Final Blog Reflection

Assignment 7.6

July 19, 2015

 

     During this summer session of the English Composition 1 course, this is the first time I’ve ever set up a blog or even opened Blogger.com.  The only real computer interaction I’ve had since I was in high school is Facebook.  So this was a totally new experience for me.  As the days went by it became easier for me, at first it was difficult for me to sit and free write.  I noticed that my words per ten minutes of allotted time increased, as I got my experience with my blog writing and techniques.

     Most of my blogs where just reflections of my day or items I wrote down on my “I believe” list.  Some of my blogs when writing brought back a lot of precious memories.  Things I hadn’t necessarily forgot, but just hadn’t really thought about for many years.  Some blogs I struggled with the words to properly express my thoughts, while others just seemed to flow with ease.

     I wrote blogs mainly about my family.  This is the subject in which I know the most about.  I’ve always been taught to “Write what you know”, I believe that I achieved this goal.  I love sharing memories and stories of my family, especially my children.  They are my most prideful accomplishments.

     I also found it interesting to read and respond to others in the course’s blogs.  This was just another way for us all to connect with one another, outside the traditional classroom setting.  It was like opening little windows into each of our lives.  Some blogs were very random in content, while others were more personal and serious.  It was a way for each of us to learn each other’s likes, dislikes, hobbies, and interest.  Each of us have our own way of special expression.

     Overall, I enjoyed this assignment quite well.  It gives you a way to express your feelings, thoughts, or just tell about a random story.  It’s a great way to remember memories that are repressed in your minds.  I found this very therapeutic as well, a simple way to “unwind” after a hectic day at work or a busy day with the family.  A way to share your day and events with others.  I am going to try to continue writing a blog post each day, and maybe someday print them all off and put together as a journal.

 

Cooking

July 18, 2015

 

I just love to cook.  This started at a very young age, my grandmother taught me basically everything.  I can remember when I was about five years old she would let me stand on a chair and watch her cook.  She would let me break the eggs, even though sometimes she would have to fish out the shells, she never complained and always helped me learn.  I remember helping her make noodles.  She would let me roll them out on the table with the old time rolling pin, and then she would use a pizza cutter to cut the noodles into strips.  She taught me how to make pies.  I can fluet a pie crust better than anyone I know thanks to grandma Olive.  I remember at Thanksgiving and Christmas she would always let me help prepare the meals.  She would always make homemade dressing and let me cut up the onions and celery and cube the bread.  She wouldn’t buy bread crumbs, we would start saving bread heals in the summer and putting in the freezer for dressing.  I would love to help make meatloaf, she would let me put my little hands in there like a mixer.  I love that my grandma helped teach me all she has, I have became a great cook in my opinion.  I love to experiment and make up my own dishes, only a few have been not good, edible, but not really good.  My husband always laughs when he asks what’s for dinner and I tell him, “Oh I just made this up tonight”, but he usually eats it with a smile.  My grandma taught me how to be a great baker as well.  I started cooking all the meals at home when I was a teenager, my grandpa would always tell my grandma let Angel cook tonight.  She would say “I’ve taught you better than myself”.  I now try and do the same thing with my daughter, she loves to help in the kitchen.  I let her break the eggs, and I too now pull out the shells, she measures and dumps in the bowls.  If I could get her to start cleaning up the messes she makes I would have it made.  Another tradition that I am instilling into my children.  Someday my future son in law will thank me.

 

394 Words

10 minutes

TGIF

July 17, 2015

 

This has been such a long week.  Starting off with my niece coming in from Pennsylvania, and my sister in law and brother in law and his son coming down from Granby.  They stayed in my father in laws fifth wheel camper they set up in our side property.  They didn’t hook up the water so it was constant in and out of our house for showers and going to the bathroom.  I have had a hectic week at work.  More than normal, It usually is hectic but this week had been exceptionally busy.  We have a four admits in the past two days.  My little ones are having cabin fever I think, it’s been so hot I haven’t been letting them go outside too much, not even in their pool.  And at night when the sun goes down the bugs come out so bad.  I don’t know if it’s because we have had so much rain or what, but the bugs and mosquitos are terrible at my house.  You can’t go outside for two minutes without getting bit on.  I have to get ready for work today, then I’m thankfully off tomorrow.  My niece and her boyfriend are leaving early Sunday morning, so I think I’m going to plan a family dinner, movie night tomorrow before they leave.  I don’t really know what new movies came out this week.  Last week we rented “Get Hard” with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, this movie is hilarious, the language is a little rough, but the movie is funny.  Not a family movie, I would send the little ones out of the room.  I’m really in the mood to do some baking, but I don’t have a clue on what I want to bake.  This time last year I was baking tons of fruit breads for my daughter’s pageant.  A fresh strawberry pie sounds amazing.  I remember when I was young we used to have family reunions and my aunt Linda would make the best fresh strawberry pies.  I miss those family reunions, it was so much fun for all of us to get together and eat and all us younger ones would play together at the park.  We always had our reunion on Father’s Day Sunday.  Great memories.  I hope you all have a great and safe weekend.

