If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin at all

The last several days I have had a pretty bad back ache, and to my own admission may have not been a barrel of fun and giggles.  My good hubby has been more than nice, he has been to the store on multiple occasions buying every kind of icy/hot patch, lotions and potions, heating pads, etc. etc,  to try and ease my pain.

So I decided even though I was not feeling up to par that it was time to make dinner for him, I had all the ingredients except for two so I s-l-o-w-l-y went to the store and grabbed the items I needed and got in the 15 items or less line.

In front of me was an older man with a few items, and the young lady who was helping him rang him through quickly and placed his items in a couple bags.  He paused and looks at her and in a sarcastic tone says, 'are you paying for the bags?'  The cute smile on her face quickly disappeared and I don't think she really understood why he was using that tone with her, and to be honest neither did I.

So she looked at him innocently as he continued to stand there and glare at her... he repeated himself again and she then turned red and stuttered that she could give him another bag if that is what he was asking.  At this point I am feeling badly for the young girl, and so I asked this man if he thought there was a nicer way of asking for another bag to which he just glared at me and said nothing and walked away.

Maybe it was because I was his age and maybe it was the look on my face, he knew that he should not speak to me as he spoke to this young lady, because I was certainly prepared to let him have it. He grabbed the bag from the girl and left the store.

The girl who 5 minutes before had been smiling at everyone that went through her line, now had tears in her eyes, red face and was anything but smiling.
I tried to make her laugh telling her someone must have peed in his corn flakes that day, and she gave me a smile.

Ya know I was steamed up when I got back in my car, I wonder if that man knew that his lack of manners affected those around him, probably not.

Lesson learned... just Be Nice, how much different would it have turned out if he would have asked in a kinder tone, or better yet just grabbed one of the thousands of bags at the end of every isle. She would have continued to smile and chat with everyone in line and they would have smiled back in return.

Thanks For Being Nice

Nice of you to say

That nice word today!

It made me feel good

That you understood,

So here's one for you

A rhyme that is true.

My day is complete

Because you were sweet,

and without a doubt

as we chat about,

I'll follow this trend

And become your friend,

return some sun shine

In your needful time!

Thanking you my friend

'til we chat again!

Just take my advice,

And keep being nice.

(author unknown)

Wordless Wednesday

Eight pounds 9 ounces

27 years ago at 1:26 am in the morning, after 14 plus hours of labor, I gave birth to an 8 pound 9 oz 21 inch baby boy!  When they placed this little baby in my arms I was completely and totally in love!
He was the most perfect baby, and I was sure no one else in the world had ever given birth to a baby as perfect as mine:)
I remember the ride home from the hospital and how slow your dad was driving... totally terrified, your little head was rolling all over the place in the car seat, we pulled off the side of the road to adjust you a couple times on the 30 minute ride home.  This still makes me laugh, we were so young.

 When Grandma and me would be in the kitchen we would lay him in a big laundry basket and set him on the table. 

My son at 18months old 

His son looks just like him at the same age.

Lots of memories come to mind when I think about my oldest son, big brother, intelligent,sarcastic, responsible, obnoxious, comic books,student,Dragon's Keep, super heroes, popcorn, frozen jr. mints, science fairs, monsters in the closet, Metallica, missionary,believing, example, roller blading, Stephen King, horror films,paint ball, hard working, Brazil,ambitious,organized, prolific,truth seeking, husband, and father.

When we discovered Islands of Adventure in Florida with everything Marvel, I am pretty sure my boys thought they got a glimpse of heaven.

                           

One of my favorite pictures of my baby and me

What a blessing he is in my life.  What an amazing joyful ride it was to raise this fantastic son.  

Happy Birthday kiddo, I'm sure glad I'm your mom!

XOXO  

The 'C' Word

Recently my husband spent the day with a good friend whose son is dying from cancer.  He is young in his twenties, and has been sent home to die with his loved ones gathered around his bedside.  This makes me so  sad, and kept me awake most of last night, just pondering about life and the hard things we all endure, some seem to get more than their fair share.

