Smile! We must be on candid camera!

Okay, yes it's true, I like snow but when you live in a place that's not prepared for it, not so much fun. So, I'm pretty sure at this point that the Candid Camera crew is going to pop out of one of the snow drifts saying "Smile! You're on Candid Camera!"

As of now, we have about 2 feet of snow, my car is completely buried, major highways are closed, we didn't really get the Christmas shopping done, the whole family is sick with colds and sick of each other, the dogs are restless, and our boat is sinking into the Columbia River under the weight of the moorage roof that is collapsing on it. Oh, wait, let's not leave out that it's supposed to snow 4-8 more inches in the next day or two! For the LOVE OF the Lord! Enough is enough!

The snow is still pretty, but I didn't mean I wanted it to cover cars and houses and the shoveling thing, not all it's cracked up to be. The kid's are not getting anything on their lists and we're teetering on the idea of telling them "there ain't no Santa Claus so no, he can't fly over the snow!" Oh, and I also would love to tell them "STOP JUMPING UP AND DOWN AND SAYING HOW PRETTY THE TREE IS AND THAT YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS!"

So, for all those times I've wished that it would snow, I take that back. Next time a light dusting will be just fine. Well, the dogs are wrestling on my lap again so I must go scream at them now. Merry flippin' Christmas everyone!

Snow, Snow, SNOW!

Well, it has snowed nearly the foot that the weathermen predicted and now has frozen over in an effort to petrify this white blanket over an otherwise brown and quite ugly landscape. I love it! For years I've wanted to live where it snows in the winter. I find the starkness of the snow quite beautiful. It covers up ugly yards and dirty sidewalks and makes everything appear equal. The world seems to slow down when this white stuff begins to fall from the sky and people take time to call each other, do things at home they don't have time for and play with the kids. Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we need to pay more attention to the small things in life that we sometimes skip over when we're able to rush around in our busy everyday lives.
The kids and I made it to Church this morning thanks to Dave driving us there in the truck. I'm sure I could have gotten us there in the truck as well, but he feels the need to keep us safe which is nice. There was no Sunday School, so the kids got to experience "real" Christian Church for the first time. They go every week to the Catholic Church at school, but it's much different than the Church we attend on weekends. Even though it appears they're not listening most of the time, I really do think they learn something and for the first time they got to participate in Communion instead of walking to the front and crossing their arms for a blessing as they do at the Catholic Church. And the best part, there were cookies in the lobby afterwords. That was the highlight for them!

I was dropped back off at home per my request, Dave and the kids wanted to go find parking lots to whip cookies in and snow to get stuck in. They are insane but hey, it leaves me some quiet time to myself so whatever works.

The dogs have been very entertained by the snow. They spent most all of yesterday playing outside. We forgot about the EZup canopy getting loaded with snow so it has collapsed, much to their amazement. They sniff and inspect it each time they go outside. Apparently the time Jimmy got to spend outside last night was enough for him. He woke up this morning, stepped out the back door and pooped right on the doorstep. Then he came in and peed on the couch. Lovely huh? That dog. All we can do is shake our heads and laugh. These dogs keep us on our toes for sure! They're all pretty tired today which is a nice change.

We got our tree up and mostly decorated and I even put the Nativity Scene out much to my better judgment. We have the tree and nativity in a "Christmas Jail" in an attempt to keep it safe from the dogs. I strategically placed an opened up exer pen around the area. We'll see how long that lasts...we may be looking for a new Nativity Scene next year. Last year our tree got knocked over at least 4 times and we lost quite a few ornaments, so I've been slow at putting any on this year. At least with the Dough ornaments we can just make more.

So, that's about it around here. I've taken more pictures to share with everyone. Check them out and stay safe and warm in this crazy wonderful weather we're having!

Snow Days

Well, we are entering solar cycle 24 and the climate is beginning to change. One of the advantages of this transition time from cycle 23 to 24 is snow in places that would otherwise only get rain. What that means for us, is almost an entire week of snow days! And what better time for it than the week before Christmas Break is to begin.

