A Bit My Opposite

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #24:

Opposites Attract

Scotty and I aren’t incredibly dissimilar, but every now and then we discover something about each other that we find quite shocking. I recently had to inform Scotty that I don’t really care for key lime pie, and he was startled by this. Not long after I made that known, I had to inform him that I don’t really care for jalapeño poppers, either. 

Scotty doesn’t dream a lot, and he’s always weirded out when he does dream. I dream all the time and have multiple dreams in a night. 

Scotty wants to sleep with the blinds open every night because he wants to keep his eye on the neighborhood (he thinks he’s the neighborhood gatekeeper). I want the blinds closed.

Scotty loves driving with the windows down, and I can’t stand it.

Scotty loves Mexican food, and I don’t (except for street tacos). 

Christopher McCandless is Scotty’s hero. I think he was an idiot. 

Scotty wants the cheapest food possible no matter how low quality it is, and I’d rather pay more and have better quality food or something I really like. 

We navigate stores in completely different ways and park in different places. 

A few years ago, I learned that Scotty won’t eat cookie dough because he’s worried about raw eggs (yet he’ll eat the most raw steak known to man). Meanwhile, I have no qualms over raw eggs and could eat cookie dough by the handful. 

One thing I was surprised to learn about Scotty a few weeks ago is that, unlike me, he does not envision his death every time he goes on an amusement park ride. I love rides, and it doesn’t keep me from riding them, but I always, always, always imagine every way I can die while I’m on them. I do the same thing anytime I’m in a large crowd, stadium, or movie theater. Or if I’m on a high floor of a building, on a cruise ship, or in an airplane. It’s not necessarily a fear. It’s more of an awareness. I find comfort in knowing that statistically, I am safe, but I acknowledge the many ways I could die. Scotty doesn’t do that. What the heck? But he doesn’t choreograph dances in his head to every piece of music that he hears or narrate his entire day as if he's recording a podcast or writing a book, either. So frankly, he’s just an oddball and a bit my opposite.

16

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #4:

Birthday

As of today, I have my first 16 year old daughter! Happy Birthday, Daisy!

This, of course, brings up the question of when she will get her drivers license. Her driving test is scheduled for the 23rd, but we need to reschedule. Hopefully she passes on the first try, but I've told her that it's okay if she doesn't because I didn't pass my first time (I was going to go through a yellow light, and my instructor slammed on the brake, which is an automatic fail, so I have to be merciful with my own kids while secretly praying, "Please pass the first time so we don't have to do this again!") (when I took driver's ed, we did our tests with our instructors during school, but now they have to schedule their tests at the DLD). 

Historically, in the Mormon culture, one would also inquire about Daisy's first date, but things have changed, and age 16 is no longer the standard "first date" age (it's now just a recommendation). So Daisy won't be turning 16 and going on her first date. I consider her "first date" Homecoming of last year, which just so happened to take place on her 15th birthday! And since kids don't really date anymore, who knows if she'll ever go on another date before the age of 25.

(She won't be going to Homecoming this year because we will be out of town, and when given the choice, she decided to come with us). 

Daisy has had quite the celebration for her birthday. Our district had the day after Labor Day off school (weird, right?), so we used that as an opportunity to do a birthday outing with Daisy and her friends. We toyed around with several ideas and then decided to do a lake day. We took 12 teenage girls to the lake, and they had a lot of fun. 

The following Sunday, we had a family party for Daisy at our house. It was a week before her birthday because Scotty wanted to go backpacking the weekend of her birthday, and I didn't want him to have to try and rush home for Daisy's birthday party. Chances are, he could make it home in time with no problem, but since he would be out of cell phone range and I didn't want him to rush if safety became an issue, I decided we would just have Daisy's party a week early (then Scotty didn’t end up going). 

Finally, after lots of pre-celebrating, today is Daisy’s actual birthday! One of our birthday traditions is that our kids get to pick what they want for their birthday dinner. It’s rare that a birthday dinner takes place on their birthday, though (we usually have to do it on a different day). Our calendar worked out so that we could have Daisy’s dinner on her birthday. She wanted Papa Murphy’s pizza, so we bought some pizzas on Saturday and smoked them on the Traeger after church. 

