Case of the Missing Carts

The thing I like about Walmart . . .
you just never know what's going to happen when you visit.
Seriously, it's entertaining, no matter what the hour.

Today I made the mistake of walking through the doors around noon.
The greeter, conveniently located by McDonalds, delivers the standard line:
"Thank you for shopping at Walmart" while pushing a cart in my direction.
But not today.
Today she was standing behind a card table, far beyond the yellow arches.
I didn't get it, until I looked to my left.

Gathered by the vast cavern that holds 500+ shopping carts
was a herd of perplexed faces attached to polyester clad bodies.

A few whispers traveled around the area --
There's no carts!  What should we do?
People starting wandering in circles, looking a little like displaced ants.

A few brave souls, including me, ventured back out to the 100 degree parking lot
and nabbed the stragglers shoved up on the curbs.
But even those were sparse.
I was worried a battle might ensue as I walked back inside.
But no -- the ants were still wandering around looking lost.

I hailed a manager and said
Hey, there's a big group of worried customers in the shopping cart area, and no carts.
She nodded and walked away.
Typical Walmart for you.

Where did they all go?
Not the managers -- we know they are playing Scrabble in the break room.
Not the greeters, now behind the card table,
I'm taking about the carts.
Where?

It's a mystery.
I think I need to get Claire on the case.
She's watched enough Monk, Bones and Psych episodes to figure it out in a flash.
In the meantime, maybe you know the answer
to the Case of the Missing Carts

Rock On

Have I mentioned that I will be going to girls camp this summer?
I am!

Super excited about it.
I love being with the young women.
They are so much fun.

Today we went on a fitness walk to get ready for the big 11 mile hike.

Claire rocked the grandma shoes and socks.
(She claimed she lost her walking shoes.)

I was stationed at one of the pit stops - the photo op stop.
Girls who volunteer for the bottom of the pyramid rock.

This year I'm in charge of camp music.
It's a challenge trying to each over 360 people songs without spending a ton of money.
And an even greater challenge is trying to teach several girls how to play those songs on the ukelelee,
so they can be the camp band.
You may recall that Claire, Haley and I have been taking lessons.
It's not going too well.

I've tried several things, one of them being a blog where the girls can go to view words to the songs.
Meetings at my house where the girls can practice.
It's hard when everyone is busy with school, sports, dating and other extra corricular activities.

A few days ago, Eden suggested Garage Band.
I've seen that little guitar floating at the  bottom of my computer screen, but I've never opened it,
until today.
In case you've never clicked on the guitar,
its a program that allows you to record music
and copy it to a file.
You can even put that copy in your iTunes folder!
Who knew!!

I was a little nervous about singing solo.
My kids tell me I sound like a warbling grandma.
Kind of a bummer, when you like to sing to the radio in the car.
So, I called my friend Kristen and asked to come jam with me.
She stopped by 30 minutes before it was time to pick up school kids,
and in 30 minutes, we cranked out our first two numbers.

I messed around a little,
and after a frustrated Eden yelled instructions while making a snack in the kitchen,
I managed to create music files.

It was so exciting!
Not the listening to yourself sing part --
the figuring out how to use a computer program and teach girls how to sing part,
and adding the file to Spotify so I could share it!

I love days when things go your way, don't you!!

I give you I Will, written by Hiliary Weeks . . .
sung by yours truly and Kristen C.
Remember, if you are brave enough to listen,
we are two average moms,
who recorded these in-between errands and picking up car pool.

P.S.  If the file didn't open, that means I still need to learn how file share.

Favorite Day

Thursday is my favorite day of the week.
It never disappoints.
It's the day I go to Institute, which is similar to Bible Study.
I gather with a group of Mormons at one of our church buildings.
There is an instructor, and we study different passages of scripture each week.
I love the great conversations, and the impressions I get as I listen to what is being taught.
I always leave feeling uplifted.

When it's over, my friends and I gather for lunch.
I love that too because it involves laughter and good food -- usually tacos at Baja
but sometimes we go for Italian, and run into Boris Said.

