Disturbing the Peace ~ a Sister Story “Sample”

Posted on February 2, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

I know some of you are working on your “Sister Stories”, so I thought I’d throw one out to you and maybe get you motivated.  It’s all about memories.  Can’t wait to share yours!

Julie, Lauri & Paula at Tri-State Music Festival ~ Enid, OK

When I moved to Tuttle, Oklahoma, I was just six years old.  I had barely started first grade in Duncan, when my dad’s job moved us.  I was shy and timid when it came to groups and certainly to starting another first grade class of total strangers.  My mom took me.  I can still recall the smell of the hallway.  Like a pine cleaner that covered up puke .  Mrs. Turley, my new teacher, introduced herself and then guided me into a room full of kids, all in shared double desks.  She walked me back to a desk and said something like, “You will share a desk with Julie.  She just moved here, too.”  I had never heard the name Julie before.  I wished my name was Julie.

The next year, in second grade, another family moved to Tuttle.  They moved into a two-story house close to ours.  I really wanted to go up those stairs.  No, I wanted a two-story house! There were two girls, the younger being Lauri.  It was not pronounced ‘Lori”…it was pronounced LAWRI.  Another new name!

Fast forward to the summer before our senior year.  Julie, Lauri and I (Paula), all best friends, were dragging Main Street in Lauri’s way cool old black truck that Papa George had fixed up for her.  It was a hot night and we had the windows down and we were doing what we loved to do, laughing and singing.  I don’t recall which song was playing.  Probably a Beach Boys or Huey Lewis.  But we knew every word and we sang it like we owned it.  And THEN, the most embarrassing thing that could happen to three girls on Main Street, happened.  A Tuttle policeman turned on his lights and pulled us over.  The crime?  We were singing too loud!  We were, according to him, disturbing the peace.

Papa George had a visit with Mr. Policeman the next day. After that, we kept on singing and he didn’t bother us.  We still kinda giggle about that night. Especially since Julie is a music teacher and Lauri sings on the worship team at her church.  Yep, 45ish years later, and we still hang out together when we can. I love my girls. ♥

Send in your stories and/or photos….it will “take you back” ~

At Julie’s wedding ~

30th Class Reunion (below)

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Vegetable and Fruit Wash Recipes ~ NO Chemicals

Posted on February 1, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

Several weeks ago I was talking to my mom on the phone and she shared with me a couple of vegetable and fruit washes that you can make at home that are not only chemical free, but CHEAP.  She and my dad are at the OKC/OSU Farmer’s Market each week, and picked the recipes up from a friend there.  I have this “thing” about washing everything, organic or not, and have been using a product from the grocery store called “Fit”.  The following sounds easy and I’m sure is much cheaper. The other tip I might throw out there is that many stores sell colander/strainers that fit across your sink with adjustable arms.  If you eat fruit & veggies like we do, you will wonder how you lived without this tool once you get one!  Let me know if you try it!

Vegetable-Fruit Wash Recipes …NO Chemicals!

SPRAY

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 cup water

For the spray; put all ingredients into bottle (these will foam up, so be careful!) shake gently to mix; then spray on vegetables or fruit. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes then rinse with cold water.

SOAK

1/4 cup vinegar

2 tablespoons salt

Fill a clean sink or a large bowl with cold water; add in vinegar and salt, then stir with hands. Place the fruit or vegetables in the mixture and allow to sit for 25-30 minutes. Vinegar and salt should draw out any bugs or dirt and also help remove wax. (If you garden and have broccoli, greens, etc, to clean, this would work well!) Rinse under cold water and dry.

{This colander is by Kitchenaide, but there are many different ones on the market.}

Now go eat your veggies!

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Invest in the Children, Let the Children Invest ~

Posted on January 31, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

When our boys were around ages eight and ten, their Papa Sims came to our house and said, “Boys, I have a business proposal for you.  I am going to give each of you $50.00, but it’s not just to spend, it’s to invest.”   He now had their full attention.  Free money.  A LOT of free money.  He went on to tell them this was a challenge for them to take the money and see how they could turn it into more money.  He said they would need to figure out a business plan on how to do that, and as long as they worked hard, they would not have to pay the money back.

