Musings of a Modern Mom

Dr. Shuler this way...

2010-11-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

My family and I have been on a new adventure recently (hence the blogging hiatus. Sorry!) We have bought an old historic building in downtown Durant and are restoring it. Throughout the process of demolition we have unearthed a few treasures. Today, while peeling off some old bead board we discovered this:

So, I set out to find out just who doctor Shuler was. Here's what I found!

DR. JAMES LAFAYETTE SHULER

1860-1939

Dr. James Lafayette Shuler, born at Adairsville, Georgia on January 28, 1860, was the son of John Shuler and his wife, Matilda Hill. His maternal grandfather was Ladson Frazier Hickman, and maternal grandmother was Rebecca Josephine Ross.

In the 1880's, with his father and mother he came from near Cartersville, Georgia and settled on a farm near Hackett City, Arkansas, and he received his primary education at the local schools in the community in

which he lived in Georgia and in Arkansas. His medical education was received in the Medical Department of the Arkansas Industrial University (Little Rock), now the University of Arkansas School of Medicine, in 1887 graduating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He was licensed to practice medicine in Oklahoma under the Act of 1908. Prior to that time he had been licensed under the laws in force in the Choctaw Nation. He was a member of his local and state medical societies and a Fellow of the American Medical Association, secretary and past President of the Bryan County, Oklahoma Medical Society, and Medical Director of the Bryan County Hospital.

After his graduation he practiced medicine in the Choctaw Nation at Pocola and removed to Cameron in 1895 where he engaged in the practice of medicine until 1901, when he removed to Durant and continued in the practice of medicine until his death on August 24, 1939 at Hobbs, N. M., where he was on a visit to his son.

Funeral services were held on August 26, 1939 from the First Methodist Church of Durant, Oklahoma, Rev. W. L. Broome and Rev. W. L. Blackburn officiating, interment being in Highland Cemetery at Durant.

He was married on January 11, 1896 at Pocola in the Choctaw Nation to Lucy A. Hickman, who together with their son, Dr. Ashley Cooper Shuler, who resides at Hobbs, N. M., survive him.

Dr. Shuler was an active and leading member of organized medicine in Oklahoma. After his location in Durant in 1901 he served as President of the State and County Societies, and at the time of his death was Secretary of the County Society. For many years he was Councilor of the State Medical Association and served as President in 1912. He had devoted his time and talent liberally in the support of his profession. He was a member of the Masonic Order, holding membership in the Blue Lodge, Knight's Templar, Scottish Rite, and Shrine, and had from his youth been an active and consistent member of the Methodist Church and a supporter of the Democratic Party, and of local civic enterprises.

A devoted husband and father and a good citizen has passed away.

R. L. Williams

I just have to say...
HOW COOL IS THAT??

Monster Munchies...

2010-10-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

7 years ago today I received my 4th little blessing from Heavenly Father. Reality is just setting in that my BABY is 7. years. old. *sniffle*
So, to celebrate my little monster man's big day, I made these little monster cupcakes for his class!

Num-num-num-num-num!

History Whispers From the Past in the Written Word

2010-10-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks I have been searching diligently for something that I have misplaced. While endeavoring to find my lost item I stumbled across this little green journal. It's a Christian Log Book that belonged to a man by the name of George E. Luscomb from Weston, Tx. He served in the 329th Bomb Squadron in 1944 and used this book as his journal while on active duty during WWII.

I bought this little treasure at a garage sale several years ago. Inside he has listed several family member's birthdays.
"Papa - Aug. 2, 1884
Mother - July 2, 1885
Johnny - Feb 8, 1918
Glendora - Aug. 18, 1927
Doris - October 26, 1922
Ode (Olin) - Jan. 21, 1912
Sis - Apr. 25, 1913" and etc...

I have loved skimming through this book and reading what Private Luscomb has to say. I have felt like a voyer in this young man's life. I listen to him tell about his mission trips to places like Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munster, Germany. Then, there are other missions to places like Watten and Bergerac France. I am mesmorized when I read about his nights out dancing with the pretty girls (which are seldom). I smile with him when I read that he slept in till 10:35 one morning. My mouth waters when I read the passage where he ate roast beef for lunch, I sing Hallelujah with him on Sundays when he writes about how uplifting the service was and I rejoice with him when he receives a letter from home. There's even an entry where he speaks of a General Hodges (my maiden name) coming to visit his battalion on June 30th. Private Luscomb speaks several times of quiet nights listening to the radio and of rumors that seem to surface amongst the men regularly, although I haven't discovered what they are concerning yet.

The entry for D-Day, June 6, 1944, is especially unique; pictured below.

As a handwriting analyst, I also took advantage of using my skills to find a deeper glance into the personality of this man, whom I already felt quite acquainted with. I watched as his handwriting went from an average-sized copy book style legible cursive in Jan. of 1944 to an over-sized, rushed and choppy cursive by August of the same year, then converging into a mixture of the two diverse styles by November. I could only imagine how the war had affected him beyond what I could see as a Graphologist.

I was quite excited to find this journal again and decided to take a break from my search and rescue operation for my missing item to read for a little while. I sat down and opened it up to the day's date (Oct. 6th). Here's what it said:

"T/Sgt. Price 330th BS killed by a direct hit by flak - Blood all over everything. The horrors of war!"

Of all the flipping pages I have done with this book, I had never read this passage. Instinctively, I slammed the book shut, as if I'd witnessed a horrifying murder or seen something shockingly inappropriate. I shoved the book back in its hiding spot on the shelf and stood to walk away, content to never open it again.
I was still trying to shake the chills off my spine.

But - no matter what I did, I couldn't shake the impact of that passage all day. I envisioned this young 27 year old's face twisted in a mess of anger, confusion and sorrow while he wrote, grieving for his comrad.
So, I decided that it would be un-American to walk away from that; completely sheltering and selfish to deny myself this opportunity to glimpse into the life of a soldier at war. Not just a soldier, but one caught up in the middle of the ruckus, experiencing so much day after day and somehow finding the courage and energy to write it down for me to read. I am grateful for this young man, Private Luscomb, for his sacrifice, for his diligence in keeping history alive for anyone willing to read it in his written word.

New 'do!

2010-09-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Monumentous event for me on Sept. 3rd:
Got back to a more natural dark color w/o the red undertones...

and added flirty bangs...

Whatcha think??

Pity Party Drunkard

2010-09-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hey ev'rbody...

Thankths fer comin'.
[smacks tongue in between lips twice and hiccups softly].
Oops, 'scuse me.
Uhh, not suurre wh, whhyyy no more peoples sthowed up to thisss little sshhindig?
I figured LOTS of pity-goers would be lined up for thisss Par-TAAYY.

Oh, lookie! Selfishness came! [jumping up and down but stops abruptly and covers her mouth]. I just *hiccup* luff herrr. She's jus' so, sooo...centered, you know? Oo! Hey, Ignorance! [begins to whisper] I luff her, too but not all the lighbulbs came with the chandelier, if ya know what I meeaan. Ssshhhh [roughly puts a finger to her lips, distorting them]...that'sth our little secreT. Let's seeee, I saw Common Sense, but she left already. It's ok, she's like NO fun anyway. I hope Depression comes,though...now that one, she reeeally knows how to get doowwnnnn!

Hmmm, weird [wrinkles nose and forehead].......didn't anybody else get the invites? *hiccup* I sent them out, like, like, uhhhhhhhhh, [counts on fingers], a monf ago. I spefisically, specifislee, spec-i-fi-cally said I didn't want anybo'y to bother me! Which means I really DO want people to bother me!! [sniffles]. But not like bother, bother me...jus' show up...and *hiccup* pity *hiccup* wiff me!
You'd fink they'd know that by NOW. [pouts excessively and wipes nose all the way across sleeve].
But nobody sthowed up to my last party, *hiccup*, no body showeded up to that one either.
Hmrph! I may jus' have to find some, some new frans. [stamps her foot and twirls clumsily to leave but runs into a brick wall and knocks herself out cold].

*Due to the damage caused to my ego combined with complete waste of time and cycle of self-loathing that stalls any form of personal progress or intelligent decisions to be made, I regret to inform you that there will be no more Pity Parties being hosted at my house.

Cruisin' Along in 2010

2010-09-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our recent vacation for your enjoyment.
We headed down to our port city, New Orleans, a day and a half early because we had never been and wanted to see it.
Needless to say, this was our first and probably last time to visit New Orleans. Although it is beautiful in some parts and has a wide range of personalities, it is the filthiest city, in every sense of the word, I have ever been to.
I did love the bold architecture like this here at the Hotel Monteleon.

The corner of famous Bourbon and Canal Streets.

Downtown Bourbon.

We ran into lots of eccentric and flashy people. I couldn't get Garrett to take a picture with this guy "wearing way too much pink" for his liking.

There were lots of bands playing on the street for tips.

Another street show. She was a fantastic belly dancer.

We took the Haunted Ghost tour of New Orleans that night. Way fun to hear about some of the city's most notorious skeletons in the closet.

Eerie shadow of the Christus on the town hall.

Daphne bracing herself to try an oyster for the first time.

Sniff, sniff.

Open wide and swallow hard, babe!

No chewing!!

And it's gone! She did it!

So, Abby wanted to try one.

Not bad.

Outside of the famous Cafe Du Monde restaurant after getting some yummy beignets for breakfast.

There she is!! The Carnival Triumph!

Our Cozumel port of call.

We took a taxi to the beach and lounged for a few hours.

On the pier, were we ravaged by pirates!

The puppet said we had too many kids and she knew how to fix that!

All the kiddos.

Still my little Casanova.

Beach babes!

All the gang getting ready to snorkel.

Me and my sexy man.

We found this guy wandering around and decided to share some of our tortilla chips with him.

Then, these pretty things walked by but they were not as impressed with out offering and quickly scurried away.

It was time to go back to the boat and we found this couple, completely sauced - to the point that he couldn't walk. We offered to help them back to their boat, the Inspiration, docked right next to ours.

(Where's Collin? He's smashed into the wife's neck! lol!!)

He kept saying "Hoo-rah!" to Collin because he found out Collin served in the Air Force and he was a retired Marine himself. He even shed a tear that one of his Military buddies was heloing him out. When we arrived at their boat he kissed Collin on the head to thank him. Jonathan saw what was coming and though he tried to avoid the inevitable incoming smooch, the guy was too strong and planted one right on Jonathan's cheek! I wish I'd had my video camera!

Upon arrival back to our boat, Collin realized he had left his formal attire at home. But no worries! He fashioned this little number out of one of the stateroom towels. With my and Daphne's accesories he was all set for Captain's night!

Now to just get the sashay down pat!

At dinner in the Paris Lounge. Dinner every night was a feast fit for kings!

All the other kids were at Camp Carnival having too much fun to come eat with mom and dad!

Me and Daphne having a moment.

Some of the fancy photography on board.

I had this one made into a canvas.

And look what we have here...Don't worry, though. We authorized the smashing out of our back window to rescue 2 of our cats who had been locked inside with no food, water or litter box for the entire duration of our cruise! Yeah, I'm sure you can imagine the mess so I'll spare the details.

Ah! The joy of surprises!

Kick It, Hit It, Tag It!

2010-09-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the earlier posts, we are busy and Saturdays are filled with games our kids participate in.
Daphne was in softbal before tennis started. Here some shots of her on the field.
She's in the back ready for a fly ball.

And here's the pitch...

Abby just got into soccer and absolutely loves it. I knew she would when she asked to play. The game just seems to fit her personality.

And then there's my Gare-Bear. My football playing, flag stealin' little man. This is going to be a fun season!

The Busy Bee Lifestyle

2010-09-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Since school has started our schedule has been kicked into turbo mode in the most insane sense of the phrase. Instead of giving you a play by play of why I haven't blogged in like, forever, let me just give you my weekly schedule. It will all make sense then:

Mondays:
5:30 am: My alarm goes off and I fight off the urge to smash it to smithereens.
6 am: Eat breakfast. I actually have to scarf it down because I hit the snooze one too may times this morning and am about to have a houseful of groggy teenagers infiltrate my quiet time.
6:15-7 am: Teach Seminary for the youth of our church in my home. (Despite the oftentimes tormenting earliness, I absolutely LOVE this calling!)
7-7:30 am: Help my own groggy kids get ready for school. Assemble sack lunches if needed. Feed them breakfast and whisk them and a hurried hubby out the door.
(Ok, so far, every week day my schedule is the same as above. So, I won't repeat it for redundancy's sake).
During the day, as all of you SAHMs know, my hours are filled with mundane tasks and chores such as laundry, dishes, sweeping, checking emails and returning phone calls, preparing the next day's seminary lesson, I have to pre-prepare dinner so I can actually get it on the table on time, etc., which all take up 7.5 of the 8 hours I have left to myself. And somewhere in there I must feed my griping belly.
2:50-3:20 pm: pick up children from schools.
3:30-5:30 pm: my oldest daughter, Daphne, has tennis practice.
6-7 pm: Garrett has a football game.
7-8:30 pm: we feed the missionaries from our church dinner and have Family Home Evening.
8:30-9 pm: bath time and wrangling kids to bed.
(and somewhere in each of these days we manage to get homework knocked out and piano practiced. Don't ask me where, it's all a blur).

Tuesdays:
2:50-3:20: Pick kids up from schools.
3:30-5:30: Daphne has tennis practice.
5:30-6:30: Abby has soccer practice.
5:30-6:00: Garrett has guitar lessons.
6-7pm: dinner
7-9pm: bath and wrangling time.

Wednesdays:
2:50-3:20: Pick kids up from schools.
4:30-5:15: piano lessons (30 minutes away)
6-8pm: Young Women's and Activity Days at church
8:20-9 pm: bath and bed time.

Thursdays:
2:50-3:20: Pick kids up from schools.
3:30-5:30: Daphne has tennis
3:45-4:30: Abby has acting class at the college.
4:30-5:30: run quick errands for the kids.
5:30-6:30: Garrett has football practice at one end of town.
5:30-6:30: Abby has soccer practice at the other end of town.
6:45-7:30: dinner
(as you can see, I am in my car for nearly 4 solid hours on Thursdays! I wish I could mount a shower head in it somewhere. It would take a step out of my evening chores so I could go to bed sooner!)
7:30-9pm: bath and bed time.

Fridays are the only days where, besides school, we have nothing scheduled. These are blissful days.
Saturdays are filled with soccer and football games.
Sunday is the Sabbath and we save our energy for giving thanks to the Lord for our talents and abilities and for the means to cultivate these things in ourselves and our children. We are truly blessed.

