Callings

I am a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  It is our belief that we are called to certain positions, within the organization of our church, by the Lord.  He calls us to where we need to be whether it be to help others or because we need to be there to learn something for ourselves. 

We are called to these positions after careful consideration and prayerful thought by our leaders.  There may be times that we are surprised by the positions we are asked to take on and in those instances we are certainly entitled to our own personal revelation.  Take for example my calling to be a Relief Society teacher.  Hi, I’m Brooke and I don’t teach women!!  I teach kids.  I’m comfortable with kids.  Let me teach kids!!

However, I was glad to accept this RS calling after fretting and stewing over what I thought I was going to be called to.  I knew of two positions that were opening up…. Achievement Days Leader (which I could handle) and Primary chorister.  THAT one I would definitely NOT handle well.  I don’t do music… even if it is in the Primary, with the kids.  I am not musically inclined in any way, shape or form.  The Relief Society teacher position was a surprise.  I was soooo nervous.  However, I knew the moment I was asked that it was right.  That’s where the Lord wants me right now.  For the life of me I can’t figure out why but I know that’s where I need to be.    

I believe that sometimes even the leaders themselves are a bit surprised at who the Lord wants in certain positions.  And sometimes, even if the leaders aren’t surprised, you wonder how in the world you might cope with a particular calling.  (Just FYI for those not of my faith, none of these positions are paid.) 

Let me paint the picture:

Anthony gets a call on his phone to go meet with a member of the Stake Presidency.  Leading up to the day when they would actually meet, I repeatedly asked Anthony over and over what he thought they might be calling him in for.  He was sure they were just going to release him from his Stake sports calling.  After all, if it had been a new calling, they would have called me in too.  That usually isn’t done on a ward level but we know from experience that when a Stake calling is given, they usually try to include the spouse to make sure he/she will be supportive of said calling. 

He went in that Thursday night and I anxiously waited for him to arrive home so he could tell me that they were relieving him of his sports duties. 

I knew as soon as I saw him through the window walking up to the house.  He had that look.  The look of bewilderment and overwhelming astonishment.  I think it is commonly referred to as ‘deer in the headlights’.  I knew it!!  He was being called to …..

I would wait for him to tell me.  Although it was still strange that they hadn’t called me in.  Hmm, no matter.  I was sure to hear the words “Elder’s Quorum Presidency” momentarily. 

Except that it wasn’t those words that I heard.  Instead, it was “Stake High Council”. 

Say What?!  

I thought he was kidding.  Surely not! That’s for old guys. I mean, we’re no spring chickens any more but we’re certainly not old!!  Besides, they would have called me in for sure for that, no doubt!  When I inquired about that he said that they realized it would be tough with the five kids. 

But no worries… so, he’ll be giving talks in other wards once in a while, no biggie.  That’s what I thought.  But I was quickly informed that it’s much more than that.  I still don’t know all the details but I know it’s a calling with quite the load of responsibilities. 

Speaking honestly, my first thought (once I realized it wasn’t a joke) was something along the lines of ‘What Yahoo would put a man, with five young kids (two of whom are VERY high maintenance) and an already frazzled wife, on the High Council?’

And I admit, I asked Anthony to seriously pray about this calling to find out if it truly was right.  He did, and it was.  I prayed as well and wasn’t completely comfortable with the whole thing until Sunday when he was sustained as a High Priest, ordained, and set apart for his new calling.  That’s when the Spirit testified to me that it truly was right and that the Lord really does want/need him in that position.

Sunday morning he had meetings.  He was gone for over three hours which left me to get all the kids ready on my own.  Normally, that is a task that would frustrate me to no end and be nearly impossible.  However, everything went quite smoothly.  I felt the Spirit in my home… on SUNDAY!  Sounds weird but I swear the adversary makes himself very well known here on many Sundays.  Not in a big way.  It just seems that on any given Sunday, there is a lot of bickering (amongst the kids) and whatnot going on.  And church itself seems like a daunting task so to think that Anthony will be away often at other wards or on other assignments is a little scary. 

His new calling is Stake High Councilman… Mine?  Survivor!  (and Relief Society Teacher ;))  ‘I WILL SURVIVE!!’  

