Photo Credit: Keith Moyer

Today marks my 32ND and final “Let’s Blog Off” entry. The powers that be over at http://letsblogoff.com have decided it is time to close down this bi-weekly writing event.

I am extremely thankful for the time Gerard and Paul have put into this project. In honor of their work I would like to share the three lessons I have learned through my 32 contributions and how I will never be the same because of Let’s Blog Off.

Here are the three things I learned during this last 12 months including 6 of my favorite posts during that time. You can check out all of them from My Archives.

I am a creative
I never considered myself a creative writer; I have just thought it would be cool to attempt to be one. At first it was a little intimidating; the idea that I could find a way to actually write about a random subject with just three to four days notice.

It was on the 8TH subject, after I started, that I skipped my first and only post. I drew up a blank on the idea of what my favorite color could be. It never crossed my mind to run any direction with a topic that I wanted. After that one post I vowed to never skip another topic again. A few weeks ago I actually tried to skip one but Gerard stepped in and filled my mind with an idea and I ran with it.

Let’s Blog Off has taught me that I am a creative writer.

Thumbtacks
Baby Smelling for the Beginner
Pumpkin Pie For David

Readers like personal stories
The more I took a real life story and added it to the weekly blog off topic the higher my comment count would rise. Readers are desperate to connect in an authentic way with blog authors. The more personal the story, the higher the interaction.

Stories rock!

Stealing Time
It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
My Daughters, My Wife and Me

Keep it between 300 and 500 words
It was not uncommon to have fairly high participation in these blog posts. On the weeks that I got a little too wordy, the comments suffered. Short and to the point writing increased reader participation. Hey we are all busy and running into a blog post that is 1,000 words can be intimidating.

Gerard and Paul:

From the bottom of my heart I thank you both for the time and effort you put into this project. Let’s Blog Off has taught me that I am creative. That sharing my personal life encourages others and that simple writing is the most powerful.

Photo Credit: Keith Moyer

My all time favorite Old Testament character is Joseph. His story fascinates me. At the young age of 17 God promised Joseph that he would be a great leader. So great that even his own family would bow before him.

Plenty stood in the way of this promise. Joseph was beaten, thrown into an empty well, and sold into slavery by his own brothers. After being a slave for 11 years he was falsely accused of rape, and thrown into prison for at least 2 years. After being released he was charged with the task of storing up supplies in preparation for a 7 year famine; this took 7 years of his life. At 2 years into the famine he was finally reunited with his family. At the age of 41 his promise from God was finally realized. For those of us doing the math that is a total of 24 years Joseph had to wait for his promise from God.

In 2005 I was sitting in service at a church we had just started attending. We had just a hand full of friends there and no one really knew our personal lives at all. This was just about a year after I had started my small counter top company. I was extremely stressed at the time. My company was still struggling to make payroll each week and, the work was slow to come. Our finances were stressful. About 3/4 the way through the service the pastor stammered and said, “I need to do something real quick if everyone will just have some patience.” He then walked over to me, and whispered into my ear, “Just as Joseph named his son Manasseh because God had caused him to forget all his trouble, so will you forget your troubles.” He then went right back to his preaching and ended the service.

After the service I went up to him and asked what happened. He said that in his 25 years as lead pastor that has only happened to him 5 times. He just knew what he was supposed to say to me even though he really knew nothing about my current situation including the fact that I owned a company.

I assumed at the time I could expect all my financial problems to be resolved in the near future; I was wrong. In fact it got worse, and I cannot say that I have seen this promised realized in my life, yet.

I have chosen to do the same thing Joseph did during his waiting period. He continued to move forward, believing that God would be faithful to complete the promise made. Joseph maintained his faith and continued to uphold his belief system even in the face of massive temptation to deviate.

The obstacles I am facing seem small compared to what Joseph had standing in his way. Still, life’s challenges are relative. Every individual faces different challenges and their difficulty level is very individualized.

In the teaser for this week’s Let’s Blog Off subject, Gerard wrote the following.

Eighteen years ago, The Shawshank Redemption was released that had what I consider the best line ever. “I’ve convinced you to come this far. I’m hoping you’re willing to go just a littler bit further.”

Sunday morning I felt God asked me to do the same thing. I choose to go just a little bit further and continue chasing His promise, no matter how long it takes.

Photo Credit: Jennerally

Invasion of Dandelion

April K. Curfman

Blatantly you disregard
Our efforts to exclude you
And pop-up – like stars
Across our yards
In irrespective profusion
Your final act
A child-like gift
Of whimsical illusion
Your courageous grace ignored
You’re labeled
An intrusion.

Yes, it is that time of year again. With a quick ride through any neighborhood here in the Midwest the evidence of spring is upon us. Dandelions are ‘on the rise’. Rather than mowing them down or even worse treating your yard with ‘weed and feed’ let’s take a different route, shall we?

With a taste close to honey this one is sure to be a winner with the kids!

