Sammi Sunshine

Sammi has always been followed by "Sunshine". It has been her nick-name from birth. She is a bright, shining light, that provides warmth and joy in our lives. I love her so much. She is growing so fast, it is starting to really scare me! My little baby is 9 years old. 9!!!! To put it into horrifying perspective . . . I was 19 when I got married! It is possible, possible, that in a little over 10 years my new title will be: GRANDMA!!! YIKES! Did I mention I have felt like I have been having a mid-life crisis lately? That is for another post, another day . . .

Sammi age 3 in Spokane. Our first "real" Fall. (Alaskan "Fall" is: Now you see it, now you don't.) I was AMAZED at the color, the amount and size of leaves, and the length of the season. What a beautiful time of year.

Sammi age 9 in Boise. Our yard is COVERED in leaves. We have 2 HUGE trees in our yard that provide plenty of Fall foliage.

Sammi has been having an interesting time with Boys. From rings to stuffed animals -- the boys keep trying to be her "boyfriend". (4th grade, oh what fun.) We, of course, have had many LONG discussions on this topic. She has had to tell the boys she is too young and cannot date until she is 18. One boy actually said, "Yeah, that is probably a good idea." I am not too worried about it though . . . braces, glasses, a bad haircut, and baggy overalls -- should do the trick. Worked for me! (Ok, I did not have glasses.) ;-) I have been teaching her Karate . . . so glad I took Martial arts. Just bring the stinky boys to me . . . Hi-Ya!

Sammi was selected from her classmates and teacher to be a tour guide at the Bown house. She guided people through the historic Boise home. She had a little script and everything -- so cute. She was SO excited about it. She even got a special T-shirt. (She was thrilled about that!)
Sammi loves the Bown house . . .

Sammi and I spent Friday night as "girl's night" while Charles was on a Boy Scout camping trip. (He goes once a month.) He took Daniel with him this time, so it was just me and Sam and William. (Will fell asleep.) Sammi and I spent the night watching Princess Diaries. I was wearing P.J.'s and so Sammi went to find a matching outfit, had to take a picture. (William took the picture.)

Sammi and her Bodyguard.

Just a matter of years before you can call me Grandma . . . Shudder.

Mid-life crisis post to come soon . . . :-)

I LOVE my Sammi Sunshine!

I'm Back!!

I will be brief right now, but I look forward to being less brief, later. I have been without the internet for 3 months! OUCH! (Charles had to take it to his office.) But now... I am back! Hooray! I wanted to get some pictures up and then, later, I will write more . . .

Autumn has been especially beautiful this year here in Boise. We have all been enjoying the weather and the beauty of the season!

Mmmmm . . . yummy. William likes to help mommy make cookies. :-) Mommy likes to eat cookies.

I often find Sammi in her room cuddled up with a good book. Some people read Harry Potter --Sammi studies it.

Our pumpkins for 2010 Halloween. Mine is on the left, Charles on the right. We tied this year. :-) (I usually win, but Charles was determined to show me up!)
I found an old hat that belonged to my Grandma Lindquist. At the last minute, I thought maybe I should dress up for Halloween. (The kids were begging, too.) So, I found her hat, put on a dress and called myself Rosalie from Twilight (when she was human and not a vampire.) Yeah, far cry from her, but hey, I can dream, right? (By the way . . . I totally think hats should come back into fashion, maybe if I start wearing them, everyone will follow??)

We did Trunk or Treat this year on Friday, since Halloween was Sunday. Pictured: Mary Jo, Suzette, Me, Rachelle. (Thanks for letting me steal your picture, Sue.) ;-) We spent Halloween Sunday night with our good friends the Harlins. We ate good food, lit a fire in their fireplace, and watched a movie together. Lots of fun. Later that night, we drove down to Harrison Boulevard to see what all the "talk" has been about for trick or treating. It is an old historic lane with huge homes. It was CRAZY! There were over 3000 people who passed through the area. Some homes had 50-100 carved pumpkins on their stairs, there was a carnival, and TONS of people. It was fun to drive by and watch all the excitement. Apparently, the people who live in those homes spend between $500-$1000 on CANDY! Can you imagine???

Image from Harrison Blvd. photo from KTVB.

On to the cute ones . . .

William was Peter Pan this year, and I must say, he looked the part.



