Priceless Junk in my Boy's Room

I've written before about "A boy and his treasures", but I just had to show you some of the things my son keeps in his room.  Whenever we have a big clean-out in there, these are the items that MUST be kept!  They are never up for cleaning negotiations. I'm not sure if all boys are like this, or if I'm raising a pack rat, but the plethora of items in his room is overwhelming when I'm trying to tidy up the place.

Here is a pictorial sampling of items my son holds near and dear to his heart. It is by no means his complete collection, but it merely highlights a few of his favorite treasures.

And for the finale: A smorgasbord treasure chest of petrified wood, seashells, lava rocks, pottery, snake skins, rifle cartridges, and shotgun shells.

If you enter my son's room, he won't show you his shelf of sports trophies, his toys, or his games.  He'll show you this stuff...the stuff that matters the most to him!

The White Stuff is Back

A Ford Family

Like great highschool football rivalries and undying devotion to a college alma matter, Americans have always had an allegiance to their truck brands.  And like the Hatfield's and McCoy's, the feud between Ford and Chevy lovers will be one for the history books. No matter the brand, we're taught to remain true blue from birth.

 We've always been a Ford family through and through. It's a brand that's been in my life from the time I was born. In fact, people often joke that when my family gets together, it looks like a Ford truck commercial in the parking lot.

 It started when my dad bought a 1968 Ford Mustang in high school.  That car stayed with our family and was passed along to my brother, who later restored it to it's former glory.

Additionally, my folks have always driven Ford trucks. When I was a kid, my folks had a tough looking yellow Ford truck. It was stolen out of our driveway, and my dad has never been the same.
Currently, my dad drives a 1999 F-250 7.3 Liter Diesel with 174,000 miles on it.

My father-in-law just recently restored his 1970 Ford truck that's affectionately known as "Old Yeller" around town.  My husband and his siblings all drove it at some point during their high school years.

Before:

After:

My grandpa drives a Ford F-250 7.3 Liter Diesel farm truck.

My brother drives a 2007 Ford F-150 with 90,000 miles on it.

My uncle drives a Ford F-250

My cousin drives a  new Ford Mustang

My husband drives a 1997 F-250 7.3 Liter Diesel.  It has over 254,000 miles on it.

I drive a 2005 Ford F-350 6.0 Liter Diesel with 180,000 miles on it.

Even our kids drive a Ford F-100.

This is just a tiny sampling of the Fords in our family. Over the years there have been Ford Fairlanes, Expeditions, Explorers, Rangers, F-150's...the list goes on and on.

Ford runs through our veins in this family. I guess you could say that we have a little bit of "brand loyalty".

Built Ford Tough,

Nell


P.S.- This is NOT a paid advertisement.  Ford Motor Company has no idea that my family exists.  Although I'd gladly be their very best saleswoman in exchange for a new Ford F-250 King Ranch Edition.*Wink, Wink*   WooWee are those things pretty to look at! Not to mention the leather interior and lighted vanity mirrors. I could get used to driving one of those around. I guarantee it wouldn't smell like coffee and manure on the inside, either.  What? A girl can dream, can't she!?!

P.P.S- Don't be a hater if you're not driving a Ford. I will still love you.

7 Random Things

1. It's been snowing for days at our house, and I broke out my new snow wrap for my head.I bought it at a boutique here on the mountain.  I wish I knew how to knit so I could make one in every color because it's so warm.

The flower detail on the side.

(Perhaps I'll look back on this wrap trend in a few years and think they're ridiculous, but this year I'm in head wrap love.)

2. I'm on "Aunt Countdown" right now.  My niece will be making her appearance any day now!  This means that I have to keep my cell phone on at all times. I'm terrible at this, but I don't want to miss anything. I've been waiting for my brother to make me an aunt now for a decade, and you can bet I'm not gonna miss my first opportunity to see his offspring.

3.The menfolk went deer hunting last weekend, so my girls and I went shopping in the big city.  We cruised the mall, shopped for boots, ate at restaurants that we don't have here on the mountain, and went to Hobby Lobby. It was invigorating!  The key to taking young girls on an all day shopping marathon is to keep feeding them. Chick-fila, Orange Julius, cookies, pretzels... food= fuel for shopping.

4. I have a slight obsession with Scentsy wax, and warmers to melt the wax in.  I bought my third wax warmer this weekend.  I found it at Hobby Lobby for 50% off, and it's a night light scented wax warmer for the bathroom.  This may be my favorite one of all! It's the perfect size for a small space and it does double duty as a night light. My heart belongs to Hobby Lobby, but I'm so glad the nearest one is 3 1/2 hours away or I'd spend all my free time there.

