Lucky to be a Larson

Photo Book

2011-06-27T23:57:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

more baseball on the beach

2011-06-20T14:46:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Larson reunion #27?

2011-06-20T14:45:00.001-07:00

The ocean and beach baseball

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Random pics of Emma waiting for her turn to dance and explaining why we cant do the" toe jam touch" because she has tights on. lol

2011-06-12T15:08:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Tess and friends waiting for their dance number

2011-06-12T15:01:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Classic Tap Dance Recital

2011-06-12T14:56:00.001-07:00

At the annual dance recital for Classic Tap studios. I was supposed to be in this one but my fibro got the best of me. Stay tuned for pictures.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Moblogging

2011-01-28T14:30:00.001-08:00

Just checking once again to see how this moblogging works. Wish me luck. Wish wish wish.

Braden walking on the pool ice.

2011-01-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

The joy of today......Note the big splash before anything happens.

New Years Resolutions 2010

2011-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

1. Read my bible as many days as possible
2. Start up my Prayer Journal again
3. Lose more weight
4. Continue tap lessons
5. Move toward healthier eating
6. Take more pictures and videos

New Years Meme

2011-01-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

New Years Meme

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?

Successfully lost weight

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I dont remember them. I better write them down, but losing weight is always on the list and I did that.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Pastor Steve and Laurel, Victoria, Breanne,
4. Did anyone close to you die?

Residents at the facility I work at

5. What countries did you visit?

Mexico

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

More consistancy, more follow through, more time with my kids that are growing up so fast!
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Feb 15th Lincoln and Ellie were born. Who knew they would end up with us and be so fun! (they are Shih Tzu's)

March 18 Kiara turns 17!

March 19 Kiara gets her License

April 30 Braden turns 19

Nov 29 Darryl and I went on our first cruise
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Starting to learn to Tap
9. What was your biggest failure?

Same as before
Not being consistant as a mom. I do really good in one area and others suffer, I want to be PERFECT! WAAAAAAAH!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Fibromyalgia
11. What was the best thing you bought?

I would have to say Christmas presents for my kids. They wanted more expensive things this year so only got a few presents, but they are enjoying them so much.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Friend/co worker who prayed and looked for Squirty because she escaped again when we were on the Larson Reunion. And the co workers who helped look for her. The lady who brought her back even tho she wanted to keep her.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

People who are very mean to their kids in the stores when the kids are just tired.
14. Where did most of your money go?

God (tithe, church budget and other) Christian education, Housing, No car payments thankfully.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

I love giving my family gifts that surprise them. Braden got an ipad for his birthday. Darryl got a telephoto lens for his camera, Kiara got an ipad for Christmas
16. What song will always remind you of 2010?

Better than a Hallelujah by Amy Grant

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier. I would like to think I get happier with each passing year
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner YAY!!!!!
c) richer or poorer? Financially better off.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

More helping the less fortunate. I would like to do a little more each year

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Griping about being the only one who does anything, but hey I am getting lots of help now!
20. How did you spend Christmas?

A day early since Christmas was on Sabbath this year.
21. Did you fall in love in 2010?

Yes. Over and over with the same guy for the last 30 years. (26 of those married) and with these little Chihuahuas called Squirty and Kilher, the medium size Shih Tzus: Lincoln and Ellie, the big Chocolate Lab: Kai and a psychotic cat "squirrel" that screams and screams for food even right after she has had some.
22. What was your favorite TV program?

Cake Boss, Say yes to the Dress, Pretty Little Liars, Office, Chuck, 20 Kids and Counting
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I try not to hate anyone. I hate some of the things they do however

24. What was the best book you read?

The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached by Ellen G White

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Jackie Evancho!
26. What did you want and get?

I wanted help around the house and I got it!
27. What did you want and not get?

Cant think of anything

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

We went to Silver Falls and then to the tulips and got pictures

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If I could keep my kids young forever....
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

Anything cute at Ross Dress for Less. Lots of suits for work, Kiara picking out clothes for me and a Red Dress, Red Shoes and a Red Purse my Kids got me for Christmas.
32. What kept you sane?

Dawn and praying
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I do not fancy people if I do not know what values they hold.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?

I dont get stirred by politics
35. Who did you miss?

My kids when they are not home. I would say my hubby, but we do everything together even work.
36. Who was the best new person you met?

Dr Kevin Thompson that saved my dads life with a stint on December 17th
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

That no matter how small an event may seem to me, I should give people the option of making the decision on whether to attend or not, instead of keeping it quiet as in my ReBaptism on July 27th. Dad got rebaptized too

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

When a problem comes along you must whip it!

39. Favorite quote of the year?

All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind.
Abraham Lincoln

40. Favorite new blog discovery this year (and how did you discover it)?
Hip2Save recommended by my sister in law Leslie when teaching me couponing 101 and 102

Reflections on 2010

2011-01-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

20 Questions for a New Year’s Eve Reflection

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year? I have grown spiritually

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened? Learning to trust God instead of having anxiety

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year? Cancellation of a court case and savings of 4000!

4. What was an unexpected obstacle? How hard it would be to send my boy off to college

5. Pick three words to describe 2010. Wonderful, Joyful, Hopeful

6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2010 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you). Happiness, Laughter, Joy

7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2010 (again, without asking). Content, fun, happy

8. What were the best books you read this year? The best sermon ever preached by Ellen G White and Experiencing God

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships? My family and my friend Dawn whom is more like a friend, counselor, and sounding board all rolled into one.

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year? Lost weight

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally? Learned to handle some of my anxiety

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually? Learned to trust God more

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically? Learned to eat differently

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others? I learned that I should have learned not to be so shy because people are so fun to get to know.

15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)? Working with Dementia residents and at home working with someone else in the family (I like company, what else can I say :}

16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)? Most challenging is keeping up with paperwork at work and at home As well as dealing with my fibromyalgia.

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year? Island Paradise which I quit cold turkey and have not gone back

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year? Spending every moment possible talking with my teens

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year? That God can handle every problem if you let him

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2010 for you. My hope is in the Lord

God Rocks: a weekly miracle story

2010-12-18T12:58:00.000-08:00

This week i am thanking God for keeping my Dad safe and alive. He was headed home from a store and had chest and arm pain, but he just wanted to lay down. My mom is very intuitive and said "no we are going". Then Dad wanted to go to urgent care and Mom said "no we are going to the hospital, they have the best cardiac care in the Northwest". By the time they got to the hospital the pain was horrible he rated it as way over a 10. Immediately & people were working on him and he was taken to the cath lab where they found 2 blockages and then fixed them with balloons and wire mesh. The Doctor came out and said "whoever got him here is to be commended cause he got here just in time". So God gave my mom the intuition to make him go and then to go to the hospital. God also gave the doctors the skills to fix the blockages. My Dad is feeling 100 percent better but still has some blockages on the back side of his heart so pray for him please.

Fibromyalgia and Pain meds

2010-12-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Whomever said narcotics do not work for Fibromyalgia probably didnt have it. Recently I was on a trip and had some of my pain meds stolen. As a result I ran out before my next prescription. I am trying to be brave, but the pain is so intense, I cant take a deep breath or even a normal breath. And I still have, and take, 2 other pain meds. I just dont have the strongest one. If you are in severe pain, talk to your doctor about trying pain meds for Fibro. Cymbalta for depression also takes the edge off the pain. It is expensive, so make sure you have good insurance coverage before getting it. TENS units that send out electrical impulses to pads you put on your skin are very helpful. The only hard part is deciding which hurting area to put it on first. Hot tubs or hot baths are helpful but mostly while you are in them. Massage is helpful as long as you ask for pressure that is not painful. If it becomes painful then it keeps hurting for days. It also helps to tell the people around you that the playful slap on the shoulder feels like being run over by a mac truck to you. My gift today from my son who is still a teen for a few more months was that he and his Dad, my hubby, put the lights on the Christmas tree and did more decorating outside. That was the best present of all.......

2010-11-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving on the Larson Side of the family!!! Kiana, MOD (my other dad), Darryl, Erma, Leslie, Milt, Me, Kiara, Braden. Missing (Brittany, Jordan, Lorrie, Greg, Kerry, and Eileen)

Teens need your time

2010-11-13T21:25:00.001-08:00

I have found that my teens need me to spend time with them doing things they enjoy in order to fill connected. Some teens need more time than others. One of my teens will find me in whatever room I am in and share trivia, stories, things they are doing. Our relationship is fairly easy. My other teen doesn't feel a connection till I spend lots of time doing things like watching shows or movies, sitting in the hot tub together, shopping etc. They both are at the age they drive and have their own cars but I find now that I don't have to take them places, I am choosing to spend time with them. Its the only way they open up and let me know what is important to them. So if your teen is difficult, try spending a tom of time with them. Even if they resist for the first 100 times. All teens really want is to be heard, understood, validated and to know that you can be fun too. My daughter tried on dresses this last week and I picked out a few choices which is usually a big no no. Anyway I told her to go ahead and try them on just for the laugh factor. And sure enough we both about died laughing. I treasure every moment because before I know it she will be all grown up.

Physician Guided Weight Loss Centers

2010-11-12T00:26:00.000-08:00

These places are amazing. I have tried many diets and the weight came back very quickly. With this program I wasnt hungry. I ate every 2 hours and had a mini meal each day. I lost weight fairly quickly (2 to 3 pounds a week) and I havent followed the plan seriously in over a year and still lost a pound! I recent put on just a few pounds (slowly) and so am back on the program. If you have struggled with every diet plan out there, see if you have a Physician Guided Weight Loss in your area. Their success, I believe, is the ratio of protein to carbs, vitamin/enzyme injections, and Physician Counseling. Try it, what do you have to lose?

God Rocks

2010-11-12T00:18:00.000-08:00

Wow its been a long time since I have been here! Good news is that little Issac lived. I just saw him this past weekend. He is walking and playing like any other 2 year old. Thanks to all who prayed for him

A friend of mine had an amazing story of what God can do. She got up in the middle of the night and passed out. Her husband who usually snores through everything was awakened and came to her rescue just in time. Turns out she had a heart arrthymia that only 10 percent survive from. There was many people praying for her recovery and that it would be complete healing. She is doing great!

And lastly I thank God everyday for my 2 wonderful teens!

Happy 50th Anniversary Dad and Mom!!!!!

2010-09-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

Happy 50th Anniversary to my Awesome Parents!

Howard and Maris

September 17th, 1960

My grandfather Robert Lea walking my mother down the aisle

Wedding Party: Cynthia, Aunt Roberta, Mother, Father, (some guy, some dude)

Little girl my parents knew

Nice cake!

Cynthia helping Mom with the garter

Dad Lifeguarding at Lake ___________?

Fun at the beach with Dad, Mom, Bruce and his girlfriend.

Dad graduating from Andrews with a Business Degree and holding me. I was 1 month old

Dad Graduating with his Masters in Teaching

Mom holding me. My favorite picture of her. I was born April 12th, 1962

The new parents: Dad, Mom and Me!

