My Hippy Dudes

Nathan and Braden had their appointments with Dr Tompkins at Shriner's Hospital yesterday. As in most comparable situations, we got some good news and some bad news. I'll start with the good news.

Things look great for Braden right now. His femoral ball is definitely in the collapsing mushroom shape, but the steroids from his surgery in September seem to be doing the trick to keep him pain-free and not limping for now. He's normally a perky and easy-going boy, so it will be easy for us to recognize any decline as his hip starts to eventually disintegrate--for lack of a better description. He has a fancy problem called Legg-Perthy's disease, which is the dying of the bone inside the hip socket in children. It happens in adults too and is typically called Osteonecrosis--since it's the dying of a fully mature bone, at that point. But kids are a little tricky because they are pre-wired to grow bones, not kill bones. And for some reason unbeknownst to any earthly being, Braden was born with a compromised blood supply to his left hip and was diagnosed with this anomaly at the sweet age of three. His gait and leg positioning was classified as "on the extreme side of normal" then, with the promise that we'd just see what happens as he gets older and taller. We feel pretty fortunate that we've only had to start "treating" the disease this year--six years after the original diagnosis.

When Dr Tompkins went into the hip back in September, he said that he would have to have the exact same surgery on Braden that Nathan had last January. (Talk about having that sinking feeling going through you!) And he said that the odds of this happening in the same family from completely different causes was 1 in a million. Wow. Lucky us! So somewhere between the age of 14-15 years old, he'll be split open from mid thigh to high waist, and have the femoral ball ground down and repositioned inside the socket. Or cut off, rounded and repositioned with plates and screws. It's a pretty grueling surgery (Nathan's was 7+hours), and will include several months of recovering and physical therapy for sure. Oh, the things we look forward to.

As a parent--I just want both boys to be normal, healthy kids when all the work is done. Normal--as in walk, put their own socks on, and go to their room (downstairs) when I tell them to!

These surgeries are so sophisticated and impressive in the results...for which I'm extremely grateful to live in a day and age that we have such miraculous abilities to heal and correct problems...but at the same time, I have a little bit of that "Why us?" attitude to work through. My boys were built for and bound for boy stuff--like typical roughhousing, football, soccer, karate, and trampolines. But now those activities are forever shelved and we need to foster a love of some solo sports--like swimming, cycling, and low (and if possible NO-impact) aerobic exercise. That's a little tough since my chatty boys would rather be involved in team sports rather than the lonely ones. So we have some more things to brace ourselves over and to work on in the upcoming years.

Now for Nathan. He's a little upset right now and I don't even know what to tell him to help him through the next few weeks. The x-rays didn't look too good. He's been complaining of aggravating pain in the upper socket. I put him off a bit about getting him in sooner because of the holidays and because we had an appointment scheduled already. But so glad we didn't wait any longer. Dr Tompkins said that it looks like his hip has collapsed a bit more and the screws are impinging in the hip socket. What does that mean? The bones have healed together but the screw tips has gone through the femoral ball and are scraping down his hip bone when he moves. In short--LOADS of pain and discomfort.

(picture from his check-up in August 2011)

We were told that Nathan's case was pretty serious and was the second worst case this team at Shriner's had even seen. Our odds for a great recovery were small and truth to tell--he has not had the best outcome hoped for. But in contrast, he had SO much pain relief from the newly ground down femoral ball, that the doctors were shocked that he was moving along in his recovery so well. He was determined to get back to school, get out of the wheelchair, off the walker, and in front of the crutches. He wanted to see his friends and get back into a "normal" routine, although he went through five months of physical therapy and several more months of swimming lessons this year.

