I love office supplies. I really do. Paper clips and printers. Folders and files. Sticky notes and scissors. And Paper! Paper! Paper! Punched paper and purple paper. Cardstock and calendars. Sharpies, fax machines, desk top blotters, three ring binders and tabbed dividers.
I used to spend evenings browsing through the catalogs sent to business addresses, dreaming of the day when I could buy office supplies without taking out a loan. I limped along on leftover file folders from an office that was going to throw them away and refilled ink cartridges. I refilled my own ink for a long time because I could save a few bucks per cartridge, but the price was in brightly colored fingers for years. I dreamed of a supply closet filled with tape and boxes of pens. I envisioned those lovely shelves filled with everything that I would need to print and file, and I filled out order forms that I never could afford to send in. I sat in old chairs and worked on old computers, and figured out ways to do what I needed to do with a $25 printer and Kinkos.
I learned during those lean years running a business that you don't need fancy office chairs, and a new computer every year. You don't need to have that supply closet with spare ink cartridges and assorted types of paper and those pretty boxes of pens. I learned that you can spend time or you can spend money. I chose to spend time refilling that printer ink because I wanted so much more than unstained fingers.
I wanted debt free success more than I wanted the supply closet that now I stand in front of to admire and smell those lovely office supplies, that I can reach in and use whenever I have need of them.
They are precious to me today. I know what they cost.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Teaching Kids to be Entrepreneurs
It is really important to me to teach my kids to be entrepreneurial. I want them to know how to take care of themselves and we live in the greatest country in the world with unlimited opportunities for, well, for opportunity! They don't have to own businesses and they don't have to invent some new gadget, but I think it is very important to have an entrepreneurial mindset. I have 12 kids. I own a thriving business that my kids have watched me build and to some degree that all by itself encourages the mindset we want.
An entrepreneurial mindset is summed up in the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, and really has not so much to do with how much money one makes as it does the attitudes behind what you do. In my way of thinking (and his) it includes perspectives toward security. What makes one feel secure in terms of their income? An entrepreneurially minded person feels secure when there is a set back they have control over how to respond and can go out and work harder or build their business to make more money. Someone without that mindset might hope for a raise or go look for a better job. Their security is based on someone else giving them more money for their work. Mine is based on digging in more to grow my business. Perspective is all it really is. I don't like (at all!) the idea that someone else can take away my income by cutting my salary, laying me off or firing me. I feel more in control when that is my decision not someone else's.
We have worked very hard on teaching our kids how to go get what they want. Want a vacation? Find a way to earn some money. Want a car? Earn one. Got an idea? Work it through and find a way to see if it will work. They don't all work. Try anyway. Fail. Figure out how to try and sometimes fail. And then do it again. Until you find that perfect combination of idea and execution that will succeed.
We have taught them the most important thing there is to learn about earning money and owning a business and that is how to sell. You can have the best idea for a product or service in the world but if you can't get someone to buy it, you don't make a dime. We have sold glowsticks at fireworks shows, rocks, paper airplanes, window washing, weeding, and today David presented me with a business plan to ask for me to invest $300 in a business to build Go Karts. The kids have learned how to figure profits and what constitutes a good margin. When they want something the first thing they do is find a way to sell something to earn the money.
I LOVE THAT!
One summer they wanted one of those giant blow up water slides. It cost around $500. They asked for me to invest in enough glowsticks at 4 cents each to earn the money. I bought them and they paid me back out of the first nights sales. They paid me for gas and snacks for the evening. We went and they worked HARD to sell glowsticks at the fireworks shows all over town during the summer. Each stick sold for $1 each but there was always some waste and some that had to be sold at a discount. They had to figure out the profits and any amounts needed to reinvest in supplies. One night at around midnight I drove to the local WalMart and we purchased a water slide! Bonus plan is that we sure saw a lot of fireworks!
Learning how to approach people to offer them a product or service, presenting the benefits, evaluating your market, reaching the market with an appropriate product is all part of the process and crucial to their education in my opinion. The sales skills learned and the excitement of making money for yourself ingrained during those evenings at the fireworks shows are absolutely invaluable and priceless. It is a life lesson.
Give a man a fish and he eats for the day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.
Give a kid a car and he drives today. Teach him to earn his own and he feeds his family for a lifetime.
An entrepreneurial mindset is summed up in the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, and really has not so much to do with how much money one makes as it does the attitudes behind what you do. In my way of thinking (and his) it includes perspectives toward security. What makes one feel secure in terms of their income? An entrepreneurially minded person feels secure when there is a set back they have control over how to respond and can go out and work harder or build their business to make more money. Someone without that mindset might hope for a raise or go look for a better job. Their security is based on someone else giving them more money for their work. Mine is based on digging in more to grow my business. Perspective is all it really is. I don't like (at all!) the idea that someone else can take away my income by cutting my salary, laying me off or firing me. I feel more in control when that is my decision not someone else's.
We have worked very hard on teaching our kids how to go get what they want. Want a vacation? Find a way to earn some money. Want a car? Earn one. Got an idea? Work it through and find a way to see if it will work. They don't all work. Try anyway. Fail. Figure out how to try and sometimes fail. And then do it again. Until you find that perfect combination of idea and execution that will succeed.
We have taught them the most important thing there is to learn about earning money and owning a business and that is how to sell. You can have the best idea for a product or service in the world but if you can't get someone to buy it, you don't make a dime. We have sold glowsticks at fireworks shows, rocks, paper airplanes, window washing, weeding, and today David presented me with a business plan to ask for me to invest $300 in a business to build Go Karts. The kids have learned how to figure profits and what constitutes a good margin. When they want something the first thing they do is find a way to sell something to earn the money.
I LOVE THAT!
One summer they wanted one of those giant blow up water slides. It cost around $500. They asked for me to invest in enough glowsticks at 4 cents each to earn the money. I bought them and they paid me back out of the first nights sales. They paid me for gas and snacks for the evening. We went and they worked HARD to sell glowsticks at the fireworks shows all over town during the summer. Each stick sold for $1 each but there was always some waste and some that had to be sold at a discount. They had to figure out the profits and any amounts needed to reinvest in supplies. One night at around midnight I drove to the local WalMart and we purchased a water slide! Bonus plan is that we sure saw a lot of fireworks!
Learning how to approach people to offer them a product or service, presenting the benefits, evaluating your market, reaching the market with an appropriate product is all part of the process and crucial to their education in my opinion. The sales skills learned and the excitement of making money for yourself ingrained during those evenings at the fireworks shows are absolutely invaluable and priceless. It is a life lesson.
Give a man a fish and he eats for the day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.
Give a kid a car and he drives today. Teach him to earn his own and he feeds his family for a lifetime.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
A Snowflake tutorial. :D
I make GREAT snowflakes. Here is how:
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| Cut paper into a square |
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| Fold square diagonally. |
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| From center of long fold cross one side into thirds. |
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Fold second side over to thirds along the long fold.
|
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| Begin cutting. The point will be the center of your snowflake so make an interesting cut there. |
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| Make all your cuts being sure to keep some of each fold. |
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Open carefully and unfold.
Some snowflakes! |
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Christmas recipes from two Kligkids!
Ben age 6:
Chocolate chip cookies: You put the powder in, you put a little water in and the eggs, and then you mix it up really really good. Then you roll them up to a ball and then you put them on a pan and then just leave them until they are done. If you want for it to take not so long 300 if you want it to take long 200. If you don't mind it really really long then 100.
Spaghetti: Take some noodles and put a little sausage in it, NO cream, then put some hot water in it. Just wait until it's done. Then it's done! That's the way I like it and my recipe.
Tacos: Okay take the taco things, take some cheese and put it on the bottom, then put a little sausage and some more sausage on top; Cooked sausage and that's how you make it.