Say My Name

2010-08-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Found this fun little game online. Thought I'd share.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & first car)
Cat Cadillac

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Sweet Cream Oatmeal Raisin (However fitting the name is for me, I think I'd be shot).

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first two letters of your last name),
C. Ma (Huh?)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Pink Otter (I don't foresee lots of future jobs. My other choice was Dolphin - I'm screwed either way).

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Anne Denison (That sounds like the perfect villainous lady's name. One with lots of skeletons in the closet and harboring a grudge for the male species).

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Masca (I'll be featured in the next movie after the producers get wind of this!)

7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Black Colada (ooo, I like. Now all I need is the cape and black stretchy pants.)

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
Ernest Guy (lol!)

9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ),
Sue Ferrell (That just might work!)

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Kidd Kingman

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Summer Rose (Too cheesy!)

12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y")
Mango Fitchie

13. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Banana Fir (eewww..)

14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour"),
The Art Tornado Tour (Not bad! Coming to a city near you!!)

Freaky Friday Follies

2010-08-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

It's 8 am and the house is quiet. I've just sent all 4 of my children off to school.
The house talks to me through its creaking doors and whispering curtains, taunting me in melodicly eerie silence.
"You do know what day it is, don't you, Carissa?"
"Well, I hadn't thought about it."
"It's Friday the 13th. It's 107* outside. And you remember what happened last Friday the 13th, don't you?"
Memories of nearly crashing 3 freakish times on my way to get some shopping done in Sherman flood my brain.
"How could I forget?"
"Just go back to bed." This time it's the bed speaking to me. "Forget your workout, you can do that tomorrow. Forget your Walmart trip, it can wait. Just go slip back into my warm arms and cover your pretty little head with the sheets and spend today here in Slumberland instead of there in boring old Raw Reality-ville."
I was almost lulled into the trance the bed was intertwining around my mind, much like how Kaa tried to entrance Mowgli.
But luckily, I have a stubborness unmatched by even the most persistent mule. My own inner Bagheera.
"No! I must go. I have errands that need running and weights that need lifting."
So, running and lifting I went.
The lifting went without a hitch. However, upon leaving the gym, my Jeep decided to be naughty and not let me know that I was backing into a truck parked at an odd angle behind me. My Jeep has rear sensors with an alarm that alerts me when I am within 2 feet of something.
What I would normally hear, (on any other day but Friday the 13th), is a mousey "Beeeeeeeep!", and it continues until I move away from the unsuspecting person, animal or inanimate object.
Instead, what I heard was "Thud!" followed by the light "poof" sound of my head hitting the headrest, then "beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep!"
Thanks for nothing. There was only one vehicle in that parking lot that was parked in the only angle that the senors on my Jeep couldn't detect, and lo and behold, if I don't find it!
*Sigh*
I still have my errand.
Wal-Mart.
All I need is 2 ink cartridges for my computer and some paper. I run in and grab those items plus a few more that I remembered I needed upon seeing and grabbed those, too. When I checked out, the cashier looked at me and said flatly, "$99.76."
I was hungry after my workout and was anxious to get home and ravenously raid my fridge. So, despite the fact that the price sounded a bit steep, I bolted out of the store wanting to get home before any other freakish accidents occurred.
I pulled up into my driveway, and a nagging voice told me to check the receipt. For the record, I was going to anyway. I pulled it out and what do I find? I've been charged for three, not two, $27 ink cartridges.
Oh, nuh-uh.
I have to return them right then and there or they'll likely not refund my money, claiming I've already used one. And who doesn't notice a $27 overcharge on their bill?
Me, on Friday the 13th.
So, all the way back to Wal-Mart I go and get my refund.
I pull up to the house the second time. I think about walking inside, but am not in the mood to hear the I-told-you-so's chanting from my bedroom.
But, alas, it's Friday the 13th and I have to gear up for school traffic in a couple hours - a nightmare of epic porportions in and of itself.
So, I made up with the bed for not listening to it in the first place and accepted the round trip ticket to Slumberland.
However, I only staved off the day for a few hours. There are still 7 1/2 more to survive....

Proof of a Prophet's Life & the Witness of Saints...

2010-07-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

It's always nice to get a reconfirmation of your convictions once in a while.
That's what we were hoping for by planning a little trip to Nauvoo with the Young Women's group from our church...and 4 days, 1 spectacular Nauvoo pageant and a bazillion spiritual experiences later, that's just what we all got!
Annnddd I imagine over 400 pictures should suffice in helping me explain the awesomeness of the whole trip, don't you think?

"It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty...I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God...I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...When the light rested upon me, I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake my name and said, pointing to the other - This is my beloved Son. Hear Him!"
~ Joseph Smith

After 13 hours of driving through the night we arrived in Carthage and decided to begin our half-week long tour with the place of the prophet Joseph Smith's martyrdom.

Statue of Jospeh and his brother Hyrum Smith.

When the mob descended on Carthage jail, bullets were said to rain down like hail.

The bullet hole where the shot that killed Joseph's brother Hyrum came through. He was shot in the face and died instantly. Joseph and the other prisoners, friends and followers of the prophet, tried to hold off the mob as best they could. Ultimately, the prophet was shot and fell through this window...

This is where he fell and the mob rushed down to see if he truly was dead.

Fearing the mob would come back to kill the other prisoners, John Taylor, who had been shot several times and was bleeding profusely from his hip, was hidden by his friend and cellmate, Willard Richards. John Taylor would later become the 3rd prophet of the Church, succeeding Brigham Young.

The feeling at this site is tremendously strong. The Spirit just pounds on your soul listening to the missionaries talk about his martyrdom. These 2 men where sitting outside crying and wiping their tears with their ties.

These little girls play around the statues. One is even trying to hold Joseph's hand.

On to our next stop, but not before a photo op in front of the long Mississippi River.

The Nauvoo Temple. It's probably one of my favorites.

It's late afternoon and we've yet to make it to our hotel room, there's just too much to see! We decided to watch the Nauvoo pageant that night and saw all these fun pioneer-like activities going on, so we stayed! Here are some boys dressed in pioneer attire playing stick ball.

Bishop Mason and Jerry decide a little stick pull competition is in order.

Bishop loses round 1!

Let's see what Rounds 2 and 3 bring...

Bishop wins! But Jerry didn't go down without a fight, that's for sure!

Crystal and the girls decide to try Stick ball...played with scrap wood and balls of yarn.

Here comes Maddie racing for home plate!

No strikes for Jesse. That ball is outta here!

Watching some good old fashioned square dancing.

This adorable couple and their pooch were enjoying the music and some nachos. The pooch has her own nachos!

Bagpipes played throughout the festivities and were quite pleasing to listen to.

Stilt walking is SO much harder than it looks!

Jesse is the exception to this rule, however. She made it look like it was so easy! Even the instructors were asking her to stay and teach everyone else.

Bishop doesn't look like he has much confidence in my ability to safely pull this handcart from one end of the field to the other with him in it, does he?

I showed him!

Now it was his turn to find out that it wasn't as easy as it looked!

Daphne and Maddie were challenged to carting Jerry around! They did pretty well! (Don't mind Bishop's feet in the back. He was only there for support.)

Crystal and Daphne use teamwork to saw a piece of wood.

Before the pageant began I caught these 2 missionaries and the local Catholic priest, who had come to watch the pageant, cheerfully engaged in conversation. Isn't this the way it's supposed to be - all religions respecting and supporting each other?

The pageant was a stunning display of history and left us all in awe. Not a dry eye in the crowd!

The next day, (after we finally got a shower and some sleep!), we headed out to downtown Nauvoo for a tour of all the many facilities and shows! Here was the tiny school house.

This was the post office. Paper was such a precious commodity, a luxury really, that the people would write on both sides horizontally first, then if they still had more to say, the paper was flipped sideways and they wrote vertically. It was very difficult to read.

Quick photo op in front of a cute red wagon.

A tiny stairwell inside one of the homes.

Our tour guides on the wagon ride through old Nauvoo.

Again, the temple.

The group makes a stop at the Old General Variety Store.

At the Women's Exhibit.

Jesse tries to make her move.

Daphne was the perfect height for this sweet photo op.

In the Cultural Hall. This was the place of many happy times for the Saints and the people of Nauvoo. It was also where the prophet spent most of his time planning the trek from Nauvoo (where it had been revealed to him that the Saints would not be able to stay), to the Salt Lake Valley (of which he would never get to see).

On to the Family Living Center. Here we learned how to make our own bread, weave, make barrels, and our own rope. Here Daphne and Libby are twisting the strands of Sisal to make our rope.

It's been a long 2 days for us!

While we waited for "Sunset on the Mississippi" to start, I found this little cutie crawling around and had to take some shots...

(To the mother of this cutie pie, I have more photos that I will upload to my flickr account. However, it will be the beginning of August before I can do that. Thanks for letting me take these photos!)

The Parade of Children, before "Sunset" began.

We really have never laughed so hard! It was a great little variety show.

And these 2 with their little chicken were hysterical!!

"I ain't gonna take it sittin' down!"

Now that the show is over, time for some goofing off ourselves!

We love Nauvoo!

And of course, what's goofiness without Bishop and Jerry's two cents? Good form, Bishop Mason!

Our final full day found us in Nauvoo for an amazing temple trip. My daughter turned 12 just a few days before so this temple trip was uber-special!

Daphne ran off before we could grab a photo with her. lol! She was so excited to be there.

After the temple we toured the local Catholic church. It was beautiful. I had never seen a pink chapel before.

Their statues and art work and stained glass were gorgeous.

This is a statue of a grieving family in the burial grounds for the Saints that never made it to the Salt Lake Valley. The journey was hard and their sacrifices incomprehensible.
I, my family and our posterity will be eternally grateful for all they gave up in the pursuit of hope and happiness beyond that which this earth-life can offer us.

Pausing for a fun quiz...

2010-07-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

You Are Most at Home in the Kitchen

You're the type of person who finds a lot of comfort in your home. You love to take care of yourself and others.
Your home is welcoming and open to all. You love entertaining guests and making them feel a part of the family.

There's nothing like spending an afternoon in the kitchen, whipping up treats for you and your loved ones.
You believe that the simple things in life can be the most enjoyable. You like give your time and love to people.

Wordless Wednesday: "Youz had milk, but I dranked-ed it all gone."

2010-07-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

"Well, there goes $600 out the window!"

2010-07-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

Or door in our case.
Our beloved bird, a Jenday Conure named Steve, escaped from our house tonight.
We are devastated.
My little Julia came to me in streaming tears and hiccuped breaths screaming that Steve had flown out the door when the girls opened it to let a friend in.
Daphne, Abby and Garrett had grabbed flashlights, since it had just gotten dark outside, and were diligently searching trees and bushes.
I have real doubts that we will ever find him again. He does have a tracking bracelet and I will be calling the the proper facility to report him missing in the morning...but for now:
To any of you in the Durant, OK area, this is what Steve looks like. (I know 4 children who would be willing to give up a year's worth of dessert to have him back).

Happy Birthday, America!

2010-07-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

For the 4th we celebrated with some good friends of ours, The Ellsworths, on their beautiful property and had the best time EVER!! We played Fort with army men and shot Black cats at the other person's men. (It ended up just being a Mame-a-Thon for the poor army men. lol!

"Retreat! We're no match for their heavy artillery!"

What's a summer time soiree without a trampoline?

At the pond on the paddle boat.

A friendly little game of tug-o-war.

And now, for some barrel racing!

"Pal, you be the barrel and I'll race you!"

"Ok, just steer clear of potholes."

And they're off!

Junior and Dylan round the corner and head back for home.

"Pal, I think it would work better if you held my legs up a little higher."

"Oh. Well, I think it would work better if I were taller or you were shorter. Just sayin'."

Black cat explodes under water. That was cool to watch, even though my picture doesn't do it justice. A large portion of the pond would light up in all shades of yellow, blue and green. It was cool.

Roman Candles across the pond. Looks mystical.

My son lighting fireworks with an older buddy.

And the fireworks for the night were amazing!! Here are a few of my shots from the evenings festivities. Enjoy!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

Alice Adventure SNEAK PEEK!

2010-07-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter turns 12 next week and for us that's a big deal. Lots of new changes occur for her when she turns 12. She goes into Middle School for one (ugh, really? ALREADY?)
She also advances into the Young Women's organization in our church.
And come on, she started shaving this past month, I had to buy her her first bra!! It's all happening so fast I hardly get to see anything. I feel like I'm trying to read the graffiti on a runaway locomotive.
So, letting the new adventures that await her in the next year inspire me I have decide to throw her a mega adventure for her to share with her friends...

in WoNDeRlaNd!

Here's a sneak peek at the future festivities:

The invitations...

Mad Hatter Treat Box (I may even give you a tutorial on these...if you're good).

Ok, that's all you get for now! The rest will follow next week directly after the party and clean-up (if I survive). And you'll be able to check it out at my Party and Event Blog: Hip Hip Soiree

Bedtime BFFs

2010-06-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

Naps are always better shared with a friend.

Adventures in Accidental Agriculture

2010-06-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

LOOK!! I have my first pumpkin!!

And another one is well on its way to making its place in this little plot of Harvest Land, USA.

Look at how gigantic this plant is! My daughter planted it a little over a month ago and it has multiplied in size so much so that it's taking over!

There's only one problem....

...this plant is not growing freely in some fenced off designated area for pumpkins in the garden we share with my mom in her backyard. No, it's growing in my front yard. More specifically, in my intricately manicured bed by my front door. If I don't keep it pushed out of the way, you literally have to step over it to get to the front door.

This was not a successfully planned and executed endeavour at gardening.

It was, as honestly as I can put it, a total accident.

My daughter got seeds from her teacher the last day of school and in overhearing mommy and daddy talking to nana about growing our own fruits and veggies, I think my little JB decided to take this whole gardening thing into her own little "green" hands.

When it began growing, we had no idea what it was at first.

I thought my landscapers had planted a new ground cover.

My husband thought it was a weed.

We were left in the dark concerning our mystery plant until we had visitors come and those visitors were so impressed with our squash and how well ours was doing and wanted to know our secret to getting it to thrive so.

All they got from me and Mr. Simpleton were puzzled looks.

"You do know that's squash, right?" they would ask us.

"Oh, uh, yeah! Well, no, no not really. We knew it was something but....are you sure it's squash?"

