Another Month

It is hard to believe another month has flown by. The month has definitely been full of this, that and something more. I've decided it is sometimes harder to write when my themes aren't specific. But it certainly does make my brain work harder! I hope next month's theme doesn't undo me. We shall see!

Remembered

Today is the day we remember and honor those who have gone on before us.  I love this day.  It is a day I stop and pause and reflect.  It also reminds me that even though love ones have left this life they are still with me in my heart and they are my angels watching over me.

Sunday Goodness

This scripture has been running through my head all week:

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee......

Genesis 3:18

(I'll explain later)

New Tour

Eight years ago we started the Blessing Tour.  After the birth of each gran we would travel to wherever they lived to attend church and be a part of that special day.  The day when their father would give them a name and a blessing.  As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we consider this a great privilege for this new baby to be held and given a blessing by their father who holds the priesthood.   We have attended thirteen of these blessings. 

Today we are beginning our Baptism Tour.  At the age of eight we believe a child has reached the age of accountability and is ready to be baptized.  And so it begins.  We are so excited and proud of Gran #1 for making the decision to be baptized.

Pack Up

I like choices and it is for that reason it takes me forever to pack.  How do I know today what I might want to wear three days from now.  Such a predicament.  Not to mention what will the weather be like.  Last time I traveled I planned for warmish weather and it snowed.  So I'm a bit gun shy.  So over packing works best for me because I just never know what season I'll be in when the plane lands!

Happy Birthday Shout Out!

Today is Birthday Number Five

for Gran # Six!

Happy Birthday Girl!
Love You So!

No Words Wednesday

Or maybe it should be Too Tired Tuesday.  Inasmuch as I always blog the night before.  Yesterday was a wild day, reminiscent of Mr. Toad's wild ride.  And although I'd like to get off the ride I think the real ride is just beginning.  So I'm bracing myself for it and will just simply relax and enjoy myself.  It will be better that way.

Lost

It was just like that, in that very moment I knew she was there. She being my mother. She was me and I was her. We were one. This is not necessarily a bad thing. But in this particular moment I wasn’t too pleased. You see my mother was a very organized and on top of things type of person. Good quality, I’ll take it. But sometimes being organized and on top of things isn’t necessarily good and I will tell you why. Say she saw something lovely at the store and thought perfect gift for someone; buy it and put it away until the time came to give the gift. Then promptly forgetting she made the purchase and where she safely put it!  That's not the part of her I want to be.

Well, back in February I made a purchase.  In fact I made five purchases.  When you find a great gift you just know everyone is going to want one.  Fast forward and yesterday she and I collided or maybe she came to me before all was lost. I was going through old emails and it was at that moment I realized I had no clear recollection of the item, of the purchase………..nothing. The ship had sailed without me; that is until I found the email.  And I knew in that moment I was my mother!

Being organized and ahead of the game was all for not. I’ve missed one opportunity to give one of these gifts and almost missed a second opportunity. Thanks Mom for saving me before all was lost…………

Ideas

Sometimes I get bright ideas but sometimes they take a while to percolate.   I ponder them.  I sleep on them.  I talk about them.  Then I sleep on them some more.  Then I tweak them and twist them and turn them.  And then before I know it that little seed of an idea blooms into a beautiful, wonderful creation.  I love when that happens.

The Race

...let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;...

~Hebrews 12:1-2

This day I shall and the day after and so on to the next...

The ending before the beginning please.......

When it comes to television (or movies for that matter) I don’t do suspense.  It makes me nervous.  It makes me anxious.  It makes me jumpy.  It makes my blood pressure rise.   Even sometimes watching the Giants can be too much for me.  I like to watch things when I know the ending in the beginning.  Or like when the Giants have a HUGE lead.  Then I don’t get nervous.  Anxious.  Or jumpy.  It is just so much more relaxing to me.  So if you know the ending before I starting watching please tell me.  My heart thanks you too!

Carrie, She's So Very

I'll say "Maya Angelou"

She thinks I'm saying Michelangelo.

I'll say “I’m a printing press today!”

She thinks I'm saying, “I’m impressed today.”

She says words like
button
and
important
and
everytime she makes me smile!



She Just Knows

So when her mother is not in her office and this little miss needs to relieve herself she trots downstairs to my office and gives me this look, then turns around and walks out expecting me to follow her and open the front door. One of the many things I love about her!

More Rain

So if we are going to have April showers in May at least I can enjoy this:

They are much happier in cooler weather. 

I'm glad someone is! 

I guess April showers in May do bring flowers!

What the........

So is it

Spring or Summer?

Winter or Fall?

April or May?

I can't know it has been raining all day and I fixed soup for dinner!



Weekend of Wonderful

So I love week days but I love a good weekend.  Sometimes they seem to go by so fast that they are over before they even start!  The past three weekends have been grand.  Each with a little something special all their own.  One weekend we were in Utah.  Soaking up gran time.  Also, had an over the top evening with a group of RP friends; 6 hours of fun, laughter and more at a local Olive Garden.  That was a great weekend. 

Then there was Mother's Day weekend.  It was more than wonderful.  Heard from each of our children. Spent the weekend with my brother and his family, relaxing and enjoying each other's company.  Also, went to church in Oroville for a missionary farewell.  The weekend was splendid. 

Which brings me to the weekend just passed.  It was a three-day weekend courtesy of my furlough Friday.  Friday had a wonderful six hour lunch with a friend.  Saturday I went into the office; so much can be done while no one is there.  Mr. Man had the opportunity to go to a meeting in Santa Rosa; Elder Anderson was the speaker.  That evening we went to dinner with friends.  Sunday attended church; took a brief nap during and after.  Made bread and cherry turnovers. 