Maybe it seems silly but I can already feel the Spirit stronger in my home.  Things seem to be running a lot smoother than normal and I feel like we are well on our way to receiving some much needed blessings.  I believe we are blessed when we accept and magnify our callings, whether it be Relief Society teacher, Primary teacher, Visiting Teacher, Bishop, Stake High Council,  Primary Chorister or anything else.  It doesn’t matter what the calling is, we will be blessed.  There truly is no calling within the Church that is more important than another.  Some may hold more responsibility than others but “God is no respecter of persons.” 

He only wants us to magnify whatever calling we have, no matter how small it may seem!

Linking up here!

 

Donut Falls–Our first hike

Have you ever sat and pondered how beautiful our world really is?  Oh man, it is truly amazing!  Sometimes I wonder how it is that I can be such a homebody.  I’m not exactly what you might call ‘outdoorsy’.  It’s kind of sad.  I’ve never truly learned to appreciate the wonderful creations of our Heavenly Father.



My kids are often the ones that help me to see the beauty in nature.  They have a nature study every week in which they take their nature journals and draw.  Nothing complex, they just find a few things that they think they might enjoy drawing and sit quietly to draw.  It can be anything from a rock or a leaf to something much bigger like a tree or a sunset.  The best part is, while I look at what they choose to draw and see a plain ol’ rock or a dead leaf (and sometimes even a bug… ew!), they see how ‘cool’ something is.  They see so much more than just an object.  They truly see beauty.  And they absolutely love to be outside.

And that is why I can’t believe it took us until just this past Friday to take the kids out on a hike – for the first time!!  Not just the first time this year… the first time EVER!

We drove up to Donut Falls (which truly is only a hop, skip and a jump from us) and set out.  The kids, especially C, had the time of their lives!  The hike up there is only about mile and pretty easy even for the little ones.  There are only a couple of parts that we had to maneuver ourselves up and over a pile of rocks.  No biggie.

It truly was beautiful!  I was able to see past the ‘stuff’ and actually see the beauty in this wonderful world God gave us.  What an amazing gift!  The pictures don’t even come close to doing it justice.



We had a lot of fun.

{Only real men wear pink!}

C only fell once…. he was having so much fun, I don’t think he even noticed.



We took a few group shots… along with a family one (shadows count, no?)



I am truly grateful to be living in this beautiful world.  And I am even more grateful to my kids for showing me how blessed I truly am!

What are you grateful for?

My Scriptures

It seems that in my religious culture (LDS) there is an unwritten rule that you receive your very own set of scriptures when you are baptized, usually at the age of eight.  Often it’s the parents of the child that give the scriptures and sometimes it’s the grandparents or someone else that is close to the child. 

In my family, the precious gift was given to each grandchild by my Grandma.  Yet, somehow, I was skipped.  Maybe Grandma didn’t have money at that time or maybe it just slipped her mind.  I’m not completely sure, to be honest.  I just know that I did not receive my own set of scriptures until I was 11 or 12.

 

It was Sister Kearney that bought them for me.  She was my Merrie Miss teacher and she told us at the beginning of the year that she would buy a set of scriptures for every child that brought a set with them to class each week.  They didn’t have to be our own, they could be borrowed.  And borrow I did!  I made sure that I had a set of scriptures with me every single week.  Whether I was in my home ward or visiting another ward, I had a set of scriptures with me.  I wanted those scriptures!

At the end of that year, if memory serves me correctly, I was the ONLY student to have earned the prize.  I don’t know how much it really mattered to the others because I believe they all owned their own sets already.  Probably given to them for their baptism. 

I was so excited when Sister Kearney called to confirm which color I would like.  I chose black.  Black is safe. 

They were beautiful!  My name was engraved on the front and I set to work!  They were well used, especially throughout my seminary years.  They were marked up, written in, scribbled on, and wrinkled.  I LOVED them.  In fact, I still DO love them.





