Fallen Tree

 

I woke up early last Saturday morning, ate my breakfast, and put on my gym clothes.  The garage door went up as I prepared to head out and this was the scene I found.  Ugh!   We had lost the beautiful pine tree that gave us privacy from seeing our neighbors airconditioning units.  I was detirmined to get to the gym so I laid down some boards on the wet grass and manuvered may way through the small tunnel created by the leaning tree.

 

 

After arriving home I grabbed my handy dandy saw, the only pathetic sawing tool we own and decided to get after it.

I cut each limb off that I could reach and place them in a nice, neat pile for the boys to haul off later when they finally rolled out of bed.

 This pile was placed stratecially by the basketball hoop so the boys would be "motivated" to move the pile.

 After the limbs were removed I took the top off in junks and stacked them neatly too.

Then the big cut, this huge cut is what released the tree from leaning on the other tree that was holding it up.  CRASH!!! 

That was the end of my work on the project.  My arm was sore from sawing and I was done.  I left the rest for the boys to work on later.  A week later that trunk is still sitting there, although it was moved to the side so it was easier to get down the driveway.  The sun is shining this beautiful Saturday morning and I have a very good feeling that the trunk will be moved today!

 

Cereal Party!

 

Landon and Easton are just full of spice tonight

Our family loves having cereal parties and this past Sunday was no exception!  After a busy I hollared up to everyone that we were having a Cereal Party.  With woops and hollars coming from everyone, the kitchen soon filled with three young men.  Bowls clanked, cereal was chosen and the chilled milk was poured.  Let's hear it for cereal parties, the activity that brings families together!

What? 

Lost Phone

 

Stephen and I spent the day together at the mall on the hunt for a new suit for Stephen to wear to Ashton's wedding. He tried on so many different styles that were hanging on various racks throughout the men's department at Macy's. At one time I noticed that Stephen had placed his farely new phone on a ledge next to a rack of sale items while he was trying on a blazer. I said that he was going to lose his phone if he was not careful and counseled him to keep it in his pocket. It ended up being a very successful shopping day...Stephen got his wedding suit, we got a wedding suit for Landon, we purchased pair of dress shoes for Stephen and Landon, found a couple of teal-colored ties for Stephen and Landon, and we bought a teal bow tie and some dress shoes for Easton. Phew! Our hands were full as Stephen was paying for his suit. Since we had taken separate cars and met at the mall, I headed out so I could rush home for a piano lesson while Stephen finished his transaction.

 

The garage door was just going up for me when my cell phone rang.  "Sheila, Do you have my cell phone by any chance," Stephen asked on the other end?  "Uh, no, " I replied.  He informed me that his phone was gone and he couldn't find it anywhere in Macy's, the last place we had shopped.  I panicked since it was a brand new phone and knew it was a very important tool Stephen uses for work, his life is in that phone!  I rushed in the house and asked Landon if he could access the phone with a phone locator AP.  He quickly got on it and started downloading the AP and also proceeded to download important information from Stephen's phone; contacts, emails and his calendar. In the meantime, I started calling Stephen's phone with the hope that the idiot who had it would answer. 

"Hello?"

"Hi, who's this?" I said in my most intense interrogation voice.

"Danny."

"Whose phone do you have?"

"What?"

"Danny, you are using my husband's phone right now.  Where can I meet you to pick up his phone?

"Ma'am, you're crazy!"

"You are using my husband's phone that is being tracked right now.  How can I get the phone back?"

"Ma'am, you're crazy."

"Oh...well, I'm going to hang up and call you back and then we'll see who's crazy.

I proceeded to call the phone back and it went straight to Stephen's answering machine.  Landon had everything saved and had it downloaded and was now trying to track the phone with the new tracking program.  He didn't want me to call the phone again because he didn't want the guy to turn off the phone. The tracking wouldn't work if it was off.  We waited and waited.  The house phone rang.  "I found it," I hear on the other end.  Yes, Stephen had found his phone.  You're not even going to believe where he found it.  Remember when I mentioned telling Stephen to put his phone in his pocket?  Well, he did put it in a pocket....in the pocket of the blazer he was trying on!  He had been calling his phone and all the sales clerks said they thought they could hear ringing.  Then a man yelled that he could heard a phone ringing inside a jacket.  So there you have it....I guess I am crazy!  I hope Danny had a good laugh at my expense!

