thankful thursday - the entrepreneurs

While our sweethearts were visiting us a few weeks ago, we were telling stories about past 4th of July celebrations when our children (aka their mom and aunt) were their age. Like most kids, the older four enjoyed hearing what their mom and aunt did when they were kids. We laughed about the year our oldest daughter along with several neighbor kids worked all day decorating their bikes, trikes and a wagon (to haul our youngest daughter who was a toddler) with red, white and blue signs and streamers in preparation for the "Big 4th of July Parade." The parents and other extended family members gathered in the afternoon to watch the parade... which lasted all of a minute and a half! And we  laughed about the year all the kids in the neighborhood set up a lemonade stand in the drive-way but ended up drinking all their product since it was so hot... and there were no kids left to BUY the lemonade.

That story intrigued the kids and they kept bringing it up, asking questions. Pretty soon the inevitable, dreaded question was asked: Can we have a stand and sell something?

I told them they could do a snack stand on the 4th of July but they needed to prepare for it and do the work.

The first thing was deciding what to sell. They suggested lemonade, homemade chocolate chip cookies, popsicles, and chocolate candy. After being reminded that it would be really hot outside, they realized popsicles, chocolate chips and chocolate candy would melt too quickly. They finally decided on lemonade, Otter Pops (they don't make a mess if they melt and can be refrozen) and Red Vines.

They figured out how much to charge for their goodies. They, of course, were thinking "dollars" while we were suggesting "cents." We talked about what happens when you over-price your product... and they finally agreed cents made more sense (Oh yeah, they made that joke!).

Next was making signs. We cut up some cardboard boxes and they went to town with markers. They decided to make an arrow sign that someone would twirl and dance with to get people's attention.

We practiced making change and counting it back to the customer. We talked about making eye contact, smiling and being friendly. We talked about wearing food-service gloves when getting the Red Vines out of the container. Good customer service is priceless!

Finally, the big day arrived and the kids were sooooooo excited. We had decided 2:30 in the afternoon would be a good time to catch people coming and going as they connected with their family. At 2:30 on the dot they set up the card table in front of our driveway. They agreed beforehand on who would sell first and who would dance with the signs.

Christopher and Ben were the first salespersons. 

And Nick and Lexie were the sign dancers down on the corner.

Although they got a few cars to come down the street, they quickly realized they would have better success if their goods were on the corner where the cars passed by. We packed up the table, chairs, goodies and ice chest and walked down to the corner to set up. 

It was 108 degrees that afternoon. And these kids are not used to our extreme heat. But there was no complaining. They waved at cars and danced with their signs... and people stopped! Cars made u-turns to come back. A couple of times there was a line of cars waiting for their turn. People were talking and laughing. A few told stories of their own lemonade stand when they were a child.

After an hour, the adults decided to pack it in. When we got back to the house, the kids cleaned the table and put stuff away. Finally it was time to count their money. Christopher was the counter and Nick watched to make sure he counted correctly and didn't take any. Such brotherly love! Their mom and dad reminded them they needed to pay their supplier (me) for the goodies before they divided up the money.

Everyone - adults and kids - was surprised to learn they made $60! In an hour! They had quite a few large tips because they were "so friendly" and "so sweet" and "enthusiastic" but no one thought they made that much. After I told them I would donate the supplies and they could keep their $60, they were all very quick to calculate that was $15 each! 

I am thankful for the lessons my sweethearts learned through this entrepreneurial adventure. Things like it takes hard work to make money. To evaluate your business plan and modify it as needed. And how to work together towards a common goal. That having a good work ethic is important. And I am thankful we were only out in the heat for an hour!

thankful thursday - rules??

When my sweet hubby and I were first married, before we had children, we had many opinions (most of them incorrect!) about raising children. For example, I was convinced that no child of mine would ever be plopped down in front of the tv so I could get something done. That lasted until our first child was about a month old and I discovered I could brush my teeth and get dressed before my hubby came home from work if I positioned our daughter (who was VERY colicky and awake most of the day) so she could "watch" Sesame Street. The shapes and colors of the characters and sing-songy dialog seemed to calm her - or at least distract her - for a few minutes.

