Thanksgiving... it's almost here!

If I had to choose my favorite holiday, I would have to choose two. Christmas and Thanksgiving. I think for me, the two are almost one big holiday, separated by several weeks. But getting ready for both takes a lot of time and preparation so it feels as though they are one. Once the Thanksgiving feast is all put away and over with, everyone starts thinking about Christmas; Black Friday, Christmas music, gingerbread houses, trimming the tree, and lots of parties. They're both all about family, get-togethers, and showing gratitude. I am so excited! Love this time of year.

I want to share a few recipes with you that are always part of our Thanksgiving. Doesn't every family have certain things that just have to be a part of the meal or it just doesn't feel like Thanksgiving? So, over the next couple of weeks, I'll share some of these recipes. Maybe you'd like to try them and they might become a tradition in your family. Or maybe you have one that you'd like to share.

I'm not a photographer (or even close to being one) so if I take pictures, they may not be great. Just grin and nod your head, people. Pretend they're wonderful and we'll all be happy! Now, the question is, which recipe will I share first? Hmmm, stay tuned...

A Great Idea!

I had to hurry and write this (at midnight:45) so I wouldn't forget. My sister-in-law was at my house today watching the Utah vs. TCU game while our hubbies were attending the game. Sadly, the Utes lost... by a landslide! But, better luck next time, right? Let's hope so.

While she was here, she told me about something that she has going within her ward. I thought is was such a great idea! There's a group of 4 ladies (she is included) in her ward that get together once a week and help each other. What a novel idea, no? They rotate homes and whatever the hostess needs done on her week, they do. It can be anything from painting a wall, cleaning a house, sorting recipes, pulling weeds, folding clothes, etc. If the hostess doesn't have anything in particular that needs to be done, they can just get together for a couple hours of scrapbooking or something of the sort.

It's simple, really. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the ones I never think of on my own. And simplicity is sometimes perfection. Why do we always try to make things more difficult than they need to be?

I just loved this idea and had to share!

~GO UTES!~

For those of you that don't already know, my husband is a HUGE University of Utah football fan, and today is their biggest game to date this year! They are playing TCU and it is intense! ESPN Game Day is here in Utah doin' their thing. Anthony is soooo excited!! It's like Christmas around here. He didn't go to bed until 3 a.m. and he was up again at 6:30 watching the coverage on ESPN to see what's going on. Get some sleep, for cryin' out loud!!

Part of the reason he was up so late is because we were putting together his giveaways for the game. It's the blackout game so he is giving black "Go Utes" wristbands along with a chance to win a pair of season tickets for next year! Pretty cool, right? Just be one of the first 100 people to get an insurance quote from Anthony and you'll be entered to win!! AWESOME!! So, if you live in the state of Utah and want a chance at this awesome prize, not to mention a chance to possibly save $$ on your insurance, give him a call. His phone # is 801-577-9212. This promotion runs through the month of November but hurry so you can be one of the first 100!!

Be sure and mention this promo so you'll be entered! Oh and GO UTES!!

Farewell, old friends

Poncho Herman & Lynette Hattie

Remember me mentioning that I am cleaning out my basement? Well, in my quest to get rid of junk, I decided that, as much as I love these old chums of mine, they have been unloved and sitting in a box for way too long. The time has come for another child to embrace them. So, I took a picture and sent them on their way. Lynette Hattie ended up in my kids doll box but Poncho Herman, sadly ended up at the DI (thrift store).

These are the only two toys I kept from my childhood, and each one has a story.

Let's start with Poncho Herman. Once upon a time, when I was about 6 years old my two bottom teeth became very loose, as teeth tend to do. But when the roots wouldn't dissolve, it became apparent that those stubborn teeth needed some coaxing. So, my mom took me to the dentist. To calm me down and get me ready to have my teeth pulled, the dentist let me choose a toy from the toy closet. Dentists were very generous back then, I guess. My kids don't get things like that. They only get silly little bouncy balls or little sticky hands or something else equally useless. But hey, it keeps them happy.

