Practice what you preach . . . .

I am constantly telling my children to THINK about the consequences of their actions before they act . . . . .

Being a woman, I can blame my actions on PMS, or Menopause, or just being a middle-aged woman.  Recently, I had to eat humble pie for my actions . . . . I need to THINK, THINK, THINK before I act.

So here's the thing.  We used to have a lovely music store here, one that catered to people who needed MUSIC.  In the last couple of years, it has gone through new ownership, and finally has disappeared from the face of the earth.  All of the prior services were moved to a new location, with a promise of the same service and old products . . . .

NOT!!!

Every time I went into that store I could see they were slowing getting out of the sheet-music business.  SOOOooo, a couple of weeks ago, I went in there with a list of about 7 books that I needed and only could get one of them . . . . . . Oh my GOSH!  I gave that poor girl standing at the counter a WHAT FOR and asked her to pass it on to those who were in the powers-that-be!  Not only THAT, but I called her back on the telephone and got the name of the owner . . . . promptly sat down and wrote him a scathing letter~~put a stamp on it~~ and sent it. 

I never once thought . . . .

1.  They are the only show in town where I can get my books . . . . (okay, there is one more, but his shop is like a Sanford and Son affair)

2.  I had them order my books.

3.  I would have to go back and get those books!!!

4.  I'd have to deal with an official apology over the phone from the poor young man in charge of stocking the books.

Humble-pie day came.  My books came in.  I needed to actually go in the store and pick them up.  The store door seemed super heavy as I pushed it open to eat my pie . . .  WOW!  Every person in there knew me by name . . . . yes, Mrs. Stevens . . . . no, Mrs. Stevens . . . . . crimany, I wanted a paper bag for my head!  Don't you hate it when you feel patronized?  Only time will tell whether or not my letter helps to improve the stock on the shelves!! 

I've suffered my consequences, hopefully the next time I need books their door won't seem so heavy and the air so thick in that store! . . . . .

I am wounded

Oh! Why didn't I notice this before???  One of my babies is injured!!!!  My beautiful Japenese Maple that I have raised from a twig (a $35 twig).  I chose it for it's shape . . . . I chose it for it's price.  You cannot believe what a Japanese Maple the size of mine costs (and it really isn't that big now!).  It must have been damaged in the snow storm.  Even though it is injured it still looks so beautiful.  It is all leafed out and in it's splendor. 

I was walking by it today, and not one but TWO of its branches are splintered down to almost just bark holding it together.  I am amazed that those branches haven't died . . . . any ideas on how to repair this baby of mine???

Oh!  The poor thing!!!

Looking at it from this direction you wouldn't know anything was wrong with it :(

My soap box

The other day on TV I saw a commercial (looked like a Disney commercial) that stated that a child should be in a booster seat in a car until they reach the height of 4'9".  I don't know why these laws bug me so much, but they do.  I know some adults that aren't 4'9" (in fact several of them).  Does this mean that they will sit in a booster seat for the rest of their lives?  Does my 8th grader need a booster seat?  GET REAL!  I'm not going to say how long he hasn't worn this kind of contraption, or I might be led off to the state pen.  I plead the 5th!  Every state has a different guideline (for once the federal government hasn't stepped in, which is a plus!!!).  Here is the guideline given by some sort of pediatric foundation (thankfully this is not Maryland state law, Maryland uses the word "or" instead of "and" a HUGE difference) - - "A booster seat should be used until the child is 8 years old, 4'9" in height, and 80 lbs."  WOW, I think my son only completes one of those attributes because of his age! 

Why does the government think they need to legislate everything!  Salt . . . . trans fat . . . . . light bulbs . . . . . car seats . . . . . in our state, you can't even warm up your car in the morning.  If you turn it on and leave it for a few minutes, you've broken the law.  Come on people!  I don't think you can step out your door without breaking some law (maybe you have to put your left foot out before your right foot or some foolish thing like that)  I'm going to stop saying we live in a free country . . . . because dang!  I don't feel free.

Okay . . . . stepping off the soap box now . . . . . until the next time!!!!

