Random Acts of Kindness?

I don't really know what started it, but the other day at work we somehow got on the subject of random acts of kindness...  One girl was talking about a trip to Dollar General and how the lady in front of her with her baby in toe, had to put back the toilet paper she was going to buy as she just didn't have quite enough to pay for it.  Now, we've all been there before when you get to the checkout and you left your wallet at home, the debit card in the car, your spouse forgot to give you the new credit card and yours is expired~ or even just when you didn't have quite enough....  not only is it embarrassing, but I can't even imagine to have to choose what to put back, and not having enough for toilet paper.  Well, the girl I work with must have felt those same emotions as she went ahead and paid for the toilet paper with her items and caught up with the new mom still loading the baby into the car.  How very grateful she was and couldn't thank her enough!!

The other gal at work shared a similar story that had just happened to her when leaving Sam's and meeting a young lady at the gas pumps.  The young girl was trying to use a Wal-Mart gift card she had to pay for her gas, but the pump wasn't able to read and/or accept it.  Frustrated and out of gas, she asked, nearly begged to sell her gift card for some gas money.  My colleague refused to take her gift card, but did give her $10 and followed her to QT to make sure she got there safely and was able to get the gas she truly needed.  Again, the girl was extremely grateful. 

Well, of course not wanting to be without my own little tid-bit to add... I just had to chime in!  Of course, my story paled in comparison.  But still an act of kindness that was witnessed and this time to me!!!  This was my silly 'ol story and quest for the infamous and impossible to find Zhu Zhu pet!  A friend tipped me off that Wal-Mart was going to have them in the ad on Sunday and would have them available- yet in limited supplies.  Well, since everyone knows that Sunday starts at Midnight- I high-tailed it up there at 12:00 on the nose.  Only to find out that the line started at 11:30pm!  They had 20 come in and with a limit of 2 per person, that meant that the first 10 people there got them!  Bummer.  I missed that boat, but shrugged it off, no big deal. I figured I'd make the most of it and pick up the dog food and few other things I needed so I wouldn't have to battle the crowds on Sunday anyway.  Then as I was walking out the door, I ran into my friend- you know, the one that tipped me off!!  This was his 3rd Wal-Mart for the night and when I told him the news, he and his friend left too...  who woulda thought?!  Then low and behold, next thing I know as I'm loading up my van and getting ready to head home, he stopped at my car and asked when Bella's birthday was.  I told him it wasn't till the 17th and that I had a full 10 days to shop- no big deal.  He snickered a little, handed me the cutest little white pet hampster, Zhu Zhu and wished me luck.  What a guy!  I'll pay him back, just as soon as I can and he knows it- he's just not holding his breath!!!  Supposedly, the next shipment is expected December 1st....

Which leads me to Sunday's Sermon in church.  The topic was about giving....  and mentioned in the sermon was the book "A Month of Giving."  Well, in googling the subject of 30 days of giving, 1 month of giving and other various ideas- I came across the 29 Gifts Movement.  Originally, while sitting and listening to the sermon, I thought this would be a great idea to write down and chart our giving within the family, but since hearing the stories at work and doing even more research- I thought I'd put it out there and see who's up for a challenge?  Shoot me an email and sign up with me!  It's become quite the movement already and I can't wait to journal my progress, share my stories and hear from you too!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like

Halloween!

Ok, so it might not really look a lot like Halloween around here, but I'm beginning to feel the time crunch!  So much to do, such excitement to share!!  I FINALLY got the 3rd Annual Halloween Party Invites created and posted the "event" to facebook and gave the kids each their own 25 invites to hand out to their friends and classmates, our costumes have been ordered and the first few goodies and prizes have been bought!  Whew!  AND one of the biggest hurdles has just about been topped- THE MUSTANG!!!  It's 99% done and will be making it's exit and debut trip home THIS weekend!!  (No offense to the Magneson's, but we're ready to bid it adieu! ~ As I'm sure you're ready to welcome it home!!)  So then, on to yard work... and tree cutting, and clearing and raking and more yard work...  Nothing T can't handle in a day... or two!?  But it's soooo worth it!  In the past 2 years, we've had incredible weather and turn outs and somehow we manage to throw it all together when we're never really sure how it'll be done!  50+ kids plus all of their parents and friends, a pot luck, crafts and games, a costume contest and S'MORES!  What could be better?!  LOL!