Anyway, as I sat in the chair, the dentist asked me what I was going to name my new dog. Without any hesitation at all, I proudly declared his name to be Poncho Herman. I remember my mom laughed and laughed but let me explain why I named him that, as that is a peculiar name to say the least.

The coolest people in my life, at the age of 6, were Peewee Herman and my Uncle Poncho. Hence, the name, Poncho Herman. Gotta love it!!

Now, let's talk about Lynette Hattie. She was my very first Cabbage Patch Doll. I was probably about 5 or 6 when I got her from none other than Santa Claus! I looooved my new doll! She was my best pal. Over the years, I acquired several more Cabbage Patch dolls. All of which had names equally as beautiful as Lynette Hattie.

Actually, the plan was always to name my kids after my Cabbage Patch dolls. Unfortunately for my kids, Anthony wouldn't go for the names I wanted. ;) Too bad! Here's how it would have played out.

"K" - would have been Lynette Hattie
"A" - would have been Dina Melva
"H" - would have been Faline Dawn
"C" - would have been Ed Gilbert
"B" - would have been Carl Mac

If only I could have convinced my husband...

Taco Soup

Don't you just love soup season?  I do.  I love cool evenings and hot soup, it's just the perfect combination.  The kids would rather have hot chocolate with the cool evenings.  That's great too but there's just something about soup.  

Here's a fabulous recipe that we really like at our house (even the kids).  So easy and tasty!  Try it and enjoy!  I promise you'll love it!

1 lb. hamburger or ground turkey, browned (I like turkey best)
1 chopped onion, cooked with meat
1 lg can diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 can kidney beans, do not drain
2 cans corn, do not drain
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
1 pkg taco seasoning

Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Garnish with sour cream, tortilla chips, and cheese.  It doesn't get any easier than that!

Buffy

This is another post from my other blog that is just too good not to be shared.  I admit I am very naive, about almost everything.  Gullible, maybe? 

As embarrasing as this story is, it must be told. So, when Anthony and I were dating, I told him about a dog that my grandma used to have when I was little. Her name was Buffy. She wasn't the smartest of dogs, so I'm told. But a little while after she (the dog) had passed, I asked Grandma what kind of dog Buffy was. My cute grandma smiled at me and said in her most convincing voice that she was a "Buffy Dog". Well, that didn't sound quite right to me so I turned to my mother and asked her to tell me what kind of dog Buffy really was. She smiled and said that she was indeed a "Buffy Dog".

Ok, if two people that I really trust, mind you, tell me it's a "Buffy Dog" then it must be a "Buffy Dog", right?  Why not?  There's a breed called Bull Dog so I let it go.

Over the years, I would repeatedly ask what kind of dog Buffy was and each time the response was the same. And these are people that I should be able to trust. Should I not? Mom, Grandma, aunts, uncles (they were all in on it).

Anyway, I'm telling Anthony about Buffy one day (I was 19) and he just so happened to ask what kind of dog she was. Well, when I told him that she was a "Buffy Dog" he got a really confused look on his face and informed me that he knew her name was Buffy but wanted to know what kind of dog she was. Again, I let him know (and I was very serious) that she was a "Buffy Dog". He smiled his most "I feel sorry for you" smile and informed me that there was no such thing. I smiled my know-it-all grin back at him and politely informed him that there was such a thing and he should ask my grandma.

The very next time we saw Grandma, I reminded Anthony to ask her what kind of dog Buffy was. (That was a mistake). He did. And do you know what she said? "She was a Lhasa Apso!"


WHAT????? Are you kidding me? I was mortified. My face was redder than a red pepper. I told dear old grandma that she had always informed me that Buffy was a "Buffy Dog". She laughed harder than I'd ever seen her laugh (along with everyone else because it was at a family gathering) and she said that she didn't know I had believed her all those years. I guess she thought I'd figured it out. How naive can one be? And for a long time, that was the story she told.....to anyone that hadn't yet heard it. What a nerd I am!

I will forever refer to Lhasa Apso's as "Buffy Dogs".

This post needs a TITLE.. Help please

Ok, I'm going to give you the scenario without the details.  Please help me with a title so I can write the whole story.