Of course, they took the challenge.  If you can imagine two hyper little boys with $100 between them, they had all kinds of ideas.  But it wasn’t so much the business plan as it was the goal in their heads.  Work hard, make papa proud, buy the Martin guitar for Madison and the set of drums for Malachi.

Right around this same time, one of our friend’s from our small group had been to Missouri and came back with a simple little bow and arrow set made from pvc and a few other items.  The boys thought this was awesome and that they could sell them.  We took them to the hardware store so that they could find all of their materials and estimate their production costs.  In the next few days, our living room turned into a bow and arrow factory, and my husband and I were working for them.  They started setting up at craft shows, in front of Wal-Mart, not to mention coaxing their friends into buying their items. During this time there was a lady in our town that experienced a severe accident.  They decided to donate $1.00 of each sale to a fund for her. When one of our friends saw the bow and arrows, she had the boys build a little display box and took them to her son’s school and sold them there.  There was a write-up in the local paper. (free advertising)  In the end, they were able to donate money to someone in need, PLUS, learn about costs, comparison shopping, manufacturing,  marketing, and sales.  I’m not sure who was more proud the day Madison went to Rawson Music Store in Oklahoma City and picked up his Martin Guitar from lay away.  Then we drove to downtown Oklahoma City where Malachi had picked out his drum set.  We were all beaming.   Our house was forever LOUD, after that!

Madison still has his Martin guitar.  Malachi is probably on his 3rd drum set.  But they still play. They are musicians; they are entrepreneurs.  Their instruments mean so much to them because they earned them.  They didn’t just say, “Mom, I want this”, or “Dad, get me that” and expect it to appear. Their papa gave them the initial start-up money because he wanted to teach them a lesson, good or bad.  They turned that $100 into around $1000 or more.  That is an experience that they will never forget.  If you want something bad enough, you can figure out a way to get there, with hard work and sometimes changing up your game plan a bit.

I wish I could end this by offering each of you $50.00 to “invest”.  But instead, I will say challenge yourself.  Challenge a young person in your life with something similar.  If you can give them the tools to get started, who knows what they might do with them?  Smart man, that Papa Sims……thanks for investing in our greatest investment, our boys.

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Change the World ~ One Grocery Cart at a Time?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

When is the last time someone surprised you by doing something nice for you?  You didn’t ask for it, they just did it.  Maybe your child took out the trash without being prompted or someone at the grocery store let you go in front of them in line because you only had a couple of things.  Or the big ugly truck let you “cut-in” a line of traffic?  Did it make you feel like there was still human kindness in this world, or did you even give it another thought?

Some days I really do think our world is going to hell and fast.  It can be such a hurry up place, no one has patience, and FORGET customer service.  People honk at each other, make rude gestures, cut you off in traffic, run red lights  and say things that they would never put on their resume.  How did it come to this?  Is this how your parents taught you to treat other people?  Would you be proud to know your child acts like this when you are not around?  Is it too late to stop the madness?

I was putting my shopping cart away in the parking lot of the grocery store a while back, when I noticed an elderly gentlemen finishing up putting his groceries in his car.  I just wheeled my cart over and said, “Here, I’ll get that for you.”  I’ve done this a million times for folks, no big deal. (plus loose carts are my pet peeve!)  But on this day, the man put his hand on the front of his cart, while I had my hand on the end of his cart and he said, “Why would you want to do something nice for me?” Well, what do you say to that unexpected question?!  I looked him in the eye and said, “Because people should be nice to people and maybe you will pass it on to someone else.” (yep~ I was winging it ~ and with  impromptu, I still need a backspace button and sometimes a “delete”) He went on to tell me how this was the second time that day someone had done something good for him and he felt so blessed.  I stepped to the side of the basket and said, “I have something I’d like to give you.”  I slipped two blue bracelets off of my wrist and handed them to him.  “One of these is for you”, I explained, “and  the other is for you to share.  They say LIFE IS SHORT, PEACE IS SWEET.”  I went on to tell him, “This was the favorite saying of my brother-in-law, Eldon, who was taken from us too soon.  I wear these to share with random people and to always remember him.”  He stepped in, took the bracelets and slipped them onto his wrist.  “This will be given away by the end of the day,” he said, then paused a bit ~  “And you know you will see him again one day, don’t you?” he went on , “so don’t be sad, your brother-in-law is in the best place ever, and he’s in good company.”  I thanked him for his kind words, went to the car with tears in my eyes, and I thanked God for His still small voice.  I was the one who was blessed in all of this.  And I could have missed the moment, had I not listened.