In August, the x-rays showed that he had lost about an inch of bone length on his left side. He was limping...and because it was so exaggerated, we thought it was a learned behavior. Not so, come to find out. He got two new pair of shoes and under doctor's orders, we had 1" lifts added to them. [Let me just add--at $60 a shoe, not including the cost to actually purchase the shoe first, lifts are NOT for the vain, because you couldn't afford to alter more than one or two at a time. So he got his new school shoes and a pair of dress shoes for church done. So much for variety ;] But even with the lifts, the limping has been getting worse and worse. His body is trying to compensate for the immobility and poor muscle structure in his bum hip and so it throws the weight distribution to the opposite knee and leg, contorting his body line into an S-shape.

With the testing yesterday, it was determined that the hardware needs to come out to stop the screws from scraping the other bones. And the surgeon is hoping that while they are in the socket, they can get a better look at what's going on behind the femoral ball. After he heals a bit, he'll have to go back to the motion lab and reevaluate the degrees and angles that would work best for his mobility. Then we'll have to move to the next step from there. He refuses to use a cane, even though that would probably benefit him a lot right now. He refuses adamantly to even consider using it at school. Kids would never tease or taunt, right? Ugh! They have an elevator to get to the upper level, and come to find out--he's never used it. That will be changing when the kids go back to school... Mom will see to that!

Hip Fusion. That was the latest possibility brought up by Dr Tompkins for Nathan. He said that studies are showing that since teenage boys are "harder" on their hips then girls (what?--'ya think?), fusions seem to work better and last longer in males. Some are showing that they are lasting 10-20 years before hip replacements are needed. That sounds like a piece of cake compared to what we've been preparing ourselves for. We've already gotten used to the idea that Nathan will probably have his first hip replacement while he's still living at home (sometime between the ages of 15-20), but 40 sounds really good!

So Nathan is going in for another surgery almost a year to the date from his last ordeal. Obviously, he won't be in nearly as long as last time--and we're definitely praying for good results and pain-relief for him. It will be nice to actually have the doctor see with his own eyes what is going on inside that hip--rather than trying to guess what is not seen between bones. A cat scan was a possibility, but with work needing to be done anyway, a first-hand look is the best option right now. So on January 3, 2012, Nathan goes in for his 8th surgery.

He's bummed. But he is a true optimist. Just before the appointment, he was going through and listing off last four years in order and how he's had one or two surgeries in each year. He was hoping that 2012 would break the cycle. But it's not to be. So then he decided that it would be better to not hurt then worry about breaking the cycle. Very mature understanding for an 11 year-old, so I thought.

And so Nathan also informed us that he should benefit from this malady a little more, like with a trip to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, his last meal before the big Surgery day to be at the Olive Garden, and to have his best friends come over and hang out the day before. As parents, we aren't putting up too much resistance to his requests, because in all honesty--it sucks to be him right now and if movies, play dates, his favorite meal, or a few new toys distract him from the agonizing pain--they're his!

Introducing....MOLLY!

Our family grew yesterday with the addition of a cute little puppy. She is an 8 week-old purebred Boston Terrier that we purchased from an elderly couple in Sandpoint, Idaho. She was one of 6 living pups. [There was a seventh, but it was stillborn.]

I took Nathan with me for company on the drive and to hold the puppy on the way home. He didn't know where we were going and I only told him that we were going to pick up something I was getting Dad for Christmas. He didn't question anything until we got to Newport (60 miles or so north of here) and then he asked if we were almost there yet. The joke was on him. He about jumped out of his skin when we got there and the breeder chuckled and said "Looks like some boy is getting a dog today..." Nathan started fist-pumping the air. He didn't realize it was a puppy until we got to the back of the house where they kept the babies with their parents.

All of the puppies were adorable, but we really wanted a female--which narrowed our choice down to just two puppies. One girl slept our whole visit and so we went with the outgoing and social one :)

I'm not an expert by any means, but I think her markings are pretty good. Her coat has a great shine and she's eating puppy chow. And like all puppies, she's cutting her teeth on toys. [Look at that little tail sticking up! So funny to watch her chase that thing and get nowhere!]

She really likes the ball and pull toys that we picked up for her on the way home. I bought a pink harness and leash for her. She's definitely getting comfortable in her new home.

