Something I Can Do vs All I Can Do

We are living in the strangest of times, or at least, the strangest I have ever seen.

I have often heard the phrase, "All I can do is pray", almost as if it's a hopeless thing to do. Now, in all fairness, I don't believe that those saying it really believe that it's a cast off or last resort action. They simply feel that they, themselves are unable to do anything else. But it puts prayer in a negative station, almost as if we feel not much power exists there. I say that this isn't so. So much meaness and anger. People are being so unkind to each other. Why doesn't He step in and do something if He is there? His power is beyond what we as mortal beings comprehend. The power of prayer is real. He is real. Pray. Pray with all the strength you have. Then pray again.

Instead of saying with hopelessness, and lacking faith "All I can do is pray", say instead, "I can and will pray!" Then do, and pray earnestly from your heart. Pray for your loved ones. Pray for hearts to change. Pray for our country. Then be quiet. Listen. Accept. Let Him walk with you. Think of Him and ponder with Him every day. It's ok to be a religious person. Be one. Follow the example of the One who gave His Life for us. Notice the difference between those who carry light and those who carry darkness. It is the difference between those who are light givers and those who drain it from others; THose who have the light of Christ and those who do not. Do not lose your light. Pray. It is our link to Him, and Prayer is Power.

Just a Couple of OK Dorks

Rich and I are both major dorks. We don't care to spend time with anyone except each other, oh, and occasionally our kids and grandkids here and there. Occasionally. We are each other's best friend. Except for a dark period in our marriage, it has always been this way. I like the guy.

Early in our marriage, I lived for him to come home. I wanted to be the center of his world., and, I am pretty sure that I was. He was mine. We had our issues. I sometimes felt smothered by him, and I KNOW he felt smothered by me. I was very jealous of time he spent with his friends, but I got over it, and so did he. We finally settled in and got our groove on with each other.

Five kids came along and, for the most part, we agreed about how to raise them. Making mistakes here and there, kissing boo boos, laughing, crying.  Looking back, the whole journey has been good. Even the times I thought I could never make it through, are memories worth remembering and cherishing.

Somewhere along the way, and I can't really pinpoint where, Rich became home. Home is not the house you live in. It is the person/people you are sharing the journey with. And if it is not your husband/wife, you need to MAKE IT SO.

We are not wealthy by any monetary means, but we love each other. We put each other first, even before other family members, because we are each other's family. First and foremost. He is my family. I am his. Always. We like it that way and it's really, really good.

Prayer Love Affair

My love affair with prayer began long ago. My mother taught me how to pray. Then, I prayed at church, at the table over my food, and of course, my bedtime prayer every night. When I was older, I learned prayer language, and used Thee and Thou and didn't mind, as I felt it showed great respect to the Father I was learning more and more to love. Children really don't have to be convinced that God exists. Somehow, I think I always just knew. It never seemed odd to me. He was always there, and I knew He was listening.

I was taught that if ever there was a great need, or if I ever felt in great danger, I could always pray. I could pray for family and friends who needed help. I could pray for someone who might be sick. I remember the urgency in my mother's voice as she pleaded for my little two week old sister to be healed as we knelt with her and how I knew that a kind and benevolent Father was hearing her words and comforting her.

When very young, I recall playing with a friend in her front yard and throwing pieces of a play set around with her. After doing this, we would go and retrieve them. For some reason, we found it great fun. One of the pieces that I had tossed out couldn't be found, and I was very distressed as I didn't want to be the cause of losing part of her game, and I also didn't want to be in trouble with her mother. I said a quick prayer in my heart to please help me find the missing piece, and as I closed my prayer, I stepped back and the heal of my foot caught it. I knew that my prayer had been answered. I was no more than 8 or 9 years old, but I knew the Lord had helped me.

A few years later, when I was older and dating a young man who was a little on the dangerous side, I remember being a little frightened by my feelings for him. I would kneel by my bedside every night and ask for the Father's help to guide me. I asked Him for help that I would be able to maintain control over any situation I might find myself in. Not two weeks later, the boy and I were no longer seeing each other and I was devastated. I didn't understand why he didn't want to see me anymore. It was years later that I realized the Lord had heard and answered my prayer. Sometimes, prayers are not answered in the way we desire, or even right away, but we will be heard.