Dandelion Jelly

Wash one quart of dandelion blossoms (no stems).
Put in pan and boil for 3 minutes in one quart of water (mom lets it simmer for a while).
Strain.
Strain again through a coffee filter.
To every three cups of liquid add 1 pkg. sure-jell and1 tsp. lemon or orange extract (mom uses lemon juice).
Add 4 1/2 cups sugar.
Boil 3 minutes (mom says it takes more like 10 minutes) Use jelly setting on candy thermometer or use a glass dish from freezer. If a few drops on the cold dish sets that is an indication that it is done.
Jars need to be hot. Mom puts them in a cake pan of water and heats on stove. She puts parafin in each jar. After it melts she adds the jelly.

You can add any flavor of dry jello to taste or color. (Mom adds about 1 T. of strawberry)

“If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn.” Andrew V. Mason

Ported and edited from my wife’s blog, with permission.

This is a guest post by my lovely wife, Julie. She is a cookie aficionado, and will serve this week’s Let’s Blog Off subject better than I ever could.

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The best oatmeal cookies eveh!

I just can’t get over these cookies. . . This is my favorite cookie recipe, for the moment. It’s yummylicous, especially with coffee. They have a nice spicy flavor and aroma. They remind me of what little girls are made of…sugar and spice and everything nice!

Dad’s Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups quick cooking oats

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Cream first three ingredients until fluffy, add eggs and vanilla. Mix all dry ingredients into butter mixture. Stir in oats. Let dough stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Flatten cookies slightly and bake for 10 minutes. Do not overbake.
Take cookies from the oven when still puffy and edges are just beginning to brown. Let cookies cool a minute or two on cookie sheets before removing. Cool completely on racks. They are fragile and difficult to remove from the cookie sheets when they are still warm, so work gently.

I have experimented with the measurements on the cinnamon, all spice and cloves and have found that 1-1/2 tsp. makes it spicy to my liking. I don’t always let the dough sit either.

I’m quite ashamed – ’tis mighty rude
To eat so much – but all’s so good. ~ Leona Odle Dickey

Photo Credit: ElvertBarnes

I have thought long and hard about this week’s Let’s Blogoff Topic. I will most likely paint myself into a corner with this post.

One concept that has really changed the way I write (and read for that matter) was covered when our instructor told us that good academic writing does not use the word ‘you’. She gave a variety of reasons for this. It is not the purpose of this post to argue the reasoning, it is the end result of this new concept, that I want to share.

After being given this new directive I started seeing things differently. When I would start to draft a post I would catch myself using ‘you’ way too often. Suddenly my writing started to seem more like an owners manual than something motivational, which is what I am actually after. Certainly in the beginning days of this blog it was more of an owners manual since I was more focused on business at the time. Technical writing comes across better when it says: “You should XYZ before you can PDQ if you want to be successful at QWE”

What I learned is this. I can take almost any blog post that is full of ‘you should’ and ‘you must’ styling and, turning it inward, I could change it over to read ‘I should’ and ‘I must’ resulting in a much more powerful influence on not just the random reader, but on myself.

This simple change in my writing has taken this blog, and turned it into a very introspective experience for me. I no longer look to use it to influence others. I use it to influence myself. I have always had a slight lean towards schizophrenia so now, through this blog, I can talk to myself and not feel quite as crazy. I engage in the ultimate self talk from this blog.

It may seem a little narcissistic at first, but this blog is not about ‘you’ it is about me. It is about the me that needs to do better. It is about the me that is struggling to understand the world, and myself, better. It is about the me that needs to learn how to be a better dad, husband, friend and son.

Hopefully a few passers by will happen upon a post they can identify with, and we will be able to partake of a particular learning experience together.

Certainly, if I build content around my own challenges, I will never run short of material.

Photo Credit: postbear

As much as I wanted to write a nice blog post today about what songs I have stuck in my head I cannot. I am studying for a big Anatomy and Physiology test today.

Still, Rufus Dogg got my brain working and this is the LBO dump that is necessary if I am to make it through the day!

YouTube Video Link -

Photo Credit: Janetmck

Babies really have a way of putting out the stink. It is not so bad for the first few weeks after birth, but as their digestive system works out the nourishment remaining from gestation, their normally bland smelling diapers take a turn for the worst.

The very best thing to do is focus on the head. Since the head is the most attractive part of all babies anyway this should be fairly obvious. Just remember that the head is the part without the white saggy plastic bag attached to it. A mistake in this assessment skill could be catastrophic. One never knows the terrors that reside in the loin coverings of babies.

The very best parents will keep the baby’s head powdered well. Sometimes you get real lucky and find a baby that has been rubbed down with baby oil. These babies smell particularly nice and should have their heads sniffed at every opportunity.