What could be better?!

How about a NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS WEDDING?!

ON HALLOWEEN!!!!

Nick and Jessica are getting married!  We're all very excited for this wedding!  Of course, many of us are shipping the little ones off for the night, for a night of adult entertainment, dining and dancing and Haunted Housing right across the street at The Edge of HELL!!!  How very cool is that?!

But that's not the only reason we're shipping off the kids....  I'm in charge of making the wedding cake!!  I've never made a wedding cake before in my life!!  So, I've become OBSESSED with the Ultimate Cake Off and Ace of Cakes, I've taken cake decorating and fondant classes and I'm still having nightmares and stressing out just a little bit about this!!  And I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about my cake topper?!  I've researched them and ordered one- STILL WAITING- apparently I missed the "being shipped from China" part... the SLOW boat from China?!  Time permitting and talent pending, what I'd really like to do, is make Jack & Sally (aka: the bride and groom) out of gum paste....  one can dream....

So, other than flavors and stacking and cooling and frosting and the ultimate "how to's," here are some of my inspirations:   (shhhh, don't tell, I have the ultimate say, so whatever happens, it will be a surprise!!)

Wish me luck... 

God Sightings

Last spring at church, we started preparing the kids for VBS and one of the discussions we would be having with them then....  God Sightings.  Ever since then, it's been something we discuss and we share the different ways we've seen or experienced God in our own lives each week.  The kids always have some amazing answers- sometimes they're just fun and sometimes they've really put a lot of thought into it, but each week they share something.  Some examples include the experience they have in church, or in witnessing a rainbow, the fight they overcame and avoided with a sibling, or the baby puppy they recently adopted, the green grass, the dinner they had together with their family, the changing colors of the leaves....  This week, we had one great story from my helper and her daughter who talked about her Aunt's house that burned and the two strangers who came to her house and alerted her to the fire, how the next day when they came back to sift through the remains, her two kitties who could not be found, were.... and how the ONE wall that remained that did not burn had one thing on it still remaining, a crucifix.  A definite God Sighting- one that lasted, one that stayed to remind the firefighters and the Aunt how God was there, God was watching and looking over them, keeping them safe and sending his love in strangers to get her out and keep her safe. 

God's love is always near.  I witnessed my own, personal God Sightings this week- once last week when I was making a quick stop to pick up some medicine for Anthony, before getting on the highway and traveling across town.  Just before I got out of my car, I had to get that one last drink of my sweet tea in the car- unfortunately it went down my wind pipe instead and boy did I choke... I think I had a coughing fit in the parking lot for at least 10 minutes- I was so embarrassed, but fortunate to have been alone.  Finally, I cleared my throat and went in. After leaving the store and getting on the highway, I immediately encountered bumper to bumper traffic sitting at a complete standstill!  Not more than 5 miles ahead was a horrible accident- I sat there for no less than 30 minutes- watching the emergency crews come and go, the tow trucks came....  it was heart wrenching as I drove past... silly how one little coughing fit could set you back just long enough to avoid such a big thing.  I never really thought much of it though- then yesterday, among my list of 101 things to do, I was passing the car wash and thought- what the heck, my car's dirty, it's a nice day...  I almost never wash my car...and I know I really didn't have the extra 5 minutes to squeeze it into my already overbooked schedule- but I did... then later as we were turning in to go to my office, another bad accident had just occurred.  Just long ago enough that everybody had gotten out of their cars and moved to the curb- but still recent enough that no body else was yet on the scene.  Too close for comfort!  Was it kismet?  Maybe.  I'm just glad to know that my own Guardian Angel is always watching over me! 

