2011

I have lost track of the date since being out of school. The only thing I am sure of, is Monday morning. Back to school..Blehhh!

I did realize it is time for my annual year of review via facebook statuses.  Boy some of them are hilarious!!  I wish there was a way to put them all on because it could be a book.

I spent my winter break, sleeping and puking....not how I envisioned my long awaited and much needed break, well the sleeping part I did.  I have made plans all week to catch up and meet my good friend Laura, but it has yet to happen.  I am crossing my fingers for today.

My little furry babies have been so happy that I have not left the house since Christmas Day.  In fact one is curled up in my arms right now-------->
She longs for this all day long. Her little head is resting on my arm and moves with me as I type, (which apparently is not really good, I keep having to back space to fix mistakes.)

Two of my other furries are at the groomers, getting beautiful and hairless.  I can groom, but I just hate having hair stuck in places there isn't supposed to be hair, let alone dog hair.



My hope for this new year is to make some big changes!  Especially on the love front... I know he is out there!!

I am planning on doing a swap every month, so if you are interested, please let me know which months you want to participate.  I have an idea of the themes, but if you have a suggestion, please feel free to send it my way. They are way fun when you have a participating partner.  Sometimes you get a dud, but that is how it works. So if you have had a dud partner in the past, please don't let that sway your decision from joining.

 My wish is for all of you to have a wonderful 2012.  Achieve all your goals and dreams, find the love you deserve, fill your home with peace and happiness. Lived  life the way you want to.


Happy New Year!! Stay Safe!!

Ahhh Finally!

I just looked at my posting for this month and it was pretty bad, actually it sucks! But It could be, that I have been concentrating on surviving until winter break started!

Finally, after much pain, anguish and tears, 12 noon hit, I shoved my kid on to the bus, yelled at Fox to move her damn truck and tore out of the parking lot, tires squealing around the corner, leaving everyone in my wake and never looking back or giving that place a second thought!

Ahhh... ten days of absolute freedom!!


I have so much I want to do that I don't even know where to begin. Sleep is on the top of the list. With working two jobs, 7 days a week, the latest I get to sleep is 8:45 am on Saturday only.

I wish I was able to go on a trip of some kind or go to the spa and get a massage. I need to rejuvenate myself so I can go back and have the energy and heart to deal with the little problem child I have in my class as well as the child I work one on one with. Not to mention anything else that will be thrown my way.

I am looking forward to spending time with my family, laughing and having a good time. I am also looking forward to giving my babies the attention they need when I work strange hours. My furry babies...

December Swap

Ok my fun creative ladies, everyone should have sent their November Swap packages out. If you have not, please let me know ASAP!

For December we will be doing a Christmas Stocking Exchange.

Make it fun and as special as you can. I always loved opening my stocking up on Christmas morning and looking at all the goodies inside.

It doesn't have to be sent out until the end of the month, after all the holidays are over.

Sign up now until the 10th and I will send details out as you sign up. Once I close the swap, I will email your partners out. Any questions, ideas or suggestions, let me know. I am always open for new creative ideas!

True Creative Story As Told By My Brother Adam

"Cover your heads people!" My six year old Toby exclaimed as we approached Walmart.

"Prepare for battle". 

This was his war cry as he wrapped the top of his head in his jacket.

"What is the problem?"  I relented as I tried to herd our four kids all under 

10 years old into the tire and lube center.

  
"It's them."  He pointed skyward.  "The pigeons.  Don't scare them. Pigeons 

poop when you scare them.  They can't help it!" 

My eight year old Aiden, was nodding in agreement. "It's true, he's right."

Delaney my two year old added "Ew poop, Ew poop" to anyone; family, 

onlookers, spectators other customers or workers. 

She was a toddler sized FEMA broadcast. 

The customers were obviously split into two groups in front of me. 

Those who have bright, out going children, who speak their minds 

and those who have the same but often hate that they have quite so many.
 

Thanks to PBS kids my sons had become savants  to the pigeon 

gastrointestinal process.

"They're mating"

"They are NOT mating" I declared while I swept my youngest and only girl, 

Delaney aka Princess aka Princess-cuts-a lot (the latter due to her prowess

with a plastic sword, often backing her older brothers in to corners 

with none to playful swipes of a hard plastic blade). 
 

Aiden was still shaking his head, as if to indicate to his brothers how little 

dad really knows about pigeons and their mating habits.  
 

In mid swoop the soda can in my hand got caught up in the momentum 

and a portion flung out on to the ground and on to my ten year old, Lucas.  
 

"What was that?"  Lucas exclaimed, True terror iced his words. 

Luke's body was frozen in fear of foreign urea.  He was checking his dampened 

shirt like a soldier searching for flesh wounds after a fire fight.  
 

"My soda spilled a little Luke" I said.
 

"Oh, thank goodness, I thought it was a pigeon peeing on me."  Apparently,

nothing fills a ten year old boy's nightmares quite like the thought of pigeon 

urine coming in contact with clothing and skin. 

You'd be forever known as the kid who got peed on by pigeons. 

That is a story that does not easily die, that's the stuff of urban legends

and local torment.
 

Delaney looked at his dampened shirt and up at her eldest brother's relieved face. 
 

She pointed and delivered. "Eww poop"
 

Here we are again...

I can't believe we have arrived at the holidays again. It is a little scary how fast the year goes.

It just seems like yesterday, I was 20 years old and driving cross country to move to Minot North Dakota. I lived there for six years before moving on to Utah, which is where I have been for the last 10 1/2 years. I honestly never thought I would live in Utah of all places. But I love it. What I don't like about it is the single life.

I often think what my future holds for me here. The future I have dreamed about for as long as I can remember is getting harder and harder to see. Outside of Utah it isn't unusual for someone my age to still not be married, it fact it is the norm. But inside Utah it is a social foopa. Also inside of Utah, the men here only want trophy wives.

I try to stay positive, that it will work out for me and I can still have the life I have dreamed of for so long. It is getting harder and hard all the time and I worry about it more and more. But I also know what I want and I am not willing to settle.