All we got in return was a you've-got-to-be-kidding-me look.

My neighbors on the other hand, (we live in a supremely manicured and polished neighborhood *said with a strong British accent and a pinky finger held high clutching a Mint Julep*), have been less impressed with our green thumb.

"Ahem, your pumpkin squash looks, uh, like it's doing well. Do you, uh, intend to keep it there?"

Gag me.

Yes, for now we do intend to let them run amuk in our front yard. And I'll be bringing you all pumpkin pies in a month. So take your nose and your mint julep back to your own front yard.

Looks like the Mason abode is well on our way to a healthy harvest in autumn!

Come on over for some pumpkin pies!

And pumpkin bread....

and pumpkin cookies...

and pumpkin soup...

and pumpkin pancakes...

Post-it Note Tuesday!

2010-06-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Satirical Saturday: "Creepiness Never was Sexiness"

2010-06-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

To the middle-aged man at the pool with the tan that screams "Orange Juice parade!": Although you have no doubt been to the gym to work on your biceps (which by the way, is the only thing working to your advantage), the fact that you stare at me from across the pool while rubbing yourself down with oil (as if your hair didn't have enough) does not make me want to pull a Pamela Anderson and fulfill your *gag* fantasies of me running over to you to perform pretend rescue mouth-to-mouth.

The word "creepy" is an adjective that follows you around like dog poo on a sneaker. No matter where you go, there's that annoying stench that no amount of grass-rubbing can scrape off. So, forgive me if I don't fall off my lawn chair in a hazy daydream of frolicking together in a grassy meadow. However, this word is italicized, bold, and in the largest font possible when referring to you considering you seem to be oblivious to the fact that I am sitting in the kiddie section with my 4 children while you try to use your imaginary X-ray vision to burn a hole through my mono-kini.

Word of advice, a good sheering before jumping in the public pool would benefit not only you, but the pool drains...(not to mention our gag reflexes).

And drop the cheesy swan dive into the pool with the dramatic tricep flex out. It's only 4 feet where you dive off and......on second thought, why not try diving a little deeper next time?

Rainy Day Craft-a-thon

2010-06-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hooray for rainy days that give my crew a break from the city pool every now and again!The pool was closed due to the looming threat of foul weather so we stayed home and made things using our imaginations!

First, we pretended to be mad scientists...

...by creating strange humanoids using old magazine pictures...

Garrett's finished zombie: Giant Bob

Julia's finished droid: Charli

And I had to make one, too! Meet Flexi-Girl. Stylish Sweetheart by day and Solid Rockstar by night! (My life in a nutshell).

And, since I was using my imagination today I figured I'd combine my recent adventures in frugality and today's burst of creative energy to rid myself (and my bedroom floor) of those orphaned socks. You know the pile? The one that keeps mutating to a big giant striped cotton monster (I actually had no idea how much we apparently love striped socks until today).

I have an art studio full of craft supplies that were feeling neglected lately so I hauled those out.

And this is what came of it all! "Sombrero the Dog" by Garrett

"Snake" by Garrett

Julia's Bird Dog. It's a bird and a dog mixed together. Pretty cute. (And no, it's not a dirty sock, I promise.)

A baby seal by Julia.

I think they liked them. What do you think?

I wasn't finished with mine but the kids wanted to take a picture anyway: This is Zaffe Girebra.

Needless to say, we had a blast!! Maybe it'll rain tomorrow? *fingers crossed*

"I Will Make My Hands Like Those of Galilee"

2010-06-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I substituted for our Achievement Day teacher at church. I chose to teach on Service and wanted to bring that into light by focusing on the girls' hands. (I like for my lessons to involve activities that teach and are attention grabbers. My philosophy is if I do better with lessons with activities or visual aids, I can only imagine how much better a child does in the same scenario).
We began by giving ourselves manicures...

The finished manicures, (minus the french white tip painted on since my white nail polish pen dried out, grrr!).

While we waited on their nails to dry I read them one of my favorite songs, "His Hands". It just so happens that this song coincides perfectly with Mark Mabry's photography from his book Reflections of Christ, so I flipped through that at the same time.

From there the girls wrote down as many items of service as they could think of that they themselves could do this next week. Whoever named the most got a bottle of hand sanitizer reminding them that just as hand sanitizer purifies your hands, so does a loving act of service purify a heavy soul.
We discussed how service made us feel and why we like to do it, but also that it's not always easy. I reminded them that Christ's life was engulfed in Service, including His ultimate service of the Atonement.
The lyrics to my favorite song are as follows:
"From the days on His mother's knee,
like no other before,
He was all that a boy should be.
Then, the boy became the man.
Hosanna to God and the Lamb!
His hands, tools of creation, stronger than nations,
power without end. And yet through them
we find our truest friend.
His hands,sermons of kindness, healing men's blindness,
halting years of pain.
Children waiting to be held again.
His hands, warming a beggar, lifting a leper,
calling back the dead.
Breaking bread, five thousand fed.
His hands, hushing contention, pointing to heaven,
ever free of sin.
Then, bidding men to follow Him.
His hands would serve His whole life through,
showing man what hands might do.
Giving, ever giving, endlessly.
Each day was filled with selflessness
ad I'll not rest till I make of my hands
what they could be,
'till these hands become like those of Galilee.
His hands, clasped in agony as He lay pleading,
bleeding in the garden,
while just moments away, other hand betray Him
out of greed, shameful greed.
And then His hands are trembling, straining to carry
the beam that they'd be nailed to.
As He stumbles through the streets, heading for the hill
on which He'd die, He would die,
they take His hands,
His mighty hands,
those gentle hands,
and then they pierce them.
He lets them because of love.
From birth to death was selflessness
and clearly now I see Him with His hands calling to me.
And though I'm not yet as I would be,
He has shown me how I could be.
I will make my hands like those of Galilee."

I had fun teaching the girls again (this used to be my calling before I was called to Seminary teacher) and I hope they walked away with an invigorated excitement for service.
Or at least with a better understanding of the great service that was given to them long before they were ever born.

Wordless Wednesdays: "Never fails..."

2010-06-09T07:38:00.001-07:00

Why?, originally uploaded by cmason79.

Post-it Note Tuesday!

2010-06-08T09:38:00.001-07:00

Emergency Summer Preparedness Kit, originally uploaded by cmason79.

Never French Braid at Breakfast

2010-06-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have been inspired lately by a friend of mine's cute blog. She has a video tutorial on this cute little hairstyle and watching it gave me the itch to try it out. (But you know how that is, typically you watch the video or read the instructions, see how easy the project is and think to yourself 'Yeah, I can do that!', all while nodding your head in cheerleader-style pep rally mode. Then, upon trying and failing ump-teen times you decide instead that your time is better spent screaming in a pillow.)
But not this time. Heather at Gerber Days has this tutorial for a front braid that seemed so easy I decided I had to try it and found it WAS that easy! I have been doing it on my girls' hair for weeks now and they love it because it keeps their hair out of their face without the typical spastic ponytail. It requires a little french braiding know-how, (which I have none of, by the way and I still managed to pull it off). Here's the kicker: because I could do this style, I decided I wanted to try my hand at french braiding again (trusty screaming pillow was close at hand).
I called my youngest daughter over and told her my plan with a gleam in my eye and hairbrush in hand.
She stared at me with this look of "Not again, mom. Don't you know by now that you suck at french braiding?"
She's usually very bubbly and up for any kind of new adventure.
This time she hung her head, sighed and spun around in extreme slow motion hoping to delay the inevitable mommy breakdown.
I cleared my throat and began brushing.
My 6 year old son, who is just now deciding to climb out of bed at 10 am in the morning, comes clumsily trudging down the stairs.
"Morning, mom...oh." He sees I have a brush in hand and gives Julia a pity look.
Julia shrugs her shoulders.
I roll my eyes.
"Mom," Garrett asks, "what can I have for breakfast?"
"How about cereal, Boy. You'll have to get it yourself this morning." My hands were tangled in 3 sections of hair at the moment.
I hear him rummaging through the pantry. A box of cereal falls to the ground and I hear the crackle of cereal bits on the floor.
"Oops" he says.
I have successfully untangled my fingers and continue braiding making a mental note to sweep the pantry after I'm done.
Garrett is now in the kitchen getting the milk. A Tupperware container falls from the top shelf of the fridge.
"I'll get that," he states.
I'm halfway through the braid and it's looking good so far.
Boy pours the milk on his cereal and proceeds to put the newly opened gallon jug back in the fridge. The same Tupperware container falls out again. This time, it opens. I pause, cringing at the sloshing mess I hear in the next room.
"I got this, Mom!" This time he uses his confident voice. The one which says 'there's a mess in here but I don't want you to see it so I'm gonna play it off like it's no big deal and hopefully clean it up before you see what kinda damage was really done'.
I was stuck between the final few braids and curiosity as to the catastrophe in the kitchen.
I hear him get a spoon from the drawer but he accidentally catches his finger in the drawer and I hear a half laughing "OW!" from him. "I'm ok!" he giggles.
"You ok, Boy?", I ask just in case.
"Yep", again with the confidence.
Another few braids and I'm home free. The hair is getting shorter and shorter in the back (she has a bob that has grown out a little so I wasn't even sure if it would work).
I managed to get the last strands of hair into the ponytail and tie it off.
I paused momentarily to look at what I had created. Julia stood completely still, possibly because she wasn't sure if I was happy or about to grab the screaming pillow and begin hitting my head against the wall.
I spun her around to see the front. That would be the tell-tale sign of success.
What stood before me was perfection.
I had FRENCH BRAIDED!! (echo, echo, echo)
I felt like donning a cape and going out to all the world french braiding for every girl!
Garrett, who has finished his cereal, drops his bowl into the sink and it crashes other dishes down.
"Nothing broke!" he says.
I am jolted out of my daydream and back to the reality that I'm probably the only mom in the world who didn't know how to french braid till now. [hangs cape up]
*sigh*
Post-Breakfast Damage Control reporting for duty...

Lovely Lazy Sunday

2010-06-05T13:52:00.001-07:00

Lovely Lazy Sunday, originally uploaded by cmason79.

There is something about coming home from church to a quiet house, a comfy couch and a cute hunk of man that really makes me realize how lucky I am.
I have a family that is eternal.
I have a husband who is super sweet and just so happens to be sexy, too.
I have 4 beautiful children who are the angels of my life.
I have everything and all that I could ever need to pull me through the perils of life and the traps of this world.
I. Am. Blessed.

Post-it-Note Tuesday

2010-06-01T10:37:00.001-07:00

Sleepy Kitty, originally uploaded by cmason79.

Missed

2010-05-31T17:12:00.001-07:00

Missed, originally uploaded by cmason79.

Ozon F. Hodges
1934-2007
US Army Korean War Veteran

Summertime Entrepreneurship at its cutest!

2010-05-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

I guess summer has quite [un]officially arrived with the itch to host a bake sale. My girls came to me yesterday begging to take them to the store to buy some things for making goodies to sell at their grandma's house today.
So, being the good mommy I am (patting self on back) I obliged.
Here's the finished products. Whatcha think?

Brownies that were so moist they melted in your mouth.

Petite Princess cupcakes.

Cranberry Coconut Cupcakes

Mini "blueberry" and "cherry" pies.

Are these not so stinking cute?!

French fries and ketchup (toasted pound cake sticks and mini vanilla cupcakes with red icing).

Way to go girls! I hope you make your money back and millions more!

Wordless Wednesdays: "There Goes My Life..."

2010-05-26T08:26:00.001-07:00

There Goes My Life..., originally uploaded by cmason79.

Post It Note Tuesday

2010-05-25T16:16:00.001-07:00

And the battle rages on...

2010-05-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my latest victory over ~~the Devil's Warehouse~~, I mean, Wal-Mart?
Well guess what?!
There's a new leader in command and I just made a new law:
Starting now and from henceforth Wal-Mart shall bow down before me when I should thenceforth enter its realm and shall hand over to me all its possessions that I should demand at the absolute lowest price conceiveable to man. At which point, I will exercise my authority to shave from off that lowest conceiveable price another shilling's worth! Maybe 2 depending on my mood.
Storming the iron gates of the fortress and this time armed with double the ads and triple the coupons I mercilessly attacked each individual aisle and refrigerator bin. I found treasure after treasure that I could call my own "at the lowest price - guaranteed".
I have been trying to save money this past year, as I explained in the preview post of this saga. Not too long ago when I had chillins in diapers that needed formula every hour on the hour I had been spending almost $300 a week. Now that those are nostalgic pasttimes, my grocery bill has decreased to around $200.
I still want it lower.
My most recent goal has been to spend, for our family of 6, only $100-$150 a week.
And if I keep on with my tyrannical raids, I may just acheive that! (Although, I do feel somewhat guilty [not really] considering I overheard the manager say to the employees during the early morning pep rally in the milk aisle [why do they do that anyway?] that sales were down last week. I had to control myself from completely destroying their sovereign of hope by telling them that sales will be even worse this week thanks to my invasion.)

This time I went shopping for 2 weeks worth of groceries...
My total before coupons was: $304.75
My grand total after coupons and comparison ads, *drum roll, please*: $250.27!!
[proceeds to do spazzy dance]

And with everything I got, I may very well make it work for a full 3 weeks.
In the words of the circus train from Dumbo, "I think I can, I think I can..."
So I went and got my hair done...for the first time in 6 months.
You know how much it cost me?
$50
Thanks to my pillaging and plundering it was basically FREE!
And you know what else?
It. Felt. Dang. Good!

Grand Slam Luck

2010-05-20T15:52:00.001-07:00

Grand Slam Luck, originally uploaded by cmason79.

Just playing around with my photos on flickr.com! Love that site!

Good Luck

2010-05-20T15:44:00.001-07:00

Good Luck 2, originally uploaded by cmason79.

Wordless Wednesday "Good Luck for a Grand Slam"

2010-05-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

Adventures in Dating

2010-05-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

This little mishap only set us back about 20 minutes for our date night with the Albrechts since Mr. Simpleton and Kelly are pretty handy with a jack. But, it was quite embarrassing to sit on the side of the road with a flat tire while all the people behind us on the on-ramp that we flung dirt at as we squealed away, were now passing us...scornfully laughing and pointing.

No, we didn't see them doing it.

But you know they were.

Lesson learned: Never squeal tires...in your good clothes or within 100 yards of civilization where people might potentially see you crash and burn later. ;)

Clip and Conquer!