Grandma actually ended up giving me another set of scriptures for my 16th birthday to make up for not giving me a set at baptism.  I was afraid of that set.  Sounds silly, I know.  I didn’t know what to do with them!  They were so NEW!  So crisp, so clean, so sacred.  I was afraid to DO anything to them.  And they meant almost nothing to me aside from the fact that Grandma had given them to me.  They didn’t make any sense. 

I tried marking a few verses and making them my own but they weren’t as readable and understandable as my hammered, well worn set of black scriptures from Sister Kearney.  The words were the same, of course but it just wasn’t the same.  After trying to make them work, they were finally set aside (and eventually given to my sister) and I turned back to my old set.

Fast forward several years to 2006.  Anthony bought me a brand new set of beautiful green scriptures for Christmas.  My ‘new’ married name engraved on them and everything!  I was giddy!  It’s just what I had asked for.  I wanted a new set with my name on it and there they were.

 

Fast forward again to today…. guess how many scriptures have been marked.

 

ZERO, ZILCH, NADA!

I am scared to death to mark in them.  I’ve had them for almost five years now and they are still waiting to be loved.  They go with me to church every Sunday and they are used for personal scripture time and family scriptures but they are still unloved.  I love the words, the meanings, the messages, the stories, the people… I just don’t love those green books… yet!  I just don’t fully ‘get’ them.

I ran across my old black ones the other day and took a peek at them.  It made me a little bit sad to see how loved they once were and how neglected they now are.  It made me sad to think of the new (five year old) ones sitting in their case, practically untouched.  It’s time for a change. 

My new goal is to LOVE those green scriptures like I’ve never loved before.  I’m going to mark them up with pen, pencil, scripture markers, stickers, tabs and everything in between. 

I can’t wait to love them!  I’ve found a fabulous resource for all of the above and I can’t wait to share that with you also.   

Perspective

When tragedy strikes, one tends to put more focus on the important things in life.  We might pay more attention to the little details of our surroundings or hug our family members a little tighter.

Recently, tragedy struck right within my own ward.  A senior couple in my ward had been gone for 7 months on a mission in Texas.  They were loving the work and more importantly the people they were working with.  But just this past Thursday night, Ann Jones was badly burned by a flash fire in the double wide trailer she and her husband were living in.  By early Friday morning, she had passed away.   (See the story here.)

I can't tell you how loved this woman is by the people in my ward and just by people in general.  She was/is an amazing daughter of God.  I am positive she is continuing her mission in the Spirit World.  I have no doubt!

She was A's first nursery leader when we first moved into this ward.  The nursery was non existent until we moved in because there were no nursery aged children (18 months - 3 years).  Sister Jones was called as the nursery leader just for my little A.  A loved Sister Jones and Sister Jones loved A.

This woman has been such a great example to me and many others.  No one could have expected something like this to happen.  It's really made me take a look at myself and where my priorities lie.  Am I spending enough quality time with my kids?  Am I repenting for the things I need to repent for?  Have I been to critical of my kids or Anthony today?  Did I make them cry?

The whole thing has really put thing into perspective.  Life is so fragile, and so precious!  It can be taken away in an instant.  Am I ready?  NO!  I need to work harder at the important things.  Make sure I make time for the important things.  Put the first things first and fit the rest in later.

How Do YOU Socialize Your Children?

I am often asked how we socialize our kids because apparently, being homeschoolers means we’re unsocialized, unkempt (well, sometimes), and we live in a bubble.  A bubble which no one is allowed to enter. 

Because my kids aren’t involved in any extracurricular activities or anything {dance}.  We don’t go to church every Sunday {this Sunday is the Primary Program}.  We certainly never get together with friends or family members {anyone up for a game night?}.  The park is OUT OF THE QUESTION!  Someone might see us!  We only take walks after dark so as to not draw attention to ourselves.  Oh, and we have our kids’ marriages arranged. 

So you see, our kids get all the socialization they need right here in our little bubble. 

No? 

Ok, so maybe none of that is true… except that I might want to arrange marriages.  That way we could skip the whole dating part altogether!  Not a bad idea, eh?  I like the sound of it… **Insert evil laugh**

The honest truth is, I believe the public schools have a place in our society.  Homeschooling is not for everyone and it certainly isn’t easy.  In fact, I never thought it would be something I would EVER do… EVER!  (Link to my latest Latter-Day Homeschooling post)  But it’s been the best thing for all of us.  I think too often the ‘socialization’ at school is negative socialization.  But that’s another matter for another time. 

