Is it just me, or has the world moved away from blogs... well, from personal blogs that is? There are still plenty of blogs about cooking and food and information on this ailment or that ailment, but my google reader feed is sorely lacking in anything personal anymore. My favorite food bloggers have sold out, always posting recipes sponsored by this or that, most blogs have ad words plastered all over them. What ever happened to writing because you want to? Or posting a post just so your friends and family can see it. I'm feeling overwhelmed with information lately, and not good information, just INFORMATION, blaring in my face, screaming down my throat, waving its arms in front of me at all times. Blah, blah, blah!!! And don't even get me started on Pinterest!
There are blogs about being a bad mother, having celiac disease, nut allergies, cooking, cleaning, organizing, adoption, marketing, sales, business, politics, crime, how terrible this world is. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person that thinks the world isn't so bad after all. Sure there are things that need to be changed, so don't think I'm saying just sit back and let things keep running their course... I just think about how blessed we are and wonder why I'm the only person who seems to feel that way.
I have two chickens, they give me about 10 eggs a week between the two of them, am I crazy, or is it SO stinking cool that I can go in my backyard and get food! I have a garden, I have more sugar pod peas than I know what to do with... again, so cool that I can walk out back and get food... from my YARD! My little green tomatoes are starting to grow, my itty bitty broccoli are just starting to form, my cucumbers are tiny little spiky nubs, just waiting to get bigger so I can eat them! I love this time of year. I love food from my garden, I love the flowers that are just starting to bloom in my front yard. I love my peach tree, I love that my hubby planted garlic around the base to keep the beetles out (who knows if that will actually work, but hey I'm going to get a bunch of garlic out of it, and it's a great conversation piece!) I love that our compost pile is finally breaking down after the winter hibernation. I love the way my grass feels on my bare feet.
Life is good. Definitely not perfect, but very, very good. Hubs has a new job. He got laid off last June, got a new job in October, an okay job, sort of a big step backwards job, but a job nonetheless. He'd been searching for a better long term fit ever since then when he was offered what seemed like the perfect job in the end of April. 9 days into it and the joker realized he didn't have enough work to support a full time Internet marketing person, so... here we were, just quit and left a perfectly good job, and feeling like we were going to move forward again, and all of the sudden someone pulled the rug out from under us. So, almost a month later and hubs has another new job... three jobs in two months, not our favorite, but I'm just happy this time around it didn't take 4 months (4 months that felt like 4 years!) I wish I could say this felt like a long term fit, but it's just too soon to tell. Here's the thing, we go through stuff like this and it either makes us, or breaks us (sometimes it feels like both!!!) In the end, we come out wiser, stronger, and closer. And that's a very good thing. The fact that we are living, breathing, human beings in and of itself is an amazing thing.
I have my moments of negativity... (Yes, let's not point out that this post itself is a complainy sort of post... I'm just going to ignore that because it's for the greater good!) I like my sarcastic posts just as much as the next gal, I love reading clever rants and raves once in a while... I can appreciate a good sense of humor, especially when you are going through a rough time. But at the end of the day, I'm getting worn out by all the negativity. I don't want to get dragged down poking fun at life and getting a few laughs about how awful everything is. So let's talk about how wonderful life is. Let's talk about how you can have a few days where you think that the world is ending, but then you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and take on the world yet again!
There are so many things in life to enjoy. I have a husband, the four BEST children in the world, a roof over my head. Great friends, a healthy body, awesome hair... seriously, it's long, thick, shiny and brown, it's pretty much perfect ;) Trust me. So I'm calling you out my blogging friends. I want to see the posts about your kids, your pet, your garden, your home improvement projects, your life, your triumphs, even your failures. Just be REAL. All the things that I'm missing out on in my reader feed lately. I think we all need information that makes us feel more human, not less, so get ready, set... GO!!!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
I am on fire!!!