2010-05-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

I've known all along that Wal-Mart honors other grocery store ads and coupons.
So, why am I just now taking advantage of it?!
I am so bad about just rushing in to that store just to rush around to get everything I need so I can rush my way back OUT.
Mr. Simpleton calls it the Devil's Warehouse.
I concur.
I've always wanted to try harder at saving money here and there by clipping coupons, buying the off-brands, going to different stores to buy certain items because their sale was better. I've even bought this nifty little book about penny-pinching, which once I sit down to read it, may prove very helpful.
But I always talked myself out of all those things because I was in too big of a hurry to have time to clip coupons let alone to go galavanting all over town to different stores. Or I'd argue that I had all 4 of my children with me and it was just too convenient NOT to buy all of my family's weekly needs in that one-stop-shopping circus.
However, yesterday I remembered some of my New Year's Resolutions, one of which was to save money and be more frugal. So, off to the kitchen to fetch the scissors and Sunday newspaper I valliantly went. I yanked the insert out to see if I could find any good deals when out fell also the competitor ads.
With that one piece of intel from the Inside Mole I knew that today, today would be a grocery shopping victory for me. (I can hear my theme song in the background: "They. will. not. controoool. uuuss. We. will. be. Vic-TOOORR-iouuus!" And if I had a good pre-battle monologue, I'd give it now. Yet, I digress...)

Armed with various newspaper promo ads from the Sunday paper and my checkbook, I stormed the Halls of Wal-Mart and overthrew the cashier lady with coupons upon coupons and ads from Walgreens and Dollar General, never once showing even an ounce of mercy despite her cries of pitiful, mournful dismay!
She didn't stand a chance.
My army plundered that store like it's never been plundered and took back to our homeland $8, which was rightfully ours to begin with!
Justice was served and all was well in the Land of Mason that springtime afternoon.

(Ok, ok. So, $8 isn't like a mound of golden nuggets or the Holy Grail or anything but hey! it's extra to put in my GNO jar!! Holla!)

What Were They Thinking?

2010-05-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen anything like this?!
Probably.
But I bet the dancers were in their 20s and didn't have to have approval from their moms to do it!
This video has sparked an outbreak of debate and controversy from people all over claiming things like:
"It's ridiculous! Why would a mother let their daughter participate in such an offensive routine?"
and
"This is SAD. Shame on all the adults that played a part in this!"
to comments like:
"I honestly don't see the huge deal about this? Yeah, their dressed kind of trashy, and their dancing is too old for their age, but seriously, its a dance competition. Its not like they wear those outfits daily in public or dance like that."

Ok.
*takes a deep breath, steps onto soapbox*

Has our society become so simple-minded that all we can think about is sex and sexiness?
Do we honestly feel the need to shove that image off on to our little girls and boys because it's the norm? Because this is pop culture? And for what? Lack of creativity? Lack of imagination? I would hope not! I'm not about to put any blame on those little girls for the way they danced or dressed. They just did what they were taught. And being a dancer myself, I will say this: They were amazing and despite the few bumps and bobbles here and there, I would imagine they went on to win that competition. They possess wonderful skill and talent and I would hope they would continue on with that.
However, shame on their mothers for allowing a dance instructor to even suggest putting their daughters in such an age-inappropriate situation! And double shame for actually doing it!
I'm not as concerned with the costumes, so much as I was the dancing. They showed too much skin, yes. But as a dancer, I understand you want non-restricted movement, especially for some of the difficult leg lifts/holds they were doing. Could they have come up with less revealing outfits that gave the same less restrictive effect? If they had used their brain to get creative, absolutely!
Again, the dancing, that's what bothers me. These little girls from Orange County, CA are, according to the post, 7-9 years old. We're told they're in FIRST GRADE...and they are on stage in a world dance competition bumping and grinding.
Granted, they probably have no idea what they're doing.
But I do.
And it's offensive.
Not necessarily the dance itself. I've seen Beyonce do it. (Although, as hindsight is 20/20, I've realized just how desensitized even I have become to such things). But when I see these little innocent girls get up on stage performing a robotically calculated dance that displays a message I don't ever want any first grader, let alone my own, to be shouting to the world in any form or in any arena, that's when I want to kick and scream and cry and can't help but wonder what this world is coming to.
People, this is too much!
It's not about our minds going to the gutter when we saw little girls dressed in so little and gyrating on a dancefloor.
It's about why weren't more people shocked and disgusted enough to say something about it?
No trophy or prize should be worth letting go of your morals or values.
And what will happen once the girls reach the age where they DO understand what kind of dance moves they're performing? I mean, if their parents will allow them to do this dance, who's to say the next dance won't be as pervocative and pushing that envelope even further? What should we expect from these little girls, their parents and their instructors for the next WoD competition? An innocent graceful lyrical? It would be wonderful, but the problem is the position they've put themselves in. Now, that they've gone this route and done so well, people will want more!
I'm not trying to stifle these little girls dreams or creativity. On the contrary! I'm asking parents and instructors to get creative and bring innocence and wholesomeness BACK, not shove it off the deep end!
It seems like enough is never enough in our society.
Once PG-13 movies used to be rated such because it had an overly seductive kissing or makeout scene in it and the S-word would be shoved in and parents would cover their kids' eyes and ears.
Now, PG-13 movies have nudity and the F*bomb and that's ok, because we are all naked under our clothes and kids hear the F-word at school anyway.
We're desensitized to it all! This is our future, our up and coming leaders, our posterity that we're corrupting!
We need to take the blinders off and look around at the effect our choices have on others.
We need to quit drinking the kool-aid and get sober in this debacle we call our society!
We need to find our morals and values, dust them off and display them on our sleeves with pride!

*sighs heavily, steps off soapbox*

I just wish we as a whole, could see where we have come from and where we're headed.
It's not good.
This dance was not good for those little girls, (I won't even let my daughters watch this video).
If you're not disheartened, even a little, by watching this video, I'm sorry.
Truly, I am.
I don't mean to sound preachy or judgmental - not at all!
I am just hoping to bring light to a subject covered in darkness. I have a right to my opinion just like you do.
And my opinion is, it's sad.
Very sad.

Your typical not-so-typical birthday gift....

2010-05-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was Mr. Simpleton's b-day. (Sshhh, he's 34).
We aren't your typical couple and therefore don't get each other your typical gifts. Typically.
I like to make his cards and gifts or go out and search for something unusual he might like.
I found these cute pillowcases online for $35 + shipping.
I thought they were cute. But not $35 cute.
The more I looked at these pillow cases, the more I thought, "Hey, I can make those!"
So, here they are for a fraction of the price!
Whatcha think?

LOL! I had no idea...

2010-05-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

This is a survey all the kindergarteners answered about their moms.
These are Garrett's answers...

LOL!
... but the last one makes my heart super happy!

Delusional Valley: Revisited

2010-05-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

Do you remember a while back I wrote about this guy?
Well, he apparently found his way back out of the Valley and came for another visit with us normal folk.

Picture it: I'm standing in the deli ordering lunch meat for tonight's hoagie bar. And you know when you get that feeling that you're being watched or followed? Well, I turn to see if someone was standing behind me breathing down my neck and drooling or staring at me from across the produce section.
No one stood out to me.
So, I grab the bagged meat and turn to go.
When, lo and behold, there stands not 6 inches from me 40-ish Year Old Overweight Creepy Bearded Man. (Although, I didn't recognize him right off, but I knew he looked familiar to me.)
I nearly jump out of my skin because he startled me so, and decided he was the one who gave me the watched feeling I had and must have used his stealthy Chick Pick-up Jet 3000 to zip himself over to me unnoticed like he did. Either that or he borrowed Harry Potter's invisibility cloak.
"Excuse me," he stops me with a finger pointed on his chin and a look of confusion and I can already tell he's going to ask me some lame question, probably about how to pick the best melons...
"But can you tell me what Bavarian-filled Bismarks are?"
I pause, partly because I'm grateful he didn't ask about melons and partly because I haven't a clue as to what those stupid things are.
"Umm, no, I'm sorry I can't."
I look over my shoulder for an escape route.
"Well, " he begins again and motions to a white bakery box in his buggy, "I just wondered. I'm actually looking for something strawberry-filled, but I'm not sure I've got the right thing here."
I peek from a distance in the clear window of the box and notice that they were donuts, obviously cream-filled of some kind, and completely drenched in an artery-clogging glaze.
"They look good, [gagging] but I'm sorry, I don't know what they are filled with." I smile and start making my towards the frozen foods as I had this uncontrollable urge to start putting things I didn't need in my buggy.
"Well, thank you anyway", he says and I get a few steps away.
[*sigh* Home-free!]
"By the way...",
(crap!...Crap! Crap!! CRAP!!!), he continues..."You sure are cute."
That's the moment it hit me. I knew him, alright. This was the same man who tried to pick me up in the chip aisle a few months back!
I couldn't believe it. What are the odds of the same dude using the same cheesy pick-up lines on the same girl in the same grocery store and getting the same sad rejection? Apparently for this guy, the odds are pretty high. How could they not be? He probably uses his Fridays to scope out the grocery stores and find a way to use the same line on a different girl in every aisle!
So, it stands to reason that I knew exactly what was coming out of his mouth next...
"I'm single by the way," he states as he clumsily tries to lean on his buggy handle, elbow slipping off once, then, trying to recover, smiles devilishly at me.
By this time, every other man within earshot of our conversation has groaned to himself, is hanging streamers for the pity party they are throwing for the guy, or is taking notes on what not to do to pick up a girl in the produce aisle.
Unfortunately, I can't think of anything else to say but the predictable give-my-identity-away-and-embarrass-this-dude answer,
"Well, I'm not!"
I saw every light in the attic come on for him as he exclaims, "Ah!" and straightens his posture booking it to the nearest exit.
I almost felt sorry for him and I might have even given him a few pointers on how to use those pick up lines more efficiently if he didn't just completely wig me out. Seriously, just hearing his voice in my head makes my spine tingle.
And don't get me wrong - not every guy who tries to talk to me or even pick me up gets that kind of judgment or reaction from me. (They all get a form of rejection, OBVIOUSLY, but not one so harsh as I deal to 40-ish Year Old Overweight Creepy Bearded Man).
*sigh*
Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.

Baby Bird Blues

2010-05-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today my son, a girlfriend of mine and I were outside playing in the front yard when we noticed our neighbor's dog (which very similarly resembles a child in desperate need of attention from his owners who already give him more than enough), chasing what appeared to be a leaf.

[The dog will be called "Max" from here on out as I feel this name is appropriate for his personality. He maxes us all out of patience here in our quiet little neighborhood.]

Nevertheless, we giggled at the cute little doggie playing and I mumbled under my breath to my friend, "That dog is something else."

The "leaf" bounced and fluttered a few feet from the tree from which it fell coming to rest and then being pounced on again by Max shortly thereafter.

Max didn't play with it necessarily but rather just stood over it waiting for the next breeze to pick it up and try to move it to its next destination just a few feet away.

Up the "leaf" went and there went Max to chasing it.

As it flittered and fluttered this time, I noticed unusual movement...for a leaf.

(It's a good thing I'm so observant. *rolls eyes*)

My girlfriend asked, "Is that a bird?"

"I don't think so?" I replied in question form.

But my friend was right and it didn't take long to come to the horrific realization that the "leaf" was actually an undercover baby birdie fallen from his nest just trying to stay hidden in the grass until his mother could come rescue him. And the little dog with too little too much attention had blown his little birdie cover.

I quickly rushed over but not before Max snatched him up in his mouth and was carrying him away.

As I chased the dog all the while trying to coax him to drop the innocent creature I rounded the corner just to see his owner there watering plants. She looked perplexed as to why I was chasing her pet with hands folded in prayer fashion. I explained what Max had in his mouth and she immediately told him to drop it, to which Max promptly let the little guy fall to the ground and ran off to find another less troublesome toy.

I walked over with my son to survey the damage. Little Birdie Blue was slobbery and shaking and had hopped to a couple rocks and stuck his little baby bird head in between them hoping he was sufficiently hidden from any further attacks.

I scooped him up (I know - a no-no worthy of a head-to-toe shower in anti-bacterial soap and tons of germ training hours had that been one of my children) and carried him back to the tree from which I thought he fell and foolishly hoped the nest was within reasonable reach.

It wasn't.

In fact, I saw no nest at all.

My son decided we should take Little Birdie Blue inside and see if our conure, Steve, would take care of him.

Hmm...worth a shot.

"Steve, meet Little Birdie Blue." I said as I shoved the little guy in Steve's beaked face.

In perfect unison with my offering gesture, our conure leaned back as far away from the little foreigner as was physically possible. I pulled the trembling baby bird closer to me as Steve straightened back up simultaneously. I pet the little birdie so Steve can see I love our visitor and he should, too.

I slowly gave Steve the chance to be sociable again.

The same cold reaction, only this time he squawked something that sounded like "What the heck!" and flew out of the room.

I sighed.

"Garrett go get some bread." (This is the extent of knowledge I have of birds; that birds fly in groups - hence the confusion as to why Steve didn't like the newcomer - and that anytime I throw bread outside, birds eat it. So why shouldn't this little guy love something yummy in his tummy?).

I figured he was cold in our house with the air conditioner going full blast, so I opted to take him outside and feed him under our pergola.

He wasn't hungry.

Garrett asked to eat the bread so as not waste it. "No way, Jose!" and I made him break it up and throw it in the yard, much to his disappointment. I got distracted watching him and the little bird jumped right out of my hands and began a frantic flittering, falling, bouncing, hopping act to get across the yard.

I stood back to watch him and see if he knew where to go so maybe I could find his nest.

I watched him bounce.

Flutter.

Fall.

Hop.

Get pummelled by my cat from out of nowhere!

Garrett nearly sucked all the air out of the southern region of Oklahoma when he gasped from sheer shock.

I was all over that cat like stink on poo! My afternoon had turned into MISSION: Save Little Birdie Blue!

After a frantic dart-and-grab foot race around the yard, I was finally able to catch my feline huntress. I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and shook her gently so she'd let the birdie go. As he fell to the ground, she growled at me in obvious disgruntlement and ran off. I looked at the birdie who was on his back in just-play-dead-mode and once again salivated heavily upon. I seemed to hear him yell, "Oh, the humanity!!"

You're right. You've been through enough today. If you were a cat, you'd be in debt with all your lives, I thought.