When raising my children, I told them that every decision I ever made on their behalf was because I loved them. And then I told them that they could always trust me on that. It is the same with our Heavenly Father. He will never lead us astray. He is our Constant. 

Orajel(TM) Single Dose Cold Sore Treatment

Orajel(TM) Single Dose Cold Sore Treatment

States Family Christmas Letter

States Family

Christmas Letter

2013

OK…..I know we don’t send this out every year, and I know that we really should take the time to stick a few stamps on some envelopes to help keep the postal service in the black, but, what can I say?  I’m just too tired after this weekend to bother, and I like spell check too much.

Before I get into this let me just say that blessings mixed with trials are real.  Your brain has to take pictures of the joyous moments and keep them in a safe place.  At the middle of the year, the sequester hit Rich and me very, very hard.  We didn’t know how we would make it, but we did, and our joyous moments have filled us and kept us warm. 

Cari and Aaron have the most fun little guys.  Ethan is playing the trombone this year and will be 12 in January (I can’t believe it).   Andrew (9) is quite the talented gymnast and in the advanced class this year.  Isaac (5) just started preschool, and keeps us guessing.  He is a very interesting kid to say the least.  Cari is back in school with a major in Anthropology and pulling straight A’s.  She is also a fabulous cook.  Aaron’s job keeps him busy, but he is a great provider and a fantastic husband and father.  Quite the feat, since his calling as Young Men’s President in their ward at Church keeps him very much in demand.

Ok…..Before the year began, we received some much awaited news. 

Patrick and Caite had made us aware that a baby girl was due to arrive sometime in June.

Lucy Joy.   

June 12^th .  8lbs, 11oz.    Born with lots of YELLOW hair!  She is such a sweet little angel.  I know I’m her grandma, but ….ok, yeah, I’m her grandma, so I can say it.  And it’s true.  Patrick is a pharmacy tech at Walmart, and Caite is a Radiologic Technologist.  They have a darling home where Caite knits and sews the cutest things for Lucy and Patrick.  Patrick is starting school in Jan to earn a degree in Sound Production and Engineering. 

THEN…..YAY!!!!  Scott and Ana informed us that Elijah Scott was on the way due in October!!!!  Oct 23^rd, Eli came into this world at 7.14 and gave us quite the scare.  But, he is here, and he is fine.  He lets all know when he is hungry with his powerful lungs.  I could never doubt the existence of a loving Father in Heaven as we were all praying in the delivery room waiting for his cry.  We know our prayers were answered, and how grateful we are for this precious little guy.  Ana works for Church Finance and Scott is working at DMBA, and getting his degree in Health Services Administration.

.Elijah Scott 

Sometime in May, Laura paid me a visit with her little girls, Meagan, 6 (smart as a whip and in kindergarten and ballet), and Madilynn, 3 (whom, for reasons I won’t go into, we have nicknamed, Bobcat).  She then told me she had something to show me on the computer, and I 

saw THIS:

It seems Baby Kirk is on his way on January 17^th.  Now, this one REALLY took me by surprise!!!  While we were sure they were having more, I couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed….afterall, Lucy wasn’t even here yet!

Laura and Gerritt really are doing great.  Such cute parents.  Gerritt’s still working full time for Church security and going to school full time.  Laura is a full time Mommy and so cute with those little girls.  She loves her church calling with the special needs kids every Thursday.

Just a month after Laura’s surprising announcement my little Olivia ….YEP!  YOU GUESSED IT!!!

Robbie and Livvy are due to name their little GIRL Emalee Belle, My little Liv has been planning motherhood since she was five, so everyone is thrilled!  They bought a darling house last year, and she has been having fun with all the decorating!!  Livvy is still hard at work at DMBA, and Robbie is a draftsman at TBSE, a Structural Engineering Firm.

Ok.  Rich and I are getting older.  It happened before we knew it.  Our spirits don’t seem to feel any different, but our bodies really let us know when we have had enough.

