally loving children have melt downs when it comes to family picture time?
Am I asking too much to have them clean up and put on a smile?

Apparently the answer to that question is YES!
I don't know how families take pictures each year--
I don't think it would bode well for our family relationships if we did.

If it is not one child it is another..
{{{SIGH}}}

A few years back i tried to get family pictures taken on the beach in Rosirito, Mexico..
ahhh...the best laid plans.
I made the mistake and asked a child to move to a different spot in the picture
at which point the said child told me that they were fine and did not need to move.
Who needs composition anyway
--or balance in a photo--
not our family
(yes this is all written tongue in cheek)
at which point the said child went climbing off in a big huff
(maybe that was the start of their love of climbing?)

All i want is some cute smiles...
I know they have them in them.

This will be the last picture that we will be able to have together for awhile so i wanted to take advantage of my friend Katie and her wonderful  photography skills while we were hanging out in Rocky Point--I would like to believe that she took off from school and flew home just to take our picture, but i think the love she has for her family had more to do with her coming home than her love of taking my families picture...anyway i digress.  So at some point I think she asked for a smile and that managed to set a child off--Ahh the joys of being a parent. It is not enough for them to just embarrass you--they need to do it in front of others to really make it count. So we went walking down the beach after she told us that we could take five to cool off--unfortunately the love fest escalated during those five minutes and i found myself watching my boys show ultimate love for each other as they rolled around and wrestled in the sand like three year olds--even fighting. My normally peace at any price husband felt left out of the fun and got involved showing them that he is still  boss and can kick their butts--lol

fUnNY now...not so much then....

I really liked when the child threw himself down in the sand and got irritated at the rocks and went to kick them, and then realized it would probably hurt him more than it would the rock....who said he doesn't learn from his mistakes. The rest of the photo shoot went off with a few snarls and a lot of attitude but i am hoping that in the midst of all of the family fun we managed to get a few good pictures. One word that managed to get us all to smile was the word Hemorrhoid--I guess you go with what works lol. Katie had Hubby and I take a picture together at which point she asked us to "kiss". That was a hoot. We were having  a laugh fest and finally did manage to muster up a smooch worthy of our love--lol. Oh the things that the camera catches.

Once again, family pictures did not disappoint on the memories that it created...it is a good thing that we really do love each other and manage to smile on the days we are not having our picture taken--because there are a lot more of those days than there are of the perfect outfit picture days.

growing up before my eyes

Kids have a way of growing up and changing. It is just the way it is. Happens whether we want it to or not.

2nd born son has been away at scout camp and now he is at wrestling camp. Wrestling camp is across town and they are actually rooming at the University. He has been gone for 5 days and will be gone for another 5 days. Seeing as how he forgot some stuff we ran over there today and hung out with him for a bit. In just the short time he has been gone it looked to me like he had grown. This kid is changing right before my eyes--it is only when i step back and reflect do i realize how much he is changing in such a short period of time.

Recently at his promotion they had some pictures of the kids. One of the mothers commented on how young the group of boys looked--more specifically my son. She said "Oh, that must have been sixth grade"--only problem was my son was not at that school in sixth grade. That picture was actually seventh grade--less than two short years and my little boy changed into a teenager. He now weighs as much-maybe more than his brother who is four years older and is now taller than his dad.

I have added some pictures over the past few years of him in his scout uniform so you can see the change as well


April 24, 2008--11 1/2



September 18 2008--11 years 10 months

August 20, 2009--12 years 9months

13 years 4 months

February 20, 2010

May 19th 2011--14 1/2

the most recent documented scout picture of how he is changing--

he finally got his LIFE rank officially--

yes it is already sewn on his uniform--i refused to take it off from when his brother got his

My/our goal if for him to get his EAGLE SCOUT before he outgrows his shirt.

At the rate he is growing it better happen sooner than later!

'sploding

It was just a short while ago when i spoke about
things that should NOT be kept in the car when it gets hot.
One of the things on my list was SODA....
'member why?
Cause the cans will explode when it gets hot....
guess what???

Somewhere between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon i managed to forget my own advise.
Literally the tops popped.
I brought in the remainder of the cans to wash them off and i put them in the sink--
only to have one EXPLODE like a gun had gone off.
Then another one started shooting off like a geyser--
Nothing like sticky soda all over everything.
One more reason i should quit this bad habit...
but sometimes it just tastes so good....
but only when it is really cold and over ice....

which brings me to another story about soda....