Dad and I

My little Bro born August 29th, 1967

My Brother almost grown up

My little sister, Grandpa and Dad She was born May 13th 1970

Dad and Sis

Mom and Dad (Year????)

Dad and Mom camping (year???)

Mom and Dad (he probably tickled her) (year?????)

I love you very much and so glad you are my parents.

(See part 2 for the grandkids)

God Rocks: A weekly (or yearly :) Miracle story

2008-10-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, I had quite a few answers to prayer to blog. But sadness overwhelms me today as a friend who had twins at 24 weeks gestation just lost the little girl named Isabella Ellen. The parents faith in God is amazing and incredible. They are looking forward to the day Jesus comes and they are reunited with her. She lived 15 days. Her brother Isaac Luther is critical but stable. They were due Jan 19th I believe. Sometimes we forget the miracle of healthy children that have grown up with very few health problems. If you pray, please pray for this family and little Isaac.

New Years Meme

2007-12-31T23:47:00.000-08:00

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?

Mission Trip out of the country! Never ever thought I would do that, but through a series of miracles and God's leading, that is what we did.

Recieved an Awesome side by side refridgerator with ice and water in the door from my Dad and Mom

Recieved a Company Car, drop dead awesome!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I tried really hard and exceeded for a while. And yes I will make more. My motto is NEVER give up.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Mellisa and Ben: Kim and Ben (and no Ben is not the same person....lol)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My grandfather died.

5. What countries did you visit?

Canada, Ecuador

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

More consistancy, more follow through, more time with my kids that are growing up so fast!

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

May 1st Son Braden gets his Drivers License
June 7th Daughter kiara's 8th Grade graduation
June 28th Left at 3 or 4 am for mission trip to Ecuador
August 28th Daughter Kiara's first day of highschool and Son Braden's Junior year
Surprise Refridgerator from Dad and Mom
December 31st Given a company car to use that is SO AWESOME!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Making friends again with my kids, as they got to be teens they started pulling a way and I found a way through prayer and reading to connect again

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not being consistant as a mom. I do really good in one area and others suffer, I want to be PERFECT! WAAAAAAAH!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

6 weeks of respiratory illness and severe headache.
Muscle in my hip that rubs on Sciatic nerve causing great pain, especially when I
have to sit for long periods

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I would have to say Christmas presents for my kids. They wanted more expensive things this year so only got a few presents, but they are enjoying them so much.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Mom, Dad, Sister, bro in law, nieces, co workers, friends, church family all who prayed for our little Chihuahua "Squirty" when she ran away while we were in Ecuador and for the nice family that chose to give her back, after she ran in their house after 4 days on the run.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Anyone who does terrible and mean things to children or animals Shame on them!

14. Where did most of your money go?

God (tithe, church budget and other) Christian education, Housing, No car payments thankfully, Oh yes, and to the Mission trip

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

I got really really excited about the new fridge, the hot tub and the Company Car! Of course I get overwhelmed with excitement when someone gives me a ball point pen too!

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

Calling you by Blue October because my teen daughter listened to it so much I know all the words. And Chris Tomlin cause she listens to him a lot too

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier. I would like to think I get happier with each passing year
b) thinner or fatter? About the same, but hoping and praying for a miracle
c) richer or poorer? Financially better off.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

More helping the less fortunate. I would like to do a little more each year

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Griping about being the only one who does anything, but hey I am getting lots of help now!

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Surprised our extended family in Canada with our arrival. Actually they are my sister's husbands family but they have always treated us like family

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?

Yes. Over and over with the same guy for the last 27 years. (23 of those married) and with these little dogs called Squirty and Little Dude, the big dog Kai and a new kitty who as of now has no name, but is the most lovey cat I have ever had.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Meer Cat Manor, Orangutan Island, Office, Man vs Wild,

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I try not to hate anyone. I hate some of the things they do however

24. What was the best book you read?

LOVE AND RESPECT. It is a must read for married people

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Connie Talbot. That girl is right on key!

26. What did you want and get?

I wanted to take my family on a mission trip and we did go. We worked for 6 days straight building a church and both kids and hubby want to go on another!

27. What did you want and not get?

Spot bot for pets,,,asking for it for my birthday

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Evan Almighty. So cute, clean and didnt contradict the bible

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

We tried to go to the tulip patch but the weather was not cooperating so we had my birthday in a really cool McDonalds. Afterward, the weather cleared up and we went out to the tulip patch and got our pics. I turned 28 for the 17th time.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If I could keep my kids young forever....

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

watch a lot of "What Not to Wear" and try to embrace the concepts lol

32. What kept you sane?

Text messaging and praying

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I do not fancy people if I do not know what values they hold. but I have been fascinated with the ones who are adopting from other countries, such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

I dont get stirred by politics

35. Who did you miss?

My kids when they are not home. I would say my hubby, but we do everything together even work.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Jessica. I knew her as an aquaintence but now we are good friends. She is awesome.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.

Just because you think you know the meaning of respect, doesnt mean you know how someone else views respect. Read the Love and Respect book!

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

When a problem comes along you must whip it!

39. Favorite quote of the year?
TBA
40. Favorite new blog discovery this year (and how did you discover it)?
TBA

Company Cars are the best!!!!!

2007-12-31T23:36:00.001-08:00

And so are the Company owners that give them! the owners of the company my hubby and I work for surprised my hubby today with a brand new hot off the train 2008 fully loaded Ford Edge. They chose everything from the color to all the features. So far we have figured out we can talk through the cars system on our cell phones and even make calls on the computer screen. It has GPS, 6 CD player, Sunroof and separate moonroof, seat warmers, keyless entry, and many other things we havent figured out yet. We have to take it back in once the DVD's (one for each kid) are here and will be installed. We are so excited we cant hardly believe it. To have the best job in the world and then this....it is beyond belief!

Catching up from July

2007-11-24T15:42:00.001-08:00

Here are some questions my sis asked me in July! Who knew? Ever since we went to Ecuador on a mission trip I have not blogged or looked at blogs. I have however been a bit distracted by Facebook. I was pressured into it a month or so ago and its fun because you can give a virtual gift and poke a friend with out all the pain of shopping or spending the lack of money. Ok heres the questions that my sis Laughing Mommy asked:.

1. What is your favorite flower? Why? That is extremely hard question becasue if it has a flower on it, I like it! Even weeds. I would say that I love flowers like lilacs, hydrangeas, fuschias and flowers that close up at night the best.

2. What is the nicest thing a guy has ever said to you? The nicest thing would have to be "here let me help you with that" LOL The worst thing? Impying that I am stupid, because of course I am not! LOL

3. What is your favorite food? Pizza. Always has been. When I was little I was determined to let my kids have pizza everyday! We dont have it everyday, but we do have it at least once a week and sometimes 2 to 3 times a week.

4. What is your best memory from grade school? My best memories are of my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Janice. We lost touch after highschool. However I do know she has a boy and a girl just like me and they are each a little older than my kids.

5. What are you the most proud of? I am most proud of my wonderful teens Braden and Kiara. They are a joy to be around, helpful, and fun.

Ok I tag Oregon Trails End and Laughing Mommy with the following questions:

1. What do you feel like was the most life changing event of your life and why?

2. What is your idea of the perfect vacation? and why?

3. What is your idea of the perfect gift and why?

4, What is you love language. (affirmations, physical touch, gifts, quality time or acts of service)

5. Favorite song and why do you like it.

I AM BACK !!!!!

2007-11-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hopefully. I am insanely busy with work and teen things but I miss the blogging! However, I have a buch of answered prayers to report on so I better get back at it.

Missed opportunities

2007-05-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

Last night just before I went to bed I realized I needed a new towel to put in the kennel our littlest Chihuahua "Little Dude" sleeps in. For reasons in many other posts I have put on here he is on "lock up" at night. In case you have not read earlier posts they have to do with the proper area to relieve himself and getting into trash cans, laundry etc. Anyway, every one else was in bed so I made my way to the garage and as I walked in I noticed in my peripheral vision what looked like a creme colored cat. Since we do not have a creme colored cat, I looked that way and found myself staring at a huge possum. She is lucky it did not trigger my scream reflex as it probably would have made him/her faint. Anyway I took a bucket and tried to shew her out the cat door, but she hissed and then finally made his way behind a table and boxes. NOW if I was a good blogger, the moment I saw him I would have said "wait" and I would have run for the camera. But I guess I am still learning.....Maybe next time.

God Rocks: A Weekly Miracle Story

2007-05-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Being a Seventh Day Adventist, I get a a 24 hour "vacation" from all work every week from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. However the activities preparing for this mini vacation can get kinda hectic sometimes. One Friday late afternoon, when the kids were little, the dryer belt broke. We didn't have much money and the church clothes were in the washer. I think I can do anything, so I went and bought a new belt. I struggled with it for an hour before I realized if I didn't get it on soon the sun would be down and we would be out of luck. I prayed that God would not let Satan win and ruin my "sabbath". I called the place I got the belt, and the guy there was so nice he talked me through the entire process. I was also able to get all the clothes dried before sunset so we could have our weekly rest and time to spend with God.

Sometimes my Staurday mornings are hectic and I cant find things I need before church starts. Everytime I pray about it my eye or hand goes almost directly to the thing I need.

Hide and seek

2007-05-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

Watch the video of the wedding song below and see if you can tell when Darryl finally spotted me in the balcony of the chapel. If you need a bigger view you can enlarge it at the You Tube site.

The Interview

2007-05-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

Fantasagirl interviewed Twisted Cinderella and I asked Twisted Cinderella to interview me. Here are the answers to the questions she asked me....

1) You currently work with your husband. What are some of the benefits and hard parts of working with the man you love?

Benefits: Darryl is the Administrator and I am the RN, so although we are both in management, our jobs are very different. We respect each others positions and the one whose job takes presidence gets to make the decision. Such as a choice to move a resident into the facility. Since most all workers work under my license, he screens the residents but leaves the final decision on whether a resident is appropriate for our setting to me. We always treat each other as professionals. We love working together, as we try to build on each others strengths to make it the best place for residents and staff. We have a great reputation in the community and we are both very proud of that. He is a super great administrator and treats all his staff including me with appreciation and respect.

Hard parts: The occasional difference of opinion. I once had to say "I am the nurse and I say NO" which I am sure a nurse who was not his wife would not have challenged him on. However I felt stongly that this was a safety issue for the resident and staff. (Yes he respected my decision)

2) You recently dedicated a wonderful post to your mother, in what ways do you feel that you are like your mother, in what ways are you different?

Like my Mother: I am very much like my mother. We both love our children like mother bears, we both want things to be as fair as possible, we both love flowers, we both dislike the color orange, we both love beautiful scenery, we both love electronics, taking pictures, and chatting on messenger, we are both introverted.

Different than my mother: She doen't like to cook and I love it, she is more shy than I am, I am taller by 2 inches.

3) Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up when you were 5, 10, and 20?

When I was 5 and 10, all I ever wanted to be was a mother. I would watch my own families and others and make plans. I wanted to be the stay at home mom, the room mother at school, the place where all the kids came to hang out. My favorite thing to do was take care of my little sis "Laughing Mommy". She was 8 years younger so was my living "doll". At age 20 I was in college and I wanted to be either a pediatric nurse or pyschiatric nurse. I did do pediatric nursing for a couple years after I graduated. I love it but we moved to a new state and I never did get back into it.