 

Later I went back to my call history to verify that I had dialed Stephen's phone number theorizing that maybe Danny had stashed the phone in the suit jacket after I scared him with my intense, mean-girl voice.  Oops, I had dialed a wrong number.

Laser Tag

Easton and his friend, Ethan have started to spend each and every Friday night that they can with each other doing cool dude things.  We hosted the night and the boys decided they wanted to play Laser Tag.  Landon was feeling sick so wasn't able to join them so it ended up being the two boys and Stephen and me.  This is what our date nights are turing into.

Ethan and Easton are ready to demolish the opponents inside the dark cave!

While we were waiting for the boys Stephen and I had fun downloading the Instagram ap to his phone and taking random pictures.  What a great date night with my best friend!

Shoeless Stephen

 

 We went to DSW for our date night to find shoes for me to wear at Ashton's wedding. The shoes that Stephen was wearing had started falling apart prematurely so he asked if he could return them. "Sure", said the store clerk. We looked around for a very long time with no luck on finding a replacement pair. We took our store credit and Stephen walked through the parking lot in his socks to the car. Good thing that was our last stop before going home!

Please?

 

Charlie could smell the leftover chicken on the counter. He kept looking at me and then at the chicken. He just wanted it something awful!

 

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

Top O' The morning to Ya!!!  Lucky Charms greeted everyone this morning in celebration of the Carroll's Irish heritage.  All of the Carroll and McMichael ancestors migrated to America from Ireland.   Stephen and his children have a rich Irish heritage.  Lucky Charms were great for breakfast but this year I thought we would take it a step further and add a traditional Irish Corned Beef Brisket to our yearly green dinner menu.

I put the Corned Beef Brisket in the crockpot at 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning so it would be ready to eat at our 2:00 Sunday dinner with Papa and Momma.  I love coming home from church to the smell of a savory roast and was looking forward to the aroma.  As we entered the house, we could smell the meat cooking, but it didn't have the same enticing smell that our usual Sunday roast has.  It was just kind of funky...couldn't think of a better way to describe the indescribable scent.

The table was set with festive green plates and with the addition of new potatoes, green beans, rolls, and kiwi, we were ready for our Irish feast.

Presentation is everything and the corned beef brisket sliced so nicely and looked beautiful on the platter.  We all were concerned with the intense red color of the meat, but I reassured everyone that it was supposed to be that color....after all, that's what the Internet said.

Plates are full and ready to be eaten!  Stephen poses with his parents, who have become a weekly part of our Sunday dinners.  We love having them fill the empty chairs that were left by Ashton and Dallin at the Sunday dining room table.  You all know how I feel about empty seats!!!

With a vote of thumbs up or thumbs down for the brisket it looks like it was unanimous FAIL!!!  Everyone put the first bite in their mouths and then politely looked at me to see what I thought about my first bite.  My face involuntarily wrinkled up and I couldn't make it stop.  The morsel in my mouth was just downright yucky, there was nothing even pleasant about it.  As soon as I exclaimed how awful it was and that I wasn't eating another bite, everyone jumped in with their comments.  Nobody liked it, even Papa who is always so kind and respectful to me about my cooking joined in criticing the nasty meat.  We laughed and laughed all dinner long and were grateful to have Key Lime Pie to look forward to for our dessert.  An experience we never want to repeat.  None of us felt lucky after that meal.  I think the funniest comments consisted  of all of us having a new understanding of why Irish people loved potatoes so much.....they tasted better than the disgusting meat they had to eat.

Charlie is the only one who loved his Irish feast.....

The Best Nest

I love my house,
I love my nest,
In all the world my nest,
Is Best!

