The Giving Tree!

The Giving Tree

I'll make something for you!

Here's the good news: I will commit to making something for you and four other people. A of mine on FB has sent out a similar note and, as a soon-to-be recipient of "something" from her, I agreed to pay it forward.

The first five (5) people to respond by commenting on this post will get something made by me.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get. If you'd like to send me 15 words naming things you like, I will probably play with that.

2. What I create will be just for you, with love.

3. It'll be done this year (2010).

4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be.

5. In return, all you need to do is post this text (you can alter it because I did) into a note of your own and agree to make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your note. You can make whatever you want - cookies, paper airplanes, sock puppet, a poem... whatever you want.

6. Send me your email address.

7. It doesn't matter who you are - if I talk to you every day, or once every 10 years, worked with you, if you are a man or woman, or both or neither - if I talked to you twice in high school and have only just now gotten reacquainted it is because I LIKE you and have always thought you were COOL in some way or another... SO please if you want to participate, DO!

8. If you aren't one of the first 5, you can still start your own Giving Tree!

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own note to pay this forward. For reals.

March

March roared in with a lion and will go out like a lamb...is that the saying? Well it may have some truth.

We enjoyed a wonderful spring break. We spent three days in CA visiting my Grandparents. The boys were spoiled endlessly by my Grandma. She works harder than any woman I have ever met. At age 83, she continues to care for my Grandpa (who is not doing very well), maintain the house, manage the shopping, errands and doctor's appts. and still be socially active with her friends. She even had her delicious homemade cookies for my boys ready when we came. ((I had hoped she would just keep it simple.)) I don't think we change very much as we get older. I mean our work habits - if you are a hard worker, you continue to work hard. My grandma grew up in Austria during WW2. She learned self reliance - to work hard, to reuse, and to go without if necessary. She has applied those lessons learned in her childhood throughout her life. Now, when she should be pampered herself, she continues to work hard and pamper others. I will always treasure the time spent with my Grandma. I hope, at the very least, my older boys will always treasure her too!

The second part of our break was spent camping in Chiricahua National Forest. I love camping. This was a much needed break for our family. Just Dad, the Boys and I went for five days. Although Boyd was sick most of the trip, I was able to relax a bit. It was nice to have no phone, no e-mails, no neighbors, no callings - just my Husband and Boys! The boys played in the creek most of the time. (Banini #5 stayed in camp with me! - with a little help.) When Dad was feeling better, he took Banini #1 on the Heart of the Rocks hike - approx. 9 miles of hiking. I stayed at camp with the younger ones and actually sat quiet in my chair for about 2 minutes and just listened to the woods!! On the way home we enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers. Dad even snapped some photos for me!!

After break was done, my Brother announced his engagement to his Girl! We are excited for them. We are going up Easter weekend to meet her and spend some time with my Brother. So excited to have a new sister! - I am so excited about a summer wedding! (hopefully it will be cooler than my wedding)

One last note - we had our pinewood derby last Saturday. The boys built their cars and we went a racing. (Usually we race to last place and we learn good sportsmanship.) This year I even had a prayer with Banini #2 to help him know Heavenly Father would help him accept whatever happened! Well with that said, the boys' cars surprised us completely. Banini #2 took first in his den and Banini #1 took first in the pack! Yeah for small miracles!!

I will have Boyd help me post pictures later.

We send our love to our family and our friends.

I missed a month....

of many small and some important activities in our home this month, due to many activities in February.

The most time consuming activities involved Cub Scouts!

I am excited to announce we are fully staffed in our cub scout program...YEAH! This past month we have had a big activity every other weekend. First, POW WOW...it is an awesome resource for all cub scout leaders. It really refills the cup and charges the batteries of enthusiasm. Thankfully Dad handled the Banini's all day and let me get CHARGED for another year of cubbing.