So, I opted to release him close by but, hopefully with some kind of feline forcefield considering the 4 of them had the yard flanked on all sides.

So, I went to take him back to his tree.

But Max was still searching for a new toy there.

I looked at the little birdie who was wide-eyed and sticky and decided to leave him in one of my other neighbor's big deep bushes surrounding his mailbox where there was hopefully plenty of cover for my Little Birdie Blue.

I said a little prayer for him and a safe return to his feathered family. About an hour later I heard a lot of bird commotion going on outside. I could just imagine the lecture he got from his mother after the initial hug and kiss upon finding him scarred but safe, no less.

Flittering back to the nest, "Just wait till your father gets home..."

Seashells by the Seashore Party

2010-04-25T17:29:00.001-07:00

I feel like birthdays are a perfect time for showing my kids how much their presence in my life means to me. Because they bring me so much joy and happiness, I try to do this for them not just on their birthdays, but especially on their birthdays! My 10 year old is in love with anything and everything concerning rocks, seashells and things of the natural world. My first thought was, "Oo, I might get off cheap if I went with a rocks theme!" However, I wasn't coming up with any ideas, creatively-speaking, with the rocks bit so I turned my attention to seashells. The ideas started flowing and once I started digging around my house, I had more props and things to use than I had initially thought. So, not only did I come out on top with the creative-side (I think), but I didn't sink my budget either!

She handed out these invites to the girls at school. So easy to make and very inexpensive. Cellophane bag filled with sand (clearance item at Target...$4 for a huge tub of it. I used it throughout the whole party for different things and still have 90% of it left). I printed the invites on shimmery cream-colored cardstock which said "Abby is having a Day on the Beach birthday party at her house. 'Shell' be so happy to 'sea' you!" Then, I included the date and an RSVP number, but no address. This ensured the parents had to call me to get directions and this allowed me to get the name of the girls who were attending so I could put their monogram on their favor boxes (shown at the end of this post). I hot glued the paper to the shell base (it was the same length as the bottom of the shell so it fit perfectly). The large seashells I got at Hobby Lobby for $.50 each. I tied the bag closed with coral-colored ribbon and a silver fish charm ($.25 each). The whole invite cost me about $1. I had moms calling me just to tell me how cute the invite was even though their daughter wouldn't be able to attend the party. lol!

I decorated the dining room, which has always been the room that gets decorated for birthday parties. Old habits die hard, I guess. I hung seafoam green sheer ribbon and cream-colored pearl strands (both half off at Hobby Lobby) from the chandelier. The table was covered in a cream plastic tablecloth and ran an irridescent wrapping paper runner along the lenth of it. I then laid blue pearl strands along the length of the table as well. I had some glass candle holders that were beachy-looking that I added to the tablescape.

Each place setting had a large clear dinner plate and a smaller dessert plate. I set out silver buckets with sand in the bottom and placed their plastic stemwear inside along with cocktail party sticks I made using small wooden skewers (which ended up being like a $.01 each!) with a seashell or starfish I hotglued to the top. The silver plasticwear was wrapped in a cream-colored napkin and tied with the same seafoam green ribbon which I then glued a small starfish to. So simple and so effective for the overall look of the party!

Closer look at the place setting. I love how the irridescent paper just sparkled all day!

The cake!! Ok, so I'm no master cake maker and it's a good thing I didn't decide that was a love of mine that I wanted to pursue because I would've failed miserably at it!

This was supposed to be a 3-layer cake but for some odd reason, despite no difference in the way I cooked the individual layers, the middle medium-sized layer crumbled all to pieces when I popped it out of the pan. *frowning* However, the 2 layers still ended up being plenty for the girls. I made seashells from molds of white and peanut butter melting chocolate. I made coral from leftover white chocolate by piping it onto parchment paper and letting it harden in the fridge then popping it off and keeping it in an airtight container in the fridge. I sprinkled the entire cake, all the seashells and coral with edible pearl dust to add a measure of sparkle to the cake. It turned out beautiful, I think! I set it on top of a silver cake stand (which was really a silver drum-shaped potpourri holder from my Christmas stuff that I cleaned out and turned upside-down because I couldn't find my real wedding cake stand. lol!).

The luscious food buffet. I do LOVE a food buffet!

We had goldfish, swedish fish, keylime cookies and more chocolate seashells...

...there was blue Hawaiian Punch set on top of a cake stand filled with seashells and sand...

...and the shrimp cocktail was a hit! Glad I bought plenty. (This was the most expensive thing about the party. But well worth it since not a morsel was left.) I also served saltwater taffy and seasalt caramels.

Here we have shell pasta stuffed with tuna salad and I drizzled an alfredo sauce over it. I'll admit, the girls were not as excited about eating it as I had hoped they would be. But once one girl tried it and commented on how good they were, they all ate it up. *Whew!*

This was an idea I found online (don't remember where, sorry!). I put blue jello in a clear mini trifle cup and added a little swedish fish, let it set up in the fridge then, just before serving I added crushed graham crackers for the seashore sand and whipped cream for the ocean waves. So easy and so fun to look at!

From left to right: Molly, Julia, Riley, Haley, Abby (the birthday girl), Maddie and Daphne.

The birthday cake all lit up and ready for wishing!

For the activity, I gave each of the girls a paper mache frame (again, half off at Hobby Lobby) and a mini bottle of Elmer's glue ($1.27 ea), printed off some colorful ocean clipart and set out 2 packages of Pixie Sticks ($1 each and we only used one package). They traced the images in the glue and poured the pixie stick powder over it to make sand art to frame. I have never seen a quieter bunch of girls in my life! For 30 minutes, these girls did nothing but paint and glue and sprinkle hardly saying anything other than, "Please pass the purple paint." They loved it!

Painting their frames.

Time to open presents!!

One of the gifts her friends gave her. She was dared to wear it to school.

Mom, said no. lol!

These little favor boxes (by Martha Stewart) were a steal! I got them half off at TJ Max and the silver letters were an even greater deal, also on clearance. I filled them with bubbles and swedish fish. They were also allowed to take their cocktail picks and napkin rings which fit perfectly inside these. All in all these cost me about $2 each.

A look at the favor box opened. There's a perfect spot to write Thank You on the flap, but I had already found little cream-colored cards with scalloped edges that I decorated with sea-themed stickers. (Those cost about $1 each).

I hope you enjoyed this party (through pictures) as much as I enjoyed preparing it for my daughter and her friends and sharing it with you all!

It was a "Those Days" kind of morning...

2010-04-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I had another one of "those days" yesterday. It seems like I have these days a bit more frequently than most people. I try to be positive and shove the little rain cloud in another direction.
That lasts about an hour.

I was doing some simple take-my-time grocery shopping, like I always do on Mondays, and picked up a package of shortbread cookies to look at the nutritional info on the back. I was holding the package securely (or so I led myself foolishly to believe) and would you believe those cookies did a somersault out of my hand?!
Of course you wouldn't.
You weren't there to see it.
But I'm not lying; the thing leapt from my hand and I must have looked like a complete nincompoop reaching and grabbing, fumbling over my own fingers (which had obviously morphed into a form of butter) for these cookies which were trying to spontaneously sprout wings and escape.
And it seemed like 10 minutes of the eternal hourglass slipped away as people passed gawking and giggling.
You could've charge admission to stand there and watch me perform my magical little juggling routine.
I can hear them comment now between gasping oos and awes:
"How does she do that?"
"She makes it look so easy!"
"I'm so glad we came today or we would have missed this!"
But alas, gravity stole the show and down tumbled the shortbread cookies onto the floor.
The crowd disappated in a nonclimactic shuffle of feet.
I picked up the package of cookies, which now sounded an awful lot like my crushed ego and placed them neatly back on the shelf.
(Of course I did!...I wasn't ever going to buy them. I was just curious about the nutritional info. Don't judge me, you've done the same thing.)

Moving on with my shopping, it seemed every corner I rounded there was an old lady or little kid just standing there. And after apologizing profusely for nearly mowing them down, I get stared at.
No, "It's ok, sweety."
No, "These aisles are so crowded anyway. Don't worry about it."
It's like they saw straight through me and knew I had no right being out in public today. I was a safety hazard to society.
So, upon arrival home (and not quite safe yet as I still have to make it in the house and put all my groceries away), I must have startled my greyhound because she knocked over the candle I had left burning spraying hot wax over a 3 foot diamter span of my hardwood floors. I watched helplessly as the pink wax began to harden. Piper looked sheepishly towards the backdoor for her escape into the refugee camp. I sighed and told her that I was the bad girl today for leaving the candle burning unattended.
Making my final trek back inside with apples and milk and carefully/prayerfully stepping over the wax swamp that was now my foyer, I began putting away all I had bought.
Eggs...success!
Gallon of milk...check!
Bread...not smashed!
Thing were looking up. So, I guess that's where I let my guard down.
Opening the bag of apples and tipping them into a large white bowl on my kitchen table should be fairly simple.
You'd think I'd get at least half in, right? Ah, but you have forgotten what day it is!
It is one of THOSE days and getting half the bag in is not allowed.
Apples bounced from table to chair to floor and all it seemed my brain knew how to do was reach and grab at apples randomly as they bounced back up to grabbing height. It was as if I had switched into Cartoon Network mode saying in a deep ditzy tone of voice, "Which way did he go, George? Which way did he go?", looking from one apple to the next.
I finally gave up and just closed my eyes until I no longer heard thumping or rolling noises, then surveyed the damage. 5 apples down: 2 seriously wounded, 2 in critical condition and 1 fatality.
The fatality was dissected then, donated for hunger research.

I wanted to go to bed. I wanted to just wrap myself in a little cocoon and hibernate till I emerged a more useful human being for the day. But no, I still had one more thing to do.
Mission: DINNER FOR 8.
This is pretty nonclamactic as the only upheaval was that I dropped pineapple slices on the floor; not once, not twice, not even 3 times, but 5 - FIVE! - times on the floor.
No, I did not feed those to my guests. Those were victims of 4-legged scavengers hoping and praying for some morsel to be sacrificed on their behalf.
But still, I was cooking with a little invisible force field around me motioning to kids to leave the room slowly. It took me an extra hour to cook because I took the glass measuring cups from the cupboards extra cautiously. I sliced the meat as precisely as possible. I warmed and cooked things in the microwave, but then stood back from it just in case the rumors I used to hear about microwaves giving you brain cancer was true, even just for today. I talked myself out of taking random cold showers because I was afraid of spontaneously combusting.
I survived.
And it is a new day...and it has been much better.
(Upon the ending of this post as I proofread it to Mr. Simpleton, he reminded me -through stifled laughter- that I also burnt the rolls for yesterday's dinner. And now you know why I call him Mr. Simpleton.)

Conference Overload: 2010

2010-04-07T06:37:00.001-07:00

Once again, we ventured to Utah for our bi-annual conference. This time we took with us 7 amazing young men and had some even more amazing experiences which I'd like to share with you now.

This blizzard hit on the outskirts of the Utah border and stalled the already very long 25 hour drive to our destination. You could barely see the hand in front of you for a while. So, needless to say traffic was at a standstill.

Welcome to Utah!

Mike actually took his shirt off and "swam" in it. lol!

Nothing to knee deep in about 15 minutes.

The angel Moroni. He stands atop all of our temples and almost always faces east.

Outside the temple doors in a little nook.

This temple is so beautiful to me. It looks like a castle.

The gang.

At the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial building. Too bad the picture is too bright to see the temple in the background.

The First Vision

After watching the Joseph Smith movie. I think I only saw about half of it considering my eyes were so watered up I couldn't see anything.

In an effort to eat a quick lunch before the Saturday afternoon session of Conference we stopped by Wendy's. Ironically, some of Cache's old buddies from California just happened to also be there. What are the odds of that?!

Rushing to conference but not before one more photo op with the temple.

Ok, maybe just one more.

For some, seeing conference in person is a once in a lifetime, if not never in a lifetime, experience. I think we all agree that this was amazing!

Anxiously awaiting the prophet to come in and speak to us.

Mr. Simpleton and I have been truly blessed to go to conference twice now. I hope I never forget the testimony of the Spirit bearing witness to me that Thomas S. Monson truly is a prophet of God.

I just can't help but take pictures of this magnificent place.

After conference. It was over all too soon.

I love how Moroni seems to glow in this shot thanks to the light from the setting sun.

LOOK!!! It's one of my favorite artists, Liz Lemon Swindel live and in person in the Deseret Bookstore!

Her work is so amazing and so life-like. We have several of her pieces.

I took this shot and the next from the Roof restaurant where I ate dinner waiting on the boys to get out of the priesthood session.

The hustle and bustle after the conclusion of the priesthood session Saturday night.

Meet Matt. He's the coolest guy ever. His wife, Jenny, is the coolest gal ever! They opened up their beautiful home to 7 teenage boys and 2 extra adults so we could come see conference without any added expense of a hotel room. They even fed us breakfast (pancakes for 8 men? We might as well be speaking in multiples of 100 here, folks!) And a BIG shout out to Alex and Isaac for giving up their comfortable beds and sharing a room together. You guys rock!

Mr. Simpleton and Chris Williams, who just happened to be there as well. We also ran into the Newsome family that used to live in Durant. We saw Brother and Sister Newsome, Sami, Emi and her husband, Garrett or Ford (or both, I can't remember, it was so crazy). We also ran into the Hiatt family from the Sherman ward there. Cache ran into his friends from Cali. It's amazing how many people make the journey to see such a special event which only comes every 6 months. So cool.

The whole gang from Durant just before the departure for their 25 hour trek home: (from left to right) Caulder, Sean, Brady, Mike (in the back), Junior, Cache, McKean, Jonathan, Marshall, Bishop and Mark.

Little Boy Blue's Midnight Stroll

2010-04-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago while I was in bed reading, my son came walking down the hall towards me. His bedroom door leads out and straight down the hall to my bedroom door. It was nearly midnight and I thought his train departed for Dreamland hours ago. So, I was surprised to see him up. Thinking he must have either had a bad dream or felt the urge to visit the bathroom, I asked him what was wrong.
He shoved his hands clumsily into his pockets and shook his head. He does this when he doesn't want to talk about whatever is bothering him.
"Is everything ok, buddy?" I asked.
Again, I got the same jerky shake of the head and shrug of the shoulders. His face was pinkish on one side and there were the distinct lines of a pillow playdate on his face. His hair was stuck up on the right side and slightly wet from the warm perspiration of a deep comfortable sleep with too many blankets.
He stood there staring at the floor and I wasn't sure if he was truly awake or not.
"Do you need to go to the restroom?" I asked. No reply. Just staring. He tried to scratch his nose with his shoulder.
I concluded he was asleep.
"Hey buddy, I think you're sleepwalking. Let's go back to bed, ok", and I began to get up to help him with the treacherous journey by foot back to Dreamland. With hands still shoved deep into the abyss of his pockets he zig-zaggedly walks towards me. I sit back down not sure what to expect as he climbs on the bed collapsing on my belly and lays his head on my chest. Almost instantly he is snoring.
I giggled under my breath while I stroked his hair back into place and wondered why they ever have to grow up at all.

