Seven - Seven

Jason started 2nd grade this past week. Second Grade! How did that even happen?

Of course, his mommy posted pictures of his first day - because it's the thing to do. My facebook feed has been full of first day of school pictures for a month or so. Yep, some of these poor kids go back to school early in August or even at the end of July. In Wisconsin they still go back at a civilized time - the day after Labor Day.

Anyway, a few days after Beth had posted Jason's first day of school pictures, Facebook reminded me of some pictures I uploaded several years ago - pictures from the time that Beth, Jason's mommy, was also 7 years old. Her birthday is in September, so she had just started 1st grade, but thinking about how they were both about the same age made me want to compare them side by side.

In case you can't figure it out, that's Beth on the left and Jason on the right. :D

What do you think? Do they look a little bit alike?

I love them both. So much.

What is the Purpose of Wedding Pictures?

I've just been looking through our wedding pictures.  Yeah, looking through that wedding photography halifax page the other day got me thinking about those pictures.  It really is nice to have them, and looking through them sure brings back memories!  Wow - we were all so young back then!  And there were quite a few people in those pictures who we haven't seen in years and years, and some who are no longer with us, like my grandparents.

While there is at least one picture that I really should delete and destroy, because I really don't look good at all, and there are others where I wish the flash hadn't reflected in the mirror or that someone had told me how to stand so that I'd look better or told Jeffrey to move his arms so his tux jacket didn't pull weird, overall I like our wedding pictures.  No, nothing is perfect or perfectly posed, or even super creative, like if we'd hired someone like the photographer at halifax wedding photography, but we have a good overview of what our day was like and the people who were there to share it with us.  When we pull the pictures out, like we occasionally do, they bring back memories, and isn't that why we have pictures in the first place?

We remember that our flower girl cried the whole way down the aisle - but she still dropped those flower petals.

It's just that she was used to her daddy waiting up there at the end of the aisle - she'd been a flower girl before.  This time, it wasn't her daddy performing the wedding; it was mine.  He was waiting at the back of the room to walk me down the aisle, give me away, and then step around to the front and make sure he didn't get me back. She made it as far as the front row, found Jeffrey's mom, and spent the rest of the wedding on her lap.  She was fine afterwards.

We remember the lovely ladies who baked and help serve our cakes.  And punch.

We remember that our parents were younger than we are now.  How is that even possible?  Though Dad didn't have much hair even back then.  

And we remember that our wedding day was just the beginning of the life we would build together, and that is the most important thing of all.  It will be 27 years this June, and sometimes it seems like just yesterday.

Oh, the Memories

In going through all these boxes of stuff, I found an entire stack of unfolded and unused invitations to our wedding.  Why did we keep all those? I think there's one in the photo album with all the wedding photos, but do we really need any more?  I kept about 5.  Just because.

I also found lots of little wedding favors and mementos from all the various weddings we've attended over the years.  Mostly I found matches, napkins, and bubbles.  I think the best are the bubbles, because they're just a fun diversion every once in a while.  Of course, the matches are handy for lighting candles and such, but do I really need to hold on to them for years?  Apparently so, but I did end up tossing some of the bubbles - without even blowing any bubbles, what was I thinking?  I also tossed any duplicate napkins or anything else that I had multiples of.  Any candy cones like the ones pictured here were long gone, because somebody always eats the candy, which is probably good because I wouldn't have wanted to find old nasty candy in my boxes. 

It's always fun to have cute little things to take home from the wedding reception, and I always end up keeping them, just for the memories.  Yeah, even though they're almost always imprinted with the names of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding, they're not at all handy for remembering when to send those anniversary cards - at least not when they're boxed up and tucked away and almost never looked at.  They do, however, bring back some nice memories when I do pull them out.  But it really only takes one for that.

And I really don't need an entire stack of wedding invitations from my own wedding to remember that one, or to remember when to send/give that anniversary card to the love of my life!

Preserve Your Memories

If you're like me, you've got lots of pictures you've taken over the years.  Precious pictures of your kids when they were babies, vacation pictures, wedding pictures - your entire life in pictures.  The entire bottom shelf of one of my bookshelves is photo albums.  And then I started using digital cameras.