The kids and I had Monday & Tuesday off, and now are off again today (Friday). The first two days it was too cold for me to go out and take pictures, but the kids played in it all day on Monday! I'm shocked they didn't get frostbite but apparently they move enough to keep warm out there. As for me, I went out for about 5 minutes to tell them it was time to come in and that's it. Today it's much warmer, a whopping 33 degrees so they've been out all day again building snowmen. I managed to get out to take a few pictures today, click on the album below to take a peek.

Snow Days!

As many of you know we have a good number of dogs here at our house, so on Tuesday I got all excited and thought that picking up the poop would be super easy since it was frozen outside. Wrong, if anyone is wondering, it also freezes to the ground so it's next to impossible to pick it up. Now I know...

That has been the extent of our week. We still don't have a Christmas tree and barely any gifts but oh well...maybe next week will be a little bit more exciting, but I have my doubts. I hope all of those affected by this storm are safe and warm!

Be The Change + Pay It Forward

So, earlier in my blogging days I wrote about a famous quote by Gandhi that reads something like "Be the change you wish to see in this world." I think about this often, and try to come up with ways that I can be the change. The problem I run into each time is that I want to see too much change, so I need to ask myself what is it that I really want to see happen in this world? I suppose that answer is different every minute of every day, but I believe that the most glaring thing in this world that really needs to change (and I think that we can almost all agree on this) is the lack of kindness and caring in our society. Each day I am disgusted by somebody's selfishness or negativity and I often think that the only thing I can do about it is to say "whatever" and try to move on. However, after doing a little bit of online research tonight, I've come to realize that I can be doing so much more!

By typing in "be the change" into the Google search, I came across a website that has some wonderful and very simple ideas on how to be the change and pay it forward in your everyday life. Below I will paste a few of my favorite ideas from the site, but I encourage all of my followers and even those who may just be stumbling upon my blog to check out the site for yourself. It's very inspiring and encouraging to know that not everyone in the world is evil and that maybe we can someday get back to a "Leave it to Beaver" society again where we actually talk to our neighbors and care about how other people feel and maybe even know each others names again.

"Be the change"...
~Order some "Smile Cards" and start the fun - This is a game of pay-it-forward: anonymously make someone smile, leave behind a card asking them to keep the ripple going. It's easy and fun. Is kindness truly contagious? There's only one way to find out ...

~Crafts of Kindness - Ask a creative crafter to help you with acts of kindness. Knit a hat for a homeless person this winter. Crochet a table cloth for a family that just moved into the neighborhood. Hand-craft some jewelry for women at a battered women's shelter. Bake cookies to celebrate someone's achievement. Create a photo frame of your best friend's pet and leave it outside his/her door with a smile card. Give scrap booking lessons and materials for underprivileged children.

~Healing Kindness - Express kindness to those who are healing. Leave a stuffed animal for a child in a hospital. Plant a tree to commemorate someone coming out of a long illness. Run a race to help fund research for a fatal disease. Tag a cancer patient with a book about a heroic recovery. Volunteer at a hospice for the terminally ill. Listen to a friend who is going through a tough time.

~Honor Your Heroes - Honor your heroes with kindness. Dedicate a small act of kindness to your hero by writing them a letter about your experience. Find your favorite elementary school teacher and send him/her some 'thank-you' flowers anonymously. Get a 'just because' gift for your dad even when it isn't Father's Day. Tell the story of your hero to a young child. At your next family gathering, have everyone share each other's heroes. In honor of your pet, volunteer at a local animal shelter.

~Five Bucks And Under - What can you do with five bucks to make someone's day? Tape the exact change for a soda to a vending machine or a payphone. Pay the toll for the person behind you. Leave flowers in front of someone's house. Bake cookies for your neighbors. Put quarters in the laundry machine for the next person. Send cards with beautiful messages to anonymous people. Leave chocolate on the desk of your co-workers. Treat someone to a cup of their favorite coffee.

~Tag the Ones Closest - Do something kind for those closest to you. Give your housemate a hug in the morning, for no reason. Help your mother, brother, father, or sister with something that they would not expect you to do. Leave a flower in your brother or sister's room. Spend some time with your grandparents. Make breakfast for your partner. Call your parents just to say 'Hello'.