"Le Pastiche"

2010-04-05T05:55:00.000-07:00

In french, Le Pastiche means "a collection of artwork". I've had this vision of owning my own little store that houses all of my creative endeavors and just recently took the first few steps up the Hill of Trial and Error to see how it works out. I rented a mini booth in a little catch-all store downtown called Bremar's. I was given a couple shelves and told to decorate how I wanted.

What you see below is a glimpse into my vision.

Below are some glittery houses I made to look like the cool vintage ones you see for a fortune online. Also pictured is a Pail of Posies with the words "wish", "dream" and "love" planted inside.

Here we have some handmade gift tags and mixed media art.

The blue thing in the background with yellow tabs sticking out is an original Paper Bag Album. It's a scrapbook made from brown paper bags and stuffed full of tags and nooks and crannies, pockets and pullout pages for all of your precious memories to be stored. I do take custom orders, so if you would like one in a particular theme just let me know. The one pictured here is Beach-themed.

Here is a shot of some of the Easter goodies I have mixed in with a few other fun things. A "Bunny Baker" trinket keepsake box, a green glittered egg on a bed of vintage velvet leaves, and "Peeping Chicks" spring egg. The bottle in the back is full of Journal Inspirations - tiny popscicle sticks with some vintage, some modern charms dangling from the end. This could also be used as an excellent ice-breaker game. And last but not least, the pink and silver glittery box up front is a mini jewelry box with a necklace inside. Too cute to describe in words, so go buy and check it out.

Pictured here is a Fairy Dress Mannequin made with pink glitter ribbon, vintage gold wing findings, and vintage velvet leaves from an old millnery. And another pretty keepsake box.

Handmade pomander balls. I can make these in custom colors for your party or wedding. Just give me a week's notice as they do take a while to make.

Another angle of my little space.

This is some of what's left of my unique jewelry line. I'm in the process of making more goodies for you!

And what occasion would be complete without a handmade greeting? Be it Christmas, a birthday or anniversary, Thank You, Get Well or Just Because, I have a card for everyone on your list. Again, don't see a card to fit your fancy, let me know and I'll make one specifically for your taste.

My Fears: Exposed and Explored, but not Exonerated

2010-03-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

I have what's called a "fear of success".
Sounds ridiculous, but it's a genuine fear that halts people from achieving their most desired dreams and goals.
It stems from other fears, such as fear of the unknown, fear of change and fear of ridicule.
Questions flood the mind, "What if this goal is not really what I wanted afterall?", "What if when I accomplish my goal, it's not what others expected of me?", "What if this goal changes the way my family and friends perceive me? What if it changes my family altogether?", "What if after I attain my goal, it's no fun anymore?", "What if..."
And thus, the dream is put on the shelf until a resolution for these questions can be made.
But a resolution is never obtained and the dream does nothing but gather dust.

I worry about these very "what if..." scenarios. I have not followed a few of my dreams for fear it would cause changes that would leave everlasting scars on me or my family.
I had the chance to go sing and dance in Branson, MO for the rest of my life. Think of it, to be on stage doing what I love! Where do I sign?!
But reality set in rather quickly. That would mean my family would be ripped from their comfort zone. My kids would have to find new friends and get used to a new school. My husband would have to start his business over from the ground up. Years of working to get where we are now would be gone for the sake of following my selfish dream. A risk, to say the least.

On a lighter note, I have accomplished one of my goals of becoming an EMT and saving lives. However, after I passed my local course, it took me nearly 2 months to finally sign up for the National Registry test so I could actually get a bona fide job saving lives.
Why?
Because I was afraid of failing the test.
Because I was afraid of passing the test.
I was afraid that if I failed, I'd never be able to face my EMT, Paramedic and Firefighter friends again.
I was afraid that if I passed I'd get a job and one day under the pressure of a medical emergency, forget all my training and accidentally kill someone.

But on the flip side of that coin, I also have deep scars caused from the regrets of not following some of my dreams.
Take the Branson opportunity, for instance. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about it. I mill over two-faced "what if..." questions such as, "What if the kids would have wanted to attend a new school and actually thrived in their new environment?", "What if I had been so successful that Jonathan wouldn't have had to work to start us over?", "What if it's what I was supposed to do - my calling in life, and I missed it?"

Now, as if this whole situation isn't oddly complicated enough, there's another twist.
I also have a fear of failure.
This fear gets its roots from one simple thing...embarrassment.

If I had gone to Branson and failed in my attempts to please a crowd with my so-called talent, what would I tell my family and friends? How could I face them again without turning all the shades of pink and red in the color wheel?
I was going to try out this past weekend for a solo in the choral production of Handel's "Messiah" that I am participating in on the 28th.
But on the morning of the audition I stayed home.
Why?
Because, first and foremost, my husband had been sick and if he was contagious and I auditioned for the solo, made it, and then got sick myself, I would have had to back out last minute and leave someone else to frantically fill my shoes.
But more importantly, because I was afraid I would be told, "Sorry, but it's just not what we're looking for." If I've heard that once, I've heard it a hundred times. Those are the words that have immortalized my own personal failures.

So, it's a sad, vicious cycle; like a mouse on an exercise wheel that can't get off for fear of getting his leg caught in the space between the wheel and the bar and ending up with a mangled appendage.
It's like having an illness, getting the anecdote but then, realizing the anecdote causes cancer.

If it were an equation it would look something like this:
Success (good) = Change (not always good)
So, I don't even try. Which is kind of like failing:
Failure (not always bad) = Embarrassment (bad)

I'm paralyzed.
It seems the kickstand to the cycle would be to overcome my fear of embarrassment and ridicule.
Would that dissolve my fear of failure?
Most likely.
Cancer-free anecdote found.
Now, if only I could find the glass of bottled confidence to wash it down with.

GASP! She Knows!

2010-03-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

Abby lost a tooth yesterday and this is the note I found on my pillow at bedtime:

*sniff*
Another one bites the proverbial "non-believer, too-grown-up-for-that, I-know-it's-you-mom" dust.

From Paris with Love!

2010-02-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

Julia's 8th birthday party. We brought Paris to our house with pink and black colored festivities!

The invitations...

Tender Lemon Cake with Swiss Buttercream icing.
An array of pink goodies to choose from!

Jordan and Presley...

Sara and Carlee...

Pin the Poof on the Poodle!

And the winner is....Jordan Wood! She got it right on!!
And the birthday girl!

Julia and Presley...

Joyeux Anniversaire!

Making her wish...

Can't believe it's been 8 years since she graced my Manic Monday with her sweetness.
Love you, my little cuddle bug!

Julia's Rendition of "I Run To You"

2010-02-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

I smell Blackmail in the future.

Oh, To Be a Child Again!

2010-02-10T18:04:00.001-08:00

My date with a Warrior

2010-02-07T13:31:00.001-08:00

Remember one of my New Year's resolutions to conquer some of my fears? Well, I have taken the first step in doing just that...except that...I'm scared.
Ha! The irony!
Take a look at this crazy insane obstacle course race that I just signed myself and my husband up for in May...

www.warriordash.com

Did you see some of the events?
The Texas Tornado with gale force winds and sand being blasted in your face...What?!
The Breathless Bog where you have to swim through submerged logs...Are you kidding?! (FYI: I'm terrified of drowning.)
The Warrior Roast where you have to leap over a roaring fire...NO WAY?! (FYI: I have a fear of being burned alive.)
It's going to take some mad skills to conquer my fears to be able to compete in this race.
Or the race will conquer my fears and I'll go mad.
I know what you're thinking. I know this not because I have an uncanny ability to read minds, but because I have thought the exact the same things, but obviously not long or hard enough to have gained my senses back in full capacity.

Have I gone insane? Perhaps, but if I've lost touch with reality, so have the other almost 18,000 people who have signed up. So, I'm not completely alone in the world.

How did I lose contact with the part of my brain that controls my logical thought processes? Not sure, but I'm told it has something to do with a gross mutation of the overachiever gene.

And just how much am I going to regret this when it's all over? I don't even want to think about it. I plan on just putting my head down and running without looking up until it's all over. But that may not be the most intelligent decision either.
I'm doomed.
Psyched, but doomed.

"How To Be a Valentine Girl" as explained by Julia Mason

2010-02-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

While getting a head start on making Valentines for my daughter's class, Julia (my 1st grader) came and sat with me in my art studio chatting to me about her day at school. Since she's entered the first grade, she has become quite the Chatty Kathy and leaves no space for interjection from listeners. Eventually, after about 10 minutes, the conversation leads to an episode I will heretofore refer to as "Confessions of a First Grade Valentine Girl".
(The entire conversation is strictly Julia speaking. Believe it or not, this is the condensed version and I don't think she took a breath while she sat cross-legged with her chin propped on a dainty limp hand.)

"Sooo, mom...My friend, umm, she has, like this problem. And she asked me for help since I'm cute and stuff. She was like, 'How do you be a Valentine Girl if a boy asks you?' and I told her that she had to get up in the morning and brush her teeth really good so like her breath doesn't stink, then she had to pick out her clothes and a pretty jacket that matches and shoes that he will like because they like the pretty shoes that sparkle, then you have to brush your hair and like put a bow in it. It might be a good idea if your mom does your hair for you. And like then, you're ready to be a Valentine girl. And Carter and Wyatt, they ALWAYS chase me around the playground and I'm always like, Ugh! when will they quit chasing me? So, I run away screaming and try to hide but they still find me no matter how hard I try. (*At this point, I giggled under my breath.*) And so I asked them why they keep chasing me all the days at school and like, Wyatt said 'Because you're cute.' and I said I knowed that but why? And Carter and Wyatt, they keep asking me to marry them and I keep saying no, except for this one time I said yes because he like kept asking and I thought he maybe'd stop asking if I said yes, but he didn't. So, at lunch, Carter, he's the one I said yes to, like he comes and sits next to me and says 'Since you're going to marry me that means I get to put my arm around you.' and I said 'No! That's gross! Can't you just leave me alone?' and then he said, 'So, you're not going to marry me?' and I said 'No, like can't you read my mind?' "
(*I busted up into full belly laughter for a solid 2 minutes while Julia waited patiently, staring at her nails. Oh, Lord help me with this, my 3rd child...And have mercy on those poor boys' souls.*)

Press 1 for more Cheetos

2010-02-02T18:21:00.001-08:00

You know those automated response systems that you get when you call certain numbers like the credit card company or any and all customer service lines?
They all sound the same with a monotone voice telling you to "Press 1 for this...Press 2 for that... Press 3 for nonsense...Press 4 for the run-around...Press 5 to shoot me...Press 6 to shoot yourself...or press 7 for more options that still won't answer your questions."
Well, I have a similar device mounted on my brain stem that is triggered by certain events...minus the "Press 7 for more options" option.

For instance, while driving the kids to school the other day I took a curve fast enough to persuade an old Cheetos chip to roll out from underneath the seat and reveal itself in all its hair and filth- covered glory. Garrett spotted it immediately and must have heard angels singing as he proclaimed,
"Awesome! A Cheeto!", as if the Cheetos gods had rained blessings down on my son's head.
My unfaltering, automatic, didn't-think-twice, duh! response:
"DON'T EAT IT!"

...because anyone with a 6 year old boy knows that if he had a split second more it would have vanished into the abyss that is a boy's digestive system.

One more plethora of mystery germs diverted!
And the world of Garrett is safe.......at least until the boy wakes up in the morning.

SHE'S HOME!!!

2010-02-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how much being in your own environment can make you feel SO much better. There is something about being surrounded by things that are familiar and comforting to you that seems to make the troubles of the world just melt away.

As of about 9:30 this morning, they discharged Daphne from the hospital and she is already gaining more color in her face and her desire to eat has increased. She doesn't want much, a bite here or a nibble there, but it's something. Here is a photo of the aftermath of her surgery.

We cannot say thank you enough for all the letters, texts, Facebook posts, cards, emails, gifts and prayers that were sent our way. It truly did make all the difference in the world for her. The more her room filled with flowers and teddy bears, blankets and balloons, candy and magazines, letters and cards, the more she would smile and interact with us again. THANK YOU! You have no idea how much your thoughtfulness contributed to a faster recovery.

Maybe she'll be up to making dinner tonight? I'm pooped! ;)

And the Award goes to...!

2010-01-28T20:25:00.001-08:00

It's 10:30 pm.
I'm at home with 3 children minus 1 daughter and a husband.

Don't worry, they're fine.
But I get Worst Mom of the Year Award.

Daphne got to feeling kind of sick after lunch on Tuesday and ended up throwing up in the movie theater that night. We rushed home and got her some pain and fever medicine, which she proceeded to immediately throw up, and then didn't sleep well that night.

We don't have a pediatrician or even a regular family doctor. NOR do we have insurance (a whole other blog topic in and of itself). We very rarely have to go to the doctor because my kids don't get sick that often and when they do it's not for long. I'm not a pill-popper and therefore, when my kids get sick I'm not the kind of mom that rushes out and gets a doctor to prescribe an antibiotic. I believe this is the main reason my children do not become ill, or at least will not be ill for very long, when most of the other children in their class are coming down with all kinds of ugly viruses that keep them down for days on end.

There is a terrible virus going around right now. People have described it as "violent". When Daphne complained all the next day of stomach cramps and was vomiting all day, I assumed it was "The Bug".
So, I didn't take her in (Nomination #1), even though when I asked her about her pains and symptoms they all pointed toward an appendicitis.
I blew it off (Nomination #2) and excused her pain with thoughts like... "My daughter wouldn't have an appendicitis if she has diarrhea, too" or "The pain wouldn't move around like she says it does if it was an appendicitis".

Yesterday, however, her fever broke and she began to feel better (classic sign of a ruptured appendix, by the way. Nomination #3!). She even got up and moved downstairs to watch TV with her siblings, but got sick upon the smell of popcorn and food and went back to bed shortly thereafter.