And that God is there too! 

Watching. 

Waiting. 

Listening. 

Healing. 

Helping. 

Holding. 

Loving. 

Knowing. 

There.

FREE CHOCOLATE!

No, seriously- totally FREE CHOCOLATE on Fridays!!  As if Friday in and of itself is not good enough, these great little M&M guys are giving themselves away!!!

I first heard about this great offer through Freebies 4 Moms- the best newsletter I ever did sign up for- FREE stuff everyday, I'm signing up left and right and keep finding new things in my mailbox all the time!  It's great!  For example- today alone, I printed off a coupon for a FREE portrait package- yes, the entire package, from Portrait People!!  How very cool is that?! Oh and last week- I was playing the Huggies Enjoy the Ride game- I dunno, they give you these Huggies points and you spend them to try to win prizes- I WON!!  A $25 Starbucks gift card!! Yeah baby!!

Ok, so back to the FREE CHOCOLATE...  too easy- just click on the link, sign in and give them your address.  They'll send you a coupon for a free candy bar!!   I think you can do this four times- on separate Fridays of course as this offer is only good for the first 250,000 people each Friday. 

Enjoy!

A Do-Over Day...

Or should I just call it a "do-over weekend?!"

We've all been there, done that... had one of those days that at some point- usually just midway through it that you just want to crawl back in bed and start over?  Well, Saturday was just one of those days- which led to one of those weekends all together. (Let's hope this weekend upcoming, which is already planned to be twice as busy, is not a repeat of what we just went through!)

So, it all starts out like any other great Saturday as planned:  sleep in, wrap present for my future sister-in-law's bridal shower, the kids hang out with daddy while I "shower" with the ladies....  then off to Raymore to take pictures and create a virtual tour for a new homes listing (one of my side jobs), then just a night to chill and relax with the family!  That was the plan anyway... and like I said, it all started out just fine...

The Mikasa Margarita Glasses and Margarita lotion and foot scrub for the Bride-2-Be

Chocolate Chip Pancakes smothered in peanut butter and maple syrup that Tony made...

and then mom called....

I knew it wasn't good...

all I heard was Tony say, "ok, no, I'll take care of it."

I just knew.......

It all started a little over 6 months ago, when we noticed a lump on BooBoo's (aka: Clifford) front leg.  Tony finally took him to the vet as he was limping and whining more and more.  Not good.  It's a tumor.  IN his bone.  No telling how long it's been there, how big it is, how far it's spread....  "Just make him comfortable," was the advice we received.  While the tumor was only about the size of a golf ball, it gradually got worse...  and doubled in size each month.  Tony talked to the vet about amputation, but not knowing how far it'd spread internally and with his age; they felt it'd be better for him not to have to learn to walk with 3 legs now- he might not get over it and going under was probably not the best idea.  There were also suggestions of taking him to KU to have students "study him" and to use him for trials and experimental case studies as this is so rare, but again, he didn't see that as any life for him....  So, BooBoo's spent many a day being spoiled with lots of treats and peanut butter sandwiches and chew bones.  As he got around less and less and developed more and more incontinence (sp?) issues, we decided to take him up to The Ponderosa where he loves to be- to run and be free, to enjoy the open spaces and fresh air.  He always loved going to Papa's and seeing his friends there.  He was happy.  That was a week ago.  Then, during breakfast, mom called....  "he's not doing good... he won't get up..."  It was time.  And Tony left right away to get his dog, his dog of 12 years.... to make his appointment and bring him home.

Rest In Peace - You'll be missed fat dog.

the rest is just a blur....  something about crabby kids at a luncheon, a trip across town and then some for a house that wasn't ready..... what happened next, I dunno....

I Am Spider-Man

I Am Spider-Man! (edit/delete)
In the process of MeMe's, Cheryl Waller inserted a superhero personality test that revealed my true identity to be:

Spider-Man

Spider-Man 80%
Superman 75%
Green Lantern 70%
Supergirl 67%
Wonder Woman 62%
Robin 62%
Batman 45%
Iron Man 45%
Hulk 35%
The Flash 35%
Catwoman 30%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have greatpower and responsibility.
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz
Take the quiz and enjoy!

