Grandma

Today's Daily Good was for my Grandma. She was looking at my laptop and obviously curious about it...so I showed her the internet. Who knew you could find anything on there? We looked at Google images of roses and peonies, looked up articles on growing old gracefully, found both of our favorite bible verses and I introduced her to Pinterest. Sadly, she won't remember this tomorrow, but she sure had fun with it today!!!
What did you do?

Daily Goods

It's been over a year and a half since my last blog.  I really have no excuse for this. 

I'm starting something new in my life and I think it moght be blog-worthy.  It's called the Daily Good.  Everyday I will make a point to do something good for someone else.  Now, if you know me, you know that I already enjoy doing random acts of kindness and that I prefer to keep these acts completely anonymous.  However, in an attempt to spread the "pay it forward" message to the masses, I will publish my Daily Goods for the world to see.  My challenge to you is to join me in this project for the next four weeks.  We'll start today, August 6th, and go through September 2nd.  One good thing...for someone else...every day. 

Let's do this.

Milk...just milk

I went to the grocery store today to pick up a gallon of milk.  That's really all we needed.  I left the store with five bags of groceries, a twelve-pack of Pepsi, a bag of potatoes and two gallons of milk.  I obviously have no self-control.

Things to do today:

Smile.  It makes you feel good.

Job offer

I was offered a job today.  It's a great position and would mean more money for us.  If I take this job I have to significantly reduce the amount of time I put into my other jobs.  Job #1, my current position, enables me to work with kids who need someone like me to pay attention to them, like them, listen to them and spend time with them.  If I spend less time in this position there is no doubt the kids will feel the effects.  Job #2, also a current position, gives me a little bit of the same opportunities.  Job #3,  again current, is something I can take a break from until summer.  Job #4, the new offer, would also enable me to work with kids every day...but do these kids need me?  Or, will they be okay with anybody? 

Do I leave the old jobs and take the new one?  Do I turn down the new one and keep the current ones?  What matters most; more money or more quality? 

As I sort this out in my mind during the twenty-four hours I have been given to make a decision, I keep coming back to the same question; where can I do the most good?

Family Christmas

We had our family Christmas celebration Friday night.  I love Christmas.  I love everything about it; buying, making and giving gifts, the great food and yummy cookies, the tree and the lights, stockings, the story of Jesus' birth.  But, most of all, I love being together with my family!

We're a fun family...a little bit loud and a little bit goofy...but tons of fun!  We laugh and joke, play games, hug and snuggle.  We bring our favorite snacks and someone always breaks out the wine, beer, etc.  The kids are part of the fun and it's wonderful to see how they grow and change with each passing year.

Bubba got everything he wanted: Monopoly Deal, money for Amazon and Target, a T-shirt and a couple of cool new games that he already loves to play.  I got everything I wanted as well; a Kindle gift card, a massage, a covered cake pan, Catch Phrase, some earrings and money for Target.  Oh...Bubba also got squirrel underwear, but that's another blog.

It was a wonderful night.  My number one daughter was there...the most precious gift of all.

Auntie Carrie...again!

Welcome to the world, Baby Zoe!  I'm so happy to finally meet you.  I'm looking forward to many years of snuggling, playing, shopping and having "girl time".

Congratulations to my baby sister for bringing another beautiful baby into our family!

And a big high-five to the boys!

All my love, Baby Zoe.  May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Tourons

Summer is coming to an end here in Northern Minnesota and, though I love the season beyond words, there is one thing about summer I will not miss.

Tourons.  A touron is a tourist/moron who comes into your town on vacation and proceeds to lose all of his or her manners, common sense, ability to operate a motor vehicle or understand common street signs, and suffers from delusions of grandeur.

These tourons tend to flock to my place of employment each and every day during the lunch and dinner hours.  They are a difficult species.  They are rude, demanding, mess-making folk who act on their feelings of superiority with gusto and leave destruction and frustration in their wake.

To all the tourons out there:  Your time is short!

Update

Tonight I'm going to update my reading list.  I promise.   And I'm going to blog, as well.  Tonight.

Summer

Summer in my small town is just about the best thing on earth.  My only wish is for more time to enjoy it...

So Tired

Don't you just hate it when you're completely exhausted, but the moment your head touches the pillow your mind kicks into gear.  You spend the next few hours thinking about anything and everything because you just can't TURN IT OFF!!!

