Where Are My Sisters ?

My youngest son, Spencer, just turned two around Thanksgiving.  He IS the last child for my wife and I - this is a certainty!

Spencer hates to be alone or without his siblings (or his mommy).  At church, he is now old enough to attend Nursery, where he can play and eat snacks with other toddlers his age.  Today I am especially thankful for sweet Sisters in the Church who are trying to help him learn how to cope with these short separations from family (it will be hard for him to learn anything at school if he cannot be separated from siblings or family members for more than a few minutes).  His separation anxiety screaming today caused me to reflect on some pictures I took of him over the last few months.  I hope you find them as heartwarming as I do.

The Case girls were sleeping in the Movie Room ...
and Spencer didn't want to miss out.
So he was very sneaky and made his way into the room,
falling asleep next to his 'favorite' sister (Myra, age 4 here).

Myra helped make Spencer a mini-bed (in his bedroom)
out of the chair cushion and his handmade-by-mommy blanket.
His smile HAS TO make you smile!

One evening, while Karen and I were chatting,
we noticed that Spencer had wandered off.
A quick search revealed that he had gone to the basement
and had fallen asleep outside his sister's bedroom
(he obviously couldn't get the door open or he'd be inside).
The hallway was completely dark when I found him -
and he hates the dark - but not as much as he missed his sisters!

Song Of The Day:
Sundays are great for a capella music and probably my favorite a capella group is the one my cousin sings Bass for: Eclipse 6.  One of their Christmas CDs includes the song "Lullaby" and it is a beautiful tune any time of year - but I can also imagine Mary singing this to the baby Jesus and it warms my heart in a different way.  I hope you like it.

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Early Bedtime ?

This evening I am going to bed early.  Like really early.  Like right after writing this post early.  Yeah, check that time and you'll see I'm talking about before 8:00pm.

This is, of course, a rarity for me, but this is NOT the first time I have prescribed an early bedtime for myself.  Every so often, it becomes evident that my body and brain need a reboot of sorts.  I am hopeful that catching this feeling now and forcing myself to go to sleep when I'm truly tired, will help me avoid the typical migraine that ensues when my brain and body need a reboot.

I suppose only time will tell, but at this moment I am ready to sleep.  I know my wife and I send our kids to bed early when they seem to need it (see: extra grumpy, quick to fight with their siblings, or starting to fall asleep at dinner).  Almost always this works very well and the next day is much better for everyone involved.  I am hoping the same logic applies for me.

Good night!

Song Of The Day:
Because an early bedtime doesn't have to be just for kids, I think lullabies should have to be either.  So Billy Joel can sing me to sleep tonight with his tune "Lullaby" even though it's really not for me.
I also love the song "Lullaby" by my cousin's a capella group Eclipse, and listening to it is a relaxing way to head to sleep.

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Worth Every Penny ?

I have had several experiences recently where I have spent money on things that were "wants" and not "needs."  That said, I am convinced that whether something is a want or a need is not the only criteria for whether or not it was wise to spend money on.  A better measurement would be to ask yourself "Did I get a good value for the money I spent?"  In business this boils down to ROI (return on investment), but we often do not think of our ROI on a more personal level.

Here are three recent examples where I realized that my ROI was good, great, or an absolute steal:
 - Landscape Story #1 ... Part of our front yard plan involves removing rocks from several areas and expanding our grass, or installing decorative borders and mulch (around the shrubs, bushes, and tree).  Moving rocks is good, hard, physical labor.  It is rewarding but exhausting.  So in two separate situations, I hired my two oldest sons to clear one section of rock together for $50, and I hired my nephew Alex to move rocks from 3 other sections for $50 each.  Trust me when I say, that $200+ investment was a very good deal.  My back is especially grateful!

 - Music ... While I enjoy "free" anything, including music, there are some songs, artists, or genres that I want access to on a variety of listening devices.  I purchased a six-song EP from my cousin's a capella group, where they cover several recently popular songs.  I have listened to these songs for hours over the past week or two, on neighborhood evening walks with my wife, while working in the yard, and at work while reading business updates.  The $7 has been returned to me in hours of enjoyment as I appreciate the harmonies and unique arrangements of familiar tunes.

 - Lanscape Story #3 ... In order to install sprinklers in our large front easement, I needed to punch a hole under the sidewalk.  This is also a laborious task that sounds much easier than it actually is.  After digging with shovels and shovel-like tools for a few hours, I went to the store and bought a 5-foot piece of 4-inch wide pvc pipe to push through the hole under the sidewalk.  Using a crowbar as a hammer, and some brute force, I was able to finish the tunnel in less than 30 minutes.  That was well worth the $4 it cost for the pvc pipe, even if I never re-use it.