This has been my Thursday routine for the past 4 years.
Next week is our last class before we break for summer.
I'm always sad when that day comes.
Life just runs smoother when there are friends and Institute in the middle of the week.
And lunch.
Lunch is good too.

Right Now

I'm copying my friend Kimberlee  who does this on her blog.   I love reading it.

right now i am.....

watching:  The Middle, which reminds me a lot of my own family.  If I didn't know better I'd swear the writers have a hidden camera in my house -- sometimes the dialogue in the show is verbatim to conversations we've had recently.  It freaks Claire out.

drinking:  Diet Coke, which I will regret about an hour from now when I am tossing and turning in bed.

wearing:  jeans and a new grey and black striped t-shirt from Target.

eating:  pear and gorgonzola pizza from Temecula Pizza Company.

listening:  to a variety of ring tones for my new phone.  I'm picking custom tones for each of my kids.

avoiding: unpacking my suitcase from my trip to Utah last weekend.

wishing:  I could have seen all the kids arriving at the high school's senior prom.

feeling:  off . . . tired . . . a little overwhelmed.  Not sure why.

missing:  Shauna, Shelly, Diane, Gail, Julie, Bart, Paige, Shell, and Arthur.  I had fun seeing all of you last weekend.

thankful:  for friends who made time to come have breakfast with me, even though they were hosting a party at their house three hours later.

craving:  Shauna's Toll House Pie.  Can't stop thinking about it.

wondering:  how I'm going to Eden's closet cleaned out before the guy comes to install a new floor.

praying:  for the Graesser family, who just lost their sweet mother.

needing:  a serious back and neck massage.

On the Road to Eagle

It was a lovely weekend here in Temecula.
Blue skys and warm sunshine.
 We've already had triple digit weather!

Monday it was back to cold and drizzly.
You just never know what you are going to wake up to this time of year.
You too?

We had a garage sale Saturday.

A fundraiser for Eden's Eagle Scout project.
It involved lots and lots of work.
But it was fun.

Eden's favorite part was talking to all the customers.
He's a natural.
This lady was hilarious.

We made enough money to cover the costs of the Eagle project --

300 stuffed animals made out of recycled socks.

We are sending them to an orphanage in India,
for children are suffering from aids or tuberculosis.
They are considered contageous,
so they don't get touched by human hands much.
The stuffed animals will mean a lot to them.

We are working through the Gingham Project,
who will hand deliver the dolls to the children.
Have you heard of them?
If not, you need to pay their site a visit.
They are doing so much good to help the children of Tamil Nadu,
but they could use some help.

I'm excited about this Eagle project, it helps in three ways:
recycling old into new,
teaching teens basic sewing skills,
and helping children who have so little.

I'm looking forward to the "making the stuffed animal" part of the project.
That won't happen until summer.
The girls at church will be making them at camp.

If you have any lone socks hanging out in your laundry room,
send them our way,
won't you?

Inside Looking Out

Working furiously away at my desk mid-morning,
 trying to get a special birthday present finished,

I suddenly became acutely aware of noise.
It had been going on in the background for several minutes,
but right then, it was as though someone had turned up the volume
to the highest setting on the remote --
Mad chirping, squawking,  and frantic fluttering.

The thought came to me as I wound wire around pearls . . .
Those birds are driving me nuts!!!!

A few minutes passed, when it occurred to me,
we hadn't had pet birds in our house for over 9 years.

I looked over at the window, and there were the culprits --
two tiny birds flapping at the glass.

I felt so sorry for them,
trapped in a house while outside,
their crying hungry babies were hidden among the roses.

Elphie noticed them at the very same moment as me,
which did not help matters at all.
Crazy barking ensused.

This happens quite a bit during Springtime,
when I leave the doors open.
Birds in the house, and barking.

Have you ever tried to save a frightened bird,
with a crazy dog nipping at your heels?
It's not as easy as it may seem.

Sometimes it takes all day --
as you wait until the little creature tires of darting from room to room.
One only hopes that the poor thing doesn't shatter a wing,
or die in the process.
It's sad to find a bird lying lifeless next to the window.