That's My Life...

Bella poses with her baby Emma

Anthony finishes 2nd in the 50 yard dash on Field Day!

The boys exchange Pokemon cards....

The Kansas City Northern Railroad at Line Creek

A great ride- without mom

Anthony masters the art of "two wheel" bike riding!

(No more training wheels!)

Tonight's visitor....

And just in case I missed him, he came back for a second "pose!"

Still no laptop..... the service center in Kentucky did finally call tonight to verify that they've received it and for only $250 they'll back up my hard drive for me before destroying it.... Well, I'm not big on believing that the third time's a charm on this one- if it couldn't be done twice before, I'm pretty sure it's just plain done and fried! So anyway...... I just thought I'd give you a quick catch up on my life since then. Enjoy!

And if you get a chance and can vote within the next 24-72 hours..... could you check out my kids video entries and vote for them?! http://kcjigglejam.com/contests.html And if you've missed the voting window, that's ok too- feel free to check out their musical talent anyway.

Thanks a million and have a GREAT Memorial Day Weekend!

Where To Begin...

Well, I guess to get started, I should apologize for my absence lately.... It all started about 3 weeks ago?! (Holy Cow- I can't believe it's been that long already!) Yeah, well, I woke up Monday morning to find that my laptop was dead. Long story short and after trips back and forth to Best Buy and sending it off to Iowa for Gary to check out (hence the time lapse), yep, it's been determined that my hard drive is shot and all is lost. Let me re-iterate that, ALL IS LOST! "Oh, but didn't you have everything backed up?" -Please, don't ask me that again. No, I didn't have everything backed up- ALL IS LOST! The only thing I had backed up, they could access, salvage and save- gee that was worth the $100 to have my hard drive backed up! LOL. But seriously, it was my dad's books for his business, so yes, it was important stuff and well worth it! But, it's been a devastating experience non-the-less. All my documents, my NAWS information, my contacts, my emails, my resume, my virtual tours and virtual tour business docs and presentations, my videos/MPEGs and productions in process and just about ALL OF MY PICTURES! I did back up most of my pictures- up till October of '07........ yeah, that means I lost the Halloween party, the Easter party, Christmas and Both kids birthdays. Not such the happy camper here. :O( But........ there is a small light, a glimmer of hope- Blurb.com. My BIL- Gary, made Tony's sister a hard bound book for Christmas with all of their pictures and what not- a digital scrapbook. I remembered checking out the sight after that and seeing that they could make a book from your blog- so that's what I'm doing. I dunno if I really want to see my blog "in-print" per se, but hey, at least I'll have those pictures and the memories are already preserved- and journalled too!! I'll try to keep you posted and updated on that progress as well as my pc endeavors as well........ till then, I'm happy to report that I have FINALLY moved from the childeren's deck 2 foot off the floor and sitting in their little HARD chairs for hours on end, to stringing cords all across the kitchen and taking over the kitchen table with computer hardware and works in progress. I tell you what- this is NOT fun! I've had to start over from square ONE on everything you can imagine- only to know that I'm going to have to do it all again as soon as my laptop is up and running again or replaced whichever comes first!

Enough is enough already- on to the pictures! So, in the midst of the computer and technology challenges, my love and my hate for it and my addiction to boot- we experienced terrential storms and flatline winds that spawned nearby tornadoes and destruction all around! Without time to worry about losing it all again, we agonized about getting the kids up in the middle of the night to take cover and head to the basement. Just before 2am, we turned on the news as it sounded like a train coming through the house, only to be told that yes, a storm was coming through with very strong, hurricane force winds.... we decided not to worry as the sirens weren't going off and they didn't make it sound like anything to be too concerned about on the news. Bella, however, did wake up and got in bed with us, but Anthony, he slept through the entire thing. The next day, when Jay called at 6:30am to see if our house was still standing, after watching the news and seeing the devastation just blocks away and after finding this huge tree down in the yard, we realized that next time, we're just going with our gut and heading to the basement right away! Fortunately, other than a few trees down, we survived without any damage! And thankfully, the tree broke off high (you can see where the top broke off in the second picture near the top of the page). I think that's what woke Bella up too, as it came crashinbg down just outside her bedroom window! It could have been so much worse!