I love Sugarland. I saw them in concert in August and it was a great concert. So I immediately went out and bought their CD. Now I haven't bought a CD in years. So that tells you how much I like their music. Anyway there is a song called "Every Girl Like Me". Here are the lyrics:



Up in the mornin I'll be your coffee cup
If you drink me down I will fill you up again
And if you don't think that's enough....
I'll be the prize on the back of the cereal box
and the key that you found that you thought that you lost and
I'll be the why to your because

Because I, I, I am not perfect
But I, I, I, I know I'm worth it
And I, I, I gotta believe, there has to be a you
For every girl like me.

I'll be the candy that feels like a firecracker pop
And the toy on the cake with the chocolate top and
and if you look a little closer....
I'll be the steam on the grate as it floats in the air
Or the whisper you made from a secret you shared and
Your favorite song that's never over

Because I, I, I am not perfect
But I, I, I, I know I'm worth it
And I, I, I gotta believe, there has to be a you
For every girl like me.

I like, I like, I like, I like, I like, I like,
Hot french fries and red balloon ties too
Your hoodie hangin down, the street lamp on the corner of a
One way, one way or another gonna get you too
Two times I take another look at the hat in the seat
And the wrapper you found and the flavor beneath of the tootsie pop drop don't stop cause I'll be your favorite
Are you free tonight, stop by if you like, if you might want to
I don't mind, I don't mind
You will see it's me I believe you could be, be the right one you
For every girl like me


So I still keep trying to believe that there is someone for a girl like me.

I am fun, loving, caring. I have a great sense of humor, I love to laugh. I am a really good cook. I am a gorgeous BBW. I have a lot to offer someone!

I am not will to compromise my values because he isn't thinking with the correct brain. There is more to a relationship than the physical side. And there is a time to introduce that in relationship. not the first time we go out.

I truly am thankful that I was raised in the Gospel. I am truly thankful that my parents and aunts and uncles and even my brother and sister-in-law have the kind of marriages they have. I know what I want in a partner.

So to all the guys out there who never gave me a chance, "Your loss! You have missed out being a with a great person!"

About Me

1. What are your hobbies?  Reading, writing, designing, swapping
2. What are your favorite colors? Pink
3. Do you collect anything?  Dragonflies and cupcakes
4. Are you allergic to any fibers or animals? no
5. Do you have any pets? 4 dogs
6. Coffee, Tea, or Chocolate? tea and chocolate
7. What do you like to read? paranormal, motivational
8. Do you prefer Cookies or Candies as a sweet?  both
9. What is your favorite holiday treat? home made candies
10. Describe your favorite holiday tradition.  getting together with the family, cooking all kinds of food, sitting around talking and laughing
11. Did you believe in Santa as a child? yes
12. When do you open presents? Christmas eve
13. Do you put up a tree and when?  If not, how do you celebrate? as close to christmas as possible
14. Does your tree have a theme? sometimes
15. What has been your favorite gift to give?  to receive? I love giving gifts.  Favorite gift was my mac computer and iPad

Ghost Hunting

I can't believe I have not written about my latest ghost hunt.  It was fun to say the least, and when I was all ghost out, I hid under a blanket in the car.

We met Lisa's friend John, who she used to work with and headed out to Blue Creek UT, which is supposed to be an old railroad ghost town.  But one problem with hunting for a ghost town in the dark, chances of find said ghost town, pretty much impossible.  At one point my ghost radar said "waste drive"  And that it was, a wasted drive north. 

It was too early to head back, especially being unsuccessful, so John told us about the Willard/Brigham City Cemetery. AS long as you aren't doing anything bad you can be there after dark.

The cemetery had some really old headstones from the 1800's, so old you could not read some of the engravings.  John had an EMF reader that kept going crazy and had us running around trying to find the source.   I kept seeing a dog (shadow) running amongst the grave sites.  I also saw a man in white walking.

There was one section of the cemetery that was really creepy and felt heavy and dark, while the rest of it felt light and not creepy.

After we spent a couple of hours there, we went to the Indian School, which is an old army hospital from World War II.  It was then turned in to a boarding school for Navajo children. Then became a school for multi-tribal children.  It is rumored that the head master was a sadistic abusive man. You aren't allowed to go in the buildings, but you can walk around on the streets.  Theses buildings are huge and all connected.  I couldn't get out of the car to look around the school, it was very eerie and freaky. But while I sat in the car, the building across from me had a shadow man squatting on the roof, he would get up and go over to the other side and then come back and resume his stance.

We got home around 1:30 in the morning, tired and cold. It was an interesting experience, one that I want to do again.  Anyone interested in going, the next time we go, let me know.

Some of Our Little Witches

Here are a few of the Little Witches I have gotten so far. 

If you haven't sent me a picture of your witch yet, please do it and I will add her to the  post!!

Make sure you check out the new swap for November!!

Swaps--New and Old

So everyone should have received their little witch by now. Unfortunately, I don't think I will get one since I can not get a hold of the person who had me as her partner.  But its not a big deal.  If you have not gotten your little witch yet, email me and I will find out what is going on.

NOW.....

The new swap for  this month is going to be.....

A Hot Chocolate and Tea swap...

The idea is to find different kinds of teas and hot chocolates to send to to your partner as well as a cute mug and several different tuck ins.  Should be easy enough right?  Sign up for this swap starts Nov 2nd to Nov 9th.

What I need from you is...

Name
Address
Phone Number
Email
Facebook or blog name
If you drink black tea or herbal tea or hot chocolate. You can also drink both tea and hot chocolate  :)

Some of my friends are LDS also and don't drink tea.

For December's swap, We are going to do stockings, they can be hand made, or bought and decorated.  I will send more details out at the end of this month.

If you have questions or ideas, let me know.

Little Witch Swap Deadline

Ok ladies, our deadline was yesterday!!  SO let me know if you sent your little witch off!!  Also take pictures and send them to me so I can post it on my blog!!!


Any questions, concerns, ideas, just let me know!!