Below is my absolute favorite youtube video.  For now anyway, it changes from time to time.  Hilarious!  You must watch. 

 

So You’ve Had a Bad Day…

Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially down about our current struggles, it’s my kids that lift my spirits.  They remind me of the butterflies and rainbows that are all around me.  And they make me laugh. 



Several weeks ago, K said something to me that has stuck with me ever since.  Something so simple.  But it’s the way she said it that made me stop and realize that things aren’t so bad. 

We have promised the girls for years now that as soon as we were financially able, we would get them into dance lessons.  It’s something they have wanted for a long time and we’ve never been in a position to do it.  So when I found out about the summer classes available just this summer, that weren’t too expensive, I told my mom that the girls were going to try and raise the money for it by setting up a lemonade stand.  My mom said that she and my dad would be willing to pay for half if the girls could come up with the first half.  And by George, they did it! 

I know I’ve talked about their dance lessons before but as I drove K to her very first Jazz lesson, I asked her if she thought this day would ever come. 

I fully anticipated the answer to be something along the lines of, No, I never thought I’d be able to take dance. 

Instead, she said, “Yep!  I never lost hope.” 

Just like that.  Straightforward and honest. 

I can’t really explain why it hit me like it did.  All I know is that anytime since then that I am having a rough day {such as today} her words and her positive attitude flood my mind and remind me that all hope is not lost.  I need to have hope that one day things will work themselves out.  Things are going to be alright.  Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. 

The economy WILL pick up.  We WILL be able to retire someday.  The bills WILL get paid. 

Not yet, but someday.  I just know it. 

I will never lose hope!!  And neither should you.

Bitter {one year ago today…} but Sweet {brownies}

I’ve had a hard time putting this post together.  Not really sure why.  It could possibly have something to do with the fact that today marks the one year anniversary of the day my sweet Grandma passed away.  Today also marks what would have been her 76th birthday. 



Yes, she died on her 75th birthday.  I think it was planned. 

That may sound funny but you’d have to know my grandma.  Besides being loving, caring, happy, carefree, spirited, a phenomenal cook, and overall just amazing… she was also very stubborn.  I don’t mean just a little bit. 

Everyone always believed that she was the type of woman who would live to be 104, at least.  Unfortunately for us, her stubborn ways were no match for the Parkinsons and Alzheimers.  It wasn’t the alzheimers that ended up taking her away, at least not physically.  It was the Parkinsons.  Mentally, the alzheimers was taking over and made her, at times, not seem like Grandma anymore.  However, she was quite witty in that state.  And even hilarious at times. 

I had the privilege while she was sick {along with many cousins and aunts/uncles}, of taking dinner to Grandma and Grandpa at their home once every other week.  It was a huge group effort to keep them both full and keep Grandpa from losing it.  He was Grandma’s main caregiver and often had a hard time.  These mealtimes also gave each of us that helped a chance to spend some quality time with Grandma before she passed.  We knew it was only a matter of time.  The amount of time may have been unknown but it was time we needed to spend with her and we all knew it. 

It got to the point that she had to be fed, like a baby.  She could no longer feed herself. 

Last summer, a nurse and doctor started coming to the home during the day to aid Grandpa in caring for her.  She was getting to the point that she could no longer walk, even with assistance and Grandpa just wasn’t able to do it on his own.  In the evenings, it was a chore to get her to bed on his own.  It became necessary for someone in the family to assist him in changing her and getting her up the stairs.  This task was most often left to my mom or my cousin.  When they were unavailable, Anthony was often called upon to help.  I am a weakling and pretty sure that I would never have been strong enough to do it.  

I will be forever grateful to those people, relatives and otherwise, that helped Grandma during the latter part of her life.

For the last several weeks of her life, she was bedridden.  No one could even touch her without her grimacing in pain and agony.  It was agonizing to watch.  Seeing your SuperWoman grandma in a state like that is heart wrenching. 