A few years back when i was in New Hampshire working I was craving a soda to kick start my morning.
We had gone to breakfast at this little bar across the street from the hotel--it was yummy and i asked for a soda to go. I was expecting a soda in a cup with ice--not what i got. Instead i was handed a bottle of soda.
They did not have to-go cups and ice was rather a foreign idea. Later that morning we had to go to the airport to pick up some boxes--off we went. On the way back we figured we would find a gas station/convenience store and pick up a soda there. I live in the land of pharmacy's and convenience stores on just about every corner so i didn't think it would be a problem. Let's just say it was short of looking for a needle in a haystack. We did finally find a gas station that had a sign outside totting its grand opening. We thought we had struck gold. We walked in and walked around looking for the fountain drink machine--only it was not to be found. What convenience store does NOT have a fountain drink machine? When i inquired about soda he told me he had bottles. When i asked about ICE he responded to me. "Mame', 9 months out of the year when we want ice, all we do is stick our hand out the window." Case in point--I guess it gets cold there, so no real need for ice in the drink. Such a foreign idea that it actually is cold other places--although i am liking the idea of some cooler weather right now. I know that summer had only begun and i am already getting tired of it. The only way i will get through it is with LOTS of ICE...and maybe some Ice Cream

mom gives a mohawk

I am sitting here try to take in the fact that today is the last day of school for most of my kiddo's.
I seems like it was just a month or so ago that I the year started....
My senior was done last week and has been hanging out the last few days waiting for graduation.

My sophomore has been frantically finishing up her online class and studying for exams that she says are going to be easy. I ask her "why are you stressing over studying when they are going to be easy?" and her response is that "she would rather be prepared... just in case." Can't really argue with that logic.
 
My soon to be high school er is counting the days till he is out of his school--but that does not keep him from continuing to cause havoc and bring home a note because he was being a tad bit too "chatty" in one of his classes. I also am counting the days till he is done with that school. It has been somewhat of a thorn in my side...so grateful that my husband took point on that one. I don't think, actually, I know that i could not have dealt well with the "rules" and pompous attitudes that exude from that school.

SOOOO....with that statement being said I am allowing and even encouraging my soon to be freshman to rebel against the man just a bit. He has promotion tomorrow. Personally I find the whole idea of promotion a bit ludicrous. I had never heard of it until I moved here...but it seems to be a tried and true tradition that for whatever reason we can not give up. It has been scaled WAY back over the years. I guess things were getting really out of hand with Limos and fancy dresses and it being celebrated with the idea that this was indeed the end of the kids schooling instead of the start to the next step. Why we celebrate the kids finishing the 8th grade is beyond me--I expect it. That is part of the continuous step to HIGH School graduation--then college.

Promotion has changed since my oldest child did it. When she promoted it was held in the multi purpose room/cafeteria. We had tickets. There were student speeches, and awards. It was a bit of a celebration. Then the next child came two years later. Same sort of event but scaled back. Then my third child. Talk about a change. Hers was held in the classroom. It was a joke, but for those looking for validation of  promoting, I guess it fit. I spoke with a teacher/friend about it and she made the comment that the ENTIRE district was scaling way back the idea of promotion, with out completely eliminating it. Fine with me--I would even be in favor of elimination but alas my opinion was not asked...So here we are a promotion time again. Apparently my son's school did not get the SCALED back memo. NOOOOO.! We are having a promotion breakfast...catered....away from the school...at a church. We had to RSVP months ago. They are charging $18. per person for the luxury of going to promotion. Personally if I am going to pay $18. per person I would rather pick where and what i am eating. And really? $18. for breakfast foods? When we spoke with the principal about this we were told "the kids have worked really hard and they deserve to be recognized"
WHATEVER....I can tell you that my daughter who's promotion that was held in the classroom worked just as hard, if not harder than this son. So I have to take off work and pay for the opportunity to watch my son promote. Personally I am going just to see their reaction.

Reaction to what you ask? Remember the part of being a rebel and sticking it to the man. Well.....in all their ability to make my son conform, he has. Until NOW.!? He mentioned weeks ago that he thought it would be funny if he had a flat top Mohawk for promotion. I agreed. My husband was not in favor of it. He does not like to make waves. I on the other hand, like the bumpy ride on occasion.
I caved.
Or actually.
I shaved, is more like it.

It is only hair.

It is only temporary.

It will grow back.

He was told that he has to have a "normal" haircut to perform his priesthood duties. He agreed. It could always be worse--he could have dyed it some wild color or even bleached his hair like his brother did. I know hubbers is not happy with my encouragement of the rebelling against the man--and the fact that i cut the Mohawk right before seminary graduation--but it wasn't his seminary graduation. Plus if it was going to be done i wanted it to look good, and if his brother had done it, there was no telling how it would have turned out. I did have to do some touch up the next morning before his actual promotion....but that is a blog entry for another day

Senior pictures

Time is a funny thing.
There are moments that fly by and others that creep along.
Has it really almost been a month since i posted last?
March felt like it moved at a snails pace--
April moved at light speed,
and then here we are in the middle of May already?!
School will be ending for my senior son this week--
and then next week is graduation and the end of school for the rest of my piglets.

Summer here we come....

This was my sweet boy just four years ago at 8th grade graduation

such the cute boy.

He has grown (some).

Put on some weight

and gotten (some) facial hair,

and his braces finally removed.

Time does not stand still--it keeps moving. 

Life keeps changing.

Here he is four years later....

red pants and all.

He is his own unique person

 This has to be one of my favorites--I love the reflection in the window

These pictures were taken by his friend Katie.

She is amazing.

(Katie is the one on the left with her sister)

Since i have known her since birth I can say that.