18 Years Ago...

My grandfather, or "Paw paw " as we all called him, was the sweetest, kindest man ever.  He was a friend to all and everyone liked him.

There were many times my Gram would send me outside to get him and I could never find him because he was in the bushes talking to the neighbor.

He went to all my high school basketball games. Talked to me about going to college.

We would to go to Branson MO. before it was a popular place, to go camping.

During my senior year in high school, I stayed with my grandparents during the week.  When my PawPaw didn't have to work, he would pick me up from school and we would go meet Gram and go to dinner and a movie.

He would sit on our couch and hold my mom's big black 70lb standard poodle in his lap.

One day after he had been going through radiation, he had not had an appetite, I came home with a pumpkin blizzard, I said "Here Pawpaw, try this.  He took a bite and ate the whole thing.

It wasn't too much longer after that day, my hero was gone.

I have so many cherished memories of my time with him.  I was lucky, I had him the longest.

Sometimes it feels as if it were yesterday, other times it feel like forever.

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always

For all eternity,

My Pawpaw you will be.

I love you Pawpaw

Rudolph "Rudy" Mueller Jr.

March 28, 1931 - October 24, 1993

Little Witch Swap

The little witch swap is going well.  Few of the ladies didn't get their partner swap info, but other than that everything is running smoothly.

I am planning on a Christmas swap real soon.  I will let you all know as soon as we wrap up the little witch swap.

If you think you would like to participate in the next swap, drop me a line!!

I will also post pics of all the little witches once I get them.

My Zombie Autumn

On Saturday afternoon at 4:45 pm the door bell rang and I jumped up from the couch, I just knew what was on the other side of the door.  A box....  A box for me.... A box for me from Missouri.... A box for me from Missouri with my Zombie!!

It was wrapped really well, I thought I was going to have to get a knife to cut it open. I ripped and tore at the plastic and tape to finally reveal the sketcher's box.  On top of the box was a folded up letter and a card.

This is what the folded letter said:

Dear Spring,


Thank you so much for taking care of my friend Autumn.


It all started back when Ken decided to spend the weekend with the GI Joe's down the hall.When he returned to the playroom, he was different.  He didn't seem to care about his outfits matching anymore and hardly left the dream house. Then we noticed that Barbie was acting strange. When Autumn went with Barbie one afternoon to try and help her with Ken, she started going through changes. She used to  have beautiful brown hair and blue eyes.  She always dressed so nice and would have never allowed her stuffing to show. Now, it is like she doesn't care at all. We then noticed a couple of the other toys acting the same way. Those of us who haven't gone through the change decided that something had to be done before it was too late. We sent Ken back to live down the hall to live with the GI Joe's, Barbie was sent to Goodwill, and the others are being sent to various homes were there aren't other toys to infect.


Its a big resposibility that you are taking on. Make sure she doesn't have contact with other toys becasue she could infect them.


Thank you and good luck!


Sincerly,
Strawberry Shortcake


Meet Autumn...

I just have to say that I love, I mean LOVE my zombie Autumn!!  I even wanted to take her to school today!! Thanks so much Deanna!!  It was well worth the wait!!

All of my goodies!!!

Thank you again Deanne!!

I Have To Admit...

I have to admit, that I really love putting videos and music together as well as slide shows.  It is especially easy on my Mac Book Pro.  And I have to admit, that my three nephews and little niece are the best video subjects I have.  I have to admit that if it makes my mom and their parents tear up a little bit, then it is a good video.  I have to admit, it really is a passion, a creative way to preserve these memories.

I hope you enjoy this video, it could probably use a little more work, but to those of us that it matters to, it is perfect.

I have to admit...

Little Witch Swap Rules

Ok, so everyone has her partner now.  So here are the rules...

1. Please make you little witch a minimum of 8 inches tall.
2. She can be made anyway you want.
3. Make sure you include a note of some sort introducing you to your secret partner,  at least 3 tuck ins and some goodies.  If your partner has special circumstances, I already emailed those to you.
4. When you mail your package, send it priority mail, you know the boxes you get form the post office that you can fill as full as you want for one price.  I found that the large box works just fine.  You will need a tracking number also. SO I think the total for this size box with tracking is $15.65. If your partner is local, if you want to deliver it, then by all means do so.
5. If for some reason you can't send your little witch on time, let me know.
6. Please email me the tracking number so I have it as well.

Thanks Ladies!!

Happy Little Witch making!!

New Swap--Little Witch---

I have decided to do a swap. I had so much fun doing the Zombie Swap, I think she needs a friend.  So here are the details...

Please send to springjoyk@hotmail.com

Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email Address:

Are you a good witch or are you a bad witch?

What kind of treats do you like?

Your little Witch can be a turned  doll or any kind of medium you want.
You need to have a blog of some kind.
Each little witch needs to have at least three cutesy tuck-ins--

I will email your partner to you.

Sign up by October 7th and ship by October 25th.

Grab  Little Witch button for your blog, just right click and save as...

Zombies!!

I posted the pictures of my Zombie!!  She is so dang cute!!  I can not wait to receive my Zombie!!

Yummy Cilantro Lime RIce

Its really easy to make and tastes so dang good!!

2 cups of rice
4 cups of water

This is what feeds my family, so if you need more, cook more.

Cook rice until the water is gone, then add

chicken bouillon- to taste
Lime juice to taste
chopped cilantro

Mix and serve! 

Check out my Sister-in-law's Blog Sarahrella After Midnight: A herd(?) of donkeys

Sarahrella After Midnight: A herd(?) of donkeys: I went up to Utah from Arizona to get an entire trailer of beds, dressers,(most importantly my sewing machine and SOME of my fabric horde). ...

Ooo Oooo Yumm...Gooey Butter Cake-- A St. Louis Tradition

Taken from Wikipedia...

Gooey butter cake is a type of cake traditionally made in the U.S. city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is generally served as a type of coffee cake and not as a dessert cake. There are two distinct variants of the gooey butter. There is a bakers gooey butter and a cream cheese and yellow cake mix variant. It is believed to have originated in the 1930s.