I really enjoy singing in my choir calling, and it rewards me every day I am there.  It seems so surreal that I really do sing with such a fabulous organization, but I just chalk it up to our creator who gave me the ability to sing, and the gumption to audition.  I remember as a little girl in East Texas watching the choir in B&W wwwaaaayyyy back in the 60s dreaming that someday…… AND, I must add that without my husband’s sacrifice and support, I could never do it. 

Rich is still working at Hill AFB. AND, last May, he picked up his camera again.  Many of you know what a talented photographer he is.  Since a kid, Rich has taken some pretty great photographs.  Well, we decided to start a little business, and who knows?  Maybe something will come of it.   

Four of our kids had huge announcements, so we were wondering about our oldest kid, Cari, as 

well…..Cari has assured me that her hands are full.  J

As I have been reflecting upon this past year whilst writing this letter, and so much I do not write…..I cannot help but see and feel the Savior’s presence in my family’s lives.  I know that the Lord, Jesus Christ, lives.  I know He loves us.  I am grateful for His birth.  I am awed by His Sacrifice.  As we go about the Year 2014 making resolutions to better ourselves, let us also be resolute in our commitments to Him who never gives up on us.

Wishing you a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Rich and Lisa States

Lucy Joy

Yesterday, our sixth grandchild was born.  I've seen and experienced it over and over again, and it never gets old.  The exhilaration is always a brand new happening.  I have stood the anticipation with five pregnancies of my own, wondering what he/she will look like, if the baby will have hair....whose ears, nose, feet, toes....

Now, Rich and I are doing the same thing with grandbabies.  I'm amazed how much we can feel for something that we didn't birth ourselves.  The love and fierce desire to protect this brilliant little squirmy, gorgeous thing is almost surprising.  Two days ago, we knew nothing about her, except that she was a girl, and her name.  Every time I have looked into one of my babies' faces for the very first time, I've seen the same expression, and experienced the same feeling that I'm now feeling with my grandbabies.  It's as if we are saying to each other, "Hey, wait a minute....I know you."

Photo Card

Wrapped In Dots Christmas

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Little Feet

Mother hears Little Feet of morning

And desires slumber could last…

Just a little longer.

Little faces, staring into hers, pleading for their breakfast.

“Please”, Mother says…"I really want to sleep.”

Little faces grow and have their own Little Feet
To feed.

Lots of time for rest.
Daughter asks…. "Will I never sleep?”

Mother sighs…."I miss the Little Feet.”

If That Shower Curtain Could Talk!

I talk to myself. A lot.  Often.  

Some might say that this is a sign I am going crazy.  I disagree with this.  I talk to myself to keep from GOING crazy.  

Many times have I told off the individual who offended me or someone close to me while in the shower (ME, alone...in the shower).  I think it is quite healthy...at least I didn't cause a scene or hurt feelings that didn't need to be hurt.  Everyone was spared, and I allowed myself to blow off considerable steam.  Forgiveness came much more quickly, and I was able to go about my business.  

So, maybe, I'm really not talking to myself....I don't answer back.  I am talking to the shower curtain.  It has taken on many faces.  Of course, when I get nervous old SC's tongue might be getting loose, I just throw it away.  

I am just very grateful that SC cannot talk. Or, Abbey, the cat.....Hmmm.

Just. Mom.

I read the funniest blog.... http://crappypictures.typepad.com/crappy-pictures/2011/06/what-it-is-like-to-not-sleep-at-night-illustrated-with-crappy-pictures.html

I so remember nights like this. I remember wishing these days would come to an end. They did. I remember waking up from a wonderful, restful sleep one night. Oh, it was a perfect night! I remember that I had not slept so well for so long...and a little 4 year old boy was walking into my room. I could see his face well, because the moon was full, and shining into through my window. He was smiling at me as if to say, "Aren't you happy to see me?" I wasn't happy to see him, for I was enjoying that well deserved rest, and he and his siblings had put me through it the day before, but I didn't have the heart to wipe that smile from his face, so I threw back the covers and let him into my bed.