She has become quite the accomplished photographer

(check out her blog) 

Jake and Katie have a special relationship--
When they were young pups on the playground they were swinging on this tire swing that we fondly refer to as the hurler. Let's just say that centrifugal force does not bode well for the person next to you when you loose your lunch---Katie has either blocked out that memory, or has chosen to forgive him and his childhood indiscretion. Not that he had much control over it. I am soooo grateful for the fact that she was able to draw the smile out of him--he is not the easiest in that regard.
My number two child will graduate...in four more years and i will loose two more--leaving little man to hang out with his dad and I...ALONE. It is hard to believe we are at this point in our lives...fun and yet sad at the same time. These pictures are just proof that time marches on and waits for no man.


Changes will happen whether i want them to or not. I am excited and nervous to think about what the future will hold for my kidlins. I guess i just need to embrace these moments/memories and be thankful for the pictures that have frozen them in time.

“We all have our time machines.

Some take us back,

they're called memories.

Some take us forward,

they're called dreams."



The anticipation of GOOD Friday

This Friday is Good Friday--
I am ready to declare it GREAT Friday.
I am ready for a break.
I am ready for a day to play
I only wish i didn't have to work tomorrow...
I am sick and tired of it.
The worst part of working in the morning is that it is going to start even earlier than usual.
Some knuckle head at work decided to add another student to this route i am driving
and i have to pick her up at 5:45 am
--which means i need to be at work even earlier.....
way to early if you ask me.
The only redeeming grace is that the sun is coming up earlier and earlier,
so getting up isn't quite as bad--but it still sucks.

This has been a tough week around our house--
more disappointments
and then van issues on top of it.
I think it is safe to say that both my hubby and i are emotionally exhausted.
We are both ready to get away...
even our little trip that we planned was almost derailed by a need for a expensive new transmission that was not going to be done in time for us to use our van,
thank goodness for a grandma with a van, and her willingness to let us borrow it--
that way we can still get away...
Even if it will only be for a day

how much sleep is too much?

Today i woke up and felt like I had been ran over by a Mac Truck.I have been battling a sore throat and runny nose the last few days, and in my mind was the debate,
Allergies, Cold, Flu or just plain tired?--
I am not sure if it was not a bit of all of them.
After i decided that i was not up to going to church,
i crawled back into bed and slept...
and slept....
and slept!
Does sleeping for 8 extra hours constitute a NAP or a new day?
I slept the day away with only a few minutes of alertness to get something to drink and snack on and then i was back to bed.
I did awake feeling better, but still not up to par.

I remember as a young child
my mom wanting me to take a nap.
I remember fighting her over it,
explaining to her that naps were for "babies",
and i was not a baby and therefore did not need a nap.
She then went on to tell me that daddy was taking a nap--
what could i say to that?
My young brain could not find any logic as to why my father would be taking a nap.Being an adult now i understand the attraction of finding a few hours rest in the middle of the day.

With all the sleep i got today,
The real question is if i will be able to sleep tonight/
My sleep has been so messed up this past week--
there were nights when i got plenty of asleep only to awake and  feel so tired that i would come home from work in the morning and go back to sleep till i had to go back in the afternoon. Then there was the night where i couldn't sleep and stayed up till 3:30am and only go TWO hours sleep and went on to work the entire day and was FINE?!
So i sit and wonder what tonight is going to bring me--
one of restful sleep or....?

public service announcement--marshmallow mush

Can i just say
sometimes it is the small and simple things
that make me happy?!

I found these little bit of yumminess at the dollar store the other day.

In true Goldilocks fashion,

they are bigger than a miniature marshmallow,

but smaller than a full size--

they are the momma bear marshmallow--

Just right for this momma.

And to boot, they are tasty with different flavors-- not your boring bland white marshmallow. Not that i don't like plain marshmallows-- I just like them dried out. Some might even refer to them as stale?. Is it strange that i like dried out, plain white mallows? There is just something about the crunch that i find appealing. In fact i have been known to leave the bag open in hopes that they will dry out-- unfortunately they usually don't last that long...

So what do Marshmallows and public service announcements have to do with this blog? This blog is about many things, but the last thing i want this to turn into is a blog about the weather. Currently we are riding the weather roller coaster-one day we are having unusually HOT weather and then one week later we have dropped over 40 degrees and it is raining, and dare i say COLD?.
It is hard to know how to dress-

the question is: bikini or thermals?

(EWWEEE--what a mental picture-- the bikini it out of the question).

 So, really the question is:

--expose the pastey white (marshmallow like) legs

or leave them covered?

 There are things you take for granted when the weather is cool. Things people never have to think about unless you live in the toasty warm state of AZ.--Phoenix specifically. The things i am talking about are the things you can"t leave in the car even for a few hours.



Growing up (when life was much safer) my mom would run errands with us kids (not by our choice or hers). Often, if it was a quick errand (quick is a relative term when you are a kid) she would leave us in the car--usually with the windows up and when it finally would get warm (again relative term when living in CO) with the windows down. She didn't worry about us being taken (no one would want the whole brood--we were too onerie) The only thing that she worried about was whether or not we'd kill one another while she was gone. Now this is NOT something i recommend these days, but i can understand why it was so appealing--and lets face it, we lived on the wild side. We ran around the neighborhood (without cell phones) and my mom's only requirement was that we were home by dark. But this blog entry is not about my carefree safe childhood--it is about leaving things in the car.

