At it again...

Guys!

It's been years. 

Many years. 

As in 14 years. 

Fourteen years since I have had to potty train.

Probably my most dreaded responsibility as a parent. 

It requires attention.

It requires consistency.

It requires patience. 

But mostly it requires cleaning up messes. 

Not the dust and dirt kind of messes.

Nope, we are talking about the gross kind.

I remember shouting for joy when my last child graduated from this stage. 

Long. Loud. From the rooftops I cheered. 

But....

I have to do it again. 

Not with a baby. 

Nope.

We are all done in that department. 

100%. No doubt about that. 

I will leave that to my children and their parenting adventures. 

And messes. 

The gross kind.

BUT....

We have decided to get a puppy. 

Which is exciting. 

And fun. 

And overwhelming. 

A 2-month-old puppy. 

The untrained kind. 

I have to train a puppy. 

And I am woefully inexperienced. 

I know how to train humans. 

Been there. Done that.

But non-humans?

I'm scared. 

Very scared. 

Guess Who I Ran Into at Home Depot

 "You should ask him if he wants your door.?"

That is the thought that came into my head.  

"Wait. What??" I questioned. I looked at the man and the French doors he had in his cart, then back to the man. "Okay. That's weird, but I can do weird." 

That's how it went down. 

WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, STEF?!

Okay. Okay. Let me explain. 

Two years ago we built a house. And I paid for a really nice door that I didn't want. 

WHY? Why would you do that? Who does that??

Me. But it wasn't my fault. The contractor ordered the custom door he wanted me to want. But guess what. I still didn't want it. I mean, I sent the guy pictures of the door I actually wanted. 

Still, when I showed up to the house, there sat the door I DID NOT WANT.  So I called the contractor and after explaining to him that I was the person paying for the door so... I wanted what I wanted.

Shortly thereafter the door I wanted was ordered. 

BUT, turns out the when you (or your contractor) order a custom door (that you don't want), it can't be returned. "Not my problem," I thought. "I didn't order the door. I didn't approve the door. The contractor will deal with it." 

Turns out he didn't. Turns out we had to eat that cost. Turns out he was willing to take the door (that he wanted) (that we paid for) off our hands for free. What a nice guy. 

Oh heck no!!

So the nice door has been living on our back porch for 2 years. 

We've tried to sell it. We've tried to give it away. Turns out no-one else wants a custom made door. Well, no-one besides my contractor.

Fast-forward to Home Depot.  

"You should ask him if he wants your door?" That is the thought that came into my head when I saw the guy with the French doors. I can do weird. 

So I asked him. 

Guess what. Turns out he wanted it. 

Turns out that some crazy person ran their car into his granddaughter's house that she is renting and took off. Turns out her landlord is refusing to replace the French door. Turns out she currently has a couple pieces of plywood for a door. 

Turns out her grandpa, the guy at Home Depot, was trying to help his granddaughter but had been worrying all day about what to do. Turns out he needed my door. 

I had no idea he needed my door. He had no idea I had a door. 

Turns out God did. 

Didn't you know he hangs out at Home Depot? 

Back off Summer!!

Fall.

It is finally here. 

Okay, technically it isn't here until a few more weeks. Technically. 

But no-one told Hobby Lobby. 

No-one told the candy aisles at the stores. 

And who lives their lives based on technicalities anyway?

Well, apparently the weather. 

Here we are in September and we are having record breaking highs this week. 

100 degrees. On multiple, back-to-back days.

Yeah, I know you people in Phoenix, Las Vegas, the Sahara Desert, Mars are rolling your eyes thinking "100 degrees IS Fall weather."

Well, I don't live there.  

I live in the northern mountains of Utah. You know, where it snows. And people ski. And we GET annual Falls. They make the months of snow, gray skies and just plain miserable weather worth it. Yep, that is where I live. 

So what is up, Mother Nature??!!

It is time for caramel apples and sweatshirts. Beautiful changing leaves and cooler nights. Candy corn and pumpkin....everything. 

NOT sunscreen and scorching seatbelts. Sunglasses and dehydration. Dying flowers and peeling skin. 

We are done with that!

I think I just might rebel. I refuse to give in to the Summer flashbacks. I will not be moved. 

If you see someone walking down the street in a sweaty sweater, honk and wave. 

That would be me.

Ahhh....Christmas

I

really should

start my Christmas

 shopping now.I always want to

 be done by October. It makes more sense

than to put it off until Dec 23rd. Amazon is having

their Black Friday in July sale now. Hobby Lobby already has

their Christmas stuff out. I really should get on it.  I am going to do it this year.

 

Really.

I am.

 

It's our motto!

Let's celebrate July 4th with the un-sung last last verse of the "Star Spangled Banner."

Have a great one!!

"Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

Mistborn Series

Okay, I know I keep saying this....

 

...especially this year

 because I have read a lot of good books.

 

But this series....

 

You know it is a good series

when each book gets better.

 

And this series did just that.

Better with each book.

The good news with this series is that

there are three more books.

 

And I have heard it said that the last three books are

better

than the first three.

 

Whaaaat!?!?!

How is that even possible??

 

If you like fantasy and adventure,

you are going to love these.

 

No,

Really,

You are going to

LOVE

this series.

 

The silent killer

Just so everyone is clear where I stand. Just so I can say, anyone who reads this blog....Hi, Susan... knows what I believe. I want to be obvious in my position.
Pornography is a killer.

A silent enemy...

...one that has penetrated our society and is tarnishing everything it touches.

It slaughters the human spirit.

It destroys healthy relationships.

It crushes marriage.

It annihilates families.

It impairs agency.

It distorts a healthy view of women.

It  poisons our youth.

It negatively impacts the media.

It corrupts our society.

There is nothing good that comes from pornography.

Nothing.

Fight it!!!

Fortify your homes, family and marriages against it.

It IS a big deal.

It IS a problem.

It IS demoralizing.

We must fight it. We must fortify against it. We must not stand idly by as it infests our homes, neighborhoods, and relationships and people we love.

One person can make a difference and is worth every effort made to eliminate it.

BE THE ONE.