30 Days of Thanks - Random Items Often Overlooked

30 Days of thanks would not be complete without a commentary on the wonderful items we have that are often overlooked. 

• Hot Showers 
•  Who doesn't love a hot shower?? There is something wonderful about hopping into the shower and the hot water coming all over you.  I am grateful that I can take showers without interruptions now.  I remember when my children were younger it was the ONLY time they needed me.  As soon as the clothes came off and I was in the shower, I  became the most popular person on the face of the earth.... Now, my love of a hot shower is shared by the two boys in my house, who shower till the hot water is gone.... It wasn't that long ago that one son was held down by his siblings and sprayed with Lysol for refusing to take a shower.... He loves them now.  How grateful am I for teenage boys who shower??  
• Sweat pants and Hoodies  
• Do you love your favorite pair of sweat pants and a baggy hoodie?  Some days, just coming home and putting on these old friends is all I need to feel a little better.  Everyone needs a favorite pair of sweats.  I love putting on a sweatshirt that reminds me of a favorite vacation.  Sometimes fond memories of coaching teams comes back, and I am filled with a smile.  To whoever invented these wonderful items,  I say, THANK YOU!!
• Iron and Ironing boards 
• Now many of you may think I am nuts on this one... Really Carrie?  Really? An Ironing board and Iron?   I am a big fan of ironing.  I don't think there is anything that brings such instant gratification.  Suddenly something looks brand new.  I love the crisp lines down my sleeve.  I love that I don't have to heat up something in a fire and try to pound it on a rock to iron.  What a wonderful invention!!
• Flowers   
• Who doesn't like a bouquet of flowers?  I am not picky, I love them all.  I love them sitting on my kitchen table for all to see.  I love any color and any kind.  I love how they brighten a day.  I love even more when someone surprises you with flowers.  Just because.  Pretty clear that a loving God knew flowers would bring comfort and cheer to so many. 
• Tylenol   
• Anyone who has ever had pain has to be grateful for popping a pill that takes some the edge away. Then some wonderful human being invented Tylenol PM.  Some nights that is just what the doctor ordered.... :)
• Hair Color 
• Many of you are nodding your head right now.  I am not ready to be totally white headed at my age.  I want to at least get the free breakfast at Denny's when I look like should get the free breakfast at Denny's. Nuff said...
• Captain Crunch with Crunchberries 

• I have searched diligently to find a crunchberry farm.  I would like to tour one and I think I would like to put some of my retirement fund into that field.  I especially enjoy Christmas Crunch!!  It is a holiday treat.  Thank you, Captain!!

Today I am so grateful for some of the random things in my life that brighten my day, make me smile and make my life easier.   When life is a little simpler, and I am a little happier, I am able to make a difference, one random woman at a time!

30 Days of Thanks- Beautiful Music

Today I am grateful for Music. 
While I love almost all kinds of music, and have such an appreciation of those who are talented enough to share those gifts with us, today I am grateful for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  This YouTube is one of my favorite songs they do.  

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOfOToi7aKo

Have a great Sunday, and to all  with  musical talents, thank you for making a difference, one random person at a time!

30 Days of Thanks - Happy Birthday, Poptarts!

30 Days of Thanks
would not be complete with more gratitude for the random things that abound in our world.


While getting into my MSN email account yesterday, I saw that it this year marks the 45 birthday of PopTarts.  Well, I say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, POPTARTS!!!

Poptarts were a staple for me growing up, and they still are on my shopping list nearly every couple of weeks.  ( I know some of you may feel the need to call Child Protection Services, citing child abuse! )  My Boys love strawberry poptarts and chocolate poptarts.  I like the occasional blueberry poptart as well.   On my way to school or seminary I would toss the  poptart, secure in it's thermal, silver, space age wrapping, on the dashboard of the car, and turn up the defrost.  By the time I arrived at my destination, I had a wonderful, hot breakfast! You can't do that with an egg!!

Poptarts are an amazing, balanced meal.  Especially the fruit ones. I think we are supposed to eat several servings of fruit daily.  This is a great way to get one of those servings.  And Chocolate poptarts!!! Is that the most amazing invention ever?  It's a breakfast food.  It can be dessert.  It can just be, " I need some freakin' chocolate... and I need it NOW!"   45 years of a food surviving the scrutiny of critics?  Sounds like Poptarts are a classic to me.  