Hot dogs: Put some hotdogs in, put some cold water in it and put a lid on top then just wait a little, Then take one out and put it on a bun and put a little mustard and ketchup.
Chocolate pudding: How I make chocolate pudding is I take some chocolate, melt it and put it in a little plastic cup and put a little lid on top and put it in the fridge for five hours and then how I like it is I take some chocolate chips and melt it and put it on top. Yep! That's how I like it!
Lasagna: I take some noodles and I make it like a restaurant. I take two full pieces and put the sauce in the middle and put it on top, take two and put sauce in the middle and put it on top. Then I take some sauce and put it on top of the noodle and put it on and then put it on.
Hamburgers: I take some hamburgers and I cook them and after they are done I take the buns and put it on and then put some ketchup and mustard on and then one thing of cheese. That's it! That's how I do it!
My favorite dinner is alfredo: I take some water and put some cream in and some milk and a little seasoning. Then I put the right type of noodles in. Then I put sausage in it and let it cook. Done!
Katie age 8:
Chocolate chip cookies:I would take flour and some eggs and about a cup of water. I would take some chocolate chips and put them in. Then I would mix it up really well, and then I would roll it up and put it on the pan and set the oven for about 300 degrees.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
10 Christmas observations.
- Don't let 'em fool ya, there are really only 5 Christmas songs. I think if I have to hear yet another version of "Let it Snow" I may scream. And "Santa Baby" should be illegal in all 50 states.
- Whenever I see a really great Christmas light display I feel just a bit guilty that I have never done that great a job on mine. "Maybe I could just try harder." Uh huh...Yeah right.
- Every year my kids and I have a contest to see who can come closest to predicting how many times we hear the phrase "Christmas Miracle" The winner gets a whole day off.
- There are some people that I never know what to get. Every year I struggle with it. Is it okay to just give them fruitcake?
- I do love my Christmas tree.
- I am a *pet person* and have a whole houseful of them. I still have never quite understood the concept behind Christmas stockings for dogs. Do my dogs feel badly that all the other dogs got gifts? Ernie would like a new squeaky toy...
- When your tree is full of precious homemade ornaments from kids and grandkids, how do you decide which ones to get rid of to make room for the new ones? Of course the broken macaroni ones make that a bit easier. Maybe I could request all macaroni ornaments from here out.
- Glitter is evil.
- Snowflakes are cool and I can make the most beast (it means *coolest* to my teenagers) paper snowflakes you ever saw!
- Women already have far too much pressure put on them between Thanksgiving and Christmas and I wanna know who had the bright idea to start Neighbor Gifts too!?!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
When a child has a life threatening problem:
1. Never tell us that we are doing *it* wrong. *It* is unbearable and we are doing the best there is to do. Honest. If you would do things differently that is fine. But don't tell us. This is not your job or burden to bear and we DO have to do it and you don't.
2. Let us cry. We are so sorry that it makes you uncomfortable, but it is a fact of our life now. It does not mean we have given up hope. It means that this is scary and hard and we are facing the possibility or probability of death.
3. Help us. We are in over our heads and need help with basic life. Cook a meal or do our laundry.
4.Please be sensitive to the fact that we have a lot of stress to deal with. We may not be cheerful all the time. We may eat too much or not enough. We might not feel social all the time.
5. Please don't ask us to not face the facts of the situation. It is not wrong for us to grieve the life that didn't happen or the loss of our dreams.
6. Sit with us. Just sit sometimes. Be here when we need someone to talk to.
7. We know that this is not a short term problem. If you want to be a friend then dig in with us and stick around. Don't get bored when it seems to go on and on. This is our life now and we have been abandoned by a lot of people already.
8. Remember that while miracles can happen and we do believe that, it is not a reflection of our faith if God chooses not to heal this particular child.
9. Please recognize that this whole situation makes you scared and uncomfortable and don't let it cause you to avoid us.
10. Please remember our families too. This is really hard.
Thanks.
2. Let us cry. We are so sorry that it makes you uncomfortable, but it is a fact of our life now. It does not mean we have given up hope. It means that this is scary and hard and we are facing the possibility or probability of death.
3. Help us. We are in over our heads and need help with basic life. Cook a meal or do our laundry.
4.Please be sensitive to the fact that we have a lot of stress to deal with. We may not be cheerful all the time. We may eat too much or not enough. We might not feel social all the time.
5. Please don't ask us to not face the facts of the situation. It is not wrong for us to grieve the life that didn't happen or the loss of our dreams.
6. Sit with us. Just sit sometimes. Be here when we need someone to talk to.
7. We know that this is not a short term problem. If you want to be a friend then dig in with us and stick around. Don't get bored when it seems to go on and on. This is our life now and we have been abandoned by a lot of people already.
8. Remember that while miracles can happen and we do believe that, it is not a reflection of our faith if God chooses not to heal this particular child.
9. Please recognize that this whole situation makes you scared and uncomfortable and don't let it cause you to avoid us.
10. Please remember our families too. This is really hard.
Thanks.
When a child dies. What NOT to do:
Some of you know my daughter Rachael died by getting hit by a car while riding her bike. She was 12, and in a coma for two weeks before she died. It is life-changing and I learned some things through it, that I hope help some others.
1. Never tell us that we are doing *it* wrong. *It* is unbearable and we are doing the best there is to do. Honest. If you would do things differently that is fine. But don't tell us. This is not your job or burden to bear and we DO have to do it and you don't.
2. Don't tell us that they are in a better place. We know heaven is nicer than here, but we like them here just fine and really...it feels like you are saying we are not good enough for our child to stay.
3. Please don't tell us ways to save them or how we could have saved them. "If only's" hurt us. We already want to and can't or couldn't.
4. Don't tell us that God *must* heal our child if we just have enough faith. Perfect healing is in heaven for us all and I have yet to meet a Christian who never died. If faith was all it takes to heal everyone NO one would ever die.
5. It hurts us to be told that losing a child to death by sickness or accident is the same a when your 94 year old grandmother died in her sleep 2 years ago. It isn't the same thing at all. We know you are in pain, but it is not the same thing. At all.
6. Please don't expect us to be back to normal in a month and it is a fallacy to say grieving takes a year. We will never be the same and it will take a long time to find our way again. We will never be *over it*.
7. Please help us. Life is so overwhelming that after the death it is hard to even think of HOW to cook a meal, let alone do it. And if our child has not died yet, please offer to help in any and every way possible. If you are far away, money helps us to buy help.
8. Let us cry. We are so sorry that it makes you uncomfortable, but it is a fact of our life now. Tears will come and it doesn't mean that it is bad to talk about our children, only that we are deeply grieving them.
9. It means a lot to us when you remember our child. Expecially later when it feels like everyone has forgotten.
10. Having another baby is not the answer to losing the one that died.
11. It is NOT easier, or harder, that we have other children. No one can replace the one that died.
12. Please don't watch us as though we are about to throw ourselves into the open grave. None of us likes to be thought of as a freak show. And please think of us as something other than the-lady-whose-kid-died. That is a hard definition to live with. But also please be gentle with us for quite a while. We can't handle rough treatment.
13. We may gain weight, or lose weight, or sleep more, or not sleep at all. We may be sad for a long time. It does not mean something wrong with us. It just means we are profoundly changed.
14. We will never be the same as you once knew us. Please don't expect us to be.
15. Remember that our families are hurting too.
16. We can't help you through our child's death. We recognize that it is hard for many people but please don't lean on us as we go through this. We can't hold you up. We have other people that we have to help already. Come and help hold us up instead please.
Pretty please?
Monday, December 5, 2011
Morning people. AKA: the bane of my existence.
I know some of you. You can't hide from me. Some of you are Early Risers (ER). I see you sitting there smugly on your third cup of coffee with your 7 loads of laundry completed at 6:00 am. Which I suppose is okay with me in it's sad and twisted way.