The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission includes a recipe for the cake on its website, calling it "one of St. Louis' popular, quirky foods"; the recipe calls for a bottom layer of butter and yellow cake, and a top layer made from eggs, cream cheese, and in this case almond extract. The cake is dusted with confectioner's sugar before being served.


A legend about the cake's origin is included in Saint Louis Days...Saint Louis Nights a cookbook published in the mid-1990s by the Junior League of St. Louis. The cake was supposedly first made by accident in the 1930s by a St. Louis-area German American baker who was trying to make regular cake batter but reversed the proportions of sugar and flour.

John Hoffman was the owner of the bakery where the mistake was made. The real story is there are two types of butter "smears" used in a bakery. A gooey butter and a deep butter. The deep butter was used for deep butter coffee cakes. The gooey butter was used as an adhesive for things like danish rolls and stolens. The gooey butter was smeared across the surface, then the item was placed in coconut, peanuts, crumbs or whatever was desired so they would stick to the product.

John hired a new baker that was supposed to make deep butter cakes, but got the two butter smears mixed up. The mistake wasn't caught until after the cakes came out of the proof box. Rather than throw them away, John went ahead and baked them up. They sold so well, John kept producing them and soon, so did the other bakers around St. Louis.

Ozenkoski's Bakery and the Panera Bread Company (original name: St. Louis Bread Company) make danish with a gooey butter filling.

GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,166,156182-248196,00.html Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 1 pkg. yellow cake mix 1 stick (1/2 c.) butter 1 egg Mix together cake mix (just the mix, not the other ingredients called for on the box) with butter and 1 egg. Pat into an ungreased 9x13 inch cake pan. GOOEY BUTTER: 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened 2 eggs 1 (1 lb.) box confectioners' sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Cream together cream cheese, 2 eggs, powdered sugar and vanilla. Pour over cake mixture, spreading to the edges.Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.

Butterfly Award

My good friend Laura, nominated my blog for this award!!  Thank you so much!!1  This totally made my day!!

To keep this award I have to answer the following questions:

1. Name your favorite color.  Pink
2. Name your favorite song. Stuck Like Glue-- Sugarland
3. Name your favorite dessert. Farr's Chocolate Chip Ice cream
4. What wizzes you off at the moment. People who keep dogs outside in a kennel
5. Your favorite pet. Trinket (RIP) Tilly(RIP) Kitty (RIP) Brandy(RIP) Dovie (RIP), Taffy(RIP) Vivie, Chloe, Maddie, Alice
6. Black or white?  black
7. Your biggest fear?  never getting married
8. Best feature?  dimples
9. Everyday attitude?  Love Life
10. What is perfection?  My niece and nephews
11. Guilty pleasure? hmmmm
12. When you are upset you....? Hold it in

Now I need to nominate another blog. 

Shabby and Frills--- My momma's blog!!  She has so many funny stories to tell...shabbyandfrills.blogspot.com

9/11/2001---10 Years Later, Least We Forget...

As I sit and watch the many channels replaying the life changing 102 minutes and I read the blog posts of all my fellow bloggers, I feel as if I need to join them all and write of the nightmare our country suffered through. And even though the horrific moments were thousands of miles away, it still rattled me to the core.

I, just like many of the American people, still remember where and what I was doing.

It was a typical work day, my alarm went off and I heard the morning show on KULL 93 that all planes had been grounded. I quickly got up and ran upstairs to where my Aunt and Gram stood in awe at the site of the bellowing smoke in the New York skyline.

My brother was supposed to be flying back to Minot.

"Lori, something has happened..."

"We've been attacked"

I stood there in shock and watched like my family and the rest of the United States.

Some how, I managed to get ready for work.

At the time, I was grooming dogs. We had a tv in the shop and every chance we had, we were watching the continuous footage.

Of course for me and everyone I knew, life went on. I still prayed they would find survivors.

I often think of what it was like, what if I had been in the Twin Towers...  And I can not comprehend what it was like in New York.

Have we as a nation have become complacent? Have we let our guard down? The answer is YES, we have. We don't think it will happen again.

We receive 1000's of threats a day. So its not a matter of IF, but a matter of when.

So I am not going to complain about the extra time it takes me to get through the airport, or the fact that people who are not citizens need to carry their proper and legal docs with them, or that if law enforcement asks to see the paper work, I am not going to scream that its unfair.

Hey if we were in another country, we would be required to carry our passport. So what is the difference?

I show my support to the men and women who go out everyday risking their lives to protect our boarders, who risk their lives to rescue and assure our safety.

I will not forget!

Zombies!

I am so excited!!  I signed up for this Zombie Doll swap.  You get a partner and find out what she likes then, you make a zombie doll that you will send to her with a bunch of fun stuff tucked in the package. 

My mom and I went to the DI the other night and raided the dolls...

I found the best doll to "zombify"  I have her hair done, and now I need to work on her face details and clothes! She is going to be so cute!!!  I  am even picking a name out for her!!

I will post pictures later after the swap is complete!!

My nephews and niece should be walking in the door any minute now. They have been gone for 3 months and I miss them so much!!  So I am sitting here in 3rd hour watching the time drag on, of course this is the longest hour...it runs 1 hour and 5 min when the rest of the classes run 40 min.

 Ok, so I must admit, I do like working with the teacher I am with. She is fun and just as sarcastic and crazy as I am. And the heat wave is over for now,  it is cooler in the school...finally! 

My First Week Back In Jr. High....Not Something I Ever Wanted To Re-live

I have been trying to think about what to post. And then it came to me....

My first week back in Jr. High.

I wonder if the kids were such little jerks when I was in Jr. High some 20+ years ago as they are today. Now granted, they are better than the horrible 6th graders from last year, but then again it is a much bigger school and you change classes every 40 or so minutes.

So the school is a much older school, like there is no A/C old. And of course we had to start back to school during the hottest, and I do mean the hottest week of summer. We hit triple digits for the first time all summer.

Now you know it is hot, when as soon as you walk through the doors a wave of hot air hits you and it is cooler outside than in.