This disease has hit my family more than I would like to say.  My husband lost his 15 year old brother to  T-Cell leukemia.
 My niece ( http://thefashionbounty.blogspot.com) battled stage 3 non Hodgkin s Lymphoma when she was 15 and kicked it's ass!
Today my sister in law, Sarah  (http://hopeforsarah.blogspot.com)  is valiantly battling cancer and has been for 5 plus years.

I have lost a very good friend to this disease and watched her bravely battle while making baby blankets and booties for future grand babies she would not meet in this world.  Another good friend battled breast cancer and won, but her body is still in pain from all the chemo and surgeries.

Why do bad things happen to good people, the age old question.  Well, I don't have an answer.

So I have to depend on what I do know.

I know that we have a Heavenly Father and I know that we have a Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that they love us.  I know that it is not a race to see who lives longest, I know that adversity is a part of this life, I know that the scriptures are full of bad things happening to good people, our Savior is the perfect example.

Truman G Madsen once asked Pres. Hugh B Brown, why the Lord would put Abraham through the experience of being asked to sacrifice his own son.  Obviously, God knew that Abraham would be willing to do anything God commanded, and if that was so, why did the Lord put him through such a test?  Pres. Brown answered, "Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham.
 I know that when heavy trials have been placed upon me, that is when I have grown/learned the most.  Although I only see that in hindsight, not while enduring them.

I know there is life after this life, I know that we will live again, I know that while we are sad when they leave us there is a great rejoicing and reunion on the other side with family members who have gone before. I know that families really are forever.

SO I cling to what I know and believe, and pray for those who are going through this hard trial, that they may feel the love and comfort that only our Savior can give.

Today Matters!

Wordless Wednesday

Have a great day!

Maybe a Snails Pace BUT Persistant

So I am still slugging along on my bike, I have made it to my goal this week.  I am up to just a little over 5 miles round trip.  I will make my goal easily by June 1.  I know this seems pathetic for the rest of you folks who have exercised every day... but this chubby girl has not!

So onward and upward, I'll soon be zooming around the canyon:) 

I did take a picture of my beet red face after the ride today... but I am just not ready to post that kind of humiliation.

Have a great day!

A trip to Vegas

It's been a week since I last posted, I have been busy painting my family room and moving furniture so my carpets can get cleaned..(dang animals!)
I still have a few touch up's and need to decide on curtains and which wedding pictures I want to get framed, but the hard part is finished. I'll post pics when it's all done.

Sean and I were able to run away for a 3 day weekend trip to Vegas.  It was great to get away and have a change of pace for a couple days but I think next time we need to head to someplace like Jackson Hole Wyoming, or Yellowstone, where he can actually unplug, and we can relax.

 Notice the glow in Sean's hand, he is working from his phone, emailing work, hence my comment 'need to unplug'

We left on Thursday and made a 4 hour stop in St George so Sean could drop by and help the missionaries that he has been working with on a project at work.  They were all so sweet and had brought in a lunch for us.
While Sean was working with them, they gave me a nice comfy couch so I could relax and read my book, they also brought me in some yummy cookies.

Nice folks, such a contrast to some of the folks we saw in Vegas, who were the same age.  

 Soon we were back on the road, that last stretch between St George and Vegas is pretty mind numbing... not a lot to look at but we had a good book, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer to listen to, (don't judge me) it really is a good book:) and a bag full of chocolate covered pretzels and a can of Pringles, what could be better:)

                                   


We stayed on the Strip, so we didn't have far to walk to be in the thick of it all.  We walked the Strip, did some window shopping, ate at a buffet, went to the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, and of course bought tickets to a Cirque Show... really the only reason I like going to Vegas is for the shows.

jelly fish

We bought tickets to KA, and of course if was fantastic.  I am in awe of what the human body can do every time I see a Cirque show. 

                                                   


By the time the show was over it was 9 pm, and we had made reservations for dinner at a really nice place and were hoping for a little less noise and chaos that the casino's are full of... but no, the music that was being piped in was loud and obnoxious.    It was the same music they were piping into the casino, just with the lights dimmer:) So much for a quiet romantic dinner.

