The Tin Man

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of spending the day with Hunter and his classmates on the 3rd grade field trip to Sauder Village. Sauder's is an historical village highlighting people's lives and trade back in the early 1800's.

I was certainly fascinated by the craftsmen that work there. To see the exquisite work done by their hands and able to see it live is beyond description. All of the kids in my group were very polite and asked good questions when needed. I was so thankful that none were silly or embarrassing.

Well...we stopped in the Tin shop..the artist Mike Runyon was in residence working on beautiful creations made from tin. It was fascinating to watch him! He was really great with the kids too...one child (not in my group) asked..what things did he make? He chuckled a bit and said..."turn around and look" the kid did so. "Now turn and look over there"..the child turned..."Turn and look there"..as he points...He made the majority of the pieces in the shop and again I can't express how lovely they were. I certainly wanted several pieces.

But then, the artist asked the group what they thought he was creating while he was talking with him. One kid said a pop can...but a grown up (thankfully) said a candle holder. Mike Runyon confirmed this and then asked the group what candles may have been made from back in the 1800's. The usual list was shouted out...like beeswax, parafin..etc etc...

The room became silent for just a second...and then MY son blurted out...Ear Wax!

My kids are so lucky!

School is out! Hooray!

Megan's Baptism photos

Megan was baptized back in April on the 11th. Many family members were there to witness her special day. Grammie and Grandpa Huntington flew in from New Hampshire. This weekend was wonderful as we also celebrated Easter the following day.

Hunter

Here are a few snap shots of Hunter taken in the last few days.

Clowns

I always knew my kids were clowns!

Megan, How Does Your Garden Grow?

Megan loves to be outside digging in the dirt.

She made sure she could help her dad plant the garden this year.

I thought she looked so cute in her pigtails and barefeet!

Megan, will you be all smiles when it's time to weed the garden? I hope so!

What Megan Did

Morning...typical for a school day. The kids were busy gathering their things for the day. I usually do Megan's hair and was grateful for a little extra time to make her hair look cute.

Megan opted for the two ponytail look and I was eager to please. Her hair this morning look like she got in a fight with a windmill so I proceeded to gently brush out the tangles. Megan of course complained that I was pulling her hair.

Well, as I was brushing out her hair I came across something foreign and pink wadded and engulfed by blond tresses.

SILLY PUTTY!!!

Yep...last night Megan was playing with silly putty. Trying not to sound alarmed and wondering where the scissors were I asked..."Megan,...how did silly putty end up in your hair?"
Megan said, "Last night at church I was stretching it out to make it into a jump rope".

Huh.

I got the silly putty out of the hair (a few tears where shed by daughter). Megan went off to school with her chosen hair style and I made her promise to never ever, use silly putty as a jump rope again.

Today I'm NOT Bored

I appreciate all the comments I received on my posts. Some of you are very sympathetic to my writing and others of you offer great insight.

I was surprised at my own post yesterday about being bored. My pathetic whining was pretty annoying. So today I made sure I wasn't so bored!

Well, my bum knee is feeling better...so Lyndsie and I walked a 5k instead of running it...just to be sure nothing scary happened.
We worked up a sweat just the same...it was really warm out today. (Hooray!)

I got real warm and DIRTY mowing the lawn for over two hours today. I weeded the landscaping and planted a few flowers...I was outside all day. Love the sunshine!

I've been doing stuff since 7:30 this morning and the time is slipping away. The kids need help with homework and I need a well deserved shower followed by dinner and church meetings.

Today, I'm NOT bored.

Bored

Today I'm bored. I've hurt my leg while running and I'm trying to take it easy. I'm doing the usual household chores. Boring.
I've played a couple rounds of solitare on the computer. Boring.
I've read a bit. My book, was boring.
Stared out the window for awhile. Boring.
I should pull weeds in the landscaping...but that's boring too.
I'm even bored with eating chocolate! - gasp...shocking!

I'm a bit bored.

I think I hurt myself

I think I pulled a muscle behind my knee today while running. It's sore...and I'm limping just a bit. Poor me.

Hunter got his hair cut!

Hunter "strikes a pose"

Notice how round his head is?

I'm not talking about you!

I could be talking about me...maybe...

I have heard many reasons for skipping church...some are good excuses...like....putrid sickness or death.

Others I think are not so good...like....going to see a movie...out to breakfast with the family...too tired...worked all night...shopping...chores....blah...blah...blah.

My own children complain most every Sunday. Hunter hates to wear a tie and Megan doesn't want to wear stiff shoes. The kids are tired or they are fighting. ... My favorite is when they say..."can we stay home?...Church is soooo boring!"

What would I be teaching my children if I allowed them their way?...I would be teaching them that church really isn't that important to me....I would be teaching them that they don't have to fulfill any responsibilities...I would be teaching them that it's okay to break a commandmant to not keep the Sabbath Day Holy....I would be teaching them that it's okay to put selfish desires first.....I would be teaching them a lot of undesirable things.... And yet,... I still wonder if the hassle is worth all the effort?

It is.