Either that or I REALLY need to get out more and talk to adults ;) SO this thought was running through my head last night while I was getting ready to go to sleep... I was thinking about stress and the effect that is has on me. I feel like I have been under a pretty crushing amount of stress for the last little while, and I mean seriously, long term, when will this end, I can feel how heavy my soul is, crushing. I know that everyone has stress in their life. Sometimes it's a little, and sometimes it's a lot. It effects them in different ways. Mine seems to build, like a pressure cooker. I find that I start to get less and less patient with my family, friends and the general world around me... and really stupid drivers. I start noticing how sore my jaw is, because I'm clenching my teeth so hard while I sleep at night. And before I know it, I have become a different version of myself than I want to be.
The thing I was thinking though, and the reason I am writing this, is that I can't always make the stress in my life go away. Sometimes we are just going to be under more stress than other times. I have learned to be happy in spite of stress... I have learned to have peace and live my life and truly just be happy for what I have, for who I am... for what my life is. But I do let it get the best of me sometimes. I pray for a lot of things in my life. Sometimes my prayers get answered... sometimes they get answered but not in the timeline I would prefer, sometimes they get answered in different ways than I would like them to... and sometimes they go unanswered. But I have never, ever in my life, knelt down and pleaded with the Lord to help me carry my load... help me feel a release from my stress and not have Him immediately take it all away. That's how I can survive. I'm always sad that it takes me getting to my boiling over point before I think of asking for His help. But I'm glad that I do get there. Because it's the one prayer that is ALWAYS answered for me... always immediate relief. And even if nothing else in my life changes, I do. And I will forever be grateful for that. So if you find that like me... you have reached your boiling over point with the stress in your life. Hit you knees. You'll be so glad that you did. It's one of the reasons He did the atonement... we show our gratitude for that amazing, compassionate act of mercy, by using it.
The thing I was thinking though, and the reason I am writing this, is that I can't always make the stress in my life go away. Sometimes we are just going to be under more stress than other times. I have learned to be happy in spite of stress... I have learned to have peace and live my life and truly just be happy for what I have, for who I am... for what my life is. But I do let it get the best of me sometimes. I pray for a lot of things in my life. Sometimes my prayers get answered... sometimes they get answered but not in the timeline I would prefer, sometimes they get answered in different ways than I would like them to... and sometimes they go unanswered. But I have never, ever in my life, knelt down and pleaded with the Lord to help me carry my load... help me feel a release from my stress and not have Him immediately take it all away. That's how I can survive. I'm always sad that it takes me getting to my boiling over point before I think of asking for His help. But I'm glad that I do get there. Because it's the one prayer that is ALWAYS answered for me... always immediate relief. And even if nothing else in my life changes, I do. And I will forever be grateful for that. So if you find that like me... you have reached your boiling over point with the stress in your life. Hit you knees. You'll be so glad that you did. It's one of the reasons He did the atonement... we show our gratitude for that amazing, compassionate act of mercy, by using it.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Two in one week... wow... so lucky!
Okay, I have another rant today... I know, seriously, I haven't blogged my random thoughts in months, and now here I am... twice in one week! So this one just boggles my mind. I hear women complaining all the time about how magazines photoshop super models. They get upset that we see these women, and they are unreal, because some graphic designer has enhanced, trimmed, and accentuated every aspect of them. (I don't have a beef with that part... I totally get that, it bothers me too.) What I can't understand is why these same women, who are upset with society for representing women in a way that is completely fake, and unattainable, will get portraits done of their children and essentially do the exact same thing!!!