I realize Vegas is what it is by design, the loudness, the smoking, the gambling, the immorality, they don't want you to actually have a moment of quiet thought, they are trying to bombard and entice you at every corner.  I feel like I have sensory over load the entire time I am there. It is what it is, just not one of my favorite places.

I would like to say Vegas is a great place to visit... but I'm really not so sure about that.  I love the shows but I think I could take a forever pass on the rest of it.

A city girl I am not.

I love being with Sean and time spent with Sean well, that is ALWAYS a good thing, but next time I think we will go for a different kind of get away, one that includes a nice ride down the Snake River and maybe throw in a forest, and some cool mountain breezes. I'm just sayin...

    

My Mom

My mom and I are 17 years apart in age, I love telling people that.  I love the idea that mom and me have been together for most of her life, how awesome is that! (maybe she would think differently) (insert smiley face)

  It’s almost Mother’s Day and I thought I would write down some of my thoughts and feelings from my 46 years with this fascinating, lady.

my mom and me with my grandson Liam

 My Mom -  Faithful, Strong, Rocking babies, Country Girl, Gardener, Poet, Enduring, Long Suffering, Spiritual, In tune, Singing, Smiling, Piano, Banjo, Guitar, playing and any other instrument she could get her hands on, always sacrificing for others, Nice,  Loving,Praying,Trusting in God, Listening, Friend, Confidante, Worried, Anxious, Strong, Proud of her Heritage, Genealogist, Patriotic, Migraine Sufferer,Quietly Sad,Funny, Thoughtful, Choir Director, Grandma, Caretaker, Good, Trustworthy, Hard Working,  and Believing… Always Believing.

 My mom was born and raised in a small town in Indiana. She grew up as a farmer/carpenters daughter.  She has two younger brothers and an older sister.  It was a home that did not have a lot of money but it was filled with music, good food, laughter and love. 

My mom's little brothers.

My mom was a widow at the age of 21, and lost her only son in his early thirties, neither of which do I think she has ever gotten over but has pushed forward, silently enduring.  Strong should be her middle name.

She has us 3 girls and dad now.

 We, I am sure do not tell her often enough how much we love her, and how much we appreciate her, and how much we still need her.

 I am a mom and grandmother myself, and still need my mom!   I am not sure what I would do if I could not pick up the phone and hear my mom’s voice on the other end.

 

I always use to pray that I would live long enough to raise my kids and see them married and that would be good enough, Right?  I bet some of you moms out there did the same thing.

  But you know what… it’s not enough!  I still need my mom, I still like to talk things over with her, I needed to cry on her shoulder when Sean was out of work, there was no one else.  I need her prayers for me,  I need to hear her testimony of the gospel, I still want her  to call me up read me a poem that she has recently written or read, or play me a song she just heard on the radio.  I still need to hear stories from her childhood,  I need her reassuring voice, which tells me I can do 'it', whatever ‘it’ is. 

I don’t think there is a time we don’t need our mom’s,that unconditional love that they always have in truck loads, we just kind of assume they will always be there. 

I know my mom one day will be separated from me for a time, but hopefully I will be MUCH older and maybe won’t need her as much as I do now… ah who am I kidding,  I… (we)  always need our mom’s.

So mom, today, and for all the tomorrows I want you to know I love you.  You are my hero,you always have been.  You are still the one I go to for guidance, and assurance, I am still learning from you.   Thank you, thank you, for everything.  I’m glad your mine. 

XOXO
Missy

So Glad I'm a Mom!

I could not have my very own Mother's Day without my awesome kids...

My boys…

My husband has often compared our boys to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 4 boys, 4 turtles…

Leonardo -The courageous leader and devoted student.

Donatello -The deep thinker, Donatello is perhaps the least violent Turtle, preferring to use his knowledge, to solve conflicts.

Michelangelo - Easy-going and free-spirited.  Michelangelo provides much of the comic relief.

Raphael - has an aggressive nature and seldom hesitates to throw the first punch. He has a temper and can be very sarcastic; but he is intensely loyal to his brothers.

 We have had our fair share of emergency room visits, turning fireworks into small         explosions.

 Filling the house with smoke in the middle of the night, setting off every alarm.

 Riding on the tops of cars like Superman to make THE movie.