Several years ago while reading humor columnist Dave Barry he shared his story "Tarts Afire!" 
 http://www.davebarry.com/natterings_files/poptarts.htm 
 I love Dave Barry,  and, being me I had to give the project a whirl myself.  Yup, I tried to set poptarts on fire in  the toaster.  (Don't try this at home....really.... I am not responsible if you catch yourself on fire, your house on fire, your friend on fire.  You may not sue me.)   Either they have made toasters more fire resistant, or the frosting on the poptart is less flammable, but I had to "modify" the poptart to get it to catch on fire.  But I had a dang good time doing it!  Luckily, I was surrounded by friends, (The Woodburys) who were able to offer suggestions on how to "modify" the poptart to catch it on fire.   Although I don't have a degree in it, I do consider myself a "poptartoligist."

Those of you who know me well, know I like to take weird, little things that happen in our lives and put a twist on them.  I believe all of us, at one time or another, have our poptarts on fire.  Stuff goes on in our lives that make us feel like we are stuck in the toaster and ready to explode.   That's where it takes amazing friends and family and random people to make a difference.   Look around and see if someone you love has their "poptarts" on fire.  Do you smell smoke?  Do you see smoke?  Maybe you even see flames in their life.   I challenge you to react when you see "Tarts ablazin" to make a difference.  Can you  be the one who unplugs the toaster, who grabs the baking powder, or who grabs the fire extinguisher?  Most often, it doesn't take something big to help someone whose poptarts are on fire.  Most often, it can be a smile, a hug, a kind word, or taking a few minutes to really listen.

Yesterday in my office, my poptarts were on fire. In fact, I think I had several toasters full of poptarts, some smoking, and some with five foot flames coming out of the toaster.    A friend walked into my office, and, although she might have wished she didn't stop to talk to me and have to listen to all my verbal diarrhea, she did.  Without knowing it, she pulled out her fire extinguisher and put the fire out.  Michelle.  Thank you.

So, random friends!  Have a poptart!  (and if you really want to celebrate poptarts 45 birthday, maybe have a glass of TANG with it!)   But more importantly, learn the lesson of the "parable of the poptart" and be there to help those whose poptarts are on fire.  Sometimes all you need to do is just turn the setting down a bit.  Keeping people safe and their poptarts from burning is something we can all do, one random woman at a time. 

Women in Art

30 Days of Thanks - All things Medical

When the alarm went off at 5am this morning I knew I was in for a long day.  I had to have TJ at the surgery center by 6am for his knee surgery.  Having been to the knee surgery rodeo before I had a pretty good idea what he was in for.  Of course, he is a 6'5" guy who played the 2nd quarter of the Silver Creek VS Skyline football game on a blown out knee, so he may be just a bit tougher than me.....wait, I gave birth to five kids so I am pretty darn tough as well....Perhaps  the jury is still out on that one.... Anywho!  It is emotionally draining as a parent to bring your kids to basically strangers and let them take your child to a near-death state and fix stuff on them.  Imagine walking into the hospital and saying:

"Good morning Doctor, this is  TJ. Although this is the son who kicked out his Dad's windshield in a crazy fit of rage when he was 10,  he has become quite a nice young man.  I actually would like for you to bring him back to me when you are done creating an ACL for him and rooting around in his knee for other broken parts"

The cool part?  These total strangers do just that.  (Well, most of the time!!)  We go into them and place our total and complete trust in them, and they deliver.  The medical industry is a unique industry.  So many other jobs you can do stuff yourself.   I googled how to fix my toilet, avoiding calling a plumber.  My boys cleaned my gutters out last weekend, avoiding the need to call an handy-man to take care of that job.  My friends have helped paint the walls in my house, avoiding me calling a painter.  My future son-in-law worked on my car, saving me money a mechanic would charge..... you get the idea.  But I have yet to meet anyone who says,
" I had knee surgery last year, I am pretty sure I remember what they did so I will be happy to perform that surgery for you!"  (Word to the wise, if anyone ever comes up and says these words to you, RUN, do not walk away from them....they probably use a chainsaw and wear a hockey mask while performing the operation.)