Years ago you could hear the words of this peppy little song being sung over and over in the Carroll home.  It was found in The Best Nest video based on the book by P.D. Eastman.  The book and video was a favorite of  my children.  The story shares the adventures of a bird couple who is trying to find the perfect home.  The wife hated her nest and wanted a new one.  They spent days trying out new places to live with no luck.  Eventually the bird couple comes to the realization that the best nest is their original home that was messy and small and happily moves back to their “best nest.”

I think every couple goes through the “Best Nest” growing pains.  As our families grow, so does our need for a bigger and better nest to hold our little “birds”.   We want the best for them, we want them to be comfortable, and most of all we want them to be happy.  We spend years filling the nest with things to help raise our little birds and the nest becomes full of energy and activity with each new bird added to the brood.  What a fun phase of life, the “nest building phase.”  I loved that phase and I loved each addition to our family that we welcomed into our nest.  As the brood grew, each bedroom was filled and each chair at our kitchen table was eventually filled.  I loved it; no empty seats and our home was alive and buzzing like a hard-working beehive.  But, life is full of change, nothing stays the same and the nest enters a new phase.

It’s funny how you can be cruising along, enjoying life and, BAM!  It changes on you!  My nest began to empty with my first little bird, Ashton heading off to BYU.  And then a few years later, BAM!  Change came again when Dallin spread his wings and flew out of the nest to BYU-Idaho and then months later, a mission to Brazil.  The nest was the same, but the rooms were becoming empty and the two empty chairs at the kitchen table held the memories of my children who once sat there.  It really tugs at your heart to realize that your children are heading out into the world, stretching their wings, and ready to grow without the safety of the nest you have provided them for so long.  As each of my little birds leave the nest, I long for that time when I was building and growing the nest.  I was in charge of nurturing my little ones and caring for them within the walls of my home.  The task seemed daunting, but it was an awesome adventure.
 

My nest is still the best nest, no matter how many little birds are dwelling in it.  I loved when it was growing, I loved it when it was full, and I still love it as the emptiness becomes more and more evident.  As another one of my birds, Landon prepares to graduate from high school and move out to BYU-Idaho in the fall, I must again adjust to one less person sitting at the table and another vacant bedroom.   The nest will be a little quieter and a little less messy but the words chirped from the birds in the book, The Best Nest will still ring in my ears.  No matter what happens, whether my nest is full of children or whether it’s just Stephen and I living there, I will proudly sing,
I love my house,
I love my nest,
In all the world my nest,
Is best!!!

A Sad Day

It's such a sad day for the boys.  They discovered that both of their basketballs were missing in action.  Landon tore apart the garage looking for them with no luck.  The last time they used them was Saturday evening.  After thinking back in time we realized that they had to have been taken out to the curb in the recycling bin for pickup on Monday morning.  Landon and Easton have a terrible habit of dumping their balls in the recycling bin when they are finished playing ball.  I guess they got covered with recycleable trash and were hauled away to the big recycling plant in the sky.  RIP 

Happy, Happy Birthday!

We wished our Dad a happy birthday on March 14.  He turned 49 this year and that just sounds crazy!  We are so grateful to have him in our family.  He is a great Dad who loves his children dearly and wants the best for them.  He works so hard for us to provide.

Atlanta Hawks Game

 

Our sons, Landon and Easton love everything basketball.  They love playing it and watching it.  Landon is always checking the stats on his phone and Nexus and follows every team and player.  The boys have wanted to go to a Hawks game for quite a while.  Landon found some tickets on StubHub for the four of us and Dad said, "Buy em!"  We had quite the experience watching the game and feasting on hamburgers, pizza, soda and some sweet blue cotton candy. 

 We had pretty good seats.  The Hawks played the Dallas Mavericks and got pretty much killed.  Oh well, it was still fun to cheer for them.  During the last quarter the cheerleaders were doing a dance number on the court.  One of the cheerleaders did a kick and slipped, twirled around and landed SPLAT, facedown on her face.  She didn't even move while the rest of the girls just kept right on dancing.  As soon as the routine was finished the medical team quickly moved into work on her.  She was so still and didn't move at all.  They strapped her to a board and she had a huge neck brace on as the carefully lifted her on the stretcher and wheeled her off.  I'm not sure of her status now, but it was definitely scarey to watch.  Stephen actually saw her do the high kick and fall.  I just saw her flop to the ground and lay motionless.  I hope she is ok.