Here's the jist of it. 

-Sunday Dinner at Mom's and Dad's house
-Mom brings up a "tradition" that no one seems to recall
-Everyone teases Mom about said "tradition"
-Mom isn't very happy
-Teasing continues and a bird goes flying

Now I need your help!  Even if I don't know you, whether you've visited my blog before or not, and even if you think you have no business at all commenting on my blog.... YOU DO!  I'm asking you to.  Please!  I love comments and visitors.  Now, get to work, people!  TITLE me up!

Also, don't forget to vote on my random poll of the week.  Who has the best FRENCH FRIES?

Our Very Large Heads

This post is one from my private blog that is just too good not to share. It will definitely help you get to know us a little better. We're weirdies, I know.

Is it any wonder that our kids are always in the top percentile for their head size? Not really, considering that we are their parents. Little C's head isn't even on the chart anymore. I've always known that I have a large head for a girl. None of my guy friends' hats EVER fit me. They were always a bit snug and made me feel like my eyebrows were being lifted a couple centimeters too high. And Anthony's hats always felt comfortable, if not even a little big on me. Which led me to believe that both of us have larger than normal heads.

I've always heard that the average human head is about 8 pounds. Sounds about right. But I'm always complaining that hats don't fit me and that I have such a big head. So about 2 years ago, I decided....(before I tell you what we did, you have to know that we realize we are the biggest nerds on the planet, and you will think it's so ridiculous)....but I decided that Anthony and I should weigh our heads. So each of us in turn lied down on the ground and put only our heads on the scale. Mine weighed 9 pounds. That's a big difference from the average head. Think of a pound of hamburger. Huge! So I was whining about the weight of my head and was worried that Anthony would put his head on the scale and it would weigh the same or less than mine. I would have been mortified to have a bigger head than my husband. So he did it (all the while thinking I was the biggest geek for making him weigh his head) and guess what his head weighed.... 12 pounds!! Can you believe it? We were laughing so hard. Think of FOUR pounds of meat. We're so weird, I admit it.

But anyway, about a year later, before church one Sunday we were talking about our large heads again and decided to weigh them again. Guess what happened! Anthony lost half a pound and somehow my head found the half a pound that his lost! My head is gaining weight. How does that happen? Eventually our heads are bound to meet in the middle at about 10 1/2 pounds.

I know that if you're reading this you're thinking about what a strange couple we are. But hey, we're easily entertained. Nothing wrong with that! And as weird as you think we are, I know there are those of you reading this that are going to pull out your own scale and weigh your own heads tonight. Whether you admit it or not, I know you're out there.... let me know what happens!

What a DAY!

Oh it started out alright. I was minding my own business, cleaning the basement. Our house is officially on the market now, but honestly, not truly ready to be. It's a disaster! But, I figure I've got five kids. People will just have to understand that I can only do so much.

We are taking the week off from school work to get the house in order. It's getting there, we're all excited. I think we've taken a small thrift store's worth of "stuff" to the DI. Truly, I think we could have opened our own small thrift store. Probably about 4 or 5 truck loads, no joke. Pretty sad! One day, while looking around my house to assess the situation, I thought, why in the world do we have sooooo much crap!! It was scary. It's all been here forever but up until just the other night, I couldn't part with most of it. Something snapped in me! Right now, there are about five boxes of "crap" and other assorted things that won't fit into boxes, to go to the DI. Right now! I want them gone, like yesterday! I need them gone so the kids will stop going through them and asking me why I would get rid of such precious treasures. They've actually been pretty good about it this go-around. I think they've realized that the less crap there is, the more fun they have. It's amazing how that happens, no?

As I said, I was cleaning up and this afternoon, while talking to Anthony on the phone, I slipped on the top stair down to the basement and fell down about 6 or 7 stairs! OUCH! I'm pretty sure my toe was hyperextended (that can happen, right?) and I have a small rugburn on my arm.

