Keep to the right…

Since the freeway exit to my home is blocked off, I chose to travel home by the way of Geneva Road.  I noticed that the break lights  on the cars in front of me getting brighter and that there huge bright lights in this one particular area of the road.   I was starting to complain (in my mind) about all of the construction that was happening.  I am getting so tired of it.  As I got closer, it was not construction, it was a Sherriff’s checkpoint.  There were huge signs that said, “Keep to the right, Sherriff’s checkpoint.”  It was quite fascinating.  I started to get a little nervous…why was there a Sherriff’s checkpoint so close to my home?  As I approached the area, I noticed that there were several vehicles off to the side…open alcohol containers on top of the vehicles, people walking lines, Sherriff’s handcuffing people…such a sad situation.  I wanted to take some cool pictures because this would be an awesome blog entry… I took one.  Yes, only one picture and it isn’t that great.  I was too scared to get caught taking pictures and driving.  HA HA! 

Then, it was my time to roll down my window.  The first and second Sherriff waved me on by and then…the third one stopped me.  He asked if the first two guys explained what was happening.  I responded that they hadn’t.  Then, he explained that they were having a alcohol checkpoint.  He asked, “Have you had anything to drink tonight?”  I told him that the only thing that I had was a diet coke.  He laughed and told me to be careful that there were a lot of people out tonight. 

As I drove away, I started thinking…do they ask everyone if they have had a drink tonight?  Are people that are under the influence of alcohol answer, “Yes, Mr. Sherriff, I have had a few beers tonight?”  Are they that open and honest when they are drunk?  Hmm…not sure. 

Hope your drive home today was safe!

~Michelle

I turn on my computer every morning…

Every morning when I arrive at work, I turn on my computer and the following image appears… I am grateful for this quote…it means a lot to me and it helps me be a better person throughout the day. I love constant reminders!Hope you are having an amazing day!

~Michelle

I realized a few things today…

I realized a few things today…

I realized that I can sleep 8 hours straight and  enjoy it.  Yes, last night was the first time that I have slept that long in a VERY LONG time! What a great day to be alive!

I realized that I make the most incredible delicious peanut butter & honey masterpiece.

I realized that the diet coke in the refrigerator in my dad’s shop is much colder than those in their house.  HUZZAH!!!

 

I realized that I can never have too many pencil sharpeners for my colored pencils. UGH…I keep misplacing them.

I realized that I never get bored while driving in my car.  There is always something to do, something to think about, something to listen to or something to look at.

In the scriptures, we read, “…but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass…”  I know that this is true.  Small and simple things to do bring great and amazing things.   Have a delightful day!!

~Michelle

I love to draw a line through accomplished tasks.

I am a huge list maker. I know that I have said it so many times.  I am always creating a list.  A list of things to accomplish, a list of groceries, a list of books I want to read, a list of movies I want to see, a list of clothes to wear during the month…I seem to create a list for everything and anything.  I get an amazing thrill crossing off an item.  There is something about drawing a line through a word or a sentence that gives me a sense of accomplishment.  Tonight, I looked at my forever “To Do” list.  I haven’t been able to accomplish all the things that I wanted to this week and was feeling a tad bit overwhelmed.  These past couple of weeks, I have been extremely busy in every aspect of my life. 

As I pondered over this list, I wonder if it is even possible to ever have all of these important items crossed off. Personally, I don’t think so because I seem to add to it every single day.  Maybe it would be possible if I didn’t let other things, people, and situations get in the way.  But…that isn’t me.  I learned my lesson a long time ago and I was reminded of it once again as I chatted with my sweet little niece.

Several years ago, my grandpa was on this earth.  He was an amazing man and such a great example to me.  My hero.  The week prior to his passing from this life to the next, I received many many promptings to visit him.  My grandparents only lived less than five minutes away and it wouldn’t have taken too much effort to drop by his home.  I found that when I received these promptings, I would push them out of my mind because I felt that I was too busy to visit with him.  The promptings were strong and I still can remember feeling the importance of visiting with him.  All week long, I pushed those feelings out of my mind telling myself that I would visit him on the weekend.  I was too busy wish school, I was too busy with friends and I was too busy with life. 

