Musing - Sunday Devotional

Today has just been one of those days. Had to get the kids to church early for potty breaks and sips of water before their annual Primary (children's sunday school) program. No pics, but the kids all delivered their lines perfectly, and Brian even had several people want to know who's little blonde-headed child was sitting in the front singing his heart out. (Banks loves to sing, and he believes in making a joyful noise!) It was a proud parent moment.

Sometimes Sundays, although a day of rest, can seem even more hectic than the rest of the week. We are tired and exhausted from all of last weeks obligations, and yet, the new week is only the close of an eyelid away. There are definitely days when I just want the world to give me a break and let me catch my breath......or my sanity. The video is entitled "Good Things to Come" and it is one of my favorite pick me up videos. It reminds me of why we as children of God do what we do. No matter what we face in life, there will always be good things to come....

Mayhem - Halloween with the Boo Crew

When you have a family like ours, I don't know who Halloween scares the most: me - wondering how much money this year's costumes and things will cost or the neighbors - sitting and praying that we save their house 'til last so that they can actually still have enough candy left to pass out to the other little neighborhood Trick or Treaters. No matter, it always marks the beginning of the crazy busy holiday season, and as usual we had a calendar filled with, well, Halloween Mayhem! Appropriately so, I guess.

There were treats:

There were tricks:

There was was the seasonally appropriate gutting and dismemberment:

There were work and church carnivals to attend:

There was an elementary school costume parade:

And, of course, there was Trick or Treating!

I just had to take a moment and document the above picture for posterity. Sometimes it is ok as a parent to pat yourself on the back and tell yourself, "Good job." This picture represents one of those parental positive affirmation moments.

All of the kids had already swarmed upon and were leaving a home where there was a bowl set out on the front porch with a sign asking the kids to just take one piece. Payne had already gotten one piece, but then turned around to go back for seconds. Brian and I kept yelling at him (not in anger, we were at the street) to only get one piece, but he grabbed another piece anyway. He came running down the driveway with a big smile on his face. When he got to us he said, "This one's for Lucy." Lucy, of course, was happy to oblige his generosity. Those two kids were meant to come here so close together. They love each other to pieces.

Needless to say, we are happy to have a little break before Thanksgiving and Christmas (we have already received in invitation to a Christmas Open House and there are homes here that are already lit up in red and green!) My only regrets are that my kids do not live closer to their friends and family to be able to create these wonderful memories with them! Well, that and the fact that we have about 16 lbs of candy sitting in our bedroom floor that we aren't quite certain what to do with! And that's even after we asked the kids to only take one piece!

And I'm not talking that nasty black and orange wrapped peanut butter non brand candy stuff, either.

I am talking good 'ole Hersheys and Willy Wonka and Nestle around here. Perks of living near a million and one candy vendors, I suppose……

Good times, Good times, Good times!

Musings - Epic. Fail.

Epic failures, you know, those moments in life that we let define ourselves and keep us from reaching towards the potential that we know God put within us. I have had, um, let's just say a few of those moments in my life, including but not limited to:

• Trying to remember my part without looking at the paper in the 6th grade Eco-meet at Foscue Park. Epic. Fail.
• Trying to get into MBA school the first time with a less-than-stellar GMAT score which resulted from an exam that I was over-confident about taking. Epic. Fail.
• Birth control after my 6th child. Epic. Fail.
• Two batches yesterday of Sparkling Holiday Jam (as I was trying to teach jam making to some sisters in my ward, no less) and one batch today of apple jelly (my first attempt at making jelly, no pectin added) - apple taffy anyone? And so all of you readers now know what you are getting for Christmas. Surely apple taffy will last 8 more weeks until Christmas if stored properly in an airtight container, right? But, I digress....oh, yeah. Epic. Fail.
• Tracking my Weight Watcher's points for the last three weeks. Epic. Fail.
• LSU's attempt to defeat Alabama on Saturday. Epic. Fail. (A girl's gotta believe, right?)

I think you catch my drift.

Of course, I have had many failures in my life. And yes, they do define me, and have definitely helped mold me into the person that I am today, good or bad I suppose. The problem comes when I only choose to define myself by the bad. And I do it a lot.

Today is the first day of November.... a month where we tend to reflect on all of the things in our lives for which we are grateful. And so I'd like to begin the month by being grateful for those people in my life who set the examples for how to take my mistakes and learn from them.

Those who count their blessings and include me in their list.

Those who never have a half empty glass.

Those who, when life is playing baseball and throwing you a bunch of lemons, walk up to you, put their arm around you and give you a $1 off coupon for that big 'ole bag of Domino's sugar that you know you are gonna need to make that gallon jug of lemonade. Heck, most of the time, these friends just skip the coupon and simply show up carrying their own sweet supply because they know that there are just moments in our lives that we don't even have enough gas to get to the store!

So, I am trying. I am trying to lead a life filled with more gratitude and less attitude. And in my first attempt, I'd like to take all of those aforementioned failures of epic proportions and try to put a more grateful spin on things. Here goes nothing:

• That meet at Foscue Park? It totally led me to realize at an early age that I was not cut out for public speaking. I am grateful that this should let Katie Couric rest easier at night.
• That low GMAT score and thanks but no thanks response? They showed me that I have determination. Not only did I rock the GMAT the next time I took it and got admitted to grad school right away, but I was also able to make it in time to be in my future SIL's wedding the same afternoon of the test.
• The failed birth control? It allowed me to have a beautiful daughter. One who came complete with a wonderful story to tell people about how we finally had a girl after 5 boys in a row. And how she was born 10 years to the day apart from her older sister. And it has also showed me that I need to trust in the Lord and lean not to my own understanding. In all my ways, I am trying to acknowledge him, and I know that he will direct my (our) paths for good.
• The Sparkling Holiday Jam? Well, it has now been repackaged and has been repositioned in the marketplace. I only thought that giving homemade bread and jam as teacher gifts this year was a wonderful idea. Now I know that a package of waffle bowls, a jar of sprinkles, and some awesome strawberry-cranberry ice cream syrup is what all of the really cool moms are giving this year. Apple Jelly, well, let's not go there. Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day....neither is my self-esteem.
• Weight Watchers points? A scale does not define me as a person. Being healthy is the ultimate goal and although I didn't track points, I have learned to make healthier substitutions and set an example for my family. Also, I learned that food that is not tracked has no calories........
• And that ballgame, well let's just say that in my mind.......FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. Roll Tide Roll!

P.S. For those of you who were disappointed because there was not even one little picture of the kids (in a blog entitled Musings and Mayhem there has to be some musings every once in a while), stay tuned for the next blog installment where you can enjoy a frighteningly good time perusing pictures of the Boo Crew as they participated in all of our Halloween adventures.