A hospital bed was brought to her home and she was confined. 

Around the 8th or 9th of August last year, Grandma had given up.  No matter how hard anyone tried, she just wouldn’t open her eyes.  Her feedings had all but depleted and even when she would eat, it was only a bite or two.  The nurse let us all know that it was only a matter of days.  Usually seven was the max at that point. 

Maybe it was selfish of me but I hoped that I would walk in there the next day and she would be awake, eating and talking.  I knew she could prove them all wrong.  Her communication skills had been… interesting for the past little while.  Often, no one could make sense of what she had just said.  She counted a lot… “One, two, two, two, two, three, three, two, two…” 

There were many times that she would start a sentence but end with the counting.  “I want to… two, two, two…”

It broke my heart that she didn’t believe that she was at home.  No matter how many times we told her, she never believed us.  We were all ‘in on it’ as she would say. 

I must say that I am grateful for the fact that she never forgot who I was.  At least not when I was around.  She did, however, forget my poor grandpa at times.  That broke his heart into a million little pieces.  {He is her second husband… my grandpa P, her first husband, passed away when I was six}

There were times toward the end that I believe she was able to see beyond the veil.  She told me {and other people too} some things that didn’t make sense at the time but as I reflect back, it made perfect sense.  I believe there were many angels {including Grandpa P.} in the living room with her, by her bed. 

I have two favorite ‘beyond the veil’ moments with Grandma.  One of them is when I was holding her hand and trying to talk to her.  She wasn’t looking at me yet but as I spoke she turned toward me.  She smiled then and squeezed my hand just a little tighter and said, “I don’t know why…. I love you!” with a big ol’ smile on her face.  I could have taken offense to the ‘I don’t know why…’ part but I know that’s not how she meant it.  She then looked to my left just slightly {no one was there} and gave a little nod of her head, smirked and said, “She’s mine!”  And then she looked back at me and smiled. 

I’ve never felt more loved!  In that moment, she possessed all the love in the world, just for me!  At least that’s how she made me feel.  I believe she was talking to someone on the other side announcing that I was her granddaughter.  You may think it’s silly, but that’s how I feel.

The other favorite memory is when she looked at me one day when I came for a visit {just before she was bedridden} and told me that she was so sorry.  I couldn’t figure out what she was so sorry about.  She just kept shaking her head in sympathy and saying, “I’m so sorry!”  At first I thought it was just the alzheimers talking.  She often had funny things pop up in her head that made no sense.  But she finally said, “I’m so sorry for what you’re about to go through.  I can’t imagine going through that.” 

At the time this made no sense but I felt the power as she said it.  It was real! 

Grandma, thank you for the warning.  I think I’m living it now.  It’s been rough but we’ll get through this!!  I love you!

Other members of my family have stories similar but I will not write them here.  They are stories for them to tell, not me. 

Anyway, as she neared the end of her life, we all kept holding on to hope that she might wake up again and talk.  It was not meant to be.  After the seven days that we were expecting something to happen, we knew it would be any time. 

Her breaths became very labored.  She was heavily medicated to keep her from feeling so much pain when she had to be rolled from one side to the other to keep from getting bed sores.  It was the only time she showed any sign of life {aside from the labored breathing}, when she would grimace in pain. 

I believe it was the night before our anniversary last year that everyone gathered around her bedside in her living room.  Anyone that could be there was there.  She was going to pass at any moment and we all wanted to say our final good-byes.  Each of us that wanted to took a moment with Grandma, in private, and said our final words to her.  My girls each gave her a kiss as they tried to understand and accept exactly what was happening.  It was hard.  C didn’t want much to do with her.  I think it was a little scary to him.  B was just a baby but held her hand for a brief moment. 

Afterwards, we all gathered and had a meeting of sorts.  It was kind of like a testimony meeting.  People shared their thoughts and love for Grandma.  Told funny stories of better times.  It made us all cry…. and laugh.  How great to be someone so loved, like Grandma, and have your family be able to tell such wonderful stories of your life. 

Anthony and I took our kids home that night, sure that it would be on our anniversary (the 18th) that she would pass.  That would be hard.  It didn’t happen!