I was looking at some pictures the other day done of some children. The photos had been edited to show flawless skin, bright (almost borderline creepy) enhanced eyes, the eyelashes had been darkened and it looked like the girls had eyeliner on, and the lips had been reddened so that they looked like they were wearing lipstick. One of the girls looked like JonBenet Ramsey, all done up and trying to be 17 instead of a little girl like she should be. NONE of the kids looked like themselves... and yet I don't get why it's okay to falsify these pictures, but not the super models?! It's totally a double standard. I'll be the first to admit that I will use photoshop to brighten up someones face, and make minor adjustments here or there... and if you happen to have a nice large zit, by all means, photoshop it out. But the whole perfect porcelain face on a child, or even adult, is just way too much for me. I hope in 20 years, these kids say, hey mom... don't you have any pictures of me that actually look like I did when I was kid? And these moms start to feel like idiots for having all these phony looking pictures with scary blue eyes that look nothing like their actual eye color. I don't know... it's just weird. I want to have family portraits done this spring and it seems almost impossible to find a photographer who can just take good pictures... and not take pictures and over edit them so they look professional, but then nothing like my actual family. If you know a good one, send them my way. I love the digital era... I know it really is much easier, but I have to say, sometimes I miss film. It didn't lie the way photoshop does ;)
I was looking at some pictures the other day done of some children. The photos had been edited to show flawless skin, bright (almost borderline creepy) enhanced eyes, the eyelashes had been darkened and it looked like the girls had eyeliner on, and the lips had been reddened so that they looked like they were wearing lipstick. One of the girls looked like JonBenet Ramsey, all done up and trying to be 17 instead of a little girl like she should be. NONE of the kids looked like themselves... and yet I don't get why it's okay to falsify these pictures, but not the super models?! It's totally a double standard. I'll be the first to admit that I will use photoshop to brighten up someones face, and make minor adjustments here or there... and if you happen to have a nice large zit, by all means, photoshop it out. But the whole perfect porcelain face on a child, or even adult, is just way too much for me. I hope in 20 years, these kids say, hey mom... don't you have any pictures of me that actually look like I did when I was kid? And these moms start to feel like idiots for having all these phony looking pictures with scary blue eyes that look nothing like their actual eye color. I don't know... it's just weird. I want to have family portraits done this spring and it seems almost impossible to find a photographer who can just take good pictures... and not take pictures and over edit them so they look professional, but then nothing like my actual family. If you know a good one, send them my way. I love the digital era... I know it really is much easier, but I have to say, sometimes I miss film. It didn't lie the way photoshop does ;)
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Seriously?!
*DISLAIMER* Please do not get offended by this post... it's just a rant, and if you don't know me well enough to know that I'm smiling while writing it, then just don't read this!!!
Okay this rant is about technology... and this has been bugging me for a little while ;) So, I used to think that I wanted a van with those doors that open by themselves, but recently I have changed my mind. It drives me crazy that kids who have those vans are completely unable to close or open the door to my van. Seriously?! They can't close the door after they get in, and they can't open the door back up to get out, and for some reason they think that maybe if they just close it harder... which in reality makes it pop back open... so that doesn't end up working for them either! It's just sad. My four year old can open and close it from the outside, and open and close it from the inside. It really shouldn't be that hard. But apparently it is. AND it's causing me way more stress than it should be in my life right now!!! It's hard enough to get 6 people out the door in the morning... especially when they all need to be ready for the day (luckily that's only a few days a week... the rest of the time two of us can just go in our jammies!) But then to be always in a hurry... and have the whole inability to operate a manual door thing... just makes it take longer for everything!!! ARGHHH!!! ... okay I feel better now... I know it's not really that big of a deal, but it is comical to see that kids who have vans with power doors are completely clueless of how to operate an "old fashioned" manual door ;)
This makes me laugh almost as much as the time my little girl tried to "push" the crank handle on hubs manual window!
Okay this rant is about technology... and this has been bugging me for a little while ;) So, I used to think that I wanted a van with those doors that open by themselves, but recently I have changed my mind. It drives me crazy that kids who have those vans are completely unable to close or open the door to my van. Seriously?! They can't close the door after they get in, and they can't open the door back up to get out, and for some reason they think that maybe if they just close it harder... which in reality makes it pop back open... so that doesn't end up working for them either! It's just sad. My four year old can open and close it from the outside, and open and close it from the inside. It really shouldn't be that hard. But apparently it is. AND it's causing me way more stress than it should be in my life right now!!! It's hard enough to get 6 people out the door in the morning... especially when they all need to be ready for the day (luckily that's only a few days a week... the rest of the time two of us can just go in our jammies!) But then to be always in a hurry... and have the whole inability to operate a manual door thing... just makes it take longer for everything!!! ARGHHH!!! ... okay I feel better now... I know it's not really that big of a deal, but it is comical to see that kids who have vans with power doors are completely clueless of how to operate an "old fashioned" manual door ;)
This makes me laugh almost as much as the time my little girl tried to "push" the crank handle on hubs manual window!