Church is where we are reminded to be a little better and try a little harder to be more Christ-like. Can't be more Christ-like if we don't apply the Atonement in our lives weekly. Church is where we learn that families can be together forever. Can't be a forever family if we don't attend church together as a family.

Church is where I learned how important my role of mother is. I cannot allow my children to ever question my testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Together with my husband, we influence our children by example. We try our best to do what is right...we are trying to live the Gospel as a family and attend church together as a family. We have this one life to try and get things right. So.....why waste time sleeping in on Sunday.

Girlie Wisdom! a little something a friend sent to me...I loved it so I had to share it!

• 1. A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills.. she has 14 kids but doesn't really care.


• 2. One of life's mysteries is how a 2-pound box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs.


• 3. My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.


• 4. The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.


• 5. The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you are doing, someone else does.


• 6. The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.


• 7. Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.


• 8. Sometimes I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.


• 9. I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my knickers'.


• 10. Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks 2 sizes!


• 11. Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like...'You know sometimes I forget to eat!' .....Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name and my keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!


• 12. The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing and then they marry him.


• 13.. I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That's my idea of a perfect day!

Pie

I spent all day outside and unfortunately got a little sunburned. So, I decided to help myself feel better by making a strawberry pie. ...

The berries were perfect! I enjoyed getting my fingers stained while I hulled and sliced the red juicy fruit. I was careful to add extra berries to compensate for the ones that fell into my mouth.....

The pie crust was perfect too! My pie crust always turns out well. I find it real easy to open the cute red box with the dough boy on the front and unroll perfection every time!.....

So...after making and eating a fine meal of grilled pork chops, watermelon and corn...I ate TWO slices of sweet strawberry pie...I was about ready to go for a third when I realized it wasn't the juicy berries or sugary goo that tickled my taste buds...it was the crust! ....

To stop myself from eating a third slice of pie...I ate a piece of chocolate instead.

Running

I'm not a runner. But lately...I have been jogging with my friend L. She's been helping me build my stamina to run a steady 30 minutes. I would have to say she is very patient with me. Because, well....I'm SLOW.

But I'm grateful that I have someone to walk/run with most everyday...if I were to do it by myself...I would quit.

Thanks L!

A Poem About Mom's

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

emailed to me from a friend who is a great mom...had to share it here!

Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I'm thankful for my mom...my husband's mom. Without them...where would I be today?

I feel incredibly lucky to have my two kids. My heart melts when they call me 'Mommy'.

3rd Grade and High School

What I over heard Hunter say to his friend Cody..."The best thing about being in high school is you get to chew gum!"

Clouds on the Ground

I had trouble sleeping last night and was relieved to see fog blanketing the earth. That ment school was delayed this morning. That meant I got to sleep in!

diet and exercise

I have been told that a healthy diet and exercise go hand and hand. But what happens to my diet when I have a slice of pizza in my hand?

The salads have lost this nights war. Pizza was victorious.

Don't be a knock-off

Coach...you will find many authentic Coach and other famously named handbags under glass at Macy's. But Coach seems to be the "it" bag amongst a wide range of people. This popularity has caused a flood of knock-offs to hit the market.

I thought I could be "all that" if I carried an "it" bag too. So, a few years ago I attended one of those hush hush purse parties. I bought a bag and thought to myself..."I can fool the world with the look a-like and pinch a penny!"

I carried my new bag for a short while. I didn't care that scratches, tears and stains quickly turned my "status" bag into what it really was...cheap junk...and I tossed it.

Then a new style of bag caught my eye. The whimisical fabric and trademark diamond quilting of Vera Bradley has taken me in. The perfect union of practical design and fashion forward colors has me wishing for a new bag every season. All my Vera bags mean something to me. My recent splurge for my newest Vera will be properly cared for like the others.

The ah-ha moment came recently when I was looking thru an old check book register and found the entry for the purse party. I paid more for my knock-off "status" bag than I did for my latest Vera. So I had to ask myself...why didn't I take better care of that purse? It's because I knew it was a FAKE.

Is there a moral to this story?

Trying to be or do what everyone else in the world is doing can cause us to become dented, scratched, torn or even soiled. We trap ourselves into thinking life is cheap and we lose faith...we become a FAKE.

Look inside your heart and remember that you have a divine whimisical pattern to share with this world. Have faith, care for your soul and do your best to keep it clean. And when we try to be our best...the Savior in His mercy, will stitch up those tears and erase the stains.





Don't be a knock off...be genuine. Be a vera....

Sunday Thoughts - May 3rd.

An excerpt from my travel journal I keep in my purse....

This morning the sun was shinning through my bedroom window. A promise that the day would be a wonderful Sabbath Day.

Today is stake conference and we have had the privilege of hearing from our beloved prophet Thomas S. Monson. I listened intently to the messages delivered and my favorite is this...

We learn to love and sacrifice in our own families and that impact of love will enhance and influence the lives of our family members for GENERATIONS to come.

So, like the sun shinning in my window, its beams of light reaching to the farthest corner...I must teach and exemplify love for my family so IT can reach farther than I can ever imagine.