I learned today that my critter removal method,
brooms and heavy blankets
may not be the best way to rescue a bird.

Lying on the floor discarded by Claire,
was an old t-shirt,
so worn it was almost thread bare.
I picked it up, and gently placed it around one of the  birds.

She instantly calmed,
which surprised me.

Was it a soft hand
holding her like a nest,
rather than a prison
that allowed the bird to trust,
and not fight as I gently set her free?

It took a little longer to help the second bird,
a Robin -- my favorite.
I've never seen one in Temecula,
but there she was, sitting on top of
the pot rack among the frying pans.
She stayed there for an hour or two.

But in time she flew to the window
and felt the calm of shirt and hands.
I walked outside and opened the t-shirt bundle
and off the Robin flew to join the choir in the trees.

The music was beautiful.
Such a contrast to the shrieking only moments before,
when two unfortunates were trapped behind the glass.

Birds.
They have lessons to teach me.
They do.

Dialogue.

Watching this video made me cry.
Not just cry, sob.
Such a sensitive subject in Mormon culture,
but one that needs to be talked about a lot more.
So I'm talking, because I want you to know . . .
I love the Savior, and His gospel.
I love my friends and family members who are gay too,
and accept who they are.
They will always have a friend in me.
We may not agree on political or religious matters,
but we've managed to put our differences aside.

I believe it's possible to do both -- love the gospel, and love people who are different from me.
The Savior does -- he loves each of us, and knows our hearts.

If I want to become like Him,
I need to be a little better at looking at people through His eyes . . .
with understanding,
compassion,
and less judgement.

I hope that people will look at me that way too.
Because I have beliefs that not everyone agrees with.
I've made choices I'm not proud of.
And I have flaws . . . lots of flaws.

I hope you will take the time to watch and share this.
The message is important.
It may just save a life, or change a heart.

I applaude these BYU students
for stepping forward and doing something hard.
You are brave,
and you are making a difference.



For those of you who are interested, this link gives the story about the video:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19888052&title=lgbt-students-at-byu-reach-out-to-gay-lds-church-members&s_cid=featured-4

Egg Hunt

Happy Easter weekend friends.

We will be celebrating the Savior's atonement on Sunday,
and eating ham and funeral potatoes . . . you?

Oh yes, and consuming lots of candy.
I keep trying to ban it in the Easter baskets lieu of swim suits and sun screen,
somehow, it keeps reappearing.

I just can't stay away from the malted eggs, and the chocolate bunnies.

I'm still on the hunt for Brach's Robin's eggs.  
If anyone sees them around Temecula,
give me a hollar.

Good to Know

Dear kids who live in my house,

Next time you ask me why I won't buy soda,
this is your answer.

Love, Mom

Technical Difficulties

It's been one busy Spring Break.
Claire's been gone all week playing with friends.
I don't see her much now that she drives.
Sort of makes me sad.

Luckily, Eden is still around some . . .
when he's not at the Ranch.

We took a quick trip to Utah
and stayed with my best friend, at the Maxwell B&B.

It's not really a B&B, but it seems like one.
Someone is always coming and going from her house, including me.
Shauna and Arthur are the hosts with the mosts.

It was fun to have time to talk and laugh with my bestie.
During our visit, we took the opportunity to scan lots of old photos.
Shauna saved ev-ry-thing from our school days.
Even old jr. high newspapers.

Good thing she did, because I haven't got a thing.
Can you believe my family didn't own a camera . . .
until I got one for Christmas.
But it was too expensive to get all that film developed,
So I hardly used it.
Tragic.

While we were in Utah, Eden visited a cool equestrian center.
He hung out with friends he met at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show.
And he got the chance to ride this beauty.

When we got home, I was so excited to edit and post all of my photos.
After uploading I discovered I had used all the disc space on my computer.
Now everything in there is trapped.
I can't move files,
or duplicate files,
 or delete files.

What's a person to do??
I hate being technically challenged when it comes to that kind of stuff.
It's time for a visit to the Mac Store.