Those digital images are fairly easy to back up, either by burning them to CD or DVD and/or uploading them and storing them online.  The hardest part about it is making sure I actually do it.  Those old photos, and the few videos we have, are a bit harder to preserve.  Counting on being able to grab an entire shelf of photo albums should we ever have a house fire or some other disaster - like the tornado that went through our neighborhood 2 years ago - is really not a good plan for preserving those memories.  I do have all the negatives in two shoe boxes, which might be easier to grab in case of emergency, but still not the best plan.

The best plan for preserving those irreplaceable baby pictures would be to convert them (or have them converted) to digital.  For the best quality, I'd say using a service like ScanDigital.com would be the best - and the easiest.  All you have to do is place your order online, ship it to them, and they'll do all the rest.  They individually inspect and clean each picture and then scan them with the highest quality equipment.  Once scanned they'll even edit each image, including cropping, rotation, color correction and red-eye removal.  Then they'll burn them to CD or DVD and send them to you, along with all your originals.  They'll also archive them online where they'll be stored and protected forever.  They'll also be a whole lot easier to enjoy and share.

Besides photo conversion, they also offer negative and slide conversion as well as video and 8mm film conversion and many other services.  Your photos and videos are full of precious, irreplaceable memories.  Check out what ScanDigital.com can do to help you preserve those memories.

Scouting Memories

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boy Scouts of America for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've just been going through a bunch of pictures from Cory's Cub Scout days.  I went looking for them and through them because I was going to write this post, and I can't believe how many memories they bring back!

Cory was in Cub Scouts throughout elementary school.  The meetings were usually held in the cafeteria of the school, and they included not just the scouts, but their entire families.  Yes, we all went to almost every meeting, so while the boys were learning new things or participating in activities, parents and sisters and brothers were all there too.  I thought that was really great - instead of taking boys away from their families, Scouting actually encouraged spending time together with their families.

There was no official leader for our particular troop, so each set of parents took turns leading a meeting.  That way the full responsibility didn't fall on any one person, and we were all there to back each other up.  I think the parents enjoyed it as much as the boys did.  The Pinewood Derby prizes had to be expanded to include the dads because they all wanted to design cars, too.

Yes, Scouting is about tying knots, camping, and learning how to use a pocket knife correctly, but it's also about science, bike safety, baking cookies, marching in parades, visiting radio stations, decorating cakes, making friends and developing relationships, and so much more.  Scouting provides a values-based program that can help round out a boy’s education and improve his confidence and academic performance.  BSA is adapting to today’s competitive world by introducing a new curriculum with emphasis on STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math to help Scouts develop critical skills they will need in the future.

For over a century, Boy Scouts of America has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun.  Looking through these pictures, I have been reminded of all the fun we had.  And how young those boys were!  They've all grown up now and turned into some very nice young men.  I like to think Scouting had a part in that.  Along with their awesome families, of course.
If you've got a young son, I strongly encourage you to check out Be A Scout  to find scouting in your area.  Start building your own Scouting memories.  You'll be glad you did!

Protect the Table

It's starting to feel a lot like Fall, even though it doesn't officially start until next week. Before we know it, we'll be putting the Thanksgiving Tablecloths on the tables and cooking our turkeys.  How does time go by so fast?  It seems just yesterday we were celebrating our first Thanksgiving with family in our own house, and a little bitty boy banged his spoon on my brand-new table and made a bunch of marks in it.  That was before I had any kind of tablecloth on the table, and it hadn't even occurred to me that I might want Table Pads & Tablecloth Protectors to protect it from over-excited little guys.  Since then, I've mostly kept a table cloth on the table at all time, and we always used to use placemats, too, for extra protection.

Now that my little guy is all grown up and off to college, and I don't have any little kids around the house anymore, I suppose I could take the tablecloths off so we could enjoy the beauty of the table.  Except those spoon gouges aren't the only thing that happened through the years.  There was the time the bag of water Beth brought her goldfish home in leaked all over the table.  We wiped up the top of the tablecloth, but no-one thought to check underneath, where the water had seeped.  So my beautiful table has water damage, too.