But here is the deal: All of you ERs think that there is something wrong with the rest of us who live in the real world. When someone wants to get up at stupid o'clock in the morning (which is anything earlier than 7:00 am) I give them that freedom.
I allow those around me to participate in all manner of activities that I think should be illegal. Things like eating sushi, or watching Clint Eastwood movies.
I am a very tolerant sort of person that way. I seldom mock those that like to go to bed three minutes after dinner is done, or people who shower in the morning instead of the correct time which is just prior to bed. I accept the people who handicap themselves by deliberately putting the toilet paper on the spindle improperly and also those that use that weird shampoo.
I mean hey, it is all personal preferences and I can learn to stomach your choices even at personal cost to me. It is clear that I am seldom opinionated and can trust that while you are foolhardy and clearly unbalanced, that you have the right to make stupid choices. This is America.
But why can't you offer the same level of complete acceptance to normal people like me? I don't like to get up at the butt-crack of dawn and start work while it is still pitch black outside. I get far more pleasure from a sunset than a sunrise and no, you can't convince me it is so much more beautiful to see the sunrise. The only time in my life I have voluntarily seen the sunrise *after* going to bed, was when I had a plane to catch and it was not fun for anyone near me.
There is a certain level of cliquish superiority that you ERs possess that makes the whole group of you feel that those of us who prefer the evening hours to the morning hours are an inferior lot destined to lives of unproductive squalor. Admit it. You think that anyone who stays in bed past 8:00 am is flat out lazy and hardly worth bothering with. I have seen your d wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights expressions when I casually shock you by saying that not only have I slept until noon on more than one occasion but I wasn't even sick when I did it!
I am convinced that you all have the idea that without you ERs the productive world would grind to a barren halt.
I am here to stand up for those of us who have been maligned for far too long! Those unspoken and unnoticed and, I truly believe, the majority of people who see early mornings as a curse upon society. I am taking a stand and fighting for our right to be heard, I tell you! Heard in the streets and the normalcy of waking at a decent hour brought to the downtrodden and sleep deprived of America!
I am here to stand up for those of us who have been maligned for far too long! Those unspoken and unnoticed and, I truly believe, the majority of people who see early mornings as a curse upon society. I am taking a stand and fighting for our right to be heard, I tell you! Heard in the streets and the normalcy of waking at a decent hour brought to the downtrodden and sleep deprived of America!
Let our sleep mask be the symbol of our protest and our cry for equality!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Oh tacky, glittery, tawdry, gaudy, Christmas!
It is that time of year! Glitter factories around the world have toiled all year long to provide us the essentials for the season.
I think that we all somehow release the 5 year old little girl who resides in us when we begin to decorate for Christmas. Gaudy baubles that we would not have near our home decor suddenly become our favorite pieces. We become addicts to glitter and tinsel and cheap plastic shiny things.
I picture middle aged women in China in the factory where these lovelies are made. They must chuckle at the foreign idea of us transforming our homes into twinkle-lighted, glittered, sparkly, wonderlands of mis-matched red and green, as they sprinkle more sparkle. Add a holly berry! Add another cotton ball! We need a nativity! No nativity? Make one of meat and bake it for dinner.
Of course I am not immune. Late fall-time hits and I start feeling familiar urges to begin to stock up on sequins and new plant items made of metallic shreds in anticipation of the winter galas to come.
I watch with private chuckles as the more sophisticated among us decorate with more elegant glitter and more stylish golden orbs and white twinkles as they pretend that their 5 year old little girl has some taste about the process.
And the clothing...ah the Christmas attire.
And don't even get me started on the full lines of *sexy Santa girl* outfits out there.
We truly take leave of our senses when it comes to Christmas! And lest you think I mock those different than myself take a gander at the sweater I am wearing in this picture ---------------->
I think that we all somehow release the 5 year old little girl who resides in us when we begin to decorate for Christmas. Gaudy baubles that we would not have near our home decor suddenly become our favorite pieces. We become addicts to glitter and tinsel and cheap plastic shiny things.
I picture middle aged women in China in the factory where these lovelies are made. They must chuckle at the foreign idea of us transforming our homes into twinkle-lighted, glittered, sparkly, wonderlands of mis-matched red and green, as they sprinkle more sparkle. Add a holly berry! Add another cotton ball! We need a nativity! No nativity? Make one of meat and bake it for dinner.
Of course I am not immune. Late fall-time hits and I start feeling familiar urges to begin to stock up on sequins and new plant items made of metallic shreds in anticipation of the winter galas to come.
This one comes in a 6 pack!
I watch with private chuckles as the more sophisticated among us decorate with more elegant glitter and more stylish golden orbs and white twinkles as they pretend that their 5 year old little girl has some taste about the process.
And the clothing...ah the Christmas attire.
And don't even get me started on the full lines of *sexy Santa girl* outfits out there.
We truly take leave of our senses when it comes to Christmas! And lest you think I mock those different than myself take a gander at the sweater I am wearing in this picture ---------------->
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Getting my just *deserves*
Some of you know I own a business. Mobile Drug Testing, LLC. It is growing and thriving and my jaw drops at how big it is getting. It is SO exciting!! Only 10 years of hard work for this overnight success to happen.
I have been excited, and depressed, cried, sweated, and used a few swear words. I have worked for free, been befuddled, had horrible days, had wonderful days, and been ready to hang up my hat and walk away more times than I can count. It has been uphill and hard and so rewarding all at the same time. I have had to learn a lot of stuff I never wanted to learn, and stuff I always wanted to learn. I have had to figure out stuff that people spend years in college learning and had to do it on my own and with much difficulty. I have done some things well and some things badly. I have had to redo things and undo things and then do it all over again. I still do. I have had days where I had no idea what do do next or how and days where I knew what to do but there was not enough time to do it. It has been very hard and taken courage, perseverance, and guts to do it.
I so deserve the success that we are enjoying now!
Or do I? Do I?
How do I deserve success any more than that guy who stands in a ditch pouring cement day after day to support his family? Or how do I deserve it more than the farm worker with the aching back picking tomatoes so his little girl can have a roof over her head? How do I deserve it more than the single mom who works herself sick to make sure her kids are taken care of?
The word deserve is a tough one for me. I do not deserve anything. I am so glad and so grateful that God has decided to bless us with the success we have, but I do not believe for one second that it is anything but a blessing.
I don't deserve anything but what I was rescued from by Jesus.
I have been excited, and depressed, cried, sweated, and used a few swear words. I have worked for free, been befuddled, had horrible days, had wonderful days, and been ready to hang up my hat and walk away more times than I can count. It has been uphill and hard and so rewarding all at the same time. I have had to learn a lot of stuff I never wanted to learn, and stuff I always wanted to learn. I have had to figure out stuff that people spend years in college learning and had to do it on my own and with much difficulty. I have done some things well and some things badly. I have had to redo things and undo things and then do it all over again. I still do. I have had days where I had no idea what do do next or how and days where I knew what to do but there was not enough time to do it. It has been very hard and taken courage, perseverance, and guts to do it.
I so deserve the success that we are enjoying now!
Or do I? Do I?
How do I deserve success any more than that guy who stands in a ditch pouring cement day after day to support his family? Or how do I deserve it more than the farm worker with the aching back picking tomatoes so his little girl can have a roof over her head? How do I deserve it more than the single mom who works herself sick to make sure her kids are taken care of?
The word deserve is a tough one for me. I do not deserve anything. I am so glad and so grateful that God has decided to bless us with the success we have, but I do not believe for one second that it is anything but a blessing.
I don't deserve anything but what I was rescued from by Jesus.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Am I allowed to be a woman in America if I hate Black Friday?