Then, my 6-year-old daughter, decided she wanted to act like a teenager. I swear I get glimpses of those years in her. It scares me! I'm not supposed to have teenagers yet. Why must I deal with the attitude at such a young age? Really, 6? Her mouth gets her into trouble quite a bit. She's not cussing, of course, but she loves to yell at Anthony and me as we try to discipline her. That's where most of the trouble comes. According to her, I love all my other kids much better than I love her. She was grounded today so she was unable to play with her friends. It's true that she is grounded far more often than the other girls. She's also the most defiant, head-strong little thing you've ever met, but oh-so-cute! She really is a lovable little thing. With her sisters and friends, she's a bossy little stink. What do I do about that? She doesn't like to give compliments, it's embarrassing. She gives up easily if she's not the best at something (funny thing is, she's one of those kids that is pretty good at anything she tries), and her bossy attitude makes it hard for her to get along in groups. She's great when she's one on one with..... a pushover. Maybe that sounds terrible but it appears to be true. Not quite sure what to do about that kid. Any suggestions?

Needless to say, we battled tonight. After a long talk about love languages, she is doing much better, and so am I. But boy, it was rough getting to that point. Time outs, sent to the bedroom, tears about piano... WHEW! I'm exhausted!!

Today was one of those days that a mom feels like running away. Do you have those days?

The Great Pumpkin Slaughter

Halloween kind of came and went this year without me even noticing really. Obviously, I saw all the costumes in the stores, the kids changing their minds every day about what they would dress up as, and the candy everywhere but for some reason, I just couldn't get into it this year. Our annual Halloween Party with Anthony's side of the family usually sets the tone for me but this year it was kind of half-hearted. We combined birthdays and Halloween together. But here are the details of our pumpkin carving for the year. Or, as we call it, The Great Pumpkin Slaughter!

Well, apparently, in the ten years I've been married, I haven't done Anthony any favors in the pumpkin carving department. Here I was thinking that I could just sit back, relax and hold the baby while Anthony helped the kids with their pumpkins. I had everything ready to go. Big spoons, pumpkin knife, and a cookie sheet (for the guts).

*Time to get started!*

So, what does Anthony do? After cutting the tops out (we always did the bottom so we didn't have to worry about the top falling in), he complains that the pumpkin stinks. It must be rotting! It wasn't, it smelled like.... pumpkin. Silly man! Then he has the kids "reach in and start pulling the guts out."

And they did. I looked at them and said, "What are you doing? Have I taught you nothing about how to carve a pumpkin?"

"I don't know. I guess not. What am I supposed to do?"

Crazy husband of mine! Doesn't everyone know that you scoop the guts out with a spoon? So, after putting the baby down, I gutted them all. Well, most of them anyway. They were all amazed at how easy it was, so much better than trying to grab all the stringy things with your hands.

My family, they're so.... lovable!! I love them all.


The finished products!

Pumpkin Bread

I just made this bread last night to go along with our "Great Pumpkin Slaughter" (pics and stories to come--no pics of the bread, sorry). It came from none other than my ward cookbook. Anthony really didn't want pumpkin chocolate chip bread, he thinks the chocolate chips ruin it. Who is that man? How can chocolate ruin anything? He's a weirdy I tell ya. One time I was watching the Food Network and they had chocolate covered bacon. Sounds strange but I figure, I love bacon and I looooove chocolate so, why not? Haven't tried it yet but someday. Wouldn't that be interesting to set a plate of bacon next to your chocolate fountain and see what people's reactions would be. Hmmmm, food for thought, no pun intended.

But there I go, babbling again. Let's talk about the bread.

It was quite good and not too strong on the pumpkin flavor. I actually have to agree that chocolate chips would have been strange in this particular recipe. The flavor really was subtle. When I think of pumpkin choc. chip, I think of the rich pumpkin flavor. So, here it is.

3 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. cooking oil
2/3 c. water
2 c. pumpkin

Combine all ingredients together. (It doesn't specify order so I just did the traditional combining of wet and dry ingredients separately then combining them together.) Pour into greased loaf pans--2 large and 1 small. (I don't have a small one so I just poured the excess into my 2 large pans) Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

I'm thinking of trying this with a few substitutions. Maybe try a little bit of oat flour. What do you think? Or maybe even wheat flour, eek! Could be scary! I'll let you know when I try it.