I'm just going to have to think positively and say all those marks just show how much the table was used and loved.  They bring back memories.  Now, if you have little kids in your house, you might want to check into the table cloths and table protectors, before the damage happens.  You can collect memories some other way.

Bed Bath Store has a large selection of  tablecloths and protectors as well as home decor, bath towels, curtains, comforters, and things to help you get organized like these Over the Door Bathroom Racks.  Shipping is free when you spend $89 or more, and you get 6% from UPromise if you're a member.  Considering how fast time goes and how fast these kids grow up, it's always a good idea to save money for college any way you can.

Beth Graduates this Weekend

Beth is graduating from high school on Sunday. Yes, she's actually been out of school for a whole semester, but this weekend is the actual graduation ceremony, and she's graduating with her class. We didn't send out any party invitations but we are having a few people over tomorrow, grilling some chicken, etc. to celebrate. Her grandparents are even here from Kentucky.

I am having a hard time believing that one of my kids can possibly be old enough to graduate from high school. Where does the time go?

Beth just got home from graduation practice and brought home an envelope from her 4th grade teacher. There were some pictures from 4th grade, something Beth had written about what she liked, who her friends were, what she wanted to do in the future, etc. It was interesting to read and see how things had changed. It was really a neat thing to get - and she was so little back then!

I wonder what the next 8 years will bring...

(Why am I ready to cry as I post this?)

Taste the Past - Pepsi Throwback Giveaway

-- This giveaway is now closed --

Have you heard that Pepsi is offering a taste of the past? For 8 weeks only, starting April 20th, Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback will be available nationwide. These products, inspired by the 60's and 70's, are sweetened with natural sugar (instead of the usual high fructose corn syrup) and come in 20-oz retro designed single-serve bottles and 12-pack cans. I really love the look of those Pepsi cans! Look for them in your local store.

Now, for the exciting part: One lucky reader will win this Pepsi Throwback Pack!

The pack is valued at $150 and includes:

• Pepsi Throwback Trucker Cap
• Retro Pepsi Tin Lunch Box
• Retro Clock Radio/CD Player
• USB Lava Lamp
• Pepsi Throwback & Mountain Dew Throwback

I just had to use that background! Far Out, isn't it? You can learn all about Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback, as well as get some great blog and twitter backgrounds, computer desktops, and even learn some 70's slang at the Throwback Hub.

To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment on this post, either telling me who/what was on your lunchbox and/or what you used to take to school in it, or a song from the past that brings back memories. Be sure to share the memory, too - I'd love to hear it! Don't just say "pick me!" or your entry won't count. Open to U.S. only. No extra entries will count unless you do this one first, but once you've done that...

Extra entries: I’ll give you one extra entry for each of the following that you do or have done, leave a separate comment for each:

• Subscribe to my feed in a reader or by email, or follow this blog. The links are in the sidebar.
• Follow me on Twitter @bcmom and tweet about this giveaway. Sample tweet -
  RT: @bcmom is giving away a Pepsi Throwback Pack worth $150! - enter by 9:59pm CDT on 5/26 - http://tinyurl.com/oybnsp
  Be sure to leave your twitter user name or a link to your tweet.
  
• Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave me the link.
• Stumble this post, and be sure to leave your Stumble username so I can check.
• If you've already tried Pepsi or Mountain Dew Throwback, let me know what you think, and I'll give you an extra entry for that, too.

Entries must be received by 9:59pm CDT on Tuesday May 26, 2009. I'll use random.org to pick the winner, and I must have a way to contact you, so be sure you leave a valid email or blog address or someone else may end up with your prize.

Good luck everyone! Spread the word!