Or when somebody just arrives and says "I am sweating already."

Or the conversations around the school with the faculty some what go like this...

1st: So how is it going?
2nd: it's hot
1st: I know, do you like it here?
2nd: is it always this hot?
1st: usually. How are you doing?
2nd: I'm hot.

And these are daily conversations. I try to think back to when I was in school, how the heck did we survive the heat? Oh wait, we didn't start school until after labor day!! And if it did get too hot or too cold for that matter, school was canceled!

Anyway, I work in a class that has 2 completely deaf kids and 5 deaf kids who can hear.

I work with one of the kids who is completely deaf.

One teeny tiny problem...

I only know enough sign to say go to the bathroom and to wash the table off.

Now how does that work you say...

I bought a sign language book and I am reading every page starting in the A's. Right now I am in the E's. I am slowly picking up the signs and the teacher I work with will show me signs if I ask.

So the first week,aside from being HOT, is over...only 176 days left.

Anyway this is what my day usually consists of

7:15-7:20 get to school, put my crap away and then talk with the classroom teacher.

7:35-7:40ish get kids off the bus and head to first hour, usually chasing my kid in the electric wheel chair around in circles, trying to get her to go to her class.

7:50-8:30 1st hour Health....we all remember what health class was...Sex Ed. Yes sex education with 8th graders...what a fun time.

8:35-9:10 2nd hour Home Ec, but now they call it something else like domestic goddess science or some garbage like that. I call it foods class, even though it's not all cooking.

9:15-10 3rd hour either it's science or English, I don't know which, but we are back in my classroom and I can sit and study my sign language book.

10ish to sometime 4th hour it's either English or science, I still don't know which and at this point it feels as if the day will never end and I am going to die in my corner, behind my desk, over my sign language book. And I take my break in a really hot room they have give to USDB to use.

5th hour is 7th and 8th grade math then lunch, which is so much fun since I have to sit in the lunch room with 50 million Tweens and teens. Oh did I mention,that it is also hot in there? Well it is.

6th hour is History. Now it wouldn't be too bad in here, except then teacher closes the door!!! There are no windows, it's another cave classroom. I sweat more in this class than I do ALL DAY combined.

7th hour is fun finish homework, get my kid to cooperate study hall.

Then it is out to the bus, making sure she doesn't mow down any of the clueless in a world of their own students and she doesn't get flatten as a pancake my a big diesel f350 or a bus.

Once that has been completed, I drag myself up 30 steps to my hot hot hot car, praying the fan is still working and go home, listening to Sugarland Incredible Machine along way, racing towards my nice not just cool, but cold dark house and a shower, just to get ready and do it all over again tomorrow.

Why?

I just want to scream!  I want to scream that it isn't fair!  I want to scream, why???  Why did a 15 year old boy have to die?  I know our Father in Heaven has plans for us, and I know that our choices always have a consequence. But I just want to know why he had to be the one.

My long time friends lost their oldest son yesterday.  He made a choice.  The details are still a little sketchy and are from a family member, who unfortunately doesn't live close.  She is just passing on what she has been told.

I find my thoughts going back to the news and it makes me cry, my heart hurt and realize how fragile life is.

I know there is a reason things happen. But I still have to ask why.

I can't imagine what his mother and father are going through.  I NEVER want to know what they are going through.

Getting a phone call that your child is gone. Not believing what you are hearing. You can't stand, you sink to the floor screaming. Its not supposed to happen this way.  You shouldn't have to think about making the final arrangements for your child.

I pray for my friends, I pray for the three younger brothers, that they can make it through this time of sorrow.  I pray that they remember they have a Heavenly Father to turn to for comfort. I pray they find peace and the pain eases. I pray that they remember the good times.

I pray.

Rest in Peace Hayden Almer  March 3, 1996 to August 18,2011

What Are You Going To Do?

Do you ever wonder what kind of affect or even effect you have on some body else's life? We all touch other people's lives in ways we will never know. Sometimes you don't even know the person.

In the book, The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom, Eddie's first meeting in Heaven takes him back to the days of his youth, playing at Ruby Pier as a young boy. Running to retrieve a ball thrown into the street one day, he stepped in front of a car, causing the driver to swerve and crash. In Heaven, it is revealed that the driver was “The Blue Man,” or Joseph Corvelzchik. As a young man, embarrassed by incontinence, Joseph had resorted to a primitive medicinal measure — drinking silver nitrate. This caused his skin to turn blue and lost him his job. Eventually he found employment at Ruby Pier, where he was considered as the best freak in the entire show. The Blue Man explains that when Eddie retrieved his ball from the street, the sudden stop had given him a heart attack. While he harbors no ill will toward Eddie for this, they are connected to each other in Heaven because Eddie affected his life from that point on.    (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five_People_You_Meet_in_Heaven)


Have you ever wondered, if you were to leave this earth, would you be remembered?

Would you be remembered for your charachter?  Your Kindness?  Your Honesty?

Or would people come to your funeral and remember you for the moment and after the last shovel of dirt was placed, forget all about you?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

So many of us take for granted the life we have been given.  We don't so anything with it.

We think of the all the would ofs, could ofs and should ofs that we forget to live.

We don't dance to the music.  We let our sleeping giants sleep.

Too many times, we dimminish our own light as well as the light of others.

So I ask you today...
 

What are you going to do?  Wake your giant or let her sleep your life away? How will you be remembered?


I maybe here for a shortwhile, gone tomorrow into oblivion or until the days come to take me away. But, in whatever part I play, I will be remembered as part of a legacy...of sharing dreams and changing humanity for the better. It's that legacy that never dies

Rock Hounding

I looked in total amazement at the view from the top of a million or more year old volcanic rock.  Vast openness, to what used to be the ocean but now has turned in to desert. My aunt shows me a teeny tiny seashell she found, which proves the ocean theory. 

Utah is a great place for rock hounding. When it rains, it washes more stones to the surface.

We found topaz, sun stone, and obsidian.  I look at them and wonder how many millions of years old they are.