If you do the math, this girl has essentially had three birthday parties!  Good thing she’s with celebrating!

Love It List

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #7:  

Love It

The "send later" feature on my phone

I always think of things I need/want to text people during hours when it isn't the most polite to send messages. I love that I can now schedule my texts to send at a specific time because I'm able to write them when I think of them, and they get delivered at a respectable hour. At least to people with iPhones. Other phones are just out of luck and have to deal with my texts at whatever hour I think to send them. 

The Ark Nova App

One of our favorite board games, Ark Nova, was released digitally in the summer, and now al I want to do all day is play Ark Nova on my phone.

Kitchen shears

I already proclaimed my love for kitchen shears this week, but they are important enough to me that I'll post about them twice. Today I used them to trim some flower stems, cut breakfast sandwiches in half, and cut sliced cheese into 9ths to put on crackers. 

Fall decorations

I always look forward to decorating for fall. This year is extra fun because I have a TV console in my living room that has shelves I can put decorations on (I bought it from the thrift store, of course). I've never had a lot of "surface area" for decorations, so I haven't been able to have a lot of shelf-type decor, but now I have a bunch of little cubbies to fill! I just hope it doesn't look too cluttered. That's always my concern. Now what my life is lacking is a mantle. I wish I had a mantle!

Super coarse body scrub and face scrub

I like feeling like I've sandpapered off a layer of skin. People make fun of the St. Ives apricot scrub of yesteryear, and I'm like, "No, that's what I want in life." I've never stopped using it (I didn't know society had turned its back on the scrub). 

My leopard print shoes

I have difficult feet. It's really hard for me to find shoes that fit, and it's even harder for me to find shoes that aren't incredibly painful on my feet. So I'm just really happy that I have a fun pair of leopard print shoes that I can wear. 

Tootsie Roll Mini Bites

These are my latest addiction. They are tiny, unwrapped Tootsie Rolls with a thin candy coating (the candy coating reminds me a bit of the chocolate flavored Tootsie Roll suckers). The only place I've found them (for a reasonable price) is at Smith & Edward's. 

Smith & Edward's

I've become a bit of a Smith & Edward's junkie lately. I think I've been there about ten times in the past six weeks. My most recent visit was to find a birthday present for my dad, get some stuff to send to Nicky in his first package from home, and replenish my stash of Tootsie Rolls. Soon I'll be going back to get a gift for Daisy for her "secret sibling" for a theatre trip and stocking stuffers (that time of year is coming).

Sweatshirts

I'm nowhere near being able to wear a sweatshirt right now, but I look at my closet everyday and long for the right temperatures. I run hot, so it has to be really cold before I can wear a sweatshirt, so it's still going to be a while.

Mobile ordering

Having my food ready when I get there? Yes, please! 

Walmart +

I never thought I would want my groceries delivered to my house, but I ended up signing up for Walmart + when they had their Black Friday deal (50% off) last year. It came with a free subscription to Paramount + and discounts on gas as well as a few other perks. We’ve been able to use it to pre-order our groceries when we travel, so we don’t have to go to the store. In Florida earlier this year, we had Walmart deliver to our VRBO about four times! We needed an additional suitcase for our kids Disney World purchases, and I was able to order one and have it delivered. Shortly after I became a Walmart + believer, I learned that my Sam’s Club membership offers free delivery as well, so now I have Sam’s Club visiting my porch regularly as well. 

I do enjoy going to the store from time to time just because I like to look around and pick my own stuff once in a while, but being able to make a grocery order and have it delivered to my house has been such a time saver! 

For informational purposes (and because people always ask about these things), Walmart has a $35 minimum and Sam’s Club has a $50 minimum for free delivery. Tips are optional, but I always give a tip. I figure it’s totally worth $5-10 to have something brought to my house. One thing people always say is, “But I want to pick my own produce.” That was a concern of mine, too, but if you are given produce you don’t like (or if anything in your order is damaged), you just submit for a return through the app, and they give you your money back. I’ve had a couple of produce items that I’ve “returned,” and it’s super easy and quick. You don’t have to actually return the item, they just give you a  refund.