Heads or Tails - 3 Things in 2008

This week's theme/prompt is:
TAILS - "Three Things"
Tell three things you learned in 2008

For some reason I'm having the hardest time thinking of what I want to say. I've been struggling with Heads or Tails today, even though it should have been pretty simple. The prompt for the day was, 3 things you learned in 2008. It was an entire year - you'd think I'd have learned a thing or two, or even three. So why can't I come up with a simple list? No, I'm trying to come up with some earth-shattering intense things I learned. Maybe I need to learn not to over think things. And maybe I should just be thankful nothing is all that earth-shattering and intense.

On that note, I learned (this is #1) that my daughter, Beth had something wrong with her heart. That could've been really serious. And scary. Yes, it was a little scary, for all of us - especially Beth. But, she had the procedure last week. It went really well, and she's back to her normal life. The bruises haven't faded yet, but they're going. Thankfully, it was (relatively) easy to correct, and there's only a 3% chance it's not completely and totally fixed. That means 97% that she will never have to worry about that again.

Also in 2008, I learned (this is #2) - well, I keep starting that sentence, "I learned _________." But then I stop and think, but I already knew that. I'm not saying that I already knew it all. Maybe it's that some things I just have to learn over and over before I actually get it? Or maybe once I figure something out it seems so obvious I can't believe I didn't know it before?

Somewhere along the line I learned (this is #3) that I better write stuff down, or post it to my blog, in order to remember. I bet if I took the time to read through all my entries for 2008, all 851 of them, I would have found it a whole lot easier to come up with three things I learned in 2008. I ought to start a new label for my blog - 'something I learned' - and try to use it on a regular basis. That way I'll be good and ready for next year's '3 things you learned' - or whatever number Barb comes up with!

I know it's late, but it is still Tuesday. I learned the days of the week in some previous year, though, so I couldn't use that for this post. Heads or Tails is a fun weekly meme hosted by Skittles, and it's not too late for you to join in, too.

Heads or Tails - Shine

This week's theme/prompt is:
HEADS - Shine

When I started thinking about this week's prompt, I remembered a song I used to like. Still like, actually, though I haven't heard this in years.

SHINE ON - L.T.D.

Just yesterday I cast my eyes
Upon your loving face
But that was yesterday
Now just a dream
A dream that lives inside my memory
Wish it could be reality
Shine on yesterday
Carry me away
And let me back in your arms
Holding you again
Shine on yesterday
Carry me away to be with you
Somehow let my dream come true
You know sometimes I stop and stare
No matter where I am
Thinking of you again
Once in a while I call your name out loud
Hoping you'll hear
Hoping my prayer will bring you here
shine on yesterday
Carry me away
And let me be back in your arms
Holding you again
shine on yesterday
Carry me away to be with you
Somehow let my dream come true

Heads or Tails is a fun weekly meme hosted by Skittles.

Heads or Tails - an Autumn Memory

This week's theme/prompt is:
TAILS - Share an Autumn Memory

I love all the seasons. When it's Springtime, I love Spring. When it's Summer, I love Summer, etc. By the time Summer is over, I'm ready for the cooler weather, crisp breezes, and colorful leaves of Autumn.

Also in Autumn, we always go somewhere for the Feast of Tabernacles, so we have memories of visiting Florida, Tennessee, South Dakota, Wisconsin Dells, and Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. When Beth was just a 2 week old baby, we went to the Dells. The day we drove up, it was sunny and warm - shorts weather. A few days later, it snowed! And then it all melted, and the weather got warm again. This was all in the space of a week. You gotta love Wisconsin weather!

The year Cory was a baby, we went to the Ozarks. We spent a couple days in St. Louis on the way down - one day at the zoo and another at Grant's Farm. I hadn't thought of that place in ages, but I'd love to go back there. They raise some of the Budweiser Clydesdales there. I love those horses! There's also a big deer park, animals to pet, and some entertaining shows. I especially liked the elephants. Beth was only 2, so she won't remember it at all, but she enjoyed it at the time.

Heads or Tails is a fun weekly meme hosted by Skittles.

I Forgot

While I was working around the house today, I was trying to think of a good way to work generic Phentermine into a post. And I did it. I came up with the perfect post that would just naturally work, and say something important at the same time. So I sat down at the computer and got distracted doing something else, which turned out kind of cool, but I'm not ready to show you yet.

