Little Free Library

In November my parents introduced us to The Little Free Library! I had never heard of this before. Apparently there are Little Free Libraries all over the United States and they are so neat! It is a box of some sort that someone puts in their yard and allows people to give and take books for FREE! The idea is for people in rural areas (or sometimes not rural areas) who do not have convenient access to a public library, to still be able to have new books. You don't have to take the books back, you can have them. You can bring books to put in the library too.

There is a Little Free Library between Russellville, Missouri and Corticelli, Missouri. My dad is the pastor at Corticelli Baptist Church and this library is on the way to the church.  My mom took me and Olivia to it when were visiting in early November and Olivia was so excited (and a little confused)!

When we went back to my parents for Thanksgiving, my mom took my sister Sarah, my niece Saedee and Olivia back to the Little Free Library! They had a blast! Olivia brought books from home and took a few books too!

I think this is such a cool idea!
Visit www.littlefreelibrary.org for more information!

Sorry For What?????

I had a friend tell me once that I say "sorry" too much.

As I take a good look at things, I have come to the conclusion that she was right. 



When I text a friend and ask how their day is and they write "Sally fell off her bike," I write "I am so sorry." Or they write they have had a bad day and need a nap, I write back "I'm sorry, what can I do to help?"

When I call someone from work I say "I am sorry to bother you, but....."

When I have prayed about a subject and have made decisions, I say to the person that I am explaining it to, "I am so sorry but I am not going to be able to help with........"

Yesterday at the doctor's office, a 3ish year old little boy was being loud and not listening to his parents, the father took the child out of the room, kicking and screaming, and the mother stayed in the waiting room. She looked at me, motioned to the area that the child was just in, and said "I'm sorry." I looked back at her and said "no need to be." The father came back in the room with the child and he was quiet.

Why? Why? Why are we so SORRY?

I did not cause Sally to fall off of her bike. I did not cause my friend to have a bad day. I did not make that person work in that job where they have to answer my phone calls. And it was not that mother's fault that her little boy was having a melt down. They all do that at times and they handled it appropriately. So, why are we sorry?

I think that it is normal to want to help others (although lately I wonder what is happening to the world, I was raised to want to help others, I guess some weren't!) but that doesn't mean that we have to feel sorry for them or ourselves. There is a difference between apologizing and encouraging, a big difference!

So, instead I have been trying to offer help and encouragement and have honestly been trying NOT to use the word sorry. I have typed it in text messages and then deleted it (especially to my friend who told me that I said it too much)!

We need to leave our worries to God and we need to support our friends! We need to love on them and show them God's love! We do not need to be SORRY unless we truly are apologizing for a wrong deed! I have been there before and I am sure that I will again!
But in the mean time, I am not sorry!

Egg-cellent Condition!

When we have family dinners, we all bring a dish or two (or three or four) to the dinner. The last few years, I have been bringing deviled eggs (among other things) to family dinners! I have these handy travel containers and I don't mind making them! This Easter was no different, I signed up for deviled eggs, corn and green bean casserole and two desserts!

So, on Saturday, I plop 18 eggs into a pot of water, bring it to a boil and cook for 13 minutes! This is how I always cook them and then soak in cold water! This time, for some reason, they did not turn out. They would not peel and the yolks were not done, they were gross. In the trash goes all 18 (actually 20, because I always do a couple extra just in case some are not pretty)!

(Now STOP! I know that everyone is about to want to tell me how they cook their hard boiled eggs! That is not the point of this post people! But you can tell me if you want to!)

So...... I go to the store, buy 18 more eggs, and try again. This time I cooked them a little different. I peeled them all and about half peeled easily. And about half looked like this or worse.......

I decided this bunch of people would not care if the outside of the eggs were not completely smooth. I make my wonderful filling, piped them into the eggs, sprinkled with paprika and (whew) done with that!

Now, it is Sunday, we pile all of the children and Easter dinner dishes into the car, drive the 80 miles to my sister's and church (of course!).  When we get to her house I put the food in the refrigerator. After pictures we go back in the house to put the finishing touches on lunch. My sister opens the fridge and one of the containers of eggs falls out!

I walk into the kitchen to see my sister's dear sweet mother-in-law scooping the filling back into the eggs and trying to clean it up. I told her to just throw it in the trash and she said that deviled eggs are hard work and she wants to save them. Sweet lady! So she did!

We have a wonderful Easter lunch which would have only been better if my parents could have been there! We clean up, have Easter egg hunt, rest, visit, and have dessert.......

                                      Butterfinger Cake

                                     Cream Puff Dessert

Ok, I had to show you that to prove that I can make something that doesn't look like a disaster!

We were getting all of the children and food back in the car to head home and my sister and husband come out of the house laughing! My sister then admits that she dropped the container of left over deviled eggs AGAIN!