4) What is the best part of parenting teenagers? What is the biggest challenge?

The best part about parenting teens is seeing them grow into individuals and to find out how they are changing, what their thoughts are, where they are headed in life.

The biggest challenge is to stay on top of the discipline. It has to be something that is important to them, and if they are clever it has to go about 4 levels deep.
Meaning if you get a punishment and you dont do it, then this happens and if that doesn't happen, then the next thing happens, etc.

5) You are granted three wishes - what would they be?

1. To never fall away from my love for Jesus and to always want to share that
2. That no one would ever be hungry or cold
3. That every child would be protected and loved as much as I protect and love my kids

If anyone else wants to play along: Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me." I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions. You will update your weblog with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. Thanks for playing along, have fun

God Rocks: a weekly miracle story

2007-04-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderful answer to prayer that we witnessed this weekend. We attended a wedding this weekend where my hubby sang. The song was written by a friend of ours who wrote the song about the way the couple got together. Its an incredible story.....The groom was married, had a child and then his wife got cancer and passed away. The groom was so devastated that when he finally did start dating again he dated the girl for 10 years before he finally asked her to marry him. The very week they returned from the honeymoon, this second wife was diagnosed with cancer and within 6 months she also passed away. The groom was beside himself with grief. A friend at work said she would pray for him. She prayed that he would find someone to love him. Now for the miracle...the groom and the girl praying for him fell in love and just got married! The song was all about "How could I have known I was the answer to your prayers". Click on the link below to hear the song.

Fri Chick update

2007-04-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

I contacted the company that makes Fri Chick. They told me that the recipe changed a year ago and if the can was exposed to heat the sauce would separate and congeal. It was totally safe to eat. EWWWWW!!!!!!! But they were concerned that the top 2 inches of the can was empty so would send me a coupon to replace the can. I AM NOT eating that. YUCK!

However I imagine that when we make Fri Chick gravy out of the sauce we will not need to add a thickner anymore. Just heat it up. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing

Fri Chick: The other white vegetarian meat

2007-04-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

What is up with my fri chick? It came out of the can with this gelatinous goo all over it. Needless to say we did not eat it, and beings it was a large can and rather expensive I am contacting the company today.

Calling all Garlic lovers

2007-04-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

What is up with Garlic presses? We have broken every brand made including Pampered Chef. I searched my whole town to find this heavy duty one. It lasted longer than the rest, about 9 months. Anybody know a good heavy duty garlic press that withstand repeated use?

God Rocks: a weekly Miracle story

2007-04-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Braden and his girlfriend Andrea

My son has had a reading problem from Kindergarten on up. In Kindergarten the teacher was concerned because usually by the end of the year the students are getting some of the letters of a word right. He got the first letter and sometimes the last letter. The rest made no since at all. I LOVE to read so I read up on what makes a good reader and I had been reading to him and his sister since they were babies. He was put in phonics classes, we were giving copious amounts of reading homework, every summer I would go through a reading program with him. I spend many hours reading assignments to him because nothing worked. The teachers said he knew the phonics so well he would teach the rest of slow readers, yet he couldn't read. This of course affected his grades. Finally in 6th grade I said "Braden, it is going to get harder and harder for you if you cant read, we have tried everything, (He was tested and the results showed he was reading at a 2 nd grade/month 4 level) lets pray about it. So right there in his room, we prayed that God would heal his reading problem so he could get good grades and persue his dream of being an annesthesiologist. At the end of the first semester of 6th grade we had a parent teacher conference. She was slightly concerned because his reading was tested and he was reading at a beginning 6th grade level!!!!!! We thanked the Lord and he improved steadily over the next two years. In 8th grade he got straight A's and now in Highschool the majority of his grades are A's!

Lord of the Dance

2007-04-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

This little guy caught my eye on You tube because he has the same name as my son. Then when I saw his Riverdance I was hooked.

God Rocks: A Weekly Miracle Story

2007-04-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

When My hubby told me one day that he needed me to be his nurse at the Dementia Faciltiy, I was excited. Then I found they had just had a State survey and I had to fix the problems for the Resurvey. Couple that with it being a "Residential Care Facility" with very different rules than the other places I have worked. I prayed daily that God would show me what we needed to work on to give the best care possible and to be able to show that to the surveyors. When the State resurveyed they sent one guy. We showed him all the changes we had made and about a half hour into the session he said "They told me I was crazy to come back myself, that I would need at least 2 surveyors and 2 days" "I am done, but I will spend a little longer because they will never believe me that it was that easy" Within 2 hours he was gone and had cleared us of all the deficiencies that were present when we arrived. Praise God for showing us how to give good care and good documentation!

My American Idol: Praisedude

2007-04-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sundays Festivus

2007-04-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

This week my grievances are teens and hard boiled eggs.

There is a funny story that happened a long time ago when Darryl and I were first married. We had been at my parents house for Easter and we had our Black Lab Duchess with us. Home was 9 hours away. As we got to the pass through the mountains it got really cold there was still a lot of snow on the ground. Suddenly the worst smell imaginable. There was no choice but to open the windows and freeze till the smell went away. As soon as we got the car aired out and closed the windows we were assaulted again. Pretty much the whole rest of the way home. We couldn't figure out what happened till we found out later that my sister and her husband fed Duchess a whole buch of hard boiled eggs just before we left.

So naturally my teens thought it would be funny to repeat this trick. Problem is Labradors stomachs are not as sensitive as Chihuahua's so we have had all sorts of messes, hurling etc this week. Our Chocolate Lab did okay except one hurl but our 2 Chihuahua's are all messed up.

What are your grievances this week? Put them on your site and leave a link here.

Saturdays Hope

2007-04-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Todays verse is my Dad's favorite and it kept me out of a lot of trouble.

Numbers 32:23

"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

So if you find yourself doing something that you know is wrong, remember that sins have a way of revealing themselves. Pray for forgiveness and do the right thing!

Photo Friday

2007-04-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

Tulip Festival 2007

Hubby and I

Hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil

Hubby and Kiara hiding in the tulips

For more great tulips pics visit my sister's blog Laughing Mommy

Thursday Thirteen ED 21

2007-04-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

My beautiful mother

Thirteen Things about my mother

1 She is loves all her children and grandchildren like a mother bear.

Mom, Dad, Kiara, Braden and myself at the Christmas Tree Farm

2. She is very giving when she finds out you need something
3. She is a great worker. She stayed at home and babysat till I was twelve then went to school to become a medical assistant. She has worked in doctors offices ever since.
4. She loves beautiful things in nature
5. She loves taking pictures and video's and helps me find the pictures I need on many occasions, even staying up late past her bedtime to help me.
6. She loves the ocean and will even go to the ocean to take pictures of it all by herself

My Mom as a baby

7. She taught us to respect others mail and purses. I still cant even peek at the insides of another persons purse or mail.
8. She taught us to try as much as possible to be fair. She always counted the presents at Christmas time to make sure we all got the same amount. I still do that for my kids.
9. She hates having her picture taken

At the Pumpkin Patch they have this little cabin we get pics at.
10. She loves her country. 4th of July is a special holiday for her, and we wont even be here to celebrate as we will be on a mission trip this year :(
11. She will come and sit with you in the emergency room or hospital room to keep you company

My Mom with my daughter when she was small

12. Even though she didn't care for cooking she found several dishes we all liked and those have become our favorite dishes. I really admire her for that as I know a lot of women who won't even try. She even makes strawberry jam for my dad and used to make pies. Pretty good when thats not her thing.
13. She worries about us. She worries that she worries too much, but isn't nice when you have someone to worry about you? I think so....Love you MOM!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Works for me Wednesday: Car Edition

2007-04-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

A week late but as Shannon of Rocks in my Dryer said. "take a break" What works for me in the car.....hmmmmmm. The teens trash the car almost as much as when they were toddlers. I take several bags with me. Toys, books, hair care items and clothing in one bag and trash in the other. We would sort the "junk" when we had to wait for a family member or were parked somewhere. then at home would put all the "junk" away in the appropriate spot. Also helps to have a trash bag ready and ask for the trash as they get done eating. Otherwise you may find cups and wrappers stuffed in places you never knew were in a car. I also made (you can buy them too) seat back organizers. They were the size of the back of the seat and various sizes of pockets to put things in. When the kids started really bugging each other we would pile blankets and pillows between them and that is where the DVD player would sit.

That is what has worked for me. GO to Rocks in my Dryer for more great car idea's. You will be glad you did.

Transformation Tuesday

2007-04-08T23:26:00.000-07:00

A weekly journey into the transformation of our yard and garden. I have delusions of having a yard that looks like Heathers, so don't pop my bubble. I don't have a lot of resources so I will have to be creative. Besides the thought of taking a pic to blog will keep me motivated.

Here is the first mess we made this spring doing a heavy pruning of our apple tree.

And here is what it looks like now....

Here is my progress on the garden. Nothing has come up yet on day 9. I have carrots, radishes, herbs, broccoli......

Here is a picture of my side yard called "no mans land". Last year when my hubby was building the shed/deck thing

All the scrap building materials were thrown into "no mans land" This by the way is after 2 Sundays of working on it. Imagine how it looked before!

Here is the shed/deck that is like a blank slate for flowers, grape vines etc. This shed is used to house the riding lawn mower and just last week hubby build shelves by the windows so I could grow starts for the garden! I am so excited. I LOVE LOVE LOVE growing things.

God Rocks: A Weekly Miracle Story

2007-04-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

Bills. This week I am thankful for how God provides. I was thinking I would have to fit my part time hours into 4 days during the week, so I could go get another part time job to help pay for the months bills. I had prayed about this for months. However I was talking seriously about the second job this last week. It would be very hard as my current part time job takes full time hours to do it properly. The very day after I mentioned it to a friend, my husband had his yearly review and a raise and they spoke of a raise for myself as well. It might seem to you as if this is just a yearly occurrence, but the bible says "all good things come from God" It is exactly the amount we need so I do not have to get another job. Isn't God great!

Sunday's Festivus ED 14

2007-04-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

This week has been SO much better! Very few ants, plunging but no overflow, bookcases stayed in upright positions. So what to have a grievance about?........

Pain, grumpiness, and sleepiness.

I injured my piraformis muscle last Fall, and it is acting up again. It is a muscle deep in your hip that sits next to the sciatic nerve. When it gets irritated it rubs on that sciatic nerve. That causes pain down into the leg. My pain is going down into my calf. I am now on muscle relaxers, anti inflammatory's, and pain meds. This makes me tired and I do not like being tired. I have little energy as it is. However these medicines are important because of grumpiness.

Grumpiness. I can handle pain for a while then I get extremely grumpy and downright mean. I said some very mean things this week. Such as "I believe that makes you look as if your IQ just dropped 100 points" That is really MEAN for me as I am usually sweet. I was grumpy with my children. Thats when I decided to go get the meds.....But now I am sleepy.