So tonight, THANK YOU to all the people who spend their lives trying to help other people feel better.  Thank you for being willing to spend all those years in school learning how to do a Dacryocystorhinostomy,  figure out where my acromial is,  when to prescribe Benlysta,  learn how to poke needles in to hurt the least, how to comfort us, how to stand there while we throw up and not go running out of the room to throw up themselves, and work outrageous hours.  

Take a few minutes to be grateful for the amazing people in your life who help you feel better, and take care of you when you are sick.  They are out there, making a difference, one random person at a time!!

30 Days of Thanks - The Miracle of Forgiveness

30 Days of Thanks would not be complete without the discussion of forgiveness.  Today I enjoyed a great discussion surrounding Matthew 18 23-35  in the New Testament.   You can read it here: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/matt/18/6

How grateful am I for the gift of forgiveness and for all those who have forgiven me for all the times I am, frankly, a bonehead.  I have a debilitating disease..... called verbal diarrhea.  Some call it "lacking a filter."  My mouth goes into gear often before my brain engages, often resulting in embarrassment, and requiring me to apologize.  How blessed I am to be surrounded by those who love me and freely forgive me for my boneheadedness.  What a dreary world it would be if I could never be forgiven for all the stupid, thoughtless, goofball things I do.  Why then, is it so difficult to grant forgiveness to others at times? 

Yup, we all have felt it.  We love the sweet, sublime feeling when we say we are sorry and someone tells us its ok, and they forgive us.... but when the shoe is on the other foot.... sometimes.... its tough.... That is where Matthew 18 is so powerful.  The huge debt being removed... then demanding the relatively small debt be paid.  Why are we so human at times and unable to think like God thinks?  Why is it so hard to truly see each other as a brother and sister? 

Mostly  we are wrapped up with Pride.  For one of the most insightful writings on Pride, read President Ezra Taft Benson's remarks back in 1989 that are as valuable today as they were 21 years ago.  http://education.byu.edu/edlf/archives/prophets/bewareofpride.html   Pride keeps me from being kind way to often.    What does pride keep you from doing, saying or forgiving?  

The opposite of Pride, is Charity.  Charity of the pure love of Christ.   How are you doing in that arena?  If pride is waning , than hopefully charity is blooming.  With Charity, we can love as Christ would love and forgiving just seems to make more sense, and gives us the strength to forgive when it seems almost impossible.

So,  I am forgiving all the dumb things,  the rude drivers, the people who hang Christmas lights poorly, the people who can't count in the "15 items or less" line at the grocery store, Oakland Raiders Fans,  poor sports,  people who are mean to my kids,  people who think coconut should be a food, people who created onion bagels, thus allowing me to get a big, fat bite of onion with my plain,toasted bagel with strawberry cream cheese,  people who created horrible, foul rap music,   people who write political TV commercials,  people who are mean to animals, people who think animals that should never be eaten taste "just like chicken" people who don't return their carts at the grocery store, people who drive slow in the left hand lane,  and for every dumb, goofy thing I get annoyed at. 

To the big stuff.... that is truly hard to forgive.  The broken hearts, the conflicts, the profound sadness, the things that test me to the end of my rope, and teach me to lean on the Savior, I will continue to press forward in forgiveness and love, knowing the Lord expects me to forgive 70 x 7., and knowing he will assist me in all I am asked to do. 

And finally, here it is- if I have offended, or hurt you in anyway, please forgive me.  I truly do not want to hurt anyone.  And I am going to try harder to love, forgive and make a difference! Pride needs to go away, and charity needs to replace it.   What a great world we would live in, if we all did that, just a little bit better, just a little more often...one random woman at a time.  

30 Days of Thanks - For The Beauty Of The Earth

30 Days of Thanks would not be complete without being grateful for the amazing earth we live on.  Today, just a beautiful song with beautiful pictures to ponder some of the wonders of the earth.  Grateful people can make a difference, one random woman at a time!  Thanks to John Rutter !