The next two weeks consisted of one birthday and four ear infections in three Banini's, with one eardrum rupturing- OUCH! Plus, soliciting all the local grocery stores in our area for donations for our cub scout fundraiser - A Lasagna Dinner & Sock Hop. A super shout out to Fresh n' Easy Neighborhood Market, Costco, Fry's Marketplace and Neighborhood Walmart. Each store donated supplies for our cub scouts to earn money for cub scout day camp. Shop at Fresh n' Easy and Costco - these stores were especially generous!!!! Thank you!!!!!...Our fundraiser was a success - we had 175 people show up for dinner and stay for our Sock Hop. We had a super DJ and it was fun. We are thinking of making it a traditional activity! ROCK ON!

I then succumbed to the cold the boys had...I wonder why???? No sleep for two weeks + a super activity = Mom gets the boys germs.....

Ten days later, our Pack celebrated 100 years of scouting and 80 years of cub scouts at the annual Blue and Gold Banquet. We tried to keep it simple this year, especially coming right after our fundraiser. We held a giant birthday party. Games, balloons, presents and a 12 layer cake.... We had fun and the boys ate all the cake. Dad really earned the Super Dad award that night. The cake kept starting to tip, so Dad held it up for over an hour until the boys arrived and we had sang our birthday songs. The boys loved the cake and Dad made it possible!!!

No rest....although I did cancel some meetings and celebrated another Banini's birthday. Ten days later and with some very last minute scrambling, I attending my first Webeloree. Banini #1 is a Webelos Scout and I, as the cubmaster and parent, was chosen to attend this event. I learned many things. 1. In the church, rules in regards to cub scouting are subject to interpretation....very interesting (I will stick with the written rules and stay out of the grey area!) 2. More food is needed at night for dinner and less food is needed in the morning. We had a shortage of dinner and an abundance of breakfast - go figure. 3. Ten year old boys are emotionally unstable, (think rollercoaster..) 5. I can be patient at 5:30 am....even if I don't want to... Overall, it was a great experience.

Hopefully this month I will spend a bit more time with Dad and the Banini's. At least we will be getting our cars ready for the pine wood derby.....

A New Year!

A new year is come and with it many opportunities. The children have grown the past year physically, mentally and (I hope) spiritually. The adults (I hope) have sharpened our physical stature, mental aptitude and spiritual awareness.

Dad finished his 365 with a photo from a hike we took on New Year's Day. We enjoy hiking and Banini #4 actually hiked the entire time. Boyd's photo of him really captured our family's pondering of realistic goals for this year's future.

Our first goal..... Hold Family Home Evening EVERY week, regardless of sickness, death, dismemberment, OR any other distraction. (A song, a prayer, a short message, a song and a prayer are the minimum requirements.) When Bryan and Justin were small we always had FHE, without fail, but in the last two years or so, FHE had become a 50% event. THIS IS CHANGING......100% is the only option. We want our children to understand this is important for many reasons....(can you think of why it is important to gather your children around you at least one time a week and teach them a value that is important to you and your family?)

Our second goal....Regular Temple attendance. Dad goes regularly, Mom was improving. Now we are going. (Non LDS people, the temple is a sacred place of worship. It is a place where we go to be closer to God. Consistent attendance acts as a reminder of why we are here and what our true focus is in our lives.)

Our third goal... to go on at least one hike as a family every month. Easy right... not! During the cool months this is easy. We have many hikes within 25 miles of our home. The surrounding area is beautiful and fun to explore. During the summer months, unless you get five children out of bed at 3:30am, dressed and to the site by 4:30 am for your hike, IT IS TOO HOT! So we usually have to drive 100 miles or so, for a hike that is cool enough in the daytime to do. With the last two year,s fuel prices, we have not always had the extra money for a 200 mile trip for a 4-5 hour hike. So this goal is going to take some financial planning, we are budgeting for the expense now...a little planning goes a long way!

Our fourth goal.... well we decided three for the family was enough for this year. We want to be successful with our goals and if we can add to them as the year progresses, we will. A goal for improvement does not have to start with the new year. A goal is good for anytime. Yet, the new year is often the time our family regroups from the holiday craziness, utilizing the insights we gain from trying to follow our Savior's example, and identifies areas we want improvement. We will continue to keep our current good habits and look forward to adding consistency within our family.

We wish each of you a happy New Year!!