Friday, July 26, 2013

It's a beautifulllllll day.... (blared in my best Bono voice)

I have this bad habit of thinking about life in song lyrics. Not necessarily a bad habit for everyone, but I can't sing. Thus, I usually keep it my head. Which is why Bono's "Beautiful Day" is running in my mind right now. Maybe I should just start iTunes.

Anyway, today's blog topic is "5 Things That Make You Happiest." This is going to be short and sweet. In no particular order, here goes:

  1. Listening to my adorable little guys talk to each other: Well, it's more like making sounds, but maybe they really know what they're saying. Who knows. I love listening to them; they always sound so happy.
  2. Watching Greg play with Dwight and Jordan: He's a natural. Even though he works tons of hours and has stuff he needs to do when he comes home, he still takes the time to play and cuddle. Their smiles when they're having daddy time are priceless.
  3. Our church: The teaching is top-notch, and the worship is amazing. I'm glad we found some place where we feel so comfortable and can get so much out of the service.
  4. Having a clean home: I don't know why, but I feel so much more relaxed and productive when our house is clean. Maybe I should clean more often, huh? There's something about everything being in its place that makes me happy. 
  5. Crafting: I'm not extremely crafty, but I love the challenge of tackling a new project and seeing it through to completion, especially when it's something I'm going to gift.
Pretty straightforward. Now, I need some feedback. What makes you happy right now?

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Letter to Me

Hi there. Today is day two for me and the blogging challenge posed by Cassie at MILFF. Today's prompt is five lessons you would share with your 16-year old self. Automatically, Brad Paisley's song, "Letter to Me" came to mind.


As I listened to the song, I tried to remember life at 16. I turned 16 in November of my sophomore year of high school. I drove a 1990 red Ford Ranger. It was manual. I didn't quite have the finer points of driving a standard vehicle down, so the first day I drove it to school, I coasted through every stop sign for fear that if I stopped I would stall. FFA was a huge part of my life, as were yearbook, speech/debate, and the school newspaper my friends and I started. I looked forward to the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month (4-H camp counselor and Jr. Fair Board meetings), because then I could see my good friends from other schools. I was convinced I was going to be a veterinarian when I grew up, and even though I didn't have a job at the time, I raised a menagerie of animals that provided a little extra income. I thought I knew most everything, but in hindsight, I was pretty clueless.

Cassie said it best: "I would tell myself a million things. Learn how to sew. Take value in all you read. Listen to the wisdom that is all around you. Do everything in high school you possibly can. Cherish your friendships. Be nicer to your family. Stop procrastinating! You end up with a great guy. Your children are going to be perfect. Save your money. Stop wasting time on people who don't think you're worth the same. Do things whole heartedly. Take out the trash for mom. Study! Don't stay up so late. Take unique classes. Volunteer. Learn how to change your own oil. Walk with purpose. People see everything you do."

I ditto that, but, without further adieu, here are the top five things, in no particular order, I would want me to know at 16.


  1. Don't Take Yourself So Seriously- This is a lesson I really didn't learn until I was in college, but I wish I would've known it sooner. 16-year old Rose, you don't have to be perfect. Nobody is. Take time to laugh at yourself. Be conscious of your imperfections, but don't dwell on them. Have fun. Smile more. Be you.
  2. Look for the Good in Others- Yes, there are idiots in the world. You went to high school with a good number of them. However, everyone has strengths. Focus on those. It can be hard, but instead of dwelling on what drives you nuts about other people, look for the things you admire. Ok, I admit, I'm still working on this one.
  3. You Can't Change Your Family, But You Can Choose Your Friends- There are things that about your family that you don't like, but you can't change. Deal with it. They're still your family, and they always will be. Accept them for who they are. Your friends, you can change those. Take time to choose your friends wisely, and invest time into building those relationships. One of my biggest regrets is letting friendships slide that used to be so important. 
  4. Have Confidence- There is nobody who is a better you than you. Don't worry about what other people think. Be confident in your personality, in your appearance, and in your abilities. The people who don't like you aren't worth your time. Carry yourself with poise and grace, and don't spend so much time shirking in the corner. 
  5. Learn Something New Every Day- It doesn't matter what it is. Don't waste a day not learning. Learn about others, learn about yourself, learn random facts, learn how to do new tasks. It keeps your mind sharp and makes you more unique. 
So there you have it, five things I wish I knew at 16. Don't be a lurker, leave a comment so I know you were here! Tell me what you would add to this list.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

21 Day Blogging Challenge

My good friend Cassie is a MILFF. Not that kind of MILF! She's a Mom Investing in Literature, Family, and Friends. She blogs at http://momsshouldreadthis.blogspot.com/
Yesterday, in an attempt to revive her blog, she started a 21 day blogging challenge, and I'm jumping on board!


Here's the fun part - I want you to do it with us! 
Just post your response or answer to the topic in the comments below - feel free to use this challenge on your own social media of choice too. 