Why are the lights on? Oh, it's for the baby. ;)

Are you afraid of the dark too? I am the.biggest.chicken.EVER!

The lights in the master bathroom are on every night. The door just barely cracked so just enough light creeps in to see what's going on. Why? It's for the baby, of course. He gets fussy, scared and whiny when it's pitch black.

You would think my husband would believe that, no? He knows the truth. I'm just a big sissy! But it sounds good, right? I hate the dark!

The end!

Latter-Day Homeschooling

Ok, I have a new favorite obsession! This website... Latter-Day Homeschooling. I have been clicking on all the links on this site. So much to learn. I find it fascinating to read about other homeschooling families. We're all so different!

Growing up, and honestly until my oldest was about to enter Kindergarten, I was of the mentality that only weirdies homeschooled. You know the ones.... the ones. But sending my sweet little girl to a such a big, strange environment at such a young age just felt wrong. What would she do if she was picked on? Who would comfort her when she was sad? Who would stand up for her when others tried to pin her in a corner? That's my job. No one else can do it right. I need to be her soft place to land. She's not ready to be thrown to the wolves. I need to give her wings first so she can fly.

She was disappointed at first, she wouldn't get to ride the bus. Once I explained that she wouldn't get to ride the bus anyway (the school is right down the street), she was fine with it. We've still got a long way to go. I don't have all the curriculum I want/need yet, but we're making due with what we've got. And it's been so fun to watch her grow. Not just her, all of them (I do have 5, I promise). I love that they all LOVE to read and be read to. All I ever hear from their friends is how much they hate reading. It warms my heart to see them reading to each other and having so much fun with it.

What a blessing it is to be home with them. I couldn't ask for anything more.

the first snow

One thing I absolutely love about homeschooling, besides the fact that I don't have to wake up early and try to get 5 kids out the door on time to take 3 of them to the school, is that my kids don't miss out on getting excited about things such as the first snow of the season. Do you remember those days? I remember waking up when it would snow for the first time. I would be so excited to play in it.... after school. The problem is, by the time I would get home, all the snow had melted. We would always have to wait until later in the season when it was colder and the snow would stay on the ground.

Just two days ago, my kids got to experience the first snow of the season. All the neighbor kids were at school. My three girls got dressed in their coats, hats and gloves and excitedly ran out the door to make a Mickey Mouse snowman.

**2 of my 3 girls. The one not pictured actually helped build it too but got in trouble (for lying) before I took a pic.**

So what that we got started with our school work a little later than usual. It made made me happy that they were so excited to experience the snow again after the long hiatus. And sure enough, just a couple hours later, all the snow was gone.

Being able to snuggle in our warm beds just a pinch longer than normal on these cold fall/winter mornings is yet another item to add to the ever growing list of reasons to love homeschooling. There's no rush to get up and get going. It's a comfortable atmosphere. I just love it. :)

Thief! (or thieves) ?

Our family has been getting dairy products (mostly, among other items) from Winder Farms for the past couple of months. I can't explain to you the great feeling it brings when you run out of milk and cheese on Monday night and NOT have to run to the store for more because you know it'll be there, on your front porch bright and early Tuesday morning. It comes in the form of a Winder Farms delivery truck and the driver plops it right into your Winder Farms cooler (or coolers in my case) so you can wake up and VOILA! There it is. No more running to the store late at night, at least not on Mondays. Sure it's a little pricey but oh so convenient and tastes so much better!

Every Tuesday morning, we wake up to fresh hormone-free milk, eggs, cheese, etc. and have us a nice, big ol' breakfast fit for a king. We have them bring, among the things already mentioned, bacon, orange juice, and apples. Or, as is the case for what should have been waiting for us this morning, chocolate-covered donuts, pizzas (yes they have pizza), breads, salad, and cheese curds. That last item was my husband's idea of a great snack to go along with the Boise State game tonight. Too bad that won't be a reality for today's game.