My job

I really love my job! It’s been such a blessing to me. I am able to earn a little money (emphasis on the “little” - I do not make good money) but also have all the freedom I need to support and take care of my family. The “little” money is the trade off for being able to basically manage my own schedule and come and go as I need to. 

What do I do? 

I never know how explain it. We make frames and decorative prints. So I print images on canvas and frame them. I fill orders and ship them out to retailers -pharmacies and boutiques that sell gift items and such. I use power tools and occasionally shoot myself with a pin or take a chunk out of my finger with a staple remover. And once a week… I clean the toilets. 

Back in My Day

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #18:

Back in My Day

I stumbled across a graphic on Pinterest called, "Questions to Ask Old People," and thought it went well with today's prompt. In some ways, I am definitely "old people," but in other ways, I'm not. This prompt suited my pending elderliness. 

1. What was the biggest news story you remember from your youth?

Columbine and 9/11 both happened when I was in high school, and both of those events were huge and devastating. 

2. How did you spend your summers as a child?

I just stayed at home and watched my brothers.

3. How did your family celebrate holidays when you were growing up?

We usually had parties with extended family for Easter and Christmas. I had a step-dad that would pout and pick fights with everyone on holidays, so that has pretty much scarred me for life and given me weird holiday PTSD. 

4. What invention or modern technology has impressed you the most?

I'd have to say phones. In my lifetime, I've seen phones go from being a wall unit with a cord to being a tiny computer in the palm of my hand that controls my entire life. I've seen every size cell phone. And in addition to phones themselves, I was around for advances like answering machines, pagers, car phones (my grandpa had one - it was the weirdest, most frivolous thing), and caller ID. I remember my fourth grade teacher, who was kind of a computer nerd, telling us about caller ID, which was just starting to hit the scene, and I was like, "No way! There is no way a little box can tell you who's calling!" It just sounded so absurd and impossible! Can you believe that we used to just answer a phone without even knowing who's calling?  

5. How did you and your friends have fun when you were growing up?

We made the most embarrassing home videos. We are so lucky that social media didn’t exist and that all of our mortifying videos are safely stowed away on VHS and 8 mm tapes.

6. What advice would you give younger generations today?

None. Because they won’t listen anyway. Just like how I wouldn’t listen to anyone’s advice when I was young (and kind of still won’t). 

7. Did you travel when you were younger?

Not extravagantly. We mostly went camping, but I was able to go to Disneyland and Yellowstone once or twice. 

8. Did you ever break a bone or have an injury as a child?

No (and I almost dare not say it!) I got hit by a car when I was 15, though. I was okay - just a bit or road rash, but my bike (that I bought the day before) was totaled.

9.What was your favorite song or band when you were a teenager?

The 1996 Grammy award nominees compilation CD was everything to me!

I dedicated the song “One Sweet Day” to my dead dog, Kennedy, who was named after Blossom’s step-sister in the TV show Blossom. Is there anything more 90’s than all that?

I’m going to pause this post right now and go listen to it. 

10. What was your favorite holiday and why?

I liked most holidays the same amount. 

11. How did you stay informed about world events when you were younger?

TV news, newspaper, and word of mouth.

12. What sports or activities did you enjoy when you were younger?

I loved basketball and volleyball and wanted to play on teams so bad, but I never knew how to get involved in sports, and I never dared to try out for any school teams. So I just danced. I also really loved singing and would have loved to play an instrument, but again, I just didn’t know how to get involved. I still don’t really know how to be involved in those sorts of things. 

13. What's one thing you would tell your younger self?

Again, nothing. Because that girl won’t listen. This I know. 

If you know...

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #2: 

IYKYK

(If you know, you know)

The love and convenience of kitchen shears. 

I just got a new set a few weeks ago, and my admiration for kitchen shears is renewed. I like to have at least three pair because I use them multiple times a day. 

One might wonder how I could possibly have such a need for kitchen shears, but IYKYK.