The Christmas tree was an instant hit. She fights with some of the lower branches and likes to hide near the base. It's been more entertainment and fun than we've had in a long time without having a screen to look at.

We named her Molly...and I'm sure that we will come up with a fashionable name to embellish her AKC papers with. Maybe something like Molly the Magnificent...or Eiberts' Molly Mae, or maybe just Miss Molly. I don't know yet. It'll come to me eventually.

She is a tiny little thing that is sure loved a LOT already. Jessica says that she is so sweet and cuddly. All the kids fight over who gets to hold her. I didn't know there was such a thing as taking "turns" holding the dog! I'm concerned that she may forget how to walk with all the holding and snuggling that she is getting.

Jeff is on graveyard this week. He got home from work at 6:30 this morning and I jumped out of bed to go check on the new baby.... I had stayed up till almost 1am with her, making sure that she didn't have a crying melt-down on her first night home. Things were very quiet until our daddy got home. Then it was playtime! She looked like a little jackrabbit bouncing around the room with her ball and toys. I think that she was lonely because she was raring to go while it was still dark out.

We're definitely going to have a Molly Jolly Christmas this year!

It's not Easy being Cheesy!

What's Christmas without a few pictures?

The kids would have preferred to wait till 12/25 for their date with the camera...but I'm determined to have the cards mailed by then (wink, wink).
It's become a tradition throughout the years to include a picture of the kids in the card or letter that we send to friends and family. With school programs requiring the kids to dress up on a Tuesday, I thought it would be easy to catch a few pictures before we had to leave for the program--rather than the harried frenzy of pictures after church on Sunday. Oh, it was not without challenges! What was I thinking? 100+ pictures later...and I only have just a handful of reasonable shots for all the work and pleading.

But at least I tried, right? Taking pictures of my bunch is hard work! Nobody really wants to say "Cheese!" anymore. Their inner clowns are on a roll and you would think I was shooting a comedy flick with action heroes.

(Before)

Here's one starring Braden!
(After)
Braden was constantly trying to do muscle shots and character poses.

Ashley was going for Vogue...without the braces showing. Six more months of those silvery gems--and I had better be having a "White Christmas" next year!! Three years of almost non-existent smiles and painful smirks had better be worth the perfect smile, when it finally emerges from the annuals of orthodontic textbooks!

And speaking of orthodontia...Green teeth? Yep. Nathan has festive green brackets on his full set of braces. He just got the bottom set on last week and he's still feeling the pain of it. And besides his teeth hurting, Nathan whined that it hurt to sit the whole time-even on a padded stool. [Which to his credit-it probably did, but to whinge for the entire 10 minutes of picture-taking? Really? I think he was more into having a little "whine" with his cheese!]

Cameron. Hmm. What to say about this alpha middle child? It's always somebody else that gets in the way of his perfect obedience or pose. And-thankfully, unlike his twin, he was more cheese than whine!

But the real Oscar goes to Jessica. She was almost perfectly placed and smiling in over 100 pictures. Her tormentors? Not so much! But you couldn't stop her from enjoying the attention. It was the night of the first grade program and she was thrilled that she had one of the few speaking roles. She had memorized her part and was ready to go! Her hair was in ringlets, her lips were glossed, and she was sporting her new Christmas dress early. She was actually pleased that someone was capturing the moment!

And here's my token Boy Shot. The "woe is me" had finally died down a bit and I caught the trio with their hands to themselves and working with me! Yea!!

A blond with blue eyes and a brunette with green eyes. So different and yet shadows of each other. They honestly love being together. It will be fun to see a picture like this one when Jessica is Ashley's age. Stay tuned for Christmas 2018!

