Last 6 Months in Review - Part 1 - June thru July 2011

I have gotten so far behind in my blogging that I lapsed on the last 6 months of 2011.  

I was just going to give up and let it go.  

But my sweet daughter-in-law Samantha urged me to go ahead and catch up.  

Her encouragement gave me the motivation I needed. 

Plus, I knew cousin Alan was still waiting for me to blog again!

So, here goes... June thru July 2011

In mid June we had Brown Family Reunion at the Heaton Ranch.  

It was great, as usual.  Good food, good friends, good visits.  

Same old squabbles, but what would we do without them?  

This year the Tyler's were in charge - namely Duane and Diane.  

They did a fantastic job.  

I sat under a tree one day and took pictures of the kids by and in the pond.

Next big thing, 

while preparing for a wedding and after Girls camp, UREA camp, and Cross Country camp 

we had the William and Mary Tyler Reunion - which my family was in charge of.  

It was held in Greer, AZ in the White Mountains.  

I think it was successful and everyone had a good time.  

It's sometimes hard to tell when you are trying to make sure everything goes smoothly.  

Best thing for me was I got to spend more time with my big (and only) 

brother, Steve, and get better acquainted.  

I also loved getting to see and visit with aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and siblings.  

Plus we were out of the heat. (smile)

As we headed home, we made a stop (with my cousin Loren's family) at 

Sunrise Ski resort for a ride to the top and some scrumptious Navajo Tacos!  

Yum!!

Got back in time to start working more earnestly on the upcoming wedding of my son Loren and his bride to be, Samantha!

Two Thoughts for 2012

I have two thoughts (not original) that have been much on my mind and continually reoccurring over the past few weeks.  So much so, in fact, that I want to make these two thoughts the underlying theme (for lack of a better word) for this new year.  Perhaps, if I succeed, I will be able to incorporate these into my life permanently.

First thought:  

I first heard this at General Conference and I've heard it multiple times since in different ways.  All of them have the same meaning, and that is, to a great extent we need to be responsible for how we treat others and what kind of lasting impression we leave them with.  You can say all the right things, but if you say them in an uncaring way, or you ignore them or treat them badly, they will never pay any heed to the words coming out of your mouth.  

I've hurt a lot of people, I'm sure, and I am sorry for that.  My motto used to be, "They'll get over it".  I'm going to pinch myself every time I think that from now on.  Sure, people can choose how they react and feel, but that doesn't absolve me of my effect on others.

Second thought:

Again, not original and often said in many different ways.

Often we are so "heck"-bent on obtaining what our mind is set on, that we are not grateful for what we already have.  I have not only seen this in many people's lives, but also in my own.  And one thing is for sure;  that is if you're always pining away for what you don't have - then you will SURELY be unhappy.  It's a tried and true recipe - tried hundreds of times over by me.  So, I'm going to make this my second mantra and repeat to myself all the things/blessings that I already have and to cherish them.

Here's to a New Year - and new thoughts!!

Returning to the Blogging World

It's been a long time.  

So long, that I don't know where to begin.  

So, on this first blog after my lengthy abstinence from my online 'journal' of sorts, I will just say what's on my mind.

I am happy that summer is over and that it is Fall.

The end.

Father's Day 2011 - remembering my Dad.

In honor of Father's Day, it seems only fitting that I reflect on what a great Dad I had.

He was the "strong, silent" type, but I never doubted his love for me. 

 

He just showed it in non-verbal ways. 

He was the best of examples;  of hard work, of getting an education, of honoring the priesthood, of honesty, and of remaining true and faithful to what you believe.

Some of my favorite memories:

 **Seeing his legs sticking out from under the car while he worked on it.

**Giving him a hug from behind and smelling "Old Spice".

**Watching him enjoy my home-made whole-wheat bread by loading it with honey and peanut butter.

**Taking the boat out for a spin - and all the prep it entailed.

**The twinkle in his eye when he was teasing my Mom.

**Cracker-Jacks and treats in his pockets for the grandkids.

**Reminding me to take good care of my car.

**Patting me on the head.

**Letting me lay my head on his shoulder during church.

I still miss him, after all these years, and am so thankful for all he taught me.

