Suzi's spot

Some Thoughts

2010-02-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

As you know I had surgery for cancer of my left sinus. I won't bore you with a sob story, but I will say it has been and continues to be a very difficult road. I tire easily, and in a few short weeks I will be starting 6 1/2 weeks of radiation therapy but today, one day short of 4 weeks since my surgery, I am here to share some feelings with all of you.

1. I love my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ who have been by my side in my darkest hours. I am thankful for priesthood blessings that have been given and fulfilled; it is the power of God here on the earth. All good things in my life are given to me from God.

2. I love all my family and friends who have been so vigilant in their prayers and support. You will never know the strength you have imparted to me and you will probably never know how much I have needed that strength. I have yet to find the words to express how deeply and literally it was your strength that brought me through these days. Thank you all so very much.

3. I am thankful I am alive. I am thankful to have more time to spend with all of you. I am thankful to have more time to peek in on your blogs and see the every day motion of your lives. I am thankful to see you on facebook, to send e-mails back and forth, and to hear your voices. My life is good because you are in it, you make me a better person.

4. I am thankful that I can still see. There are many beautiful things on this earth but the most beautiful to me is the light and how it illuminates everything. No wonder God's glory is like the glory of the sun.

5. Even though it is hard and makes me very tired, I am thankful that I can chew (some) food. Our bodies are marvelously put together and how everything functions with each other is amazing. You don't just pop food in your mouth and use your teeth. You also use your tongue, cheeks, the top of your mouth, and your throat...all of which have been affected by my surgery. Let's just say I have a new appreciation for babies when they are learning how to eat food. I KNOW why so much of that applesauce comes pushing back out of their mouths!

6. I am glad that today I could do some of my laundry. We are blessed to have work to do that never ends. We are blessed to have reasons to get out of bed. We are blessed to have homes and families and all the mundane tasks that are involved in keeping up with those homes and families.

7. I express gratitude for all my blessings. I have so much to be thankful for. Even though I have my emotional times when I have things I need to work out and deal with, I hope to be thankful for the answers to the prayers that have been given. I have felt the power of all the prayers and I have felt those prayers reach Heavenly Father's heart and He has answered them and I am here. I never want to treat Heavenly Father's goodness disrespectful by not being grateful.

8. I love you all.

My sisters were able to come to help me and when Kay Marie left she wrote this quote for me which I read daily:

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, "I'll try again tomorrow." (Radmacher)

My motto is: "Every day gets better."

Every one deserves a smile

2009-12-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

I bought a box of tissue for my poor nose.
I wanted something nice and sassy.
So I looked until I found one that had snowmen on it.
I love snowmen, they make me happy.
I bought it and took it home and put it on my desk.
Day after day I enjoyed my snowmen box of tissue.

Then one day the box was in the way of my big
project...disguised as homework.
I moved my snowmen box to the other side of my desk.

The next day I was feeling rather sad. Ever have one of those days?
I did.
I was sad. Until I looked up and saw my box of tissue....
This is what greeted me.

See...everyone deserves a smile.

I felt happier after that.

And the winner is...

2009-09-25T05:04:00.000-07:00

The towel give away is offically closed. Thank you for all the great, fun comments, this was really fun.

AND THE WINNER IS...BRIT JO!!! congratulations! Please send me your address and I will get the towels in the mail to you pronto! If you don't want to leave your address on my blog here is my e-mail address. suzih19@gmail.com I promise I won't share your address with anyone, no matter how much they beg.

BUT WAIT! I have SIX towels to give away, so these three people will each receive one towel.

Luanne.......Monika......and Kay Marie.

Addresses, I need addressses! Hurry I want to get these mailed out to you all.

Thanks to every one for making this so fun.

This is what I know so far...

2009-09-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks these thoughts have been forming in my head, a list, of sorts, of things that I know about myself.

* I like bold colors. Not obnoxious bold colors, but bold colors that say, "here I am, this is the color I was made, I am glad to be this color and I think I am good at being this color." I should be like a bold color, even if the color is pastel.