Why is it not okay for me to hate shopping? I am a minority among American women. I hide behind my closed doors and curtains and peek out with trepidation at the throngs of people rushing to the stores hoping they don't notice me. I used to openly share about my serious aversions to shopping and the shudders that the very idea of the black Friday frenzy brings on. But I quickly learned that one can more easily discuss their hemorrhoid surgery than to dare denigrate the alter of the sacred deep discount deal.
When people ask me about my black Friday shopping plans I quickly change the subject and whip out a pre prepared and especially adorable picture of the grandkids as a distraction. Occasionally I run across someone who won't be distracted and I am forced to break into song and dance. It is not pretty but I gotta do what I gotta do. The idea of willingly walking into a mall causes me to sweat and break out in boils.
I admit to being occasionally tempted by one of the prices. Okay. I am. But then all I have to do is see the time that the deal starts and picture myself standing in the cold, in line, with aggressive shoppers to my right and to my left and the first light of dawn still hours in the future and it becomes an easy thing to resist. About as easy as resisting a root canal.
Now I have shocked you all. I have probably lost friends and will be shortly removed from certain social circles. The freedom of confession is worth it but the worst is yet to come.
Sometime ask me about how I feel about hair salons.
When people ask me about my black Friday shopping plans I quickly change the subject and whip out a pre prepared and especially adorable picture of the grandkids as a distraction. Occasionally I run across someone who won't be distracted and I am forced to break into song and dance. It is not pretty but I gotta do what I gotta do. The idea of willingly walking into a mall causes me to sweat and break out in boils.
I admit to being occasionally tempted by one of the prices. Okay. I am. But then all I have to do is see the time that the deal starts and picture myself standing in the cold, in line, with aggressive shoppers to my right and to my left and the first light of dawn still hours in the future and it becomes an easy thing to resist. About as easy as resisting a root canal.
Now I have shocked you all. I have probably lost friends and will be shortly removed from certain social circles. The freedom of confession is worth it but the worst is yet to come.
Sometime ask me about how I feel about hair salons.
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Pumpkin Pie Dance
My offering for your Thanksgiving reading pleasure.
13 years ago I was asked to make 40 pumpkin pies for a church dinner; yes 40, I double checked my memory of the facts of this story. I baked and baked and baked and on the second day I woke up to find that my darling little children had gotten into several of them and I had to re-bake about 15 of the pies. Sigh.
I ran out of storage space right quick and asked my Aunt Sheri, who is a year and a week older than I am, if I could borrow some space in her empty freezer to which she agreed. She lived about 2 or 3 blocks from me in her lovely new home with beautiful new carpets and sparkly clean walls and floors.
Pete and I loaded up two trays full of pies and drove carefully to her house. I got out and got my tray with 6 or 7 freshly baked, yummy, pumpkin custard pies and headed into the house while Pete got his tray of 6 or 7 freshly baked, yummy, pumpkin custard pies. Sheri opened the door for me and I entered her pristine tile entryway next to her formal living room with the deep green plush carpet (guess what happens next?) Nothing happened. Not a thing. But suddenly and for no reason whatsoever my entire tray of pies just flew into the air. Not dropped. Not slid off the tray. No. They flew. In the air. Sheri caught one pie about halfway to the floor and smashed it sideways into her chest, a couple of them bounced off of me on their way to her floor and in the space of half a second the reality set in. We looked at each other in sheer horror and just had time to see the final crumbs settle onto the amber colored mush when Pete walked up to the glass storm door with his tray.
I picked my way over to him and opened the door and was desperately trying to think of something, anything to possibly say to her and also thinking about how many, many pies I was actually baking for this stupid dinner, and Pete walked through the door with his intact tray of pies.
Before he could even ask what had happened his tray suddenly flipped out of his hands and his entire tray of pies literally flew into the air. They flipped end over end and didn't have as far to drop because of the previous piles of pumpkin pie that had plopped. We all three stood there for one beat and...burst into hysterical laughter.
What else can you do? Truly the most bizarre and the funniest thing that EVER happened to me.
13 years ago I was asked to make 40 pumpkin pies for a church dinner; yes 40, I double checked my memory of the facts of this story. I baked and baked and baked and on the second day I woke up to find that my darling little children had gotten into several of them and I had to re-bake about 15 of the pies. Sigh.
I ran out of storage space right quick and asked my Aunt Sheri, who is a year and a week older than I am, if I could borrow some space in her empty freezer to which she agreed. She lived about 2 or 3 blocks from me in her lovely new home with beautiful new carpets and sparkly clean walls and floors.
Pete and I loaded up two trays full of pies and drove carefully to her house. I got out and got my tray with 6 or 7 freshly baked, yummy, pumpkin custard pies and headed into the house while Pete got his tray of 6 or 7 freshly baked, yummy, pumpkin custard pies. Sheri opened the door for me and I entered her pristine tile entryway next to her formal living room with the deep green plush carpet (guess what happens next?) Nothing happened. Not a thing. But suddenly and for no reason whatsoever my entire tray of pies just flew into the air. Not dropped. Not slid off the tray. No. They flew. In the air. Sheri caught one pie about halfway to the floor and smashed it sideways into her chest, a couple of them bounced off of me on their way to her floor and in the space of half a second the reality set in. We looked at each other in sheer horror and just had time to see the final crumbs settle onto the amber colored mush when Pete walked up to the glass storm door with his tray.
I picked my way over to him and opened the door and was desperately trying to think of something, anything to possibly say to her and also thinking about how many, many pies I was actually baking for this stupid dinner, and Pete walked through the door with his intact tray of pies.
Before he could even ask what had happened his tray suddenly flipped out of his hands and his entire tray of pies literally flew into the air. They flipped end over end and didn't have as far to drop because of the previous piles of pumpkin pie that had plopped. We all three stood there for one beat and...burst into hysterical laughter.
What else can you do? Truly the most bizarre and the funniest thing that EVER happened to me.
Friday, November 18, 2011
It can't happen to me because....
Have you ever known someone that had some pretty tough stuff happen to them? Someone who had cancer, or a child die, or a sick husband, or all of the above? How about serious long term financial problems? Ever known someone like that?
I have written a bit about this before but it came up again in a conversation with my sister today. She was diagnosed 2 years ago with stage 4 breast cancer. For those of you who don't understand what that means, it means that it is terminal from the moment of diagnosis. She might live for a long time yet because right now they can't find cancer in her. She described it to me not long ago by saying it is like a dandelion. If you catch it while it is pretty and yellow and dig out the root, it is gone and won't come back. If it has gone to seed then you never know where those seeds went and when one will start to grow or where. Right now, Praise God, no seeds are growing.
It is a sad fact that when someone has serious problems, especially problems that are long term, that there will be people who go out of their way to protect themselves from those problems. I am not talking about getting a mammogram, or wearing a seat belt. I am talking about a much more subtle and damaging form of protection. Have you ever seen a movie where someone hides behind someone else in order to save themselves? You know, the guy hides behind a little kid when the gunman shows up? Yeah. That kind of protection.
The kind of problems I am talking about here are scary! They are the stuff that makes you lose sleep at night and cause you to get a tight feeling in your chest that won't go away. It causes cognitive dissonance. You gotta do something to make it feel better. Gotta! A healthy response is to recognize that sometimes bad things happen and it sucks. It does. Sympathy and compassion is a healthy response to someone in pain.
What is not a healthy response is something that happens far more often than you would ever guess. Let me tell you what happened to us as illustration and know that it happens all the time to others too.