Sleepiness. I fell asleep at my parents today in the middle of Easter festivities. Then I went home and slept for 7 hours. I am now ready for bed again. TOO MUCH SLEEP!

What are your grievances? Post a message on your blog and link here. Also leave a message in comments! Have a super day!

Bloggity mistakes and Busy as a bee

2007-04-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

My bloggity mistake is not remembering to take pictures! I had the nicest boys ring my door bell the other day. They wanted to pull weeds. So I asked them how much they charged, to which they responded 3 dollars. So I showed them the plants I definitely wanted to keep and let them go at it. They worked for an hour straight. And although it doesn't look like an adult did it, it does look 100 percent better. I paid them more than 3 dollars too. After they left I realized I should have gotten a picture. If they come back again (I hope they do) I will get a pic of them and before and after pics of the yard. I am learning!

I have been so busy! I haven't even had time to get on here! It seems like every time I go to sit down there is something else I need to do. I have a feeling this busyness will last through the summer as gardens, yards and fund raising for a mission trip takes up a lot of my time!

Any one have any short cuts that will leave me with more computer time?

Happy Birthday Jordan!

2007-04-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hope your birthday is one of the best yet!

Love Aunt Pam, Uncle Darryl, Braden and Kiara

Straight A's!!!!!!!!

2007-04-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Kiara has straight A's this quarter. She says that was her goal, and she did it!!!! I am so proud of you Kiara!!!!!!

God Rocks: A weekly miracle story.

2007-04-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

This Christmas we did the 12 days of Christmas for a single mom in our church and during that time we found out her car was broken down a lot, and she even had to push it to get it started. So I told a few other ladies in the church to pray that this mother would be able to get her car fixed or get a new one. We even stepped out in faith and told her we wanted to get her car fixed. At church the next sabbath, my hubby told the church members that there ws a single mom who needed her car fixed and would everyone please give money for the repair on their way out. The total raised was 750.00 and the cost?........740.00. Isn't God Great!

Sunday's Festivus ED 13

2007-04-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

A day to air your grievances about the situations you find yourself in during the week....

I have a few so sit down and grab a hot drink. (or if you live where its hot, an iced drink)

This week my grievances include: single girls on a mission, broken washers, ants, overflows and cheap bookcases.

Single girls on a mission: This is not the kind of mission that your church goes on! Girls who are fully aware that a guy is married and relentlessly flirt, send private messages and try to plan meetings are on my list as TOP OFFENDERS. Here's a tip. Once you find out a guy is married....hmmmm.....FIND YOUR OWN GUY. Even if he is good looking, nice, and funny. It is commandment number 10 "do not covet your neighbors spouse" (neighbor meaning anyone, not just someone who lives next to you. In bible times there was no way to know someone who hadn't actually come close enough to be your neighbor) Now there are tons of girls who flirt with my hubby. Most of it you can tell is innocent, however every few months there is one who goes over the top with hugs, batting eyes, inching me out of the way, calling on the pretense of business, or if they live far away like the current one does just leaving flirty messages and hinting about meeting.

Broken washers: If you find yourself depressed about your piles of laundry then think about your washer smelling liked burned rubber and not able to finish a cycle. A whole week of no laundry being washed. All of a sudden instead of a chore, the washing machine felt like "my best friend" had left. So what to do.......Since we are going on a mission trip to Ecudaor and needed to save the tax return to help pay for it, I read up on the symptoms, got a part from the appliance store, downloaded instructions, and put hubby to work. Once we got inside and saw how complicated it was, we decided it was beyond us. We went back to the appliance store and low and behold they had a used set that was almost exactly like mine. It was a fairly good price so we had it delivered that very day. I was so happy! I had my laundry all ready. But when I dried my first load it came out sort of damp after 60 minutes. Each subsequent load I had to dry for 90 minutes, and some clothes were still damp. SO back to the appliance store. We bought new this time. However when the technition installed the dryer it was making this weird thump thump sound. It was my lucky day as he was a dryer repair man as well. He took the entire thing apart, adjusted a rubber wheeel thing, and put it back together. It has worked great ever since. The washer is wonderful as well. I have two new best friends "Mrs washer and Mr dryer" (and no I am not flirting with Shannon Dryers husband over at Rocks in my Dryer LOL)

Thank you to my mom and Dad who have been washing towels continuously since THursday, except for during the "Sabbath", to help me catch up on laundry.

Being Seventh Day Adventists we try to get our houses fully clean by Friday at sunset time for our weekly "Friday sunset to Saturday sunset" vacation. During this time we do No work. I look forward to it each and every week. But the preparation for this day, I do not look forward to as much. Funny thing is, it seems all the disasters happen on Friday's when I have most of the house clean. Here's what happened this week.

Ants: for the past 6 weeks I see a stray ant here and there during the week and I put out the "Revenge" treat. However on Friday, I wake up to a counter full of ants. And lately they are not interested in the Revenge. This time they were hiding under the kitchen towel. This was a clean towel that might have been a little damp. The only thing I can think of is that they were looking for water. This is especially annoying because we have guests a lot on Saturday's, and have limited counter space. You cant really serve food on a counter with ants!

A single ant that was left. Notice he is not interested in the poison cocktail I left for him. I freak when I see small moving things so I forget to get a picture of the "swarm" earlier.

Another weekly event at our house that seems to only be happening on Friday or Saturday Morning's is the OVERFLOW. Toilet overflow that is. This week was especially bad. I was holding the insides of the toilet to stop the water flow, plunging, and yelling for help. no one could hear me as the rather loud fan in the other bathroom was on. The flood was inching toward the carpet in the hallway as my hubby came by and ran to get the carpet cleaner that sucks up liquid. Thanks hubby for saving me from the Flood!

This was a fully cleaned company ready bathroom before the "flood"

Bookcases: We recently got two bookcases for my books which seem to be everywhere. I LOVE books and refer back to them frequently. A few years ago I gave a whole trunk loadful to the church, but the remaining books seem to multiply when we aren't looking. The bookcases were inexpensive basic ones and when we put them up they leaned forward a bit. There was a strap to attach them to the wall, but that hasn't happened yet. We are also storing computer monitors in our living room to sell and make money for our mission trip (no they aren't stolen-they were purchased to help make money for the trip) I assumed everything would be okay. No kids bouncing around to knock them over. Well as you guessed it we heard a loud crash early Friday morning and found the bookcase laying on top of the monitors, and books, plants, dirt everywhere.

What are your grievances this week? Leave a Mr Linky to link to your site and don't forget to leave a comment. It will help me feel better....I promise. You can also leave a comment if you are not participating in Sunday Festivus.

Happy Birthday Jazmine

2007-03-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Birthday "Jazmander"

We are so happy to be your friends. Here is the way you looked when we first met you...

Here is you and Kiara being silly....

Here is a pic of Charlee, Kiara and you on a train ride.

And here is Kiara and you when you came over a while ago.

We hope your 14th Birthday is one of the BEST EVER!

Saturday's Hope

2007-03-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

Another verse that gives me HOPE

Phillipians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

I was reminded of this verse with all the minor trials I have been through this week. Tune in tomorrow for a Sunday's Festivus of all situations I have found myself in this week

Photo Friday

2007-03-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

Us on a pontoon. An annual "get away for the day" with my side of the family.

Thursday Thirteen: A Tribute to My Dad

2007-03-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about A Tribute to My Dad

1. My Dad is a great Christian. He lives by the golden rule, studies his bible everyday and is a great example to everyone

My Dad and I in Arizona.

2. My Dad follows the good health habits. He doesn't eat between meals, eats breakfast regularly, maintains a proper weight, gets regular exercise through his daily activities, does not drink or smoke and tries to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night

My Dad playing college basketball at Andrews University. He is number 9.

3. My Dad has great work habits. He put 200 percent into his 40 plus years as a church school teacher. Church schools teachers do not get paid extra for camping trips, evening activites or sports events. He did them all willingly. His motto was "If a job is worth doing, then it is worth doing right".

My Dad at his Masters in Education ceremony. He is the second one in a gown.

4. My Dad has a good balance between work and play. His motto was always work before play, but somehow we were always riding the motor cycle, down at the beach or on a family vacation.

My Dad and I on his motorcycle. He said I used to fall asleep so he would hold onto my back with one arm, and drive with the other.

5. My Dad took us on fun vacations. Like I said before, Church School teachers are not paid the best, but my dad managed to save money and take us on vacations across the US, visiting all the special places like Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, Grand Canyon etc, to ultimately end up visiting family. We also went on a lot of camping trips.

My dad on a mule for the trip down the Grand Canyon this last summer. He is 70 years old!

6. My Dad instilled self esteem in us, by introducing us as if we were the Queen of England's children. You could "feel" how proud he was even if our hair was messy and our clothes dirty from playing. Th other day we went to the grocery store and he very proudly told the cashier that I was his daughter. How special is that?

My Dad and I in my favorite car.

7. My Dad is the King of money management. He saves up for all the major appliances, car repairs and home repairs that will be needed in the future, saves for vacations and even paid money every month for 3 years, till he owned a grandfather clock, that he gave my mother for their wedding anniversary. He didn't bring it home and then make payments. He just took the money down to the store till it was all paid off then brought the clock home.

My Dad and Mom the year they got Married 1960

8. My Dad has great time management. You can tell what time it is by when he eats, brushes his teeth, and goes to bed. He is ALWAYS early for an appointment.

My Dad camping. He even kept up his routines in the wilderness.

9. My Dad will drop everything to help his children out. Need a large piece of furniture brought home? He is picking up the trailer and there in 10 minutes flat. Need a ride somewhere? He's the guy. Need help with something in the yard or with the house? He's your handyman. Someday when the teens are gone and the schedule is more free I hope to be as fast to respond to what he needs.

My Dad and I waiting for our turn to parasail in Hawaii 2003

10. My Dad is president of "National Bank of Dad". I owe him enough to keep him in a dough a year or two.

My Dad, brother and I in 1969. My sister Laughing Mommy was not born yet.

11. My Dad changed history. Not the book type of history, but family history. Families tend to make the same mistakes down through the generations. My Dad changed all that so we could grow up with a Mom and Dad, always had food, love, medical, dental, orthodontia, vacations, and even asked the dentist to do a procedure which at that time had not been tried yet. I had big white spots on my two front teeth and when my braces came off I cried and cried so my Dad convinced the orthodontist to to resurface them. Which looked great!

12. My Dad worked hard to give us kids a Christian education. He was a teacher but in the summers he would work doing landscaping so we would have enough money for school the next year.

My Dad teaching.

13. Final but a very important thing....and a continuing joke in the family.....When Dad is with you....NEVER FORGET THE SANDWICHES!

Thank you Mom for helping me find all the pictures! Remind Dad to visit my blog tomorrow morning!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Works for Me Wednesday

2007-03-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

Laughter is what works for me this week. In every situation I can choose how to respond. Whether I get irritated, annoyed, sad or turn it into to something funny is all up to me. My hubby is a great example of this. He turns EVERYTHING into something funny. Even when I accidentally served food that got cayenne pepper in his eye. (See I pepper sprayed my hubby post). Try to turn your circumstances into something you and your family and friends can laugh about. You will be so glad you did!