 Leaping from roof top to roof top in the neighborhood.

Jumping on the trampoline... from the roof!

Playing the farting game in line at Disney World ( this is when one brother would say very quietly while in line for a ride... ' I farted' now the next brother would have to say it again only louder, and so on and so on, you get the picture?  This used to embarrass the heck out of me which would make them do it even more. 

The octopus that had 8 testicles… instead of tentacles, ( a small mix up in words)

Potty humor, that always comes up at the dinner table and still sends them all into giggle fits (yes my hubby would be included in this!)

Pizza's cold cereal, Pepsi, Poptarts, girls, movie making, comic books, Super Hero's, Nerf Gun wars, paintball guns, air-soft guns... and the list goes on and on. 

 I hope they all have son's one day so they can have as big of adventure as they gave their dad and me! 

Ah the life of boys pretty dang great if you ask me. 

My Girl…

Otherwise known as Spootie…

Now,don’t get me wrong I really loved Lego’s, Super Hero's, and Nerf guns, but I was ready for the color pink to be added to our family.

I wanted some ribbons, and teddy bears, dresses, and Barbie’s, I wanted a GIRL.

I bought a book called; ‘How to choose the Sex of Your Baby’ I did everything it suggested and  whether it worked,  or it was  just my husband’s desperate prayers being answered (since I told him I would keep having babies till we got a girl) I am not sure.

When the nurse handed me this beautiful little girl with all that hair, all was right with the world.  I must confess I didn't even want any visitors, I wanted to be selfish, I wanted her all to myself.  She was perfect!

So you better believe Spootie had a pink bedroom, I made bows that were bigger than her head.  She loved dresses, and I made sure she had plenty, she loved stuffed animals and Barbie dolls.    Anything from ‘Build a Bear’ we had it; literally tubby’s full of them.

Next thing I know she is not interested in bows, the teddy bears and Barbies are put away in the attic.  


They have been replaced by loud music, high heels, and boys! Our biggest worry was the next dance and whether or not she would be asked.. silly girl, boys were never in short supply.

Turn around and my baby just finished her first year in college and is fast approaching 20.  It sounds very cliché to say where did the time go… but it’s true. 

She is a great, she is beautiful, she is smart, she is soo funny, she is short tempered, she is ambitious, she is a candyaholic, she is ‘the green truck’, she is a good friend, she is loyal, she is crazy about her brothers,she is just like her daddy, she is a book worm, she is apples slices with peanut butter, she is a messy room, she is a new pair of shoes (weekly), she is sometimes insecure, she is brave, she is good, she is my girl, she is an answer to prayer, she is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Back Street Boys, Really?

When my kids were young the Back Street Boys music was always blasting in our van, and we all sang a long at the top of our lungs.
One of the members of Back Street Boys wrote a song called The Perfect Fan, about his mom.
So going along with the Mother's Day theme this week it seemed appropriate.

A little blast from the past... Enjoy!   

Ready or Not...

Ahhh, spring,

Summer and winter stretch into months of hot and cold. But spring sneaks up on us, then poof! it's gone.

Babies are like that.  They sneak up on you before you're ready to let go of your own childhood, then, poof - they're gone.

I remember lying on the delivery table with my first child.  Up until this point, I thought it would be 'fun' having kids.  After a particularly difficult contraction, I looked up at my doctor and insisted, 'I don't want to do this anymore.' 

"Ready or not," he said.                                  ~ Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard

"Raising a teenager is like nailing Jell-O to the wall" ~ Unknown

"If a mother's place is in the home, why am I always in the car" ~Unknown

"Mommy brain: when your grey matter turns into grey hair..." ~ Ian Nelson

"My second favorite household chore is ironing.  My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint"  ~ Erma Bombeck

"Working mothers are guinea pigs in a scientific experiment to show that sleep is not necessary to human life." ~ Unknown

"To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in it's perfect power."

 ~ Maya Angelou

"There never was a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him asleep" 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a great day, it's almost Friday!

So That's How She Does It!

Your Doing Great!

When I was a new mom, I sure would have liked to know I was doing a good job. 