21-Day Blogging Challenge
Day 1 - Name 10 random facts about yourself. 
Day 2 - List 5 things you would tell your 16 year old self if you could. 
Day 3 - Name the 5 things that make you the happiest right now. 
Day 4 - What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?
Day 5 - What defines you?
Day 6 - Name 5 of your biggest pet peeves.
Day 7 - Describe a typical day in your life. 
Day 8 - Describe 3 of your best childhood memories. 
Day 9 - Describe 5 of your strengths. 
Day 10 - Describe 5 of your weaknesses. 
Day 11 - If you could have one superpower, what would it be, 
why and what would be the first thing you'd do with it?
Day 12 - List your top 3 hobbies and why you love them. 
Day 13 - Describe your first job and your current job. 
Day 14 - What is your love language?
Day 15 - Name your top 3 favorite childhood toys. 
Day 16 - What popular notion do you think the world has wrong?
Day 17 - If you could have dinner with anyone in history, 
who would it be and what would you talk about?
Day 18 - Name the top 5 people who have influence you most and how. 
Day 19 - What are two life changing events you have experienced?
Day 20 - What are the 3 hardest things you have learned in life?
Day 21 - What do you want to be remembered for?

So, today, 10 random facts.
  1. I was born with 12 fingers. They call it polydactylism or something like that. On each of my pinkies, I had skin and cartilage, but no bone. When I was born, they tied a string around them so they would fall off. In my mom's family it skips a generation. My grandma had it, her grandma had it, etc. Maybe one day one of my grandchildren will have it.
  2. Speaking of fingers, my closest friends know I have sausage fingers. They're short and chubby, and the look like a sausage link. I guess I can thank my dad for that.
  3. Wow, talk about segues. Sausage is a food, which leads me to the strangest food I've ever eaten. (Ok, that was a sketchy transition.) When I was in Ecuador in college, I ate cuy, which is guinea pig. I wouldn't recommend.
  4. Pigs remind me of one of dearest pets growing up: Matilda the Berkshire hog. I won her in an essay contest. She had the most awesome personality, so full of spunk. I named her after the literary heroine in Roald Dahl's books. 
  5. Did someone mention books? Oh yeah, I did. Anywho, my favorite book of all time is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It's such a timeless classic. For a college entrance essay, I had to write about a literary character that I identified with; I chose Jo.
  6. My essay must have been ok, because I was admitted to OSU. That's The Ohio State University, in case you wondered. I absolutely loved my time at OSU. I still get chills when I hear Carmen Ohio. "How firm thy friendship..."
  7. "...Ohio." That's where I was born, bred, and raised. I absolutely love the Buckeye State. There's such a diversity of people, topography, and industries. It's such a neat feeling to drive through the state and admire how different things can be from county to county.
  8. Even though there's a diversity of industries, my favorite is definitely agriculture. I don't know for sure, but I can't imagine an industry made up of more passionate people. Farmers are the hardest working bunch of people out there. They work hard to keep our country running.
  9. My favorite farmer is my husband, Greg. I don't know anyone who works harder. He loves what he does (most days), and he is dedicated to making a great life for me and our family.
  10. I hope our two boys, Dwight and Jordan, follow in their dad's footsteps one day and enter a career in agriculture. After all, they've already been in the tractor, and they sure do love cows. 


So there you have it, 10 random facts. Interested in taking on the challenge? Leave a comment, so I can be sure to follow your blog!

Two little boys and a craft for a girl

So, the last time I blogged, I was finishing up a craft for the twins' nursery. Little did I know they would make their appearance just a few short days later! Dwight and Jordan entered our lives on April 7.


This is them at one month; Dwight is on the left and Jordan is on the right. The first three months have been a heck of a ride. They are so much fun, and Greg and I often look at them and think, "Wow. They're really ours."

More on being a mama later. The boys are sleeping, and I want to share a simple, cute idea for a little one in your life.

I was glad to be able to make this easy project for Greg's cousin who just an adorable little girl.


The original idea came from Pinterest, but the link has since been deleted, so I can't give proper credit. I didn't take pictures as I went, but believe me, it was a piece of cake!

First, I took an old picture frame and removed the staples from the back. I painted the frame with acrylic paint. (I tried this on another frame first using spray paint. Bad idea. It ran like crazy. Save yourself the headache and use acrylic or latex.) After the paint dried, I measured the open space on the back of the frame and decided how far apart I wanted to place the ribbons. I put a dot with a Sharpie at the top and the bottom, and I measured the ribbon before gluing it on. The ribbon is fairly tight. This is the only picture I took, so you can see where I hot glued the ribbon.


The small strips of ribbon are hot glued in the groove of the frame where the glass would go. The ribbon for the hanger is glued onto the outside of the frame.

I turned the frame back over and put dots for the cup hooks. I pre-drilled with a bit, which made the hooks go in very easily. Then, I jazzed it up with a few silk flowers. And, voila!

So, if you haven't figured it out yet, the vertical ribbons are for hair bows. The cup hooks are for headbands, necklaces, etc.

I hear stirring babies, so that's all for now blogosphere...