5. I bought more of this Passion Fruit Tea at Wildflower Bread Company. It's still my all time favorite, and it lasts a really long time. I just scoop a little of the loose tea into a coffee filter in my iced tea maker, and brew a pitcher full at a time. So very tasty!


6. I went to buy my son a new snow boarding jacket and I was appalled to see that the 1980's are back in full force on the ski slopes this season. GAG ME! Neon Green, hot pink, and fluorescent orange puffy jackets were all the rage at the ski shops.  I even saw an exact replica of the  neon peach ski-bunny suit I wore on the slopes in 1989.  It was so loud that you could see me coming down the hill from a mile away.  It even earned me the nickname "Conajita" for years to come. It was the most awful fashion decision I ever made. I'll be darned if I'm going to let my children make the same fashion mistakes.  I talked him into buying a timeless black and charcoal  jacket to go with his black boarding pants. If he wants to make a statement on the slopes, he can wear a funky hat. I lived through the 80's once, and I'll never go back!



7. I bought this White Citrus hand soap at Bath and Body Works, and I'm loving it next to my kitchen sink.  It's a nice clean scent for my hands after I've been slicing onions or doing dishes. Perhaps I'll get another bottle the next time I go back to the big city.


Hope you are all having a great week!

Nell

A Eulogy for my Favorite Jeans

When I walked through the doors of the western store, I made a beeline for the Ladies Jeans department.  It was there that we first met.  I saw you in the corner of my eye, and pulled you off the rack. It was instant attraction. You were low rise,  extra long,  boot cut,  and you were "Cruel Girl" brand.  My heart fluttered, but it was too early to know if it was "love".  I had to try you on.

After slipping you on in the dressing room, I knew that we were MFEO (made for each other).  You hugged me in all the right places, you covered my flaws, and you looked amazing with my light tan cowboy boots. Even though I'd birthed three kids, you did not make me feel like I was wearing "Mom Jeans". I had to own you, whatever the cost. 

This began our serious relationship.

You were the first pair of jeans I'd wear out of the closet every week.

My days were brighter when you were on.

Through the years you began to fade, but I didn't mind.  You were softer then.

Over time, the heaviness of my bling belt frayed your belt loops.

Then, there was the unfortunate day that I snagged your pocket with my fencing tool.  With each washing, your pocket began to unravel more and more. I didn't worry, though. It just added character.

After several years, your fabric began to thin out, and you tore in the knee.  That's when you transitioned into my favorite "work" pants.  No more date nights, no more parties, no more lunch with friends.  You and I worked cows together. We fixed fence.  We split firewood.  We were a team.

Your hemline began to fray with your exposure to dirt and manure, but you still stacked nicely over my boots and didn't raise up in the stirrups or when climbing through corral pipes.  You remained the perfect length.

All of that ended yesterday when I felt the breeze on my rear. You wore too thin.  You worked too hard. You left me feeling exposed.  And now our relationship must come to an end. You lived a long life.  You served your purpose. You will forever be #1 in my heart.


Rest in peace, my favorite jeans. I will never forget you.

With all my love,

Nell

"I've Got a Golden Ticket..."

The final stop on our field trip was to tour the Joy Cone Factory. All I have to say is.....Too Cool For Words. When I was a kid, I used to watch Mister Roger's Neighborhood on PBS channel 8. In my favorite episode, Mister Rogers toured the Crayola factory. I wanted to tour that factory so badly! I would watch every day, hoping they re-ran the crayon episode so I could sit in front of the TV and be amazed by the machinery.  Getting to see the Joy Cone factory was even better! We saw every aspect of production, and we were all wide eyed at the process of turning ingredients into batter, and batter into cones, and cones into packaging, and packaging into huge boxes.  I feel lucky to live on this side of the industrial revolution. Giant machinery is truly a modern marvel.

 There were no cameras allowed inside the facilities because we saw top-secret stuff inside. Besides, we had to wear hair nets, and I don't want any pictures of me in a hair net on the internet.  What's worse, my husband had to wear a hair net and a beard net because of his goatee.  I think that any man who has to wear a beard net at work should get paid a dollar more an hour for pain and suffering.  It was all worth it, though, for a chance to see how a pink ice cream cone is made." It's classified information. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."  (Name that movie!)

 I felt like I was touring Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, and I had a golden ticket.

♪♫ I've got a golden ticket, I've got a golden chance to make my way, and with a golden ticket it's a golden day!♪♫♫♪♫

OK, enough singing.