We eventually learned to relax and trust our instincts while following the "rules." Rules like bedtime is bedtime, no snacks if you didn't eat your meal, no running in the house, keep your hands and other body parts off the windows, and we don't have cookies or candy before lunch.  It's important for children to have routine and to know what the boundaries are. I firmly believed that children are happier when the "rules" are consistent.

Then I became a grandma.

And the "rules" changed. Dramatically. Almost over night.

At grandma's house, bedtime is more like a starting point or suggestion. Dessert and snacks are always an option if you ate at least some of your meal. Running in the house doesn't bother me as much as it used to. And not only do I not mind fingerprints (and other body-prints ;-)) on my windows, I have each of them make a handprint up high on the window that remains pristine for several weeks after they leave! M&M's or a cookie before breakfast is good clean fun. As is having ice cream for breakfast.

Yep. I became my mother and my mother-in-law. They "spoiled" our children in good ways. Spending time with them. Bending the rules. Eating ice cream for breakfast one day a year isn't going to harm anyone but is a memory kids never forget. Going to their houses was always a treat for our kids, something they looked forward to. I am thankful for the wisdom my mother and mother-in-law shared on being a grandparent and on rules.

And just to be clear, some rules never change or go out of style. Rules like speak respectfully to each other, ask permission before you use something that belongs to someone else, no means no, don't run on the kool-deck, buckle up in the car. They are rules for safety or being respectful to others. And I still firmly believe that children are happier when the rules are consistent. But they also learn that rules may be different in different places (like grandma's house) or situations (like vacation).

I think our sweethearts make lots of memories when they are at our house. I hope they will one day share those memories with their children.  And laugh as hard as their parents do when they share their grandparent memories!

We love our sweethearts!

thankful thursday - the unusual

My aunt and uncle had a small ranch in Montana when I was a child. I loved spending a few weeks with them during the summer - gathering the eggs each morning, trying to milk the cows, riding horses and watching the pigs roll and romp in the mud. It was a beautiful place to spend part of my summer vacation.

I grew up thinking all ranches were like the one my aunt and uncle had. Some were bigger, of course,  and a few might be smaller, but in general a ranch was a plot of land used for agricultural purposes or raising animals.

On our recent cross-country trip we visited four very different ranches.

1. Cadillac Ranch (west of Amarillo, Texas) - In 1974, Texas billionaire Stanley Marsh III wanted to create public art that would inspire as well as outrage the citizens of Amarillo. A group of art hippies from San Fransisco had an idea and Marsh became their silent partner. Ten caddies, ranging from a 1949 Club Sedan to a 1963 Sedan de Ville, were half-buried nose-down in a field. Visitors were encouraged to spray paint them and even take a souvenir. Today the car bodies bear little resemblance to their original form but are delightful to look at. They have now been in the ground as art longer than they were on the road as cars.

2. Slug Bug Ranch (Conway, Texas) - In 1967, Tom Crutchfield opened a service station and souvenir shop on the south frontage road of I-40. Some years later, when a Love's Travel Stop opened on the north frontage road and his business took a nose-dive, Tom decided to add a roadside attraction. He half-buried five VW Beetles nose-down and let folks go to town with their spray cans. It was a parody of nearby Cadillac Ranch and people loved it. The trouble was, they still filled up their tanks at Love's Travel Stop and then came by Slug Bug Ranch for some fun. He eventually moved on and today Slug Bug Ranch is surrounded by abandoned building on either side. 

3. Ra66it Ranch (Staunton, Illinois) - Rich Henry bought a parcel of land in Staunton, Illinois and after learning it was right on Route 66, he decided to drive the entire Mother Road. When he returned, he told his wife he wanted to open a kitchy place like Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman, Arizona (side note - it's well worth the trip!!) as a roadside attraction. About the same time, his daughter asked him to board her two pet rabbits for a few months. He fell in love with the critters and knew what his "theme" would be. In 1999, he half-buried seven VW Rabbits nose-down as a tribute to Cadillac Ranch but unlike the Caddies, the Rabbits are NOT spray painted. They are buried very close together to mimic real rabbits huddling. He also has a herd of about 20 rabbits, most of them orphaned by their owners, several semi-trucks, and a nine-foot rabbit "statue" you can climb on on the grounds.  He runs his insurance business out of the shop as well as sells  rabbit- and Route 66-themed souvenirs. We enjoyed talking to him!