And then, what to I come home to find after doing an Open House on Saturday?! While the guys were cleaning up and cutting up the tree- the kids were out playing and FOUR WHEELING! And who is giving who rides?! I couldn't believe it when I saw Bella on the back of her brother's four wheeler and all I could hear over the roar of the engine and the chainsaws in the background was "faster, Anthony, go faster!" It was too cute, but yet a little scary too!

The baby ground hog, was just too cute to resist as I saw him out exploring at the top of the hill in the back from the kitchen window yesterday!

Seven Inches

Yup! We cut seven inches of hair off. And she LOVES it! I was really nervous about doing it, but this little sweathog just couldn't go on any longer. The battles of combing it, washing it, drying it and brushing it, just weren't the hassle any longer. And to think that she'd let me pull it up or put any pretties in her hair were completely out of the question! It's really growing on me now too and to see that cute little round face, those beautiful eyes and that gorgeous bright smile, it makes it all worth while! And I know we're all going to just love it that much more this summer too! And yes, I know, only 3 more inches and we could have donated her hair to Locks of Love........ but there was just NO WAY we would have made it that much longer! :O) Maybe next time?!

My Soccer Star

We finally started the realm of sports this month, with Anthony signed up for SPCAA soccer! We've had two "official" games- one "unofficial" as his coach never even showed up! He really seams to be enjoying it and having a good time learning to kick, dribble and pass! Now if we could get his hands out of his pockets and maybe a little less skipping on the field, I think he'll go far! He's number 5 by the way!

An Easter Update

Well, there for a while, just a week before our 2nd Annual Olson Family Easter Egg Hunt, I serioulsy didn't know how we were going to pull it off. Heck, 2 weeks before the big day, my son came home from school sick- I figured it was just a 24/48 hour bug or something, but no, on day three, I finally took him to the doctor to find out it was STREP THROAT! That was Thursday- the following week was Spring Break- so two weeks of no school?! Crazy! Not only that, but my SIL was going to help out and take the kids for the weekend and then some, now that wasn't happening either?! But if I didn't think that was bad enough, I swear I felt a sinus infection coming on, so Friday, I too went to the doc.... but the meds just didn't cut it and when I couldn't for the life of me drag myself out of bed if the house would have been on fire or the Pope himself were coming to visit on Sunday and Monday too! I really thought my head would literally EXPLODE and life as I knew it would be over.... Thankfully though, we dug up some good meds and slowly saw signs of life and progress once again. An even bigger thanks goes to MOM! My miracle worker and a Saint in the making! Not only did she come and save the day, watch the kids and make sure I didn't curl up and dehydrate completely, but she helped me get things organized, dusted, cleaned and even filled more than her share of the eggs! Thanks again mom! And the kids too, another saving Grace came when my Blessed SIL met us in Eagleville to take the kids to play with their cousins for a few days! Whew! And what great fun they had too!

Then the day of the Party came!! Still unsure what the weather might bring, we couldn't have asked for much better! The sun came out and the people came in droves! And the mouths dropped as the kids hiked up the drive only to see a SEA OF EGGS everywhere they looked! I don't think anybody left unhappy or empty handed! Ok, so we had one little melt down, but nobody got hurt and the footprints on the roof of the minivan were easily wiped right off! We used to say "it's not a party until somebody spills a drink," now as parents we know "it's not a party until somebody throws a tantrum!"

Thanks again to everyone who came and helped and participated and just had a good 'ol time!