As it turns out, someone (or more than one someones) decided to swipe our food, coolers and all! Someone out there is enjoying OUR donuts, pizza, milk, etc. Not happy! Grrrrr, I say!! It better have been someone that needed it, although I'm sure it was probably someone that just saw it as an opportunity. BIG MEANIES!

I am sure we were a sight this morning, as we had that exact scenario play out. The last of the milk was drunk (is that right?) by my 9-year-old daughter just before bedtime, but no one cared because we knew there would be more waiting for us when we got up this morning. My husband heard the WF truck at about 2:00 this morning, figured we'd grab it when we got up, rolled over and went back to sleep. Did our two BIG dogs hear anything? Who knows? They're just about as worthless as a couple of warts! They didn't make a peep. And what about when the thieves snuck up to the porch and took the coolers... 2 of them? Nope, nothin'! They're always barking at nothing, and never barking at something. Make sense?

So, this morning as I went to the front door, with a little bounce in my step I might add, and I noticed the coolers missing, my bounce died! And with the kids following behind (we love Tuesdays) we were more than a little disappointed. A couple of the kids, along with my husband, sat on the stair looking out the front door window, with their chins in their hands and their elbows on their laps. The rest of us stood behind them with the same glum looks on our faces and our arms folded in defeat. My 6-year-old looked up at me and said, "Don't they know you have a bunch of kids that are starving?" At this point, this was more true than you know. I won't go into too much detail but let's just say, we're between paychecks right now and can barely get diapers and gas. My kids are soooo sick of spaghetti. Just sayin'.

Lucky for us, WF was more than generous and will bring us two more coolers at no cost and our order that was stolen. Thank you Winder Farms! Now, THAT'S customer service! Take that, thief!

Talents

I'm on a mission! A mission to discover my gift... my talent. I just know it's in there, somewhere.

The other day, after discussing gifts and talents for our family devotional, and explaining that every person has at least one God given gift, my 9 year old daughter came to me with a question. I could tell she was trying to be as gentle as possible. She came to me and asked, "Mom, you know how everyone has a talent?"

"Yes."

"What's your talent?"

It was only slightly crushing considering that I already have been struggling with this. I have tried and tried to figure out the answer to this question. But try as I might, I can't come up with an answer. To think that even those closest to me can't see anything that I'm good at, kind of hurt! So, it is my mission at this point to figure out what I am good at. The scriptures tell me that I have one. I believe it's true.

Ruling certain talents or gifts out is easy! First and foremost is music, especially singing. NO ONE wants to hear that. You would cry, trust me on this one. I played the violin for a few years in elementary and jr. high school but I wouldn't say I was particularly good at it. I wasn't terrible but I had to work at it. Definitely not something that came naturally. Piano is another instrument that I tried my hand at as a youngster but again, it didn't come naturally to me. I took lessons for a few years and my kids are already almost caught up to where I ended after only about 5 months of lessons. *Sigh* It's kind of sad. They still think I'm pretty good at it because I taught myself a couple of songs (right hand only) a few years ago. I have yet to add the accompanying hand. Someday...

Once upon a time I was pretty good at dancing. I was always asked why I didn't try out for Dance Company in high school. Grades! That's the answer. Also, I was kind of self-taught so I wasn't bad but I didn't know the names of moves and I didn't ever learn how to do the beautiful leaps, splits, or more complicated turns. Given the chance, I think I could have been pretty good. So, let's rule that out too.

CRAFTS! Every Mormon mommy is good at that, right? Ummm, no. Not this Mormon mommy. I can copy certain things but coming up with things on my own is another story. And I can only copy very simple things. I just don't have a creative mind. I forgot to stand in that line in heaven.

Let's just say that I don't fall under the category of "gifted" in the tangible gifts/talents area. I'm not intelligent enough to fall under the "gift of smarts" category, and I certainly have a lot of growing and learning to do in the spiritual category. There are a lot of stories I don't understand or even know about in the Book of Mormon and Bible.

So, where do my talents lie? I'm going to find out! I will, someday.