There were many nights I was sandwiched in between this same child and his brother. I was afraid to move for fear of waking up one of them. Wait a minute? Since when did their sleep become more important than mine? :) Truth is, I loved it...I loved looking at them, smelling their hair, hearing them breathe.

I see my little granddaughters and think of my little blond girls....one with her high pitched laugh and the other with her thumb in her mouth. How many times did I tell the older to "hush" for that giggle was "driving me crazy" and, how many times did I pull that thumb out of my baby's mouth? Now, I tell the mother of the two little granddaughters...never to mind about such things....it will all take care of itself. I look at my three grandsons and am amazed at how beautiful they are. I love their little dirty boy smells whilst remembering telling my own to hurry and bathe.

When I was a girl, I felt it was forever that I was waiting to become a mother, and if you asked me, that was all I wanted to be. Just a mom. Just. Mom. I don't think there is anything I have enjoyed more. I couldn't wait to hold hands with someone for the first time. To get that first kiss. To say "I love you" or to hear it for the first time. I wondered the name of the person I would have children with and grow old with, whose name I would call to when I was in need of help when giving birth. It seemed like forever I waited for all of that to happen. And then it did.

So.... when my little boy came in that night with the moonlight shining on his face, I should have noticed the beauty of his little smile, and how glorious he was...for he was a glorious little boy.

I watch my oldest daughters as moms, and realize how blessed I am that they are my girls. I think I was too strict on them when they were little. What can I say, but that they were my experiment. I had to learn on them. Poor kids. By the time the boys came along I had calmed down quite a bit, and learned how to enjoy motherhood a little. I'm sorry, Cari and Laura. I hope the days of jumping on your beds when you were older made up for it a little. I'm sorry I didn't let you have more cherry and grape popsicles because of my stupified fears of staining your perfect clothes. But, hey! You both looked pretty great! I'm sorry I was so OCD about your toenails being clean all the time! Hahaha!

Life is so out there.....I could hardly wait to be a mother. Then, to hear the words, mommy, Mama, Mom. Then, I wanted to change my name and NOT hear it for awhile. Now, I long for the phone to ring so I can hear a sweet voice say "Hi, Mama", or "Mom", or to hear the front door open with little voices running up the stairs calling, "JaJa!"

My youngest is getting married. I cry whenever I think about it. I did the same with the others, but at least I always had kids to come home to. This time, I will be done. She's really flying the coop. I don't think I ever said, "Hurry and grow up!" I really did try to keep Olivia little. I knocked her down when she took those first steps, but she was determined, and walked anyway. She is determined now. I really am happy for her. I am happy with her choice. I am so missing my little children, tho.

I thought the days of being tied down to young motherhood would last forver. Now I realize that that was the shortest span of my life. And, the most precious. I know now, that I wasn't really tied to it. I was clinging to it. I've often said, I wish I could have each one of my babies back for just a few minutes now and then and hold them.....There is nothing like that sweet little face.....each one is it's own little person, and each one has something different and they leave it with you ...I guess...like an imprint that stays only with ...the mom.

My Daily Precious Nectar

I like Coke Zero. No, that's wrong. I LOOVVEE Coke Zero. My day just doesn't go right unless I can start out with that wonderfully carbonating twinge starting out on the tip of my tongue and bursting at the back of my throat before satisfying my belly at the end of it's journey. I live for the moment every morning when I can open my fridge and see that lovely 12-pack of coke zero sitting there. The perforated opening even smiles at me as I reach for my coveted can of glorious nectar!!!! It calls my name before I even wake up every morning!!!!

My husband knows to check if I have my supply before visiting Dick's Market, because Coke Zero must be included in our storage. OH, how I wish shelf life were a factor in Coke Zero!!!!!

I was totally out one day....posted it on FB.... my Janice-fairy dropped some on my doostep....even my friends know how I need my Zero!!!! Thank you, Janice...Never can I repay this amazing thing you did for me that day!!!!

