Good Mail...

The teenager had been waiting the entire week for this good mail to arrive.

He received a very special patriarchal blessing and had been waiting anxiously for the written copy of it to arrive. It was really neat to see his excitement about it.

.

We had tried to teach and prepare him about how special it was going to be for months and weeks leading up to the day, but just couldn't tell how he was taking it all in. When the day arrived, I was worried, he didn't seem to have the reverence I thought he would (or maybe should) as he prepared to receive something so special and personal.

.

Then as the hour approached he finally seemed to have a calm peace about him.

As we drove up to the Patriarch's home in the country, you could tell it was an old family homestead. The spring grass was sooo green, the animals all came to the edge of the fences to see who had arrived. You could tell they didn't get many visitors. The home was so quiet and peaceful and humble. I remember all the feelings I had arriving to the home to receive my own, and then with my husband to receive his, and I want to always remember the feelings I had with my son. Somehow not just the moment, but the whole day felt really special to me.

I was so anxious to hear his reaction afterwards, but like his Dad... he was pretty calm cool and collected about it all! I still wasn't sure how he was going to take it all in, and how it would impact him.

.

Then I began to wonder, if he would reflect on it, and treasure it as I have mine. Well I got my answer the next day... as he asked every single day if it had arrived in the mail.

.

It arrived in good timing, and he has been reading and pondering it ever since.

.

So cool, what a neat milestone in his life. It is such a blessing to watch him grow and develop and I am learning it is all good, even if it is not always exactly as I would have it; or think it should be.

.

He is such a good kid, and an amazing blessing in my life!

I am so full of joy that God has in trusted me with him, even for such a short time.... how do I apply for an extension? I just know the next couple of years just won't be enough!!!

From London with Love...

I just wanted to save this to my blog...

I totally have a heart (hit/viewer) in London!

Thanks Rachel!

Cherishing every moment...

My realization this morning that I might NOT be cherishing every moment...

inspired me to dust off my camera again; I have been horrible at taking pictures lately.

My family was used to me taking a shot, even at ridiculous times that didn't seem significant... but when I look back through my online journal blog... every one of those moments are so precious to me. Big or small, I want to cherish and remember them all.

.

So all soaked up in these mushy feelings... I longed to see my strong silent mysterious man today! So I called him to see if he could take time out for lunch... he is super busy and mostly working right through lunch these days. But he agreed!

So we ran over to the local burger joint... and when I pulled out my camera to get the cute hand written sign of specials in a self portrait of the two of us, he rolls his eyes and says "oh jeez"! The place was filled with all kinds of manly worker types who flock into one of the only places to grab a bite in this tiny town. He is such a good sport! And he hasn't lost that loving feeling and agree to let me take the photo.

.

I left after lunch with him and stopped by the high school and dropped off a surprise in the teenagers golf clubs in the car, so he would find it before his tournament tonight. I forgot to get a picture... I was so busy looking over my shoulder to make sure I wouldn't get caught leaving campus by the principles parking lot guard. But I did take a min. to leave him a good luck note... and I think he will enjoy his surprise.

Food is definitely the way to this kids heart.

.

Cheesy, I know... but it's hard to cherish the moments, without including my favorite people in some way. So this is me cherishing Friday lunch break and my boys.

Change of hats...

I love black and white photography... and I saw these "Spring Hats in Paris" photos on the web. And while I don't love hats, they do remind me of my sister, she loves hats, and has the correct attitude to pull them off, and can have fun with them.

.

So I decided to tell my story with hats today... since she was really my inspiration!

To adjust my attitude, and put on a new hat!

I woke up pondering... what would I DECIDE to do today?

Questioning myself and my ability to accomplish anything I could dream.

Feeling coy and unsure.Knowing there was so much in life for me to see and experience today.
I had a quick chat with my sister, we shared and encouraged each other.
We really have to have more of these conversations... we don't talk enough in our busy lives!I heard her say... I am trying to be "like you" and really cherish the beauty around me... it hit a chord with me. I am so busy worrying about what I am to accomplish, I am accomplishing and cherishing nothing... and then beating myself up about it.


So I need to put on my confidence, grab my camera, and get out there and cherish and LOVE my life today! Put on a new hat!
With grace and humility, of course!

Look out world, here I come!

Yard Work...

I saw this cartoon and had to laugh... and then changed the name.

My teenager would do anything to get out of cleaning up after the dogs.

If he even knew this was an option, he would be doing it!

.