* I like material. There I said it. I like the different textures, the patterns and the pleasing idea that a piece of flat material can become something dimensional. (Like making a hand towel look really really cute...there are still two more days to the end of the give-away! Thanks for all of the participation and great comments!) I like to think that I am like the material, learning how to fold and bend and turn into a more dimensional person.

*I also like paper in the same way that I like material. Feels good to get that off my chest! I like to make paper for books and cards, and seed paper. Paper is a must in my house.

* I like office supplies. Especially if they are crazy cute. There is nothing like finding a great pen that writes smooth and silky. Once I find a pen I like, I buy 2-3 because I know when they run out of ink I'll never be able to find them in stock again. Also, office supplies make me feel organized, and I like being organized.

*I like my toast/bread buttered to the very edge. Not ALMOST to the edge, and not only part of the edge. The.whole.entire.edge. Please don't leave any of the bread poking out naked.

*I like being in my garden and working in the yard. I love growing things. I love it. I love how it makes me feel like I have accomplished something great. Puttering around the garden and the yard provides me time to get in touch with myself.

*In that same light, I think tomatoes are beautiful. when I pick one out of my garden and it is deep red with its cute little green stem cap on, I hold it up so I can look at it and I think it is a perfect example of beauty.

*I like zucchini...in small amounts. It's just sooooo hard to get them to grow in small amounts!

* I like carrying my 1/2 bushel basket to my garden and bringing it back to the house full of fresh garden stuff to eat.

* I like tomato soup when it is made from beautiful home grown tomatoes. ummmmm yummy.

* I like when my husband looks at me and sees me like I am 20 years old. Granted he has to squint and pretend, but I still like it.

*I like looking at How-To books. They get me all excited to DO something creative and/or new. I like how my mind starts whirling with ideas about how to change one idea into something slightly different. Fun!

*I like taking pictures. I love it. When I look through the viewfinder of a camera, it is like stepping through a door into another world. I become completely lost in discovery. I can't even describe it.

*I like writing. I use to write in my journal every night. I have 27 journals that span my life from 1972 - 2007. But it is not just journals that I like to write. I like to make up stories and short essays. I like putting words together to paint pictures.

* I like being with my family. They are the people who I love the most, and the treasure of my soul.

Towels for Mom

2009-09-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

My Mom LOVES hand towels that hook over the towel rack
or oven door and just hang there ready to dry a pair of wet hands.
UNFORTUNATELY when I went to see her, ALL of her
hand towels were Trashed...

yucky
grimy
putrid
old
worn out
and
eeeewwwuuuu!!!!

So, I made her some new ones!
they are....

Sweet....
so so cute
clean
happy
bright
and just what my mommy needed!

Take a look for your self.

Here is Mom with some of her new towels.
She was EXCITED!

So here is the deal.
Each hand towel makes TWO towels.
I have extras...and what can I do with them?

I am having a free give away, (thought I would try it.
I am borrowing the rules from other people...thank you.)

Comment on this post for one entry
Link it and let me know for another entry. (To give you two entries.)
Do this by Midnight Sept. 24.
If I draw your name you will get three towels.
I will post the winner Sept 25.

I hope you win!

I have been gone a long time.

2009-09-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be asking, "where have you been?"

Well, the answer is not simple.

Let's just say, I have been busy." and call it good.

But, you might say, "What have you been doing?"

Then I would have to reply, "This":

22 bottles of peaches....

They are so beautiful.

And I have done 24 bottles of pears. They're beautiful also, but I was

too tired to take pictures.

And....

I have been doing other stuff too.

Mother's Day Addendum

2009-05-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

Thought you might like an update on my
mother's day present....and how the flowers are doing.

Here is a reminder of what they looked like. Look
at all the pretty colors!

Here is where I planted some of them.
In the front yard along the side of the driveway.

Here is what some of them look like close up.

The purple button flowers are hanging in there pretty good.

Remember the beautiful orange flowers?