I believe there is still hope for people. It must start with me. It must start with you. We can lead by example.  We just need to slow down long enough to stop and listen to our heart…..and then follow it ♥  Pay it forward people ~I’m sure going to try. ♥

(Mary Blaxton, I love you ~ and I did not “blog” you! 😉 )

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Stuff I Tell My Sister Wants YOUR Stories and Pics!

Posted on January 29, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

You can kid the world.  But not your sister.  ~Charlotte Gray

Yes, I know this is a post from earlier in the week.  Just a reminder though, that your stories are coveted!  Also, if you don’t have the time to share your story…please consider submitting your favorite “sister time” photos to share.  Details below on the “story”.  Have a great Sunday!

previous post:

So here is the idea I’d like to throw out to you today.  Valentine’s Day is just a couple of weeks away.  I thought it might be fun to post random stories and photos from YOU through-out that week!  Just submit a story about you and your sister(s).  Wait….first, let me define ~ sister.  Yes, we have our family “sisters”.  But then we have sisters…those other `special`  people who somehow fell into your life for a short time or for forever…that have changed you and made a difference in your life.  The ones you can share you secrets with, your fears, your “family matters”, and your dreams.  You feel safe with them.  They don’t care if your house is clean or if you have makeup on or bed hair.   You can laugh with them til coke sprays out your nose or cry with them and wipe the tears on their t-shirt.  Sisters….

Now defined…please consider submitting your story about you and your sister (s)!  It does not need to be long at all. (no more than 500 words…but it doesn’t even have to be that long either! 100-250 is super!)  You do not have to worry about spelling or grammar as I will let my handy-dandy machine fix that for us.  Just write from your heart. Your story.  Funny moments, sad times, childhood memories, challenges….it’s YOUR story.  Please consider sharing it.  And if you have pics you can attach, I will try to include them, too.  My hope is that we are overrun with submissions!  Just e-mail them to: psblaxton@att.net.  Include your names, pics (if you have them) and understand that by submitting them, you are giving me permission to use them on Stuff I Tell My Sister.  They will be randomly shared the week of February 12.  Deadline for your submission is February 5th.  Also, if you have any questions or need help with your story, let me know!  Your story needs to be heard.

This is not a “CONTEST”.  But, if you do submit a story, as soon as our new “Stuff I Tell My Sister” bracelets arrive, I will SOOO be sending you and your sister(s) one to thank you!

UPDATE ~ MARCH FIRST:  If you are reading this post, after the fact, that tells me you probably have something to share with me and our readers.  PLEASE, if you have a story to share…use the above e-mail address and SEND IT TO ME!  Just title it Sisters or similar so I don’t “spam” you.  The same goes with photos.  I love to share pics and there are days that’s all I will share…..on the “QUIET” days.  SEND THEM TO ME!  😉  ♥

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Broken Castles ~ by G. Malachi Blaxton

Posted on January 28, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

I remember growing up as a child, having no worries at all about getting through college, passing accounting, making a living, paying bills, or taking care of my wife.  There were no responsibilities, and life was great!  Of course, at the time, I didn’t realize life was great.  Emergencies consisted of scraped knees, tragedies consisted of my pet fish dying or pet lizard running away, and broken hearts occurred when that favorite toy would break.