The 19th is my aunt’s birthday and we thought for sure it would be that day.  She wouldn’t be able to hold on any longer than that. 

The night of the 19th, we gathered again… with birthday cake!  We figured if she hadn’t passed, we would sing to her on her birthday… the 20th.  As the clock struck midnight, she was still with us.  Her breathing was even more labored than ever before.  It was a solemn time.  To realize that she had made it to her birthday after not eating or drinking anything for almost two whole weeks was baffling!  But everyone was somber. 

I had left Anthony and the kids at home.

Around 12:30 we sang.  It was a very spiritual, and quiet “Happy Birthday” song.  Same words, same tune, different tone.  It was magical!  Grandpa kissed her, told her how much he loved her and cried. 

Everyone was handed a piece of cake.  We ate.  And then I went home. 

Most everyone else stayed. 

After coming home and being in bed for no longer than maybe an hour {if that}, I got the phone call…

Grandma was gone. 

It hit me hard!  I knew it was coming but it still felt like someone had stabbed me in the chest to hear the words. 

I believe she wanted to celebrate her birthday both here on Earth and have another celebration on the other side with loved ones lost long before!  And I’m sure she had quite the reunion with so many people.  Her Ma and Pa, her Mother {who died when my grandma was only 3}, her dad, her sister, my Grandpa P, and many many more. 

Happy Birthday Grandma!  We all miss you so very much.  But we’re all doing alright.  We’re taking care of Grandpa for you.  He’s bought a few new cars since you’ve been gone, trying to ease the pain but he’ll be alright, too.  You take care!  I love you!

 

But now… on a lighter note! {We like lighter notes, right?}

A few weeks ago, my cousins and I had a Girl’s Night Out at one of their houses.  As I entered her home, I realized she had made what she always calls ‘Grandma’s Brownies’. 

I’ve had them a couple of times when she’s made them but I thought maybe Grandma had made them once and she got the recipe from her.  Never again did Grandma make them.  They’re good so I was excited! 

I was one of the first ones there.  As one of my other cousin’s entered, she looked at the brownies and gasped.  “Are those Grandma’s Brownies?”

Huh, that’s weird.  She knew about them too.  Hmmm….

A third cousin entered and said the same thing.  “Oh, I love Grandma’s Brownies!”

What the heck?  I don’t remember these famous brownies.  Where was I? 

When I informed them that I don’t remember Grandma making these brownies, they were all shocked.  They say that she ‘always’ had a pan of them on her counter. 

So the next day I inquired of my mother.  She also was surprised that I didn’t remember them.  “She always had them out.”

She did?  I remember no such brownies.  I remember pilafi, orange chiffon cake, cinnamon rolls, homemade bread, blt’s, delicious sandwiches, bread pudding, and many other delightful creations but I do not remember brownies. 

My guess?  She hid them from me, knowing that I would eat them all!  She knew me well enough to know that I was a sugar-holic.  Seriously! 

I even asked Anthony… even he remembers “a sheet pan of chocolate cake, not brownies”. 

Yes, they are cake-like but oh-so-delicious!  He refuses to call them brownies. 

Anyway, I’d like to dedicate the posting of this recipe to Grandma. 

We’ll call them the “Hide From Brooke Brownies”.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the following:

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Set aside

 

Bring the following to a boil in a saucepan:

1 c. butter

1 c. water

1/2 c. cocoa

 

Pour the boiling ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add the flour mixture.  Mix until well combined. 

 

Add the following:

2 eggs

1/2 c. sour cream {buttermilk may be substituted}

Mix until well combined and pour into sheet pan {large cookie sheet} sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

Pull out of oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before starting the icing.

 

Bring the following to a boil for icing:

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. cocoa

6 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar

Pour over warm brownies as evenly as possible.  Spread gently so as not to ruin the top of the brownies.



Allow to cool completely before cutting.  {In the pic below, I got a little anxious and failed to let the brownies cool.  That’s why the icing is cracked.  If you allow it to cool completely, it will cut very smoothly without cracking.  OOPS!  Do as I say, not as I do!}



 

 

 

 

 

 

Things I’ve Discovered This Summer… Part 1

This summer has truly been a season of discovery for me.  Here is a brief list of some of the things I’ve discovered{in no particular order… except the order I put them in ;)} and summer isn’t even over yet!