Sammi was Hermoine in her second year at Hogwarts. :-) (She was first year last year.)
Daniel was a stellar Jack Sparrow. He was pretty funny trying to act the part, walking all crazy. :-) It was super-hard to get all his eye make-up off! The next day, it looked like he had been punched in the eyes! I tried to scrub, really, I did. He could not take the pain. That is why women wear make-up, and not men. No pain, no gain.
More to come . . . Do you know how GOOD IT IS to be able to use the internet again??!!! What a blessing! If you have it (which you obviously do), give it a big HUG! :-)

Beauty is as Beauty does?

Don't hate me because . . . I am exceptionally ordinary.

That is right. There is no need to harbor any ill will towards me, because, well -- I am not "that girl" nor would I ever be confused for "that girl". Nope, not me. Not ever. No Barbie-world for me! Simply ordinary am I . . .

Though lately, I have been bombarded with messages, images, and self-inflicted unrealistic ideas of what "beauty" is. Sometimes (not always, mind you), but sometimes, it can eat away at me -- the concept of beauty. Not in a vain, physical way. (O.K. sometimes, yes. Vain and physical.) But more importantly, I have a great desire to feel beautiful -- just being me.

Sometimes, all of my imperfections -- physical and otherwise -- seem like chains I drag around my ankles, weighing me down with self-doubt. Sometimes, I even hear a voice (perhaps voices) in my head which tell me: I am not skinny enough, not straight-teethed enough, not smooth-skinned enough, not waxed enough, not hair-dyed enough, not tanned enough, not stretch-mark free enough, not pedicured enough, not fancy enough, not high-heeled enough, not head-high enough, not jeweled enough, not smell-good enough, not wrinkle-free enough, etc., etc . . . you get the idea -- NOT PERFECT ENOUGH. The more negative thoughts I think, the more links in the chains, the heavier they feel. Ridiculous, right?

Well, most of the time it does seem ridiculous to me. But, every now-and-again my imperfections, well, they scream at me! At which point, I will pick someone else to examine myself next to -- starting from head, working down to toe. After being incredibly brutal to both parties -- I ALWAYS fall short in comparison. Oh, wretched comparisons. Evil they are.

So the question is: Is beauty skin deep? Or material-wealth created? Or some people are, some people aren't? It would appear to be so . . . if you buy into the messages of the world. Oh, how loud they are!

Beauty Check List:

Hair dye - check

Eye brow pluck - check

Lip color - check

Hair burning (curling/flattening) - check

Ear holes with ornaments - check

Leg hair removal - check

Powdered face - check

Lashes curled - check

Tar on lashes - check, check, check!

Etc., etc., forever . . .

(Yep, I buy into it, too!)

Whatever happened to the good old days of "all natural"? (Don't ask me, I am a make-up crusted girl!) What if that was our only option? What if it was: We are what we are -- no enhancement. What color would all the "blondes" really be?? ;-) Hmmmmm . . . I wonder . . . ???

I am not saying I will give up the tar that I crust on my eyes, or the color I streak through my hair . . . (Hair color I COULD do without. Mascara . . . that would be rough!) I am just saying, what if ?? What would determine "beauty" if we were raw and unpainted? Plain not vain, as it were.

As I flip through some pictures of family history, I am fascinated with the way the women look. There were NONE of the current "advancements" in beauty products. Their bodies were covered from head to toe -- no trace of immodesty, or using their bodies like a shimmering lure, to catch their prey. They were women of virtue. Their value came from within -- not high-fashion glitz and glamour. They were REAL women. Lovely, beautiful women. Who often did lovely, beautiful things. It is etched in their faces. As I read of their lives (there are only two pictures, but there are many women, and many stories), I stand amazed at who they were and what they did.

(Both women are my great grandma's.)

The voice of the people now may place value on the ashes of the world (merchandise and material objects, that will fade with time) but what about God, our Creator? Does He value His children according to their hair dye, shoes, bangles, and sparkles?? Absolutely not.

He sent His son to earth, Jesus, our Savior. He was adorned not with a kingly crown of gold, but of thorns. He was not known for His wealth or social status -- but for his humility and service. He came to show us the way to eternal life. The way to be truly beautiful people.

He taught us how to LOVE.

I believe . . . when we can come to love others and fill our hearts with charity, the pure love of Christ, then we will know (then I will know) what it feels like to be truly beautiful. And that love -- that beauty from within -- will cause a glow that can never be accomplished through the use of hair dyes or sparkly diamonds.

My imperfections which plague me, can be blanketed by the love of God -- if I will allow it to fill my heart. I CAN be free from my self-inflicted chains. Free to be the beautiful me that I REALLY want to be!