Its hot but a nice breeze.  We head over to Topaz mountain which is where I have been waiting to go.  I love topaz.  But first we stop at an abandoned mine in the side of the mountain. Its really neat and cool. We are walking along the tunnel and you can see sun light at the end. We look close at everything, trying to figure out what they were mining here.  Topaz.  There is vein of topaz right above our heads. I shine the light on it and it sparkles. We also found a funny purple kind of rock that is dense, not sure what it is but its pretty.

But we were not the only ones in the tunnel...

I Forgot...

I forgot what it takes to get enrolled in college again.  Tests, filling out papers, more tests, sending transcripts...and to top it off, if I want my transcript from my previous college, I have to pay them another 5 freaking dollars!!

I mean really, I already paid you $28,000...  Good grief!!

So we are down to the last six days of camp...

For the last day, I came up with an idea of having a mini carnival for the kids.  With prizes, candy snow cones, the works...

I was looking at Oriental Trading Company, and found really cool prizes and at a pretty reasonable price.  Only one problem though, $9.99 for shipping and it is estimated to be here the 22 of August.

One small problem, school starts August 22.

So now its back to the drawing board, to find cool things, all the while saving money.  Good Luck to me...

Happy Birthday Grammy!

Today would have been my Gram's 79th birthday.  She has been gone for over 8 years.  Its hard to believe.  It feels as if it were a life time ago.

I wasn't there when she died.  She was in North Dakota and I was in Utah.  It was March.  It was Thanksgiving when I last saw her, I was staying with her and my youngest brother while my parents were in Cancun.

As I said good-bye to her, before leaving for the airport, I knew it would be the last time I would ever see her.  It hurt my heart.  I had so many good memories, so many adventures with her. 

The night she died, I was laying in my bed, just starting to fall asleep, I hadn't even shut the light off yet.  I felt a cool breeze and smelled grapefruit.  I knew it it was my Gram.  It smelled like her body spray she always wore.  15 minutes later, I felt the breeze and smelled the body spray again.

You see, I was having a hard time because I didn't go home to see her, I knew that I was going to have to take time off for her funeral. 

I missed her so much.

My brother happened to get a pass come home, he was getting ready to deploy to Iraq for the first wave of Desert Shield.

The week we  had my Gram's funeral was crazy, Adam left for war, Sarah gave birth to my nephew Aiden on March 20th and then we had to drive back to Utah, but right before we left to drive back to Utah, I ended up in the hospital have heart palpitations.

I know my Gram wasn't always easy to live with, but she was good to me.

I miss her....

Happy Birthday Gram!

Maybe I Am Crazy....

I am sitting here finishing my last calendar for the summer.  What the...?  How is it that there is only 2 weeks left?  I just can't believe it.

It has really been an easy and fast summer.  I have decided that I am going to go back to school to get my bachelor's in Special Ed K-12.   What the....?  Am I really going to add to my $25,000 student loan?  Heck yes I am, but the cool thing is, I can have it done in less than 2 years. Its work at your own pace, all online, and only $2980 every term, which is a 6 month term.  Who would have thought!  Plus...if I finish a class before the 6 month term is over, then I can take more classes with out any additional charges.   Are you kidding me?  No I am not!

I have had several people tell me I should go back and get my teaching degree...  I have resisted...for a long time.  I was originally going to teach High School English and coach girls basketball.  Well now I can't wait to see what kind of opportunities this opens for me.

Who knows maybe I will still be able to coach...

Yeah... after I lose weight.... Not going to be running up and down the court otherwise....

So I am still waiting to see if I am going back to USDB or sticking with Rise....Its looking like USDB...   I don't want to go back...

I Was Strong Enough

The other day, I was in the pool bathroom and as I stood at the sink washing my hands, I happened to look in the mirror next to me and looked in to the face of my ex-best friend's sister.  We said hello and exchange pleasantries and then she asked me what I was doing for work.  We didn't talk but a few moments and then went our separate ways. I have to say, I did not even ask about her sister, even though in my head I was wondering about her.

The truth of the matter is, I do miss her and I wonder about her all the time.  I wonder if she feels the same way. But from reading her blogs, she may have moved on.

Which is the way it is supposed to be. Since I was the one who put the final end to our friendship.

You see, we had a very complicated relationship.  We really did fit together.  We completed each other.  We accomplished a lot together.  We had fun. We laughed and people looked up to us.  We had dreams.

But then there was drama and the final straw was after our trip to Vegas when she invited her real "best friend".

I'll just call the "real Best friend"  KDB.  For those of you who know what it means, no snickering, ok go ahead and laugh. It really is funny!!!   :-)

 KDB was the down fall for the whole trip, she complained and made my friend drive back to St. George instead of staying in Vegas as originally planned.

So the rest of us, who did stay in Vegas as planned, stayed and played a little longer.  Needless to say, she had a miserable weekend and then wouldn't talk to me anymore.

I never knew why. I tried to find out why but she wouldn't answer me.  So I thought I would give her time.  But then she de-friended me and our other friends on facebook and I knew.

So I wrote her an email and told her to never contact me again, that I had had enough of her drams filled friendship.

She is still friends with KDB and  in fact they stayed in Vegas together.  I am still trying to figure that one out. I don't know what KDB has over her, but even though I supported her 100%, KDB always won.

But it still doesn't matter, I miss her.  And if she contacted me, I would at least take a moment and answer her back.

If she is reading this... well I hope she is anyway...

Happy

"Sometimes you have to give up the life you planned to find the life that is waiting for you"

There comes a time in life when you walk away from all the pointless drama and people who create it...and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus on the good.

Life is too short to be anything but happy.

Seminar

Every year at this time, I think of all the hundreds of thousands of women who are finding the perfect evening gown, then packing and heading to Dallas Texas for the annual Mary Kay Seminar.  I used to be one of them.

It is a celebration of the Consultants, Sales Directors and National Sales Directors achievements for the year.

Seminar was so much fun!! There are classes, dinners, music, dancing, fun and the biggest best night of all...the Awards night, which was like Miss America and the Emmys all rolled in to one.  It is the last night of the 4 day event.  The Mary Kay Company does this 5 times through out July and August.

