snow dog

So this was yesterday—Charlie and her cute little scarf. My MIL, Linda, showed me this great idea and Charlie loved it.

And this is today, she loved it so much, the scarf is now missing. It is missing some pieces that ended up in her belly so it doesn't quite fit now! We WILL make another one because that scarf was just so adorable!

We have gotten a lot more snow today! And Josh is working so I am most definitely stuck at home NOT shoveling the driveway like he did this morning. Sorry dude, your work is now all covered with about 6 more inches of snow. Dad, can you come shovel the driveway? I'll make you chocolate chip cookies!!

changeling

Well this is our 100th post and I am going to blow it on a quick movie review. Not a big deal. :)
This weekend we saw the movie Changeling. Since we no longer have a TV and don't see all the previews we really didn't know too much about the movie before going to see it. Based on a true story, the movie was very touching. Angelina Jolie did a fantastic job and although I am not usually a fan of her and her lips I thought she was great in this role. At the end of the movie most everyone in the theatre stayed seated for a little longer than they would after a comedy or lighter content movie.
If you are not familiar with the story, a woman, Christine Collins leaves her son at home on a Saturday while she goes to work as a manager at a telephone operator company. In the movie she tells him they will go see a movie on Sunday but in another description of the actual story I read that she left him with a dime to go see a movie. This happened in the late 20's. So, Christine returns home from work later that day to an empty house. Her sweet son has disappeared. She calls the LA Police and they tell her they won't take a missing person report until the person has been missing for 24 hours so she calls back as soon as she can the next day. Time goes by and eventually the police return her "son" who has been "found" in Illinois. At first glance Christine says it is not her son and thus begins the meat of the story. Through the process of trying to prove that this boy is not her son it becomes evident to Christine how corrupt the LAPD is and a local pastor enlisted his time to help her. It is a very frustrating story as you watch this mother be so committed to finding her son and be shut down time after time.
I have been reflecting on the movie since we saw it and I just can't imagine dealing with something like that but I know it happens every day. Innocent people are put in jail to serve time for someone else's bad actions, innocent people lose their lives, and innocent people are forced to suffer through horrible circumstances. It has forced me to think and to wonder if I am doing all that I can to help innocent people. Could we sponsor another child? Could we fill more than 2 shoe boxes this Christmas? Could we bring more than a few cans to the canned food drive? To me, those are just little things compared to the injustice that so many people are faced with every day. I'm not going to go on with this thought but I am sure you can think of many of the injustices in our world today.
If you need a movie to see I would recommend Changeling but be aware, this story could move your soul.

tag

Ok I've been tagged at 2 different blogs now and one was for 6 random facts and the other was for 7 random facts so I'll do 7 just to keep it real. Here are the rules…

1. I was tagged by sarahbee and amber.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.

4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

5. If you don't have 7 blog friends, or if someone else already took dibs, then tag some unsuspecting strangers.

I'm not going to tag anyone else but if you would like to do this on your blog leave me a comment saying you have done this and I will definitely check out your blog and your random facts!

Fact: I had a very strange feeling that Josh and I would be together for quite a while the very first time we went out.

Fact: He had a similarly strange feeling as well. I don't know why it took us so long to figure it out. HA! Just kidding, it didn't take that long.

Fact: I love to watch football and baseball.

Fact: I would love to open a little bakery/café/shop some day and sell sweet treats and yarn.

Fact: I gagged 3 times this morning while trying to brush my teeth, my front teeth, not anything in the back or my tongue or what have you but the front of my mouth. And still I gagged.

Fact: Favorite hobbies would be knitting, reading, playing games, baking or cooking, and shopping.

Fact: I have been working on a very special new blog which I will soon be giving you a link to!

Have a blessed day!

Guest Blogger, Beware, Guest Blogger

A special thank you to my mom who has so graciously provided text as a guest blogger. Josh and I have been so busy lately working on many projects and one very big one that this blog has sadly taken a backseat. We do have some very, very exciting updates to come soon!

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Hello all you readers and friends of Josh and Annies’ blog. I am a guest blogger who does read this space from time to time and I have noticed a shortage of reading material. So, rather then message them I have offered to fill a bit of this blog with some thoughts of my own! I am not quite ready to create my own blog so I’ll just try out this one and see how I do.

The young Easterling’s have been very busy lately. For the past month they have been working on home improvements. We have been fortunate to have been included in some of those improvements. We, being parents of Annie, in-laws to Josh, and “puppy-Grands” to Charlie, (probably one of the sweetest Labs in the State of Colorado) are Gary and Pam.

The improvements I am talking about have been putting in new windows for a nice tight home. Gary shared that this process was about blood, sweat and tears! We arrived in CoSP on Monday afternoon and the work began. The men put in one window and rested. Well, it was late, nearly supper and the sun had gone down! You could just see the wheels turning as they discussed the next window, how they would improve on the process, what supplies they would need to run to the store for etc. Ah, men on a mission. Then off to sleep and dreams of saws, trim, hammers and some special yellow foam insulation.

Tuesday was a new day and after a trip to H.D. (closer than Lowes) the windows were being re-placed and the home was shaping up nicely. Along the way Josh had to rescue Gary by replacing the end of his thumb….okay placing a bandage over a nice little gash! (Although there was enough blood loss to make you think the thumb was gone) The sweat part came in the afternoon. Even though the weather was cool, men at work just get sweaty! By the end of the day, towards evening, after sunset, the final window was secured for the night. What was planned to take 2-3 days was completed in about one and a half. Mission accomplished. (ah, yes, they are both that kind of man….one mind, one mission, “get ‘er done”)

Now what do two men with time on their hands do? Well, the guys found a few nice little jobs to fill in the remaining time of our visit. Gary purchased new carpet for the other daughter’s house on Villa and on Thursday what was put in. Josh and Gary were the movers of the huge couch, up and back down the stairs. Also several outlets replaced there and the lawn raked and mowed. Later they started an electrical project of hanging new lights on the Easterling’s garage. They put their heads together and even opened a book to help get the lights to work in harmony. Never happened, and that had them stymied, but eventually with the help of “Bo” the job is now completed. I would like to add that as we flew home, Gary was still trying to think of why the lights didn’t work as wired.

And that is where the tears come in. Yes, it is hard to leave your family, get on the plane and fly home. So much was accomplished on this “work and witness” trip. We did some work, we not only witnessed family love but were a part of if, but realized that being a part of your adult children’s life is such a gift. No matter the distance.