We definitely proved that it's not easy being cheesy! Now to get the Christmas cards ready to mail. We hope that you are smiling as much as we are when we wish you a Merry Christmas!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We just had a great week celebrating Thanksgiving with our family. Grandma and Grandpa Eibert brought Arijana and Kaylub to Spokane, the day before Thanksgiving, for the big Feast. There was lots of games were played, food eaten, and fun had. Speaking of games--like: Go Fish, Skip Bo, Slap Jack, Bingo, Word Challenge, The Ladybug Game, Uno, and all kinds of computer games; we still squeezed in a couple hours at the pool, a hot chocolate run with Grandpa, and some Black Friday shopping.

Today I was surmising the orange and yellow things that need to be put away to make way for the beautiful red and green decor. I noticed something that had been dragged out of a backpack. Jessica had left her storybook that she had made at school out. It is so cute. When you're just six...you're just like a sponge-learning about historical, cultural, and family traditions.

By my sweet Jessica--first grader in Mrs. Busch's class at Prairie View Elementary.

"A long time ago the King of England made a law that told all of the people that they must go to one church."

The people from England went to Holland, the land of tulips."

"The people from England boarded a ship called the Mayflower."

"The pilgrims arrived at Plimouth Rock. They had to build shelter out of log(s)."

"The Indians helped the pilgrims start a new life."

"The pilgrims and Native Americans had a celebration feast called Thanksgiving."

At this time of year, it seems as though we are going from one festive occasion to the next. And before we know it, it will be time to start another new year. But as for this Thanksgiving, the company was great, the food amazing, and the kids had a lot of fun. But as wonderful as it was--the kids are already asking to put up the Christmas tree--although I am still wanting to enjoy the beautiful autumn colors for another day or two.

Before we know it--we'll be celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ; but for now--we are very grateful for the pilgrims and pioneers, whom for many paid the price with their very lives, to follow Him.

As an immediate family tradition, we went around the table and had to tell three things that each of us were grateful for. The list was as broad and varied as the people there. But family, good food, and freedom were the most repeated themes. It is wonderful to pause and remember the things we have to be thankful for. And I am grateful that we had such an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Halloween Fun has Just Begun

'Tis the Season...for ghouls and goblins--or Werewolves, Ninjas, Sorceress', Butterflies, and big Money!

With all the parties spread over several days this week--we are on the ball with our costumes early this year. After the outing to the pumpkin patch over the weekend, one of our stops was for costumes. I'm usually a little tight-fisted with the urge to splurge on things that they will truly only wear once! But as we are a little short-changed in the costume department at home and feeling even less creative to pull it together for 5 kidlets before the big day--we let the kids do some shopping for their costumes--with restrictions.

I have many titles in life...some aptly linked to my hobbies, talents, and interests. But I've acquired another title. I'm a "Mean Mom"--or so they think, right now. I have rules and if they don't follow them--their world grinds to a halt. They had to follow these guidelines when they picked their costumes: 1) Nothing with a mask; 2) Nothing immodest; and 3) Nothing gross or gory or too violent. It was a little challenging for a couple of them...namely, Braden and Cameron--because they wanted to be zombies, slashers or swamp-like creatures dripping with blood. Nathan only wanted to wield a bloody axe, just for kicks--no costume needed. Thankfully, Ashley found two modest choices that were equally cute--and then let her friend help her decide. After seeing her all made up...I think that she did a great job!

Nathan settled on being a werewolf. His costume came with a mask, but I cut the mask a part to leave his face exposed and then used a colored eyeliner to bush out his eyebrows. He was happy with the results--even minus the axe.

Braden fell for the Ninja Warrior costume. I allowed him to get the plastic samurai swords...which sold him on the costume. He may be a warrior for the next 10 years because it's big enough for an adult. But he's happy...and that's what counts.

Jessica could have been a nurse, Southern Belle, Sailor girl, Bumble Bee, Lady Bug, Fashionista, etc., etc., etc. She LOVES everything. She narrowed her choices down to the Butterfly and a witch. But she was a darling witch last year and I talked her into trying something new. (Give me some variety in my pictures, please!) So she went with the Monarch Butterfly costume. I embellished the headpiece with orange, yellow, and white flowers. We painted her fingernails orange and she was gushing with pleasure and pride in her choice!

