Greatest Gifts for {Our} Dad

I have an AMAZING hubby.

But as wonderful as he is as a hubby, he's even MORE AMAZING as a daddy.

The thing is, with Father's Day just around the corner, I'm stumped as to what the WORLD'S GREATEST DAD should get.  (And no, I refuse to purchase anything that says "WORLD'S GREATEST DAD").  His work is physically and mentally exhausting (and he doesn't wear ties), he has no hobbies like golf or fishing that he participates in on a regular basis, and he has every tool known to mankind.  So I've come up with a list of 10 things I'd love to give him...and these aren't your typical gifts (i.e., ties, lures, tools, etc.)

1. Deep Tissue Massage - The first time I scheduled him a massage, he almost made me cancel it.  He said "real men" don't get massages - it sounded too feminine.  I convinced him he would feel wonderful afterward (and it wouldn't tickle) so he reluctantly agreed to go.  WOW - is he converted!!  Our lady uses acupuncture, too, which was a little weird, but she gets the blood pumping and works out the knots like nobody's business!

2. Lawn Work - I mentioned earlier that his work is physically demanding.  He runs the family ranch, which in the summer consists of about 50 head of cattle and their babies, but in the fall, winter and spring bumps up to about 300 (we bring in about 250 calves to run on wheat pasture).  This keeps him hopping!  So, I figure, anytime we can pitch in and mow, edge, weed or trim, we should do it!

3. A Shop Building - Now...this is what I would do if money were no object.  The amazing hubby of mine loves to build things.  He is a fantastic craftsman and has built much of our furniture in addition to built-in bookcases for his brother and a deck/walkway for his parents.  The thing is, we don't really have anywhere except the garage for him to do this.  A dedicated space would be awesome for him to have!

4. A Hot Tub - Again, with unlimited funds, this would be another perfect gift.  A couple of times a year, we take off for the weekend and enjoy a hotel's hot tub.  Sometimes we take the monkeys and sometimes we go on our own.  It would be even better if we had one right outside our back door - How AWESOME would that be?  (And not just for him!!)

5. A Stadium Seat - We are a sports family.  We spend A LOT of time at fields, courts and diamonds.  Some of the bleachers are nice, some are non-existent, some were built in the '50s and have never been updated.  This makes for a seriously sore bum, but he's not one to complain.  He's too busy cheering on the kiddos to notice!

6. A gourmet, candlelight dinner for two - Now, this defeats the purpose of being a Father's Day gift since I wouldn't be including the monkeys, but, oh well!  And remember - this is a dream list.  I am not a gourmet chef by any stretch of the imagination.  In fact, most of the really good stuff we eat is because our amazing daddy has pushed us outside our comfort zone or he has cooked it himself!  I tell you, he'a a keeper!

7. A lifetime supply of Bottle Caps - These are the hubby's favorite candy.  Everytime I go to the store, I pick up a couple of boxes...IF they have them.  They are kinda hard to find. So, if I could, I would get him enough that he would never run out!

8. More Cows - My hubby really enjoys working with the cows.  He understands them...and how to make money with them.  His friends that dabble in the cattle business are always asking his advice on things like feeding, weaning, selling, etc.  And he knows it all!  It amazes me the knowledge that is in his brain!!

9. More Land for our cows - Right now we lease several different properties and our herd is split up.  It would be FANTASTIC if we could run them all in one place, all together.  That would be AMAZING!!  Of course, that would mean that we would need buckets of money and people who wanted to seel their land, but this is the gift wish list, right?

10. A New Truck - The hubby has been driving his current truck since before the tween-monkey was born!  I've had two vehicles in between (I know - spoiled) and his truck has over 200,000 miles on it.  He says it still runs really well (it's a Ford F-150) and is in great shape so why would we want to buy a new one and spend all that money?  So... as gifts go, I think this would be a great one that he wouldn't buy for himself!

But here is the thing...Even if I (or the kids) got him one or all of the above listed things, it still wouldn't come close to repaying him for all the times he sacrificed, volunteered, coached, loved, listened, stayed up late worrying, praying, and just plain caring for all of us.

WE LOVE YOU DADDY!!!  (And we'll keep thinking of something good for Father's Day!)

Love you all,

Rulissa

**writing prompt provided as part of Mama Kat's writer's workshop**

Thankful Thursday

A blogger I follow is experiencing some new & unexpected health problems. She has a constant ringing in her ears caused by some nerve damage that will most likely be permanent. This got me thinking of things that I take for granted on a daily basis. So, I'm linking up with There's Just One Mommy today to share with you some things I'm thankful for... (not a complete list and in no particular order!)

1. I'm thankful for the faith we have that allows me to stay home with our monkeys.

2. I'm thankful for my new pillow that supports my neck and head just right!

3. I'm thankful for my bible so I can delve deeper into God's will for my life.

4. I'm thankful for the ice cold coke my amazing hubby bought me on his way home from work last night.

5. I'm thankful for my friend who took the time to help me sort out monkey boy's school issues. Thanks, Anna!! You're a peach!