Sweet Little Ame Deal

A few years ago, I was considering looking into adopting a little 4 year old girl. I had heard of her plight of possible abuse, and thought that perhaps she would fit into our family as the youngest child. I wanted her. I never met her. The family she lived with allegedly treated her differently than the other children in their care, for they suspected she had been fathered by someone other than the son of the matriarch. Many children lived in this crowded home, and none of the children attended school at the time, for i t was assumed they were all "home-schooled". CPS in the state of Texas had been informed of the situation, and had visited the home, from my understanding.

I asked someone about the possibility, and found that they wanted to keep her, and that was that. I didn't ask any further, and I don't know what the guidelines are. Perhaps I wouldn't have qualified, but I certainly didn't try, did I? Not long after, I found they had moved to another state, and I have wondered what happened to the little girl...if she was ok.

I found out today.

I wish I had called her bishop 6 years ago just to inquire about possibly adopting her; maybe she would still be alive. There really were people who cared...who were wondering and thinking about her, and she never knew. I think that that is what is haunting me the most.....

Maybe, what if, I wish... I don't know. .....

It Begins With Praise

I just read an excellent article by the associated press, (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iLdzACdK65TbyhuOrXF8jG6sWPCA?docId=fbfc035bd6a04655b3739cc942235d97) about the so called "war on obesity", waged by Michelle Obama. For starters, I am not a Michelle Obama fan, and I have never felt that singling out a child for their appearance was a productive avenue to betterment. This campaign is about shame more or less, and only promotes more bullying amongst peers. It should be more about education and how we treat others. A child, of all people cannot help how they look. Educate the parents.

This started a long time ago. I know there is a problem. When I was a child in the 60s....(ok, I'm giving it away, but hey, my oldest is 31)....there were a few, shall we say, chubby kids, and, unfortunately.....sometimes, they may have been subject to ridicule. There were not as many overweight children, however, I believe that may be because there was not a fast food restaurant on every corner, and we did not have computers. My parents did not bring a candy bar home for us every time they visited the store, and we did not have a never-ending supply of twinkies in our house. My mom made good meals for us. We had good breakfasts, and healthy dinners. The school lunches were wholesome and so much better than what I have seen at the schools nowadays (unbelievable). We played outside all day during the summer. Play was work. We did drink Koolaid. Not a lot of pop. That was a real treat. We had popsicles when the truck came by.

I've rambled. ok.

I think the shame tactics this "war on obesity" campaign of MO's is counter-productive, and I'll tell you why. I saw this sort of thing do two different things to overweight friends of mine when I was a girl. Two different scenarios. One friend I'll call Donna. Overweight most of her childhood years. Just her body type it seemed. Fun girl. Not terribly fat, but her mother was after her all the time. "Lose weight! You have such a pretty face, don't you ever want to date? You want to be fat all your life?" Mind you, she wasn't a terrible mother, and her intentions were good, but, Donna just never could seem to live up to her mother's expectations, and she was on a constant roller-coaster with her weight. She was miserable. So.....she started binging and purging. She was never anorexic....but she suffered from bulimia. Lost a lot....looked really great for awhile. Satisfied her mother, who didn't know about the vomiting. Rushed to the hospital one night. Almost died. I don't know where she is now. I hope she is ok.

Another girl, I'll call Martha. She figured, "What's the point?" The more everyone kept after her, the more she ate. Her parents, her friends. It just seemed impossible for her. As long as she was being reminded about her large size, how could she do anything about it? There was no positive reinforcement there for her. No one telling her about her good qualities, or pointing out what a fantastic artist she was. They just focused on her weight. Perhaps had someone given one ounce of notice to a creative force in her life, she may have been able to make a change?

My children had this wonderful teacher in elementary school. Mrs Carter. When asked about her disciplinary tactics, she would tell you she used positive reinforcements. And that is exactly what she did. I saw this in action. She divided her class into groups. Not like you might think. She knew that there might be kids who struggled with some subjects a little more than others, and she mixed them all up. She saw it as a way to balance, and, as she put it, "They all have different strengths". In this way, they helped each other out. There was no, "smart group" vs. "not so smart group". She gave each group numbers....ie.... 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.... there were 5 children to a group. When my oldest daughter was in her class, I came to know Mrs. Carter, and I would volunteer in her class every Wednesday. One group, I think it might have been group 4, was misbehaving. Instead of calling attention to the rambunctious group, she looked for the group that was working the hardest, and not causing any commotion in the class. "Oh, look at Group One!", she said, " They are getting a power point!" You should have seen group 4 and all the groups get to work....She disciplined with praise. She looked for strengths. That same year, when she found that my daughter's weak subject was math, she also found her strength to be English, and she focused on that before she talked with her about the math, and soon the math skills were up, because the praise came first.