Just Right

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #4:

Just Right

I want it to be 50 degrees outside, and I want to wear a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt. And I want to have a good hair day, and I want all of this to happen at Disneyland during a non-crowded week. And I want a hot, fresh churro in one hand and an ice cold Coke Zero in the other, and I want to sit down on a bench and have a parade go by unexpectedly. And I want to run into someone I know and be so excited to see them and go on a ride together and take a selfie. 

Yeah. That would be just right.

The last time I had a Disneyland churro (June 2024)

(socks explained here)

Pin This!

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #22:

Once Upon a Pinterest

I’m not sure where society stands on Pinterest these days. It seems to have fallen by the wayside and become a bit outdated. That’s fine. You know what else is outdated? Blogging, yet, here I am!

So, Pinterest. Whether or not people are still using it, we all know what it's like to be "under the influence." Maybe the pressure doesn't come primarily from Pinterest anymore in 2025, but it's out there, and if it’s not haunting you directly, it’s haunting someone in your life, so you’re never free from the second-hand effects of it! 

I enjoy a cute theme here and there, and I like things to look nice, but I also like things to be easy and practical. So I would consider myself quite “middle ground” when it comes to Pinterest-y things. I’m fussy about my Christmas tree, but I don't care that my furniture is mismatched and mostly thrifted. I love fresh paint, but I don’t want to pay for it or do the work, and I kind of like the freedom of not being upset when my son accidentally rams his head into the wall and leaves a big dent in it (which has happened twice, and then a few weeks before he left on his mission, he rammed his knee into a corner and damaged it). We live in a middle-class, outdated home from the 90’s. I have four kids, and we all hate cleaning. Our aesthetic is “kids live in this house, but you probably won’t get a disease here.” Cozy but practical. Messy but sanitary. Pinterest-worthy? Only if you are a champion of mediocrity and reality. If that’s up your alley, here are some glimpses of our home that might find their way onto your Pinterest board:

We have Legos (yes, “Legos” - I refuse to say “Lego” as plural) all over the house. If I put them away, they reappear. I’ve surrendered. 

Squishmallows have also become home decor. I used to opt for floral pieces and candles on the console, but now it’s just whatever Squishmallows turn up.

Before Nicky left, he put a bunch of photos of himself all over the house. 

 

When the kids clean the family room, a bunch of extra pillows end up on the couch (we keep them in the family room closet for movie watching, and they never end up getting put away). 

Eva’s bedroom door has a posting of rules. 

Our bookshelf always has a row of resin animals. My kids take turns hiding them around the house for each other. They line them up on the bookshelf as they find them. 

Zoe has a huge stash of cardboard in her room for her projects. This is probably one of the hardest compromises for me to make. I hate the cardboard so much! But Zoe thrives on it. 

She got so mad at me for throwing out her cardboard that she added a “security system” to her pile. 

Zoe has also decorated her room for Halloween. She says that the snowman is a Halloween decoration because it’s a “kid in a snowman costume.” 

At least she has a head start on Christmas decorations when it will probably transition to an actual snowman. 

Zoe has been hanging food containers on her wall. 

And she made a glitter light switch cover (which led to three weeks of glitter clean up). 

Last of all, we have the remnants of a snowflake dangling from our closet ceiling. It has been there since 2020 when my kids decorated my bedroom with snowflakes during COVID. 

I think when my kids grow up, they’ll have fun memories of getting to do creative things around our house. They won’t care what color the hand towels were or what condition the couches were in, but they’ll say things like “Remember how we used to hide the little resin animals all over the place?” And “Remember the time Nicky’s head went through the wall?” I like that that memory won’t include anything like, “And mom and dad were so mad!” Of course, we’d prefer that no one’s head go through the wall, but in the end, it’s just a wall. 

As much as their little offerings to the household aesthetic make me crazy sometimes, I know those are the things they cherish most. They like expressing themselves and having things around the house that represent their interests and creativity. 

And as far as Nicky and the walls go, he’s been too big for our house for the past ten years, and now he’s gone for two years, and we have something to remember him by!

My gigantic son in Puerto Rico