   Stephen and Sheila

Easton loves his pizza! 

  Not sure what happened to my eyes in this picture.....don't know how I even see sometimes!

Stare at the Walls Monday

When I was younger, let’s just say I was in the early married stage with a few little ones in my nest, my brothers latched onto a funny phrase from something my mother did.  It was...”Stare at the walls Monday”.  You see, my wonderful Mother had this love/hate relationship with Mondays.  She just had a hard time getting it in gear on Mondays and would often just piddle around in her jammies and shuffle around in her slippers.  She really was an incredible woman who could do amazing things and was an extremely successful mother but, Monday just wasn’t her most productive day.  Breakfast was eaten around two in the afternoon (which consisted of grapes and air, but that’s a whole other story!) and she always said she just needed to stare at the walls and do nothing, hence the name, “Stare at the Walls Monday.”  The Sunday dishes from the big feast on Sunday were still stacked on the counter waiting to be hand washed and the Sunday paper was generally sprawled open on the kitchen table as if blown about  from a ravaging storm.  If you arrived for an impromptu visit in the afternoon and asked what Mom did that day you would most likely receive the answer, “Oh, I’ve just been staring at the walls.”

In my high energy, cookoo phase of life I had a hard time understanding the need to do nothing.  Staring at the walls was senseless and a waste of time.  With so much to do I just popped out of bed and started life.  There was no time to waste and much to get accomplished.  I could have half of a room painted by lunchtime and the rest finished by dinnertime.  I could have a scrapbook page done every hour and my workout done before it was time for my children’s midmorning snack.  I was an efficient, well-oiled machine.  But alas, I have a new understanding and respect for “Stare at the Walls Monday.  In fact, I have been experiencing it myself more and more often. 

There is something to this Stare at the Walls Monday concept.  It just makes sense.  Sunday is supposed to be our day of rest and it is, don’t get me wrong, but it’s usually a busy day filled with wonderful, inspiring church meetings and then the awesome Sunday dinner with the family which is a highlight of the week for everyone in my nest over here.  I love the family time and the opportunity to serve a wonderful meal around the dining room table and just be together in an intimate setting.  We bond, we eat, and we are a family.  When Monday finally rolls around we need a rest from our day of rest.  What a concept!  So in honor of Stare at the Walls Monday, I am choosing to embrace it.  I slept in, wrote a letter to Dallin, and then promptly crawled back into bed that was calling to me.  It’s now 1:26 pm and yes, I am still in my jammies!  I guess it’s time to eat some lunch or I guess breakfast, head to the gym for a workout, get some laundry started, do the Sunday dishes and then of course, stare at the walls some more!

My Amazing Missionary

Dallin left on his mission to Recife, Brazil on November 13, 2013.  He is currently in Recife having great success and growing as a man.  As a Mother, I couldn't be more grateful that he is serving the Lord.  I miss him dearly, but I wouldn't want him anywhere else.  His letters are awesome.  Every once in a while he sends me a private little message.  Last week he said, "I love you mom.  I think about you and pray for you daily. Glad you're my mom and I love you so much." What a great son and young man!  I love him too.

Welcome Back

A few weeks ago I was reading through this old blog of mine, my old friend...haven't written a post in here since last April.  It's definitly been a while.  As I browsed through the various pictures and journaling it brought back some amazing memories.  I laughed and cried and relived some wonderful family moments.  If I had not documented these events in my blog years ago, they would be lost forever.  Some of the things I read I had totally forgotten.  So today I resolve to do better.  Journaling and keeping our histories is so incredibly important.  I am in charge of my families' history right now and I need to do better at documenting and writing down the amazing, fun, hilarious, and simple things of our day to day life.  I look forward to reconnecting with my old friend, "the blog" and recording our family history. Welcome back, ME!!!!  It's gonna be fun!!!!