Cameron. What to say, what to say. The boy was set on being a gross swamp creature. His choice went against all the guidelines. He really thought that he could be the exception to the rules. He turned me into a mean mom, very quickly. I finally found the $100 bill costume and it seemed so innately appropriate for him! He nags me about money and questions the cost of everything. We added a cup that says: "Alms for the Poor". He's hoping that people will give him money instead of candy. [He'll probably grow up to be an accountant one day!]

So--we are ready for Halloween Fun--early this year. But I'm thinking that on November 1st, we are going shopping again...for next year's costumes...and we are going to put Cameron's message to work and save our money by buying them on clearance. And if all else fails with that plan for next year...Braden can be a werewolf, Cameron can be the Ninja warrior, Nathan the $100 bill.... The girls? They're so easy to please if it involves sparkles and nail polish!

Two-fer One Chicken...

A few days ago I wrote an entry about the fabulous ways to use a rotisserie chicken that I hadn't thought of before on my other blog: http://savingspokane.blogspot.com/. I decided to put the rotisserie bird to the test on Sunday, to see if I could make the most of it--and it was amazing!! I got 2 full meals out of one chicken (as in 21 servings)! First, for lunch, I made 15 chicken rolls with most of the breast meat. They're always a success and a true family favorite.
Chicken Rolls
2 cans crescent rolls............ 3 c. cooked/cubed chicken
1-8oz pkg cream cheese....... 1 bunch chopped green onions
1 ½ c. crushed bread crumbs... ½ c. melted butter

Soften cream cheese. Add chicken and green onions; thoroughly mix. Roll out crescent rolls and place a scant ¼ c. of chicken filling on the roll. Join sides together and shape into a ball, sealing the roll around the chicken filling (repeat for each crescent roll). Melt the cube of butter. Dip each ball into the melted butter and roll in the bread crumbs. [I like to use Pepperidge Farms Herb Stuffing mix--crushed in a plasic bag, as my crumbs.] Place on a baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees, until golden brown. (For the optional gravy when serving these, mix 1 c. sour cream and 1 can cream of chicken soup together over med. Heat, and then spoon over each roll). I like to serve them with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.

After lunch-I put the remaining chicken in a stock pot with onions, bouillon, garlic, green/red peppers and water. It boiled for 20-30 minutes. I drained the broth into a crock pot and then pieced through the chicken, removing the bones and skin. I added meat and vegetables back to the broth and set about making Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Start with 4 chicken breasts--seasoned/cooked/shredded or boil 1 rotisserie chicken and sort the meat from the excess skin and bones. Save broth for soup base or use water mixed with bouillon to start the base. Taste broth for additional salt or bouillon before done cooking. [Desired hotness to be varied by the amount of chili powder added.]

2 1/2 c. of water--opt....2 green/red peppers--chopped
2 onions--chopped............... 6 cloves minced garlic
1 T chili powder.................. 1 T cumin
2 tsp dried oregano............ 3-4 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans chicken broth......... 6-8 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cans corn--drained........ 2 cans golden hominy--drained
2 cans diced green chilies...1 can black beans--drained
1 can pinto beans...... 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
sliced avocado.......... shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions....crushed tortilla chips or strips

Add everything except for the toppings of: avocado, cilantro, green onions, cheese and chips. I let it cook on High for 2-3 hours. Ladle soup into bowls and top with crush chips, avocado chunks, cheese and onions. Sour cream and limes are optional. It's YUMMY!!

I took it over for dinner with friends last night. We had 10 kids between us and there was only 1 serving amount left in the 8 quart crock pot. For a real treat, Lisa cut the corn tortillas into strips and fried them in oil to make our chips that went on the top. Totally Delicious!