I have to wonder if MO was just looking for a popularity platform.

Enjoy....Just Enjoy!

A few years ago, a very wise friend of mine gave my oldest daughter some of the wisest counsel I have ever heard. She stood up at Cari's wedding breakfast and uttered only three words. "Enjoy, just enjoy." At the time, I thought...."Good grief, Carolee..with all I know about you, and how wonderful you are, can't you think of anything more to say than that?" How stupid we can be sometimes.

Yesterday we celebrated my youngest child's 20th birthday. I can't believe how swiftly time flies. We are warned by those much older than we, that our children will grow up quickly "right before our eyes".....but, still, we go along and fuss at them, and complain that they are refusing to obey, and that they are "driving us nuts!"....And....they are!

I look back now and realize that some of my most wonderful memories were also my craziest moments as well.

Yesterday, as I was preparing the birthday celebration for my daughter, Olivia, my little granddaughter could hardly contain herself. A very precocious three year old, she was doing her very best to behave around this incredibly beautiful birthday cake. I had to remind her over and over that we mustn't touch! We must wait until Auntie Livvy had a chance to blow out her candles, and only THEN could Meagan have a bite out of the lovely Tinkerbell cake. She tried very hard......she did her very best....at one point, she even described to me what she would do when she finally would have her piece of this very much desired birthday cake...."I'll lick it, then eat it, then lick it, then eat it, then lick it, then eat it!!!"

I could see the situation getting more and more desperate with little Meagan, and knew that if I did not take this amazing confection out of the box soon, it may go tumbling onto the floor from the table, as she kept pulling it closer and closer to the edge. Big mistake!!! Not even two minutes later did I notice frosting around the mouth of my little monster. She did not touch the cake with her little fingers. She obeyed me when I said, "Do not touch." So she just took a bite out of the side of it......Hmmmm. This was most definitely an unfair temptation for a little monkey like my MooBoo.

I finally knew that this could go on no longer, and I must get the candles on the cake so we could end Meagan's agony.

As I started placing the candles on the cake....Meagan felt she needed to help with that as well....I had to fight for my authority, yet again, against the Meagatron as she announced that SHE would be blowing them out!

We all did get the candles lit, and Olivia did get them blown out herself. Livvy also got her much coveted galaxy phone. Meagan did enjoy her serving of mostly frosting with a little chocolate cake and raspberry filling. My youngest turned 20. Things are different. I no longer shop for toys for my babies. I buy what I am told to buy.

After the cake and ice cream was had, Meagan was on an even higher high, and found some (can I just say, Phew!) CLEAR fingernail polish. Somehow managing it open she proceeded to paint a tiny spot of my sweater, and who knows what else. That was it....her mother said, "Ok, we're going home."

Now.....after all this, you might think I was a nervous wreck. I wasn't. It was very comical, and I ENJOYED every second. So....looking back, I understand exactly what my wisest of wise friends meant when she said, "Enjoy.....Just Enjoy."

The Dance Gene Is Now Dormant

There was a time in my life when I was able to do any dance step....really. When I was a girl, I could imitate anything I saw on tv, or wherever I was, in any show. I was even a little smug about it. I could catch onto any choreography in a matter of minutes. Those days are gone, and I am absolutely inept. I am an utter clutz. Worse than an elephant. I might as well BE an elephant.

I have been asked to help open the first show at the new theater in Centerville, with an opening number. Sounds easy. "Minimal dancing. Easy as walking." You'd think I could do "easy as walking", right? I don't know if my brain just isn't sending the signals to my feet or what the problem is....! I wish I had said no. No...NO! I felt like crying. I still feel like crying.