Here in AZ,in the summer, even a few minutes in the car can leave you breaking out in a full sweat (and that is with the AC on). Once years ago, I was taking a sleeping child into a friends house and left my keys sitting in the car. My older children shut the door and the automatic door lock--LOCKED. It wouldn't have been such a problem--you can always get a spare key (only i was 20 minutes from my house)--but for the fact that when they locked the door, they locked my baby in as well. There he sat, in his car seat--smiling through the window at me. 

(dang he was a cute little bugger)

It was high noon in the middle of the summer and I knew the temperature in the car was going to increase real quick. We tried breaking a window to no avail and quickly gave up and called the fire department. They did manage to get him out and declared him FINE (i am still left wondering about his humor and wonder if his brain didn't get a bit baked)--he was a tad red, but really no worse for the wear. On occasion I hear about parents leaving a kid in the car by mistake and I think of that day--things would have turned out much different if i hadn't realized he was in there. It makes me sad to think about that kind of loss--but i do understand how those accidents can happen.

Once again today i am reminded just how warm it can get in the car.
Let me preface this by saying that it hasn't really been HOT this week--
the weather has been
BE-UTE-I-FUL

--lest i say almost PERFECT these last few days.

So nice in fact, that i was able to open the windows in my bus and read and nap without melting. So with all this perfect weather i never gave a second thought about it being TOO HOT in my car --that was until i went to grab something out of my backseat and saw this.

Apparently while i thought the weather was perfect,

it was a just a tad warmer than i thought in my car--

warm enough to melt the DNA of the marshmallows bunnies into each other

I had just bought these yesterday.

Unfortunetly, I don't think there will be any recovering from this though.
Just one big ooeey gooey mess.

Other things i have learned over the years not to leave in the car when it gets hot--

• Deodorant--yes it melts as well, but it does leave the car smelling, ohh so fresh and clean.
• Candles--do i really need to explain? Again, good smell but often the wick goes MIA
• Glue sticks--hot glue--glue glue--they ALL melt! It is NOT pretty, and leaves quite the MESS, because it is glue! And when glue cools off, it glues everything back together--even things you didn't want glued--like the bag it was in.
• Magazines and Books--again back to that glue thing. This time it manages to UN-glue the bindings and you end up with lots of pages loose
• Crayons--creates a waxy mess--not so good on the carpet or upholstery
• Bottles of Milk--now it has been a long time since i have found one of these hidden gems in my car but i can still remember the curdled solid mass it was. Often that bottle would get tossed before i would dare to open it
• Chapstick--ends up in the cap--or melted sideways
• Soda in cans--when it gets hot enough it will EXPLODE. Yes, i am afraid to say that it has happened...MORE than once over the years(you think i would have learned)

 Now i feel i can add to this list...

• MARSHMALLOWS

I am sure there are more things that i have overlooked--

they will have to be added to the list at a later date.

I know the heat is coming--

my melted marshmallows
only served as a reminder of that fact.
In true Hill Street Blues fashion I will say:

"Let's be safe out there people"
Time to make sure everything gets brought in from the car, lest we have any more "accidents"



POINGO and Sunday with the BOYS

Ah Sunday--a day of rest. Usually you can find me taking full advantage of the rest part... buried under the blankets in my bedroom enjoy an afternoon nap. I guess with the day off yesterday, that eliminated my need for a nap. Instead i spent the afternoon hanging out with my boys upstairs, while my girls were buried under blankets, taking naps in their room. Maybe that has something to do with fact that girls(for the most part)could care less about Sunday sports. I really didn't care who was playing or even won the US Open (at least i think that was the golf tournament) The men on the other hand acted as if they had a vested interest. Little man has had these Poingo books. He LOVES them. Months ago his little poingo stick quit working. If you know our little man he does not give up when he wants something-- needless to say that the inoperable poingo stick was a large source of consternation for US as well as him. He just could not understand WHY it was not working. I called the company and they sent us a new one--problem was it was the NEW one. As in: they redesigned the toy and the new one would not work on our old books. Well now that was no good. In fact the new one had a major flaw in my mind--it had these things that you had to plug into the stick in order to make it work. If that was how it had been when i originally gotten the books i would have NEVER bought it. Who needs parts to lose? Never mind the fact that each time you change books you have to change cards--which means we as the adults would be in charge of that. The old one was much easier and user friendly--he didn't have to plug anything in and the only thing he would lose would be the books or the stick itself. I called the company and to see if i could get the old version of the stick sent to me. NOPE! They no longer make it? Well i did proceed to tell them what i thought of their new design and explained as a parent the major flaw. Was there anywhere i could get one of these sticks??? Again i was told that they no longer manufacture them and have NONE in their warehouse--SIGH--what is a mom to do? Well as i was talking to the Poingo man i had googled Poingo on my computer, and low and behold there was a site that was selling this little golden stick. I NEVER buy anything off the computer--but this was dropped into my lap. Not only did they have the original poingo they also had some other books for CHEAP. I could not resist...I knew how happy it would make my little man . And HAPPY he is! This little boy has been playing with these for the last two day It has kept him busy for most of the day. While i was taking pictures of little man and his books, i took the opportunity to aim my camera at the rest of the people in the room. Ever feel like everyone is against you? once they figured out that i had a camera in hand they quickly buried their faces even the dog who had been resting her head on a pillow lifted it up and turned away and then she gave me a yawn to show how bored she was with the whole process even my husband got in on the obnoxious picture face--

the finger on the nose was just for the camera here he is with the glazed over golf look and here is the whole reason the camera was in the room to begin with.