For more great idea's head on over to Rocks in my Dryer

I peppered sprayed my hubby

2007-03-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well sort of. It all started out this morning when I left teen boy in charge of finishing up his breakfast. A bagal with creme cheese, vegetarian "bacon" strips, and a banana. The strips were almost done so I turned off the George Foreman grill and left him in charge of getting them off the grill, while I went to take a shower. I was fairly confident this would be done in a timely manner as teen boy is pretty reliable. However, upon exiting the shower, I smelled over cooked strips. They weren't burnt but they were hard, flat and very done. No time to cook more, so I made hubby's breakfast. In my hurry I forgot to put cayenne pepper on the creme cheese (gives it a nice kick that hubby loves) I had already put the hard flat strips on top of the creme cheese so I sprinkled the cayenne on top, grabbed a banana and served my hubby breakfast in bed. Ok, can you imagine what happened next? With the first bite the strip flipped up like a Trebuchet, throwing cayenne pepper into hubby's eye......which explains why I heard the shower running before I even made it back to the kitchen. Was he mad?....no....upset?.....no.....mildly irritated?.,....no......The best part? He makes every situation into something funny. He had me laughing so hard on the way to work, I could hardly tell the kids what happened. Which proves you can choose how you respond to any situation even painful ones. (He did mention it was quite painful and would never want to be pepper sprayed. I on the other hand will make sure the pepper is UNDER the strips from now on.

God Rocks, a weekly miracle story

2007-03-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

Sunshine! Is it a miracle? When the weather calls for rain, you live in the pacific northwest, you have a car wash scheduled, and you have prayed for sunshine, then yes its a miracle. Today was our car wash to raise money for the mission trip. Thirty minutes before start time, the sun broke through the rain clouds and we had the most beautiful day. The rain clouds (no rain just a dark cloud) passed over a few times but just for a few minutes, then the sun was back. We washed and washed, and then we washed some more. I believe at final count we had made 339.00 for the mission trip. Kiara and I left a half hour early to take a shower and head down to our church to prepare the spagetti dinner fund raiser. I was going to have to head up the entire dinner myself, which I could do, but I am not that comfortable with. Fortunately my friend who does catering ended up back in town and was there to head up the dinner. Following the dinner, we had the Michael Harris concert. If you look up Michael Harris be sure to follow the link in my Sundays Festivus as there are a lot of Michael Harris sites and some of them are not nice (and not the right Michael). The concert was so uplifting. Michael has an incredible salvation story and a beautiful, deep bass voice. He tells of how he was a drug addict and an alcoholic and one day, while high and drunk, he fell asleep at the wheel causing an accident that left his wife paralyzed from the neck down. His story continues as he tells how God worked in his life. Now him and his wife have a ministry to tell others about God.

Todays miracle reminds me of a song one of my best friends would sing as a prayer before lunch everyday. "thank you for the sunshine....thank you for the rain....for home and food and loving care we thank you Lord again Amen"

We are especially thankful for the sunshine part!

Sundays Festivus

2007-03-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

A place to air grievances for the week.......

My week has been full of trials. Money trials that threaten our ability to go on the mission trip this summer, weather trials which threaten our ability to raise money and time constraints which make our lives so busy we wonder how we will ever complete everything.

We just had the van in the shop and it cost 350.00. Now the Sable is shaking terribly when we brake. Add to that the burning rubber smell in the garage from the washing machine that stopped mid cycle, and we can see our tax return dwindling away. We need that money for the mission trip. So coupled with the fact that I think I can do anything with the proper info....hubby and I are going to try and fix the washer ourselves. We looked under it Saturday evening and it definitely was the drive belt. You can see how complicated this is going to be here. I will let you know how it goes. I have replaced dryer belts several times. I have laid linoleum. I have fixed freezer icemakers. (okay I had help from hubby, but I find the info, read it and then coerce him to help. He is a great sport) But this, by far, is going to be the most difficult. I will let you know next week how it goes.

Tomorrow we have a car wash scheduled to raise money for the mission trip. The weather calls for rain. It is raining right now. I have prayed for sun. I will take my sunglasses and let you know how it turns out.

Busyness. (I am actually not complaining about these as we need to raise money and the opportunities are pouring in. We are so grateful for the help of my father who set up 3 car washes and donated money, to Darryl's parents who purchased the computers and printer for us to sell, and donated their portion, plus offered to do a benefit concert) However tomorrow as soon as the car wash is over we have to run home, take a shower, and run to our next fundraiser which is a spaghetti dinner, of which I am the cook. After the dinner is a concert by Michael Harris. In two more weeks Darryl's Dad, Parson Larson will be doing a concert with a benefit dinner which we will be hosting. I have 10 donated computers and a industrial sized printer to sell. All that and only one car ( shaky car needs to go in), lots of time in a laundry mat (until washer is fixed) and a garden to plant. Oh and I almost forgot.....Squirty our Chihuahua just might be pregnant! I am thinking the puppies will only be 5 weeks old when we leave for Ecuador.

Good thing all I have to do is pray about it and God will take care of all of it for me. He will either give me the energy to handle it or will assist me to get the jobs done as easy as possible.

Saturday's Hope

2007-03-24T22:09:00.001-07:00

Because HOPE is my favorite word!

My niece, Tessa Rosario Hope

This verse does not have the word hope in it but it sure gives me HOPE when I read it.

For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you do not fear. I will help you. Isaiah 41:13

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2007-03-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

A picture of my mom with Kiara in 1994. I used this pic because their birthdays are only 6 days apart.

We celebrated a week ago since my sister was going to be away, so today we took her flowers, a punch bowl cake and dinner.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!

Photo Friday

2007-03-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

My sister and I at my wedding in 1984

Thursday Thirteen ED 20

2007-03-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Faith

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see(Hebrews 11:1-3)

1. Luke 12:28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

2. Luke 17:6 If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you

3. Luke 17:19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

4. 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong

5. Acts 27:25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.

6. Romans 3:22-24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

7. Romans 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

8. Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

9. Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.

10. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

11. Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

12. Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

13. 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

(Picture is either me or my sister parasailing)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Results Are In for Memory Foam Topper Trouble

2007-03-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

86 percent of your say to leave the Memory Foam topper folded on one side of the bed if it is "that comfortable", which it is. I am happy because of the comfort, but unhappy because of the way it looked. So my sis Laughing Mommy had a great idea. She said to take a few extra seconds in the morning to pull back the sheets and flip it back down, before making the bed. Great idea sis. However I think I will just do it on the weekends. To see what it looks like check out the post from Tuesday the 6th entitled "Memory Foam Topper Trouble"

Works for Me Wednesday

2007-03-20T23:04:00.000-07:00

Barney time is what worked for us when the kids were little. We used it to explain how long it would be to a certain destination. Such as 4 Barney shows till we get there. It seemed to satisfy our son better than "2 hours" or the one my Dad always used which was "just around the next corner". Of course pick the show your toddler loves the best......

It was all about Barney when he was little. Barney clothes and umbrella and raincoat. Even the color purple was called "Barney color"

Thanks to my sister Laughing Mommy for helping me find the pic of my son in his barney outfit!

For more great idea head on over to Rocks in my Dryer

God Rocks: a weekly miracle story

2007-03-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Katkat for the inspiration on the new name.

This week miracle is about a friend of mine that has already lost one leg to the complications of diabetes and was at risk of losing the other foot. It is also about trust and faith. A few weeks ago this gentleman's wife asked if my church could pray for her husbands remaining foot which had a sore that was getting worse. The doctors were going to remove this remaining foot, but at the last minute decided to give it a chance. So I had a small group pray and gave his name to our "prayer warrior. I was sure this would be a great witness to the gentleman and his wife, and I would return to work to find out it was a miracle. However upon returning to work, I found out the foot was actually worse. This was very depressing to me. I felt like God had missed this wonderful opportunity. My usual faith was slipping. After a few more token prayers, I got busy and forgot all about it. Last week guess who walked into work? (he has a prosthesis for the other leg). But still I forgot. Then I went to church and the "prayer warrior" as we call her, asked how he was and told me she had been faithfully praying daily. I surprisingly told her that I thought he must be doing great and I would find out for sure. I talked to his wife today and she said the sore is down to a tiny spot on the tip of his toe and continues to improve. Praise God for answering the prayer in his own time. And for the lesson to continue praying and having faith instead of giving up so soon.

Happy 14th Birthday Kiara!

2007-03-18T20:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Happy Birthday Kiara!

Today you turn 14. At your last parent-teacher conference your teacher told us you were "the sunshine of the 8th grade class". I couldn't agree more. You have the ability to make people laugh, to be caring, loving and kind. There are not enough words to explain how much I LOVE having a girl. Especially you! It is so fun to talk with you about Jesus, miracles, boys, friends, family and the world. I love shopping till we drop, to find the perfect dress or item for your room. I appreciate your cooking skills. It helps me so much when you make dinner, our famous punch bowl cake, or help me with church potluck. This year you have done the weekly cleaning of our house to help pay for your rather large cell phone bills. I am a litle sad that you are all paid up, as it was so nice to come home to a clean house. You even went the extra mile and set a beautiful table. However, I am proud of you for being so careful now not to run up a bill. I am also proud of you for working hard to get good grades. This quarter you got all A's except one B which was the goal you set for yourself. You did this all on your own, even looking up "how to get good grades" on the computer. A lot of times your grades are more than 100 percent because you did extra credit. The reason these things mean so much to me is that you are growing up in the right direction. You are choosing paths that with Jesus guidance, will give you more chances of a happy, successful life.

I am so glad you have your own beliefs about what you want in life, and that when you feel strongly about something, you hold your ground. To me this means you will not be "influenced for wrong" on the things you have made decisions on. This is important because the "pull" to be like the world is so strong. Your favorite colors are light pink and dark brown. You wanted to paint your room and dresser in your favorite colors, so you paid for almost all the paint and did 99 percent of the work yourself. You moved everything out of your room, including your mattress and box springs. You taped up the window, removed the outlets, covered the floor and painted everything you could reach. You painted the dresser the next day by yourself, then moved everything back into your room the day after that. Here is what it looks like now.

This was a "biggy" as you are the baby of the family and our princess, so you don't usually complete jobs. When you were little you would say "my legs are broken" which meant you were out of energy, and we even carried you most everywhere till you were in kindergarten. It was fun birthday shopping for things to "complete your room. Your favorite car is still a Mini Cooper and you have a large poster we printed out together on your wall. Your best friend is Danielle

and you say you are so opposite, yet it seems like you are so alike, you could be sisters. She is fun too, and says things that make us all laugh. She is polite, kind, thoughtful and we like to call her "our adopted daughter" Your boyfriend is Aaron.

He is such a nice boy. He treats you like a princess and is every mom's dream for her girl. He is polite, respectful, helpful, and treats you good. (Doesn't hurt that he plays the piano for me) YOur two youngest cousins adore you and you adore them. Here they are at the park the day before your birthday.