I planned on visiting him on the Saturday of that week.  Saturday morning came and the phone rang.  I still remember every detail of the conversation.  It is still so vivid in my mind.  He was transported to the hospital in critical condition.  He never did wake up again.  I remember pleading with my Heavenly Father…asking Him if I could have one more chance with my grandpa.  All I wanted to do is tell him that I loved him and that I was so sorry I didn’t heed to the promptings of the Spirit.  I was not granted my plea.

I will never forget that experience because it has made me realize how important it is to act upon the promptings of the Spirit.  It has made me realize how delicate life can be and sometimes we only have a few chances to love or care for a person.  I know that I am a busy person but I hope and pray that I am never too busy to lend a helping hand, to lend a listening ear, to give a hug, to send a text message, email or letter, to smile, to say I love you or to drop by for a visit…I pray that I continue to have amazing promptings to help and bless others.  I feel crossing off these amazing celestial experiences on our eternal list is more rewarding than crossing off a few words written on a piece of paper that really doesn’t have a lot of significance.

Just my thoughts,

~Michelle

S’mores Cookie Cracker Bars…so simple!

Aw…I love to find and try out new recipes.  I know that I have said that many times but it is the simple truth.  I have a passion for it. So, when I was given this recipe, I needed to try it.  (Thanks Gabby!) They looked so delicious and the recipe seemed so simple.  Let me just say…I wasn’t disappointed.

S’mores Cookie Cracker Bars

12 (5x2 1/2 –inch) graham crackers
¾ cup butter
¾ cup brown sugar
3 cups miniature marshmallows
4 milk chocolate candy bars, broken into pieces
(1 cup chocolate chips)

Heat oven to 350⁰F. Line 15x10x1 inch jelly-roll pan with aluminum foil leaving a 1-inch overhang on ends; spray foil with cooking spray. Place graham crackers onto foil so that sides touch.

Melt butter and brown sugar in medium sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and mixture just comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Pour evenly over crackers.  Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove pan from oven; sprinkle with marshmallow and candy bar pieces. Continue baking until marshmallows begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Cool completely. Lift from pan using foil. Cut into bars.

They were so simple to make!!

Happy baking!

~Michelle

Toliet seats come in all different sizes, shapes & styles…who knew?

I would say that I am pretty independent. I take pride that I can fix the basic things around my home. A couple of years ago, I received a power screwdriver for Christmas from my parents. I love it.  With this handy tool, I can tighten or loosen things in the matter of seconds. It is awesome!

The other day, I noticed that my toilet seat was loose. I grabbed my trusty power screwdriver and tightened the screws…a little too much. The result…a cracked toilet seat. It was too late to drop by the store to purchase a new one. I just had to deal with the cracked one for the time being.

Have you ever sat on a cracked toilet seat? If not, let me share…they pinch. The result…an ugly bruise.

Not wanting to cause any more damage to my…well, you know which part of my body. I removed the toilet seat. I have another bathroom in the house that I can use until I purchased a new one.  This definitely was NOT a problem.

In the middle of the night, I got up to go to the bathroom. I forgot that I removed the toilet seat. OUCH!  Yes, I fell in!

Tonight…I was not going to take the chance of forgetting again.  So, off to Home Depot I went.

Did you know that there are all different shapes, sizes and styles of toilet seats? I do now. That is ok…I was prepared. I had taken pictures of what my toilet seat looked like. I was too embarrassed to take my toilet seat into the store. From my pictures, it looked like my toilet seat was oval. It wasn’t.

Back to home depot again…to return the oval toilet seat. I wasn’t going to purchase the wrong one again so, with toilet seat in my hand I headed into Home Depot.  The lady at the return desk tried to make me feel better by telling me…”Oh, you would be surprised what people bring in to make sure that they purchase the right size, shape or style?”  Her kind words didn’t help…I was still 108% embarrassed! 

Tonight…I decided that I didn’t want to be independent. It would have been much easier to have someone else take care of it. But then…I wouldn’t have learned that there were many different shapes, sizes and styles of toilet seats.

`Michelle!