I am officially NEVER making or being in charge of deviled eggs AGAIN! Never! I may make some for my little immediate family because they love them, but NEVER will I be in charge of them for a family dinner! NEVER!

I would like to add that the container falling out of the fridge the first time was not my sister's fault, I put it in there without much room! The second time I have no idea, it could have been her fault! We were laughing too much for me to remember what she even said!

Oh, and Happy Easter!

      Wyatt, Kaitlyn and Olivia Fish                Saedee and Royce Jackson

Birthday Questions Age 4

I asked Olivia these questions last year, see earlier blog post, and thought I would do it again!

February 10, 2013
Name: Olivia Kaye Fish

How old are you? 4
Who is your best friend? Karlee
What is your favorite thing to do? Play with my toys every night and book time
What is your favorite color? Blue and Red
What is your favorite food? Cheese
What do you like to do with your family? Play Minnie Mouse Bingo (Thanks Jackson Lewis!)
What is your favorite toy? Lambie, Doc McStuffins, Stuffy and Chilly (Thanks Mawmaw, Emma and Weston!)
What do you want to be when you group up? A Mom
What makes you happy? Toys
What makes you sad? When you (mom) don't give me toys
What is your favorite show to watch? Octonauts, Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First
What is your favorite book? The Bible
What do you love to learn about? Nothing
What was the best part of your birthday? The tractor and the lights
Where do you like to go? To the store
Who is your teacher? Miss Mary Jo and Miss Alyssa
What is your favorite treat? Chocolate and candy
What do you think about before you fall asleep? I love to rest and stay in my bed (Mom says "yeah right!")
If you could meet someone famous, who would it be? Octonauts
What was your favorite birthday present? Cupcake set from Yaya and pink tractor from Muncle (My Uncle) Roy!

Puppy Love

When Olivia was 5 months old, my sister found a stray dog at her garage sale in Trenton and asked if we would take her. We had been wanting an outside dog, so we did and the kids named her Sandy!

Sandy has been such a good dog since we got her. She allows Olivia to play with her and sometimes she is rough. Sandy has never hurt the kids but she does want attention so she will jump on you. Olivia says "down Sandy!"

Here is a beautiful picture of Olivia that Becki Wright took during Olivia's 1 year photo shoot!

Needless to say, we love Sandy, and my mother, Stacy Seaton, loves her granddog too!

So fast forward a few years, last November, we came home from being out of town for Thanksgiving and Sandy had two male visitors from the farm up the road. Larry had to run them off a few times. 

Fast forward to last week. Monday, Larry went out of town for work overnight and I was locking the door and trying to get Sandy to come in the house where she slept in the laundry room when it was cold outside. She didn't come in while I was yelling for her. The next morning, I went outside and yelled for her. She still didn't come in. I assumed she would be cold and would want in. It worried me but I didn't know what to do if I didn't see her and I had to get to work. So Olivia and I got in the car and the lights on the car went right in the dog house next to the house. Sandy was in there, head up and eyes open. I was confused because there is no way that she would be in her dog house and ignore me welcoming her in the house on a cold night or morning. So I drove off (I know, that was terrible) and got down the driveway and turned around. I knew something was wrong, I was thinking a broken leg or something. I went to the dog house and tried to get her to come out. I offered treats and slapped my legs. She just sat in there looking at me. I heard her whining and crying. I didn't know what to do. It was freezing, Larry was out of town, I was on my way to work and I don't know anything about dogs. I was about to go get my phone and call Larry when Sandy lifted her leg and showed me 4 tiny puppies nursing! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? We didn't even know that she was pregnant (I know we are terrible doggie parents!) But she is not an inside dog and it is cold outside so we didn't really play with her. Anyway, I was completely shocked and Olivia was completely beside herself with excitement!  We brought Sandy some food and water and covered her with a towel and left. I took Olivia to daycare, called Larry and then called my friend Sarah. Her husband said to move them all inside to the laundry room. I stopped by the vet, got some advice and headed home to move them all in the house. After calling into work first, of course! And my boss is a huge dog lover and a great boss, so she completely understood! I got home, moved Sandy and the 4 puppies to the laundry room and it went very smoothly!

4 puppies, 1 black male, 1 black female, 1 white female and 1 cream female! Sandy is such a good momma, she and the puppies were all cleaned off! So that actually didn't take much time and I went into work! Olivia was so excited to come home and see the puppies!!

Guess what??? The story doesn't end there.................

4 days later, we were at a birthday party for a 3 year old friend and her grandmother said that her lab mix had a puppy (only one in the litter) that morning and it had died. Her dog was very sad and distressed and was trying to nurse her stuffed animals. She was worried that her dog would get an infection because she had milk and no puppies to nurse. So................. after a lot of talking and thought put into it.................she took two of our puppies to her dog. I was a little worried that it wouldn't work and that Sandy would be upset but it actually worked really well. She came and got the puppies and put them in a pillow that her dog slept on and had some of her stuffed animals. So the puppies got the new mommy dog's scent on them. The new mommy dog, Molly, accepted them right away and they were nursing within minutes. Sandy didn't seem upset, she still continues to nurse the other two and is still eating and drinking.

