A Little Reminder...

 "BE KIND, FOR EVERYONE YOU MEET IS FIGHTING A HARD BATTLE." -Plato

I love inspirational quotes. The one above is one of my all-time favorites, and is such a good reminder to me to step out of my own little world and realize that everyone is experiencing their own set of trials. The first time I saw this quote, it was taped to the computer monitor on my friend's work computer.When I first read it, it impacted me so greatly that I know I will never forget it. I just hope that I don't forget the principle that it's trying to teach me.

I seem to get caught up in my own little world, and my hope is that I can be a better person... a person that people can turn to in their times of trial and know that I will love them unconditionally. I've been so blessed with good family and friends who have shown me this unconditional love, a love free of judgment or criticism, and full of kindness and charity. To each of them I say thank you, thank you, thank you - a million times over.

A couple of months ago, as I was really struggling, someone told me that if you hold a pebble just a few inches from your face, it looks very large. It's not until you throw it on the ground, and amongst all of the other pebbles, you realize how small it really is. And so it is with all of our troubles in life.

Thank you, Heather, for not only posting a great quote; but for being such a beautiful example of living it. I don't get to see you gals nearly enough... and I miss you all so much!

Some Days I Just Feel...

HUNGRY!

I Have a Confession...

Yesterday I looked in the mirror and realized two things:

1. I had my laptop.

2. I was on the toilet.

Here goes nothin: My name is Tricia and I'm a blogger.

...as well as a facebooker, a blogstalker, and in general - a computer geek.

Now, the only request I have from you? Next time you see me, please don't picture me sitting on the toilet with my laptop... PLEASE?!?!  

It's not pretty. Don't go there.

What? Doesn't anyone else read on the toilet?

Merry Christmas!

Our prayer for everyone this Christmas is that you enjoy every single magical second with one another. We are extremely thankful to have family, friends and neighbors that bless our lives and teach us through example every day. Most importantly, we are so blessed and grateful that our Savior was sent to earth as a perfect little baby. That God's plan is perfect. That Jesus Christ lived His life for us, allowing us to have the miracles of forgiveness and eternal life.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

I thought that these letters were so cute, I just had to share.... thanks, Lyds, for sending them to me!

Quirks That Lurk...

First of all... I had to share our little project... our eensy weensy, er, BIG spidey. We did a smaller version of him several years ago for Chris and Katy's elementary school pumpkin decorating contest... and they won. We decided we wanted to do it again this year, and so Mike being the go-to guy... I called him and said 'think about how you want to do the legs, because I want to get him done tonight.' By the time I got home, he'd already bought the steel and started welding... what a handy man he is to have around! The body and head are real pumpkins, painted black. He turned out cute, eh? I also added a pic of our front porch, just cause I love walking up to it this season!

Okay, for the tag... I've gotten tagged with this one twice now (apparantly people know that I'm quirky)! Thanks go to my friends - Trixy and Andrea!

Some of my quirks:

1. Probably my biggest quirk is my hair twirling. I take a strand of my hair and twirl it around my finger, weave it through all of my fingers, and sometimes tie it in a knot and work the knot out. I've done it forever... I can't remember NOT doing it. I do it when I'm relaxed... I do it when I'm thinking... I do it when I'm bored. When I had my hair cut short like this, I took some of my tiny inch-long hair and flipped it around my finger... blip, blip, blip... short hair didn't stop me. I've had really long conversations with people where they haven't made eye contact with me because they're mesmerized by my twirling and can't take their eyes off it. No, I don't suck my thumb while I twirl my hair... uhm-mm...but I know someone my age who does both. (wink to you-know-who-you-are)

2. I am a tuner outer (yes, that's the technical term). If I'm concentrating on something really hard, or reading, and I hate to admit it, but sometimes even if I'm watching t.v. depending on the show...... you could be sitting right next to me, talking in my ear... and I won't hear a word. I just had to apologize to a co-worker yesterday because she was asking me about something while I was in deep concentration. My poor kids... and Mike... it drives him crazy. Luckily for me, he's learned that if my face is in a book, don't bother.

3. I tend to get obsessed about things. If there's a project I want to do... it's hard to stop me, and once I start it, I want to finish it... I know myself well enough to know that I HATE going back and finishing half-done projects, so I'm obsessive about finishing what I've started. I also get obsessed about things I love, such as... um, blogging? Yeah, I'm a little obsessed. And the Twilight series... just last night Katy and I went and bought each of us one of these for when we go see the movie... yeah, obsessive. And what am I teaching my daughter?

Okay... for a quirky girl, you only got three... but be assured, there are more! I'm going to just pass this tag on to anyone who wants to join the fun. I look forward to sharing in your quirkiness!

Which Twilight Heroine Are You?

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

I'm a Bella???? Ugh. That makes me wanna whine.

Passing Notes

Normally it's against the rules in church. They're allowed to draw, etc, but not pass anything around; simply because it causes a lot of moving around and disrupts not only the passer, but also the receiver and anyone in between. For some reason, today Tessa got away with it. I know, I know... I need to work on my consistency, but ahhhh, whatever.

