I usually listen to classical music on a Sunday morning and today is no exception. I put in one of my favorite C.D.'s and it is Vivaldi - The Four Seasons. It speaks to my soul. I love to hear the quiet moments and the intense. It helps me relax and enter another dimension where all I have to do is listen and dream.
the tooth fairy confessions
Since this week has been a tough one for Nessa(see post), I've been thinking a lot of the tooth fairy in our house lately. Nessa kindly reminded me that the tooth fairy at our house is not very good. We have to e-mail it often to remind the fairy of its duty or at least that's how I explain it to my children.
Anyway, a funny story came up that my children remember happened to Nessa when once, out of sheer desperation, I had asked my husband to help me with improving the tooth fairy operations. Of course, I can't remember everything but Nessa had remembered. Our recent conversation went something like this:
"Mom, don't you think the tooth fairy is forgetful?"
"Yes, I think so."
"One time the tooth fairy gave me a sucker under my pillow."
"What?! A sucker...what do you mean? I don't remember that. I don't think that's what...I(um, cough) I mean the tooth fairy would do."
"Don't you remember the tooth fairy gave me a sucker, you know, a lollipop?"
"I just don't get it, why?"
"That's what I was wondering the next morning. I didn't think suckers were good for your teeth. That's what the dentist said when I told him about it."
"Oh, great. Well, I'll have to talk to the other tooth fairy about this."
"Yeah, tell the tooth fairy I'd rather have some money like other kids get."
"I'll keep that in mind."
As you can just imagine what I, as a mom, was thinking from the above dialogue like what was the dentist really thinking when Nessa told her about tooth fairy sucker's and so on...?Anyway, when Nessa put her certificate from loosing this last tooth - actually having it pulled at the dentist's - the tooth fairy was determined to give money.
Well, as we skip to the next morning, it turns out the poor tooth fairy was still a bit forgetful due to a late night being on call, so to speak, but managed to slip $3.00 dollars under her pillow in the hours during breakfast without being caught in mid-morning daylight. The usual is $2 but an extra dollar for Nessa's bravery and having a forgetful tooth fairy couldn't hurt either.
Maybe, the tooth fairy needs to set an e-mail alert program or cell phone alert or something.....?
Luckily, Nessa's happier with her money this time like all the other kids that have normal tooth fairies.
Time After Time
I used to listen to the original version of this song by Cyndi Lauper many times when I was a teenager. Needless to say, I really liked it. So, when I found this on YouTube I was ecstatic when I came across an acoustical version of this song by my favorite singer, Rob Thomas. Now, I like it even more and find myself singing it around the house lately. I almost feel like a teenager again. If you want, listen and see what you think of it.
Honeybees and Stings
This is my brother, Mike's recent favorite memory. He sent me these pictures which I really appreciated. They are pictures of him and my dad smoking out a beehive all decked out in their beekeeping gear. These pictures really brought back the memories for me of when I was a little girl and I had helped my dad with the beehives.
I remember wearing the white beekeeping suit that my mom had sewn for me and really hoping that I wouldn't get stung. Even though, I'd been stung before, I just didn't like it. I dreaded that possibility because even when you might expect a bee sting, for some reason, they still take you for surprise somehow. It hurts!
After the honey was harvested from the beehives, we'd come home and the real work would begin. I remember watching my dad as he handled each honeycomb carefully and sheared it just right with a heated knife to produce the honey dripping process. He'd then place them in a big silver barrel that had a handle on it that we would turn and turn and turn until our arms were weak and tired. All of the children took turns doing the turning, but I'm sure my dad still did a lot more of it. It took a lot of turning just to get one bucket of honey. I never could believe how slow the process really was. How much work and dedication it took. I admired my dad's stamina, not only to harvest the honey but to let all of his children help him do it.
My dad would put the honey into jars and honey bears that we would store or give away to people to enjoy.
I still remember when he would make wheat bread and let us put honey on it as it was warm and fresh from the oven. It was soooo good!