4. Bottle Tree Ranch (north of Oro Grande, California) - When Elmer Long was a little boy, he hiked in the California desert with his dad. They collected all kinds of stuff (old garden tools, mattress springs, bottles, discarded glass insulators from telephone poles, washboards, ...) from old dumps. Fast forward several decades and he found a use for all the stuff he and his dad had collected. He started making bottle trees (large metal pipes with bottles and other stuff on them) in 2000 and now has a forest of over 200 of them! He likes to use the things he and his dad found on the top of his trees to give them character.

I am inspired by the creative artistry at these ranches. I appreciate their unusualness and am thankful for owners who aren't restricted by convention. I am amazed that all four of these ranches are open to public and are free of charge (although  Ra66it Ranch and Bottle Tree Ranch accept donations). And I am astonished that, at least on the day we were there, there were no gang tags, obscenities or inappropriate anythings spray painted on the cars at Cadillac Ranch and Slug Bug Ranch. 

thankful thursday - surf and sunset

Listening to ocean waves pounding the beach is soothing... relaxing... calming. It is why so many people listen to "waves" on their sound machines as they go to sleep. Watching and hearing the real thing takes it up a notch.

We recently spent a week in Southern California with our North Carolina sweethearts and their parents. In addition to the general chaos that comes with five kids, we also spent three days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Alternating Disney days with a beach day and a whale-watching tour day was the perfect way for us to unwind and relax so we could more fully enjoy the next "magical" day.

A beach day is an immersion experience involving all your senses.Watching children build sand castles as the waves roll in. The scent of fresh ocean air. Feeling the ocean spray on your face and the sand between your toes. The salty taste on your lips. Hearing the roar of the waves and the laughter of children.

I think I do some of my best pondering at the beach. I find solitude and energy in the crashing waves and inspiration in the tiny grains of sand. I recognize and appreciate the gift that has been given to me. And I am filled with awe.

The only thing better is being there at sunset!

"I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought." 

~ Helen Keller

thankful thursday - the unplanned things

I am, by nature, a planner... a list-maker... a scheduler. At home I have a "to-do" list every single day and I enjoy crossing the items off my list. It helps me remember what I did at the end of a busy day when it looks like I've done nothing at all. Sometimes my list gets derailed when unexpected things happen like the washing machine going on the fritz or illness.

On vacation, we have an itinerary, a list of places we're going or things we're doing. I research the places we're visiting to discover what there is to do and see. And occasionally we get sidelined due to road closures or traffic.

Some say that man makes plans and God laughs. They mean it in the sense that God is malicious and wants to circumvent our plans, to make life harder for no reason. I think God laughs because He has better things in store for us. Kind of like when my grandparents laughed when they asked my younger sister, who was four-years old at the time, if she'd rather go to Yellowstone Park to see geysers and buffalo or Yellowfront (a neighborhood variety-type store) to pick out something to buy and she chose Yellowfront.

While I am not usually happy about appliances needing repairs or illness or traffic issues, I have learned to appreciate the things I can't schedule or put on a list and cross off at the end of the day. The random things that "just happen." Things like...

... finding a nest full of robin eggs.

We were geocaching in Illinois when we stumbled upon this nest of eggs on the top of a bush. Mama bird was not very happy with us looking in the bushes for the geocache (which we found in a nearby bush) but did allow us a quick peek at her nursery. It was the first time I had ever seen eggs in a nest with mama bird watching over them. Amazing!

... finding a nest full of baby birds.

This is the house that Babe Ruth grew up in in Commerce, Oklahoma. As we were walking up to the porch, I noticed an irate bird squawking at us, then she flew away. It was then I heard a faint cheeping and saw three tiny beaks peaking out of the nest. Mama bird returned with what looked like a worm and after a few moments, began feeding her babies. It was also the first time I had seen baby birds in a nest. Amazing!

... watching the light from a lighthouse at night in the fog.