If only my thoughts were fixated on solving the problems of the world, curing cancer or feeding the hungry.  Alas, this is not the case.  I think about my grocery list, what book to read next, work schedules and when I should do the laundry.

Does this mean that deep down inside I'm just shallow???

and...

I don’t care what other people think. Sometimes this comes across as me simply not caring about people. Not true…I care about others very much.

Random Facts...

If I could go back in time and do it all over again there are very few things I would change. However, the things I would change are significant.

Lazy Days...

There's something to be said for laziness.  After a day spent doing next to nothing, a stellar nap and a full, good night's sleep, I woke up the next morning feeling incredible.  I scrubbed, cleaned, washed, aired out, swept, mopped, dusted, vacuumed, and freshened.  Who knew that one day of good laziness would result in a power surge?

Health Care Debate

The Health Care Debate is obviously consuming much of the attention of our nation. Only thing is, it isn’t a health care debate, it's a government debate, dealing primarily with how much individual freedom and liberty the American people are willing to surrender in exchange for more government control and intervention.
As we lose our freedoms I can only mourn for all who stood tall to protect them for this long.  Thank you to my brothers, my brother-in-law, my friends and my family. 

My Mother...and God

"You're going to get a ticket..."
"I don't understand why you feel the need to drive so fast."
"If you get pulled over..."

All of the above direct quotes from my mother this past weekend as we drove down to the cities and back.  She commented on my speed countless times and I replied with the following:

"I will not get a ticket.  I don't get tickets.  I will never get a ticket."

You should know that my mother is a praying woman.  She has a direct line to the Creator and prays for her children ceaselessly.  I have little doubt that her prayers last night went something like this...

"Dear Lord,
I love my daughter, Carrie Lynn, with all that I am...as do You, Lord.  But that girl drives way too fast and needs to be taught a lesson.  So, Lord, if it be your will, teach her that lesson tomorrow on her way home from work. 
Amen."

Well, Mom, with my foot in my mouth I can still say...

Prayers answered.  Lesson learned.  God is good.

Chinese Tonight

My son and I had Chinese takeout tonight from a local restaurant.  General Tao Chicken with Fried Rice and Crab Rangoon.  Mmmmmm.  I eat with chopsticks, the son eats with a fork...chopsticks don't shovel the food in fast enough for him.  This isn't exactly what it looked like, but you get the idea.

The restaurant only serves Chinese on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Ironically, I usually crave it on Wednesdays.

Eelpout Weekend

Another Eelpout Festival has come and gone in my small town.  Thousands of people came up to eat, drink, play and fish for the elusive 'pout.  I worked the whole weekend and reaped the benefits of some serious cash...and sore feet.

By the end of the weekend I had witnessed some guy walking down the sidewalk, stopping to puke on the deck of the restaurant I was working at, and then continuing on his stroll downtown; several people falling off of their chairs; odd items left under tables and in bathrooms; and many requests for pictures with random drunk people. 

As crazy as it was, it was also a blast.  I work with some great people and we made the weekend the funnest time ever!

Things I Can't Do...

I can't eat with chopsticks while I'm driving.  Really...it's nearly impossible.

The Bully

I was in junior high, probably seventh grade, when it happened.  School had just ended for the day and I was getting ready to board the bus for the long ride home.  In between my bus and the next stood a young girl whose eyes were overflowing with tears.  Her face was red and she was clearly terrified.  A much, much bigger girl was standing on the young girl's lunchbox, refusing to give it to her.  The lunchbox (they were metal in those days) was crumpling under the weight of the bully, the young girl was shaking with fear, and the bully was sporting a nasty, I'm-bigger-than-you-and-there's-nothing-you-can-do-about-it grin.

I'm sure the little girl was thinking that she would get beat up, her lunchbox would be ruined, her mom would be angry with her or any number of panic-stricken worries.  As I came by, she looked up at me with an expression of defeat...and a little bit of hope.  I can still see her face to this day...clear as a bell.

Here's the part where I tell you that I laid into that bully.  Told her how nasty she was and warned her never again to pick on someone smaller than her.  Comforted that little girl and swore to protect her from any and all big people.

I didn't do anything.  I walked right by and got on the bus.

I remember very little from my younger days.  But, I remember her.