(You can revisit my mother's day blog if you want to

see what they use to look like.....)

The blossoms were the first to go...oh saddness!

and the plant isn't looking so happy either....woe is me!

Can you say "transplant shock?"

This is the lemon bush. It use to have cute little bright

yellow flowers all over it...Hummmm where are the lemon-y flowers?

(Actually this plant got...shall we say, a bit thirsty in its container before

I planted it, so it is in the process of making a come back.)

As long as there is still green on it, there is hope!

My little white flower bush has done really well.

I just need to cut back the old flowers and see if new ones will

grow back. This one I call my "happy" flower bush, it is always

smiling.

I'm not worried. They'll bounce back!

Yard Addendum

2009-05-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

And also, it has been brought to my attention that I forgot
some mushroom plant pokes. (You will see them at the end.)

I also forgot....

The bug wind chime that hangs in the walnut tree.

And the bell wind chime that hangs on the deck.

My new purple columbines.....BEAUTIFUL!

Don't forget Mrs. Hippo...

And the HollyHock...can't wait for the flowers to burst open.
(the two orange flowers are my new poppies. The orange reminded me of Lulu.)

And....TaDA! Mushroom plant pokes that were made for me
by Rex, Jeigh, Jenna, Halle, Jett and Reesie piecey for Mother's Day.

I put them in my Jennifer's minature rose garden!
The roses haven't bloomed yet.

Ahhhh...this IS the good life.

The Yard

2009-05-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

I have been spending a lot of time working outside.

I thought I would share some things in the yard with you.

Mr. Rock Face..the rain chime.

The bleeding heart plant that could never grow because Hobbes always jumped on it

when he was barking at the squirrels in the walnut tree.....

Flower plant poke....the cobweb is free.

The side yard is now part of the back yard. Notice the chain link fence and gate are gone.

We're still working on this area...oh we have plans!

Mister Happy Dance Flute Playing guy...love him!

OH...and the coolest pink flamingo head in the world!

My hoppy frogs catching flys fence.... get it... I said hoppy instead of happy...hahahaha, I am so funneeeey.

And don't forget my fish plant poke. It is a memorial to the fish Sarah got me for either my birthday or Mother's Day (sorry Sarah, I can't remember which one)...it died. *sniff, sniff*

The cherry tree in bloom...

Does it make you homesick?

Then

come

home!

The Shoes

2009-05-28T00:56:00.001-07:00

We were cleaning out the garage when we found them...

The little shoes....

the one pair of shoes that each of our kids wore

when they were oh... so....very... small...

I held them up when I found them

and said, "Oh look!

The shoes"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Now they are on my bookcase
I see them every day. They
remind me of when my kids were oh...so...very... small.
I miss them.

Mother's Day

2009-05-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

I love my present. I got to pick them out myself.
You can't go wrong with that!

All kinds of beauty in one spot!

RASPBERRIES ....yum!

Here's what some of them look like close up.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

I Discovered Something Today

2009-05-12T21:53:00.001-07:00

I couldn't work in the yard and garden like I planned today, because of two reasons:

1. My crash on Monday (you can scroll down and read about it) I was kind of sore.

2. It was cold and blustery.

I did try to work in my garden, but after moving 4 shovelfuls of dirt...

my toe and my finger hurt so I quit. AND...I talked to

Mr. Wilson over the fence until I was icy cold.

I still haven't warmed back up.
So I came in the house all forlorn and didn't know what to do. It pretty much hurt to do anything. Then I discovered something......

My webcam! My day got a bit brighter....

Good times!

How I Spent My First Day of Summer Vacation

2009-05-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

I promised myself that on the first full day
of my summer vacation, I would spend the day
working in the yard.
I didn't want anything to spoil my day so
I decided to take some allergy medicine...
Benadryl by name... BEFORE I started working, so
my allergies wouldn't make me miserable.

Half way through mowing the yard I started to feel
weird. I went into the house and sat down...
When I woke back up it was 12:30 in the afternoon...
I forced my sluggish self back outside to finish mowing the lawn.