Friday, July 1, 2011
8 going on 13
Conversation hubs had with little girl today:
Why is there a blanket over your vent?
It's a bed for my stuffed cat
But it's covering the vent where the air needs to come into the room
I'm cold
...um...Okay...
{A few hours later while we are tucking her in at night}
I'm going to uncover your vent, we need to move the cat bed...
But it's cold, I'm cold, I don't want it uncovered
{then I chime in} Your room is going to get really hot, especially when the door is closed
fine.
{So the vent gets uncovered}
{A few more hours later}
I can't sleep, I'm too hot.
That's probably because your room was so warm all day because you covered your vent, and now even though it's uncovered, it can't quite cool down enough to be comfortable for you to sleep...
So we opened the door up for about an hour, to get the hot air circulating out so the cold air can cool her down!
Seriously it's so funny when they think they know everything... I can't wait until she's 13 and really thinks she's the smartest ;) Love that little girl, hopefully tomorrow she'll listen to us, amazingly we actually do know what we are doing!!!
Why is there a blanket over your vent?
It's a bed for my stuffed cat
But it's covering the vent where the air needs to come into the room
I'm cold
...um...Okay...
{A few hours later while we are tucking her in at night}
I'm going to uncover your vent, we need to move the cat bed...
But it's cold, I'm cold, I don't want it uncovered
{then I chime in} Your room is going to get really hot, especially when the door is closed
{So the vent gets uncovered}
{A few more hours later}
I can't sleep, I'm too hot.
That's probably because your room was so warm all day because you covered your vent, and now even though it's uncovered, it can't quite cool down enough to be comfortable for you to sleep...
So we opened the door up for about an hour, to get the hot air circulating out so the cold air can cool her down!
Seriously it's so funny when they think they know everything... I can't wait until she's 13 and really thinks she's the smartest ;) Love that little girl, hopefully tomorrow she'll listen to us, amazingly we actually do know what we are doing!!!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Went to the U2 Concert last night!!!
I love concerts... I have been lucky enough to attend quite a few really great ones over the years. Depeche Mode, Soul Coughing, Coldplay, Muse, Pearl Jam and U2 just to name a few. I've decided that my favorite ones are the ones where I am standing in GA... there is just something different about being in the crowd, on the floor, with all that energy! I have three favorite concerts. Muse. My favorite band of all time (they replaced U2 and bumped them to second in my opinion!) Hubs and I have seen them twice. The first time and best time we went and saw them in Las Vegas at the Joint in the Hard Rock. Hands down the best concert ever. Small venue, energetic crowd, close to the stage and Matt Bellamy. Just seriously my favorite concert ever! In third place is the Coldplay concert in January of 2003. It was also a small venue, they weren't really very popular yet, so it was just real honest to goodness fans. We had a blast and again, it's that energy of dancing and singing along with an awesome crowd.
But last night the U2 concert in SLC squeezed into a very close second place. Not only are they a great band... amazing songs, outstanding performers... but it was just magical. Seriously that sounds so lame, but there is no other way to put it. It was 5:30 and the concert started at 7. We weren't going to go to this concert because we just saw them in Las Vegas a little over a year ago. Although I will admit I had checked on Monday night and there were still tickets available, and I really did think about it long and hard before closing my browser window. But we are on a budget and I'm trying really hard to be good! Plus, I had already seen them... but anyhow, slightly jealous of my friends and family who were going to attend, it really wasn't that big of a deal that we weren't going. Then my sister called. The couple they were going to go to the concert with had something come up and they couldn't attend. He was trying to just off-load the tickets for cheap to recover a little of his money. SOLD! General Admission, with my sister and brother in law no less... and it's U2!!! So I called my amazing father in law up, and even with no notice at all, he came right over to watch my kiddos... hubs and I hopped in the car, grabbed whatever food we could find to eat with us on the way... and made it to the concert!