When I was eight years old, my best friend pulled the draw-bridge on my Lego castle, and the whole castle ended up falling apart.  I had spent countless hours putting that castle together, and was absolutely devastated.  I remember yelling at him, my mother running in to see what was wrong, and then trying to calm me down.  I sat for hours just staring at the broken castle, while my best friend sat in the next room feeling horrible, knowing there was nothing he could do, because I wouldn’t even listen to him.  Let alone let him try to fix the castle.  I never wanted to talk to him again.  Little did I know, he was devastated too.

He didn’t mean to break the castle.  He wanted to help fix it, I just wouldn’t let him.  He thought he had lost his best friend.  And there he sat, bored out of his mind, waiting for his mother to come pick him up.  When his mother arrived, my mother calmly explained to her what had happened, and why we weren’t speaking.  They then left our house, while I still sat, watching the broken castle, as if it would fix itself.

After they were gone, I remember my mother coming over to sit by me, still trying to reason with my furious eight year old temper, but to no prevail.  That night I went to bed angry, not only at my best friend, but at the world!

The next day, I got up and headed straight for the kitchen table, where my castle was still waiting.  I studied it closely, and soon realized that it was fixable.  What?  The same castle I thought was a goner the day  before was now fixable?  Why yes,it would take some time, but it could happen.  You see, although it was mangled and broken, all of  the pieces of the castle were still there.  It was just a matter of putting them back together.  The day before, I acted on emotion, and was infuriated at my best friend, the castle, my mother, my father, my best friend’s mother, and anyone else or thing that I came in contact with.  The next day, I acted on logic, and simply fixed the stinking castle.

As far as my best friend goes, well, he called later that day and apologized for breaking the castle.  I apologized for being a jerk, and we continued our great friendship, as we do today.  But it took both of us to reconcile our friendship.  I’m glad we didn’t let Lego’s get in the way of our friendship.  Love you, Henry.

Broken relationships are like that castle, the pieces are there, you just have to be willing to put them back together.  It does take effort, but it’s totally worth it!  If there is anyone out there who I have a broken castle with, know that I am sorry, and I would love the opportunity to re-build that castle.

And if you have a castle to mend, then what are you waiting on?

(Our guest blogger today is G. Malachi Blaxton, our youngest son.  He wrote this a while back and I thought I would share it.  What a great message, Chi ~ thanks!)

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It’s Time to Share YOUR Story!

Posted on January 26, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

So here is the idea I’d like to throw out to you today.  Valentine’s Day is just a couple of weeks away.  I thought it might be fun to post random stories and photos from YOU through-out that week!  Just submit a story about you and your sister(s).  Wait….first, let me define ~ sister.  Yes, we have our family “sisters”.  But then we have sisters…those other `special`  people who somehow fell into your life for a short time or for forever…that have changed you and made a difference in your life.  The ones you can share you secrets with, your fears, your “family matters”, and your dreams.  You feel safe with them.  They don’t care if your house is clean or if you have makeup on or bed hair.   You can laugh with them til coke sprays out your nose or cry with them and wipe the tears on their t-shirt.  Sisters….

Now defined…please consider submitting your story about you and your sister (s)!  It does not need to be long at all. (no more than 500 words…but it doesn’t even have to be that long either! 150-250 is super!)  You do not have to worry about spelling or grammar as I will let my handy-dandy machine fix that for us.  Just write from your heart. Your story.  Funny moments, sad times, childhood memories, challenges….it’s YOUR story.  Please consider sharing it.  And if you have pics you can attach, I will try to include them, too.  My hope is that we are overrun with submissions!  Just e-mail them to: psblaxton@att.net.  Include your names, pics (if you have them) and understand that by submitting them, you are giving me permission to use them on Stuff I Tell My Sister.  They will be randomly shared the week of February 12.  Deadline for your submission is February 5th.  Also, if you have any questions or need help with your story, let me know!  Your story needs to be heard.

This is not a “CONTEST”.  But, if you do submit a story, as soon as our new “Stuff I Tell My Sister” bracelets arrive, I will SOOO be sending you and your sister(s) one to thank you!