The ice cream cone was invented at the World's Fair in 1904 when an ice cream vendor and a pastry vendor had booths side by side.  The pastry vendor served meats and savory dishes in his waffle bowls.  One day, the ice cream vendor ran out of bowls to serve customers, so he asked the waffle bowl vendor next door to make him something he could serve ice cream in.  The ice cream cone was invented, and the rest is history.  The Joy Cone Factory is getting ready to celebrate 100 years in the business and is the largest manufacturer of cones in the world. They produce over 1.5 billion cones per year.  They supply cones for companies like Mc Donald's, Dairy Queen, Burger King, and many others, as well as grocery stores.

A Cool Random Fact:
-All of the broken or defective cones are crushed in a silo and fed to livestock.

At the end of our tour, we all got to enjoy a free ice cream cone, and we were given a box of cones to take home. I may not be a kid, but this was the coolest field trip I've ever been on!

It was such a delightful day!

Surprising Life Lessons from an Iron Lung

"Get as much joy from life for yourself and others as you can squeeze out of it." - Martha Mason *

I organized a homeschool co-op field trip to Flagstaff for a day of adventure and learning.  As always, I had as much fun as the children.  The day started with a visit to the Pioneer Museum.  There were many artifacts there with ties to northern Arizona history. There were items relating to prominent ranching families who settled the area, and stories about the making of the state of Arizona.

A few highlights:

I was surprised to see this brand on the wall. We still buy heifers with the  V BAR V brand, and it's been around since 1891.

I've always had a thing for old barbed wire, and they had a large display of several unique types.

This mountain lion named "Josephine"  was gifted to the Arizona Rangers as a cub, and she was their mascot for many years.  She had a tendency to wreak havoc on the horses when her natural instincts kicked in, and scattered them to regions far and wide when they were tied to their picket lines. She definitely had a reputation for trouble. Josephine once got loose on a train while traveling with the Rangers and tried to attack passengers from New York as she ran up and down the aisles.  When she died, the Rangers made her into a rug.  After the rug wore out, her head was donated to the museum so her legacy could live on.

  The Pioneer museum is housed in an old building that was formerly a respite home for the elderly in the days before Hospice and Social Security.  As such, there were many old relics from the medical field there as well.

It was all very fascinating, but there was one item that haunted me for days.

I'm sure that my parents' generation was familiar with the Negative Pressure Ventilator, a machine that was also known as the "Iron Lung". This, however, was the first one I had ever seen or heard of.  The Iron Lung is a capsule that someone lives in with their head sticking out on the end.  The machine allows a paralyzed person to breath by changing the pressure inside to expand and contract the lungs.  Iron Lungs are virtually obsolete today. They've been replaced with modern ventilators that allow people freedom of movement.  But at the height of the Polio epidemic, Iron Lungs were quite common. They were life savers.

The thing that really bothered me were the stories that accompanied the display.  I read of a woman named Dianne Odell who contracted Polio at age 3, and lived in an Iron Lung for nearly 60 years. 60 YEARS!!!  The worst part was that she died in 2008 during a bad storm in Tennessee.  There was a power outage, and the back-up generator failed so she had no electricity to keep the machine running.  It was tragic.

All I could think of was that it must have been a living hell to live life in a casket-like capsule for 60 years. It bothered me so much that I went home and started reading more about what life was like in an Iron Lung.  Weird, I know, but I couldn't fathom how terrible it must have been. Yet I was blown away when, upon further research, I discovered that many people in Iron Lungs made the best of a bad situation, and went on to live fulfilling lives.  Many actually got an education, had a large circle of friends, hosted parties, and even wrote books with voice activated computers. They didn't allow circumstances to get them down.

Dianne Odell's story inspired me. Here's a woman who many people would feel had every right to have a chip on her shoulder.  She could have cursed God for dealing her a bad hand and felt sorry for herself her whole life.  She could have given up.  Many people in her situation would have thrown in the towel. But she didn't.  In fact, she did just the opposite.  She lived her life to the fullest.

"I've had a very good life, filled with love and family and faith.  You can make life good or you can make it bad. "- Dianne Odell

If there's one thing in my Iron Lung research that really smacked me in the face, it's the glaring reminder that much of our happiness in life depends on our outlook.  Bad things happen to everyone at some point, but it's how we react to these challenges that determines whether we have joy or not. Happiness is ultimately a choice.  





* The quote at the beginning of this blog was from a woman named Martha Mason, another 60 year veteran of the Iron Lung.  She died in 2009.