Busy Days and Waiting For the Snow!

It's been a busy few days around here...the last few days of Spring Break. Mom and Mike were here last night and today, Kobe has had a playdate almost everyday of spring break, and Kyler hasn't had a nap for days....WE ARE TIRED and little cranky tonight. Oh, maybe that's just me! I like having days off but we certainly do thrive when we have a schedule and a routine. I'm thinking this probably isn't a good thing - but it works for us.

I was sorry to miss my Grandma West's Queen contest yesterday. On Valentines Day this year, she was voted as the Queen at the nursing home where she lives. She got to go to the next level of the competition on Friday. I think this was probably the district competition. She didn't end up winning, but we are so proud of her. Grandpa got to go to the competition too. They got to play games, had a hog calling contest and they had a nice lunch before the Queen contest started. Below is a picture of Grandma and her twin daughters, Debbie and Donna. The one on the left is my Mom, Donna. This was taken at the Queen contest.

I didn't do anything today that I had planned. What I did do was read, do laundry and draw out the plans for my flower garden. Mostly we just hung out and did a lot of nothing. It was such a nasty day, the only time I ventured outside was to bring in more wood for the fireplace. It is perfect fireplace weather. However, I can only take so many days like this....I need sunshine and the outdoors!! Where is the snow??? We're supposed to have 1-3 inches...it's not snowing yet...maybe it will miss us.

I need to continue my lazy streak and so I'm off to read.....good night John Boy!

Early Spring Blooms on Campus...Outdoor Wednesday

Okay...I'm cheating a bit and using the post from yesterday to participate in Outdoor Wednesday. Visit Susan at A Southern Daydreamer...she has a great blog.


The MU Campus is one of the most beautiful spots in town during the springtime. This campus is a Missouri botanical garden and there are some really pretty and interesting flower beds around. I get a lot of ideas for my own garden when I'm taking walks. These are just the early blooms and I'll take more photos as the flowers come into bloom.

Glad it's Monday...

Ever been glad it's Monday? I'm glad to be sitting in my nice, clean office today.

Really? It's Spring - Break...shouldn't I want to be at home?

Nope!

We had the sewer back up in our basement on Saturday. Ever have that happen to you?

So, here is what I'm thankful for...

• My dark, dungeon-like laundry room that has a overflow drain. Did I say this room is unfinished? YES. IT. IS. I may never complain about my laundry room again.

• A very nice man from a local plumbing company who got called away from his yard work to clean out our stinky sewer line!

• Bleach and Mr. Clean (not used together of course)!

• Monday morning curbside trash pickup.

Lesson Learned? We live in a 40 year old house - yearly sewer line maintenance is a MUST!

Have a great Monday. I'm off to take a walk across the quiet campus and take some shots of the spring-time love popping up in all the flower beds. Oh, and I'm going to breathe in the sweet, clean spring-time air before I go home later this afternoon for another basement clean-up. Yuk!

It's not all bad in our economy...

This article was in our local paper. It's a little long but I thought it was worth sharing.


One mans recession often proves another’s big break
By Mary Paulsell - Saturday, March 14, 2009

As spring approaches and I start to see garage sales signs in the neighborhood, I’m reminded of the old saying: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” And as I consider the economic health of our communities, I find myself paraphrasing that adage: “One industry’s misfortunate can be another industry’s opportunity.” It is proof, once again, that there is a cyclical churn to business. Companies are formed and grow. Then markets or conditions change, causing decline in one sector but creating growth in another.

For instance, I saw a news item the other day reporting how busy shoe repair and clothing alteration businesses have become in the recession. Rather than buying new apparel, we’re fixing and adjusting what we already have.

Contrary to what one might think, residential trade contractors typically see their businesses grow during difficult times. Reticent about buying a new home, we tend to invest instead on remodeling and sprucing up our current residence, which also can increase sales for do-it-yourself centers.

The stress of living in recessionary circumstances makes us less immune to illness. Working longer hours or second jobs exposes us to more colds, the flu or other infections. Couple that with fatigue caused by sleepless nights, and you have greater need for medical services and pharmaceuticals.

We look for comfort during difficult times, and for many people, constant companionship and consistent affection come from their pets. As a result, pet supply stores do extremely well during recessions. In addition, our puppies and kittens are not going to decide to eat less just because we’re struggling financially. Their needs don’t change, and we spoil them all the more.
Stress can cause accidents — particularly traffic accidents. That, plus the fact that we might conserve money by postponing car maintenance or repairs, creates a good market for towing companies.