It can be real tempting, when in public, to go up and smell the heads of completely strange babies. I would encourage the baby smeller to avoid these types of smelling situations. Most normal parents frown on strangers smelling their babies heads. If you do find a stranger willing to let you sniff their baby there are a couple of things to be mindful of.

First, remember that babies are easily startled; you should sniff as quietly as possible. Secondly it is never a good idea to actually touch your nose to the baby. For the baby to maintain a nice odor it is important that the noses of complete strangers never touch it. Finally, should a baby be surprised to see you lean in for a sniff, you may want to consider finding a different baby to smell. Although babies smell great, pleasuring your olfactory nerves is not their only function.

While babies heads smell better than anything else on the planet, it is the responsibility of all sniffers to understand the dos and don’ts of baby smelling. Without responsible baby sniffing by all adults we run the risk of losing this privilege forever.

For the sake of all moms, dads and babies please exercise appropriate baby smelling. Responsible baby smelling is everyone’s responsibility and should never be taken for granted.

Photo Credit: urbanwide

My parents worked pretty hard to raise my sister and me well. They did not have the best examples to follow. When they were older, and started raising a family of their own, they did the best they could.

With the exception of the ban on ‘rock music’, I do not have any problems with any of their decisions. Hey, I missed out on the greatest era in music, the eighties!

It is okay dad, I am not too bitter! (wink wink)

There is one thing my parents taught me that I have followed to this very day. Julie and I are trying our hardest to instill this one value into the lives of our children as well.

Just tell the truth!

If I really wanted to find out the depth at which my parents could discipline, all I had to do was tell a lie. There was absolutely no room for it in our home. My mom’s favorite scripture out of the bible on the subject, while I was growing up, was the following:

all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone

No, I do not sit around in fear that if I tell a lie I will burn in hell forever. My mom was trying to make a point, though. Mom and dad both knew that pain and misery follow liars around and the consequences of such behavior spread to those around us. The greatest violations man has thrust upon other men were covered in lies and deception. Both slavery and the Holocaust were founded upon the lie that Jews and African Americans were not 100% people.

Trust is the currency of all relationships. – Andy Stanley

I want my girls to understand; without honesty successful relationships cannot exist. When they get older and start to date I want them to expect honesty. If they have lived their whole lives in an environment filled with the truth then they will be instantly turned off by any relationship with lying in it.

Because of our desire to see our daughters be in healthy relationships we hold them to very high standards. They have lost privileges for an entire year as the consequence for dishonesty.

Even if they tell the truth just to avoid the long horrible conversation that may result if we find out they lied I am happy.

Eventually truth will find its way into the light. I want my kids to understand that the end results are always better if we shine the light of truth on ourselves rather than hoping someone else does not.

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Photo Credit: JD Hancock

I have been fascinated with time travel for a long time. Since I am a sci-fi fan I get plenty of entertainment content surrounding the subject. For the most part every episode of my favorite shows use time travel to give me a happy ending. Our hero goes back and saves someone or rights some kind of wrong. He or she gets to return back to their correct time and everything is better.

Well hurrah for them!

The rest of us have to live our lives looking back on bad decisions or experiences and wish we could go back and change them. My list is just as long as anyone else’s. Maybe I do not have some of the ugly things in my past many people do such as untimely death of family members, but I would like to think that kind of thing is relative anyway. My worst experience may not be as bad as another person’s worst experience but it is still MY worst experience.

I am such an emotional person that I would run back in time just minutes after a decision and change it. I would ultimately find myself in an endless loop of decision making, and changing, trying to find that perfect combination for a life that will make me happy.

I would abandon the need for a mentor. I can just try every single possible scenario and choose which result I like the most. I would become the ultimate manipulator leveraging my powers for my own welfare. My wife, children, friends and neighbors would become slaves to my every whim. I would become lazy and fat(er) since I would be able to win the lottery any time I ran out of money.

With the ability to turn back time and fix my past mistakes I will guarantee myself one thing. I will leave this earth as dumb as I entered it, and no one would be better off for my existence. I would live an uneventful, perfect and completely boring life.

Photo Credit: Kaba

Probably the most stressful part of running my own company was keeping the pipeline full. I tried a little bit of everything.

It was easy in the early days. Demand was high for cabinet installation. Trim carpenters, at least here in Kansas City, wanted nothing to do with kitchen cabinets. All we really had to do was the basics. If we were on time, did our work well, and took care of the details we stayed busy.

As the market turned south the landscape changed. Trim carpenters all over the city decided installing cabinets was not such a bad idea. Since most of them knew very little about cabinet installation they looked to the builders and suppliers for pricing. The trim carpenters provided opportunity, and the building industry here in Kansas City cashed in, or out, or down, you get the point. The floor dropped out of market pricing and instillation quality went with it. I tried for 36 months to keep things above water. Ultimate we closed our doors due to lack of work. We were not willing to be the cheapest place in town; we were unable to perform that poorly. We were specialists in a market that did not want specialists; it wanted cheap.
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