~Public Transportation - Before you get off the bus or train, leave an inspiring book on a seat with a Smile Card. Give a flower to the bus driver or anyone else that looks like they can use it. Leave a nice CD with a smile card. Offer gum or candy to the person sitting next to you. Give your seat to the elderly or mothers with children if it's crowded. Help people find their way if they look lost. Write a card with a beautiful quote or a blessing and leave it on your seat for someone to find.

~Give of Yourself - Prepare a nutritious sack lunch for a homeless person and hand it to him/her saying "have a great day". Shovel snow for someone. Mow the yard of an elderly or ill neighbor. Run or walk a race, or walk for the cure to help fund research for an incurable disease. If you see someone having a bad day, stop to listen to them, hand them a flower, anything to make a difference in their day. Babysit for free for a mom who needs a day to herself. Offer to drive elderly or disabled people to appointments or the grocery store. Crochet or knit baby hats and blankets to donate to a local hospital nursery. Leave your newspaper behind for the next person to read. Teach your children or grandchildren the act of giving.

Some of these ideas are repetitive, but to me, they all brought tears to my eyes because they are such simple ideas that I should have thought of a long time ago. I know I'm not perfect though, and never will be, but at least I'm trying and maybe someday, I will be that change that I want to see. I hope I can encourage others to do the same. Please check out this site, there are many more ideas and inspirations to help you pay it forward in your every day life.

Oh Sheldon!

So, I just heard on the news that "Sheldon from Sheridan" is upset about yet another cigarette tax. He suggests that they tax toilet paper instead so that they can get money from everyone. While I don't really know that we need to tax cigarettes any more than they already are, I really can't agree with Sheldon on this one. This is yet another example of just how amazing people are. Oh Sheldon!

Humanity

The definition of Humanity is;
1. all human beings collectively; the human race; humankind.
2. the quality or condition of being human; human nature.
3. the quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence.
Typically, I like to live in a bubble, thinking and hoping that most people in the world are kind and caring, and worth the air we breathe. When I opened the mail after getting home today, my bubble was quickly popped and I was sadly reminded of the horrors of humanity, and the evil that we have in this world.

I'm not sure why, or how our family came to deserve so much affliction over the years, but for some reason we have been chosen. As if our current legal battle isn't absurd enough, now I am being sued personally for a fender bender I was in over 2 years ago! For the LOVE of Humanity! What is wrong with people in this world? Thank goodness that I have insurance, and they will be taking care of this, but still, do I really need this extra stress in my life? Just in case you hadn't guessed, the answer to that question is NO!

This comes at a time when our family is in the middle of brainstorming about what we can do to help the needy for Christmas, even though we really can't afford it, and on the same day that the shipment of Pay It Forward bracelets that I had requested from the Pay It Forward Foundation came in the mail! Can you believe the irony of that? Our family is trying to do good for the world, and our community, and SMACK, I get served with a lawsuit, by...now this is the good part, someone from OUR COMMUNITY. She lives in the same town, a mere few miles away! That right there makes me feel like throwing my hands up in the air and saying forget it! Forget about helping people, I'm the one that needs help and the people in this world and this community aren't worth it anymore! Our family wanted to hold a Christmas dinner for the not so fortunate in our area this year, but what if she showed up! She's probably the type that would try to get something for free even though she doesn't deserve it. It is just so disgusting how one person can ruin things for everyone.

I don't even know what to say to all of this other than that Humanity, and humans are just simply amazing. What type of person can do something like this without thinking twice? How was that person raised and what has happened to them to make them so mean and terrible? I just don't get it. On the bright side however, I think that someone paid our garbage bill for us this month so that's encouraging. Perhaps there are still a few nice people out there. Even though I'm not in the giving spirit anymore, I went ahead and put one of the Pay It Forward bracelets on to try to remind myself of the good, rather than wasting my brainpower on the bad. I guess I better get busy paying it forward some more though before I get served with another insane lawsuit.