Wonderful Weekend

You know how some people have posts that are "Wordless Wednesday" or "Thankful Thursday" or "Flashback Friday"?  Well I should have one called "Wonderful Weekend!"  Now that the weather is nice we get the urge to go and DO something!  The weekends are so awesome because most of the time it is the only time we can spend together.  Here is what we did . . . .

1.  Friday - - an important day for me.  I had my 1-year follow-up and final appointment with my surgeon.  Everything is "holding up" okay!!!  (pun intended)!!!  YEAH!!!

2.  Friday night - - Lincoln has been salivating over some lettuce wraps that he had at P.F. Chang's on one of his TDYs.  We decided to travel to Annapolis and to P.F. Changs so the rest of us could give them a try.  There was an hour wait to get into the restaurant and it was fun to sit outdoors watching people and enjoying the fantastic weather.  The lettuce wraps were yummy and so was the rest of the food.  The best part was being with my two men! 

3.  Saturday . . . . Lincoln wanted to go see an art show, but ME . . . . . I wanted to do yard work!  I enjoy the yard but there are some things that Lincoln must do for me.  All morning we fertilized, pulled another 11 bags of yard waste off the yard, (those trees just keep producing "stuff") got the cars washed, mold washed off of the house (an ever present battle) and blew some more "tree stuff" off the roof of the house.  You wouldn't believe all the pollen we've been seeing this last 2 weeks.  Everything was GREEN!  There is a placard on one of the local car washes that says "green is NOT the color of your car!"

4.  In the afternoon, Lincoln was off to another TDY, and I decided that McKay and I were going to visit my mom and dad and my sister Trudy and her family.  So I called to make sure they were home.  Stopped and got a 20 piece chicken bucket, and headed to their house.  LOVE IT!!!  Family is awesome!

5.  We had my nephew, Noah over for a sleep-over.  That kid could be a comedian.  He has a funny way of telling stories!!  So cute!!! 

6.  Church was good . . . . . and then we had a fireside to prepare for the upcoming youth trek, where I passed Noah off to his mother. 

All in all a GREAT weekend . . . . . wonder what the next one has in store???   :)

Our Weekend

We had a "divide-and-conquer" kind of a weekend. Well, REALLY, I wasn't invited to go with my men . . . . . but the divide part is right on. I did my thing, they did theirs.

A couple of months ago, McKay and fellow scouters Lawry and Thomas were elected into the "order of the arrow." Only McKay and Lawry were able to go. Lincoln and Lawry's dad attended also. The camp-out was Friday night and all day Saturday. McKay had no idea that this camp-out was what they call "the ordeal." He and the other scouters spent the night under the stars and then the next day in doing service for the forest service. From Friday night until Saturday late, they were to not speak a single word unless spoken to by a leader. It was meant to be a time of service and reflection for the boys. Lincoln took the camera with him and was able to get some great pictures.

This is Camp Merrick on the Potomac River.

At the end of the day, Lincoln was able to see McKay (he hadn't seen him since the night before) and so he took a picture. The boys had just read a booklet that their leaders had given them and then they were told to sit and contemplate it. If you think about it . . . . . how often does a young boy like this get this kind of opportunity. Their lives are so filled with the noise of television, video games, music and other hustle and bustle.

Lawry and McKay receiving their membership into "The Order of the Arrow." They will wear these white sashes on their scouting uniforms.

I know that when McKay was elected to this he was anxious about this whole thing. He really didn't want to do it. He seemed to have a good experience so all is well! He is the first of my boys to do this. They (the scouts) have a great leader right now (Lawry's dad) and are getting A LOT done. McKay is only a couple of merit badges and an eagle project away from being an Eagle scout and he isn't quite 14 yet. AMAZING!

I, on the otherhand, had a totally different weekend. On Friday I went to a play at Thomas Stone High School. A piano student of mine was in the play, or else I would have stayed home and read a book! During the intermission I saw an old friend and we got to talking. The conversation turned to politics, and she asked me if I had ever been to a "tea party." To make a long story short . . . . . I ended up going to one this weekend.

The play was "HONK!" It was cute and had a good message . . . . it was a comedy/musical/ugly duckling story.