God will judge me, not by my outer shell, or mortal husk -- but He will look into my heart to determine my beauty and worth . . . shall we not all do the same for each other? Dig a little deeper, look a little harder -- there is beauty inside us all!

Beauty IS as Beauty does!

(I better get doing some beauty!) ;-)

"Forget yourself and get to work!"

-Gordon B. Hinckley's father

Dog for a day . . . and more

A couple of weeks ago, we decided it was time to get another pet (our bunny went to Heaven about a year ago). We have been thinking about it for awhile, visiting the animal shelter, and always leaving empty-handed. We could not decided between a dog or a cat. (Though I must say I am by far a dwarf bunny person!)

Anyhow, we had located a dog that we were interested in listed on-line. We settled on a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix. We were interested in the breed because they are very smart and can be trained to do a lot of neat things (such as crazy frisbee tricks). They can also handle good long runs -- something I needed from a dog. One of the things I was a bit concerned about was the fact that the dog is a "herding dog". You know, like the sheep-dogs, in the movie Babe. Well, in some of the research I did it said the dogs may try to "herd" children, too. I thought that would be silly, but not too much a problem. So, we went to pick up one of the puppies, and this was the one we choose . . .

(For family members, any guesses why? Yeah, Sage-doggie look-a-like you're right! ) ;-) wink! The kids would not think of picking one of the other puppies available.

We named him Jack, as in, Captain Jack Sparrow -- meant to be our William Turner's best friend. :-) My hope was that Jack would be a puppy-friend to William, who is home without siblings during the day.

Jack was actually a really terrific puppy. He would go outside for the potty and whimper at the door if he had to go. He was calm if we were calm, and excited if we were excited. But the trouble was . . . my kids were/are ALWAYS excited. Jack LOVED running around chasing the kids (he thought they always wanted to play), but William started freaking out when Jack would jump up in his face, or nip at his loose clothes. I could see the "herding-dog" instinct was strong with Jack (see picture below of Jack herding William). It was hilarious to me, but not to William. :-) Lots of shrieks. I did more research and discovered you have to teach the kids to stand still and then clap and say a loud, "NO!" (The standing still was key, it meant herding was complete). I taught William to do it, and it was also hilarious to watch! But not a realistic thing for a 3 year-old to have to do -- ALL the time!

Jack was really good, though he was sad at night (lonely) and Charles (the sensitive soul that he is) actually slept on the floor of the laundry room, and Jack was happy. Things were fine and fun (besides Charles' new sleeping accommodations). Then, Sunday night came, we were putting the kids to bed, and Charles and I both got a sinking feeling in our guts -- out of the blue. It would not go away.

We talked for awhile and realized that though Jack was fun, we both had added a new unnecessary level of anxiety at a time in our lives when we need to keep all extra-anxiety at bay. (We are getting a new business off the ground.) As soon as we decided to take Jack back, we both felt instant relief from a very real, deep, uneasy feeling in our guts. (We know by now to listen to that "feeling".) We took Jack back to his family (mom, dad, puppies) and the family who owned the dogs were understanding and nice to deal with. I actually cried as I watched Charles take our puppy back. In a very short amount of time, I had begun to love that puppy. There were many tears from the kids, but once the house was "back to normal" they all felt relief, too. (They were spending a lot of time on top of the furniture worried that Jack would jump on/herd them.) So, we had a puppy for a few days, and we are "cured" of our furry-animal need -- for now! ;-)

Just some random things . . .

The kids have been pulling together their costumes for Halloween, deciding to use costumes from years past. (Good with me!) We have Hermione, Jack Sparrow, and Peter Pan. :-) Daniel is especially into it this year, he has been working on his Jack Sparrow expressions, and his walk. William has been practicing his flying. Sammi has been mastering her spells. :-)

Sometimes we go to Charles' office with him on Saturdays, so he can get some things done. It is so nice to have an inviting place to go. The kids can watch movies on the laptop and play with toys he has for client's children -- while I help Charles with whatever needs to be done. He is so happy being his own boss, he has a great bounce in his step! Chipper-Charles, for sure! Whistling while he works!

Daniel has been really into costumes and acting lately. When my parents were visiting they took us to a few shows at the Starlight theater, one of them was The Wizard of Oz. Daniel made his own tin-man costume (love the hat and axe) and I found him in bed, still dressed in costume, holding The Wizard of Oz book -- it was classic, had to take a picture. :-) Cute boy.

I only have the internet at night (except for weekends), Charles has to take it to work. As soon as I am a daily-user again, I will post more frequently! I do miss it! I especially love posting during the holiday season!

