So, if I have done as well as LG and the kids think that I have with my pumpkin pattern carving this year, you should all be able to tell what these jack-o-lanterns are. What do you think?
FunnyBlog
Red Tree
“Look over there,
That tree’s all alone.”
The others must think that
she thinks she’s outgrown.
“Not like us”, they think
but do not dare say.
I stand in my roots
And feel quite like the tree
Advanced in my ways
and unlike the rest green.
“It’s like me”, I think
but do not dare say.
They are all green.
I am bright red.
I stand out alone,
against their green layer.
“Not like they”, I do know,
but red was green yesterday.
(There was this lone red tree at the soccer field and it fit so well with how I was feeling that day – just different from everyone around me – But, look at how beautiful that different tree was, couldn’t I be the same?)
Tags and labels
Rita and Shannon have tagged me, so here we go.
I thought that mom’s knew better than causing people this unnecessary work! I am really going to have to wrack my brain. And, I will try not to complain because I can’t think of anything else to blog about today anyway.
My biggest beef now is that I have to tag seven of my friends(SORRY, but I do give you permission not to follow through – don’t want to cause anyone undo stress)…I don’t even think I have seven blogging friends. Let’s see, I tag 1-Valerie, 2-Andy(who hasn’t updated his blog in forever and so I am sure he is not going to read this), 3-Cally,4-Lori,5-Dorry,6-Meagan, and 7-Karie Wow, that’s seven. If you aren’t listed above, consider yourself lucky!
Here are the rules which must be posted on your blog if you are tagged.1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.
So, I am not following the rules to the tee, but that brings me to my first point.
1-I believe that we should all live by rules, but my beef with rules is that I should make them, not just for me, but for everyone I know. I am definitely an authoritarian at heart, and it is something that I am always trying to work on. I am a parent who tries hard to be democratic, but I definitely error on the side of being authoritarian and I cannot STAND permissive parenting. It makes me totally crazy to see parents let their children run the show! This is also something I am trying to work on constantly (not being bothered by people’s differences)
2-I am terrified of mice….absolutely terrified! – There is a good story about why, that will have to wait until another blog entry.
3-I am very strong. I often tease that I am as strong as a “weak man”, which I recently learned was not true when I arm wrestled what seemed to be a very whimpy missionary. I think I used to be able to bench press about 100, which is impressive considering at the time I was only 140 pounds. I also have pretty good endurance, which is really impressive considering I haven’t had a real work out in months. But, mental fortitude is a different story….not as mentally strong.
4-I hate the sound of sleeping bags rubbing together. The same for those work out pants that are the similar material….AHH, just thinking about it gives me the heeby jeebies.
5-I think I have almost perfect pitch. Which may be far fetched, but when I used to be the Primary Chorister, I would come in for the kids without the piano and always be right on the right pitch…this could be because of the repitition only though because if I am asked to just pull out a note to sing a song it seems I am always too high or low…so, I hate to admit it, but I probably don’t have perfect pitch.
6-I love to drink a Neer Beer whenever I go to a ball game. All you Mormons can stone me later. 😉
7-I was labeled “Intense Energy” by my graduating Carlsbad High Class GO LANCERS! I guess there were worse things to be labeled. Isn’t Travis Parker cute? Yep, he was my boyfriend for a short time. I just heard that he is finally getting married. If he is the Travis that I remember from 15 year ago, she is a lucky girl, but not as lucky as me of course…because I got married to LG and HE IS THE VERY BEST MAN IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD! – and don’t forget that my birthday is on Fri honey. 😉
Smokey
After reading Lindsey’s blog about bleeding orange I remembered that I had some pretty good pictures of the girls celebrating LG’s UT Law graduation. Here are just two of those pictures.
This is a picture of Bella with her orange and white pom pom and Abigail with Smokey. This story is about Bella and Smokey (UT’s one and only Vol mascot), but, as you can see, there is no picture of Bella WITH Smokey.
You see, Abigail tried to take Bella up to see Smokey, but Bella (my toughest daughter by far) choked halfway up the bleachers. Abigail was bewildered because she was trying to hurry to get to Smokey on time before Smokey moved on, and Bella just froze. I was watching them all the way and because of my prior experience with big stuffed animals, I knew from afar that Bella may be having issues.