We had a long series of very difficult situations. In September of 2007 Pete's mom died and from there in 2008 we had:
2009
I have written a bit about this before but it came up again in a conversation with my sister today. She was diagnosed 2 years ago with stage 4 breast cancer. For those of you who don't understand what that means, it means that it is terminal from the moment of diagnosis. She might live for a long time yet because right now they can't find cancer in her. She described it to me not long ago by saying it is like a dandelion. If you catch it while it is pretty and yellow and dig out the root, it is gone and won't come back. If it has gone to seed then you never know where those seeds went and when one will start to grow or where. Right now, Praise God, no seeds are growing.
It is a sad fact that when someone has serious problems, especially problems that are long term, that there will be people who go out of their way to protect themselves from those problems. I am not talking about getting a mammogram, or wearing a seat belt. I am talking about a much more subtle and damaging form of protection. Have you ever seen a movie where someone hides behind someone else in order to save themselves? You know, the guy hides behind a little kid when the gunman shows up? Yeah. That kind of protection.
The kind of problems I am talking about here are scary! They are the stuff that makes you lose sleep at night and cause you to get a tight feeling in your chest that won't go away. It causes cognitive dissonance. You gotta do something to make it feel better. Gotta! A healthy response is to recognize that sometimes bad things happen and it sucks. It does. Sympathy and compassion is a healthy response to someone in pain.
What is not a healthy response is something that happens far more often than you would ever guess. Let me tell you what happened to us as illustration and know that it happens all the time to others too.
We had a long series of very difficult situations. In September of 2007 Pete's mom died and from there in 2008 we had:
- 9 kidney surgeries for Pete one of which was on a very close friend's funeral day and for kidney failure.
- 1 rotator cuff surgery for me.
- Our 12 year old daughter Rachael was hit by a car (4 days after Pete was in kidney failure and had surgery,) spent 2 weeks in a coma and then died.
2009
- January: 7 year old Daniel was hospitalized for vomiting blood which was coming from a blood vessel in his throat that took two days to find and cauterize.
- January: Pete was hospitalized with viral meningitis, which progressed to viral cardio myopathic pericarditis with congestive heart failure and then viral pneumonia and pleurisy. We spent a week with the crash cart outside his door. He spent several weeks too sick to sit up to eat dinner.
- April: Pete was fired for being sick. Yes, really.
Why he was *really* fired is what I am writing about today. Every day from about the third kidney surgery in 2008 we had to try to hide all that was happening to our family from those he worked with. He was working with people that didn't understand having tough stuff happen and in their minds somehow he Deserved what was going on. He couldn't even stay with me for my shoulder surgery because he could not let them know he had yet another difficult thing to deal with. And, oh dear, all of that was beFORE Rachael's accident and death. There was no way to hide all that or when he got sick.
Let me explain. People can't stand the thought that all of these bad things could just happen to someone. In their minds if that person didn't do *something* to deserve it, then, oh heavens, oh no, oh man...it could happen to ME TOO! So to solve their cognitive dissonance they invent reasons why it can't happen to them.
One of my neighbors did it by saying that my daughter died because I didn't take care of her well enough. ("My daughter won't die because I will just take better care of her than she did.")
Pete's coworkers thought that his kidney problems and the virus that nearly killed him were a sign that he had a poor diet and health habits so he deserved it. ("It can't happen to me because I only eat raw broccoli.")
Some friends thought that we must have a spiritual problem and hidden sin in our lives. ("I won't have to go through hard things because I am right with God.")
Some Christians thought that Rachael died because we didn't have enough faith when we prayed. ("If someone near me gets hurt or sick, I will have enough faith.")
Some family members thought that we were bad parents so deserved it all. ("I am or will be a good parent so my kids will turn out fine.")
My sister has people that think her cancer is due to eating sugar. ("I never eat a Reese's so I won't get cancer.")
Some people think she has cancer because she isn't enough of a *fighter.* ("If I ever got cancer I would fight and win by sheer force of will!")
Some people think that a financial problem is a sign of God's disfavor. ("I will always pay my bills on time and then God won't punish me like He is them.")
Finding a reason why someone deserves whatever trial is happening to them is almost like a magic talisman that some people hold onto with both hands as a protection against trails happening. It is so hard and so painful to be on the receiving end of that judgement.
It is an insidious way to solve the cognitive dissonance in yourself when you encounter the unthinkable, the unbelievable, and the unbearable.
I think people that might otherwise be normal and compassionate people fall into this trap. Maybe we can learn to do better. Maybe by being aware of this trap you can avoid hurting someone who is already hurting.
Maybe...just maybe...it isn't their fault after all.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
We should run with such joy!
The first 10 seconds of this made me laugh so hard I just had to share it! Enjoy! Giggle giggle giggle
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A funny fish and baby story
Someone asked today if a pregnant woman's water ever breaks in a dramatic like-in-the-movies sort of way.
Yup.
I was nearing 40 weeks pregnant with my 12th baby and feeling restless. I wanted to get out of the house and talked Pete into taking me to the pet store to buy him some new fish for the tank I had given him for Christmas.
I was waddling pretty heavily and as we walked into the store had a big contraction and then not really anything more. Pete was choosing the fish with the girl who worked there and I sat down on a step stool to rest. After a while I stood up to go see what fish he was choosing and as I stood, POP! I was pretty shocked for a few seconds but rather quickly my shoes were filling with water and it was becoming pretty obvious. I didn't know what to do!
I stood there rapidly trying to figure out how to tell Pete without horrifying the girl and simply could not find a way to do it. I squished my way over to Pete and looked at him and kind of started laughing. I finally looked at the girl who was holding a bag of fish in one hand, and said, "I bet you will never forget the day that the lady's water broke right in front of you will you?" and Pete just burst out laughing!
For a second or two I thought she might actually drop that bag of fish on the floor and with the levels of water rising already it seemed like maybe I should get out of there. I told Pete to finish up and pay for the fish since I was not really even having many contractions, and I would go out to the car, where I usually kept a spare diaper in the glove box and thought I might just be able to think of a use for it at that moment.
For a second or two I thought she might actually drop that bag of fish on the floor and with the levels of water rising already it seemed like maybe I should get out of there. I told Pete to finish up and pay for the fish since I was not really even having many contractions, and I would go out to the car, where I usually kept a spare diaper in the glove box and thought I might just be able to think of a use for it at that moment.
I waddled out past the check stands and two or three cashiers with nothing to do asked me if I was okay. I guess I might have been walking funny; just maybe. I am sure I was leaving a trail behind me. I went out and got my diaper and sat in the car waiting for Pete.
A very few minutes later Pete came out laughing pretty hard. After I had left, the girls working in the store quietly began awarding him the not-husband-of-the-year prize with their eyes. The one with the fish marched him to the front of the line and told the other girls to get him OUT of the store quickly and why, and I am sure they were all imagining me out there delivering a baby all by myself with some scotch tape and a paper towel while my monstrously selfish husband bought himself some new pets.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
My name is Corinne and I am a Facebooker.
My name is Corinne and I am a Facebooker. Unashamedly a Facebooker in a world that increasingly feeling ashamed of it. I proudly announce it!
I hear a lot of criticisms for Facebook and I get it. I do. I see that there are a lot of people who have turned to FB instead of getting *out there*. TV ads even point out how funny that is. It is odd. But I get out there a lot!
I love FB. I love that I can take a moment in the middle of a busy day to see how my friend's baby is doing, make a funny observation, hear a quick update on how people's day is going, and even say Happy Birthday to a friend whom I might not have otherwise known was having a birthday. I love that.
I can leave FB open while I work and if someone needs to ask a quick question they can IM me there and the tab flashes to let me know. I can take a quick break and play a single word on my Scrabble game and can see pictures of people and keep up with them a bit. I love that I can check in on someone I know is having a hard time and see how they are doing and I can send a quick note of encouragement or a virtual hug to someone far away.
I have been able to connect with friends from highschool (oh heavens a long time ago!) and have completely enjoyed renewing those old friendships. I get a dose of funny most days, see pictures of babies growing up and even make new friends!