My husband wanted a picture of the three boys hanging out together I know it won't always be like this.

I wish i had gotten a picture of the two older boys sleeping on the couch together...

so sweet...reminded of me of when they were little--

somedays i wish we could go back...

like when they actually liked getting their picture taken

Rain brings out the procrastination in me

I have today OFF!!
I can't even begin to tell you how happy/content that is making me.
Knowing i could sleep in...
and wouldnt'cha ya know it,
I was awake at 7am.?
So much for REALLY sleeping in--
but i did stay in bed...
and that my friends,
is thee BEST!

I have been abandoned by the entire family.
I am home ALONE--
peace, quiet and tranquility.
{{{AHHHH}}}

I should sorta feel guilty cuz i sent the older boys with little man to attend an Easter egg hunt at church. Sometimes i LOVE having extra drivers and being able to pawn off unwanted tasks. I am trying to feel guilty-- but it is not working.

Instead i am watching the rain fall outside,
listening to it with my window open,
and I am feeling grateful for the fact
that i am curled up under a blanket.
Warm and toasty... (
was it only a week ago we were having a record high of 100 degrees,
and now we are having a record low for a high?)

I am telling myself that the boys are bonding--
and they are probably sharing the candy in the eggs--
we all know i don't need the candy--it is better that they are there to share.
Afterall we know that boys never outgrow easter egg huntsas documented here.

I should get up and be motivated,
but i recently read this article on Procrastination...
I didn't actually finish the article,
but the part i read said it can't be helped,
that we are wired that way.

So many things to do today.
I guess i need/should make a list of priorities.
Where to start?
Maybe i will just sit here a few more minutes
and debate that eternal question.
Just me and the dog hanging out.....

So the hubby and I and the son we are preparing to send on a mission, are each working on reading the Book of Mormon by June 1st. We thought we would have each family member do it, but we have some less than willing participants --AHHH--free agency. Don't ya just love it sometimes? I realize that June is just around the corner-- why is it so hard to motivate myself to sit down and read-- I mean, I just finished a trilogy of books in less than three weeks?. My sweet hubby found a website that breaks down the reading into bite size pieces. You put in the date you want to finish and it sends you an e-mail each day with your reading task--
I think i can do it.
No.
I take it back--
I WILL do it.
I just need to quit procrasinating...

Any task in life is easier
if we approach it with the one at a time attitude. ...
To cite a whimsical saying;
'If you chase two rabbits, both of them will escape.'
No one is adequate to do everything all at once.
We have to select what is important,
what is possible,
and begin where we are,
with what we have.
And if we begin
and if we keep going the weight,
the worry,
the doubt,
the depression will begin to lift ....

We can't do everything always,
but we can do something now,
and doing something
will help to lift the weight and lessen the worry,

'The beginning,' said Plato, 'is the most important part.'
--Richard L. Evans, Thoughts for One Hundred Days
i am off to catch one rabbit at a time--
even if i bite off more than i can chew--
if i concentrate on chewing it one bite at a time,
eventually i will be able to swallow--
here is to not choking on my list!

Mostly dead

I wrote earlier about my poor plants.
It didn't seem like it was an overly cold winter but all it takes is a few chilly days in a row to play havoc on the landscape plants. My plants have always seemed to make it through, but this year was far worse than ever before. My hubby cut everything back once it started to warm up. I was hoping that they would perk up....but up to now I hadn't seen much to give me hope. I walked over the other day to get a closer look. I figured if they were really dead i would rip them out of the ground. Upon closer inspection i saw this

close to the ground there were some signs of new life.
I was thrilled that i was not going to have to take them out.
There was hope....
As i was thinking about them being "mostly dead" it reminded me of a scene in the "Princess Bride" (one of my all time favorite movies)

Miracle Max: [Lifts and drops the arm of the dead Westley] I've seen worse.

Inigo Montoya: He's dead. He can't talk.

Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much.
It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead.
There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead.
Mostly dead is slightly alive.
With all dead, well,
with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do.

I love that--sometimes we are so ready to rush to a conclusion about things that we fail to give it the proper time needed for the miracle to happen.
Not just my plants but in my life as well.
We want the instant results.
We lack the patience needed to allow the miracles to take place.

Miracle Max went on to say this:
You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.

I couldn't agree more.
Once again the earth is teaching me a lesson
"Be patient and things will slowly return to normal"

Recieving inspiration in my jammies

Can I just say I LOVED today?
I sorta feel like i played hookie--
only without any guilt attached to it.
Twice a year we get a free pass to stay home and watch church on TV. I think it should be more of a quarterly thing-- but twice a year is good.
Conference is a blessing--
the talks were inspired
and i can hardly wait to read them again--
there were things said that i know i need to apply to my life.
Things i need to work on--
things i needed to hear and be reminded of.
It was awesome.!