My little sister Renee hated Chuck E Cheese when she was small. For all I know, she still does.
Well, anyhow, I had to run up and retrieve Bella from Abigail’s care, so that Abigail could hurry and get this photo. Before I was even able to snap the photo, I had to take a very anxious Bella back to the other side of the Colliseum to her father so he could protect her from the big bad mascot.
The rest of the evening Bella kept her very vigiliant watch on Smokey and kindly asked to go home whenever he got too close. We were trying every kind of reasoning to teach Bella that the big stuffed dog would not hurt her. The first reasoning being just that: he is just a big stuffed dog. Nothing was working. I have to admit that my best 3 year old reasoning was this: “Bella, that is just Smokey, he is related to Chuck E Cheese. You remember ChuckE from Sophia’s Birthday party, don’t you? He was so nice. You danced with him and the other kids. Well, Smokey is ChuckE’s cousin.” 
This seemed to bewilder Bella more than anything. She was probably trying to figure out how a stuffed dog and a stuffed mouse could actually be related, but then again, maybe not. Now, whenever we see a big stuffed anything ranging from the ChikFilA cow to the Hardee’s Star, the girls always immediately holler, “Bella, look there’s another one of ChuckE’s cousins.
$100 Bonus
Here is my traffic violation in art form.
A few weeks back I received my first traffic violation in 13 years. If you are at an intersection and all the cars in front of you are waiting for the red light to turn green so that they can proceed directly through, it is not lawful to turn right into the gas station next to you to avoid the intersection. It is called exactly that…avoiding an intersection, and it is against the law…WHO knew?
Well, I was pretty bummed, but was delighted when I got home and LG told me that he may be able to get the ticket revoked by the traffic court judge. So, I was even more delighted when LG went with one of his boss’s last week and in my behalf did exactly that. It was the first time since coming to law school that I finally got one little perk!
So, last night, we are going over our budget and trying to figure out how in the world we are going to come up with another $7,000 to pay for another bar class and bar test. (Why do they call it a bar anyway – that sounds like LG is going to go and take a drinking class – which if he wasn’t a Mormon, he might) Needless to say, we were having a good amount of frustration. LG said to me,”Alice, I am done with the law, I have got to grow up and provide for my family. We should have called this law school thing a wash a long time ago. We just keep forking out the cash and all it has done for us is provide one $100 bonus in getting you out of a traffic violation.”
I then replied, “Well that was one powerful $100 bonus to me.” The power of being untouchable on the roads is a pretty nice perk! Now, I just can’t get a ticket for another 30 days.
Far more exceeding and eternal
Here are two sisters enjoying each others company while walking home from the Mechanic’s on Friday. They weren’t worried about the fact we had to walk home because our car was in the shop for the second time in the same week…they both found dandelions to pick and liked showing them to each other. In fact, they had no idea that a dandelion is a weed. They think that they are pretty flowers and always pick them and bring them to me whenever they see them.
Children are a wonderful blessing in keeping a positive attitude (something I have been working a lot on lately) I guess the Lord has decided to test me in whether or not I am serious about changing my negative ways…he sure has given me a lot of challenges lately.
The good news is I finally feel that I have passed the husband test. I can truly say that I love LeGrand no differently, even with the disappointing news. I have found myself loving him more and for the FIRST time in 10 years I truly believe in him, even at the hardest time to do so. It feels so good. It is worth this challenge just to feel the way I do.
So, as for the title of this entry. Taken from, believe it or not, Sunday’s Sunday School lesson. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 & 4:17-18
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body…For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are
eternal.
Family Room Fairy
Thank you to Mrs. Webb again today for a great teaching moment. It is amazing what good teachers can teach parents. On the way home from school today, while we were riding in the car, Abigail handed me a stack of papers. She is notorious for keeping a filthy desk. (In kindergarten and first grade I would sneekily clean out her desk on the days I would volunteer)
As Abigail handed me the large wad of papers, she said, “Mrs. Webb said that the Desk Fairy may be visiting tonight, so I cleaned out my desk.” I replied, “The desk fairy?” Abigail said,”Yeah, if my desk is clean, she will leave me a piece of gum at the very back of my desk.”