So..... We have 2 puppies and our friends have 2 puppies! Here is Molly with her new puppies, the black female and the cream female, just a few minutes after she got them!

Here is Sandy (now named Sandy the Surrogate by my sister, adorable) with the other 2 puppies, the black male (who Olivia has named Jack and the Bean Stalk) and the white female (whose name changes daily!)

 

So, I know that it is weird, but it works. The goal is to give the puppies away when they are old enough anyway, so why not let a sad mommy have them now? ALL involved are doing well!

After all, I work in foster care and adoption in my full time job, might as well do it on the side as well!

Sticky Fingered Fish

Two weeks ago, Olivia and I went to my sister's house to visit and to help her unpack after moving the week before. Olivia played with Saedee and Royce most of the time and loved carrying around bags and purses, that is her new thing, among other things (you will see)!

Saturday night, after we had been home for a few hours, I was in the laundry room and Olivia came to me with this little toy in her hands. She said "I took this." I recognized this as a toy from Royce's room.

I said "Olivia, that is bad" and she said "No it's not!" I said "We need to go take a picture and send it to Ya-Ya (my sister, Sarah) and show her," and Olivia said "No we don't!"

I was informed by my sister that this is an anhydrous tank and Olivia obviously put it in one of her bags that she was carrying around, and later confessed to me.  Olivia and I had an age appropriate talk about taking things that don't belong to us.

So, the next night, Olivia was playing with her bags again and pulled out a cell phone. I recognized this as one of my brother-in-law's old cell phones. I believe that he let her play with this while we were there but he did not say she could take it. So I sent this picture to my sister saying:
 "Stolen Item #2"

This kid is going to have to be placed on probation and I am tempted to make her fill out a shoplifting packet from work! What is wrong with her. She steals and she is sneaky! Gracious!

Ok, to make things even worse, Monday night, Larry, Olivia and I were in the master bedroom. I picked up a bag and the phone was under it. Olivia grabbed it and said "my phone." Larry said "No, that is Uncle Roy's." Olivia proceeded to back talk and argue and just be sassy. She kept saying "Uncle Roy gave it to me" and "that is my phone." If you have spent any amount of time with Olivia, you have probably seen her exhibit some sass. She is pretty good at shaking her head, rolling her eyes, putting her hand on her hip and talking back. I am not bragging or proud, just telling the truth.

So, Olivia keeps this activity up, and I am really getting sick of it. Larry is telling her to quit talking like that and she proceeds anyway. So, I bent down to pick something up from the floor and tapped her on the mouth with my fingers. Just touched my fingers to her lips and said "quit talking like that, that is naughty."

Olivia, stolen cell phone in hand, opens it, puts it to her ear and says "Hi Mawmaw, this is Olivia! My mommy hit my in the face and she does it ALL the time!"

WHAT???????? Are you KIDDING me???????

Disclaimer: I did not and have not HIT her. I touched her mouth. For Pete's Sake!

So, in summary, She stole 2 items, and then tattled and lied to my mother on the STOLEN cell phone!  Heaven Help Me!

Birthday Questions

I saw this on Pinterest (my latest addiction!) and wanted to try it with Olivia!
I am a few weeks late but I don't think there is a time limit!
I want to ask her these same questions every year and see how her answers change!
So here we go, I had fun doing it!

February 27, 2012
Name: Olivia Kaye Fish
How old are you? "Free" (3)
Who is your best friend? "Sissy Bubby"
What is your favorite thing to do? "toys"
What is your favorite color? "pink"
What is your favorite food? "noodles"
What do you like to do with your family? "my family likes hotdogs" (ummmm..... not so much)
What is your favorite toy? "mouse" I asked again and she said "bed" (whatever!)
What do you want to be when you group up? "a carseat" I asked again and she said " a carseat"
         I assume she said this because she talks about having a booster carseat when she grows up!
What makes you happy? "that seat" and she pointed to her new chair she got for her birthday
What makes you sad? "the remote" (probably means when she gets in trouble for using the remote!)
What is your favorite show to watch? "Mickey Mouse"
What is your favorite book? "My Bible" (Awwww!)
What do you love to learn about? "balls"
What was the best part of your birthday? "Ummmmmm, Weston and Emma!"
Where do you like to go? "to the party"
Who is your teacher? "You?" Melt my heart! Who is your teacher at school? and she said "Alicia"
What is your favorite treat? "fruit snacks"
What do you think about before you fall asleep? "my bed"
If you could meet someone famous, who would it be? "ummmmmm, family?"
What was your favorite birthday present? "my pink Barbie jeep"