The best part of staying home and watching Conference/church on TV is that I spent the ENTIRE day in my jammies--
Everyone was home today--ALL DAY.
I had all the kids surrounding me.
I loved watching them play with Lego's,
each other and just hanging out.
I loved taking a time out-- not having to run different ways.
Sorta felt like Christmas--
My oldest son and i talked about when the next time conference came in October he would more than likely be in the mission field--no staying in pajama's for him then. Just reminds me of how these moments are fleeting--

Not an April Fools joke

Today the most cruel of April Fools joke was played on us in Phoenix.The weather man had been telling us for days to expect a unusual high of 98 degrees. We thought for sure it had to be an April Fools joke... Unfortunately it was NOT.! In a cruel weather dichotomy, we were blessed with 100 degrees of HEAT, while those in the northeast were being blessed with... another snowstorm.

(this picture is actually was taken outside of Flagstaff-- but it just goes to show that if i want snow, i only need to drive a few hours) Although I am grateful for the fact that I do not have to shovel sunshine, I felt that 100 degrees on April 1st, was not called for. Sometimes (well more often than naught) I forget that while we live in a warm sunshiny state, other places are still freezing. Today, while i am pulling out my shorts to expose my winter-y, pasty white legs,

those living in the cold are wrapping up as to not expose any skin-- lest it be frozen off.

I can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that while we are having record highs, others are out shoveling snow. I feel guilty wishing that our cooler weather would return--I am not ready for the heat to take over my life. I have enjoyed dressing in layers. I have liked wearing jeans, and socks and tennis shoes. I hate these weird weather days--cool when you get up, and you dress for that only to be TOO warm just a few hours later. Don't get me wrong i love being WARM--just not HOT. I love the sunshine, but not the: burn your skin off, and melt your remains HEAT, that comes with the sun in the summer. I have enjoyed our cooler weather-- WHY MUST IT END???

I know like everything else this too shall end. Just like my life, everything goes in cycles, and if we had perfect weather all the time, what would we have to complain about? I know it will get cooler again before the blaring un-ending summer heat hits us. I guess I am just not ready to be reminded of what is coming around the corner.{{{SIGH}}} Just one more thing i have no control over in my life--but that's OK. I don't want to be a weather god, or mother nature--far too much responsibility--just can not please everyone all the time. Sometimes you can't help but have your parade rained on

Sometimes weather makes for an interesting afternoon

and clouds make for beautiful sunsets

and who doesn't want to be reminded that Rainbows do come out.

To remind us of the HOPE that the lord gives us.

So heat do your best to beat me up and wear me out. I know it will only be a matter of months before it will be cool again and in the meantime while i wait for those wonderful days to come... I will be working on my farmers tan.

Frustrations and a change of heart

Can I say, "it" is doing IT again.
Just trying to post this entry is making me CRAZY!
Talk about my own frustrations--
COMPUTERS!!!
{{{{AHHHHHH}}}}

I had written the post about the "FUN" we have been having. I posted it--
only to have the format get whacked out--
MANY TIMES!!!
I finally gave up and threw it back into my drafts until i had time to get it worked out. My hubby thought i had taken it off my blog, because i felt bad about writing about him --NAHHH-- just the computer was in non-compliance. It has taken me two days to finally get it up so it looks right. I gave up trying to center it... or highlight, or emphasize any more words. For some reason it seemed to wig out any time i tried to do that.

I am leaving it alone.
It is what it is...
(having the same problem with this post,
anyone else having this problem?)

A few months ago I had interviewed for a promotion at my work (As noted here), i didn't get it.
Guess what?
I am really OK with the fact it did not work out. I like the guy (Mr.X) quite well, who did get the job. Even though he is still learning about different aspects of the job he is doing pretty well. He is teachable and actually listens to those who know what is going on (ie: ME--LOL) It has been fun helping him out. He has strengths where i had weaknesses. He has changed the whole feeling in the office. It is actually a fun place to go to work now.

One day I was talking with Mr.X about his getting the job, and having a husband who has and IS currently going through unemployment, I have an understanding and empathy for what Mr.X went through prior to getting the job. He too had dealt with unemployment. That day I came home and told my husband that i was glad Mr.X got the job over me. He needed it more.!
I really do believe things happen for a reason-- often we can not see the big picture,
and it takes time and the ability to reflect back
to see how things play out.
Things worked out for the best--
I am still figuring out what it means for me?
...but i know in not getting the job,
it will only leave me more opportunities in the end.
We may not always like how things turn out--
we may not understand it at the time,
but in the end we need to remember who is really in charge of our life...
HE has a plan for us--
which we may not know about.
We have to put our trust and faith in his hands.
HE knows what is best.
HE has his timing.
HE is refining us,
molding us,
and if we let him,
HE can and will make us into more than we could ever hope to be.
It is hard being patient and waiting on HIS timing.
I have to remind myself of these truths.
I need to work on my faith.
I need to work on my patience.
I need to remember that things happen for a reason,
and as much as I would like to think
I am in control of my life--
I'm NOT.
What can I say?
I am just a work in progress.