On Sunday, (two days later) Mike and I decided to walk to church.
We walked by our yard swing...Oh Wow!...I had no recollection of
doing it...

Apparently I just mowed around the swing...
let this be a lesson to all.
Never, never, never, use yard equiptment
while on pharmecuticals!
Benadryl by name.

What I Did on My First Monday of Summer Vacation

2009-05-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

I crashed on my bike.
I was going DOWN Gwen Street.
For those of you who don't know
Gwen Street, think of Mt. EVEREST
only STEEPER.... I was going 45,000
miles PER HOUR!!! I should be dead.
Instead, I am just Maimed.
Grotesque, really.
Now, I can't wear a shoe on my
LEFT foot...I sprained by BIG-went-to-market toe.
Scratched the back of my LEFT leg, Scumed up my LEFT
knee, scraped my LEFT hip, and I am bearing a deep
purple BRUISE on the inside of my LEFT elbow.

My RIGHT side didn't escape either...
I lost Skinage on my PALM
under my little PINKY.
AND my pointing finger,
looks like a sausage...

I hope my WHOLE summer isn't like
these first two days!

First experience with a foot Doctor

2009-02-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

I had a bunch of nerves that got all bothered. I don't know what made them so bothered, or why they decided to take it out on me...after all, if I hurt, they hurt, we are connected, but that didn't seem to make any difference to them. So you could say, I was standing on my own last nerve. I couldn't walk without limping, I couldn't stand on my tip toes, when I walked it felt like I was walking on a bunched up sock. A bunched up sock with spikes in it! It was time to get serious with these bothered nerves, sit down and talk it out with them. We went to counseling aka: the foot doctor, and the counselor said, "They need a shot of cortisone, that will help them settle down." Since the nerves were proving impervious to all other options, I nodded my head in agreement. The doctor's assistant rushed out of the room to get the needle and cortisone.

"You will feel a bit of a pinch when the needle goes into your foot." I was jiggy with that, UNTIL the shot actually started and then it hurt like, HOLY SMOKES, YII CHEE AAOW AH!!!!!

The doctor warned me that my nerves were going to be really upset for a while but that eventually they would get over it and they should settle down and be happy foot ending nerves again. I hope so!

you can see the little mark where they stuck the needle into my foot....*weep*

I have to wear the little toe alignment splint for a month to keep my little piggy-that-stayed-home, pointing downward so the nerves will heal right, and also because that piggy was starting to lean toward my piggy-that-went-to-market. I guess, it was trying to house sit for the market-piggy while it was gone. Anyway, in piggy land, I learned, that is a big no-no.

And finally, I have caused my self to wonder...What is that whole piggy-went-to-the-market thing about? If you were a piggy, would you want to go to the market?

Communication is Essential!

2009-02-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

Rule #3 The Charity Principle:

"If a participant's argument is reformulated by an opponent, it should be carefully expressed in its strongest possible version that is consistent with what is believed to be the original intention of the arguer. If there is any question about that intention or about any implicit part of the argument, the arguer should be given the benefit of any doubt in the reformulation and/or, when possible, given the opportunity to amend it (Attacking Faulty Reasoning pg. 19)."

The heart of learning how to communicate in a way which leads to fair solutions is learning how to participate in the discussion with charity. It is common, as flawed people, to restate the other person's argument by adding or interpreting implications that were not intended by the other person as a way to further our own motive of being "right." What we fail to keep foremost in our mind is that we are discussing an issue (the least important part) with some one that we love, (the most important part) and with whom we want to build a strong, eternal relationship. The principle of charity gives us powerful perspective in keeping tract of what is most important as we work though the issues.
Restating the other person's argument with charity means to do it, not to twist their words to make their argument mean what you want it to mean, but to restate it with love, in the very best, clearest way possible to the intentions of the one whose argument it is. Charity also makes one willing, if needed, to allow the other person to correct any part of their argument which is being misunderstood until the most accurate version of the idea is presented. Then, charity discusses from that corrected premise only.

