Funny Food Rule #1

We have some funny food rules here in the Peterson house!
I don't know how these food rules were brought into existence.
They aren't published anywhere, so I don't know how we all know them either.
But they exist and they are LAW in these parts.
Punishable, apparently, by Sheriff mom,
Who sees all,
Knows all,
and Smells all...

Law #1 has to do with finishing off the desserts that may be leftover from a previous family treat night.
It might be cake,
it might be bar cookies,
or it might be cinnamon rolls,
this time it was brownies.

The rules clearly state that you DON'T take the last bite.
And you don't make any clear markings that would implicate you in exactly how much you ate.
I'd seen it before. A fork mark here, an even cut line there. Obvious signs that the dessert was not quite right- I cut straight lines for heavens sake :)

 But this pan of brownies absolutely took the cake-
no pun intended.
I came down throughout the day, and slowly I could see that many someones were actively engaged in forking these brownies down to the last crumb.
Forked until all that was left was one lone standing piece in the middle of the pan.
Which no one dared take the rest of the day.

Because the unwritten law states
Thou shalt not take the last bite,
and if thou decides to sneak a piece of sugary satisfaction,
thou shalt do so in tiny fork pieces so as to not draw attention to thyself,
and for sure,
thou shalt always say "Not Me" when asked who ate all the brownies,
because it is clearly well known,
that if thou did not take the last bite,
thou did NOT eat ALL the brownies.

Okay, fess up,
who could fork themselves through an entire cake, pie, cinnamon roll pan???
Not Me, says I,
because I clearly know the rules!

I Believe In Angels

My daughter participated in a Pioneer Trek this week.
A re-enactment of early settlers who traveled from the East to the West looking for a better life.
Kids from our church, ranging in age from 14-18, spent three days pulling 200 pound handcarts and walking 15 miles, sleeping under the stars and physically being pushed to their limits.

I was asked to participate on the last day acting as an angel.
My job was to help the kids on the final leg of their journey, up a steep mountain pass, when they were at their very limits physically and emotionally.

I was prepared to work hard through that Saturday.
I wasn't prepared for my life to change forever.

When I arrived at the meeting spot, I quickly recognized how many of us were there to help. With instructions to dress in all white, we were pretty conspicuous in the mountains.

We got to the location where we would meet the kids.
We were given a quick briefing on what the kids had experienced the previous few days.
We heard how they were feeling when their day got started earlier that morning.
And we were told how they would be feeling when they got to our part of the hill.

And than we were given our instructions.
First, we were to help the kids push their heavy carts up the hill, get them to a certain point and leave them to continue on. At this point we headed back down the hill to meet the next group
We weren't there to take over the final leg of their journey, and we weren't there to be their cheerleaders.
We were there to give them hope and the energy and courage to continue on...

We were shown what parts of the hill the kids would need us most.
We were instructed not to go down the hill to meet them, but to wait until they got to the appointed location.  This part of their journey was called Testimony Hill and it was meant to humble them.

This would allow the kids to struggle and push, to work to their absolute limits.
And this would allow them to truly appreciate the help we were there to offer.
And at the end, they would come away KNOWING they could do anything, no matter how difficult it seemed.

As soon as our guide started giving us instructions, my heart swelled to a level I have never felt in my life.
This man knew what the kids had been every minute of every day.
He was completely aware of how they were feeling!

And how they would be feeling when they saw the steep part of the hill.

He knew that they would finish the first big climb, and feel a little overwhelmed when they saw that around the bend was not the end of their push, but ANOTHER HUGE climb.

And he knew when they would need us most.

I could not help but to make the analogy to a loving Heavenly Father who knows ABSOLUTELY everything about us!
Who we are
What makes us worry,
and How we are feeling at any part of our own personal journey.
And I could imagine the many times that angels gathered,
got their instructions,
and waited at just the right spot,
just out of my view,
to help me on my toughest climb.
To give just enough support to get me through-
but not so much that I didn't gain the testimony that I could do it.