So before you allow yourself to feel good or guilty about spending money on "non-essential" items, just think about the ROI you will get from them.  If it is equal to or greater than the price, I say BUY !!!  :)


Song Of The Day:
It almost seems unfair to pick just one song to share, but it's gotta be "Haven't Met You Yet" by Eclipse.  My cousin James sounds excellent on this one and is featured prominently!  Love this version better than the original!  If you're wondering, my cousin is dropping that beastly bass line (wearing the glasses).

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What's A Peep S'more ?

I'm sure pretty much everyone knows what s'mores are.  If not, educate yourself (like Smalls had to do in the Sandlot) before reading the rest of this post.

Okay ... so a standard s'more has two pieces of graham cracker with chocolate bar mushed between one or two marshmallows (personal preferences include many variations on this basic theme).

Well ... Peep S'mores simply replace the plain marshmallow with a roasted Peep.  And they are delicious!

Our friends, the Summers' family, introduced us to these a while back ... and we have passed on the tasty tradition to several other families along the way.


It might look burnt, but
trust me, that is just the
sugar crystallized.  Tasty!

There is just something that happens when the sugary surface of the Peep crystallizes over the coals of the camp fire ... it's like a creme brulee sort of juxtaposition between the gooey soft marshmallow in the center and the nearly rock-hard Peep shell on the outside.  Then when you smash that between two graham crackers around some chocolate (that should melt fully and quickly if you've done it right) ... oh it's just soooo good!

And as a side note you should know that I hate marshmallows.  I don't eat them plain.  I don't like them in my hot chocolate.  I often avoid candies that include marshmallow.  But I like s'mores ... and I LOVE Peep S'mores!

Song Of The Day:
Okay ... stick with me on this because it's a stretch for the song today.  I am going with "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" by my cousin's a capella group Eclipse.  This is a beautifully spiritual song, so please don't think I am being sacrilegious by using it in this context.  But Peeps are often shaped like birds and you have to keep your eye on them very closely while toasting them or they will fall off into the fire and your s'more will just never be the same.  :)

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How Much Am I Going To Regret This ?

This evening I followed through on a commitment I made, which was to play volleyball with some friends from church.  Truth be told, I have halfway committed to going to play for the past year now ... so it was long overdue for me to do this.

I was surprised at how quickly my (limited) skills came back.  My serve was pretty solid.  It's never been overpowering or anything, but I had several aces so that was nice.  We were only playing 3 on 3 so there was limited opportunity for spikes or blocks, but I had a few of each and that was nice too.  My mobility was much better than I hoped for, but that leads me to my blog post title question ... how bad am I going to hurt tomorrow because of this?  Two hours of volleyball isn't a ridiculous amount ... unless you haven't played for 2 years (like me).

Worse yet, I came home tired but not sleepy.  Compounding this by indulging in a large bowl of Mint Chocolate Cookie ice cream (it's my favorite flavor by Blue Bell) as I checked Facebook and read some articles on USA Today.

So I write this blog post thinking about the ...


Song Of The Day:
I've always liked the music of the Plain White T's (since I first heard of them anyway).  They have many songs that are in my Top 100 most played ("1, 2, 3, 4" ... "Rhythm Of Love" ... etc.) so when I heard "Should've Gone To Bed" on the radio tonight, I was very pleased to find out that they are the ones who sing it.  That song is fitting for me almost every night.  I'm such a night owl and most of the time should just go to bed (even if I can't sleep for a while I would at least let my tired body rest).

Tell me the truth though ... can't you just hear a mash-up of this song and "22" by Taylor Swift?!  Here's the BEST version of that song by my cousin's group Eclipse.  A capella of course!

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You Really Shaved It ?!

A curse upon all ye who wished for the Denver Broncos to lose yesterday, if only because you really wanted me to shave my awful (and magnificent) beard.
(I'm talking directly to YOU, Kevin and Amy Amsden!)  :)

So below are links to the videotaped demolition of my beloved Bronco Beard.

Bronco Beard Removal - Part 1

Bronco Beard Removal - Part 2

If you don't have time to watch the 3-4 minutes of videos, here are some pictures taken at various stages during the process.
Me personally?  I'd skip the videos.



The Final Bronco Beard

My version of "Mutton Chops"

How YOU Doin' ?! ... Ladies!

I hope you're happy!  (Sarcastic tone is hard to type!)

Song Of The Day
Today's song of the day is on the spiritual side and it's not related to the beard-shaving at all.  Instead it is related to a great musical number that was performed by Lou and Jared Burton in Oakwood Sacrament Meeting today.
They did not sing "All Creatures Of Our God And King" but this version by Eclipse (an a capella group my cousin James Case sings bass for) reminds me of the awesome sound and uplifting spirit their (Lou and Jared) singing of "Be Still My Soul" brought me today.