“All of us are guinea pigs
in the laboratory of God.
Humanity is just a work in progress.”
Tennessee Williams

When will this FUN end?

Dont'cha just love ADVERSITY?
(said with a slight note of sarcasm, well maybe not slight!?)
Or how about those trials/tribulations
that you know will eventually end,
but you keep waiting for that day to come....

LIFE...
{{{{SIGH}}}}
in all it wonder,
frustration,
happiness,
and pain
can be exhausting some days.

I realize that it takes the bitter,
to appreciate the sweet,
and without the bad,
we could not truly enjoy the good--
but i think i have had my fair share of the bitter lately--
not that things couldn't always be worse--
but they certainly could be better!?
We are ready for better.

We are getting really good at the
"hurry up and wait game"...
only to be disappointed...
AGAIN.
Nothing like,
"always the bridesmaid...
never the bride"--
or "second place...
also known as first loser",
or "close but no cigar".
If it is a cliche about ALMOST getting what you want,
it fits our situation.!

Poor hubby got another one of those calls today...
He was the guy. (or he was supposed to be)
His/our waiting was to be over...
but it didn't exactly work out that way--
Feeling frustrated,
mad
and disappointed
he went to drown his sorrows by watching Jeopardy--
and low and behold there was some clown on the TV instead--(some people refer to him as the president)
My poor hubby.
He had all he could take--
if you can't watch Jeopardy and have no desire to listen to the president ramble on, the next best thing he could do was to buy two tacos from Jack in the Box and drown his sorrows in some fake meat, cheese and a healthy(?) dose of grease, which he did, and then promptly came home and ate them while watching Leave it to Beaver.

It is good to be reminded of
calmer,
simpler,
happier times....
All of which we hope will return to our home--
sooner than later, we hope--
ENOUGH OF THIS FUN ALREADY!

This scripture has brought me some peace...
especially this time of year.

These things I have spoken unto you,
that in me ye might have PEACE.
In the world ye shall have TRIBULATION:
but be of GOOD CHEER;
I have overcome the world.

St John 16:33

My prayer is that we can all find peace in our tribulations
and that we can remember the things we are blessed with,
and that we can remember it is only momentary
(even if it feels like those moments go on and on....)

Thoughts on SPRING

well it is official. Spring Break is over... that was the rude awakening that i was hit with this morning. I had gotten spoiled with the opportunity to sleep in last week. I took FULL advantage of each and every opportunity to ease into the day. I think while i was sleeping in, the sun decided to start popping up earlier... because when i woke up today (at my normal early time) there it was, as if saying to me "get up you lump of lard". Well, maybe the sun doesn't use that kind of language-- (that was more of me willing myself to get out of bed.) Instead the sun was reaching out as if telling me to enjoy the early morning sunrise because it will be coming earlier and earlier, and with that the HEAT! I am not ready for that-- I figured i was done with layering my clothes, wearing my sweatshirt and even socks, so you can imagine my surprise when i opened up the door to walk out and turned back around to grab my sweatshirt. What a pleasant surprise--staving off the heat for one more day. It was overcast and ended up raining for a large portion of the day--it was BEAUTIFUL--as if it was washing away the dirt of winter and freshening the earth in preparation of spring. (I almost felt guilty enjoying the rain since my cousin and her family were down here from Oregon to enjoy our sunshine and warmth)

I noticed my trees which had been dormant for the winter starting to spring new blossoms.

It was a rough winter on my plants--many were killed off with a few nights of below freezing temps--imagine my surprise when i saw the white flowers popping up on my pile of sticks that i had left in the ground. Just when i was about to give up on that plant it found a way to muster up some life--I guess that is what spring is about--not giving up. Transition. Change. Becoming NEW. So with 9 weeks left of school we are in the final stretch--Changes will be coming--Transitions. Not sure i am ready for all of them. I guess when i start to feel overwhelmed I need to remember to look to the sunrise which makes getting up easier, and those plants and flowers that refused to give up. Somewhere along the way I can muster up the strength to bloom amidst adversity.

Ramblings at two in the morning

Don'tcha hate when you have been tired for most of the evening but not enough to sleep? It's not even that my mind is moving a mile a minute--cuz it's not. It is vacation and my body is freaking out at the knowledge that i can sleep in--and i have been. It has been so nice--even little man has slept in--i mean REALLY slept in. Why must school start back up next week? Actually I should not be complaining because we are in the home stretch from here on out--in fact graduation for number two child is but a short nine weeks away--AHHHHH. So hard to believe--
Note to self:
Need to schedule senior pictures
son needs haircut prior to them being taken
Need to buy cap and gown
Need to pinpoint son on how he wants his announcements to look so i can start creating the masterpieces

I have determined tonight that i am NOT a good a home movie watcher--and when i say home movie it is not about HOME movies--those little gems of entertainment from when your children were little.--NO. I am actually talking about movies that were once in the theater that are now available to be watched in the comfort of your home. I find it just takes far more attention than i can give when i am at home. I loved the movie we were watching tonight when i saw it in the theater, but while watching it at home i couldn't have told you anything about it. I am just far too distracted. Too many other things that draw my attention away. I had no popcorn to keep me focused and in-line. Well maybe not, but i do love popcorn and soda when i am in the theater--it is after all in my opinion part of the whole movie watching experience. I thought about turning down the lights to give more of the theater effect in the room--but decided against in for fear i would fall asleep. I guess i just should have done it--at least now i would have a few hours of sleep under my belt.