Weekends.

 Love when they are packed with goodness!

Understanding

I've been thinking a lot about this scripture lately and always. It works for me everyday and in every way.  I love it.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Bump in the Road

So I've been sailing along now for about 224 days; blogging each day.  Depending on blogger to be there ready for me to fill a page.  Apparently yesterday there was a big bump in that smooth sailing road.  Try as I might (since Thursday night) it was just not ready to receive my words.  It was a strange feeling really.  Especially as I thought about my 224 days plus; were my words just gone never to come back to me.  Scary to think all of this would be for not; my words that are important to me would just be gone.  I trust technology.  I wouldn't believe such a thing could happen.  Nothing is gone forever right?  So this morning as I tried again, happy day, blogger was back in business and my words could now flow freely.  Thanks blogger people for working hard to save my words and the words of so many others.  I knew you could do it!

Happy Birthday Shout Out

Today is Birthday #8 for Gran #1!

Wahoo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry James............I couldn't resist!

Happy Birthday!

We Love You So!

Why

Seriously this word makes me crazy.  Three teeny letters. W.H.Y.  But they cause me so much grief.  Is there an answer to why?  I know of none.

Why does my computer work one minute and stop the next?

Why do I let some people push my buttons?

Why would someone say they have a cute little puppy they want to sale but they really just want to scam me out of my money?

Why do people tailgate?  Will getting in front of me really get you to your destination quicker or just kill you.

Why does my cell phone work one minute and drop a call the next?

Happy Birthday Shout Out

Today is Birthday Number One for Gran #12!

Happy Birthday Happy Boy!

Love you So!



Freeze

I'm having one. 

A brain freeze. 

Writer's block.

Tired brain. 

Or just all of the above!

Some days are just like that.

Modern Day

We all know the biblical story of the fishes and loaves. Quick refresher. This is the story in which Jesus feeds 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread. And there were even leftovers, how could that be? This story is amazing to me and every time I read it I think how can that be! Well this story happened because of a miracle.

Can a miracle such as this happened today? Yes. It. Can. Friday I was in charge of a dinner for our Stake. I had planned and prepared for 120. Easy enough. Then Wednesday night I received word there could be 150 in attendance. How could that be? Minor adjustments were made along with the prayer that the food for 120 would feed 150. And no surprise to me not only were 150 fed but there were leftovers!

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all my favorite Mother's a happy, happy day!

Reading

Lately I have been doing a bit of reading two books which I have recently completed are "Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America" and “The Daughter's Walk: A Novel.” Love, love, loved them both. 

Being a lover of history, both were fascinating books of a time in history when women stayed home and cared for their children. Not that that is or was a bad thing at all. But what these women (mother and daughter) accomplished is mind boggling. I admire their tenacity and gain strength from their courage. I know from them that I too can do hard things. After all my circumstance pales compared to theirs yet they pushed through and accomplished something I would never dream of doing.

Myself

I am a do-it-myselfer. My mother was one too. Some might say it is a fault but I just prefer to do things myself. Last night I made 21 loaves of egg bread. I love dough and making all this bread by myself was, well a labor of love.

This do-it-myself gene has definitely been passed down. Last Sunday my gran announced to his mother who was assisting him as he gave a talk in church, “I do it myself!” He is 3! And even at 3 he knows it just feels good to do it myself! And so it goes………..

Prepare to Stop

I see this sign a lot in my travels Prepare to Stop.  It always makes me laugh when I run those words through my head because how does one actually prepare to stop?  I know they want me to slow down in the event they are going to make me stop but nine times out of ten it never happens because they aren't working when I'm driving.  Anyway, for some reason I got to thinking about the idea of being prepared.  There is so much in life that requires preparation.  But do we always adequately prepare?  Sometimes it is hard to know just what you need to prepare for; there are so many curves in life sometimes it is impossible to prepare for what comes next.  Although we didn't plan on Mr. Man being jobless for a time I'm glad we are prepared for this bump in the road.  In all of this I think the word that best works for me in being prepared is attitude.  I don't know everything that is going to happen in my life.  I know some things won't be fun.  I know some things will be disconcerting.  I know some things will be downright annoying.  But in the end I know if I keep my attitude prepared, then in the end everything will work out for our good.  It always does.

Just One Thing

I hate to dwell on this but seriously I'm not a big fan of the freezing snowy type weather which we experienced last weekend. So I have to say it is so refreshing to come home to the wonderful warm sunny weather of home! Sweet!

Selfish Complaint

I know this is a selfish complaint because I can and do, do this myself and it is not that I mind but my selfish complaint is I always forget until it becomes problematic for me.  And that is putting gas in the car.  Now that I'm my own driver I need to remember this important thing.  I thought maybe if I write about it, it would help me to remember to keep the tank half full and not almost empty.  I just hate when I do that.

You Never Know

After having a wonderful three day Utah trip, despite the cold weather, it is always hard to say good bye. But as hard as the good bye is the hello is just so so so good. There is nothing better than the squeals of excitement from the grans! They never know we are coming! Love their excitement.

Then of course there was the excitement of dining with six wonderful friends. Loved the six hours of laughter, good food and great conversation. It was an awesome evening, thanks ladies!

Then on the flight home we were so lucky to have a young mother and her baby sit by us. It made my good bye a little softer. I appreciated the tender mercy.

This, That and Something More

I've written about favorite things, blessed days, thankful days, days of love, memories, new beginnings and more.  So for the next 31 days its going to be all about "This, That, and Something More!"  not sure where that will take me but I know the ride will be worth it.  It always is!  Hope you can join me!

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