General Conference

Don't you just LOVE General Conference weekend? Not only do I NOT have to get my 5 kids ready for church by 9:00 a.m. on Sunday but I get to hear the inspired words of our great prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and his apostles. It's so nice to know that if I have any questions or doubts or anything of that nature, they will be put to rest over the weekend of inspired counsel. Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the greatest blessing in my life. Without it, all my trials and tribulations would be too heavy to bear.

What a blessing to know that my Heavenly Father is there to guide me and direct me in my life. And an even greater blessing to know that there is life after this one. It's such a comfort to me, especially since my sweet Grandma just passed about a month and a half ago. I know I will see her again someday. Love you Grandma!!

I think I need to make some treats for such a great event as General Conference. I've always wanted to do what I hear about from other families. It seems so many have wonderful feasts as they devour the words of the Prophet. So, I best be on my way to get the baking started. I'll be listening to conference as I bake. And then, I shall bake some more...

HELLO....Is anyone out there?

Does anyone still blog anymore? I feel like everyone has deserted the blogging world for the fast-paced, know-everyones-business-in-less-than-15-seconds, who-wants-to-be-my-friend-today, how-many-comments-did-I-get-on-my-status phenomenon that is Facebook. I admit it's taken it's toll on my blogging as of late but NO MORE, I say! I mean, FB is great and all but you can't really record everything you will want to remember. Where are the memories, people?

My family blog (which is private) has suffered this past year. Maybe I thought I wouldn't really need to remember everything that I didn't record. Turns out, I'm sad that it's not all there. My kids need to know all the crazy, off-the-wall stuff they do and say. Like just this week my son learned the word FORK, only he doesn't say fork, he says F***! It's not good, and yet, I laugh every time. How can you not? I mean, it's not cute in the least bit when a 12 year old says it but when your 2-year-old says it so innocently, it's funny, no?

So anyway, I'm on a mission to save the blogging world! Who's with me? Well, probably no one because I don't think anyone reads this but by golly, I'll save my own for crying out loud!! Someday, someone will be glad I did. The end!

So......

So my dad recently brought to my attention, although I really already knew it but never paid much attention to it, how much people use the word "so". Especially in beginning a sentence. Look at my very first sentence, I'm guilty already. I really feel that the way we speak is ever changing with society and the new slang terms, words or phrases that pop up. Wouldn't you agree? It really is funny to me now when I hear someone start a sentence with "so".

"So I went to the store today and......"

"So yesterday my friend and I ....."

"So I totally think that we should......."

So, isn't it kind of funny? What kind of word is "so" anyway? Don't get me wrong. I'm one of the biggest offenders in using "so" to begin a sentence. What would be a more appropriate thing? According to my dad, it would be "henceforth" or "therefore" or "wherefore". But who speaks like that anymore? Who are we, Shakespeare? While those may be more appropriate in definition or more proper I just have to say that would just be really weird. No one speaks like that anymore. Or maybe they do and I just live among the village idiots (like myself) who wouldn't know when to use which one so they just use "so". It works!

Therefore and henceforth, I will still be using "so" to begin my sentences. SO, deal with it!

just say HELLO!!

I've noticed that in the past week I've had some "out-of-towners" visit my blog. Maybe they really live in the same town I do but for this experiment I'm calling all people that don't know me or have just found my blog "out-of-towners". Just go with it! Grin and nod your head, people.

Please just say hello. I like visitors. Strike that. I LOVE visitors. I'm a people person. I may be shy at first meeting but I love being around people. I think that's why I enjoy blogging. It makes me feel like I'm talking to someone when my husband is at work and there are only children to talk to at my house. Kids are great, don't get me wrong. Some of my favorite conversations happen when I talk to my kids. The silly, off-the-wall, crazy things they say make me laugh! But sometimes it's so nice to have adult conversation. Say things that kids just don't get. That's not to say that I'm well-spoken by any means. I don't consider myself to be well-spoken in the least but I enjoy talking to adults.

Sometimes I think I say more than I need to. Just say hi people. That's all I ask. Thanks!