(just a note….the word count on the above is 375 words…..I do a LOT of rambling! )

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My friend ~ My book

Posted on January 25, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

One of my great enjoyments of life are books.  The old-fashioned kind that you carry in your purse, car, & backpack.  While I have favorite authors, I am always open to new authors, too.  Today is the perfect book day.  Rain outside, quiet inside.  Like a squirrel, I spend my summer preparing for winter.  I go to estate sales, garage sales, & book sales, hoping to add new reads to my “winter” pile.

My husband surprised me with a Kindle Fire for Christmas.  Electronic books?  I have about 30 books downloaded to read in it.  But late at night when I cannot sleep, I still grab a book instead of the Kindle.  Maybe I find comfort in the rustling pages?  I don’t know.  Maybe I just don’t want “books” to become extinct…

One of my daughter-in-law’s said to me a while back that I seem to find all the answers in books.  I didn’t realize until I pondered on that for a bit, that’s exactly what I do.  If someone has something going on in their life, positive or negative, joyous or tragic, I have a book for them. Sorry, dear family & friends, if that’s irritating.  It’s just me, but it comes from my heart. ♥

A new baby in the house? “ Love You Forever”~ Robert Munsch

Child’s birthday? “The Very Hungry Catepillar” ~ Eric Carle, ” Where’s My Teddy?”~ Jez Alborough

Getting married? “The Gift of the Blessing” ~ Gary Smalley

Graduation?  “Oh the Places You’ll Go” ~ Dr. Suess ; “The Dream Giver” ~ Bruce Wilkinson

Can’t Say No? “Boundaries” ~ Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

Where am I going with my life?  “Eat, Pray, Love” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert;  “Women, Food and God, An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything” ~ Geneen Roth

Encouragement to start writing?  “The Wednesday Sisters” (a novel) ~ Meg Waite Clayton

Need to spring into action and start doing something with your life?  “The Art of Non-Conformity” ~  Chris Guillebeau

Forgiveness? “The Shack” ~WM. Paul Young (you must read it TWICE to get it)

Need to Laugh Out Loud?   “Junie B Jones” childrens’ books by Barbara Park (ANY of them will make you smile)

Selling yourself, ideas, products?  “The One Minute Sales Person” ~ Spencer Johnson (love all of his books!)

Marriage Trials? “Change Your Heart, Change Your Life”~  Gary Smalley

Need to NOT hang with negative folks/family?  “The Grace Awakening” Charles Swindol

Want to take charge of your life? “Reposition Yourself”~ T.D. Jakes

Do you need new perspective?  “The Noticer” ~ Andy Andrews (LOVE, LOVE all his books!)

Just want a good novel? John Grisham (“Testament” ~ all time fav) and then Oklahoma novelist, Billie Letts (“Shoot the Moon”!) ~

I could go on with lists forever.  I do love books.  They become my friend while I am reading them and I am bummed like football season has ended when I finish a good read.

For good daily encouragement, there’s an old book written in many languages and variations, that can give you wonderful insights and guidance.  Yes, I’m talking about “The Bible”.  I prefer the New King James, myself.  But there’s lots of good stuff to be discovered in those pages and it never grows old.

If you ever need a book suggestion, let me know! Now, I would love to have YOUR book suggestions!  Please reply with your favorites!  I want to add them to my pile!

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Oklahoma Red Dirt ~ Share the love ♥

Posted on January 24, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

Have you ever been at a place in your life where you are homesick?  You find yourself looking at photos of when you were younger or when your child was a toddler and your heart is yearning for those times again?  If you add to this scenario living away from “home”, it can make it even tougher on certain days.  My husband, our boys and I found ourselves in this place too many times to count when we were living in Joplin, Missouri.  We were only four hours from home, but sometimes it seemed like a four-day drive.  So on the day the Oklahoma truck driver that visited my husband’s store once a week, tossed him a bag of red dirt, he had no idea how many folks that would touch.  The previous week he had jokingly asked  Marvin if there was anything he could bring him from God’s country.  (Of course,  I started thinking of FOOD immediately~ the atomic salsa I would want from Ted’s  and the GIANT steak sandwich from Del Rancho!)  But Marvin said, “Bring me some red dirt.”   And he did.  A ziplock bag full of it.  Marvin brought it home, told me the story and handed me the “dirt”.  I immediately poured it into an antique mason jar and put it in a place of honor, the kitchen table.  You know how you read the cereal box while you are eating breakfast or maybe the newspaper?  Nope, we no longer needed that.  We just stared at our red dirt.  I would envision  the little boy socks that forever had the red stain in them that even bleach couldn’t get out.  The clumps of red clay stuck in the crevices of tennis shoes.  The red skies during a dust storm.  The beautiful red ponds.  That jar of red dirt educated many folks that passed through our kitchen. (many had never heard of the Oklahoma Land Run!)