Your favorite foods are Italian, Mexican and I think you have a new favorite which is Chinese. This year you finally changed your thoughts about chocolate and you even asked for a chocolate cake! You love See's chocolate and got to hand pick a pound, as a gift from Grandma Lou. You also asked for a "Famous Chocolate Wafer" cake that we had for your birthday at your grandparents house. Your nicknames are sis, schmoopie, and princess. I love you more than you will ever know. (Maybe someday when you have a girl of your own you will know a little)

Love, Mom

Thanks to my sister Laughing Mommy for the pic of Kiara in her new bedroom!

Sundays Festivus Ed 11

2007-03-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

A day to air grievances about circumstances of your week.

I am realizing that I am not an effective boss. I am too nice. I want people to enjoy their jobs and to feel uplifted and to do the right thing because they know they are appreciated. However, there are certain things, very important things, that continue to not get done. I have explained how important it is, made lists, asked the employee's to figure out a way to make sure it is done, but to no avail. I guess I will go back to my "One Minute Manager" book and see what I am missing.

What are your grievances? Leave a link to your blog on Mr. Linky.

Happy St Patty's Day!

2007-03-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

For a bunch of great Irish Blessings and a song, go visit

Its a Raggedy Life

You'll be glad you did, I was!

Here was my favorite

“May God give you...For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer.”~Irish Blessing

Saturday's Hope

2007-03-17T00:04:00.000-07:00

Because HOPE is my favorite word....

Kiara praying

Lamentations 3:21-36
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust-- there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land, to deny a man his rights before the Most High, to deprive a man of justice-- would not the Lord see such things?

Photo Friday

2007-03-16T23:57:00.000-07:00

Kiara and I about 13 years ago.

Thursday Thirteen ED 19

2007-03-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about The Time Change

1. Why are we still doing this? I understand it was so the farmers would have more daylight hours. Why is it that they cant just get up when the sun does? Who cares if that is 5 am or 6am?
2. It gets harder every year to adjust
3. The children are tired
4. Teachers don't like it, cause they say the children are tired and misbehave more
5. The dogs' schedule is all messed up. If they are used to going outside to do their business at 6 am then after the time change they still want to do it at 6 am, however this is now 7am and they have already eaten and been out twice. So back to the "no messes in the house" training.
7. People at work are tired and cranky
8. There is place in Arizona that refuses to change the time. Yeah for them and any other area that might not do it
9. Losing an hour of sleep is never a good thing. It should always be a "fall back" sort of thing. I realize in theory it wouldn't work but it my mind I could use a "fall back" every month.
10. Its hard to get a kid on a schedule, and to do a time change smoothly, you have to chnage the bed time by 10 minutes a day. A lot of work for an unnecessary thing
11. It just "feels" wrong
12. There are too many clocks to change, and for weeks I am thinking is this one on the right time or that one?
13. ITS just plain DUMB. Give me a good reason for it and I might jump on board.

Visit my blog (by clicking on the "memory foam topper trouble in the sidebar) to vote on whether I should keep the memory foam folded on my side of the bed or take it all the way off.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Memory Foam Topper Trouble

2007-03-13T22:47:00.000-07:00

I need your help. Ever since we got Memory Foam slippers, we have loved the Memory Foam. We have a Memory Foam mattress topper on every bed in the house and recently we got Memory Foam pillows. However my hubby states he thinks this Memory Foam is the cause of his back pain, so to test it out I folded the memory foam over to my side. Now as hideous as this looks, it is now like sleeping on a cloud of foamy Memory softness. I adore it. Making the bed in the morning gives me a different feeling as the bed is so lopsided. So I need your votes to see what is the most important to each of you. Then I will make my decision.

I left the pillows off to get a better view of the "bump"

Works for Me Wednesday

2007-03-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Withholding privileges. It has taken me 8 months but I finally found a way to get my teen to listen to my driving suggestions. Now when he doesn't stop when I say “stop” such as when the owner of the business my husband and I work for is coming around the corner, and to be respectful and let her go first you say “stop”. And he slows but is inching forward at a rate that would indicate to the boss that she might get run into, so you say “STOP” in a tone that says “if you don't stop you may be grounded for a month”, before the car comes to a complete stop. Its intervention time. Ours is now that the teen in question may not drive the next day. To which he responds “If you don't let me drive, I wont have enough hours in, and then I wont be able to get my license” Oh really I think to my self....I don't really care if you don't get your license till your 30, so go ahead...MAKE MY DAY! (I secretly dont want him to drive because I am afraid he will get in an accident. Yes I am a worrier but I try to not let him know that)

Check out other blog entries as I have a dilema that I need you to vote on!

For more great idea's visit Rocks in My Dryer

I won!!!

2007-03-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

I won a set of gently used inspirational books at the Ulimate Blog Party which was hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom! The prize was donated by Portrait of a Writer....Interrupted. Thanks so much for donating this prize. I cant wait to get the books and read them. Please go to each of these sites to see all the wonderful posts on their blogs!

The Watkins Lady

2007-03-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

Confession...I hide from the Watkins lady. Is she mean? No. Is she nice? Yes. I just don't have time, and even though I explain that mornings are not a good time, as I have to get breakfast made, lunches for everyone, teens to school and myself and hubby to work. She comes right at the very moment we need to be heading out the door, weekly, without fail. "It will just take 30 seconds" she says. Her 30 seconds becomes my 30 minutes as she tells the virtues of each and every product, carefully explaining over and over about the awards each item has won. If you explain that you don't need a spice that tastes great for steak and chicken, because you are vegetarian, she has an answer for an alternate thing you can use it on. This lady could sell dog shampoo to a person who doesn't have pets. And besides, if you take another 30 seconds (I mean 30 minutes)she will tell you all about her husband of 30 years who left her for her best friend and how she is not bitter because this other lady is such a great gal that even her own children like their stepmother better than their own mother. She says this in a sort of sad way, but with no bitterness as to evoke the deepest sympathy from the depths of your soul. Of course this is why she is a Watkins lady, so she can "make a living". And with each item you agree to order, she glances upwards and whispers "thank you Jesus" as if you just put food on the table for today. Well due to circumstances within and beyond my control, the budget is pretty tight, so I shouldn't be buying spices, pills, soaps etc that I do not need. (I have not even cracked open the ones I bought the first day we met). Unfortunately, as I was getting pics of my yard this morning for my blog, I walked out front just as she was pulling in the driveway. Yikes, I wanted to run, but she had seen me. I so nicely explained that due to medical and other circumstances I didn't have any money to buy anything, to which she reponded "How about a check?". Hmmm I guess if I have no money then I could just write a check.....(and land in jail I imagine for ISF) so I very politely said "sorry no money in the checking account either". To which she reponds "How about a post dated check". So I asked her if 6 months in the future would work. She turned, dropped her head forward, slowly shaking it as she walked back to her car mumbling "I just dont know what I am going to do" followed by mumblings of all the award winning spices that were currently 50 percent off. I high tailed it to the back yard to keep my guilt from overtaking me and buying a spice that I could get at 1/10th the price at Win Co. Might not be award winning, but affordable.

Tuesday Tip: The Glue

2007-03-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Are you the one who holds your whole family together? Are you the peacemaker between family members? When there is dissension are you the one who works to get everybody talking to each other again? If so you are “THE GLUE”. Its a big, sometimes frustrating, sometimes rewarding job, but someone has to do it and that someone is YOU. I am the glue in my family. I am forever smoothing things over, explaining personalities and encouraging people to “do the right or appropriate thing”. Being the GLUE is not a bad thing just a busy thing. Are you the glue in your family or know who is? Leave a message in comments.

Coming tomorrow: (if I can figure it out) A survey on what to do with the King sized mattress topper. Do I leave it folded on one side of the bed? Come back tomorrow to place your vote!

Transformation Tuesday

2007-03-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

A weekly journey into the transformation of our yard and garden. I have delusions of having a yard that looks like Heathers, so don't pop my bubble. I don't have a lot of resources so I will have to be creative. Besides the thought of taking a pic to blog will keep me motivated. As all my close friends and family know, I make huge messes trying to get to the finished product so we will start with the mess we made yesterday.....

Our neighbor told us that if we would do a severe pruning that we would get a ton of great tasting apples the next few years and we wouldn't have to prune that heavily for 3 to 4 years. So with his guidance we cut about half the tree down. Now what to do with all the branches. The larger logs we can cut and stack for next years woodstove use. This pic really doesn't show the extent of it as there are branches and logs all the way to the back fence. Tune in next week to see if we have made any progress with cleaning this up!

My favorite spring tree. I love the pink blossoms. Why oh why can they bloom all summer like that? And when they are done blooming the petals fall tothe ground like pink snow

Coming in tomorrow's Wednesday Works for Me.....Withholding priviledges/interventions/making moms day

Monday Miracles

2007-03-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

Prayer for safety is on the top of my list. Anytime we go anywhere we pray for our safety and the safety of the vehicle we are riding in. Ten years ago we only prayed for our own safety. We were on the way up the coast of Oregon and Washington on our way to a family reunion. The kids were little and had fallen asleep. We were admiring the sun setting over the ocean as my hubby and I were singing "People Need the Lord". As we rounded a curve, our eyes drifted back to the road where we were face to face with a huge Elk cow. She jumped, and the top 2/3rds of her landed straight into the windshield. The windshield bent inward enough that the glass cut my hubby's hand. Amazingly the Elk rolled up onto the roof then off of my side of the car. Shattering glass flew all through the inside of the car. How that glass ended up in all of our underware is beyond me. The kids woke up when the Elk was already off the car. They cried because the front windshield was shattered and you couldn't see through it. My hubby had managed to get the car stopped so he stuck his head out the window and and pulled off the road. A man who had stopped to look at the sun set, saw the accident and was amazed we were alive. When we looked at the skid marks they were perfectly straight and on the right side of the road. We thanked God for keeping our family safe and for having the kids asleep when it happened. Of course now we pray for the safety of the vehicle as well as ourselves.

Sundays Festivus ED 10

2007-03-11T23:49:00.000-07:00

Festivus...a day to air the grievances of the last week.

Hmmmm......Toliets that overflow at the most inappropriate moments, ants that go marching through my kitchen, not enough hours in the day, time changes, teens that back talk, aching feet, cakes that go awry.

My toilet has a really bad habit of overflowing right after I scrub the bathroom, just before company is coming over, and if I wash the bathroom rugs. I have picked up the habit of watching it for minutes at a time, just waiting to see if the water goes down or up. I have the plunger ready to attack at a moments notice. I would call Rotorooter, but I have a good feeling that it has more to do with how fast the toilet paper disappears, and I have to argue with myself that wiping and being clean is a good thing. It sure beats the days of small children yelling out "I'm done pooping, come wipe my butt" I have requested that a flush be performed per 1/8th roll of paper is, but I can say with certainty this is not being accomplished. I got lucky this week as it overflowed just as I was walking in to clean.

Ants. Does anyone else have ants? I dont believe in using toxic sprays, so I have to put out the Revenge and wait 3 days, so they have time to get back to their nests and share the bounty, before the numbers decrease to a stray ant here and there.