Every Year!!

Day 0

Get your packet with all your ribbons you earned, then go on the factory and Mary Kay tours.  Usually it was your Area Awards Night.

Day 1

Opening Session...Meet all the NSDs, Friends of Tyme preformances  Usually a luncheon that was earned for recruiting.   After it is all over then it you had your Unit awards night.

Day 2

Classes all day  then it was time to get all primped and pretty and dressed up for the long awaited Awards Night....

Day 3

Closing Session and head home...

And of course this is all done in 100* and 100% humidity, wearing black skirts, White shirts, hose and heels if you were a consultant, or the gorgeous director's suits...

But I think the best part of the whole trip, is the fun you have with your pink sisters.  I have so many fun memories. Of course my first year was the best and most memorable. 

Oh, Did  I mention....And NO SLEEP?

So to any of my MK sisters...  Follow your dreams!  I know you will do it!!

Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try.
Mary Kay Ash 

How Can It Be...

How can it already be July 11?   I don't ever remember the summer moving this fast.  Do you?  Oh wait maybe it did since we are all adults now...

With summer flying so fast, that means school will be starting...again.  I am not sure I am ready for all that just yet.  I am loving my job and they are trying to find a way to keep me, but I will only stay if I can keep making what I am right now. Otherwise it will be back to USD.  Now don't get me wrong I love working with the deaf kids.  They are so much fun and I love them all.  But I am tired of having to worry about having a job or not. This usually happens in January when the state legislation goes in to session and tries to fix the budget  by cutting it in education.  This time it was to legalize aerial cake fireworks. (Hmm, still trying to figure out that one...) It just gets old after a while.

So now I am trying to decide... Rise or USD?  Its all going to depend on who shows me the money!!

Is It Me Or Is It Utah?

I was at summer program today, talking to one of the girls who is over 30 and just married in the last 3 years.  And of course we were talking about being single and over 30.  I was telling her that I fell like the Church had just left the over 30 singles out in the middle of nowhere. If I am not good enough to be married in a timely manner like everyone else then I am not worth the time. There isn't any place for me to go. I am too old for the young single adult wards and nothing applies to me in the family wards. Where do I go?  What do I do?

So...I just don't anymore...

What do you do when you do meet someone and your family or friends says "Well what's wrong with him?" I start thinking 'Do they think the same thing about me too?'

I can't seem to stress enough that this question should never ever come out of anyone's mouth.

I am hard enough on myself, wondering what is wrong with me, why am I not good enough  for someone to love?

Why is it when I am trying my hardest to live and do the right thing, here I sit still alone and unwanted?

I Am So Grateful...

I have been thinking a lot about my friends in Minot North Dakota and the what they are going through. I have been trying to see pictures of the flood to get an idea of how bad it is. But when I hear that some of my friends have had to evacuate, I know it is bad.  One of the houses I lived in, faced the river, which was right across the street from us.  So I am pretty sure it is under water or at least partially under water.  It is sad because people are losing everything.  They have had some warning, but it was much shorter than anticipated.

I have been truly blessed in my life to have never experienced these things. I only have my Heavenly Father to thank.  Now don't get me wrong, I have experienced plenty of trials in my life, and still continue to.

Summer is going by fast... Its hard to believe the 4th of July is in 1 and 1/2 weeks...  Wow where has June gone?  I am busy with Summer Program, coming up with ideas to do with my kids in the community.  Swimming and splash pad is beginning to top the list.  One is free and the other isn't LOL!!  The sun is definitely free!


Tomorrow is payday.  My first BIG pay check for playing in the sun, something just doesn't seem right about this picture, but I am not complaining.  I am grateful to have a job I love doing and that gives me the satisfaction of making a difference in someone else's life.

How Did I Get Here?

Whoa!!  Can it possibly be June already??  Where the heck did the time go?  The family is gone.  They left for St. Louis for the last month and then on to the desert.  I miss them terribly!!  The house is so quiet, sometimes I am not sure what to do.  My sister, (I have now dropped the in-law,) and I have become very close. We had so much fun together.  We did all kinds of fun things like go out to the piano bar in downtown SLC.  It is definitely really quiet. 

We have also moved.  Started looking at houses in February and  spent three months looking for the right house.  The house we finally chose, is small, or so it seemed before the furniture got in there. But it isn't as bad as I first thought. We looked at it about 4 or 5 times, so there was something there.

School quickly came to an end and with the possibility of not having a job in the fall again.  I am really getting sick of it.

So now here we are and it is summer.  I am back at summer camp as the camp lead.  I love it!!  Plus it is good money!!

Today I went hunting and found pink topaz!!  SO fun!!!

Another Year

Another year has passed... Sigh.

The biggest highlight of my birthday, aside from the awesome dinner my sister-in-law made, was all the birthday wishes from my many friends I have met over the years.  From the time I was a little school age girl until today. The messages start rolling in pretty early.  I think by the end of the night I had over 50 messages.  I tried to respond back to them all, but it became a little tough.

There was still one thing missing and even though it is a good thing that it is missing, I still had a little bit of sadness.  My used to be friend.  We always did cool things for our birthdays.

I think of her now and then, and wonder if she even cares that our friendship is over, I mean after all, she chose to end it first (over something another friend of hers did)  and then I ended it permanently.
But we all have our times in someone else's life.

So now I need to decide what I am going to accomplish this year.  I want to make it a great year, the best yet.

Oh I have a few hopes, but I can't accomplish those myself.  So I will work on the ones I can do myself.

1.  New car with better financing.

2. A job that realizes my potential and my worth....aka: a better paying job

3.  More friends to go out with.  I have a few, but I need more.

4.  To be happy while making changes in my life.

I have thought long and hard about my life and the direction it is going in.  I don't like it, so I am going to change it.

IF IT IS TO BE.... IT'S UP TO ME!!!!

Where Am I?