When we were first married we took our 3 week old son packed everything we owned in a tiny little Toyota Celica, and U-haul that we hitched to the back and headed from Indiana to Utah leaving behind all members of my family. 

I remember how isolated I felt, and that someone was surely going to stop us, what in the world did I know about taking care of a baby, I barely knew how to scramble an egg. 

Last year that baby that we traveled across the states with 25 years ago,  took his own little family, packed everything they owned up and headed from Utah to Georgia, taking my 18 month old grandson with him, and my soon to be born grand daughter.  I knew they were excited about the new adventure but I also knew that hard times would come for that little mama sitting next to him.

So this is for my daughter in law... your doing great!  Happy Mothers Day!  See you in 37 days, but who's counting!

Together... we can do anything... even a haunted house

I know two posts in one day but this is so funny I couldn't wait.

My mom and I have to be the biggest chickens and would never go through a haunted house.  But thanks to Ellen I can see how we would react if we ever did. 

So funny, make sure you go pee before you watch this or you just might have an accident.

Making memories of any kind with our mom's is so important, even if it is going through a haunted house. 

Mom, I'm game if you are, see ya in October?

Motherhood An Eternal Partnership

In honor of Mother's Day this coming Sunday, I decided to blog something everyday this week about mom's, I have a great one, and consider myself blessed. 

 I owe a debt I cannot possibly repay to my mom.  Thank you to all the mom's out there who work your butts off, taking care of your babies.  You are making the world a better place because of what you do!

How wonderful to know that God is with us, and helping us along the way!

Busy Bee's

It has been a week since we got the bee's and it's time to open the boxes and make sure our queens are out of their  little box and that the hives look healthy.

He first added some rope that he will burn to make the smoke

The smoke makes them a bit more docile it masks the alarm pheromones that are released by the guard bees

He will remove the box they came in last week, and replace with  frames

They had already started to add some outer comb

We have a little feeder that we are adding sugar water just to make sure they have enough food while getting acclimated.  It gives the bee's a little jump start.

Sean removing the hive (super) they came in

brushing the bee's off carefully 

replacing the box with the extra frames

The queens box, can now be removed she has been excepted by the hive

I tried to get a picture of the queen, we saw her but she was quickly covered by the bees

She is darker than all the rest of the bees and has a longer body, every time we saw her I was just not quick enough with the camera, before the rest of the bees climbed on top of her to protect her.

The bee's look great and had already started to make us some honey. I was surprised that they were as calm as they were.  Last year I stayed as far away as possible, this year I was right next to Sean, did not have a veil on, and the bee's just ignored me.  Sean just uses latex gloves on his hands, he did feel a small prick on his thumb but the stinger did not go through the glove.

He has also learned  the hard way to put rubber bands around the bottom of his pant legs. 

 In order for me to get any closer I will need to buy a jacket and veil, but I felt pretty brave if I do say so myself. 

Bee's Have Arrived

I wanted to post all my bee pictures for a couple days now, but between my son's knee surgery, and my husband having to get a tooth pulled, and then deciding on a whim to paint my family room, I got a bit distracted.
Happy to report son is feeling better, husband is living on Carnation Instant Breakfast's for a couple more days till his mouth heals, but not in pain any more.  My family room still needs the trim work done but should be finished this week.

Our bee's arrived on Saturday, Sean was pretty excited to get our bee's going again.  We made a couple improvements on their hives and hopefully have learned some lessons.

This is what the bee's are delivered in.

We ordered Carnolian Bee's it's the second most popular bee for bee keepers after the Italian bee's.

The Carnolian Bee's are known to be great defenders of their hives and yet a bit nicer to their bee keepers.

Removing the can, that has been feeding the bee's during the transportation.

Each hive come with it's own queen she is in her own cage that has a small plug in it, when you remove the plug you replace it with another plug that is food by the time the bee's eat through it they have bonded with the queen.

The queen is placed inside the hive first, Sean just attaches it with a rubber band which we will later remove.

Sean adds a protein patty that also has some antibiotics.

The rest of the box containing the bee's slips right into the box.

The bee's were quickly flying off to find pollen it's an awesome sound to hear.

Looking forward to all that honey.