She was born in Robinson, Illinois, on the first day of spring during a snowstorm. And she’s been defying logic ever since, ha!

She was the 4th of 5 children, so she understood well the struggles of a middle child. 

She’s the little squirt on the far left there.

When she was still a baby, the family moved to Iraan, Texas, where she met her sweetheart, my dad. She loves to tell the story of how he proposed to her over the phone from Italy, where he was docked while in the Navy.

My mom and dad standing behind the beautiful cake stands my dad hand crafted.

Together, they raised three brilliant children, including myself as the middle child.

Got to love the big ’80s hair.

She instilled in us a love for music…

My momma was a flautist in the band, so I’m not sure what’s in that box she’s carrying.

The mountians…

She’s the one blowing a bubble with her sisters and cousins at 30 mile campground near Creede, Colorado.

And cooking. Not! She says her favorite thing to make is reservations.  ;)

My mom with her younger sister at one of our famous Beckett feeds.

She is a retired teacher.

Showing school spirit as an Iraan Brave teacher.

And she was first runner-up in the Ms. Alley Oop beauty pageant. Although we’re all pretty sure it was rigged and that she really won.

She loves to talk.

She loves red roses.

And she loves Christmas time.

But the most important thing she taught us was faith in God, love for Christ, and peace of the Holy Spirit.

Standing in front of the church cabins at Paisano Encampment near Alpine, Texas, a place I have grown to love.

Well, that and how to laugh and have fun.

Don’t ask me, I have no idea.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom! She taught me everything I know about how to be a loving mother!

My mom with her first grandchild, my son!

My son is making this face because:
A) he drank the bath water
B) he splashed water out of the tub
C) he wanted the yellow towel

Yes, the correct answer is C. The yellow towel, not the monkey towel, even though the yellow towel was dirty and the monkey towel, well, looks like a monkey, complete with ears and a tail.

But when you are three years old, I guess the color yellow can mean everything. Other reasons my son may be crying:

• We drove past our church on our way to the store and he just knew we were going to stop and go to church. Why wouldn’t we stop on a weekday and go to church?
• I didn’t turn the lights on inside the car while I was driving. This was during a phase when he loved to see lights turn on and off. It’s a hard game to play while you’re driving.
• I couldn’t find Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? for us to read before bed. The favorite bedtime story can sometimes be substituted with  Goodnight Moon, Green Eggs and Ham, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? But not always.
• I didn’t cut up his peanut butter sandwich for him, or spoon-feed his oatmeal to him. At 3 years old. (Maybe I baby my only child too much? Naahh.)
• I pulled him away from the swings when he was about to be kicked in the head.
• We ran out of apple juice. That is unforgivable!

I’m sure there are others, but unfortunately the only one I caught on film is the yellow towel. I plan to submit it to the photo contest, with hopes of winning a better camera for capturing even more silly reasons my son crying! Hahahahaha!

I shared that quote on Monday after the terrible bombings in Boston, but after the explosion yesterday in a small town about an hour away from where I live, I felt it needed to be shared again. And then when I got to my Bible study this morning, Beth Moore opened with this scripture: “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty.” ~ Deuteronomy 33:26

When tragedies happen, it’s difficult to know what to do, and what to say. But we can find some comfort in knowing that people will help. And they help because God has shown us how, for He rides through the heavens to our help.

I think when you look for the helpers, you will see not only good hearts, but love. Love made by the One who created us.

I know that’s not much comfort for those suffering with loss right now, but I pray that it’s a lesson I can hold onto when I’m faced with loss.

I have developed a horrible habit of telling my son two little words any time he says my name. Yes, it’s the same two words in the title of this post. It’s a knee jerk reaction, because I usually have my hands full from carrying groceries/cooking dinner with my hands covered in raw chicken/cleaning up after my son/wasting time on my computer when I should be working/actually working on my computer/insert any other mundane activity you can think of here.

In the course of my day, I probably say, “Hold on,” a thousand times. Heck, I probably even say it in my sleep. But I didn’t really notice how bad it was until I was making breakfast/washing my hands after handling raw chicken meat/carrying my dustpan to the trash/preparing my taxes/or whatever mundane activity I was doing the other day and I heard that little voice again say, “Mommy!”

“Yes, Arty?” I reply with a tinge of frustration and impatience. Ok, maybe more than a tinge. Maybe a smidge.

“Hug!”