The bible dictionary defines charity: "The highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ." Moroni 7:47-48 : "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever;and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. There fore my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love..."

Our true desire in overcoming any issue that arises is to find a workable solution for both involved in the dispute. We must be praying as couples, with all the energy of our hearts, to be filled with charity towards each other as we work through our issues. By applying the pure love of Christ in our discussions, it is more likely that we will be lead by the spirit to the truth/solutions we need. If we deliberately create and then attack a weak version of the original argument, we will probably fail in reaching the goals the discussion was meant to serve. If we really want to find the truth, or the best solution to the issue then we must use the principle of charity when restating the other person's side.

Big Sigh

2009-02-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

Sooooo! Our home teacher and his wife just had a new baby. I thought it would be NICE to make some pretty cupcakes to help them celebrate the new arrival. I had it all set in my MIND...the little cakes would be joyful as well as SWEET. They would be received with APPREICATION causing much Jubilaton...

Such was the image of my good-doing....

and then there is my reality......

I worry that the jubilation might not be what I hoped.

What Mike and I did for the long weekend.

2009-02-19T22:33:00.000-08:00

We went to Jackson Hole.
We always take a drive to see the mountains. They are so beautiful.

But the rest of the time was spent...

Just keep reading to see what we did!

Yippy-I-O

2009-02-19T21:55:00.000-08:00

Every time we go to Jackson Hole we go to the candy store on the East side of Main Street. On our way to the store Mike and I had a little conversation. It went like this...
Mike (very enthusiastically): There's the candy store, Yippy-I-O."
Suzi (somewhat taken aback): "Yippy-I-O? You must be pretty excited."
Mike: (points to the candy store.)
Suzi: "oh."
This is what I saw when I looked where he was pointing.

Here are some of the delectable things we saw in the store.

Mike surveying the goods. He is pretty delectable!

Mike always gets Fudge. He got the Amaretto.

Well...it was Valentine's Day!

Eating at Billy's

2009-02-19T21:10:00.001-08:00

We ate lunch at Billy's home of the giant hamburgers...and it is the truth. Their hamburgers are HUGE! And very delicious. Their hamburgers are so big that you have to hold them with both hands to eat them. You have to open your mouth as wide as you can when you take a bite. You can put anything on the hamburger that you want, that they have. Their drinks are refillable, they have plenty of napkins sitting around, and you get to watch the cooks make your lunch!

Here are two of the guys that made our hamburgers. They look pretty serious in this picture but that is only because they are concentrating. The cook got an order for a cheese burger...hold the meat...."that's strange, " he said..."why not just order a cheese sandwich?"

You want something to put on your list of things to do before you die? Add eating a giant hamburger at Billy's.

Shopping at the Mangy Moose

2009-02-19T19:28:00.001-08:00

At the Mangy Moose I discovered a new way to shop and avoid buyer's remorse...I took pictures of things....Here are some of the more interesting things we saw.

Of course they had a BUNCH of moose things.

A grandma and her granddaughter were racing these.

The elephant wouldn't stay on task.

I'm not sure, but I think something is missing.

Yeah, one more HOT FLASH, and I'm gonna!

He was selling cigars for a nickel.

Just wouldn't be right to leave without a bag of bear doo doo.

I think this is a guy thing.

Poor dead am-u-maul.

Where there is a dressing room...there is a mirror...

yeah, we were having fun!

shopping doesn't get any better than this.

Communication is Essential!

2009-02-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

Rule Two: The Truth-Seeking Principle.

Each participant should be committed to the task of earnestly searching for the truth, or at least the most beneficial solution for those involved. This means that one should be willing to examine alternative positions seriously, look for insights in the positions of the other, and allow the other participant to present arguments for or raise objections to any position raised on the issue (Attacking Faulty Reasoning pg.10).
The truth seeking principle goes hand in hand with the fallibility principle.
Socrates taught; "We come to true knowledge only by first recognizing our own ignorance or lack of knowledge."
We know that the search for truth is a life-long endeavor, and that is certainly true in our eternal relationships. If we really want to find the truth in our relationships concerning the issues that arise, it is imperative not only that we assume that we may not have the truth, (or the "right" answer; the fallacy principle) but that we listen to the other person for alternative positions and encourage questions and clarity about our own positions.