I make business connections, do some marketing, and get to publicly congratulate people on their achievements.
I work a lot; most days lately around 12 hours a day. I have little time to socialize. FB has made it so that I am not completely isolated and disconnected from everyone.
And I can use a one liner there to make myself laugh when I need a boost too!
I hear a lot of criticisms for Facebook and I get it. I do. I see that there are a lot of people who have turned to FB instead of getting *out there*. TV ads even point out how funny that is. It is odd. But I get out there a lot!
I love FB. I love that I can take a moment in the middle of a busy day to see how my friend's baby is doing, make a funny observation, hear a quick update on how people's day is going, and even say Happy Birthday to a friend whom I might not have otherwise known was having a birthday. I love that.
I can leave FB open while I work and if someone needs to ask a quick question they can IM me there and the tab flashes to let me know. I can take a quick break and play a single word on my Scrabble game and can see pictures of people and keep up with them a bit. I love that I can check in on someone I know is having a hard time and see how they are doing and I can send a quick note of encouragement or a virtual hug to someone far away.
I have been able to connect with friends from highschool (oh heavens a long time ago!) and have completely enjoyed renewing those old friendships. I get a dose of funny most days, see pictures of babies growing up and even make new friends!
I make business connections, do some marketing, and get to publicly congratulate people on their achievements.
I work a lot; most days lately around 12 hours a day. I have little time to socialize. FB has made it so that I am not completely isolated and disconnected from everyone.
And I can use a one liner there to make myself laugh when I need a boost too!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Having a sense of humor.
Why do people take life so seriously!?! C'mon people! Get a sense of humor.
There seems to be so much out there that people take as deadly serious that really...ummm...isn't. Like how about the people that get all riled up when a fellow driver makes a small mistake. Like it even matters to you that they forgot to signal when they entered *your* lane, that clearly you bought and paid for because you were there first! LOL Or how about people that get actually angry because the waitress forgot the ketchup. Now *there* is a personal insult of the highest degree.
How many times have you seen someone who had an emotionally angry outburst because the tape ran out on the cash register, or a parking spot was taken. I have seen people get actually angry over a piece of easily removable onion on a burger or a misplaced slice of pickle. Really, the nerve of some people to put that piece of pickle right *there* hmmmmmph! How about people that will lean out of a moving car to offer up a disapproving finger to someone who offended their sensibilities by...well...ummm....I am sure it must have been something terrible. Something horrible like turning left 2 seconds after the light changed.
We had a mom one time call us to get a drug test for her son whom she suspected. When the test came up positive she blamed the guy that went to perform the test for her. It begs the question of sanity doesn't it?
One day I was at a farmers market carrying a bushel of apples in a box and the bottom fell out and apples went EVERYwhere. This lady actually yelled at me for it! Because, clearly, I was hoping to irritate her by having my newly paid for apples rolling about in her chosen walking path.
I actually do feel sorry for people that have that much anger and that little joy. It is so much more fun to laugh and play through life and it is a choice you make.
I choose joy.
So for your reading pleasure and a giggle for today: A 5 year old child of a friend of mine was asked how you can tell the good people from the bad people. Her answer?
"The bad people are smoking and showing their hairy armpits to everyone."
And if that doesn't make you laugh you might need to get on Ebay and buy a sense of humor!
There seems to be so much out there that people take as deadly serious that really...ummm...isn't. Like how about the people that get all riled up when a fellow driver makes a small mistake. Like it even matters to you that they forgot to signal when they entered *your* lane, that clearly you bought and paid for because you were there first! LOL Or how about people that get actually angry because the waitress forgot the ketchup. Now *there* is a personal insult of the highest degree.
How many times have you seen someone who had an emotionally angry outburst because the tape ran out on the cash register, or a parking spot was taken. I have seen people get actually angry over a piece of easily removable onion on a burger or a misplaced slice of pickle. Really, the nerve of some people to put that piece of pickle right *there* hmmmmmph! How about people that will lean out of a moving car to offer up a disapproving finger to someone who offended their sensibilities by...well...ummm....I am sure it must have been something terrible. Something horrible like turning left 2 seconds after the light changed.
We had a mom one time call us to get a drug test for her son whom she suspected. When the test came up positive she blamed the guy that went to perform the test for her. It begs the question of sanity doesn't it?
One day I was at a farmers market carrying a bushel of apples in a box and the bottom fell out and apples went EVERYwhere. This lady actually yelled at me for it! Because, clearly, I was hoping to irritate her by having my newly paid for apples rolling about in her chosen walking path.
I actually do feel sorry for people that have that much anger and that little joy. It is so much more fun to laugh and play through life and it is a choice you make.
I choose joy.
So for your reading pleasure and a giggle for today: A 5 year old child of a friend of mine was asked how you can tell the good people from the bad people. Her answer?
"The bad people are smoking and showing their hairy armpits to everyone."
And if that doesn't make you laugh you might need to get on Ebay and buy a sense of humor!
Friday, November 11, 2011
So far today I have randomly learned...
- that dog treats don't really taste like bacon and that watching my son eat one literally makes me gag.
- that a daddy-long-legs is not a spider because it has a penis (at least that is the rumor at my house today!)
- that I should not be ever allowed to own a nice pen because I am not responsible with them.
- that some mornings I definitely need more than one of me.
- that tgif doesn't apply to me.
- that I will soon be forced to buy myself some clothes.
- that cheese sauce is a main course for some of my kids.
- that a business proposal letter should not be written while listening to Spongebob.
- that the library has fast internet and a quiet room.
- that we are out of vacuum bags.
- that Nebraska is about to have two Mobile Drug Testing locations.
- that I have an amazing team to work with and that they are smarter than I am.
- that some days time just evaporates before I can catch it.
- that I look at my pretty houseplants when I need a mental break, and didn't realize it before.
- that a little boy spinning in front of me for more than 10 minutes straight can make me a little crazy.
- that I wish we could have french toast for dinner.
- and finally, that my phone *still* befuddles me a bit!
So there ya have it. My thoughts for right now. LOL
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Own a job or own a business?
Robert Kiyosaki has built an empire on his "Rich Dad Poor Dad" books. He wrote another one called "The Cashflow Quadrant" and for the most part they are quite simplistic and obvious. But he did help Pete and I with two important concepts.
The first one was to help poor chemist linear-thinking Pete to understand his crazy entrepreneurial minded wife. He understood for the first time that he was raised by *poor dad* and I was raised by *rich dad* even though our families had roughly the same amount of money when we were growing up. He has made enormous strides in understanding with his head even when his emotions didn't agree. There were many times that I would work long hours and we were making very little, and at one point no money, and it was hard for him to see the vision I had. But he let his head rule and trusted me. I am so grateful to him for that. And proud of him too.
The second concept that we both really understood and a light went on for me years and years ago, was the idea that there is a difference between owning a job and owning a business. He says that a business owner can leave for a year and come back to a business that is better than you left it. I kind of disagree with him. I think you can run your business and still be a business owner not a job owner. But I had never really thought about that difference before and it was an epiphany for me and changed how we planned and thought about our company.
We really began our business with all of this in mind, setting it up so that we owned a business from the beginning. We made the final transition from owning a job to owning a business about 4 years ago for ourselves and I am nowhere near ready to retire! This is too much FUN!
One thing that his book really helped us with is in setting up the systems for our independent contractors and territory owners. We wanted to give them the opportunity to be business owners if that is what they wanted. We have people that want to own a job and that is completely fine with us. They work as a couple and go out and do testing and get accounts and love being together and enjoy what they are doing. But we have also set it up so that if they want to have several employees and manage multiple areas that is available too.
There are always ups and downs in any business, and ours is no exception, but it is an awful lot of fun and very exciting to see people succeeding in a business I invented completely from scratch. I love being a business owner.