So--thanks to a great conversation about dinner with my friend, Cathy, and reading about the marvels of rotisserie chicken on some fun blogs like this one: (http://www.peanutblossom.com/blog/2010/08/stock-your-freezer-how-to-use-rotisserie-chicken.html)-- it's going to be the latest time-saving addition to our weekly menu plans. Chicken rolls and Tortilla Soup worked out great with 5 stars for each...so I'm going to try a couple more "tried and true" recipes with the rotisserie bird and see if we're trending into a new phase of home cooking. Fast food never tasted so good!

Kits A plenty

Saturdays are busy because it ends up being the catch-up day for things that didn't get done during the week.  After a full week of activities and lessons--we were ready for some play time.  We went to the pumpkin patch in the morning and spent the afternoon together.  After some down time and dinner--it was time for the big project to be cleared off the table!  A couple of days earlier, I set out all the supplies that we would need to make 150 hygiene kits for the homeless shelters in downtown Spokane.  I figured if it covered the dinner table--it wouldn't get missed--it would have to get done rather quickly.  Not always the best plan of attack.  Two days went by...and we were out of time!  So mass assembly started Saturday night...and went rather quickly at that!

 I set out all the toothbrushes, dental floss, combs, hand towels, toothpaste, and deodorant in boxes.  I also had body wash and medicated lip balms for some kits.  The gallon-size Ziploc bags were stationed at one side of the table and we created an assembly line.

 

After multiple attempts to not have a pile-up in the middle of assembly, the kids actually came up with a new strategy.  Ashley loaded the bags with the towels, while Nathan, Braden and Jessica stuffed the guts in. Cameron sealed the bags and loaded them into boxes.  Some of the kits are made specifically for women--with additional products for feminine care and beauty aids added later; while some of the kits are for men, with razors and soaps just for guys. Men are simple creatures and don't require as many frills in their kits!

I've been toying with the thought of adding a card to go in each bag--explaining that we are just aiding His hands in trying to make a difference in the community that we live in.  My hope is that the kids will learn a great life lesson when we take the kits down to the Women's Hearth and Union Gospel Mission in November.  I want them to see that they can make a difference, no matter how small or big their contributions are.  And by then, we will have assembled at least another 100-150 kits.  Till then--I'm still accumulating the products that will go in each new bag. I can't wait for them to take them downtown!  I love these kits and the positive impact that they have in peoples' lives!  http://peaceablewalkldshsp.blogspot.com/

Our family has assembled hundreds (actually closer to twenty five hundred+) hygiene kits in the past.  But it has only been within the last 3-4 years that the kids have been helping put them together. With coupons and sales, I've been able to add floss and deodorant to our kits.  A lot of other items (feminine needs) I'm keeping separate because the bulkiness prevents it from going in the bag. But it is all for a good cause and it keeps me inspired to want to do more, be more, and live more fully, so that I can do all that I am able to make a difference somewhere. My kids don't have a choice in participating in this activity. I'm their mom and this is what I want to do--at least once, if not twice a year.  They really don't squabble too much about what we are doing.  They ask lots of questions about the people that are going to receive them and how they came to be there.  I don't have all the answers to those questions...I just know that it matters and that we can make a difference. 

They've made the project go together a little faster for us.  Who knows--maybe they will find their passion doing something similar in their lives, and others will continually be blessed wherever they are.  I'm thankful that my husband allows me to keep up this "hobby" and that he knows we are blessed because of it, as well.  I get very moved when I see stories like Mariama Kallon's.  I remember the first kits I put together back in 2000.  I became obsessed with numbers.  I felt driven to do more, make more, and give more.  I didn't know about her then.  But as I heard her story in person and read it in articles like this one--I know why and how these simple things can alter a person's life.  So as long as I can shop and string two words together...I'm going to making more hygiene kits!   http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/news-features/hygiene-kit-helped-african.html

Pools in the Pumpkin Patch

After a busy morning of cleaning the church building and then breakfast burritos made by Dad...we headed to the pumpkin patch at Siemer's in Greenbluff. It was raining pretty steady when we left the house...and was in full torrential downpour by the time we got to the farm. Jeff asked if we should come a different day instead--but the parking lots suggested that we weren't the only crazy people willing to take a shower for some seasonal pumpkins.