Anyway, once I finished what I was doing, I remembered why I sat down at the computer in the first place - my post - and I couldn't for the life of me remember what I was going to say. I hate that! I am going to have to figure out how to use the voice recording function on my phone, or do something about my memory.

In the meantime, I added a ribbon to my blog - look over there to the left. Just because I added it, Caring.com contributed $10 to the Alzheimer's Association. Add your own ribbon to your website or blog, and they'll contribute $10 for yours, too.

Heads or Tails - Summer Memory

Today's theme is:

TAILS - Share a Summertime Memory

A couple summertime memories that came to mind were making homemade ice cream and eating tomato sandwiches - not together, of course.

When I was growing up we had our own chickens and goats, so we usually always had plenty of eggs and milk. It was always a treat when mom would mix up a batch of ice cream and we'd pull out the hand cranked ice cream freezer and make a batch of yummy ice cream. Nothing you buy in the store comes close! Several years ago we bought an ice cream freezer, though ours is electric so the experience isn't quite the same. We made ice cream a couple times, and then we put the ice cream maker away and haven't used it since. I really need to pull that thing out, don't I?

A very important part of summer was always tomato sandwiches. Big juicy slices of tomato, sandwiched between slices of bread and Miracle Whip. Yum! My mouth is watering just thinking of it. I still remember sitting out on the front porch eating tomato sandwiches and fighting off the little black bugs that wanted to share. I didn't really appreciate those bugs, but they're part of the whole experience.

Visit the home of Heads or Tails to see more participants and share your own summertime memories.

Heads or Tails - a Special Memory

Today's theme is:
TAILS - Share a special memory
The year Beth was in 6th grade, she started getting up in the mornings and walking with me. Sometimes we'd roller blade. Sometimes she'd put her roller blades on and skate while I walked. She liked that better, because I will not go down the big hill on my roller blades, but Beth will. Most of the time we walked, and we talked, and just enjoyed being together.



It's a special memory for me now, because by the next school year she started Middle School. She didn't have any extra time in the mornings. We had less and less time together. Her life started to revolve around her friends, and she didn't want to spend any time with me or the rest of the family unless she absolutely had to. Somewhere along the line she decided that she hates all of us, her life is horrible, and she just can't wait to turn 18 and move out, because she doesn't need us.

Normal teenage behavior or not, it's hard to see the person she is right now. On the days I start wondering if she'll ever be a nice, decent person, sometimes it helps to remember that she was. Once.
She says she's nice to her friends. Maybe one of these days she'll be nice to us again, too, and not just when she wants something .

Visit the home of Heads or Tails to see more participants and join in.

Did You Get Your Baby's Shoes Bronzed?

I remember when my kids had little feet. Cute, little, adorable feet.

When they started growing up, one of the first things I noticed was that their feet weren't so little any more. I'm going to guess that I'm not alone in that, because people have been bronzing baby shoes to preserve their baby's first shoes for a long time now. It went out of style for a while, but now bronzed baby shoes are back.

These things are so adorable, I'm wondering if I still have a pair or two of baby shoes around here so I can get them bronzed. I know we kept some of the baby clothes, just because, but bronzing the shoes turns them into a great keepsake that can be set out and displayed, to remind us that one time their feet really were that small. Why didn't they stay little like I told them to?

American Bronzing Company is the original bronzer of baby shoes. They have bronzed over 14 million shoes since 1934, and they guarantee your satisfaction. The site explains exactly how the bronzing process works, which is very interesting, but they had me with the picture of the little bronzed sneakers on the first page. Too cute! They have several different styles to choose from, antique or bright bronze, portrait stand, bookends, or unmounted, the choice is yours.

Looking at 2007

I saw this on a couple of blogs, so I thought I'd try it. I'm not sure I'm doing it exactly the way they did, but, here's my year - the first sentence from the first post of each month.