We do, We do!
Those aren't just leaves, if you look closely- you'll see each colorful spec is an egg!

FOUR THOUSAND EGGS! Filled one by one by one by one...
The kids had a blast exerting excess energy waiting for everyone to come...
Even some "big kids" (aka: Brian Baby Du Wa Du Wa Davis) were caught stealing eggs!
Inspecting their loot...The prize ticket line- over a hundred tickets were redeemed for various prizes and goodie bags to include stuffed bunnies, bendable oversized plush flowers, Hubba Bubba Max, Hot Wheels cars, Spiderman flip-flops and many more.

A Little Dog Humor

This was forwarded to me and I just couldn't help but to post it. Enjoy!

If you don't pass this along, a dogwill come out and pee on your computer!

V

V

(((((Poof! )))))

V
V
V

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like EASTER!

Holy EGGS!? Last night we finally decided that it was time to start getting ready for Easter around here.... Time for the Easter Explosion that is! We drug the eggs up from the basement and down from the attic- these are only the new eggs so far- who knows where everything else is and what's left of the eggs we did manage to salvage from last year!? But this should get us started. FYI- that's 75 packages of 48 eggs each = 3600 plastic eggs. What's next? Opening them and filling them all- one..... at..... a..... time...... It should go relatively quick though- once you all come over, open a bottle of wine and help me! :O) Seriously though, thank goodness for a SIL with a heart of gold! I think she's going to take some and fill them with the kids over St. Patty's weekend! And I've got fillers on order coming to the house- estimated time of delivery is Friday- so till then.... I guess I can get started with candy! And we're still debating some other options- nickels, bible versus and assorted "ticket" options in which they can "buy" or trade for bigger items that just won't fit inside an egg!?

What's this all about, you ask?! Well, for those of you who missed it last year, March 22nd, will be our 2nd Annual Olson Family Easter Egg Hunt! We're expecting a great turn out, lots of fun, plenty of eggs for everyone, and GREAT WEATHER!!! (Keep your fingers crossed!) Shoot me an email for an invitation, directions, to make a donation, questions or comments- I'd love to hear from you!

Fight For Jackie

As most of you, my loyal readers may not personally know Jackie Malena, she's a friend/co-worker of mine that goes way back.... kind of sort of. Long story short (maybe)- Jackie and I met when I first started in real estate, just a few years ago, while she worked with Kristi Soligo as a Buyers agent. Jackie and I got to talking one day and it turns out that we grew up in the same neighborhood, in Walnut Creek way back when. Amazing how just a few years difference between us could make a world of difference. The funnier part of the story is that when we met then, we again lived in the same neighborhood, just a few doors down and never even knew it. And for anyone that knows Jackie, you know that in just meeting her and talking to her for the first time, that there's just an instant bond. She's just such an easy person to talk to and to get to know. And then for a stint, after having her second baby and while on an extended maternity leave, I was amazed to see her on tv one early morning, talking about her new book that she wrote about being a mom! I was so touched that I could say, "I knew her when..."

Well, now's that time, when she needs our help... she needs us to not remember her when, but to help her now! Jackie is fighting a very rare cancer, one that does not usually attack healthy, younger women, but has chosen her and challenged her to fight. She was first diagnosed when she was pregnant with her first daughter, 7 years ago and was given 6 months to live. She beat it then and carried her baby to term to deliver her happy and healthy. Then after being cancer free for 6 years, it came back. Now, Jackie is facing this with her husband and two little girls and unremourseful insurance company that has been less than helpful with her battle. I'm not going to go into depth about her story, as I know it will just make me cry (again), but I encourage you to go to her sites: http://www.fightforjackie.com/ and http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackiemalena to hear her story and how you too can help.

I would also like to invite you to a luncheon being held at our office in Liberty next Tuesday, hosted by The Clemons Home Team to help benefit Jackie and her family. Please email me for more details if you'd like to come or to help in any way. Your thoughts and prayers give her strength and are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to pass this information along to anyone you know that might also be able to help.