Now, there are tons more things (spiritual & temporal) that I am thankful for, so I think I will continue this series for awhile!!!

Feel free to leave me a note- what are you thankful for?

Love you all,

Rulissa

My Life in Pictures - March

Goodness!  Another month has flown by...I can't believe it is April!!  This past month was a challenge for me.  I'm not sure why, but I lost all my motivation to do anything!  (You may have noticed that by my lack of posting!)  Taking a picture a day was no different.  In fact - I'm amazed it happened at all...but it did, so here I am to share My Life In Pictures for March.  I hope you enjoy them!!

March 1 - How 'bout a little corn with your butter, Princess?  We LOVE our corn around here.  And can't wait until we get some fresh from the garden.  The drought cooked most of it last summer, so our taste buds are craving it something bad!!

March 2 - Tween Monkey's basketball team made it to regionals!  They are soooo pumped!  We stopped for dinner before their first game.  I don't think they like the camera at this age - if they do, it's only so they can practice their "teen angst" look!

March 3 - I'm working on a hand-painted project for our new house...if we ever get a new house!

March 4 - I was going to make fajitas so I bought a whole bunch of tortillas.  Then I ended up not making them but still had a whole bunch of tortillas.  The amazing hubby had the idea to make them into a sweet and crunchy snack for the monkeys. They were TASTY!!  

March 5 - We are updating a corral on the farm, so the amazing hubby dug holes while I kept the auger straight.  Then he mixed concrete while I kept the posts straight.  TEAMWORK!!

March 6 - Monkey Boy had his first baseball practice today.  Excited does not even begin to cover it.  His best buddy at his new school just happens to be on this team, too, so that doubled his excitement!

March 7 - Had some yogurt and bananas that needed to be used, so I put together some breakfast smoothie freezer bags so we could make them quickly.  They are yummy to our tummies!!

March 8 - Made the Pioneer Woman's chicken parmesan.  Everyone loved it, had seconds and left me with the cleanup!

March 9 - Princess wanted to paint so we got out the watercolors today.  Super easy project - used coffee filters (whole) and used the watercolors to paint circles around them.  Then we cut them in half and taped them to the door.  One of the plusses of the coffee filters is you can see the rainbows from both sides of the door.

March 10 -  Cinnamon rolls (from the tube) + waffle maker = Dinner for Monkeys

March 11 - I am struggling with the kids in a couple of areas (namely, respect and kindness) so I thought this would help us both.  Something that I learned though is that God isn't judging me on my results.  He just wants me to keep doing His will and not grow weary in well-doing... (Galatians 6:9)

March 12 - Sometimes it drives Princess crazy that she doesn't get to go to school yet like the bubs.  Those are the days we do "homework" for her.  She is so smart!!

March 13 - Did I mention I don't like nuts?  Well, I found this recipe for Pecan Crispies and decided to pulverize the pecans so I wouldn't have to bite into one.  They were so good - why didn't I think of this before?!

March 14 - Homework for the Tween Monkey.  He doesn't have near as much fun as Princess does!

March 15 - We have the best orthodontist EVER!  They have cool glasses to shade your eyes when they lay you back and PSPs to play while you are waiting.  The boys don't complain AT ALL!!

March 16 - Today was ballet day, but I was running late so we didn't get to go.  Instead, we got dressed up and did ballet in the living room at Grammy's house!  Almost as good!!!  And I used my new Instagram app - what do you think?

March 17 - Had a get together with friends from church and Monkey Boy got his game on at the ping-pong table...Yes, McKenzie - I did just take your picture! :-)

March 18 - Yummy!  I took a lot of pictures of food this month!!  This is a new recipe - Salted Caramel Bars.  I tried them out on my church friends at lunch today and they were a hit!  No nuts, no chocolate...delicious!

March 19 - It rained all last night and this morning.  When the sun came out, Princess had to get her rainboots out and go puddle jumping!  Look at that splash!!

March 20 - The boys got their eyes dilated and Monkey Boy was trying to see what it looked like.  Instead of going to the mirror like a normal person, he took a picture of himself with the camera.  Just go with it...I do!

March 21 -  The Kansas cousins were in town for Spring Break.  The kids spent most of the day outside, but took a break for "coffee time" and watched a Ghost Hunters International episode.

March 22 - "unless"...Did you see the Lorax?  I had never read the book, but fell in love with the movie.  It had a great message.  Unless you do something, who will?

March 23 - Went to the museum with the Twinkies and Nanny.  It was a big, Big, BIG day for all!

March 24 - I'm quitting my Bare Minerals.  This is my new foundation brush.  I've never used one before, but I really like it!  I think I'm a convert. 

March 25 - The Hunger Games... Have you heard of this book?  You have?  Hmmm...I guess I'm the last to know again!

March 26 - The amazing hubby had to channel his inner lumberjack in order to repair some fence today.  I just got to sit back and watch.  I love my job!