AND...THEN, they have mirrors all over, just to remind me I have 30 pounds to lose. Made me so depressed, I had Rich pick up some Marion Berry Pie Ice Cream at the grocery store. It was good, too.

Mascara on the Wall

It's amazing to me how those little black spots so magically appear on the wall in my bathroom. I've been told by a certain someone before...that...."NO....I don't do that..." Hmmm....I think, perhaps, Abbey, the cat COULD be capable of such a task. After all, she (Abbey) is very smart. She is a fetcher, and she can put the stopper in the bathtub when she wants a drink. However, I don't think she wears mascara. I know that Richard, also could be guilty. But, being the man's man he is, does not wear mascara, nor does he need it with his beautiful black lashes. I also know that I, having to be the one to use Clorox wipes to wipe it up every week or so, am not the culprit.....

Don't get me wrong...I KNOW who it is....I just want to know WHY she wipes mascara on the wall?

Unrecognizable Joys

As I spend more and more time with my grown daughters, I am reminded of those moments when I, myself, was a young mother expecting my second little one. My sweet daughter, Laura, (that very baby) is awaiting the arrival of her second daughter just about any day now, and is extremely uncomfortable. She dropped her cell phone as she got out of her car at the store, and, of course, was unable to bend down to pick it up. There are just some things that you cannot do in that state of pregnancy. Tying shoes, picking ANYTHING up off the floor, running after a young one (and the clever little monsters figure that one out rather quickly), even scratching one' s own foot is virtually impossible.

I retrieved the phone for her and relayed a little story to her that happened to me years before when I was in the the same state or pregnancy 28 years ago. Sitting in church, amongst a group of sweet elderly ladies, I dropped something of importance of the floor. As I was absolutely unable to pick it up, a sweet sister bent down and got it for me. She was very advanced in age. I don't remember her name or even what she looked like, but I'll never forget what she said to me after I apologized to her. She just pat me on the leg, and said sweetly...."My dear, this is the happiest time of your life."

How right she was.

With a beautiful little 2 yr old blonde doll , and another on the way, life was perfect!

Life is so full of unrecognizable joys....I'm learning to watch for them now. They don't come with big bangs, or even with bouts of full blown happiness. Sometimes they show up with sorrow. They're mixed in with all sorts of emotions along the journey.....What a glorious life this is!!!!

Sweet Feet and Grass in Summer

I remember my mother saying that she loved putting the baby's feet in grass for the first time just hear their laughter. It tickled their feet. I thought of that today when I watched my little grandaughter, Meagan, run barefoot thru the grass beside her "Boppa" and I watched the delight on her face.

I am so amazed at the little joys that my grandchildren are so often bringing to me. I am reminded of the Love my Heavenly Father has for me just by looking in the face of one of my precious little ones!

Life has such a way of weighing one down, and most of the time....not always...much of it is within our control. I'm not saying that we can help many of the circumstances we find ourselves in, but we can certainly choose how we handle and accept them. We can carry them around like a backpack full of rocks.....or not. I've definitely had moments...or...ahem, years of rocks attached to my back, when I could've chosen to just deal with how things were. Oh, there have been so many joyful moments mixed in those rocky times, and I think, had I chosen to recognize them....wow....let's just say, the memories would be nicer. Of course...."hindsight is always 20/20", isn't it?

We always have to learn. No matter how we are advised by those who are older, we still have to learn for ourselves. I have learned "Don't sweat the small stuff", and probably, .....don't sweat the big stuff, either, if you can't do anything about it. Just do everything you can do about what you CAN control. Be good. Be nice. Smile. Be kind. Don't humiliate anyone, especially children.

I think....I'm gonna take my shoes off and run in the grass.

I really need to sit down and blog more often. No one really ever reads it, and I don't care. I'd prefer they didn't, to be honest. I don't have that much of interest to say. I adore my kids and my grandkids. I love my friends. I am crazy about being part of MoTab. I wish I was better about keeping my house up. I should really think about getting back on my diet, as I have put 5 pounds on this last week.