 

391 Words

10 Minutes

Butterflies

June 16, 2015


I just love Butterflies.  Every thing Butterflies.  I have all kinds of things with Butterflies.  They are so magical I think.  They are quite miraculous if you think about it.  They start out as a little caterpillar and then through this awesome transformation, turn into a creature of flight.  My daughter had a school project, like most of us did when we were little, collect a caterpillar bring it into school and then they put them into jars and watched them transform into a chysillis and then after a long awaited few months they hatch into a beautiful butterfly.  The butterfly is quite delicate.  Flying from flower to flower collecting their pollen.  It's cool how something that once crawled and slinked on the ground now can soar high above the skies.  I was watching them in my flower gardens earlier they do not resemble their past life at all.  It's awesome how Mother Nature works.  We took our children to the Butterfly Palace in Branson, several years ago.  It's amazing just how many different species of this magistic creature there really are.  You never now when you pick up a caterpillar what kind of butterfly will emerge when it transforms.  It's kind of like the saying in Forrest Gump "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get", well that can be applied to the butterfly as well.  It's amazing to sit back and see what wonderful creatures God has created for us, sometimes its worth the time to just take a moment out of the busy hustle and bustle of life and enjoy them.

My Favorite Disney Movie

July 15, 2015

 

I would have to say out of all the Disney movies, my favorite would be a Bug’s Life.  I have watched hundreds of Disney movies since I have three children.  But I just love a Bug’s Life.  It makes you wonder if other forms of life do communicate.  I know other mammals communicate and bugs, birds and such I’m sure do to.  Little Flick goes out on an adventure to make sure that his colony has food for the winter.  I love the saying “When the last leaf falls.”  Every fall when I see the leaves turning and falling it always makes me think of this movie.  This little guy Flick goes through a lot to prove himself worthy of all the other ants.  This poor little guy almost doesn’t make it back.  Until he comes across the circus bugs, who teach him how to stand up for himself.  When he takes them back to the colony, he doesn’t know that the circus bugs had been lying to him to find themselves a better life.  They all work together to help one another out to get that harvest for the winter and to stand up to the bully bugs who are trying to steal all their food.  Then you have the little love story that is tied into the story.  This is one of the older Disney movies, we bought it on VHS tape for our oldest son, Roger when it first came out.  We watched this movie over and over, until finally the movies actually broke inside the tape.  Then we found it on DVD and my other two children watch it a lot now.  Disney makes so many movies that really do teach little hidden life lessons.  We still buy all the new release Disney movies and hope to pass this collection someday onto our grandchildren.

316 Words

10 Minutes

Family Day

July 14, 2015

 

     On Monday, my niece Stacy and her boyfriend Jon traveled from Pennsylvania to visit us all.  It has been almost two and a half years since we have gotten to see her and this is the first time the family has got to meet Jon.  Today we spent the day in Branson together.  First we went to Tanger Outlet Mall and went shopping.  My husband got him some new shoes at Finish Line.  Then we went to Bath and Body Works, and had to smell everything.  I got myself some great smelling handi-santi’s.  That store is so awesome, there is so much good smelling things in that store.  Then I wanted to go to the Disney store, I can’t go to Tanger without going to the Disney store and buying my little ones something.  I guess it’s the mom in me.  I got them a couple of new t-shirts.  Then we decided we was getting hungry and went out to lunch.  We went to Fudrucker’s.  We ate some awesome burgers.  Then my niece had never been to Dicks Five and Dime in old time Branson.  So we went there, there are some many items to look at in that store.  Of course, my niece had to look at everything, so two hours later we finally got out of that place.  Then we took them to the Landing.  Stacy had been there, but Jon had never seen the fountains so we took them there.  Once again my niece had to go in every store and look at everything.  It was starting to get to be a long day.  Finally we came home to the nice cool air conditioning.  So nice to come home and relax after being out in the heat and walking all day.  Tomorrow we will be attending evening church together and getting some family photos taken.  We are a family that is big on pictures when someone comes to visit.  Sadly Jon and her, will be leaving Saturday, but we are having a great time making memories this week while they are here.  Thursday they are all going to Silver Dollar City, unfortunately I have to work and won’t be able to attend with them.  But I am glad for the precious time that I have got to spend with her and her new wonderful boyfriend.

 

393 Words

10 Minutes

Almost Over

July 13, 2015

 

It’s so hard to believe that we are almost done with our summer semester.  It seems like just yesterday when I was going to buy my laptop to start my online classes.  I was so nervous, I didn’t think I could manage a forty plus hour work week, going to school, and three children.  But look at me now I have done it much to my surprise.  All my family and friends kept telling me that I would do fine, but I was so scared that I was going to fail.  I set aside school time for each day, learned to prioritize all my assignments for both classes, and it has really worked out for me.  The first week, I have to admit was awful, I felt so overwhelmed and didn’t think I would honestly make it to where I am now.  I did cut back on work a little.  I am used to working six day a week, I cut back to five with no overtime hours.  It really hurt the wallet, but I knew that in order to succeed in this journey this is what I would have to do.  I didn’t realize that summer semester would be so condensed and hectic.  My friends told me don’t take two classes online this summer, it will be to hard to keep up.  I just brushed them off, and said I can do this.  Little did I know what I was getting myself into.  But I have managed to maintain good grades in both of my classes.  Have managed not to miss one assignment.  I was late with one, because I wasn’t quite sure on how to submit it, but other than that I have kept right up.  This fall I am planning on taking a seated class with labs, and one online class.  Hopefully it won’t be as stressful.  But I have a plan in order and want to try and stick to this plan as much as possible to get my degree in two years.  Good luck to all of you in your classes as well, and I hope that things are going as good for you as they are for me.

 

369 Words

10 minutes