I also remember eating bits of the sheared honey comb and it tasted so incredible. We would chew and chew it up like gum in our mouths until it started to taste like wax. Then spit it out into the trash can.
My dad also made lots of candles with the leftover honeycomb. They really smelled good when he burnt them. He was always looking for uses for the honeycomb and he didn't like things to go to waste if he could help it become something practical and useful.
I also remember him teaching us about the bees and how they made honey. I remember my dad getting little boxes of bees in the mail and watching them buzz around in the tiny box. I know how important the queen bee is to the hive. I know that there are worker bees, who do a lot of work, and drones who don't do as much. It fascinated me and I thought about it a lot. I still love the taste of honey and I think I always will.
Riding in an Airplane
In July, I rode in an airplane to go and visit family and friends in Ut. I don't fly very much at all and I was traveling by myself with my 9 mo. old baby boy as well. To say I was suffering from a little bit of flight nerves and anxiety was a bit of an understatement. I was terrified about getting through security, missing my flight, losing luggage, etc.. you name it and I was worrying way too much.
First, my friend Erin drove me to the airport at 5 in the a.m. which was so very nice of her (thank you, Erin.) I felt bad because she had to put up with me so worried and freaking out a bit. We had a hard time finding an entrance that wasn't blocked by road construction so we ended up following a cab into the airport. I made it there and it seemed really close to the time that my plane would be leaving. I was completely out of my comfort zone so I started sweating profusely. Somehow, I made through and basically ran with my baby to the gate. As I was boarding, a young lady came up to me, introduced herself and offered to help me carry the baby's car seat or diaper bag. I let her help me. She sat by me and helped me through my transfer and everything. I really needed it and I was happy to realize how nice people can be. It meant so much to me. Now, I worry that I didn't thank her for helping me.
Anyway, the reason I thought about this now is because I happened accross this comedy routine that Ellen did about planes: (WARNING: I didn't catch it but it states that she curses)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WYvm-xRByA
I thought this was funny and more typical of an airplane ride unlike mine that turned out so pleasantly. Anyway, my point is it really is unique in this day and age when a person can open up, help a complete stranger and be so nice with nothing bad happening for either party.
So, Amy-Jo, if you happen to read this I'd like to say THANKS!
I had a great vacation and I also made it home without any trouble. I didn't really meet anyone like Amy-Jo again.
Last but not least, I want to say thank you to Amanda and Jason for making sure I was picked up at the airport when I arrived back home. You're great friends!
new quiz
I couldn't help but take another quiz and this one came out about right for me, I think.
Your Five Factor Personality Profile |
 Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have high agreeableness. You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly. Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone. You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance. Neuroticism: You have medium neuroticism. You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic. Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy. Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great admirer of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything. |
fun quiz
| You Belong in 1957 |
 |
http://www.blogthings.com/whatyeardoyoubelonginquiz/">What Year Do You Belong In?
Not exactly what I was thinking...so I took the quiz again:
| You Belong in 1986 |
 |
http://www.blogthings.com/whatyeardoyoubelonginquiz/">What Year Do You Belong In?
Now, isn't that more like me. Ha, Ha! Time warp, I'm caught between two worlds, I guess...
Comedy Routine
I like to laugh as much as the next guy. So, when my friend, Anne, sent me this e-mail about the comedian Tim Hawkins, I sat around the computer with my kids watching You Tube and laughing tonight. We had fun together singing Subway, and talking about funny things in life. My personal favorite tonight was about the playground - I have my own playground stories from when I was growing up but I'll post that another time.
My kids mentioned to me that I had some pretty funny comedy routine's that I've written & performed for them. So, I was thinking it might be fun to write them up and post them here. Maybe you'll laugh and maybe you won't, but since this is a blog, I won't know that unless you tell me. Anyway, have fun with my funny, good, clean humorous stories anyway. (Jared you'll forgive me later, right? I make you laugh every day because you know I'm a piece of work, right?)