Two Harbors Lighthouse along Lake Superior is a working lighthouse (the oldest one in Minnesota!) keeping ships safe from the rocky shore. I have seen a dozen or so lighthouses in the daylight. Their lights are bright and I could imagine them piercing the thick darkness. But this was the first time I saw one at night... in the fog. Amazing!

... a snowstorm in May in Arizona with an impromptu snowball fight. 

It was a warmish, overcast morning in the Valley of the Sun as we left town but was snowing up on the Mogollon Rim. We arrived to a blanket of pristine white snow and just had to get out of the car and play a bit! Amazing!

I am thankful for the unexpected opportunities in my life. They are a blessing from God.

thankful thursday - vacation, part 2

One of my favorite things about being on vacation is meeting and talking to new people that God has put in my path - or me in theirs. Most of the time these encounters are brief and the conversations are several minutes long to maybe an hour or so. But my life is enriched by meeting these people.

One of my quirky photo ops is water towers (and that will probably be a blog post for another day!). Not the ordinary, run-of-the-mill water towers but something that makes them unique. Before we left on vacation I heard about a red-and-white-checkered water tower in Minot, North Dakota that was unlike any other checkered water tower. The information I found on it was dated so I called the public  works department in Minot, ND to enquire about the water tower. The woman on the phone assured me the tower was still around - but offered no directions and I didn't think to ask. When we arrived in Minot, I figured we could ask someone at our lunch stop. We eat local when we travel (also another blog post...) and stopped at a regional chain called Burger Time. After we ordered our food I asked the woman helping us if she knew where the red and white checkered water tower was. She laughed and said she just moved there from Florida and had no idea and then she asked the cook. The cook, a middle-aged woman, told us she had lived there her whole life and had no idea where it was. I showed her a picture of it which intrigued her and she went to her computer to see if she could find it. I went outside to call the public works department. The first woman I got had no idea where it was (I was beginning to see a trend...) but said if I could hold a few minutes, she'd ask someone else who has lived there longer. The second woman who came on the line knew exactly where it was and gave us directions. Meanwhile, the ladies at Burger Time were still interested in finding out where this mysterious water tower was so I shared the directions with them. They thanked us for showing them something new about their town and waved as we left to find the water tower. We enjoyed their friendly banter and were thankful for people willing to go the extra mile to answer a question.

It was worth the trouble to locate it! I've seen other checkered water towers but this one is truly the most beautiful.

No road trip is complete without seeing some of the kitschy things along the way. I researched some before we left using my favorite source, Roadside America, and found the largest ball of twine (by weight) according to the Guiness Book of World Records would be more-or-less on our route through Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. The creator of the giant ball of twine is James Frank Kotera (he calls himself JFK) and he built it in his backyard. He came out to talk to us when we arrived and told us how he got started and how he does it. He started making the twine ball after God told him to stop drinking and turn his life around and then God would make JFK famous as the Twine Man of the World. Four years later, clean and sober, JFK began making his twine ball and it quickly made him famous, just as God had told him it would. Each twine piece is knotted to and through the next one to keep it together. Although he works on it many hours a day, his hands are smooth and soft, something he attributes to it being God's work. We enjoyed hearing his story and seeing his handiwork.  

His ball of twine is HUGE - over 8-feet high and 22-feet wide with a weight of 21,280 pounds! 

We stayed in 19 different hotels/motels on our 21-day road trip. Fourteen were chain hotels (Marriott or Hilton) and one was La Posada (originally a Fred Harvey hotel but now owned by private citizens) in Winslow, Arizona. But four were small mom & pop motels and we were blessed to spend some time talking with the owners. The motels were all around  during Route 66's heyday and are located in small towns.   All these motels have "outside entrances" which allowed us to park our car right outside our room making it much easier to get all our stuff from the car to the room. They have classic neon signs or large marquees advertising their amenities (color tv, air conditioning, etc.). Although the motels have been updated since they were built, the rooms and bathrooms are small compared to bigger chain hotels. But what they lack in space they more than make up for in character. The owners work the front desk and usually live on the premises. They were interested in knowing "our story" - where we live, why we were there, what we enjoyed so far - and also shared their story - how they came to own the motel, something about it's history and recommendations on where to eat (or not eat). It was a refreshing change from the very professional but hurried twenty-something behind the front desk of the big chain hotels.