Most days. :D
The first one was to help poor chemist linear-thinking Pete to understand his crazy entrepreneurial minded wife. He understood for the first time that he was raised by *poor dad* and I was raised by *rich dad* even though our families had roughly the same amount of money when we were growing up. He has made enormous strides in understanding with his head even when his emotions didn't agree. There were many times that I would work long hours and we were making very little, and at one point no money, and it was hard for him to see the vision I had. But he let his head rule and trusted me. I am so grateful to him for that. And proud of him too.
The second concept that we both really understood and a light went on for me years and years ago, was the idea that there is a difference between owning a job and owning a business. He says that a business owner can leave for a year and come back to a business that is better than you left it. I kind of disagree with him. I think you can run your business and still be a business owner not a job owner. But I had never really thought about that difference before and it was an epiphany for me and changed how we planned and thought about our company.
We really began our business with all of this in mind, setting it up so that we owned a business from the beginning. We made the final transition from owning a job to owning a business about 4 years ago for ourselves and I am nowhere near ready to retire! This is too much FUN!
One thing that his book really helped us with is in setting up the systems for our independent contractors and territory owners. We wanted to give them the opportunity to be business owners if that is what they wanted. We have people that want to own a job and that is completely fine with us. They work as a couple and go out and do testing and get accounts and love being together and enjoy what they are doing. But we have also set it up so that if they want to have several employees and manage multiple areas that is available too.
There are always ups and downs in any business, and ours is no exception, but it is an awful lot of fun and very exciting to see people succeeding in a business I invented completely from scratch. I love being a business owner.
Most days. :D
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Robin Story
One entire summer about three or four years ago, I kept my eyes on a particular robin in our neighborhood. He was very distinctive, quite easy to spot, and I felt responsible for him.
We came home from church one spring Sunday afternoon to find that a robin had found his way somehow into the house. He was flapping and flying, and freaking out! A couple of the older kids and I started trying to get him out without hurting him. We tried to calm him and tried not to scare him further by chasing him. He would land and we would try to catch him, over and over again.
Eventually somehow I caught him and it took both hands to hold him. They are pretty big birds really which I didn't realize until I was holding him. Desperately trying not to squish him I took him to the window and one of the kids opened it. He was strong!
I was trying to guide him through the opening without him hitting the glass pane and got his head outside and Floosh! he flew out of my hands. I was so surprised and so concerned about him hurting himself that even as he flew out of my hands I was trying to guide him through the right hole.
As he flew away I looked at him and thoroughly horrified realized he had no tail.
I had kept it.
We came home from church one spring Sunday afternoon to find that a robin had found his way somehow into the house. He was flapping and flying, and freaking out! A couple of the older kids and I started trying to get him out without hurting him. We tried to calm him and tried not to scare him further by chasing him. He would land and we would try to catch him, over and over again.
Eventually somehow I caught him and it took both hands to hold him. They are pretty big birds really which I didn't realize until I was holding him. Desperately trying not to squish him I took him to the window and one of the kids opened it. He was strong!
I was trying to guide him through the opening without him hitting the glass pane and got his head outside and Floosh! he flew out of my hands. I was so surprised and so concerned about him hurting himself that even as he flew out of my hands I was trying to guide him through the right hole.
As he flew away I looked at him and thoroughly horrified realized he had no tail.
I had kept it.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Antique Cookbooks
One day in the mid 80s I was sitting at my grandparent's kitchen table having coffee with them and hanging out. We did that a lot.
Grandma for some unremembered reason brought out an old cookbook that had been published by a local club of some sort in the 20s or 30s. We had a ball laughing over that cookbook. It, in some places, asked for 5 cents worth of hamburger for a recipe. We sat there envisioning a pot of spaghetti today with a half teaspoon of hamburger in it and laughing together, and then reading more and laughing more. She left me that book in her will, but it had disappeared by then into the somewheres of life.
It began my love of old cookbooks. I love them! I have one favorite that was written in 1849 and has the most spectacular recipe for turtle soup and includes instructions for how to both kill the turtle and butcher it prior to cooking. Truly a skill I might never have known. It also has a social handbook which includes instructions for how to dress. A quote from the book that makes me laugh SO hard, but is so telling of the times in which it was written and full of pathos at the same time it is funny. "Showy brooches and other geegaws are best left to negroes and south sea islanders." It might be the only cookbook I know that will tell me how to make a cake that takes 40 eggs, or start a roast with 8, 10, or 12 pounds of meat interchangeably.
Without my antique cookbooks I might never have known what a forcemeat ball is, or that to digest peas they must be cooked for at least an hour, how to flour a pudding bag properly, or how to cook a calf's head. I would never have realized that an omelet was exotic or that lobster was so common to eat in the NE that they had to hide it in their dishes. I have learned how to make breads in a dutch oven over a fire, and how to grow and dry herbs for medicines. In my old cookbooks I learned what the word dyspepsia meant and how to gut a chicken without ruining the meat.
Old cookbooks are filled with all sorts of wisdom. They will show you exactly what the life of the people who wrote it was like. They will sometimes even give you cures for cancer!
They give me a sense of history and a look into the lives of the women who came before me caring for their families and trying to deal with earaches and childbirth.
The only thing they don't give me is cooking instructions. I never use a cookbook.
Grandma for some unremembered reason brought out an old cookbook that had been published by a local club of some sort in the 20s or 30s. We had a ball laughing over that cookbook. It, in some places, asked for 5 cents worth of hamburger for a recipe. We sat there envisioning a pot of spaghetti today with a half teaspoon of hamburger in it and laughing together, and then reading more and laughing more. She left me that book in her will, but it had disappeared by then into the somewheres of life.
It began my love of old cookbooks. I love them! I have one favorite that was written in 1849 and has the most spectacular recipe for turtle soup and includes instructions for how to both kill the turtle and butcher it prior to cooking. Truly a skill I might never have known. It also has a social handbook which includes instructions for how to dress. A quote from the book that makes me laugh SO hard, but is so telling of the times in which it was written and full of pathos at the same time it is funny. "Showy brooches and other geegaws are best left to negroes and south sea islanders." It might be the only cookbook I know that will tell me how to make a cake that takes 40 eggs, or start a roast with 8, 10, or 12 pounds of meat interchangeably.
Without my antique cookbooks I might never have known what a forcemeat ball is, or that to digest peas they must be cooked for at least an hour, how to flour a pudding bag properly, or how to cook a calf's head. I would never have realized that an omelet was exotic or that lobster was so common to eat in the NE that they had to hide it in their dishes. I have learned how to make breads in a dutch oven over a fire, and how to grow and dry herbs for medicines. In my old cookbooks I learned what the word dyspepsia meant and how to gut a chicken without ruining the meat.
Old cookbooks are filled with all sorts of wisdom. They will show you exactly what the life of the people who wrote it was like. They will sometimes even give you cures for cancer!
They give me a sense of history and a look into the lives of the women who came before me caring for their families and trying to deal with earaches and childbirth.
The only thing they don't give me is cooking instructions. I never use a cookbook.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Things I believe in no particular order:
I believe:
- that popcorn should count as a vegetable.
- that freckled little boys in overalls are the cutest thing ever.
- that almost anything feels better after a good night's sleep.
- that when a baby falls asleep in your arms you feel loved.
- in dollar stores.
- that I should never be forced to try frozen green beans again.
- that heavy, pretty, tactile, coins should be worth more than paper money.
- in God.
- that I can't sing, draw or dance.
- that secrets are almost always a bad thing.
- that I can't imagine a house without little kids in it.
- laughter and humor can diffuse hardships.
- that there are things that I will never understand and I am coming to terms with that fact.
- that kids need their parent's time more than anything else.
- that I don't understand fashion and I wish I did a bit more than I do but not a lot more; just a little.