But this morning, when I forced her to get out of bed and walk around all hunched over, crying and in pain, to eat something, which she immediately threw up, (And the award goes to...!), I decided to take her in.

Daphne had her appendix rupture sometime yesterday (probably when her fever broke) and is in the hospital with Jonathan right now. The infection was mainly contained by the intestines which, oddly enough, folded themselves over the ruptured appendix and contained most of the leaking septic fluid. But because of this, she will probably have a longer recovery period as there was a considerable amount of pus that had hardened and was rotting.

"I'd like to thank myself for being able to achieve this award. It was because of me and me only that I have come this far. Just imagine, I wouldn't be here if I had listened to my gut instincts. I am only a few steps away from becoming the mom who gives her child a stick to bite down on and tells them to suck it up, it's only a broken femur!"
[Waves while exiting stage left.]

But really, the story isn't all bad. She did have a virus which ended up being a blessing in disguise. The virus gave her diarrhea which, had she not had, would have made the pain she was experiencing worse and made the complications with the ruptured appendix more severe. It was because she was able to pass stool around the blockage she already had that her complications did not become dangerous.

Daphne sits in the recovery room, anesthesia wearing off, with her dad watching some boring TV show that she will have no clue was even on by morning. She has a death grip on the cup of ice chips the nurse gave her and if you try to take it away from her she scowls at you. She wiggles her finger and stares at the red light on the finger pulse monitor that seems to mesmerize her. She answers the questions she feels like answering and no more. She's not in any pain right now.

She will be tomorrow.

But for now, here are some pictures of her in recovery.

(Discovering the light on her finger pulse monitor. lol!)

(She would tear up for no reason and when you'd ask if she was ok, she'd act like you were crazy for asking such a question. Poor thing!)
Ready to have you home, babe! See you in the morning!

Self-Portrait Jan. 7th

2010-01-21T07:02:00.001-08:00

...but today I just want to be alone.

Self-Portrait Jan. 6th

2010-01-21T07:01:00.001-08:00

New Year's Resolution Monitor

Self-Portrait Jan. 5th, 2010

2010-01-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

After a hard days' work, chasing after kids, completing mundane chores, etc., I answer to the call of my comfy, cozy bed.

Another Obstacle Hurdled, Another Dream Realized!

2010-01-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

In the past 5 or 6 years I've been on some crazy adventures.
My journey to become an EMT has been the craziest by far!
And I've loved every single heart-pounding, adrenaline-rushing second of it!
Here are some photos from my EMT Graduation Ceremony Jan. 9th, 2010.

Me and my nephew, Andrew.

Graduating 2nd in my class.

And here's to the dream of saving and making a difference in people's lives! All the hard work finally paid off.

Self-Portrait Jan. 4

2010-01-08T13:43:00.001-08:00

I just can't help myself.
It's a struggle for me everyday.

Fairwell

2010-01-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

Talk about a bad day for one little girl.

My daughter, Abby, got a mouse the other day.

That same day, Pacsha, one of our cats decided she wanted a snack and weasled her way into the mouse's cage somehow.

We found the mouse in time, we thought, to save her. She was scared and bleeding on the back of the neck but we cleaned her up and hoped for the best.

2 days passed and we thought she was on the road to recovery, climbing on Abby's arm and eating.

We decided to name her Nip Tuck, to be cute.

But on day 3 she took a turn for the worse and became lethargic and we couldn't keep her warm. Sadly, she passed away last night.

Abby was devastated, to say the least. She thrust her head into my arms and sobbed like I've never seen her sob before.

I cried.

Yes, I cried over a dead mouse, even though it's the order of things.

I cried for Abby.

She loved that little creature of God.

And somehow, I think Nip Tuck knew it.

Our little family has had our fair share of death in 12 years. We've experienced lots of it. Needless to say, our children are no strangers to life's ticking clock.

So, we had a small burial for Nip Tuck this morning.

Few words were said...Julia asked if Nip Tuck ran out of energy.
Indeed, she did, dear. Indeed.

R.I.P. Nip Tuck

Self-Portrait - Jan. 3rd

2010-01-05T14:28:00.001-08:00

Workout was a killer today.

Self-Portrait - Jan. 2nd

2010-01-05T14:15:00.001-08:00

I have things to say, if I could only find the words.

Self-Portrait - Jan. 1st

2010-01-05T14:14:00.001-08:00

January 1st. New Year. Just out of the shower, no make-up. No hair products. Still hiding behind the camera.

Surrounded - The Trilogy of a Tween-ager

2010-01-05T14:05:00.001-08:00

This trio of photos was inspired by a conversation my tween-age daughter and I had the other day.

"Mom, am I fat?" she asked me.

I was stunned.

"No!" I stated adamantly

"All the girls at school say I'm fat and ugly and stupid."

As I watched the tears begin forming in her blue eyes, I searched for something to soothe her battered heart.

"The only opinions in this world that should matter to you is your Heavenly Father's and your dad and I's. We know you from the inside out and know you are full to the brim with beauty and intelligence. Anyone who doesn't see that, is only robbing themselves of a rare human being to have as a friend."

She hugged me.

And the knitting needles knitted tighter.

"There is fun to be done!" Dr. Seuss

2010-01-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Did you ever see the movie, The Bucket List? Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are each diagnosed with illnesses that will end their lives within the year. So, with nothing left to lose, they decide to jump into life with both feet and go on the ride of lifetime to fulfill their list of things to do before they "kick the bucket", so-to-speak. Well, I have my own bucket list that I plan to carry out in full throttle mode (not that I plan on dying any time soon).

Here goes:

1. I want to see the 7 Wonders of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. This includes (click on each Wonder to be redirected to a picture of each one):
The Great Pyramid of Giza, The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, The Temple of Artemis, The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria for the Ancient world and Stonehenge, The Colosseum, Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, The Great Wall of China, The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, Hagia Sophia and the Leaning Tower of Pisa for the Medieval World. I also want to see the other Wonders that have been added to these lists or made into their own list such as the Machu Picchu, The Taj Mahal, Victoria Falls, Aurora Borealis and Christ, The Redeemer.

2. I want to travel to these places (and others), if for nothing else fantastic photographic opportunities:

Ireland,

Scotland,

Sweden,

France,

Australia,

Italy,

and Africa...

3. Write a book about...something. I have plenty of life experiences to write a nonfiction novel and more than enough ideas running around in my cramped head to write a fiction novella of some kind. Who knows, maybe I could turn out to be the next J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer and have my book made into a few successful movies?

4. I want to open my own business. I have an idea that I think would go over well, even in Small Town, America. I want to put it into motion and see it thrive sometime after the kids have all grown and left the house.

5. To see my artwork in an exhibit or magazine or book of some kind.

6. Become fluent in 3 other languages, just for the heck of it. Sign Language, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Hebrew, Mandarin, any of these or others.

7. Write my own song and have it recorded and released one day.

8. Play the lead in a local production.

9. Run a marathon.

10. Participate in a Ballroom Dancing competition.

11. Oktoberfest in Germany.

12. Discover my life's purpose.

13. Learn to be more in tune with nature, creatures and the earth. Feel their energy and aura.

14. Become a Multi-Millionaire and I will start simple, by putting a dollar away everyday then, adding new ideas as I go.

15. I will go back to my roots as a Princess and sleep in a castle one day. ;)

16. I will create a YouTube video or 2 this year.

17. Build a home that is mostly "Green."

18. Go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. See the Ball drop in Time Square on New Year's Eve.

19. Take a self-portrait of myself everyday for a year to record and capture my personal feelings, moods, and physical changes.

20. Learn a new word everyday.

I trust that if you know me, you know that this list will only grow longer and more ambitious as the days and months and years pass, hence hendering me from ever truly accomplishing my list.
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." Helen Keller

Creative Preoccupations

2010-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos that have spawned from the collision of my few free moments of boredom and spontaneous creative expressions. Enjoy!

"Rainbow Umbrella"

"How's the Water?"

"A Little Quiet Time"

"Rocky's Reader"

"Practice Makes Perfect"

"Magic"

"Shades of Julia"

"Straight is the Way"

"Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord"

2010: My Year of Change

2009-12-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

I'm foregoing the usual and overly-typical New Year's Resolutions this year seeing as they usually only survive the first 30 days anyway (if they're lucky). Instead, I'm opting for a month-by-month personalized plan of change. Of course, I want these to be long term goals that will stick, but I also don't want to overburden myself with a dozen resolutions all at once. By incorporating them one at a time like this I'm hoping to accomplish more and feel better about myself come December 2010. Here is my (hopefully not too ambitious) list of changes:

1. Change of heart: I want to be like the real heroes I read about in the scriptures who had "a mighty change of heart" and became the ultimate source of goodness and righteousness. I want to have a knowledge of what is true and become unshakable in my faith and unmovable in my beliefs.

2. Change my plans: In living 3 decades on this earth I have learned one thing and that's that the Lord has a plan for everything and everyone, including me. Once I stop fighting it, then and only then, can I blossom into what He needs me to be.

3. Change my weaknesses into strengths: My desire is to become a woman who is strong both physically and spiritually. I want to change the things that tempt me into things that appall me. And I guess I can't escape some of those typical new year's resolutions no matter how hard I try, because I still want desperately to change my food cravings, (i.e. milk chocolate and caramel fudge baths if I had my choice), and rev my clean eating habit and exercise routine into a turbo-charged lifestyle.

4. Change my personal time table: Because I am so schedule-oriented I find it difficult to veer off from that schedule too far. Therefore, I tend to be the fuddy-dud of the two parental figures in the Mason abode. Plus, I've been so busy this past year that I have sacrificed some precious moments with my number one fans. Those moments can't be brought back, but I can help create new ones!

5. Change my spiritual time table: I won't even delve into the major disappointment that is my temple attendance last year. Let's just say, it wasn't near what it should have been. I vow to go once a month every month, at least.

6. Change my perception: Of others, of myself. I have found myself being more judgmental and even, what I consider, hateful this past year. People who cut me off at the light or in the supermarket got a roll of my eyes or a heavy sigh and a glare from me. People whom I barely know that have judged me wrongly got that same judgment back-tenfold. I found myself saying things like, "Why do I care?" or "Who do they think they are?" or even, "I can't stand him/her". Harsh words, I know...but no more. This is not about being the bigger person in a certain situation, but rather about being the better person in the long run.

7. Change the output in the Bank of Mason: My husband has always been so good at saving money. I have always been so good at spending it. It's a love/hate relationship that usually works against us. This year I plan to contribute to our savings from the entrepreneurships I have ventured out on in 2009, (heaven knows I have plenty to choose from!).

8. Change my desires: My list of wants is a pretty long list. I want to build a home. I want to open a business. I want to travel the world. I want, I want, I want... Well, my list of needs is a fairly decent-sized list, too. I need to help save money, I need to get out of my box and give more service, I need to do better on my visiting teaching, I need to do this, I need to do that. This year, those lists will be condensed and molded into a more practical list of Things Important to Accomplish in Life.

9. Change of mind: I love learning. Anything that seems interesting to me, I'll try at least once. Some of those intellectual curiosities have taken me to places in this life that I would never have traveled to by myself or out of a classroom setting. I wouldn't exchange those experiences for the world and I plan to expand my knowledge base even more in 2010.

10. Change of attitude: In the words of Thomas S. Monson, I will "find joy in [my] journey now". I have so much in life to be thankful for, so much to find joy in. But most of the time I feel like I walk around too tired or groggy and half-dazed or annoyed to be truly happy. Well, that's MY problem and I plan to fix it this year.

11. Change the visitation rights for Aunt Flo: Ok, so this one is a bit off the wall considering the other things that have appeared on my list thus far. But, seriously, her visits get quite annoying. So, this year they will be eliminated via an I-Don't-Care-Just-Rid-Me-Of-This-Nuisance procedure. (Safely, of course).

12. Change my fear of change: No lie, all these things on this list excite and scare me all at once. I have an excitement and ambition unlike no other, but I also fear the unknown. This year I resolve to overcome that and then try one thing I'm absolutely scared to death of. Bungee-jumping, sky-diving, singing for a crowd of about 10,000, whatever. I'll find it and whip it!

Shun the Non-Believer!

2009-12-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

Garrett comes home from school today and informs me in a matter-of-fact tone of voice that one of his classmates, Carlos, does not believe in Santa Claus...

"Well how do you feel about that?" I asked him, and my heart fluttered a little.

After a slight pause for contemplation and an exasperated sigh he replies, "I think Carlos should be put on the naughty list."

Why, yes. Carlos the Grinch SHOULD be put on the naughty list for such a Scrooge-like attitude.
Another year of believing for us! Yea!!

A Lesson in Listening

2009-11-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

We took a little family outing to Sherman this week for some much needed escape time. We ate at Olive Garden then, went to PetCo (where we talked ourselves into buying 3 mice. Hey, even the cats need food storage). Well, we parked halfway in between PetCo and Target because we were going to have to visit Target as well to buy our son a heavy coat for winter.

Upon exiting PetCo my husband says to the kids, "Now, don't get in the car. We're just dropping these things off in the back and then headed to Target." All 4 children obediently respond, "Yes, sir."

Jonathan opens the back door and begins making room for our new pets and all their equipment. I open the front passenger door and Garrett opens the side passenger doors and proceeds to climb in. I turn back to him and say, "Garrett, did you not hear what Daddy said? DON'T get in the car", as I sit down in the seat and shut the car door.

.....

It takes about 20 seconds for me to realize the car is extremely quiet. I look out the window and see 4 pair of little eyes and 1 pair of Daddy eyes staring at me in confused wonderment. My face turns Pope Robe Red and I open my door as fast as I can. I look at the children and sigh, stifling a giggle.
My husband looks at me and in all seriousness says, "Did you not hear what Daddy said?"
We all busted up in to an uproarious laughter.

Touche. Mommy is grounded.

The EMT (Chronic)les

2009-10-29T05:23:00.000-07:00

I am not even working full time at EMS yet. I've only done a few ride-outs and one clinical day.
But I've already experienced several odd characters and even odder situations.

My first contact ever with an emergency situation was during a ride-out while I was writing an article for The Buzz. We responded to a call for a patient stopped on the side of the highway with severe indigestion. When we arrived on scene, the EMT and Paramedic I was with performed their assessment and determined the man was not suffering from indigestion but rather, was having a massive heart attack. We loaded him in the ambulance and I did nothing other than hold this guy's hand and spike his IV bag. Other than that, I stayed out of the way and watched helplessly as this grown man cried like a baby at the relentless torturing pain he was enduring.