Lincoln had the camera and so these aren't from the tea party I went to. It was a lot of fun to listen to the different speakers and read the signs that people had. I really appreciate Michelle taking me to this. It was down on Solomon's island. BEAUTIFUL day, and beautiful scenery. It was right on the board-walk on the river where the Patuxent river meets the Chesapeake Bay. We had lunch on the pier after the Rally.

One of the highlights of the day was to meet and hear the Repulican candidate that is trying to unseat Steny Hoyer in Congress. Charles Lollar is his name . . . . . he seems like a great guy. In Maryland it would be quite an accomplishment to get a republican in congress. This guy is sharp! He'll be getting my vote!

It was a great day . . . . THANKS MICHELLE!

Extra! Extra!

Halley made the news!  The Deseret News!  Do you see her in this photo?  When we were in Salt Lake I noticed ads for this concert on the city buses.  I had no idea my daughter was performing in this:  The Utah Symphony Chorus rehearses Giuseppe Verdi's "Requiem" for its upcoming concert.

COOL!

My Poor Caboose

I call children that are born several years after their siblings "cabooses."  You know, the last car on a train???

Our Poor Caboose!  Yesterday, while watching a neighborhood family set up an Easter egg hunt, my husband and I and my caboose were reminiscing about the Easter egg hunts of the past.  My three older children may remember participating in these events, and McKay does remember one of them.  I have fallen down on the job of keeping him up-to-date with the commercialness of this holiday.  Saturday, late afternoon, I went and took care of the Easter bunny stuff, but it TOTALLY slipped my mind to buy eggs and coloring.  Easter morning, I got up and boiled the six eggs we had.  Lincoln and I ate 4 of them and put 2 plain white ones in his Easter basket!!  Oh SHAME!  He is almost 14, BUT I know my other kids enjoyed this ritual into their late teens.  Our tradition is to color eggs on Saturday and then the Easter bunny will hide all the eggs in the house, and the kids find them in the morning.  None of that this year!! :(    :) 

I need to get back on the ball!  One child is worth the bother . . . . parents of an only child surely would think so wouldn't they???  (although I don't feel too badly, most of our religious holidays have been hijacked anyhow!!)

Hope you all had a happy Easter!

The P word

Yesterday during conference, Elder Holland's talk got me thinking seriously (although this is a constant worry/thought in my mind) about Internet filters for our computers.  Having raised three children who are now in their early 20's and still having one child at home in his teens~~I know the tragedies of the Internet and the P-word.  (I don't mind using the REAL word~~I just don't want Google searchers to find it on my blog, in case you were wondering!)  Today I picked up an LDS Living magazine and saw an ad for a very intriguing product.  I have tried a couple of Internet content filters before and they slow your computer WAY DOWN!  The bad thing about these programs that you install on your computers are that they can be un-installed very easily, and that is what, unfortunately has happened in my household. 

Go check out this site http://www.pandorashope.com/.  They have figured out a way to filter ALL the computers in your home using an Internet router, instead of a program that you install on your computer.  I, for one, am giving it a try!  I have already have purchased it, and can't wait to see how it performs.  I, myself, have been exposed to "P" while I have been searching for images for my blog.  This router is suppossed to replace the images with something else.  You can even block ads that appear on your computer that you don't think are appropriate for members in your family to view.  It is a new product.  They know there are problems with under/over filtering with it, but are doing their best to make it better.  SOMETHING is better than NOTHING!!! is my opinion. 

Here is the mythology story behind their product:

According to Greek Mythology, Pandora was the first woman created. She was very beautiful, cunning, and curious. Zeus, the king of gods, gave Pandora a mysterious box with explicit instructions not to open it. Pandora became very curious to know the contents of the box, and one day succumbed to her curiosity. She did not act out of malice, but as the box opened, out came all the evils, ills, and diseases not previously known to mankind. When she realized what was happening she quickly slammed the lid closed. Unfortunately, the only thing that remained trapped in the box was Hope.