Nobody complained...they just pulled up their hoods up and headed towards the fields of orange. I figured that they'd be easily deterred and pick the pumpkins closest to the walkway, before heading back for the promised pumpkin donuts and hot cider, immediately. But, irregardless of the rain, they wandered the fields looking for perfect pumpkins. Ninety four pounds of pumpkins and half an hour later--it was time to go--because Dad said so ;) He was the only one without a hood....

We had a family day of favorites--Krispy Kreme donuts and hot chocolate afterwards, shopping for Halloween costumes, Costco dogs for lunch, and some down time at home. We capped the day off with Vietnamese Spring Rolls for dinner and a putting together a service project for the homeless shelters that I'll write about tomorrow. It was a full and busy day--but well-spent with our kids. Traditions, traditions, traditions. It's what keeps the happy moments rolling.

I'm Pinned!!

Pinned is the new word for "hooked"!! As in, line and sinker, baby.

Ok. It's my new addiction. I have to say that I was fairly warned that it would be awesome, but time consuming. Yep. True that!! All thanks to Pinterest. So what is it? I thought the website explained it best.
It's a personal archive of all your likes, ideas, wants, and potentials. It feeds on the people that are already doing and pinning their loves and creations. It creates order out of possibilities that may never have happened because you just "didn't know that!"

I've tried new menu ideas, created fun party favors and foods, and am making plans to create more order in my home because of pins and things that I've seen on pinterest.

There are so many different categories of boards that you can create. You even title the boards with your own words, so that it personalizes the board to you. The types and number of boards is up to the creator, or "curator" of the board.

I made an attempt at being efficient in my pinning, by differentiating my boards in similar categories. Under the topic of "food"--I have 'Amazing Foods', 'Recipes', 'Party Foods', 'Souper Saturdays', 'Breakfast', 'Freezer Meals', 'Chicken', 'Super Sandwiches', 'Crock Pot Cooking', 'Yum Yums', 'Kid's Foods', and 'Finger Foods'. That way--I can find an idea faster when I'm looking for something specific. Food has the most categories--what a surprise--but it seems to be what I find that I'm doing the most in my house at this point in life.

Sometimes you see things that just make you laugh--but don't know quite where to put it. It doesn't really justify a spot in the annuls of the journal entry, per se-you don't want to leave it on the fridge for 30 years...but it was something that tickled your funny bone. Now pinterest allows you to pin pictures of anything....so it's fabulous to save those funny sayings, odd ball cartoons, etc., etc.

Pinterest is like a virtual catalog of ideas, inspirations, recipes, pictures, and temptations! Everybody can create their own "boards" that pictures from the web, blogs, personal folders, and other boards can be "pinned" to. It's the ultimate filing system for a great idea and visual of something that strikes your fancy!

I've even started boards for topics that are just for "Brilliant Ideas"...like homemade household cleaners, ideas for food storage, preschool lessons and activities, tips for do-it-yourself projects...and the list goes on. It's a virtual wealth of information all conglomerated onto one website. It's fun to see what people are doing with their family traditions, Halloween costumes, and home decor. It saves hours, if not years, of finding personal tastes and styles. It can be found in the mega amounts of boards that others have created and inspired.

I used to rip pages out of magazines and stick them in a folder so that I could have a reminder of a cool craft or decoration. The folder never seems to come out when I'm looking and doing my activities.Now--I don't plan on a wedding anytime soon in the family. But in 5-10 years, I'm sure that I'll be throwing together some plans. What a great resource to refer back to for some beautiful and memorable wedding opportunities. All I'll have to do in show the bride to be some ideas and she can create her own boards...and hopefully, I won't get it wrong because a picture if worth a thousand words, right? Pinterest is awesome! I can dream, see what I like, plan, be inspired, think...and when somethings new comes along and I want to remember it--I know just the place to put! No more ripping up magazines for me!