Once we got to the hospital and he was given some morphine for the pain he was able to relax and speak without much extra effort. I peeked in his room to check on him and he waved me over to him. I grabbed his hand and smiled.
"Honey," he said, "thank you for all you did to help me."
"It was nothing." I replied knowing I didn't do anything really.
"And honey," he began again and paused to breathe.
"Yes?"
"You've got to be the prettiest damned EMT I've ever seen."
And then he called for a trash can so he could throw up.

Then, once I was helping transport a diabetic patient from the hospital back to his nursing home. We were looking over his room making sure we had gathered all his belongings. I asked him,
"Sir, do you need to take anything with you from this room?"
He glanced around the room and then grabbed my arm startling me and said,
"I'd only take you."
I smiled at him once the look of sheer fear left my face. I had no idea Casanova was still making his rounds.

Cool Camping Party

2009-10-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

So my son turned 6 this past week.
CRAZY, I know!
I wanted to come up with a party that would involve lots of fun activities but without having a bunch of rambunctious little boys all cooped up in a stuffy house. Well, what a better activity than having a camp out?! It was still fairly warm outside so we took it all outdoors and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows on our grill and in our fire pit.

Nice blazing inferno for the children, dad!

*cough* What fun it is *cough* roasting hot dogs. *cough, cough*

Ashley and me. I think we enjoyed the s'mores more than the kids did.

Roasting marshmallows was fun. Few wanted to eat them, they just wanted to roast them and then throw them in the pit and watch them blow up. lol. It was kind of entertaining.

Coloring our camp out backpacks.

Props to a husband who helped to make it all happen by doing such manly things as lighting the fire, operating the grill and handling crowd control.

I was going to make my own camp cake but my oven conveniently went kaput the day before so I had to settle for a Wal-mart clearance cake, (buttercream icing. ICK!). The cake was originally an army theme. So, I took all the army toys off and added the graham cracker tent, the iced sugar cone trees and the pretzel campfire encircled with yogurt covered raisin stones. It was a big hit! 6 candles made the campfire roar!

My little superhero making his big wish. *sniff*

You know momma has to get her birthday kiss in.

Opening the gifts.

This was a gift from his bestest cousin Liam. A picture of the 2 showing their HUGE muscles. It was too cute!

And this was the display of brotherly love afterward. Too cute! (It looks like Liam is choking Garrett but I promise, they were hugging.)

Making homemade trail mix. I lined up leftover pretzels, raisins, gummy worms, coconut, sunflower seeds, nuts, etc. and gave them each a bag to fill with their individualized trail mix snack bag.

This picture just happens to show all girls which I find ironic. All week long Garrett had been asking me, "My party is just for boys, right?" I would reply, "Well, your sisters will be there."
He'd say, "Oh, ok. That's ok, I guess. They can have cake. And you too, Mom. But no other girls, right?" I said, "Well the boys you have invited all have sisters that I'm sure will have to come, buddy." He sighed and reluctantly agreed to their potential presence but not without first proclaiming, "Well, ok. But only the boys will get to play in the tent, right?" I guess when you're surrounded by estrogen on all sides of you at all times and you're as masculine as he is, you beg for some manly birthday time with your bros. lol!

LOL! I thought this was soooo funny!

Everyone with their backpacks and favors. They each got a puppet to make at home, and a little basket filled with a wooden snake, rock bouncy balls, a plastic container with holes on top for catching bugs, a mini flashlight and pop rocks.
Overall, it was probably one of the most successful parties we've thrown. The cake was a hit, the gifts were a hit, and everyone enjoyed themselves to the point of not wanting to leave, adults included!
2 thumbs up!!!

Conversations with a 6 year old...Expanded Edition

2009-10-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

My son was spending the night with my mom this last Friday. He was explaining to my mom that he has a hard time remembering which hand is his right and which one is his left. In an attempt to help my son more easily remember which hand was which she says, "Just remember that the hand you WRITE with is your RIGHT hand. And the one that's LEFT is your LEFT hand."

Garrett thinks that's pretty cool except that he remembers something. "But Nana, I can write with both hands." he says.

"Really??", my mom asks him in wonderment.

"Yes", he begins, "but this hand (pointing to his left) is messier. It's not very smart."

Fright Night is upon us...

2009-10-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome...

Come inside and take a peek at my frightfully fun and fiendish home decor this Halloween season.

This is Belladonna, my witch dog.

Every witch needs the correct ingredients to cast the perfect spell. On my spice rack I have owl egg, scale of dragon, chicken pox, things that go bump in the night, sparkle of moon, wool of bat...
...eye of frog, salted lizard, witch hazel, spider legs, evil powder and lust dust. I also have the remains of the little girl down the lane and a picture of My Pretty, which makes me cackle every time I look at her.

It doesn't really show up in the photo but the back wall is a huge spider web that has some vintage Halloween postcards clipped to it with clothes pins.

And of course, there's Mortimer, the Head Waiter.

I just love this little display!

Looks like something's brewing!

Hope everyone has a Happy Fright Night!!

Bliss

2009-10-09T04:24:00.001-07:00

Me and Mr. Simpleton

Props to Kelly David Sansom who took the time out of his busy schedule to shoot this amazing photo of us! Thank you!!

Spiritual Trippin'!!

2009-10-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my husband and I were able to mark a very important event off of our Bucket List. We saw General Conference LIVE!
And here's the proof:

When we arrived at our hotel, 2 hours late and cold I might add, the receptionist delightfully upgraded our rooms for no reason. Best of all, it was FREE! This was our room. Have you ever seen a 2 story hotel room? Well, I haven't.

This is the view from the 2nd story of our room.

Needless to say, we were pleased with the freebie.

This was our getaway car for the weekend. Again, another steal of a deal.

Isn't she lovely? I wasn't a fan of Cadillacs until this eggplant colored beauty stole my heart.

I just think these buildings are beautiful!

Ye Ol' Tabernacle.

"Then...came Jesus and stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." Luke 20:19

"And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord." Luke 20:21

"...be not faithless, but believing." Luke 20:27

I found it amusing that this is what some people chose to do with their Saturday free time. One day, I truly believe, people will decide to protest against things they actually know a little about.

And as for this guy, here's what I have to say to you, sir...
"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another; if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." Colossians 3:12-15

"Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off; him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer." Psalms 101:5

"...he that uttereth a slander is a fool." Proverbs 10:18

"They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders..." Jeremiah 6:28

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:31-32.

The Conference Center on Friday, before the hustle and bustle.

30,000+ people all heading to see the prophet speak.
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" Matthew 18:20

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. As wonderful as all the talks were, I must admit in full honesty that the thing that touched me the most was hearing the choir sing that beautifully powerful rendition of "Come, Come Ye Saints" LIVE. My eyes were indeed wet, to put it mildly.

Listening to them warm up before conference began.

We emerged spiritually fed and walking on the clouds.

This was the day we left. We stopped by a custard place that some of our friends took us to a couple nights before hoping to stuff our bellies full of the divine treat one more time before we had to go to the airport. Unfortunately, the place was closed. (Go figure, a place of business being closed on Sunday in Utah?!)...

However, the owner was there with his family enjoying a special treat in between conference sessions and saw us trying to get in. He opened the door and the first thing out of his mouth was, "You're not from around here, are you?" lol.
He chuckled and gave us some FREE custard since it was Sunday! AWESOME!

This trip really couldn't have gotten any better!

Oh wait, it just did...

October Buzz Article "Those Without Passion Need Not Apply" by Carissa Mason

2009-10-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

It’s 3 a.m. and a voice echoes through the static of a scanner in a dark room.

“Standby for medical/fire.”

A few seconds later, a loud piercing tone pummels its way through hallways and shut bedroom doors into the ears of sleeping firemen and EMTs.

This sound is what they know as a desperate cry for help and hearts instantly begin to race. Chris Haworth, a Durant Fireman states, “When our alarms go off, someone is losing or has lost something very important to them.” To which Chase Condor quickly adds, “And we may be the only ones who can save it for them.”

To us, as civilians, the men and women who choose to follow a career path that leads them to EMS, Fire Departments, Police Departments and Highway Patrol are our heroes, our lifelines, and even our last hope. But when asked how they feel about being considered a hero, their response is much more meek and humble than their job description. Collin Gordon, a local Firefighter and Paramedic makes the point, “What if the trash man didn’t do what he is paid to do for us? Someone’s got to do it. This is just another job”, and he shrugs his shoulders.

However, they all agree on one thing in regards to their career of choice, whether it be firefighter, police officer, EMT, or highway patrol, “You can’t do this job if you don’t love it. The pay certainly doesn’t keep you coming back. It’s the love of the work you do that kicks you out of bed in the mornings.” John Vietta, another local fireman and EMT says, “Having someone run up to you in public and give you the biggest hug you’ve ever gotten because they recognized you as the one who helped save them or their family member is worth every penny you lack in salary.”

Sacrifices of all kinds, not just monetary, are made in these fields every day. On July 26^th, Dan Lyday was at work at the firehouse. It was his normal shift day. However, it was also his granddaughter’s b-day and he was missing her birthday party. “When your work schedule is 24 hours long at a time, you’re bound to miss meals, holidays, family events, sleep.”

Despite these unpleasant and inconvenient sacrifices, when asked what his favorite part of the job is Terry Courtney, a 13 year paramedic, says “7 a.m. - when I come to work.”

“The job is different everyday”, adds Mindy Gerard. “Working at EMS means I may get to see or treat or deal with something I’ve never seen before. I love that.”

David McCutcheon, an Oklahoma State Trooper, says his favorite part of Highway Patrol is keeping the people in this county safe.

It is a rigorous job that requires someone to work 24 hours at a time or throughout an entire night when most others they know are tucked safely in their beds. Sure, there are days/nights when the tones and pagers are silent. No one needs help. No one needs saving. Those times are overshadowed by others that are filled non-stop with emergency calls. Jay Bergner, 36 year old EMT and firefighter who has been fighting fires since the age of 18 comments, “There are nights when we don’t sleep at all. That can be very dangerous, not only to us and our partner, but to a patient as well.”

The absolute toughest part of the job and what takes the most toll on them, they will all tell you unanimously, is dealing with death. Death of any kind is hard, but especially that of children and infants. John Vietta, a 6’4” 265 lb. self-proclaimed ‘teddy bear’, says of facing death: “It’s always hard. I’m a little soft around the edges and when I’ve dealt with something especially traumatic, you may very well see me sitting on the back of the truck crying after it’s all over.”

It is because of those trying times, the harsh realities hitting so close to home, the moments of sheer joy when a life is saved, the close calls, the tokens of gratitude from individuals who have been touched by these unsung hometown heroes that are what have molded these individuals into who they are today. Trooper Mike Green states simply, “I’ve learned compassion towards others.” While preparing to wash his patrol car one evening before his shift began, an elderly man approached Trooper Green with $3 worth of quarters and said, “Here’s a little token of my appreciation for the work you do. Thank you.” And the gentleman hobbled away. It was a small gesture, but appreciated immensely by the recipient. “It’s those little moments of surprise that make my job great!”

Don’t be fooled if you ever walk into the Fire Station or EMS building here in town and see the crew watching television, or when you see a group of officers or troopers having dinner and cutting up together. They’re not on break for the ump-teenth time. That may have been the only time they’ve been able to sit down all day. Their pagers are always beeping. Their radios are always turned on and tuned in to the quiet static that is their constant reminder that someone is always in need of his or her expertise and is relying on them to be ready and waiting for our emergency calls.

Musings of a Modern Mom

Dr. Shuler this way...

Monster Munchies...

History Whispers From the Past in the Written Word

New 'do!

Pity Party Drunkard

Cruisin' Along in 2010

Kick It, Hit It, Tag It!

The Busy Bee Lifestyle

Say My Name

Freaky Friday Follies

Proof of a Prophet's Life & the Witness of Saints...

Pausing for a fun quiz...

You Are Most at Home in the Kitchen

You Are Most at Home in the Kitchen

Wordless Wednesday: "Youz had milk, but I dranked-ed it all gone."

"Well, there goes $600 out the window!"

Happy Birthday, America!

Alice Adventure SNEAK PEEK!

Bedtime BFFs

Adventures in Accidental Agriculture

Post-it Note Tuesday!

Satirical Saturday: "Creepiness Never was Sexiness"

Rainy Day Craft-a-thon

"I Will Make My Hands Like Those of Galilee"

Wordless Wednesdays: "Never fails..."

Post-it Note Tuesday!

Never French Braid at Breakfast

Lovely Lazy Sunday

Post-it-Note Tuesday

Missed

Summertime Entrepreneurship at its cutest!

Wordless Wednesdays: "There Goes My Life..."

Post It Note Tuesday

And the battle rages on...

Grand Slam Luck

Good Luck

Wordless Wednesday "Good Luck for a Grand Slam"

Adventures in Dating

Clip and Conquer!

What Were They Thinking?

Your typical not-so-typical birthday gift....

LOL! I had no idea...

Delusional Valley: Revisited

Baby Bird Blues

Seashells by the Seashore Party

It was a "Those Days" kind of morning...

Conference Overload: 2010

Little Boy Blue's Midnight Stroll

"Le Pastiche"

My Fears: Exposed and Explored, but not Exonerated

*GASP!* She Knows!

From Paris with Love!

Julia's Rendition of "I Run To You"

Oh, To Be a Child Again!

My date with a Warrior

"How To Be a Valentine Girl" as explained by Julia Mason

Press 1 for more Cheetos

SHE'S HOME!!!

And the Award goes to...!

Self-Portrait Jan. 7th

Self-Portrait Jan. 6th

Self-Portrait Jan. 5th, 2010

Another Obstacle Hurdled, Another Dream Realized!

Self-Portrait Jan. 4

Fairwell

Self-Portrait - Jan. 3rd

Self-Portrait - Jan. 2nd

Self-Portrait - Jan. 1st

Surrounded - The Trilogy of a Tween-ager

"There is fun to be done!" Dr. Seuss

Creative Preoccupations

2010: My Year of Change

Shun the Non-Believer!

A Lesson in Listening

The EMT (Chronic)les

Cool Camping Party

Conversations with a 6 year old...Expanded Edition

Fright Night is upon us...

Bliss

GASP! She Knows!