I need about 50 hours and unlimited energy in each day. I have so many things to be done, and only the ones with the most top priority actually are accomplished. I realize that this is a little bit my fault as I try to do things in a "way too perfect" manner. This means only a few tasks get done perfectly, and the rest of the place looks like a tornado hit. I did get some help from a good looking guy. Not sure who he is as my husband usually sits on the computer all day. i believe the aliens must have captured him a week ago, as this guy was helpful last Sunday too. Today he rototilled the garden, pruned half the apple tree (it is really big), cleaned up part of the garage and tore down cardboard boxes and took them to recycling. He also bought all three meals to save me cooking time and ran the teens around to their babysitting appointments. Good thing he looks like my husband, cause I think I will keep him!

Time change. I despise this time change. I need more sleep than most. And to take an hour of that away is a really mean trick. So to rebel, I drank Diet Dr Pepper all day. I not only lost an hour last night, but it is midnight and I am still going strong (I dont drink much caffeine)

Teens that talk back. Why is it that everything a parent says needs to be challenged and proved wrong? I can count on one hand the times I actually was wrong. Of coarse I remember being the same way. Well, thinking the same way, I just wasn't so verbal about it.

Aching feet. My feet were aching when I sat down to write this but they are all better now. Guess I should take a break and put them up once in a while.

Cake that went awry. Today my son's girlfriend is over and tomorrow is her birthday. Who doesn't love a birthday and a reason to celebrate? So while my son and her were babysitting, Kiara and I decided to bake a cake. I go to the cupboard to get a chocolate cake mix (her favorite), But all I have is white so we decide to throw in some chocolate chips to make it chocolate-y. Looks as if the teen boy has been into the chocolate chips, but we have a few. I need something more chocolate, so I remember that cake mixes sometimes have pudding in them, so I grab a chocolate pudding mix and tell Kiara to add it. Upon further examination, I see it is "sugar free/fat free" but oh well. Then we realize we dont have any eggs. No problem I have read that 2 T of arrowroot powder is equal to 1 egg. So Kiara adds that, We spread the cake out in the pan which is very difficult as the moisture content is missing. Seems eggs have a lot more moisture than arrowroot powder. Whoops, forgot the few chocolate chips, so Kiara sprinkles them on top, and we bake the cake. It comes out looking different, but a little frosting will fix that, so I get out the trusty Wilton recipes and put Kiara to work. We dont have any powdered sugar. No problem, isn't that what Bullet mixers are for? Although after 3 cups , at 1/2 cup at a time, I get distracted, so Kiara takes over. One of us does not blend enough and the frosting is grainy. What to do....I know. Spread it on the cake and put under the broiler to "melt" the frosting...you know....like a glaze. I thought it wasn't half bad, but hubby and Kiara said YUCK. Hubby picks up a German chocolate cake at the store when he bought the pizza's tonight. Thanks hubby for bailing me out. Do We get an A for effort?

Spelling challenged. Yes It was midnight when I wrote this post so this morning I got a huge kick out of my cake that went "a rye" instead of awry. The ensuing laughter (mine) was so worth it.

What are your grievances? Leave a link on Mr Linky, you'll be glad you did!

Goodbye

2007-03-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago my Grandpa passed away. I didn't know a lot about him, but that he was quiet and didn't say much when we were around. When I was small he gave the grandchildren our own fingernail clippers. I, for some reason, thought that was the coolest thing ever. I also remember playing "rook" until all hours of the night with him, my dad and my Aunt Carol. We drank red creme soda and would get so silly we would laugh and laugh. My Grandpa liked my Dad a lot and they loved to tease each other. I loved visiting his house as there were all sorts of treasures to explore and playing with the Aunts and Uncles that were around my age was the highlight of my visit. Especially the traditional "water fight". Maybe we can have a family water fight in heaven someday.....

Saturday's Hope

2007-03-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 40:28-31

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

New International Version

Works for Me Wednesday==Kitchen Edition

2007-03-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

What works for me this week is "Tne Kitchen Couch". My sister Staci over at Laughing Mommy told me that she had read about a kitchen couch in a blog of Catherine Newman's, you can read about it at her blog Dalai Mama. The writer had mentioned it was a great way to connect with her children. So this Sunday I managed to fit a full sized couch in my not so full sized kitchen. Within 1 hour, each of my teens had sat down and talked to me several times. That alone would make up for space it takes. I love the fact that we are connecting more, and especially that I get some company when I am in the kitchen. I encourage you to move a couch or plush type chair into your kitchen today!

For more WFMW ideas go to Rocks in my Dryer

Monday Miracles: 100 Dollars

2007-03-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

About 20 years ago, my husband and I were responsible for buying all the laundry soap and other supplies for 2 nursing homes. We would go to Costco or similar warehouse. My husband usually brought cash from the facility. On one of our shopping trips he handed me a 100 dollar bill to hold till we got to the cash register. I was holding it with my organizer. Note I did not say "IN my organizer" which would have been the safe thing to do. I glanced down on the way to the register and the money was gone. I wanted to freak, but I immediately prayed about it while I was retracing my steps. I remember there were a lot of people milling about. I went through the whole store and as I was going down the last isle close to the front of the store, I spotted a piece of green on the floor. I ran over and sure enough, people milling all around and not a soul saw the 100 dollar bill lying on the floor. An answer to prayer! I was so relieved.

Sundays Festivus Ed 9

2007-03-03T23:08:00.000-08:00

Sunday's Festivus A day to air grievances

The Potluck Queen and the Mystery Casserole

Healthy food is not uncommon in our church as Seventh Day Adventist potlucks are vegetarian and the food is everything from as fattening as you can get, with cheese and eggs, to extremely healthy vegan fare. The people who are not used to the vegan food get a little freaked out about how it looks. So being in charge of Potluck, I wasn't surprised when my helpers were concerned about a particular dish. I was super busy trying to organize the final preparations, so I just said “its fine, it is just one of those vegan casseroles...Put it on the table” Once again they expressed concern, but I assured them that vegan food looks a little different. Everyone went through the line and I was about the last to through. I took a little bit of the mystery casserole. I sat down and about half way through the meal, I took a bite of something that tasted so wrong it was all I could do to keep from losing my lunch all over the table. At that very moment my sis and another church member were standing over the dish discussing it. The other church member said “hey this doesn't look right” and my sister trying to be brave said “I am sure it is fine and put some on her plate” (Sisters think alike:) However upon further examination, it appeared that mold had surfaced. And in my sisters words “it smelled all kinds of wrong and looked like total goo”. So we discreetly whisked it away to the kitchen. I was so puzzled why someone would bring a dish that was moldy. I was washing out the dishes, praying that no one would get sick, taking charcoal to make sure I didn't get sick, and imagining the newspaper headlines “ Head Deaconess poisons Church members with 2 week old moldy casserole” . I tried to figure out what happened, when it suddenly hit me. The last potluck, 2 weeks ago, I remembered a gentleman who couldn't find one of his dishes. That coupled with the fact that dishes are already in the oven when I get there, was a recipe for disaster. Now after every potluck about 9 different women check the ovens to see that someones dish isn't left till the next potluck! (fortunately no one got sick)

I am finding that the bad situations I find myself in are less irritating when I remember the satisfaction that I get when I blog them under my Sunday's Festivus!

What are your grievances? Either tell me in comments or put a post on your blog and leave a message in comments. Mr Linky will automatically link to your site.

Tune in tomorrow for the 100 dollar miracle....................

Blog Party!

2007-03-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

I am starting a little late, but I did make it, so that should count for something, don't you think? This blog party is amazing because I have already found a whole bunch of new blogs that I just adore. And more teen blogs! I had searched before and I was losing hope that there were any more mom's with teens out there in bloggity world. I am a 44 year old mom of two teens. My blog is about my 2 wonderful teens, my family, myself, health, and I have a "Sundays Festivus" which is a way to share the frustrating things that happened during the week in a funny and positive format. I have been married for 22 1/2 years and I will say it DEFINITELY gets better with time. My sister Laughing Mommy has a super great blog you will want to check out as well. Welcome to my blog and if you like the design you can click on Headmeister's button on the sidebar and see if she has time to do one for you. The cost is explained on her site. Stay for a while and leave me a comment. I will visit everyone who leaves a link to their blog (how would I find you otherwise? )

For the blog party hostesses please visit 5 minutes for mom

Mr Right Meme

2007-03-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

I found this when I was surfing the blogs and I am so sorry I dont remember where I got it from. I will try to figure it out later and post it.

The Mr. Right Meme

Who can resist a meme about their soulmate! Here's a little proof that it only gets better and better with time.

How long have you been together (married)?soulmate
♥ 22 1/2 wonderful years ♥

How long did you know each other before you got together? 4 years

What physical features attracted you to him first? His smile and how caring and sweet he was.

Eye color: Ocean Blue

Hair color: Strawberry Blonde

Hair style: Most of the time short and sticks up on top

Normal outfit: Slacks and button up shirt for work and jeans and a T shirt other times. Occasionally a very nioce suit and tie!

How did you meet? Working in the cafeteria at College

How serious is it? Extremely serious

Are you "in love"? Yes we never seem to get tired of each others company and we even work together. When we aren't together he calls me alot. We think just a like and will buy the same things on the same day when we are not together. Our kids tease us about it all the time.

Do your parents like him? I think they like him more than me sometimes LOL

Do his parents like you? His parents are wonderful. They treat me like one of their own

Do you trust him? Yes, what is a marriage without trust?

Would you share a toothbrush with him? If it was an emergency

Would he let you wear his pants? Yes but he would tease me about it

Do you have a shirt of his that you sleep in? I used to but now I wear regular silky PJ's and nightgowns

Do you like the way he smells? I love the way he smells just out of the shower and when he is sweaty and hot. He just smells good.

Can you picture having kids with him? We have two awesome teens

What bothers you the most about him? Well....he is a self proclaimed lazy person so I would like him to help out more, but I appreciate he has the ability to relax too when I dont feel like doing anything

Does he have a temper? I have only seen his temper a few times. He is usually extremely easy going and very forgiving

Are you happy to be with him? Definitely, He says something that gets me laughing every single day. I dont know what I would do without him.

Does he embarrass you in public? No, we read "Please understand me" a few years after we were married and learned to accept each other the way we are.

Does he have any piercings? NO

Any tattoos? NO

Does he have any scars that you know of? Yes, a motorcycle accident, car accident, hernia surgery

Is he a party dude or stay at home? Both, he is the life of the party when he is at one but loves to stay home and vege too

Is he outgoing or shy? Extremely Outgoing. Everybody loves him

Does he love his mama? Yes very much

Would he hang out with you and your friends? Yes, and he would be the life of that party too.

Sing? Yes, best voice I have ever heard, leads the praise at church and sings at home all the time. Even sings special songs just for me and loves to surprise me with a song.

Well that is all for now. Free free to swipe it and use on your own blog!

Photo Friday: Upside Down Day

2007-03-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

A picture of my College Friends and I (I am the upside down one). I have no idea why I decided upside down would make the picture more interesting. For more upside down fun go visit Laughing Mommy. You'll be glad you did!