There was a time when my writing skills were better. I could sit and write, under pressure, in HS and come up with a theme worthy of an A in just an hour's time. However, skills require development, and this is something I did not pursue. How sad.

a little house

so....to continue.....Mom and Dad started life with me in a little house on Circle Drive. 1801 Circle Drive. I even remember the layout of it. It's kind of a funny thing with me; I can remember details of my life from when I was 2 and 3 years old, but I can't remember what I did yesterday or what I am supposed to do tomorrow. Go figure. I can remember Mom giving me a bath in the kitchen sink and what an incredible treat it was. Lots and lots of bubbles. I found out later that it was because she was pregnant and just couldn't get down low enough to the bathtub anymore. I remember a little garden back behind the garage that Mom and Dad kept for a while and the clothesline out back that so many diapers hung from and the wind blowing them in the autumn. I remember the smells that came from the little kitchen stove and how I loved being there in that little house with the posts that my Dad made on the front porch. Last time we drove past a few years ago, the posts were still there. I remember so many things about that little house....I can even recall where the telephone was. In these types of houses, they would sometimes build a little cubbie in the hallway for the phone. I remember my mother would talk and bend over it and laugh when she spoke with her friends. I have wondered if her laughter is somehow still drifting around somewhere in that little place....perhaps whoever lives there now hears it, and thinks they're hearing spirits? :) Just a silly thought!
In the front yard was a gentle little slope I called a hill. I would roll down it and then get up and roll down it again. Great fun! I did this over and over again. Years later, when driving by with my mom as a teen, I exclaimed, "They cut the hill down!". Mom laughed, because there had never been "a hill". It had only looked like one to such a little girl.
There was an "incident" that occurred once worth noting, I guess. Bad sentence. I don't care. I got lost. I was only about 2. Mom was getting ready to go up town. I was getting a little cross and impatient. She tried calming me and told me just to wait, she just needed to get me a sweater and put on some lipstick and we would go. That's exactly what she did, but when she was ready with my sweater, I was nowhere to be found....or so they thought. Mom started looking and calling for me, then she checked the back screen and noticed the little latch on it was undone. She was sure I had gone out and wandered away. I guess at that point she was looking behind bushes and asking neighbors if they had seen me, and when she asked one neighbor having trouble keeping the tears at bay, he decided it was time for some action. Everyone got involved looking for a little girl, calling her name, until finally the police were called. Mother was about to lose it, and I think point of reality was just about gone when Mr. Tamplin, on his way out the front door, noticed a little foot slide out from under a chair in the living room. You see, I was very tiny. I had crawled behind a big chair and gone to sleep. No one saw the sleeping child under the chair. Mom said she just sat and held me and I never woke up through all the excitement.
I can even remember the way the lights reflected on the wall at night when the cars would drive by. I didn't like going to bed. Many nights Mom and Dad would sit on the porch and I would hear them talking outside my window. It made me jealous that they could do that and I was not invited. Summer nights were so .... I don't know... somehow, they seemed different then. Maybe because my child's view of the world was so full of wonderment, perhaps. I didn't worry. I was just happy.
I could find a way to go to sleep, however, if the baby, Cathy, dropped her bottle on the floor out of her crib. If I heard it hit, I would find it, and take it to bed myself to finish it off, and fall asleep with it. Cathy kind of destroyed my plans. She took my high chair, too. My cute pink high chair that Mother told me I was suddenly too big for. I remember sitting in it and showing Mom that I STILL fit just FINE. I just couldn't understand why that baby had to take my chair. It was mine. Oh well....I did end up liking her. She turned out to be pretty darn funny and awfully cute to boot.
We moved from the little house when Philip was about a year old or so. We just plain grew out of it, but I never forgot it, and I am so glad that I have retained the memories. The pretty teenage girl across the street, Janice (Ja neece) Tamplin. I had a terrible nightmare about her being flushed down the toilet once when I was about 2. (What is it about toilets that is so scary to little ones?) The two girls next door, Barbara and Donice. Kathy Stephens lived down the street. Her father was my dentist, and I loved him. I think he is the reason I am not afraid to go to the dentist after all the work I've had done....he was so funny, and I thought he was just so cute....I guess I had a huge crush on him.