I immediately responded with such a wise mom thing to say, “Well, you guys will have to clean your play room today and see if the FamilyRoomFairy comes to visit tonight.” It worked like a charm. Check out my family room! Yeah, Thanks to Lindsey’s Mr Gobbles, LG did just gather up two garbage bags full yesterday and put them out of sight, but, still, the girls were moving a whole lot faster tonight and they had purpose in their cleaning…they want a visit from that fairy!
So, the FamilyRoomFairy is leaving some Holly Hobby Bubble Bath tonight: courtesy of my Birthday Box. Now, if I can just keep the room’s mess to a minimal, maybe they won’t get overwhelmed and will move on it every time I make a mention of the FamilyRoomFairy. And if we keep those two garbage bags full of toys out of the Family Room, it’s gotta only help, right?
I have a feeling though that the family room fairy won’t last for too long. I was just talking with my mom today about how I am so frustrated as to not being able to keep any real working systems at my house…she reassured me that the good parent is the one that realizes that the “system” no longer has the initial fun and motivation and adopts something new. I hope she is right because I can’t even begin to count how many strategies I have used to motivate my kids to clean up this place! Tonight my money is on the FamilyRoomFairy. Let’s put good old Mrs. Webb to the test!
LeGrand Voyage
This is a sign for some event that was being held on campus a few days before LG’s Law School Graduation. I thought it showed the appropriate mood at our house right now. We are all on a LeGrand Voyage as we await LG’s bar results. The countdown has been on for aproximately 3 months, but every second that goes by makes “passing” seem so much more important.
LeGrand said it correctly the other night, “Alice, it doesn’t matter if I was to stay up and pray all night, my future is decided by my maker.” I guess I better hand over my future also. AGH – It just seems so out of my control!!!
Well, whether or not LG has an official “future” in the law 2 days from now doesn’t change the fact that we have these three beautiful girls. They make every step of the voyage worth it. And, I guess LG is the bonus for me…a bonus that will be even better if he’s happy.
Natural Tunnel State Park
There is a wonderful State Park on the border of VA and TN. It is called Natural Tunnel State Park. You can particpate in all of their activities for FREE on Labor Day. We took the opporunity to explore with Duane and Faye’s ward! It was an almost perfect day. The scenery is breathtaking!
The park dates back to the 1800’s when it was used as a place to stay for frontiersmen. They later discovered that the “Natural Tunnel” was a perfect place to lay the railroad tracks (its a shame if you ask me that they ruined the natural beauty with a train), but it adds to the mystique. All of the outlaying areas are still unharmed though, and it is a beautiful place. We all had a blast and even got some exercise with a glorious hike!
Fridge Art Mess
Here is the long awaited fridge entry. Lori posted her fridge on her blog and so I thought I would show you all what a fridge slob I am. Here is the content lists:
View A
1- Abigail’s Spelling List
2- Family Scripture Reading Chart (We’ve been working on finishing the Book of Mormon for 3 years – we are finally in Mormon!)
3- Gospel Magnets (gift from my sister in law in ID years ago – made from stamps on floor tile with magnets)
4- Kids School Work (didn’t Bella do a good job of painting herself?)
5- Café Menu/Class News
6-Primary Pic (notice Abigail is thankful for her family and asked that I could hurry and finish our floors)
7-Letter Magnets ASB (Abigail, Sophia, & Bella of course)
View B
1-Chore Charts (when we had an FHE to discuss what we should do better as a family, the girls requested new chores?)
2- School Schedules (what time I volunteer and lunch times and teachers e-mails to keep me straight)
3- Cell Phone #’s 4 sitters
4- Fathers day Post it gift (handmade by yours truly with three little girls help)
5- Sm. White Board (for scribbling)
6-Dry Erase Marker Holder (never used)
7-Metal Pen Holder (holds all kinds of junk)
View C
1-Library Handout (open library time at the school on Mondays)
2- I have no idea! (just went and looked – an invite to a Bday dinner for LG and I)
3- Halloween Party flyer
4- Favorite Church Handouts(*The kingdom of God or nothing*A home is made of brick and stone a house is made of love alone*Saying you can forgive, but not forget is like saying you cannot forgive*Leave people better than you found them)
5- Favorite Fam Pics
6-Family Rules
alice w. gold 