Book Worm Wannabe

I'm embarrassed to admit the following:

I am not a reader.

You know the Twilight books? I just heard about them a couple of months ago.

Harry Potter? Never got past #3.

The Work and the Glory? Volume one is sitting on the shelf under a pile of dust.


I don't know why I have never been one to read a lot because I really do love getting lost in a good book.

Maybe because I feel guilty when I sit around reading.

The old angel on one shoulder, devil on the other shoulder routine.
Angel: "You really should be folding laundry..."

Devil: "I will right after this chapter..."

Angel: "Get up and make your children some lunch..."

Devil: "They'll live.."

It happens every time.
I get hooked on the book and other things get neglected.
I can't be trusted to read responsibly.

Several weeks ago I turned over a new leaf, took up responsible reading.
Limiting it to free time only. I have managed to finish three books with the time I spend waiting in the car or at night after everyone is tucked in bed.

Reading has been fun and for the most part, guilt free.

Now I am in need of book suggestions. I know that many of you are avid readers and I want to be like you. Please send any recommendations my way, I'm open to most anything.

Thank you for your help and happy page turning.

Sincerely yours,
Kimberly, the book-worm wannabee.

Help Wanted

Help Wanted:

Someone to break into my house and steal the 20 or so pounds of Halloween candy that my twins collected.

Please come between the hours of 8:00 am - 3:00 pm as they are busy at school.

If you happen by when I'm home, don't worry you will not be reported to authorities.

On the contrary, you will probably receive a personal thank you note from my hips, thighs and the flabby area underneath my arms.

Thank you.

The American Dream

We have a new President!

No matter who got your vote yesterday, you had to be moved by the scenes across the country last night as people celebrated Barack Obama's victory.

History was made. People of all colors united. A feeling of optimism swept through cities everywhere.

My mom grew up in a small town in North Carolina. She remembers the black kids having to use different drinking fountains, different doors, sit in designated spots in the lunchroom.

We have come a long way in the last forty or so years.

The message sent to children last night is, anything is possible.

No excuses.
This truly is the land of opportunity.
Dream, work hard and you can achieve.

Tears of Sadness, Tears of Joy

Nineteen months ago.....

Last weekend.....

Welcome home Grandma & Grandpa!

Walmart on Halloween

Today I made a trip to a Walmart. It is one of my least favorite places to visit.
Walmart on a regular afternoon is not fun. Walmart on Halloween is a nightmare.

I realize there are no written rules about how to push a grocery cart but there should be.
Kids loaded up on too much candy were darting every which way.
Trying to navigate my way to the candy aisle took some guts, actually entering the candy aisle was down right scary.

By the time I found the twenty two items I had come for (thus disqualifying me from the express lane) I was mildly annoyed and more than ready to leave.

When I got in line the people in front of me had already put their things on the belt. They didn't have much so I thought it would go quickly.

I waited and waited.

After a few minutes the dad turned to me and said, "I'm very sorry this is taking so long, we just qualified for WIC today and this is our first time doing this."

His wife also apologized.
Their two little children sat there quietly as they sorted out the paperwork.

A sense of compassion and gratitude came over me.
I felt for them. These are hard times for many people. How humbling it must be to have to ask for help with food.

I also felt so grateful that we have plenty for our needs. I know I need to be much more generous with the things I have been given and I made a commitment right then to do better.

A little family, just trying to get by. Humility, patience, love for their kids.
Those are the things that came to my mind as I watched them today.

It was a good reminder to keep things in their proper perspective.
To remember to be kind, you never know the struggles that others may be experiencing. It made me wish I had been a little nicer and more patient back on the candy aisle.

I'm thankful for a little life lesson that came from visiting Walmart on Halloween.

Life Is Good

You can tell that things are going along pretty well when...

Your ten year old daughter wakes up singing and humming, falls asleep singing and humming and can often be heard singing and humming in the hours in between.

Your ten year old son has decided on his own that brushing teeth is a good thing! You pat yourself on the back when he wakes up out of a sound sleep and yells down to you that he forgot to brush. You can hardly beat the thrill of hearing him run to the bathroom, the water turn on, the sweet sound of his electric toothbrush doing its job.

Your one year old can now use the word "up" when she wants to be held. The number of times she pulls on your leg while crying or grunting is beginning to decrease.

You look at your calendar and realize that you have lunch with a new friend, a girls' night out with your life long BFFs and a dinner date with some of your favorite neighborhood friends all in the same week!

This is the view you get from your kitchen window...

You tuck yourself in bed with a good book at 9:00. Your husband skips Sports Center and joins you.

You curl up next to him,
close your eyes
and think of all the ways that ....

life is good.

That's What Sisters Are For

I am lucky to have four sisters, they are treasures to me.

One of my big regrets in life is that I wasn't nicer to them when we were young.

If I could turn back time, I would be different. I would let them wear my clothes, I would share my make-up, I would spend more weekends hanging out with them, I wouldn't complain about sharing a room, I would tell them how much I love them and thank them for their friendship.

Now that we are grown I recognize that I couldn't get by without them.

Our favorite missionaries (Mark's mom & dad) are coming home on November 1. I wanted to give their house a good, deep cleaning. After a few days of going at it on my own I realized it was a bigger job than I thought.

I sent out a quick email to my sisters. Within a couple of hours we had a date and time organized. Everyone showed up in pony tails and work clothes and we got busy....

Showers, toilets and mirrors were scrubbed spotless.

Blinds, windows and baseboards were tackled.

The place was dusted, wiped down and vacuumed top to bottom.

Baby Sister's husband even came to clean the things we couldn't reach.

My heart was touched as I watched my sisters happily working.

"That's what sisters are for" is what they said as they left.

Yep, I said to myself with a lump in my throat...

That's what sisters are for.