Good Works

Yesterday Savannah completed her Good Works Young Women Project.  In December our ward youth did a service project to gather some needed items for the Hospital Hospitality House.  Savannah and Allie were touched by the people that were there being served by the HHH.  They wanted to continue to help them and decided it would make a good yw project.  They met with the assistant principal at school to see if they could have the middle school kids donate items.  They were asked to present it to the teen leadership students, so they made their presentations to both classes and they loved the idea.  They went to each class and told them of the needed items with a points value attached to each item.  The winning homeroom got a pizza party.  They mad posters for the school walls with the information as well as posters with the home room tallies.  The also put the information in the middle school newsletter.  The contest ended on Friday.  Yesterday we went to HHH to deliver the items.  We met the family that started the HHH, and the girls were interviewed on video to be recorded in the history of HHH.  To learn about the HHH here is the link  http://www.hospitalhospitalityhouse.org/.

The kids are organizing the supplies and getting ready to load the cars.

We had six cars loaded with kids and supplies.

In the group picture they are receiving the unloading instructions. Savannah and Allie getting interviewed by the HHH.

HHH of Nashville.

Life's Simple Pleasures

I read a story online about happiness and how it's the little things that make us happy. The article  listed  101 simple pleasures not to be missed.  It made me feel so good to read them, so I thought I would share some of my simple pleasures.  Here's to a happy life!

Kissing Kyle, sleeping in, clean crisp sheets, staying in my pj's all day, the way babies smell, walking in Central Park, taking a walk on a nice spring day, seeing the first flowers bloom in spring, laughing, a sonic drink (especially at happy hour or when I have a coupon for a free drink), getting lost in a good book, afternoon naps, singing along with the radio or ipod, clean laundry, a clean house, the sun, the funny things kids say, a smile, green lights all the way home, walking on the beach, a good hair day, lightning bugs, slow dancing, the smell of fresh baked bread, hot chocolate, the smell of cookies baking, going the the m&m store on Time Square and looking at the wall of m&m's, street musicians, sitting by the fire in a fireplace on a cold day, Sephora, reading a book under an umbrella at the beach, handwritten letters, listening to a spring thunderstorm with out the threat of a tornado, mexican food, a baseball game, waving a strangers and having them wave back as you drive past them, DSW, happy endings,  a hammock, compliments, curling up in a momma Pulley quilt on a rainy day, helping someone in need, listening to your favorite song, playing hooky, chocolate.

Yea For The Burn Out and Shadow Day!

I'm  feeling pretty good these days.  The bursitis burn out is complete!  I am so thankful to be able to use my arms!  I am so thankful that I don't have to take the pain meds any more.  They make me feel funny.  I don't really understand how people could enjoy the way they feel on these pills and become addicted, but that is another topic for another time.  Now I have been playing catch up on all the things I didn't do while I was becoming best friends with ice. 


On to Shadow Day.


 Savannah went to the high school yesterday for shadow day.  She got to shadow a guy from our ward for two classes.  She loved it!  She was so excited for high school before shadow day, now even more so.  She was one of the lucky ones that didn't have to do any work in the classes they went to.  She went to a Chemistry class and did nothing much.  They took a quiz.  Then she got a tour of the school.  Then she went to an English II class.  She loved it.  They watched commercials and discussed the literary devices used.  Everyone she met in the halls during class changes were so nice to her.  This got her excited for the Freshman meeting they will have next week.  She will get her 2014 t shirt, and get introduced to clubs.  I am sure I'll get to hear all the fun things, like curriculum requirements and the amount of money I'll have to pay in school fees, as well as schedule a time that Savannah and I can meet with her guidance counselor to pick her classes for next week.  At least one of us will have fun.

Waiting For The Burn Out

I have bursitis in my left shoulder.  Or so we think anyway.  I went to the doctor a little over a week ago and he informed me that bursitis can take up to 4-6 weeks to burn out.  My shoulder has already been hurting since the end of December. (Not Fun)  So now I play the waiting game.  Waiting for the bursitis to burn out.  Morning- no pain, afternoon- discomfort, evening- pain, take pain pills and become best friends with the ice on my shoulder, after dinner more ice, put on the patch for pain relief (love the patch), more pain pills if it is time and always more ice (did I mention how I love the ice?), try to sleep.  Repeat daily.


I don't think I have ever appreciated the workings of a shoulder until now.


I don't mean to complain, just tired of pain and feeling lazy. So I watch the snow fall outside my window and wait for the burn out.

Snow Day

The kids got a snow day yesterday.  We got the call on Thursday evening letting us know that due to the snow warning school was cancelled.  PARTY TIME!  This is what we got throughout the day Friday and into the night and early morning hours of Sunday.  Zachary liked that there is a layer of snow then ice so you never know when your feet will cave through the ice and sink into the snow.

Our home

Zachary and the neighbor kids having fun in the snow.

Boys and toy guns.  What can I say?

Our back yard.  By the way, Brinkley hates the snow.

After time out in the snow, freezing, we came in to the nice warm fire.  We are snowed in.  All of the roads are iced over and most everything is closed so we have no where to go.  Even church is cancelled tomorrow.  Guess we just get to hang out together and relax.

Sometimes You Need A Little Sunshine

Over the Holiday's I had the chance to babysit Raven and Tessa so their parents could go to the temple with mom and dad. I was so excited for them to come. I popped popcorn so we could watch a movie in the theater. We cuddled up in our quilts and watched Cinderella 2. Not the best movie, but we were in the theater and we had it all to ourselves, so we still had loads of fun. Afterwards, we had lunch and the girls colored pictures. Raven wondered why I didn't have any pictures on my fridge. I told her that my kids didn't color pictures anymore for me to put on the fridge. She thought I needed one, so she made me a picture of a duck in the sunshine. I know you can't see the duck but, she drew it, and colored it, and cut it out, and glue it in the perfect place on the picture. But we weren't finished yet...

I didn't have any coloring books, but luckily I found Disney Princess pictures we could print and color. They got to take those home of course.

I had such fun with Raven and Tessa. Every time I walk past the fridge and see the picture, I smile and think of that fun day. Thanks for making my day Raven.

Worst Christmas Songs Ever!

So this year is the first year in about 10 years that I am excited about Christmas. I used to love it until it came to traveling, and the kids getting sick, and shopping around all of the grumpy people, and decorating only to have the lights go out. Whew!

Anyway, I am excited about Christmas this year even though my shopping isn't done yet. I listen to Christmas music and shop and try to stay calm in all the madness. I do okay until I hear those awful songs. Yes, you know the ones. The ones that should never be played on the radio or for that matter anywhere. I was talking about this with Carrie and thought I would blog about these songs.

1. Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney

Need I say more?

2. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, by Leanne Rimes. It is just awful! I would rather listen to someone run their fingernails down a chalkboard.

3. Last Christmas

Yes the one sung by Wham!

That song is weird on so many levels and I wish they would have saved me from tears and kept the song to themselves.

4. Christmas Is Just Around The Corner by Barry Manilow

This one is a new one this year. If you haven't heard it yet, consider yourself lucky and warned. I am doing pretty good staying excited about Christmas until I hear this song. This brings my stress levels way up. Come on Barry, retire already!

This is just a small sampling of the songs that come to mind right now. There may be more.

So, I was wondering? What Christmas songs could you do without? I would love to know!