It is my favorite time of the year (Fall to Winter) -- LOVE it!

Happy Autumn!

Law Firm Website

Charles' law firm website is up and running:

www.minertandvanormerlaw.com

If you would add Charles' website to your friend list/anywhere on the web -- that would be great. The more links to the website, the better the optimization -- which is a very good thing! It would be much appreciated! Thank you for your help!

Home

I love deep, rich colors. I love things with meaning, depth, and character. (Including people!) But right now, I am not talking about people -- I am talking about my home. My home now, and my dream home. (Which may only ever be in my dreams!) Such lovely dreams I have! So, what is it that makes a house a home, for me . . . ?

(Doesn't this picture just make you want to go inside? :-))

A home is not a home (to me) unless it possesses a certain "atmosphere". One special quality that women can attain is the ability to create "atmosphere". It is amazing, really. It is not something that every women does naturally, but it can be learned. I can remember, as a very small child, I would spend hours rearranging my room -- trying out different lighting, angles of furniture, picture placement, etc. I LOVED to do it then and I LOVE to do that now. (Keeps Charles on his toes!) ;-) wink!

Atmosphere, I believe, is KEY to having an inviting home. It can be accomplished in any level of home, too. Regardless of size, age of home, fancy features, or lack of features -- a beautiful atmosphere can be achieved! You just have to create it, work at it, make it happen. If you do it right, sometimes, it is almost a tangible thing. (By the way, it is ALL about mood lighting!)

*A side note . . . YES, the Spirit has a LOT to do with atmosphere -- but I think atmosphere has a LOT to do with the Spirit, too! You have to invite the spirit in your home, after all! I clean/arrange my home when I invite a guest . . . should I not do the same to invite the Spirit?

Anyhow, for me, my personal choice of atmosphere is . . . Victorian Style.

Mmmmmm . . . what a yummy room.

Like I was saying before, I love the deep, rich colors, the depth of design, the look of quality, and warmth. I love a room to be full of interesting things to look at, even to touch. Things that invoke pleasant feelings and joyful thoughts. I love having family history pictures displayed. It reminds me of life gone by, struggles overcome, and where I came from -- as if my ancestors are watching over me, daily.

In my future (dream) home, a fireplace is a MUST. There is nothing better than a cold winter night, candles lit, a roaring fire -- divine. Proper lighting is essential. Beautiful lighting fixtures, such as chandeliers -- amazing. It is important to let the light shine in your home -- not in a blinding way, but a beautiful way! It is very interesting the effect a nice soft light can have on your soul -- peace.

I think one of the main reason that I love Victorian style is because it feels like Christmas. How I adore Christmas! During the Christmas season there is a special Spirit that fills the air: the color, the warmth, the light. Why is the Spirit especially strong during the Holiday season? I think it is because people -- all around the world -- are "inviting" the Spirit into their homes, towns, cities, etc. Christmas is invited by the "atmosphere" that is created.

I try to, and would like to better achieve that same Spirit in my home, always.

In design, and in my heart. Depth, warmth, peace.

Our current home is not our final destination, but in the future my goal is to fill my home with things of beauty, things of deep meaning, and things of light. I do not consider myself a "worldly" or possession-hungry person, but since we must live in a home -- it might as well be a place of beauty!

Brigham Young Said: Beautify your gardens, your houses, your farms; beautiful the city. This will make us happy, and produce plenty. The earth is a good earth, the elements are good if we will use them for our own benefit, in truth and righteousness.

Part of being a good "homemaker" is being skilled at creating feelings of comfort, beauty and warmth -- the feeling of being home. Creating a beautiful home atmosphere (which includes, cleanliness, furniture arrangement, picture placement, lighting, even smells, etc.) is truly "making home" and inviting the Spirit to dwell in it.

Consider the House of God, the Temple. Judging by the beautiful Temples that dot the Earth -- beauty and quality are important to Him. Consider the glorious Earth. That in mind, I do not believe the "atmosphere" of Heaven will consist only of puffy white clouds. I must say . . . Heaven will only be Heaven to me if it feels like Home, my home. Perhaps, even the home of my dreams -- deep, rich colors, depth of design, look of quality, warmth, a place where the Spirit will dwell, constantly. Heaven. Home.

Salt Lake Temple

(Perhaps this is where my love of Victorian Style was first discovered.)

Truly . . .

Home can be Heaven. Heaven will be Home.