The last 6 weeks have been, to say the least very eventful.  We had 3 trips to the ER,  2 resulting in  hospital stays,  a 2 year old birthday weekend, a skunk killing in the middle of the afternoon, on the front porch and last not to mention the yelling, screaming,  and lots of loud cartoons and video games,  Then the loads upon loads of laundry and so much chicken, my dad says he cannot eat another piece!!

The kids are finally able to get outside and play, it is still muddy, but warming up.


I have to keep reminding myself to keep the bathroom door locked, if I don't want to scar my nephews, (who do not know how to knock)  for life.  They are good boys but its is rough on them not having their daddy around.

Then there is the Princess, who if things aren't going her way, her answer is to scream,  throw things, tear things up, and last night she tore the clothes out of her closet and went to sleep AFTER she took her WET diaper off and threw it over the baby gate in to the hallway.  My sister-in-law found her asleep in her bed with her little butt cheeks hanging out.  It was classic!

 I love my family, I really do, but sometimes it is a little overwhelming and exhausting. From the time I get home, I am on the go until I get in to bed, and even then I am up a couple of times before finally settling down.

Sometimes, I feel like I have no escape.  No where to hide from it all.  I have found myself not rushing home after school, just for a few extra me time minutes.

Unfortunately, I have plenty of time to think, reflect and become depressed of where my life is going.

17 years ago... or is it 18?  Anyway years ago, when I was getting ready for graduation day, if you had asked where I saw myself in 5, 10 17 or 18 years, I would  have  replied with:

Married- to my loving and devoting eternal companion
A mommy a half dozen awesome babies
A nice house
A career
a few good friends

I used to imagine myself sitting in Sacrament meeting with my husband's arm around me, and on my disappearing lap from my pregnant belly,  a 3 year old looking at a quiet book.

But here I am today, I am about a week away from my 30-something birthday, living with my family because I barely make enough money to pay rent, let alone utilities, food or a car payment and alone.  No eternal companion, no half a dozen babies.  (A few dogs who do love me unconditionally)  And a job that I like, but doesn't offer benefits or a future.

A few good friends?  Yep!!

Happy Single's Day

Yes, it is the every single unattached person's nightmare aside from a wedding.

That's right, It is Valentine's Day...again.

Recently, I am going to call him an acquaintance from high school, made contact with me and we began talking and just being friends.  He would text me in the morning when he got home from his job that was a grocery truck un-loader in Ferguson.

Now mind you he has issues....lots of them.

But I was just being a friend and listening ear.  I invited him to come visit, just to give him a chance to get out of Ferguson, and  to see Utah.  He won't commit, he has all kinds of excuses, but he continues to make the plans.  Finally when the deadline was coming to get the cheaper ticket, he gets a DUI.  (One of his issues.)  And of course I was not holding my breath because I was getting all kinds of stories.  And it was fine that he wasn't coming, because life in my house was getting ready to change.  So I went on with my life and continued to text and talk with him.

Then suddenly he grew quiet.  I tried texting him, calling him. But not one answer.  I tried once a week.

And then on Tuesday afternoon, I get a text from him that says "Leave me alone, don't talk to me or contact me again. I am in a serious relationship."  Of course my response was from shock, "What the hell did I do, FRIEND?"  He says "Just leave me alone and don't contact me again. I'm sorry"  Now I am pissed.  So I tell him to F off and "I sure hope she can deal with your self pity drunkenness." He thinks he can get me by saying " F you. I hope you eat yourself as big as a blimp."  I laugh, this does not bother me in the least bit.  Me: " That didn't hurt.  At least I know how to live." And then the girlfriend steps in and I just wish her luck.

Because she is going to need it.

He has wallowed in self-pity, drunkenness, I-am-the-victim mentality since his wife left him over 10 years ago.  He hasn't had any kind of significant relationship since that time. He hasn't improved his life in any way.  I guess he should go eat worms.... oops sorry, my dad would sing that to us, when we were little ans whining about nobody liking us.

I have worked hard over the years to change myself. To be happy with the hand I am holding right now, but I am always drawing new cards.  It is not easy, believe me.  I still have my days.  I am facing a hard hand now on the eve of my next birthday.

Valentine's Day is STUPID!

I don't need Valentine' day to know I am special or that I matter in someone's life.  I see it everyday when one of my students understands the concept I just taught them, or when my little dogs all run to my room, knowing it is time for snuggling in bed.  Or when my nephews and niece run and greet me as I walk in the door.

I don't need Valentine's day let someone know I love them.   I let them know everyday of the year.  Its by the little things that we do for each other.

And I DON'T NEED a man.

I never said I didn't want one....LOL!


So my many readers (lol)  Happy Single's Day!!!

Freedom...

What has 3 adults, 4 children, 2 dogs, a trailer and is packed full?

For the last 10 days I have had a personal freedom.  Oh, I still went to work and took care of my animals.  But my family has been in Texas helping my brother and his family pack up their belongings so they can move to Utah for six months. I have loved being home by myself.  I could do what I wanted, I ate what I wanted to (this usually isn't a problem.)  I got to stay home with my dogs or I went out with friends.  I went to the Sundance Film Festival, had friends over, did laundry, cooked, watched TV, fought with my internet company.

Now with just hours left until they return, I have a few things to get done.  Do I want to do these things?  No.  These are things I HAVE to do before they are home.

Damn, it was good while it lasted.


The answer to the riddle?  My family stuffed in a van, traveling from Dallas Texas to Utah.

Out Of Control Biological Clock

And damn if my hiccups haven't started along with the ambien.

Back to this ticking time bomb, it is actually called my biological clock that is ticking and I mean ticking really loud.  I am surprised you all are not hearing it!

It is bad....really bad.  So bad that I am looking in to options and considering things my Bishop and Mother would not approve of.  Would God be that mean and keep me from having children even though I have not found a decent guy with the same values and beliefs.

I have longed to be a mother since I was a little girl.  I played with babies dolls, not Barbie dolls. I took care of all the babies in the ward and my cousins.  To this day  I would do anything for my cousin's babies, my nephews and niece.

So now the question remains, HOW DO I STOP THE CLOCK???????