Here goes nothing:
Thousand Dollar Clothes Rack
So, the topic at our house lately has been about whether or not to join a gym. I really want to because I need to do something to get myself exercising and on my way to loosing a bit as well. It's funny that this has come up later because two years ago, I had another friend who had joined a gym and I wanted to then as well. So, I brought this idea up to my husband, Jared and that got him thinking and his mind reeled to an idea of a home gym. We had a lot of discussions about this and typically they went something like this:
"Oh, honey, I'd really like to exercise more and my friend is joining a gym. Maybe that's what I could do as well. What do you think?" (Julie)
"That sounds great! I think you should exercise more - I mean - we both should." (Jared)
"I know, so what do you think about the gym?"
"Well, I've got a lot of concerns about that. Have you thought it all through because I have a great idea of making a home gym. We can both exercise right here at home."
"Oh, but honey, I'm home all the time. I'd like to get away, out of the house, to exercise."
"What would you do with the kids while you exercised at the gym?"
"They've got it all set up for that - a little play room just for them. I don't know all the details of how it works but I'd drop off the kids and exercise, then I'd pick them up when I'm done."
"I think if you had a home gym then you can watch the kids while you exercise. Right here in the privacy and comfort of our own home. I really want a home gym."
"Okay, if you really think we won't use it as a clothes rack."
So, we went looking around for home gym equipment and tried out quite a few machines and with our tax return money we bought a stationary bike and eliptical-type machine. At first, it seemed great, even fun. As time wore on, the fun wore off and exercise is just plain hard work with little benefits unless you stick with it over long periods of time. I know home gyms can work for some people and they can be great but I think for me it's not working out. Perhaps, it's because at first we put the exercise machines in the garage. Well, we live in TX and it gets really hot in the garage. I mean, really hot.
Since we realized that wasn't working then we moved them to our master bedroom. Well, at first it worked a bit. Our kids have loved the machines and really used them. They like to do things like see how fast they can make it go and ride them backwards. Zayah and Gracie feel like it's their own personal monkey bars. Also, now its too convenient for Jared to use to put his freshly ironed shirts on and that's exactly what he does. So, one day I just couldn't resist and I teased him by saying, "So, honey, how's the home gym working for you? I mean, how do you like your thousand dollar clothes rack."
My Life in Google Image
I saw this on my friend, Becky's blog and I thought it would be fun for me to try.
Ok, So this is what you can do, if you want to...When you are wondering what to post on your blog or, perhaps, completely bored out of your mind and can't sleep at night, after you have checked all your e-mails, checked out your friends' blogs, window shopped at your favorite online stores and still aren't tired.... YOU USE GOOGLE TO FIND IMAGES THAT DESCRIBE WHO YOU ARE . This is what I came up with...
my first name:
my age:
town where I live:
my husband's name:
favorite color:
place I grew up:
favorite place on earth:
my first job:
my first love:
Grandma's first name:
Favorite food:
Pet's name:
Favorite Drink:
What I studied in college:
Somewhere I'd like to go:
I hope this will post alright. If not, I did my best. I always have trouble posting images to blogspot. Oh well, there it is - my life in google images. Perhaps, you've learned something about me or maybe you already knew me. It's fun to see anyway.
Something funny today
I need to get this blog going so how about a little humor from my daily life.
Yesterday, I went shopping with my daughter, Hopie. I noticed a bumper sticker on a car that said "I'd rather be shopping." I told Hopie "I'd rather be blogging." She laughed and rolled her eyes. I also came up with another one like "Blog your life away." This a.m. when I was IMing with my brother-in-law I came up with "Blog, you're it!" and he liked it. Maybe I should go into the bumper sticker business. What do you think?
While I was IMing this morning, Zayah came up to me and wanted a can of tuna. So, as I was opening it up for him, he randomly says to me: "Mom, did you know that tuna comes from Mermaids?" Of course I laughed and thought it was hilarious and cute. Perhaps, later I'll set the record straight but for now it's too funny.
I've posted a picture of Zayah trying to drive at age 2.
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