The Squirrel Saga

Last weekend there was a great windstorm that came through Boise. We had gone out for a drive, and we headed up the hillside -- the weather was a little windy but nothing too unusual. Then, as we got to the top of the hill, we could see a great, dark, cloud coming in from the East. The wind began to blow like crazy on the hillside and we watched from above as the darkness blew over the city. It was quite the sight to see. We could see electrical plants sparking and the trees were bending. As we headed back down the hill, there was tree debris everywhere. We became concerned about our tree. Though we lost a bunch of small/medium branches, our tree was intact.

However, the next morning, Sunday, we found a poor little baby squirrel who had fallen from it's nest. I left it there, and I was planning to take care of it (bury it) on Monday morning. So, I went out Monday morning, first thing, to bury the little thing. I buried it. As I was walking back to the house, Sammi noticed another baby squirrel lying in the grass, and then I noticed one more. I went to get the shovel to bury the rest of them, but when I poked at one of the babies, it twitched -- it was alive! It had been lying there since Saturday evening.

So, instantly, my "save the squirrels" feeling took over and I went to work to try to save it. I wrapped it in a towel to get it warm, fed it a little water and rubbed it's little body and it breathed . . . which made me think maybe the other one might be alive. I brought it in and tried the same thing, it also breathed. At which time, I realized, that I may have just buried a live baby squirrel! I went back quickly to try to unbury it, but I could not do it without causing damage. I felt horrible, really horrible. I quickly went back to work to try and return the babies to health.

One of the babies was doing pretty well, while the other, which had a large head wound, lived for just a moment, and then she was done. It's injury was too great.
So this was "Lucky" . . . we got him to breath, to eat, and to live for the whole day and he seemed to be doing well. . .

At one point in the day he was doing really well, and we found that he liked it when we would sing to him . . . :-)

When Charles came home he brought kitten milk (looked it up on the internet) to feed the little thing. He said, "Give it to me, I have been looking forward to this all day!" (Charles LOVES animals.) He fed it, and again, he seemed to be doing well.

But then, in the night, little Lucky did not make it. We think he had pneumonia because the milk starting coming out of his nose and his breathing became very struggled. We tried to save him, but we failed.

However, that night, I had a dream -- right before I had been woken up to the poor thing struggling to breath -- I was there at his last moments. In my dream there was a squirrel and it was smiling widely at me. I knew that Lucky was grateful for what we tried to do. He is one of God's creatures and so I had to try! Now, Lucky and his brother and sister are in dancing amongst the trees in Heaven, I am sure of it. :-)

I want you more

I have been exploring my Garageband program world . . . and trying to improve my craft. I wrote/recorded this song yesterday . . . it is not perfect -- but I try to do it during the day when little children are running circles around me. :-) It is just for fun . . . a way for me to "create" without spending money! :-)

I wrote the song for Charles, but imagine you and your love. :-)

(Keep the video small -- I had to make the video web-streaming worthy and it takes a bit of the quality away -- you get the idea!) :-)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow . . .

My first baby is going into fourth grade -- yikes! She is moving from the "little kid" side of the school and is now going to join the ranks of the "big kids". Where has the time gone? *Sniff*

Sammi has been with us through it all . . . she has been a ball of sunshine. Sammi is a dreamer . . . she is always pretending, fantasizing, imagining . . . I love that about her. She has a quote hanging in her room . . .

"All of your dreams can come true . . .

if you have the courage to pursue them."

-- Walt Disney

So, wish upon a star and MAKE your dreams come true!

(Thanks to grandpa and Apple's Garage-band for the ability to record music -- hooray! )

Leap of Faith

I have posted this on facebook already, but I put it on here, too, because the one person in the world still not on facebook (my sister Kary) wanted to hear it. :-)

I wrote this song Monday morning -- right after Charles left for his first day of private practice. On Sunday, I was terrified. After fasting and a blessing (given by Charles) my fear left me and I felt a comfort that I have never experienced before.

Though most of my blessing is very personal, one part that I wanted to share was that I was told that most of my trials would exist within my mind and I would have to overcome -- mainly fear. My mind has a way of seeking out fear and holding on to it; as if it enjoys clasping onto things/ideas/possibilities to make me afraid.

I think when we can conquer our fear, we can accomplish anything. So, if your mind wonders into the realms of fear and worry, lift up your head and look to God, have faith in Him, and LIVE the ONE LIFE you have to LIVE!!! Do not let the life you have, be tainted by thoughts that are not from GOD! (I am talking to myself!) ;-) Faith = God. Fear = the dark-side.

We all have to take the "Step of Faith" . . . put your fears aside and pray . . . your DREAMS await! :-)