***Pinterest – Seriously, the coolest thing ever!  Can you believe I had never even heard of it until about a couple months ago?  It’s true!  Once I heard about it, I knew I needed to be part of it.  I asked around on facebook to see if anyone had an invite to send me but nobody knew what I was talking about.  So, I requested an invite via the site itself.  But after researching, I found out that people who had requested an invite months ago were still waiting. 

Who wants to wait?  Certainly not me so I researched more and came across one of the founders email addresses.  Sneaky, right?  I emailed him and was pinning away by that evening!  It’s like Bookmarks or Favorites on STEROIDS!! 

The whole invite thing is kind of silly to me but hey, who am I?  I don’t make the rules, I just email the founder and demand an immediate invite!  :)

If you aren’t pinning yet, I highly recommend you do so.  I’ll even send you the invite if you don’t have one yet.  As far as I can tell, they regenerate once I’ve used up all six so it shouldn’t be a problem.  But if it’s a problem… I ‘know’ a guy… He he!

I still don’t completely understand the whole thing.  I’m pretty technologically challenged.  Just today I received an email from Pinterest informing me that someone had ‘posted a comment on {my} wall’ {and then it showed me what was said}……… Thank you Cyndie!!

I have a wall?  I knew I had a wall on facebook but a wall on Pinterest?  I had no idea!  When I went on a quest for said ‘wall’, I found nothing!  I can’t find where this comment is written.  But a big thanks to Cyndie for helping me to realize I have a wall at all.  If only I could find it.  It’s a wall for crying out loud!  I should run into it, no?

 

***I really can put myself out there. --- I’ve been blogging for about three years now {this blog is new so don’t go searching for older archives}.  It started as a family blog.  One where I wrote about daily happenings.  Every little boring detail of every little thing.  It started out public but I shortly made it private.  But it got old fast.  I had no one commenting anymore and wasn’t even sure that people were reading it.  The journal aspect of it was there but looking back at it, even I get bored reading it!  There really wasn’t much feeling, just facts. 

Then I switched to a new blog, made it public and it was fun but I didn’t put many pictures and really didn’t have much of a readership.  Then I started evaluating and and dissecting what I loved about the blogs I followed regularly.  That’s what I wanted!  Something that people come back to.  A blog with feeling and emotion along with fun!  I wanted to make new friends in the bloggy world and bring my old ones with me.  I wanted to share what I love and what I know.   

Enter, THIS blog!  It’s still my journal.  It’s a place to document my true feelings and have a ton of fun!  It has truly become a passion for me.

I know there will come a time when someone will disagree with something I say and make it known.  That's what always held me back before.  I was so scared of criticism and backlash.  Being generic and untrue to myself at times was safe.  I could hide behind it.  I’ve realized that I don’t need to hide.  It’s much more fun to be me!

 

 

***P90X is nearly impossible in the summer! --- It’s true!  The kids are up earlier and go to bed later.  And we’re just too dang busy!  Anthony and I finished our first round just as summer started… we’ll resume this fall. 

 

 

***I really don’t like decisions! --- My mom has been furiously working on a header and button to beautify my blog.  I haven’t the slightest clue how to do either and I can’t afford to pay someone to do it for me.  So, she had lots of fun with lots of different ideas and we kind of settled on one but now I’m just not so sure.  You may have noticed that I now have a button on my sidebar but is that truly the one I should use?  HELP!! 

I’d really appreciate your advice.  Which one of the hundreds {exaggeration} of buttons do you like?  She can make a header to match. 



Number 4 is the one on the sidebar.  Obviously, it’s kind of the one we based the first 5 on.  My cousin thinks number 7 is too baby shower-ish.  Do you agree?  I really like the last one but you can’t read the slogan anyway.  Does that matter?

I can’t stand it!!  It’s giving me anxiety. 