March 27 - Do you notice anything strange about this cow?  We drove up and both were amazed at the faux-hawk she was sporting...Had to take the picture and show Monkey Boy (that is his signature hair style).  I wonder how she did that?!

March 28 - Well, now I'm addicted.  I read all three books over a span of 4 days.  Yes...they were good.  Now I have to go see the movie!

March 29 - The lavender on my front porch smells so great.  I'm thinking of drying it so I can smell it all year long.  Anyone know how to do that?

March 30 - I love this candy.  I don't usually pick it up at the store, but they've been running commercials for it and I'm a sucker for advertising!

March 31 - The kids spent the afternoon in the garage throwing darts.  (This was a good game - some of the darts ended up stuck in the wall!)

So - that was my month...How was yours?

Love you all,

Rulissa

Tween Speak

Do you have a teenager or an almost teenager? Well, I do. He's a tweenager.

I can tell you that, so far, this is NOT my favorite stage. I'll take the Terrible Twos ANYDAY!!!! We get a lot of fighting, door slamming, eye rolling, etc.

But the language! That is what drives me bonkers! (I'm a word girl, remember?) This is some of what I hear on a daily basis...

"Uh-huh"
"Fine"
"Okaaaayyyyyy"
"Sure, Mom"

But I realized something today as I was dropping him off at school...

When I say "I love you" and he says, "Uh-huh," what he really means is, "Thanks, I need to know someone cares."

When I ask how a test went, he always says "Fine." But, what he wants to say is "I aced it! Thanks for helping me study those vocab words!"

And when his dad tells him "I'm really proud of how you played and stayed tough," the response we get is "Okaaayyy." But what he really means is, "Gee, Dad. It means a lot to me that you come to my games and are so encouraging. A lot of others dads don't do that at all!"

But, my favorite is when I ask him to be a good example for his siblings and he says, "Sure, Mom," and then...he actually is a good example.

Now, I'm not an adolescent psychologist or anything, but I think, if we all took a second to understand the meanings behind the words, there would be much fewer fights, and door slams, and eye rolls, and... Know what I mean?

Anyway- I wish you much luck with your tweenager! I know the definitions will change, but now I'm ready!!!

Love you all,

Rulissa

Word of the Week - Encourage

And the word of the week is...

This weekend Tween Monkey played basketball, just like he does almost every Saturday this time of year.  And his team won by a really big margin (44-2).  But this post isn't about his team.  It's about the team they played.  I think this other team has won maybe one game all season. They are coached by a teenager - maybe college-aged.  You would think that these kids would be disgusted or disheartened by now, but they always come to play and always play their best.  And this weekend I figured out why.

I was asked to keep score, so I was down on the court with the coaches.  And I noticed something about this other coach.  He NEVER said anything negative.  I mean nothing,  Not even things that sound like compliments, but are really not like, "Nice block, but you should have..."  Everything he said was an encouragement to his team, even when they were down by 40 with no time left - he was still encouraging them.  I truly believe this is the key to his team's attitude week in and week out.  And that got me thinking...

What about my words???  Do they build up or tear down???

When I speak to my kids, am I letting them know how much I love them or am I telling them I think they are idiots?  Now, let's be clear...I would never call my kids idiots, but sometimes my tone says it loud and clear. Do I treat them with respect?  Do I encourage them in their dreams?  I would like to say that I do, but I know that sometimes, my words tear down instead of build up.  I'm going to work on that this week...will you join me in thinking before you speak?  Let's all be a little more encouraging today.

Love you all,

Rulissa

A Few of My Favorite Things...

One of the things I am striving for is to be more intentional.  To see the things around me that bring my joy.  I thought I'd share some of them, along with random pictures of our snowy day we had this week....

Holding my hubby's hand

The sound of my children laughing

Anything chocolate (as long as it's the right kind of chocolate)

Rainbows

Crackling fires

My UGGs

Singing

80's music

How I Met Your Mother

Watching the Monkey Princess dance

Jeremiah 17:7

Bean Dip Nachos

Chili's Chicken Crispers

Homemade whip cream

Listening to Monkey Boy read to me

OU Football

Mexican Food

Long talks with the bestie (I miss her...)

life:beautiful magazine

Watching Tween Monkey play ball

Discussing the bible with my Father-in-law

Roasting marshmallows

My hubby's prayers

Facebook

This blog

Meeting new people

Not cooking

John Cusack movies

Brat Pack movies

Spending the days with the Princess

Yellow

Orange

Fall

Sewing

Reading my Bible

Dr Seuss

NOT having to change diapers anymore

Homemade gifts

Popcorn

John Grisham books

Sophie Kinsella books

Karen Kingsbury books

OK - Books...

Eating ice cream on rainy days

Rainy days

Sunsets

Star gazing in the country

The howl of coyotes (not actual coyotes, just their howl)

Absolute Zero Monster drinks

Red hair

And you guys...

Love you all,

Rulissa