- actions always speak louder than words and love is a verb not a noun.
- that I will never get to go skydiving now.
- I remember sleeping in a crib.
- that my mom might have been right to not want me to watch Batman when I was a kid.
- that I have never owned a pair of shoes that I honestly loved.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Observations on having a large family
People ask me all the time what it is like to raise such a large family. I have a few random observations for you today:
Bathrooms
- There are never enough towels and buying more is not the answer. There is no answer. Get used to drying with either a sheet or your bathrobe and get over it.
- As the Mom of a large double digit family you should probably adjust to the idea that there will never be a bathroom that is *yours* and where you can put pretty things for decorations. Unless you like to decorate in variations of soap scum that is.
- A guest towel is only good for about two weeks in my house. After that it is certain to have been used on someone's gecko or as a mop.
Food
- There are items on your menu of which there will never be enough, and others of which you have never seen eaten.
- I used to think it was silly to have more than one refrigerator and excessive. I have become enlightened. Two. In the Kitchen. Room? Who needs a table?
- Two big freezers too.
- Shopping for two weeks will always include at least one person asking if you are throwing a party.
- There is a period in a young man's life where he will not be aware of what it feels like to have a full stomach. It empties faster than you can fill it. Keep the fridges full instead.
Laundry
- Yes. There is some.
- And some more.
- Sigh
Going Out
- Get used to people pointing and staring. Learn to enjoy it because this is what you chose!
- I learned to keep an extra bag of kids socks in MY drawer. It saved me an awful lot of last minute stress. I also keep hair Fripperies, a couple of colored t shirts in various sizes, wipes, and even a few pairs of assorted sized flip flops. It has s.a.v.e.d. my sanity!
- I can't count the number of times elderly couples would come up to us in a restaurant and compliment my kids and want to talk about my family. It was always nice.
- Then there is the guy walking out of Disneyland...yes Disneyland, who counted the heads; I was pushing a double stroller, and there were 8 more between myself and Pete who brought up the rear of the line. He looked at me and quite rudely said "Are you KIDDING me?" and sneered his way away. I wonder if he thought we wanted him to buy our tickets?
Pets
- I have observed over the years that large families generally fall into two categories: Those that have pets and those that don't.
- We do.
- We have 2 blue heeler mix dogs, a cat, 2 cockatiels, a parakeet, 2 tanks of fish, and a rotating selection of turtles, rabbits, reptiles, and a variety of rodents.
- Yes, I do wonder if I am out of my mind!
Working
- Working from home is not always more fun.
- But usually it is.
- I can tune out most noise to work with the exception of the Disney channel. It bores straight into my skull and vibrates there!
- Buying a laptop just for work was the best investment I have ever made so I can sit where I can see everything while I work.
- It is common for me to look up from writing something and see a line of kids waiting their turn to talk to me.
- I sometimes get Ninja lessons from my 6 year old son during the middle of a business day.
- I try to look decent while working to keep my mind focused better.
- Several years ago I sat in the car for phone meetings a lot. It is quieter there!
- It took me a long time to get the hang of being both a traditional cook-from-scratch-and-crochet-for-fun mom and Nana, and CEO of a national company. They felt contradictory to me. Turns out I can be both!
- Still feels weird though to be honest.
There are today's observations. I am sure there will be more to come!
Some stuff about me and introduction.
:::waving::::
Hi everyone,
I go around assuming everyone knows me and no one needs me to introduce myself.
I am Corinne (pronounced cor-INN) and I am the CEO and founder with Pete of Mobile Drug Testing. We have 12 kids. (Yes 12 that was not a typo.) I am the oldest of 7 kids and grew up in a small town Mormon family. I have a very entrepreneurial family and my maternal grandmother was extremely instrumental in founding KFC with Pete Harman and Col. Sanders. She was Vice President of a major company back when women were barely allowed to work! I am very proud of her. My other grandmother was also an executive and was administrator of a nursing home as well as owning a fast food restaurant that they started. In my family women were never held back because they just refused to be. My dad had one successful business after another ranging from a KFC franchise (shock!) to real estate, other restaurants, and when he was young opened and ran his own barbershop.
We are devout born-again Christians and aside from that and along with that regular church-goers.
I sure never thought I would grow up and marry a redheaded chemist from Philadelphia and have 12 kids!
I love to read and read everything I can get my hands on. I am a great cook (sadly!) and often you can find me working on my laptop in my family room surrounded by the 7 kids still at home, 2 dogs, a cat and usually there is something or other bubbling in the crock pot. I am an amazing multitasker and can work nearly anywhere and only really use the office when I need quiet or have a major project to work on. Our family was profoundly affected 3.5 years ago when my 12 year old daughter was hit by a car while riding her bike and died 2 weeks later. It was a rough time and we are all changed from it.
I am a birth junkie and never did get to be a full time midwife, but I sure tried hard! My favorite color is yellow and I am not talking about a pastel here. I like it bright, bright, bright but not greenish or neon. I love living in Utah. I love the climate, my grandkids, and the mountains; not necessarily in that order. I collect ceramic milk jugs/water pitchers and have about a million houseplants that make me happy. I also still help a baby into the world now and then.
I like to laugh. *I* think I am funny whether anyone else does or not! I find ways to laugh because otherwise sometimes life is too hard.
Is there anything else you want to know about me? Just ask.
Blessings,
Corinne
Hi everyone,
I go around assuming everyone knows me and no one needs me to introduce myself.
I am Corinne (pronounced cor-INN) and I am the CEO and founder with Pete of Mobile Drug Testing. We have 12 kids. (Yes 12 that was not a typo.) I am the oldest of 7 kids and grew up in a small town Mormon family. I have a very entrepreneurial family and my maternal grandmother was extremely instrumental in founding KFC with Pete Harman and Col. Sanders. She was Vice President of a major company back when women were barely allowed to work! I am very proud of her. My other grandmother was also an executive and was administrator of a nursing home as well as owning a fast food restaurant that they started. In my family women were never held back because they just refused to be. My dad had one successful business after another ranging from a KFC franchise (shock!) to real estate, other restaurants, and when he was young opened and ran his own barbershop.
We are devout born-again Christians and aside from that and along with that regular church-goers.
I sure never thought I would grow up and marry a redheaded chemist from Philadelphia and have 12 kids!
I love to read and read everything I can get my hands on. I am a great cook (sadly!) and often you can find me working on my laptop in my family room surrounded by the 7 kids still at home, 2 dogs, a cat and usually there is something or other bubbling in the crock pot. I am an amazing multitasker and can work nearly anywhere and only really use the office when I need quiet or have a major project to work on. Our family was profoundly affected 3.5 years ago when my 12 year old daughter was hit by a car while riding her bike and died 2 weeks later. It was a rough time and we are all changed from it.
I am a birth junkie and never did get to be a full time midwife, but I sure tried hard! My favorite color is yellow and I am not talking about a pastel here. I like it bright, bright, bright but not greenish or neon. I love living in Utah. I love the climate, my grandkids, and the mountains; not necessarily in that order. I collect ceramic milk jugs/water pitchers and have about a million houseplants that make me happy. I also still help a baby into the world now and then.
I like to laugh. *I* think I am funny whether anyone else does or not! I find ways to laugh because otherwise sometimes life is too hard.
Is there anything else you want to know about me? Just ask.
Blessings,
Corinne
May you lead an interesting life.
I have never forgotten a fortune cookie I got when I was 16 years old. It said: "May you lead an interesting life." Hoo boy, have I ever. It has not been an easy life, but it has been interesting and I think it is time to share some of it now.
I have been told (you know who you are) that my life is interesting enough that there is no need for TV. I have never been quite sure that is a good thing. But then again, it might be. Shall we find out together and you can let me know?
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