AND THEN….the red dirt started growing.  When my sister came (at that time she lived in Kansas City) she saw the red dirt.  “I want some!”  So I bagged her up some dirt to go in her mason jar.  In the years after that, I mailed red dirt from that same jar to friends living in Texas, Arkansas, California and even Alaska.  Always with the same reaction.  Lots of laughter, and so grateful to have that dirt from home.

Thanks to the Oklahoma truck driver….he will never know how much red dirt love he spread!  Let me know if I need to send a little red dirt your way.  It’s seems to be a bottomless jar.

(We  have been back in Oklahoma about three years.  Imagine my delight when I discovered that a  highschool friend(Red Dirt Kelly) had started an on-line informative blog about Oklahoma.  The Red Dirt Chronicles is an Oklahoma class-act.  Check it out!http://www.reddirtchronicles.com/ )

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For the Dogs ~

Posted on January 23, 2012 by stuffitellmysister

Today is for the dogs!  Actually, at our house, everyday is for the dogs….Baby & Sugar, that is.  Our oldest son & his wife adopted the sister pups from the Joplin Humane Society almost seven years ago.  When the kid’s house sold sooner than they anticipated, “the girls” came to stay with us.  I had never had inside dogs and especially not TWO hyper PUPS, but we have come to love them.  They entertain us, cost us a lot of money, require me to clean even MORE than I ever did,  but then they also help lower my husband’s blood pressure.  They are keepers, they love us no matter what.  If you are considering adding a furry friend to your family, please consider adopting.  There are so many precious animals out there, just waiting to be loved on …AND to return that love to you ♥.

Here’s one of Baby & Sugar’s favorite biscuit recipes. (from “Nana”, Faye Sims)

¾ cup broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)

1/3 cup margarine

½ cup powdered milk

1 egg

3 cups whole wheat flour

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees F.  Mix all ingredients together and then roll out to about ½ inch.  I like to cut out  with little dog bone shaped cookie cutters. (which is a lot of extra trouble, but cute!)  But you can just roll out, place on cookie sheet and bake.  Then cut into tiny pieces after you pop them out of the oven.  Bake for about 45 minutes.

One other note, Baby, one of our dogs, almost six years old, is already showing signs of arthritis.  When I took her for a vet visit several weeks ago because she could barely move, our vet recommended (after her 10 days of meds) that Baby begin a supplement called “Glyco-Flex III”.  It is a chewy chicken liver flavored supplement of glucosamine, msm, dmg and antioxidants for advanced joint support.  I give the girls only one a day.  The difference in Baby’s behavior is unbelievable.  She feels so much better.  She jumps and runs and wants to “play” several times a day now, versus, seldom.  For this reason, I would highly recommend this to you if your dog is having similar problems.  (of course, check with YOUR vet and do your own research, but it has been a lifesaver for our Baby)  Our vet sold me the first package of 60 chew tablets for $38.00.  Now I order them at http://www.entirelypets.com for $35.00 for a package of 120.  AND if you do an online coupon search, you should be able to find an entirely pet’s coupon code to pay the $5.00 shipping and handling.  This is a great site for lots of pet goodies.  Check it out! (It was also a good reminder for my husband and I that we need this supplement, but since we can’t handle eating the dog’s supplements(yes, they STINK), we did start back on Flex-a-min…LOL.)

Let us know about your furry babies!  We want to know! (Send pics and stories, we might just like to share!)

Sugar cannot allow stuffing to remain inside a toy!

Baby must choose a toy before her sister gets involved.

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