Our yard needs some desperate help... I am not even posting a before picture, it's so bad. We have a small flower bed area in the back yard that used to be so cute, with tulips and roses and a cute little white picket fence behind it.. but now the tree in it has officially died, the white fence clashes with the new tan fence they installed across the back of our property, and over the winter the dogs have turned it into a center arena for a self made race track... around the back side there is no hope of grass coming up and the dirt is even banked up high around the curve now.

.

It's sad, but I have finally convinced my strong silent mysterious man to help me relocate the living plants and dig up the fence (which is probably cemented in the ground... oh fun) and plant grass there.

.

Then my big hopes are to have my raised garden beds build along the back fence.

This will take quite an act at our house; because we have never taken on any yard projects together before.

.

But I am hopeful we can make it look better; and have a more efficient small space than the way it is now.

.

I may just HAVE to get a "before" picture, so when it is all beautiful, I can really appreciate the change, and share it. But I am not posting it until I have something beautiful to look at again!

Can I help?

Spring time around here means...

the crops and grass need water, which means...

the irrigation pumps are all being fired up, which means...

my strong silent mysterious man is really really busy at work...

And as Murphys Law would have it... our local irrigation pump goes out the first day we start it up. So my man is always elected to take a look at it... I have posted about this issue in the past here, and I am sure it won't be the last post either.

.

I went to the pump house with him, to um, help; well more like keep him company and be of a little moral support if he smashes his finger or something??? I don't know? I just wanted to be with him.

.

So while he was "checking capacitors" and using all kinds of other motorous terms I pretended to know what he was talking about by nodding and saying "uhuhmm" once in a while, never having a clue... he finally put me to do some actual work... simple enough... "touch the black wires and then the red wires to that tester laying there, and tell me what it reads"...

I was kind of excited at first to get to help out... but then I asked him if there was any current that might screw up my pacemaker?

.

He rolled his eyes at me, and I was immediately back to being useless again!

(he wasn't mad, and didn't blame me or anything, but I was pretty much useless)

He still hasn't gotten it going yet, he keeps taking parts to work to test them out each day coming up with no answers as to why it isn't running, hoping he won't have to pull out the entire motor... but it isn't looking good. Luckily we just bought it last year, so it is still under warranty. But he will have to recruit some help and some lucky sole will get to crawl down in the dark creepy hole...

"not it"!

There may be a part two to the irrigation pump saga... stay tuned!

I am sure I will be close by and handy so I can irritate everyone by trying to photograph the moments! I haven't been very good at photo taking lately, so I picked a good time to pick it back up again! Grouchy working sweaty faces... yeah!

SPT ~ Gift a total stranger...

NO photo op! I know it totally defeats the purpose of "self portrait Tuesday"...but oh well!

Yesterday I was in the store, with my coupon book in tow... searching for some thrifty deals, and I went down an isle and was captivated by an older lady with a few coupons in her hand seemingly searching for something specific.

.

Reminded by what seems to be a new phase in coupon shopping to the fact that this lady, like my MIL has probably been coupon shopping since before I was born. Not a new concept to her.

.

So I pretended to look for my items; while secretly watching her coming up the isle towards me. When she was close enough to me she looked up and smiled and I asked her if she was finding any good deals? She said she was on the hunt for some salt and baking soda as she showed me the coupon clutched in her hand... so I began to look with her. I know all to well the frustration of trying to hunt down a good deal only to realize they are out of the product, or just not being able to find it in the store.

.

Pretty soon, I spotted the space where the salt should have been, but there was no product on the edge of the shelf. After confirming it was what she was looking for, I crawled down on my knees and spotted three more packages in the very back of the shelf. I reached them and handed them up to her. It wasn't a huge gift to a stranger, but she wouldn't have been able to climb down there and get back up on her own.

.

The real gifts were the information I recd from this stranger... she told me about using the old baking soda from your fridge and dividing it up and pouring it down your drains and disposal with a little vinegar and she said it will bubble up and kill bacteria and food particles and keep your pipes from backing up.

I could have probably used this information prior to "the flood" earlier this month. I always thought it was a waste of money to use baking soda in the fridge and change it out every month like they say on the box... so this is a useful tip to get more use out of it.

.

I also learned; because I am still sporting the remnants of the ugly cold sore... is that L-Lysine wasn't working for me because I was only taking it when I would have a break out! She told me if I take it like a vitamin everyday, I probably won't have any more breakouts! Ahhhh... that's a new slant on the product, I didn't know... makes a big difference!

.

I really enjoyed this lady so much and her smile totally made my day. I probably shouldn't give my mother such a bad time for talking to stangers every where she goes... she probably touches more people that way and I really razz her about it!

Sorry Mom! Keep gifting strangers! It must be a blessing, not a curse!