Cory and I had some fun with a camera and Photoshop tonight. We got the kids' report cards last week. We went to the bank this afternoon and set up a checking account and a savings account for Beth. Yesterday, I spent all day at school selecting artwork for the calendar. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. It will be time to start shopping for school clothes soon - after the kids get paid for their work at the fair, of course. Every once in a while Jeffrey mentions going back to school or at least taking classes so he can get his CPA (Certified Public Accountant), or maybe CMA (Certified Management Accountant.) Being in a resort area, we have plenty of gift shops just begging us to come in and spend our money. I just got an email letting me kn0w that I'm now on the front page of TopMomma.com!!!! Last year on December 1st, it snowed.

There you go - my entire year in one paragraph! If you happen to count the sentences, You'll notice that there are only 10. I skipped a couple of months back in February and March.

---

Also, to go along with looking back at 2007, I was tagged by Tammy from Mom Knows Everything to share my memories of 2007.

~Start Copy ~

Rules :
1. Copy from "Start Copy" until "End of Copy".
2. Before "End of Copy", share your best memories of 2007 include your name and your blog URL.
3. Share this tag with your friends.

For me, the year 2007 had a lot of happiness (and hope for 2008). Happiness because i see my son, grow and grow day by day. I have a great husband. I met lots of new friends from around the world via blogging ^_^ - Juliana RW

The year 2007 has been a good year for me. Me and my husband had our 10th anniversary, my children are healthy, I got a new great-nephew, and I made a lot of new friends through blogging. ~ Mom Knows Everything

2007 has been an interesting year. My daughter got her driver's license. My son started high school. I can't believe how fast they are growing up! I have now been married to my wonderful husband for more than half of my life - as of 7/22/07. This year, through my blogs, I made a lot of new friends from all over the world. I am really enjoying getting to know them. ~ Anna - Beth & Cory's Mom

~ End of Copy ~

What did 2007 mean to you, Deb, Vic, and Holly?

Army vs. Navy

The 108th annual Army-Navy game will be played in Baltimore on December 1. No, I really don't care about football, but I do have a few good memories of the 1983 Army-Navy game. That year it was held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. I was in college in Pasadena, and we sold programs at the game as a fund raiser. I remember roaming the stands throughout the game, selling or at least trying to sell programs to the cadets and midshipmen. I don't remember who won that year. I do remember that I was cheering for Navy just because the Navy midshipmen were nicer to those of us who were selling the programs. They were so well-behaved and polite. Now, of course, I have a cousin in the Navy, so I guess it would only be right to cheer for Navy!

This weekend's USA Weekend featured some memories of the Army-Navy game from men and women who attended the service academies. Here's one of those stories:

Friends Never Forgotten
Pat Mangin
Annville, Pa.
Army Class of 1990

I played on the Army teams from 1986 to 1989. My best memory? During my last game, CBS caught me on camera butting helmets with my best friend. My other close friend, Ken Nadermann, didn't play football, but he was in the same F4 Fighting Frogs Company with me. We got through all four years together, and it wasn't easy. We started with 35 Frogs. In the end, about 20 graduated.

Ken served in Desert Storm, and by 1994, we found out that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease. Today, a number of the Frogs and I make it a tradition to watch the Army-Navy game with him at his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He can't talk to us anymore. His nurses read his lips for us. But he starts preparing for the game about eight weeks in advance, and you should see his house when hes done, all decked out with Army paraphernalia and chow, sodas and beer.

Last year, I got back from Iraq in November and went directly to Cedar Rapids so I could watch with Ken and the guys. My wife and 7-year-old son, Clay, actually got tickets to the game, so they were sending us cellphone images live from there. Thats right: I went to Cedar Rapids before I saw my family, after being gone for 16 months. Thats how important this tradition is.

I'm now stationed in Pennsylvania, and I'll be close to the stadium in Baltimore. So Ken had his nurse call me a while back, and he mouthed these words: "Tell Pat that I want him at the game this year with his wife and son." He knows my son loves Army football. But I wouldn't hear of it.

I said to him, "No way, dude. Not until you're gone. Then I'll get a sideline pass, look up at the sky during the flyover and think of you."

I read this one with tears in my eyes. Read more at USA Weekend and at Military Times.