 

And now it’s late so this will have to be Part 1 of a two part post.  I have much more that I’ve learned over the summer.  Stay tuned!  In the meantime, which button do you like… be honest!  And let me know if you need a Pinterest invite!

And now for Part 2!  I'm just adding it here so as to spare you yet another post {because trust me, I've got a whole lot comin'!}

***My Spider Veins Are a Part of Me --- I wish I could say I went through all five pregnancies without so much as a stretch mark, spider vein, or saggy lady parts (sorry, but it's true).  Sadly, I can't say that.  I've got all three!  Have I scared you off yet?  Can we still be friends? 

I've learned to accept the saggy parts of me and the stretched out parts of me.  Those can be hidden.  And the spider veins can, too... if I wear pants!  It's been years since I've been in a pool.  Yes, years!  My spider veins are hideous and I can't stand them!  But they've held me back long enough.  I will no longer let them keep me out of the pool.  {Something I just decided this summer}  If people don't like them, they don't have to look.  Swimming is much more fun when you're actually IN the pool. 

There, I said it!  I feel much better... and maybe a little embarrassed, but mostly just better.

***Facebook pages and Twitter --- I learned how to make a facebook page for my blog although I'm still learning what to do with it.  And Twitter... well, that's another story.  I'm there, but I don't have a clue what I'm doing... at all.  I'm a terrible Tweeter {Twitter-er}  I'm just a Twit.  And I've got a whopping 3 followers!  Three!  Am I the BOMB, or what?   

When it Rains Buckets

This is how my kids celebrated the downpour of rain the other day.

B even tried to drink from the gutter.  Got a video but no pic, darn it!  I remember doing that as a kid.  Tell me I'm not the only one!

Take the time to play in the rain!

It's a lesson I've learned... from my kids!

Lemonade for a Cause

As a little girl, I remember mustering up a grand idea with a friend of mine.  We wanted to earn a little money for something.  I don't recall what it was for certain but I'm sure it had something to do with sugar... some candy maybe, who knows!   So, we did what any kid would do.  We set up a little table in front of my house, filled a pitcher with lemonade mix and water, grabbed some paper cups and set out to make us some moolah! 

Had I not lived in a cul-de-sac it might have turned out a little better.  We had a few customers but nothing compared to what we were hoping for.  But we were happy with our profits and I remember telling my mom that we had made some money.  She was unaware that we had even set out to do so.  After I told her of our plans to spend the money, she asked where her cut of money was. 

What?  My mom wants a cut of OUR hard earned money? 

My argument skills came out at that point and I told her she had no business taking any of the money we had earned.  Of course at my young age I didn't use words or phrases such as 'no business' or 'earned'.  I'm sure it was something like, "But Mommy, you don't get to have any of our money.  It's our money!  You can't have it.  That's not fair!!" 

She proceeded to explain that I had used her equipment and her powdered mix (and way too much of it!  Maybe we didn't know how to make lemonade...).  Those things cost money and she wanted to make sure that we understood that there's always overhead when running a 'business'. 

Ok, lesson learned.  She didn't make us pay up but we knew for next time that we had to think ahead and plan it out a bit better. 

Well, fast forward a few years (does 20 years or so count as a few?)....  here are my beautiful girls running their very own lemonade stand. 

 

But I have to say that their reason for raising the money is just a tad bit more noble than mine.  They aren't thinking of running down to the local market for a candy bar.  These cuties really want to take dance lessons.  Unfortunately, Anthony and I can't afford to put them in dance lessons so the girls needed an alternative to Mom and Dad for the opportunity.   My parents were kind enough to offer to pay half if the girls come up with the other half. 

I started out making Soda Pop Can Hair Bows to raise some money but the girls have always wanted to set up a lemonade stand so we figured, this is a great time and a great reason to get it going.  Each Saturday, they are out there selling away.  Surprisingly, after just three Saturdays, they've earned the money they need to get into dance for the whole summer (along with Grandma and Grandpa's contribution).  How cool is that? 

We helped make treats, the girls made felt hair bows and I made the soda can bows which sell out every time!  It's been so fun. 

I plan to put recipes up tomorrow for the treats we've made so far.  They are quick and easy.  You'll love them!