I was about to let out those two words again when I stopped myself. Was I really about to tell my son that he would have to wait on me to hug him back? Granted, it wouldn’t be the worst psychological damage I could cause my son, but it’s not loving and kind. And the one thing my husband and I have established our family on, it’s being loving and kind. Well, that and a love for Star Wars. Well, and Dr. Who.

And sometimes it’s difficult to get a task done when I feel like I hear my name being called non-stop. “Mommy, triangle!” “Mommy, lion!” “Mommy, Tigger!”

Yes, Arty, I see that. Yes, Arty, that’s good. Yes, Arty, you can bounce like Tigger.

I have to stop myself and realize that his enthusiasm to share stuff with me will only last a short time. And then I’ll be the one saying, “Arty, triangle!” “Arty, Tigger!” And he’ll be the one with his earbuds plugged in, or whatever mind-numbing technology they’ll have in ten years that will separate us from real relationships happening in real time.

That said, I’m going to put my laptop away, grab my son, and hold on.

I’m seated in the front with my little sister and big brother behind me. “Now everybody smile like you love each other.”

My seventh grade year sticks out in my mind for many reasons, the biggest one being the move from the tiny town of Iraan, Texas,

Alley Oop Park in Iraan, Texas.

to the terrifying, electrifying metropolis of Midland.

By the mighty hammer of Thor!

JK. I just thought that lightning image was cool. It actually looks like this:

From the right angle, it looks pretty nice. And look! I can see Wal-Mart from my house!

It was only an hour and a half north of my hometown, but it felt like a whole new world. Plus, I was in middle school. Everything is dramatic in middle school.

So saying goodbye to my friends in 7th grade and worrying about who I would sit with at lunch on the first day of 8th grade were the biggest things I remember. However, there are a few other memories that stick out. One involved the science lab, my least favorite subject.

I’ve never been one with a mind for science, and the stench of formaldehyde from dissecting creatures in the sixth grade was still fresh in my mind. So imagine my enthusiastic surprise one day when the new girl nearly burnt down the lab? She had lit something with the bunsen burner and caused an evacuation of the whole middle school. It was the most excitement our school had seen in some time. Well, except for the bomb drills.

Yes, one of the luxuries of living in an oil town is the heightened awareness of enemies from the Middle East, or whoever it is that wants to put a cap in our resources. At least that’s what I vaguely recall from those many years ago. I should really call my dad and get my facts straight on it.

But I remember in 7th grade how the entire student body (meaning every student in grades pre-K through 12th) met in our designated locations in the parking lot, loaded onto busses, and traveled about 5 miles outside of town. Then when “the coast was clear,” we turned around and came back to school. Of course, if the Al-Qaeda or whoever decided to unleash a weapon of mass destruction, I doubt 5 miles would really make much difference. But those in charge of all of us kiddos had to at least try to plan for such threats, bless their hearts.

Although I should have been scared when we were loading onto the busses, I only remembering thinking how cool it was I missed science that day. After all, I had already lived through an F-4 tornado in 1990. That’s one step away from the worst, an F-5, where it looks like this:

With the exception of his stubborn resistance to potty training, his behavior has drastically improved in the past few months. However, I received an email the other day from Marcia Hall at GoNannies.com about how to gain your child’s cooperation without yelling, and I thought it was worth sharing. I’ve learned that modeling the correct behavior is just as much of a struggle for me as good behavior is for my son at times. (I guess he gets it from his strong-willed momma.) It’s so easy to lose my patience and want to force my son to behave, but anyone with a child knows you can’t force a person to do anything. They have to want to behave, like the joke from the movie The Break Up.

Now I’m not implying that husbands should be talked to as a small child, or that Jennifer Aniston could have used these tips in dealing with Vince Vaughn…but that’s a whole other topic for another blog post. If you are looking for get your child to cooperate without losing your cool, here are the tips from GoNannies.com:

How to Gain Your Child’s Cooperation Without Yelling

By Marcia Hall

When you get frustrated at your child because she’s not listening to you or doing what she’s supposed to do, it’s easy to lose your cool and start yelling. However, yelling can have adverse effects on your child, including her starting to fear you. There are other ways to get your child to cooperate without raising your voice.

Always Back It Up

When you lay down an edict without backing it up with some kind of consequences for choosing not to listen, there will be no reason for your child to stop. It doesn’t have to be anything terrible, but your kids need to know that you mean what you say the first time you say it. If you say “stop” and then ignore them until the next time you look up from what you’re doing, your child will perceive that you did not really mean it and that he still has some wiggle room before getting into serious trouble. So, before it escalates to yelling at your child for defying you, try speaking firmly, looking him in the eye and laying down the law.