My dad and his brothers:  L to R:  Ray, Ivan, Kent, Loren (my dad)

But most of all, I am grateful for his love for me.  

Cuz I wasn't always easy to love! ;-/

Tailgaters -n- Smokers

So, while I wait for my girls to return from their bike ride so we can go shopping and then to lunch, cuz that's what summer's all about, right?  Spending time together doing the things you can't while school is in session?...

I have a few thoughts...

about Smokers and Tailgaters.

Let me clarify:

Smokers - as in those who insist on smoking in public places, NOT those who like to burn wet firewood.

 Tailgaters - people in a big "gosh darn hurry" to get somewhere - anywhere - and follow you too closely in their car.  NOT to be confused with crazy drunk people hanging out on their truck tailgates at a sporting event.

So, after being tailgated for the umpteenth time yesterday, and going slower and slower just to rile them up, and THEN, gagging on someone's cigarette smoke in the entrance to Costco, I began to notice some similarities between these two groups.

Both 'Public Smokers' and 'Tailgaters':

*think and often insist that they have the "right".  What "right"?
  (The right to make others fear for their lives, I guess.)

*are pushy, pushy, pushy!  In your face or in the rear pushy!

*don't give a "darn" about how uncomfortable they make other people feel.

*get pretty ornery is you challenge them.

*think the rest of us are all 'narrow-minded'.

*listen to terrible music.

*have bad breath and bad hair.

*wear funky golf shoes and polyester pants.

*want to destroy the world.

Okay,okay, maybe not the last 4 items.  I was getting narrow-minded and carried away (probably the lasting effects of inhaling someone's nasty cigarette smoke).

But, seriously, there are definitely some similarities in the mind-set of these 2 groups.

And, you'd better agree, or else I will tail-gate you!!

The Girls are Back in Town

I Love my girls.  

I ADORE them.

I miss them when they are gone.

But, when they are gone, somehow the counters don't get all cluttered, the dishes get done faster and there's less of them.

And there is a shocking lack of shoes laying around waiting to trip me. 

There ARE some perks when they are gone.

I'm just sayin....

But when they are home,

there are more hugs comin' my way,

there are 'talk fests' on my bed with all 5 of us,

there are "owies" to inspect and thrilling stories to hear,

 and just a whole lot more love floatin' around.

I'm just sayin....

Wish I'd done it Sooner - or - the Best Summer Ever!!

This post is dedicated to all young moms out there!!

As many of you know, I have 6 kids.  

The youngest is now 16, but, I'm going to tell you a secret to a great summer with the kids home.  

This is something I wish someone had told me 27 years ago!  (But, they didn't and I learned the hard way.)

Several years ago, when I still had 4-5 at home and the youngest was about 8, I had a brilliant(for me) idea to make summers more enjoyable for all.

Here it is, in a nutshell:

During the weeks went we weren't traveling, etc., I wanted to have fun, but not let the house and chores go to pot during the summer.  

Plus, I wanted my kids to have goals, to have a sense of accomplishment, and also have fun.  After brainstorming with the kids on things they like to do, here's what we came up with:

Each day, rise before 8am.

Get chores done by 10:00 am (everyone had assigned daily chores)

10:00 - Group project

12:00 - lunch & clean up

Hanging out and being silly

This is where the girls learned to enjoy taking photos and videos of silly stuff!

1:00 - Read or hang out with friends

(They would make a goal of how many pages they wanted to read for the summer)

3:00 - swim or other activity

5:00 - start dinner (help mom cook)

6:30 - free time

We were pretty flexible - that's the secret to happy families I've discovered.  The times and activity weren't set in stone.

Then - the fun part - 

this is what we did during group project or hanging with friends - cuz friends were invited!

Monday - Cooking or sewing lesson

Tuesday - Scrapbooking

Wednesday - Library or a educational field trip

Thursday - craft project (Jewelry making was a hit)

Friday - hike and picnic lunch

Before we knew it, the summer would be over and we'd all be sad to have the fun end! 

Plus, we made some wonderful memories!