In Jacob 4:10 we are given some good insight to the spirit of this truth-seeking principle. "Seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from His hand. For behold ye yourselves know that he counseleth in WISDOM, and in JUSTICE, and in great MERCY, over all his works."

We need to follow Christ's example and seek counsel at the hands of each other in the same fashion; with wisdom, justice and mercy.
As flawed humans we have a tendency to want to possess only those opinions, ideas and ways of doing things that are "right" or "true", but the satisfaction of that interest comes at a price...a willingness to look at all available options, and the arguments that support those other options. If we are not willing to do this, then we might miss the truth completely. The problem is, when we enter into a discussion on an issue, we all want the opinions we hold to be the truth.

Real truth-seekers do not try to win by ignoring or denying the counterevidence against their positions. A genuine win comes from following the rules of the game. Pronouncing yourself the winner before the game has started, or by refusing to play by the rules fails to advance the search for a congenial solution and is, in the end, self defeating.

On my way to class part two

2009-02-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

Today I stayed away from the stand of trees (by the way, there are 5 trees in the stand) completely. Instead, I walked on the busy road...it was much safer!

Funny thing on the way to class today.

2009-02-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

We woke up to wind and snow this morning, and by the time I went to class, the wind had stopped but these huge snowflakes were falling fast and hard. The route I take from where I park my car to where my class is has some very treacherous places where snow has melted and left little "ice ponds" on the side walk. I was congratulating myself for making it over these ice ponds without falling and came to a stand of about three large pine trees which form this large circle of protection underneath them from the weather. I was glad to see the tree, they always seem so friendly. I reached the center of the circle underneath the trees, where I suddenly stepped on one of those "ice ponds", apparently hidden by a light layer of slick snow that had managed to fall under the trees. Despite the fact that I was wearing winter boots with rubber soles, I fell on my keyster and bruised my ego. But I felt lucky that I hadn't destroyed my computer by landing on it and that no one had seen me. (Turns out that one guy saw me and he then stared at me for a full minute as we walked by each other...take a picture buddy, it will last longer!) On my way back to the car after class, I was now wiser, and I knew that I must not go on the same route under the trees as I did coming to class. As I was passing under the trees to the extreme right, I glanced towards the center to see if I could see the imprint of my body where I had fallen on my... way to class...apparently the ice pond is under the entire circle of the trees...I fell again. UGH!!!

Communication is Essential!

2009-02-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

Rule One: The Fallibility Principle.

“Each participant in a discussion or a disputed issue should be willing to accept the fact that they are fallible. This means that they must acknowledge that their own initial view may not be the best position on the issue (Attacking Faulty Reasoning, pg. 7).”

If you are not willing to accept that you could be wrong you are in effect saying that you are not willing to change your mind, even if you hear a better solution. This is a clear indication that you are not willing to be fair, that you are only interested in winning, or fighting, and there isn’t much point in continuing the discussion. The assumption of mutual fallibility is a crucial first step for those who are genuine in their desire to come to a solution that fits both people involved.
The important point of this rule is that an admission of fallibility is a clear indication that those involved are consciously prepared to listen to the arguments of the other. Just the fact that it is a hard thing for people to honestly admit that their point of view may be wrong, calms the emotions of the issue, and has the ability of opening our ears to different and better solutions.
In Proverbs 13:10 the Lord advises us:
“Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised comes wisdom.”