So now here i am. Hot and cold all at the same time. 98% of me is plenty warm--overly warm--but my feet....my feet are chilled and i think that is why i am awake. I should put on socks but then i know i will be even warmer...OIE veeeh. not to mention that my heels are crusty and snagging on the sheets--I need to get a good pedi....Did I mention the headache? Or the slightly stuffed nose? Not stuffed enough to warrant drugs, but enough to bug me. Allergy season here we come. Maybe i should break down and take something for the headache...or not. Instead i will sit here and watch House--he is sure to put me to sleep--and give me nightmares in the process...

March Mantel or Madness?

I am here to educate, enlighten and basically share facts about things that i previously had no clue about...

Did you know…

Every year on March 17, people celebrate a holiday of which the history has been lost. Many people throughout the world celebrate this holiday decked out in green, trying not to get pinched, and looking for a leprechaun hoarding a pot of gold. In all actuality, this holiday serves a greater purpose of recognizing a man who faced a lifetime of troubles, trying to help people for the greater good.

The original history of Saint Patrick’s Day goes back over a thousand years to Ireland. The holiday was originally celebrated as a religious feast to commemorate the death of Saint Patrick. Today, many don’t even know who Saint Patrick is. Patrick also was one of the first in the church to speak of women fondly as human beings,

and he thus became a saint of “the downtrodden and excluded.”

To me the real interesting part about St. Patrick is that he wasn't really from Ireland--nope--he was English. So I guess that's why it's OK for all of us non-Irish people to celebrate this day. Know what else? They didn't really eat corned beef--they were pork people. Only when the Americans got a hold of this holiday did we change things up...

I have never actually decorated for St. Patricks day,
I have always honored the food tradition though.
We always know what we are going to eat on March 17th,

but this year i was wanting a change.
Why not decorate a mantel for the occasion?
...only problem is

you have to have mantel,
and since we are a fireplace free house
i had to settle on a small shelf instead.

I could have gone small and simple,
starting with one or two things

but why?
WHY go small and simple?
It just isn't my nature.
My mantra is
"go big or go home"
or in other words
"if one is good, ten are better."

Hard to believe, but somewhere among this mess
I found my creative, crafting MOJO.

It would have been nice to have actually worked in my office instead of the kitchen table,
but that room is even worse off.
At least when i work at the kitchen table,
i know that at one point or another
it will get cleaned up and put away

Since i have no IRISH blood (that i know of)
i did not want my mantel to scream that--

instead i wanted to focus on the LUCK part of the holiday.
To start off my creative juices i was feeling "LUCKY".

I knew i wanted to start with that word,
and have that be the center piece of my shelf.

This is what I came up with.

I think it turned out pretty cute
They were some plain old letters that i bought from JoAnns...

(I sat on the floor trying out different combinations until I found the one i liked)
I painted them all black and then mod podged on the paper
and trimmed and sanded them.
I intended it to be a four leaf clover on the "L",
and i think it turned out more like a green flower...
Cest' la vie--
(can you use a french phrase when talking about an Irish holiday?)

Originally i had chosen another wooden "U" but i fell in love with this one.
I thought it had a horse shoe like shape--
only problem with leaving it black (as to mimic a horse shoe) was that it sort of got lost with everything else on the shelf until I put the frame behind it
(I had planned on printing something to put in the frame,
but we ran out of ink...turned out i liked it blank better)
The cardboard made it pop out--
I LOVED IT

My next creative genius
(honk, honk....yes that is me, tooting my own horn)
came when i saw these plain paper mache' hearts around Valentines Day.
For a buck each I knew i couldn't go wrong.
A little green paint and various buttons from my vast stash
and i came up with this cute (if i say so myself) topiary.
I finished it off by putting it in a pot of gold
And what is a pot of gold
if there is not a leprechaun to protect it?
I thought he was pretty cute,
and it is only appropriate
that he sat on a block that said blessed.
(the block is another addition to my shelf that i can change monthly
--flip to the word that fits best)
Simple candles needed to be jazzed up so i wrapped them in paper, tied them off with white burlap and made some shamrocks out of my heart punch and some more buttons out of my stash--WA--LAah

I then transformed a frame from a Thrift store in to this cute little sign.
Just some shamrock paper and cut letters from my Cricut
(thank goodness my daughter can work that since i still have never really played with it)


I finished off the shelf by hanging the
four leaf clover that i had made earlier

add a little shamrock tree to the side

and TA-DA

I love the way it all turned out.
Just like i had envisioned it.

more than anything else this shelf really reminds me that
i am LUCKY
more than a pot of gold
i have been blessed with these wonderful gems in my life

having them reminds me daily
that i am lucky
that i am blessed
and any gold that i might have....
will be spent by them