Instead of demanding that he stop his behavior several times before you make a move, back it up as soon as they don’t listen. This will teach them that they should pay attention to you the first time you speak instead of waiting around until they know you’re about to snap. In time, the habits of your child will change to reflect this new way you speak to him. He will start to listen right away and stop trying to push your buttons when he realizes he can’t let it get that far out of control anymore.

Don’t Wait for Them

Repeating yourself will not help your children understand that they need to be listening to you. Just like a broken record, eventually you tune it out because it’s just the same thing over and over again. Expect the same behavior from your kids.

Don’t wait for your children to “catch on.” They may be too young to understand that their behavior is not acceptable by simply hearing you ask them to stop time and again. If it is something like cleaning up after themselves, don’t ask them several time before giving up and completing the task yourself. It may take a little longer, but make sure they understand they have to do it right away. First, state what you want them to do, then say why, then repeat what you want them to do and emphasize it needs to be done now. Now, here’s the tough part: watch them do it. Eventually you won’t have to do that last part, but until they catch on that you mean what you say when you say it, you’ll have to make sure they do it.

Clarity is Best

Do you do something if someone asks you if you’d like to, even though you really don’t? Your kids won’t choose to either. Keep the questions short, sweet and clear. Tell them exactly what they need to do, not what you would like them to do or what they should do. For example, don’t say, “It would really be nice if you would help your father set the table for dinner.” Instead say, “Please set the table. Dinner is almost ready.” The reason behind your request is clear and the request itself is clear as well.

Reward Work with Play

Getting your kids to cooperate can be as simple as telling them they can do something they really enjoy when they are finished with the chore. Gift your child with a few extra minutes of playtime after an unpleasant task is completed. It’s very important to make sure your children understand that the fun comes second and the work comes first. They need to realize that the thing they want to do can only happen when they listen to you and get the chore done.

Take a Deep Breath

Keeping calm is key. When your children are not listening to you and you are starting to get frustrated, it’s easy to just lose it. If you feel yourself getting to the point of yelling, just stop, take a deep breath and start over. No one likes to be yelled at and your kids are no exception. So, above all else, keep your cool. It’s not always easy to keep a grip on your temper, but the payoff for managing the task is a yelling-free, peaceful household.

Reblogged from Morning Story and Dilbert:

This is a story of an aging couple Told by their son who was President of NBC  NEWS.

This is a wonderful piece by Michael Gartner, editor of newspapers large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. It is well worth reading, and a few good chuckles are guaranteed. Here goes...

Read more… 1,578 more words

Bird’s eye view of a dust storm over west Texas. That’s straight from the Grapes of Wrath, right there.

But on a good day, it can look like this:

West Texas sunset. Now that’s breathtaking.

The problem is, both of those images could occur in the same day. Plus some snow, or hail, or rain, or 100+ degrees for the high and 32 degrees for the low. It’s temperamental like that.

On the way to Midland, we stopped in Abilene and took a detour to a museum I interned at in grad school. The Grace Museum is still one of my favorites, and the staff there were the some of the best people I’ve ever worked with. I have this theory that the people in west Texas have to be nice to each other, because out there in the desert, all they have is each other. It’s just a theory, but the folks sure are friendly.

But getting back to the museum, they have made several updates since I was there over 6 years ago. My son really loved the children’s museum on the second floor.

Checking out the back of an ambulance with Grandmommy.

Now he’s behind the wheel of the ambulance.

Jumping off the stage of the mini Paramount, the local historic theater.

Testing out science experiments with Grandmommy.

When we finally made it to Midland, we enjoyed the beautiful weather by grilling out most nights.

Playing on the dirty ground while my brother cooks up some grub for us. Oh, and the rug really ties the porch together. Wreck ‘Em Tech!

I enjoyed hanging out with my new sister-in-law. She is hilariously funny. Count it.

While I was there, I even helped my mother with some housecleaning. This is me showing off my work.

Who needs Mr. Clean? That baldie ain’t got nothin’ on me!

My son loved playing with his grandparents. I couldn’t get him to sit still long enough to take this picture of him with Grandaddy’s hat.

Wait, I take that back. Here’s one with him still.

Not sure what the hands are about. Artistic interpretation?