The 360 tour is set up to be in football stadiums, the seats are all around in the stands and there are a few places for general admission. We were early enough to be in the inner circle. I still have the stamp on my wrist to prove it!!! (Well, sort of, most of it did come off in my shower this morning) ;) So, we found a good spot in the inner circle, on the left side of the stage, where The Edge is, the Bono side was cramped... and we were close to the back of the circle if that makes sense... we were still like 25 feet from the actual stage, but more like 45-50 feet from Bono for most of the time, he did come really close several times and that really was exciting! BUT, the benefit to being on the edge was that there is a small step there that gave me a little extra height so I could see better, plus I could lean against the railing when I got tired because I'm old now... and when they walked around on the outside circle stage, I was in the front row for that! (It also helped keep people from crowding, so I actually had a little room to stand and breathe!) Anyhow... needless to say, super awesome place to be. Good, nice, friendly people around us... amazing concert... I could see the entire time and we were so close! AHHHHHH... I just can't stop thinking about it. It really was amazing. I really do love U2, love their songs, and it was an amazing night last night :D
Have I said AMAZING enough yet? Bonus points to anyone who knows how many times I said it ;)
But last night the U2 concert in SLC squeezed into a very close second place. Not only are they a great band... amazing songs, outstanding performers... but it was just magical. Seriously that sounds so lame, but there is no other way to put it. It was 5:30 and the concert started at 7. We weren't going to go to this concert because we just saw them in Las Vegas a little over a year ago. Although I will admit I had checked on Monday night and there were still tickets available, and I really did think about it long and hard before closing my browser window. But we are on a budget and I'm trying really hard to be good! Plus, I had already seen them... but anyhow, slightly jealous of my friends and family who were going to attend, it really wasn't that big of a deal that we weren't going. Then my sister called. The couple they were going to go to the concert with had something come up and they couldn't attend. He was trying to just off-load the tickets for cheap to recover a little of his money. SOLD! General Admission, with my sister and brother in law no less... and it's U2!!! So I called my amazing father in law up, and even with no notice at all, he came right over to watch my kiddos... hubs and I hopped in the car, grabbed whatever food we could find to eat with us on the way... and made it to the concert!
The 360 tour is set up to be in football stadiums, the seats are all around in the stands and there are a few places for general admission. We were early enough to be in the inner circle. I still have the stamp on my wrist to prove it!!! (Well, sort of, most of it did come off in my shower this morning) ;) So, we found a good spot in the inner circle, on the left side of the stage, where The Edge is, the Bono side was cramped... and we were close to the back of the circle if that makes sense... we were still like 25 feet from the actual stage, but more like 45-50 feet from Bono for most of the time, he did come really close several times and that really was exciting! BUT, the benefit to being on the edge was that there is a small step there that gave me a little extra height so I could see better, plus I could lean against the railing when I got tired because I'm old now... and when they walked around on the outside circle stage, I was in the front row for that! (It also helped keep people from crowding, so I actually had a little room to stand and breathe!) Anyhow... needless to say, super awesome place to be. Good, nice, friendly people around us... amazing concert... I could see the entire time and we were so close! AHHHHHH... I just can't stop thinking about it. It really was amazing. I really do love U2, love their songs, and it was an amazing night last night :D
Have I said AMAZING enough yet? Bonus points to anyone who knows how many times I said it ;)
Sunday, May 8, 2011
It's amazing...
I have made dinner FIVE times this week... that's so NORMAL for me!!! Plus I have been cleaning, reading, having fun and generally back to my happy, bubbly self. Spending time with my kids, feeling happy, and it's GREAT. Seriously I'm sad it took me so long to figure out what was bugging me... but I'm glad I did, I dealt with my feelings about it, and then moved on. It was ESPECIALLY good for me to deal with this, and get over it, because I just found out that two more friends are getting divorces. I can't change it, it's sad that it happens, it's sad that I go back to those feelings and experiences from my childhood... but it's okay, I'm okay... I felt a little vulnerable, like what if this happened to me, but I can't live my life worrying about all the what-ifs (one of my fav Shel Silverstein poems by the way.) So it really is amazing, to feel normal again, not be overwhelmed by my fears or my feelings or my grief, and just live my life the best that I can. So yeah... May is going to be a good month, I can feel it =)
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