The background on this one is this: right at the beginning of church, Mike and I had to leave for a few minutes. Katy was left with the daunting task of kid keeper. Gathering from the story I got after church? Brats. Both of them. To the point that, "Mom, the whole bishopric was looking at us!" And then, "IT'S NOT FUNNY, MOM!" I just really thought the note was cute. Katy wasn't buying into it. Here it is:

This one was so cute, but then when I heard Katy's story, I knew it could have been a buttering-up for us. I don't even care. I'll take all the praise I can get.

This one just made me laugh:

I don't even know what she was thinking on this one, but it made me want one:

I really have no idea why I'm including this one, because it really makes you wonder what's going on in our family. But it made me laugh... and gag at the same time. 

Note: 'boor' is 'door', and so on...

You're Invited...

To join me for a movie clip party!

Time: As soon as you locate your favorite movie clip(s)

Place: Your blog

Date: Sometime within the next week

My friend Kami at The Biggie Blog invited me and I couldn't resist... simply because in our family, we LOVE to quote movies and guess what movie it was from. We definitely have some that are quoted over and over and over. Mike is the king of this game... I don't even try to keep up with him, but I do have some faves. By the way, if you ever want free entertainment, you ought to ask him to do some of his impressions/quotes... he's quite good and keeps me laughing. 

There are no rules... your clips can be romantic, comedy, drama, adventure, horror... anything you want.

Here are my picks:

First:  The Princess Bride - I couldn't find the clip with, "I'm not a witch, I'm your wife... and I'm not sure I want to be that anymore after what you just said!", which is probably my favorite line, but when I watch it I remember how great all the one-liners in this movie are.

Next:  Step Mom - by far one of my favorite movies of all time. I think this is the best scene of the entire movie, and even though I've seen it who-knows-how-many times, I cry every single time. Yes, every time. But I also love the scene where Jackie (Susan Sarandon) comes home and Isabelle (Julia Roberts) has put up life-size pics of the kids... cried there, too. I'm a real bawl baby. 

And next: The Three Amigos... not necessarily one of my favorite movies, but very quotable, and has been a lot around here. I do think this scene is funny, though.

I couldn't leave out: Better Off Dead - seriously.... I said, "I want my two dollars.." at work a few months ago and no one knew what I was talking about. What were you people doing back in the good ole' days when there were movies like this? (wink)

And only because I just couldn't leave it out, especially because I mentioned it in my last post: P.S. I Love You - I seriously loved this movie - if you haven't seen it, you oughta. If something ever happened to my husband, the love of my life, someone would definitely have to come and save me from myself. He, however, wouldn't write a letter if his life depended on it, so we wouldn't have to worry about that part - I'm lucky if I get a 'love ya babe' on an anniversary or birthday card. That's okay, I make up for it by watching movies like this. 

RSVP in my comments if you want to join in... hope you can... if not, then I hope you at least go find a good movie, curl up, and have your favorite treat! *Ü*

Letters...

I am a total romantic by nature.... on my long list of favorite movies, two that stand out right now are 'P.S. I Love You' and 'The Notebook'. It dawned on me today that a similarity they have is the letters and stories that were written to or from a loved one. I have always loved to write, and recently in unpacking some boxes, I've discovered some letters that I wrote to Chris when he was very little. It helped me remember that young mother that I was, and how miraculous that little baby was to me, along with some little details that I have since forgotten, even though at the time, I was sure I would never forget. 

Within the last couple of weeks I've received on my doorstep: dinners from neighbors and family, fresh vegetables with a note from my mother-in-law, a hand-made card from my sister-in-law, a sweet gift and card from a dear friend, and even some homemade ice cream from my sister. I was also blessed to receive an email from a cousin that lives far away, and found a long lost friend (best friends from 5th grade!) that found Chris on facebook. Letters, cards, notes.. they are so personal, and when I get an envelope in the mail (or dropped on the porch, taped to the door, or even an email or post on this blog), with the handwriting or words of someone I love, something happens in my heart, and I'm so grateful that they remembered me and not only took the time to think of me, but actually took the time to write. 

There isn't anything like a hand-written letter... it's like a window into the soul... I know that I can say things in a letter that I may not be able to say in person. Sometimes they're the things that are closest to my heart, and if I said them out loud, it would just sound cheesy. 

I'm challenging myself to write a few this week... love letters, by hand, to those 'someone specials' in my life. I don't do it enough anymore. Finding the ones I wrote to Chris reminded me how precious they are... and what a history they can leave behind.

Will you join me? Write a love letter to your husband, wife, or to your children; or write and thank someone for something they've done, no matter how small it may have seemed. How old are the stamps in your wallet? Get them out and make sure they don't need an extra penny stamp added on! *Ü*

Back In The Day...

The kids always laugh when we get out our old yearbooks... and this was such a fun twist on it! I was just having fun with it, checking what I may have looked like, even styles from before I was born... until we saw the last one... so close to the actual year I graduated and I couldn't believe how much it looked like my real photos from that time period (minus the obvious photoshopping effects)... oh, the memories and fun had that year! If you want to try it yourself, go to Yearbook Yourself... and laugh away!

1968

1978

1992