And on my last day, I met up with some of my old high school buddies. I really had a great group of friends in high school. We may have been band nerds, but we were band nerds together. And that’s all that counts.

All grown up with husbands and kids.

It was a fun trip, but as you can tell by the bags under his eyes, it was exhausting.

It was great seeing my family and how much has changed since I lived there over a decade ago. But I think Thomas Wolfe is right. You can’t go home again.

 This blog post was inspired in part by Mama Kat’s Pretty Much World Famous Writer’s Workshop.

March Madness, that is. Now, I don’t really watch too many college basketball games during the year, but I love the excitement of the annual tournament of champs. I think it’s because you never really know who is going to win. The #1 ranked team could be eliminated in the first round, or they could bring home the trophy.

So each year I fill out the bracket on ESPN, hoping to win the grand prize. This year you can win a $10,000 gift card from Best Buy. I wonder if I can use part of that to pay off my Best Buy credit card?

If you want to get in on the Madness but are about as clueless as I am on college basketball stats, here are few fun strategies for picking your teams. And some of these actually work. One of my old co-workers won by picking her favorite colors. I kid you not.

• Pick by rank – This is the least involved one as you simply pick the highest number. When it comes down to the final four and you have all four #1 teams from each conference, you can check out any of these polls to pick the winner.
• Flip a coin, or pick names out of a hat – I don’t recommend it, but you never know when an upset will happen. Sometimes I think you really do have a 50-50 chance, regardless of the stats. Here’s fun playlist on YouTube of some of the biggest upsets.
• Pick based on the name – Maybe you can pick your winner on the hardest name to pronounce. Valparaiso, anyone? I don’t even know where they’re from, but it doesn’t mean they couldn’t win. Or you could pick the team name that means something to you. For instance, I could pick Louisville because my dad’s nickname for me used to be Kristina Louise. I do have them in the Final Four, so maybe subconsciously I did just that.
• Pick based on mascots – Do you prefer Rams over Tigers? Demons over Gators? Bulldogs over…whatever this is?

That image makes me relieved my alma mater is at least recognizable, even if it’s been years since they’ve made it to the tournament. Here is a site with the mascots if you need help with the research.

Wreck ‘Em Tech! Too bad Coach Knight couldn’t bring one home for us.

• Throw darts – Lay out the bracket and aim for your picks. If you are as bad as I am at darts, it could make a pretty interesting bracket. If you don’t have darts, then lay it on the ground and flip a coin. Whichever team it lands on advances to the next round until you have your champ picked.
• Let your toddler do the picking – Mine usually repeats the last thing I say, so maybe it wouldn’t be as random as you want. Or you could lay the bracket down and tell them to point. Then when you win the big grand prize, you can brag to everyone about what a genius your kid is.

Well, I’m sure there are other fun ways to play, but that’s about all I can think of for now. Personally, I like to pretend I can predict the upsets and throw in a random #15 team in the first round, just for fun. It’s happened before (and totally ruined my entire bracket) so it could happen again. Feel free to share your bracket pics in the comments!

Easter Lily Pens

This month I was given the task of leading the craft for my MOPS group. I’m usually pretty crafty and creative, so I thought it would be easy. But for some reason, I had a creative block. I think it’s because I wanted something that related to the true meaning of Easter, since we are a faith-based group. That’s hard to do in a way that is still cute and crafty. But I stumbled across this tutorial for making Easter lilies out of tissue paper and pipe cleaners, and it led to an idea.

I made my own poor feeble attempt at the tissue paper lily and attached the pipe cleaner to a pencil. When I shared it with my MOPS steering committee, one of them pointed out that we could use fake flowers and pens to make a more durable (and cuter) craft. She was right, and the supplies only cost $10 from the dollar store to make 25 pens. That’s $.40 per craft, which is not too shabby.

Supplies

green floral tape

fake flowers

pen

wire cutter

Directions

Take a wire cutter and cut the stem of the flower about 2 inches below the base of the flower. This will leave enough to stay upright when attached to the pen. Place the flower on the end of the pen (not the end you write with, because that would make it a little hard to write) and wrap it to the pen using the green floral tape. If the tape starts to unravel, use any type of glue handy to keep it stuck. And, well, that’s it. I added this card tied with ribbon to give it a little extra flair and to use up more time, since the whole thing takes less than 5 minutes.

Luke 12:27

You can probably cut the flowers ahead of time to make the craft an easy one for kids. Or the tissue one is fun too.