Compare the cost of a movie in the theater and the accompanying concession treats with renting a DVD and microwaving a bag of popcorn, and you can see why movie rentals and video games hold their own during an economic downturn.

When families need to downsize their living arrangements by moving to a smaller home or apartment, self-storage facilities fill up quickly. While we’re saving money by heating, maintaining and insuring less, we need a place for our “stuff.”

Security services are more in demand during tough times, as we want to ensure we protect our possessions and investments against theft, which tends to rise when times are hard. Stores want to guard against shoplifting and employee theft, so they might hire additional help to keep inventory from walking out the door.

As parents pick up extra hours and extra jobs, the demand for child care increases. And that demand increases job opportunities for those who are willing to watch the kids while Mom and Dad burn the midnight oil.

Low-cost entertainment, such as zoos, parks and nature areas, becomes more popular. Those areas need landscaping services, food service and maintenance, creating opportunities for vendors.

Flea markets, antique malls and secondhand stores go gangbusters during hard times — for obvious reasons. Not only do some of us want to fill a booth to turn some of our extra possessions into cash, many others want to find our treasures at a lesser price than picking up the same thing unused in a posh retail store. Pawnshops tend to do well for much the same reason.
This business churn is testament to the resourcefulness of our entrepreneurs. And it goes to show that even when the chips are down, someone will find a way to turn the challenges into profitable opportunity.

Mary Paulsell is the director of the University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri. Reach her at paulsellm@missouri.edu or visit http://www.missouribusiness.net/.

Reach Mary Paulsell at paulsellm@missouri.edu.

Faith Revisited...

I want to expand a little on my previous post. What I've been thinking about this week is how when things aren't going well for me I always turn to God. When I'm depressed, upset, angry, sad or any type of negative emotion I turn to my bible, I search through my library of devotionals to find a reading that applies to my situation, I search online for spiritual resources and of course I pray...A LOT! When I say prayer, I don't mean some religious, sacred time kneeling at an altar. I just mean that I talk to God like I would talk to a friend. I tell Him about my situation and ask Him to help. For me, my talks with God are what usually frees me from the emotion. I don't always get the answer that I'm looking for but the act of conversing with Him sometimes IS the answer.

Are you thinking, "does this crazy woman talk out loud when she is talking to God"? Well, not usually, but there have been times that I have cried out (loud) for His Mercy.

Why am I thinking and blogging about this topic this week? Things are going really well for me right now, but not so much for a dear friend of mine. She struggles with depression, hopelessness and self-loathing. I struggle with these things sometimes too. Don't we all? I don't know all the ways she copes with these struggles, but I'm not sure she sees the Hope that God can give her. It has taken me a long time to see it myself and I'm so thankful I do now. I want to share it with her but I don't know if she wants to hear it.

Below are some of the scriptures I turn to when I need encouragement. When I pray and read scriptures now, I insert my own name and that makes all the difference for me in understanding it and making it my own. You'll see below where I have inserted my name in the scripture. If you haven't ever tried this, go for it and see if it makes any difference for you.

Psalm 46:10: Be Still
Be still and know that I am God

John 14:27: Peace I Leave You
Peace I leave with you, Jackie. My peace I give to you, Jackie. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let not your heart be troubled, Jackie, and do not be afraid.

AND MY FAVE...

Jeremiah 29:11-14: I Have a Plan For You
For I know the plans I have for you, Jackie, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you, Jackie. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you and will bring you, Jackie, back from captivity. Captivity for me means depression, loneliness, anger, frustration, etc...

I hope you find Peace!
Jackie

About Faith...

I can't imagine where I'd be without my faith in God. That's it! Just thought I'd share...

My new camera...

My new camera is supposed to arrive today!! If you haven't heard, the old (not really) Pentax camera is dead! My 2 year old thought it would be interesting to see what it sounds like to hit the wall with the lens of my camera. What happens when a camera is slammed into a wall? "Lens Error 202" to be exact.

I was somewhat happy with the 8mp Pentax it when I bought it a few months ago and it was a HUGE step up from the 3mp (so generic I don't even know the name of it) camera I had previously....But the pictures just weren't great and I haven't been satisfied with it at all. You can tell from my photos that they are a little grainy and sometimes blurry. Some of this is user error but a lot of it is the camera.