Given the huge number of issues, and the vast number of different positions on each of those issues, it is more likely that a person would turn out to be wrong on more issues than right. But as the scripture points out, it is only through allowing yourself to be advised that you are open to wisdom. A person full of pride erects a wall which deflects the desire to be advised by the other person on any issue. Someone who truly desires to find a fair, equitable solution will seek to be advised not only from the other person, but most especially from the Lord, thus turning the contention of pride into the wisdom of God.
Arguing from the standpoint that you both could be wrong, but that the Lord does know the right solution, and He is willing to help you discover the solution, opens both of you up to the very high probability of finding an alternate solution built mutually on the ideas expressed by both.
If you are skeptical about how well the fallibility principle works, the next time you are discussing, an issue be the first to admit your own fallibility and that you are willing to make concessions. The other person is more likely to follow with a confession of their own fallibility. If they don’t, then at least you will know the futility of further discussion about the issue.
Proverbs 28:25:
“He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat (or prosperous).”

To become prosperous in the eternal relationships we are building, how much wiser it is to approach the difficulties that arise with humility and the acknowledgment that we, as humans, are flawed. How much wiser it is to discuss the issues, admitting up front that we may not have the best solution and, with the spirit, create the solution together. It is not about winning, it is about arriving at the same place with each other.

Breakfast with Luanne

2009-02-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

I was talking to Luanne the other day and I told her that I was sick of eating Golden Grahams. Although I love Golden Grahams, I had been eating them every day for a month, at least! She said that she was on a Honey Nut Cheerios kick, and that she gets in these moods where she will eat the same cereal for a long time and then finally switch to another kind. Mike and I finally made it to Walmart the other day and I told him I was not leaving the store without getting some new cold cereal. As I was moving slowly down the cereal aisle, I came to the Honey Nut Cheerios and thought of Luanne, so I bought some. This morning I had Honey Nut Cheerios (with banana pieces cut up in it) and while I was eating them I pretended that Luanne was sitting across the table from me and we were visiting. ( We had a really nice visit Luanne...thanks!) Ahhhh...it not only filled my stomach, it filled my heart.

Who can resist eating a cereal with such a happy mascot? Certainly not me.

My Jungle girlness!!!!

2009-02-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

Sooo...I started this blog, it's FUN, I love doing it. It's great to take pictures to go along with my
ideas and thoughts. I wanted a camera that would take great pictures, but be easy to manage.
I remembered my little pocket digital, it would be PERFECT! I dug around in my very cluttered closet until I found my little forgotten gem. I held it above my head in victory! And even danced a short jig. I put the memory card in the slot and took Pictures ALL DAY! Excitedly, I came to post a new blog thinking deliciously of the pictures waiting to be used. WAIT! I don't know where my USB cord is. Okay, I will just put the memory card in the card slot on my computer...WAIT! my computer does. not. have. a. card. slot! Fine, I will put the memory card in my printer and download the pictures to my computer from there. AHHHH MAN!!! my memory card is tooooooo old and toooooo big for the slots on my printer....So now I am sitting here, ready to blog and all my pictures are stuck in my camera. I would illustrate this blog with a picture but.....
Sometimes it is so hard being a Jungle Girl. :(

It's HUGE!!

2009-02-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

Me standing by our new bed.

It's BIG!!!

Our new bed.

After over 30 years on a water bed, I wanted a new, nice, COMFORTABLE bed. I STOMPED my foot, POINTED my finger...

He said, "Yes, My Love!"

IT'S BIG!

But.....it wasn't comfortable to him.

He wanted a memory foam pad to put on top.

He STOMPED his foot, POINTED his finger...

I said, "Yes, My Love!"

Now it's bigger!

We went into the store where we bought it.

It's tooooo bigggg! we wailed...

We can't get into it, and

we are afraid to get out of it...we are old,

if we fall we will BREAK. OUR. HIPS!

We STOMPED our feet, We POINTED our fingers..

They looked at us strangely.

They are coming today to make it just right!

PS...I am kneeling down in the picture...but the bed is still big!

Winter

2009-02-03T06:28:00.000-08:00

It snowed, and snowed,and snowed,and snowed, and snowed, and snowed!

It snowed for days. I watched out my window. I thought it would never stop. I thought,

"I wish I had some slippers, and hot chocolate,and a snuggly blanket,

and a DAY OFF!"