Kiara's Opinion Essay

2007-03-01T22:15:00.000-08:00

Kiara L
English
Opinion Essay
2/28/07

The history of a Mini-cooper goes back to World War II. They made Mini’s to carry a lot of people. They were small and could handle a lot of weight. They also didn’t use a lot of gas. Everyone should buy a Mini-Cooper.

Mini-Coopers are the most fashionable cars in the U.S. They are really cute and sporty. What most people like about Mini-Coopers is that they are fun to drive and have good performance.

Mini-Coopers have tables in the back. When your on a long trip or don’t have time to go home, you can get take out and eat it in the back of your car. In the Mini-Cooper convertible you can take the roof off and look cool in your car. If your in the middle of nowhere of if your camping and you don’t want to sleep in a tent you can fold down the seats and put them into the car and you can sleep in your Mini.

Mini-Coopers are very comfortable. They also have seats that are very adjustable. So if you think you too tall, you can adjust the seat to your height. So anyone can drive a Mini.

Any Mini-Cooper can be customized to have the British flag or the American flag on the roof or the back of the mirror, which is really cool. If you don’t want your mini anymore you can sell it and it has a strong resale value, so you can get most of money back.

(Mini Coopers are Kiara's favorite car and she hopes to have one some day. I had no idea they could do all these things. I want one myself. Great article Kiara! You are a star!)

Thursday Thirteen ED 18

2007-03-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about Thursday Thirteen

1.One thing to look forward to all week
2.“Too” much fun
3.Three Blogs with yummy recipes to try
4.Four more readers at my blog
5.Five great comments
6.Six blogs with great laughs
7.Seven beautiful, inspirational or funny photo blogs
8.Eight headers to look at before choosing one
9.Nine hours of anticipation of trying to be in the top 10 or laughing cause actually number 262
10.Ten thought provoking blogs
11.Eleven new friends
12.Twelve more organizing ideas
13.Thirteen groups of idea's, things, thoughts everywhere I look!

Credits: I know the TT header is not quite the right shape but it is the first one I have made on my own. My family took the pic when we were in Hawaii. Anyone feel free to use it if you would like!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Braden on Highschool Swim Team

2007-02-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

COACH: Jim

KEY SWIMMERS: Braden — He set personal bests in the 200 yard freestyle and 100 yard backstroke at last year’s district meet.

My brother in law notified us this morning that when he Googled my son's name a picture and a article in the local paper came up. I had no idea that either were out there. I am the PROUD momma!

Snow Day???

2007-02-28T13:12:00.001-08:00

Today the schools were are on 2 hour delay for snow. Here is a picture of the outside at my work. See the shadow from the sun? Usually these delays are not reported till 2 hours before school starts. I was up at that time and the weather was warm with no snow or ice in sight. For a great picture of the sky today go to my sister's blog Laughing Mommy

And while you are over there check out the video on "nails" if you have ever had your nails done you will die laughing.

Works for me Wednesday

2007-02-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

Photo coasters are what works for me this week. I found coasters that you can slip a picture into on the underside. Then hubby helped me print out interesting pictures of each of us. Anytime a glass is used the user puts their glass on the coaster. Wa la! No more 50 glasses dirty in 2 hours! You can get them here

For more great idea's head on over to Rocks in my Dryer

Mondays Miracles: Plantar Fasciitis

2007-02-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

After years of working in hospitals with concrete floors I finally succumbed to Plantar fasciitis, a fancy term for fallen arches. You are probably thinking so what? So your feet are flat now.....Actually it feels like you have a large stone under each arch, every step is painful, even standing is painful. If you are lucky you will be sent to a prosthesis maker and you will get custom made orthotics that are basically a plastic piece that is made from a mold of your foot. This wonderful thing. along with a good, thick, soft cushion, that they will give you as well, will fit in a shoe that is flat and a size too big for you. Make sure you don't get sent where all my nursing friends were sent. They got these hard flat arch supports also called orthotics and most of them wouldn't wear them as why would you want to wear a hard old thing when it feels like what you really need is a huge cushion? The trick is you have to wear them ALL the time. Want to wear some fip flops....No too painful. High heels...Not for you, barefoot....OW! Maybe after a good nights rest? Nope, resting makes the overworked muscles tighten up and you will have to walk off the stiffness and walking hurts remember. So several years into this I was asked to be the Head Deaconess with responsibilities such as greeting, picking up offering, heading up potlucks and preparing baskets for new members. Basically, too much walking. So I decided I couldn't do the job justice and that I needed to resign. As I was standing in the shower my feet were aching and I prayed "God if you want me to do this job please heal my feet, and if not thats okay, I will resign so someone else can do it". While I was praying, I felt this electric tingling go down my legs and into my feet. And I realized the pain was GONE! I tried high heels, low heels, med heels, flip flops, barefoot, all without pain! I was so grateful I thanked God everyday for months for healing my feet. I have kept my job as Head deaconess, and every time a wear a cute, fitted shoe or walk through the house barefoot, I think about this miracle and I thank him again.

Sundays Festivus Ed 7

2007-02-24T15:58:00.000-08:00

A day to air your grievances about your circumstances this past week in a positive, funny manner. (behold the festivus poles in all their plainness) I have read that the festivus poles are not to be decorated, to keep it as simple as possible. If you do not know what a Festivus is, it came from the show Seinfeld. George's father wanted an alternative holiday where everyone aired their grievances about each other! It was hilarious. George's Dad called it a "Festivus for the Rest Of Us".

My grievance this week is about housecleaning. (None of these things happen during the week when the house is not clean)

Why is it that once the kitchen floor has been scrubbed to a sparkling shine, that you are so proud of, that the dogs (or kids) track mud in? Or the bathroom floor that once clean, becomes a "yard" for dogs to poop on?

Why is it when you clean the kitchen and make sure every dish is clean and put away, that your 2 children who are home for 2 1/2 hours (not meal time either) are able to dirty 10 glasses, 3 plates and a bowl?

Why is it that after vacuuming the family room floor the large chocolate lab will bring in a small log and proceed to turn it into sawdust?

Why is it that washing the bathroom rugs is a dangerous venture, as cats and dogs alike think it doesn't smell quite right and will pee and poo on it to help it get that back yard smell? I once bought a white bathroom rug and it never stayed on the floor for more than overnight before one of the cats branded it. I finally got rid of it.

Why is it that when the sink is clean your hubby will pick that precise moment to wash off something very dirty that really should be washed outside?

Why is it that once you get the computer cords all separated and organized with ties that is when the boys have new stuff and have to mess around till they are all tangled again?

Why is it that when you are ready to make lunch you find that someone (the invisible family member) has eaten the ingredients and you end up having leftover pizza?

Why is it that airing my grievances helps me feel so much better and I can go about cleaning up the messes with a happy heart? I imagine that airing them helps me to release the frustration and all I have left is the "happy".

Sunday Festivus is listed on THE DAILY MEME, if you are looking for meme idea's this is the place to go! Check it out!

What are your grievances? Leave a comment and Mr Linky will link to your site.

Saturday's Hope

2007-02-24T15:11:00.000-08:00

Because HOPE is my favorite word!

Psalms 147:11

The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Picture is of tulip fields in Gervais, Oregon taken by my mom

Photo Friday

2007-02-23T14:30:00.000-08:00

My wedding picture. 22 1/2 years ago!

Thursday Thirteen Ed 15

2007-02-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about GARDENING

1.It is a stress reliever to work with soil and plants
2.It gives you a sense of accomplishment
3.Weeding burns a lot of calories and the chore is never finished
4.Fresh vegetables and fruits taste 100 percent better than store bought, especially tomatoes
5.It gives you a fright when you see a bug, slug or spider when you are not used to it.
6.You are able to share with friends and family.....and even strangers
7.Its a learning experience
8.Lettuce regrows as fast as you can eat it ...practically
9.There is never enough onions
10.One zucchini plant is enough
11.No matter how hard you try somethings just wont turn out
12.You feel close to God in the garden
13.Once you have a garden you wait with anticipation all winter to get started again. Even when you end the season with relief from less gardening work.

Do you have a gardening tip? Leave me a comment!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Resting at a Swim Meet

2007-02-21T17:05:00.000-08:00

Braden resting at a swim meet

Museum Moment

2007-02-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

Kiara's museum picture

Kiara and Moblogging

2007-02-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

Testing blogging from my phone

Oh how cool is this. I just sent this blog entry from my phone! It is a picture of my daughter. She and I love all the faces she makes. Now I just have to figure out how much its gonna cost......(from cell phone provider)

Works for Me Wednesday

2007-02-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

What works for me this week is pictures of kitchen items that cannot go in the dishwasher. Lately I have received more help in the kitchen as far as dishes are concerned, and I am constantly pulling out the items that are silverstone, iron, Kitchen Aide parts, Sil pat mat etc. So I took pictures of all of them and hung it up inside the closest cupboard to the sink. Its an easy way for hubby and kids to quickly see if it needs to stay out of the dishwasher. Here is the pic of the rubber top to my Vitamix. I left the plastic top on, that can go in the dishwasher, just so it is more recognizable.

I have had alot of comments about children too young to unload dishwasher so here is my addendum: Rearrange your cupboards so most things like plates and cups, etc are at the perfect height for even 3 and 4 year olds to help empty the dishwasher. Don't worry, its only temporary till they get older and taller and the benefits of developing their helpfulness before they get to the unhelpful stage is PRICELESS! Pictures help hubby's too. Now if I could get a picture directory of where all the tools go in the garage! LOL Martha left a great comment on possibly using it for things that shouldn't go in the Laundry. If you like that idea, go and leave her a message!

That is what works for me. For more WFMW ideas head over to Rocks in my Dryer

Cornstarch and Guar Gum

2007-02-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

I really honestly think I have not lost my mind. However I went looking for the info I had read on Cornstarch. I remember it said that the cornstarch coats the insides of your blood vessels. However since I cannot find that information, I will shelf it till a later date. I even surfed the net for any hint of health problems. The only sites I did find had been disabled. So on to Guar Gum. Guar Gum is from the ground seeds of an Indian tree. It has 8 times the thickening power of cornstarch so it you need a teaspoon of cornstarch use 1/8 t Guar Gum. It you need a Tablespoon of cornstarch use 3/8 of a teaspoon. So far I have tried it in homemade salad dressing, gravies and other sauces. It swells when wet so does not need to be heated however you can heat it in a gravy with no problems. The only caution is, it takes a while to thicken and if you think you will help it out and add more, you will end up with a solid mass of uneatable gunk. You can find Guar Gum in health food stores. For more info go to this site. I buy Bob's Red Mill brand and here is that site. There does seems to be health concerns, but that was when they were selling it in capsules as a diet control. Hello people out there, a substance that swells to 8 times its size when it gets wet is gonna cause some problems! They said there were numerous cases of intestinal obstruction DUH. However if it has already swelled in your gravy and sauces then there is no need for concern. No blockage for you! It is also used in ice cream as it thickens without forming ice crystals. So surprise! If you have eaten ice cream you have eaten Guar Gum.