We feel strongly that this tragic story has virtually played out in our modern world. There likely exists in your home a little box that has the power to release many evils, ills, and diseases. This little box provides you with your Internet connection. Just like Pandora, you and those in your home are not malicious. However, history has taught that it is easy to succumb to curiosity.

The Internet can be very powerful and liberating! But some websites should never be seen. Some curiosities should never be satisfied. Some boxes should never be opened! But not being connected is no longer an option.

It is time for an effective solution to this problem! The solution is to reverse the effects of Pandora’s actions. We want to lock the filth back in the box. In so doing hope would be set free. Our product does exactly that! It traps the evils and ills of the Internet inside the little box and emanates pure, clean Hope. It brings Hope that there is finally a responsible course of action we can all take to protect our homes from Internet "P"

…Pandora’s Hope!
 
I truly "hope" it works . . . . . I don't want MY HOME to be the place where my child, children, spouse, and myself is exposed this epidemic of YUCK!  They are having a "conference" sale until April 9th.  The product is a little expensive (really not all that bad), but relatively not at all expensive when you consider what you are protecting. 
 
Side note:  (I am missing spell-check on this new blog editor I'm using!!)

Truce?

Every year we have a war with our yard.  I am thinking about calling a truce with it.  Why not let nature win?  In our quest to have a lawn, we till, we plant, we water.  With all the trees in our yard, we have several things going against our much wanted lawn.  THE TREES!!!  They bring shade, shade and more shade.  I love the trees and so the thick, lush, lawn will have to be a dream, or enjoyed in someone elses yard.

The last couple of mornings, instead of working on my house, or my body (exercise), I decided to go spend time in the yard.  With the amount of sticks I've picked up, I've wondered why there are any left in the trees. On my "used to be" chore charts, one of the chores for the boys, was "pick up a trash can full of sticks."  They were able to accomplish this task almost daily.  Now it is my task.

As I was raking sticks, I looked at this moss we've been fighting.  Why are we fighting it?  It is kind-of pretty, and you can't really buy this kind of ground cover. 

Can you believe that as a punishment last year I had Chancy pull out all of these flagstones and put sand under them and then replace them.  They used to be almost covered in dirt and moss. Now they are lifted and can you believe the moss is all back again?  AMAZING!!!  (I am sad I don't have Chancy to punish any more . . . I got mold washed off the house, windows washed, lawn mowed, garden weeded, ALL SORTS of stuff.  He kept me busy trying to think of what he could do next for me!!)  :( :(

This is another challenge to growing a lawn.  Acorns.  We have millions of them.  I wish I could vacuum them up!  Are you good at guessing how many candies are in a bottle?   Well, take this picture.  It's probably about 3 square inches, then multiply the amount of acorns that would fill about 1/3 of an acre and that is how many acorns we have!!!!  No wonder we have so many rats-with-furry- tails . . . . . mmmmm, I mean squirrels in our yard!!!

If you drove up to our yard, you would not say "Oh! what a gorgeous yard!"  Finding pretty things in our yard is like going on a treasure hunt.  I am so excited for these camellias to bloom!  We've had them for probably eight years.  It took them 5 years to bloom.  The first year, maybe one blook on each bush.  The next year a little more . . . . . and this year WOW!

Isn't this a beautiful flower!!!!!  The bush is so full of flowers that I had to stake it up and give it support with my hand to take the picture.  They just plop right down.  If it were a mobile over a crib, it would be perfect!

My favorite flower . . . the tulip. . . . . Only four measly blooms this year.  Tulips don't do well here.  You have to plant them every year if you want them.  Mine are still in the bag, waiting to be planted.  Hmmmm, I wonder if the bulbs would still be good next year?

Azaleas!!!!  These took five years to bloom also.  Then when they started blooming the squirrels got all the blooms.  Maybe there are too many for the squirrels this year!!!  Woo Hoo!

I've got a couple of daffodils . . . . gotta enjoy what you have!!

Here are a couple close ups of the ornamental pear tree.  Sooooo Pretty!!  What a fun time of year, if you are looking for all this stuff!

As far as the lawn goes . . . . We'll keep up the fight . . . . but I guess I may surrender as far as the moss goes . . . . green is green is green . . . . . .