I can't afford a really high-end camera but I do want one that produces crisp and clear photos. This one is supposed to provide the same quality as a 35 mm camera...something I haven't found in a digital camera yet.

SOOOOO....Drumroll Please...

Expect some stunning, brilliant, wonderful, fantastic, breath-taking, and beautiful photos coming your way very soon with the 12 megapixel...True HD quality for stunning pictures and video...5x optical zoom lens....High ISO (whatever that means)....





Wait for it....Wait for it...




Here it is...




Oh and please don't tell me if you have one and don't like it....

Okay...here it is....

Kodak Easyshare Z1285 Zoom Digital Camera

Love and Basketball...

We're proud of our MU Tigers for winning the 2009 Big 12 Championship...but...we're way more proud of our own 2009 Upward Basketball player...#14....Kobe!!

The Awards Ceremony is tonight. I would normally wait and post about this after the awards tonight but my camera died (at the hands of my 2 year old) so I won't have any pictures anyway...bummer.

Kobe did really well this year and I can't believe the season is over already. He is a little more confident with the ball now and he had fun!! It wasn't the really positive Upward experience that he had last year (the coach played favorites a little) but all-in-all he had a good time and that is what matters.

Here are some pictures from the season...Oh, and what's with the title of this post? Just thought it was catchy since I love my basketball player and it was a pretty good movie too.

Kyler's plans for the day...

Today Kyler had a plan. Early this morning he came into the bathroom (where I was) and brought to me his socks, shoes and a cute summertime hat. He put the pile on the counter and then said, "Oh, a coat" and ran to his room. He then brings the coat and lays it on the pile of other things. I'm thinking to myself that he wants to go outside and I'm surprised that he is taking the time to gather all these clothes...usually he just runs out the door. But, I sense something is up so I say, "What are you doing?" Kyler says, "I going to Gacksons (Jackson's) house". I say, "Really? What are you going to do at Jackson's house?" He says, "Play with the trains". Jackson is his friend from school and he's never been to his house.

Okay Then! He has a plan. Kyler is 2 and it's so fun to watch him and see the ideas that he comes up with.

The real plan today?

• LAUNDRY
• Grocery Shopping
  
• Work=Play in the yard
• Make a double batch of Cheeseburger Soup (part of my cooking ahead plan that I've been working on for the last couple of weeks...I'll post more on that later).
• Mostly just hang around the house...and get ready for another busy week.

Kyler will see Jackson on Tuesday...

Karen Kingsbury...

Do any of you read Karen Kingsbury? I love her!! I haven't been spending as much time in blogland the last few days because I have been reading Divine every chance I get! If you haven't read it...it's worth checking out. This book illustrates Joel 2:25 really well. "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten..." There are so many times we wonder why God would allow some things to happen. I love the way Karen shows us in this book why something so tragic would happen to someone.

I usually just read her series books, but I'll be reading some of her stand alone titles now.

Yummy Spring Muffin Recipe...

I have been experimenting with different muffin recipes and recently hit the jackpot with this one....

Strawberry Strudel Muffins

I used fresh strawberries and they turned out great.

This little guy looks super cute on my Great Grandma's Blue Ridge Pottery saucer too!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 1/3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries, chopped


For the Strudel:
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 cup butter


Directions:
1Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl.
2Add egg, mix well.
3In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
4Add to creamed mixture, together with milk.
5Stir in vanilla, followed by strawberries.
6Fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups with batter.
7In a small bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon, then cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
8Sprinkle over muffins.
9Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes or until browned.

Simple Joys...

I've always said that it doesn't take much to make me happy and that is generally true! I've been in kind of a funk lately. I'm not sure why but it's probably because of the weather, being stuck inside so much and the fact that at least one person in our house has been sick for the last month or so.

Well, yesterday it was nice outside and when we got home the boys and I drug out the chairs from the storage room and put them up on the deck. We even cleaned the chairs off! Just seeing the chairs on the deck around my little table made me happy! Yeah...it doesn't take much does it?

Ahhh...but the joy was short lived. Kyler woke up early this morning throwing up! Who's gonna be next? It's like the lottery.

Wait...no it's not!!

Until next time...

Joy in the house...

Not really!! Not today...or last night...or all weekend for that matter.

The only person not sick is the 2 year old. The rest of us either have a respiratory infection, ear infection or is throwing up.

Oh Joy!!

Now, where did I put that gratitude list???