Both owners and motels were all very different. We appreciated that the character of the motels was maintained during remodeling. The Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri was built in the 1920's and has the most beautiful cut-glass door handles in the rooms. The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico was built in the 1940's and has real rotary phones in the rooms along with instructions on how to use it. The Route 66 Motel in Shamrock, Texas (top right) was built in the 1950's and has slightly larger rooms and traditional decor. The Canyon Lodge Motel in Seligman, Arizona has themed-rooms - ours was the Hollywood room and had posters of famous movie stars as well as a headboard that looked like the curtains on a stage - which was their claim to fame when they opened in the 1960's. 

As we were leaving Kansas we made a u-turn so I could take a photo of the "Welcome to Kansas" sign since the tiny road we entered Kansas on didn't have one. I just finished getting my photo when a great classic car pulled up behind us and a woman jumped out with her camera. I asked her if I could take a photo of the hood ornament (another of my quirky photo ops...) on their car. She said I could and then offered to take one of me by the car. We introduced ourselves and chatted for about ten or fifteen minutes. During that time I learned that Sheila and her husband were also driving Route 66 but going west to east and doing it in the car she bought when she was in high school, we are both believers and enjoy seeing God's creation, we both take a lot of photos and that we have both met many more Europeans traveling Route 66 than Americans. I took a photo of her by the "Welcome to Kansas" sign and then we went our separate ways. Although our time together was short, I will always fondly remember Sheila when I think about this trip.

Isn't it a gorgeous hood ornament? And the car was built the year I was born!

I like talking with people - getting a different perspective on something or learning what's going on in their lives. For me, it's one of the things that makes vacation fun.  And thankfully, we were blessed with lots of fun opportunities!

thankful thursday - vacation, part 1

For many people, summer means vacation. It's a time to slow down and relax. Or maybe go like crazy to fit as much into a few days or weeks as possible. It might be a destination vacation like Disneyland or Paris. Or a cruise. Or some time in the mountains in a secluded cabin or tent.

Or... it might be the all-American road trip!

We recently returned from a three-week road trip across the country and back logging 6,571 miles as we traversed 15 states and three time zones. Along the way, we learned some important lessons about enjoying vacation.

1. Stick your feet out the car window for a few minutes and relax! (Okay, only do this if you are NOT the driver! And wear your seatbelt properly while you do this.) Taking off your shoes and socks and letting the wind rush through your toes is relaxing. It reminds you that the "normal routine" has been suspended for a time. And besides, it's fun!

Don't you just love indentations on your feet from your socks?

2. Pack food and drinks to have a quiet, impromptu picnic! We had picnic lunches quite a few times, mostly because we were in the middle of nowhere at lunchtime. Once we ate in the car because it was raining, but the rest of the time is was wonderful to sit by a river or along the side of a road and enjoy the quiet, the beauty of nature and each other.

Nacho Doritos... my favorite vacation food!

3. Enjoy the solitude. We get so caught up in the busyness of life, in the noise of living that sometimes it's refreshing to just be alone (okay, we were together but there was no one else!). No bright screens flashing, no text or email alerts, no cars zooming by - just peace and quiet. It's good to spend some time alone with your thoughts, to let your mind wander, to appreciate the beauty of the world.

Yep, that's a dirt road!

4. Seek shelter when things get too rough. We got caught in a downpour on I-55 near Wilson Heights, Illinois. Buckets of rain and hail pummeled our car as Richard tried to keep it on the road. We finally came to an overpass  and pulled waaaay off to the side underneath it right behind another car. And the car behind us and the one behind them did the same thing. Sometimes it's just not worth it to keep going.

After ten minutes or so, the storm let up some and we were able to safely continue on our way.

5. Enjoy the sunsets. Spend a couple of minutes reflecting on your day. Enjoy the beauty of a colorful sunset. Relax. Be grateful.

God paints a new picture for us every night!

I am thankful God gives us times of relaxation and fun as well as work to be done. I am thankful for the simple things - a cool breeze on my feet and a surreal sunset - not just the "big" things.