Once or twice, I couldn't help it, but I whispered a warning to lean more to the left.
Some of the kids heard and heeded,
and made a sharp turn with ease.
Some of the kids didn't- and struggled on that bend.
Some kids couldn't help but to turn their heads and say "Thank You" as we left their side ready for the next group.
And some kids finished their journey-
and ran with urgency to help the other kids who had not yet made it up.
And a very rare few-
did NOT stop running down that hill until EVERY person was up the hill and resting at their journey's end.
I was inspired by every part of this experience.
And I am so grateful that I spent a hot California day, dressed in white, on a tough mountain path.

I love teenagers.
I love my Heavenly Father.
And I love when the two join forces,
to teach me a very valuable lesson.

I will NEVER DOUBT that there is a plan,
and that our troubles and worries and struggles do NOT go unnoticed by Heavenly Hosts-
who are placed and briefed on what we need,
and at the right time, in the right place
are allowed a brief moment to touch our lives.

Nope, I will NEVER DOUBT it!

just a guess

It Must Be a Pruning Kind of Week

I hate to say it's been a rough week, but that's what it has been.
How do you decide what is rough?? Is it when you stub your toe? Or when your bank account is at zero?

It's all a little fuzzy to me! No matter how rough one thing seems, I would WAY rather look at what is going good all around me.

And it seems like there is A LOT of good around me!

But yesterday was a little too HEAVY for me. We had a lot happen. One of those days where you realize that one of the tires on your 17 year old daughters car is bare to the rim- and they are only six months old!

$265.00 ka-ching

The kind of day where your dishwasher, the one that you have been trying to baby as it has been showing signs that it is in its final days, finally bids a final adieu and has gone to appliance heaven. Wasn't there a show about that??  The Brave Little Toaster :)

$1000.00 ka-ching

The kind of day where the little red light that is supposed to look like an engine, comes back on in your Denali letting you know that the previous three times this has happened this YEAR and has equated to well over $4000.00 in repairs have NOT worked and back to the shop it goes AGAIN!

And finally the kind of day where the insurance bill went up $800.00 because of a traffic ticket your teenager got that the same ticket in every other state in the world is NOT a moving violation!

Yesterday was JUST THAT KIND OF DAY!

So today I woke up DETERMINED to not trudge through the day, but to skip merrily through the day. Nothing was going to get me down. And all that stuff from yesterday, it all works out anyway doesn't it?? And really, let's be honest, how many of us have a clear recollection of the bad days two or three years later? Really, this stuff is SO NOT WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT!

So before the day could get HOT-

it was expected to soar above 100 degrees today-

I went out to work a little bit in my yard.

I was just going to get a couple of plants in some pots.

 Well maybe I will just weed for a minute.

This feels so good, maybe I will do just a bit of clean up by the side of the house-
Hey... let's prune this rose bush!

It produces pretty flowers-

One or two per season :(
The previous owner didn't take care of the rose bushes.
I don't know anything about rose bushes,
but I do know they are supposed to be pretty
and this one is NOT so much.

I kept thinking that pruning and clipping this rose bush back would do one of two things;
It would destroy it,
or it would make it stronger!
I have pruned plants before,
and every time, I panic...
A LOT!
And every time, I am amazed at how the plant comes back bigger, better and stronger than before.

 As I pruned, I thought sometimes it hurts a little to grow a lot,

As I pruned, I thought how beautiful today is,
As I pruned I remembered how much I love being outside and feeling sunshine on my back,

As I pruned I realized that today, my hands are strong enough to use the clippers,

 and I couldn't help but to reflect on all the times I have felt pruned before.

A little bit of trial,
a little dose of being cut down
and sometimes a big dose of trimming and pruning and re-shaping....

 And as I pruned, I couldn't help but think that yesterday wasn't that bad after all.