the coat

Life's landScapes

Do we ever just sit back and cherish life's beauties.

Life's dependencies

We may feel we have become self-sufficient but in reality we may have become more codependent not only on other people but on technology.  Today we depend for life's necessities almost wholly upon the activities of others. The work of thousands of human hands and thousands of human brains lies back of every meal you eat, every journey you take, every book you read, every bed in which you sleep, every telephone conversation, every text you receive, every garment you wear.

A Growth Mindset, "Music and the Spoken Word"

There are some amazing things shared on "Music and the Spoken Word"

A Growth Mindset
Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

What we think about others and ourselves has the power to shape our world. How often have we heard ourselves say things like "I’m not a morning person” or "I’m not very smart” or "That’s just the way I am”? If we believe our talents and personality will never change, then they probably never will. If we believe our fate is set in stone, then it probably is.

On the other hand, if we believe that desire, hard work, and persistence are much more important than intelligence or natural ability, then change and growth are possible.1

A high school valedictorian observed that her classmates always thought she was so successful in school because she was naturally gifted with talent and intellect. They thought that everything came easily to her. But she will tell you that the only reason she excelled academically was the simple fact that she studied more and worked harder.

Anyone who plays a musical instrument or runs a marathon will tell you the same thing. Their achievements come of sacrifice and serious effort, not luck or good fortune. Of course, there are those who are naturally gifted in one way or another. But we were not created with a fixed set of abilities; rather, we were created with a deep-seated ability and yearning to improve, to grow, to become more than what we are.

While we don’t have much control over innate ability or natural talent, we can usually control how much we try. We cannot do much about how tall or short we are, but we can control how dedicated we are and how intently we resist giving up. Such a mindset empowers us to step outside our comfort zone and seek new opportunities for progress and change—creating growth and development in place of rationalization and regret. We will then find—to our joy, but not to our surprise—that we can achieve remarkable things.

Our reactions to life's lessons

The greatest problem facing any organism is successful reaction to its environment. Environment, speaking scientifically, is the sum total of your experiences. In plain United States, this means fitting vocationally, socially and maritally into the place where you are. If you don't fit you must move or change your environment to fit you. If you can't change the environment and you won't move you will become a failure, just as tropical plants fail when transplanted to the Nevada desert. Learn From the Sagebrush ¶ But there is something that grows and keeps on growing in the Nevada desert—the sagebrush. It couldn't move away and it couldn't change its waterless environment, so it did what you and I must do if we expect to succeed. It adapted itself to its environment, and there it stands, each little stalwart shrub a reminder of what even a plant can do when it tries!

Life is a landscape.

Do you like landscapes and time lapse.  Well prepare to be inspired.  Life is wonderful and this will show us just how wonderful.

Love of Reading, don't be a grump

Some kids struggle with reading, which in turn makes it so they don't want to read.  Even good readers at times may not want to work on their reading skills.  To work on those things are boring!
But turn it into a game and the desire to participate goes up.  Especially when there are records to be broken.

Life works the same way sometimes.  We get bogged down by routine, and forget what and why we do things.  We need to remember the fun in life and the joy.  Then remember who we are doing everything for--our families (most of us.)

Don't be a grump, enjoy life.

Wes

Printer

Printer

So I couldn't get the printer to copy what I wanted copied the way I wanted, and then when someone asked how i was doing I basically said that the copier wasn't coping the way I needed to. I was a little frustrated because it took 45 mins. Of my time to get pretty much nothing done, then got thinking. It wasn't the copiers fault. It was doing exactly what I was telling it to do. I would punch some commands in and it would do it. It was the operators fault.

Life is the same, we get what we punch in. We may not know the exact things that need to be punched I for what we want out. And if we keep punching in the same things we will keep getting the same thing out. We may have to stop along the way and ask someone. But once we learn what needs to be put in we will get what we want out.

Life is like printer. You get what you tell it to give you.

Wes

You can not bring toys...

Yes this a picture of me. When we first found the photo booth app on the iPad we were laughing so hard. It was a hilarious time. Though out life we have to take little moments and have a good laugh. Sometimes those laughs will be about ourselves, at other times about little or big instances that happen during life.

My son is going to have a grandparents day at school soon. So he asked his grandma if she would come. While he was talking to her about it he told her:
You can bring pictures and tell stories but you can't bring toys or real guns.
When he told me and my wife we died of laughter.

Life is fun enjoy it.

Wes

Beauty all around

I get caught up in every day life and forget the beauty all around. It may not be in a grand scheme, but life has little moment where there is- Beauty all around.

Garden of weeds

Well this could go a lot of ways. But, well I have neglected my garden for a while now. My potatoes are buried in weeds, corn has kind of grown but haven't picked any. Pumpkins and squash are bug infested and dying. We pulled up all our lettuce over a month ago after it got too old. And so forth. We get over run a lot in life and our purpose in life is to figure it all out and make it work. How can we handle something way better after this life if we are lost in this life.
Everything we go though is placed to help us prioritize. Have fun with that.

Wes

Equals Effort

  So I kind of left my last blog hanging.  Yeah, I guess I purposely did that.  I have noticed that more and more, I think especially with technology that our generations are getting lazier and lazier.   We don't want to work as hard any more, and expect just as much or more.  Talk to someone who grew up 50 yrs ago.  It was work work.  And then someone who grew up 70 yrs ago (the previous generation).  They came from the Depression era, and life was work work work.  You had to work, there was nothing just given you, work for it or you had absolutely nothing.
    So the connection in life between success and effort has been lost in a way.  People want to succeed in life and try and do it with as little effort as possible.
  Yes there might be some that have found their place in life, and have made it.  But, most that have achieved anything have had to put forth effort.
  So here it is again, the definition of effort.

ef·fort \ˈe-fərt, -ˌfȯrt\
noun
1 : conscious exertion of power
2 : a serious attempt
3 : something produced by exertion or trying
4 : effective force as distinguished from the possible resistance called into action by such a force
5 : the total work done to achieve a particular end <the war effort>

Nothing in life will be truly achieved without effort. 
You want to succeed in life?  better find some effort.

wes

Success equals

So the past little while I have been thinking about something that makes a big impact on each of our lives. I have known it, but just some things that have been said by different people and things I have read have made me start to ponder this topic a little more.
One story is of a group of leaders that went forth among the people and did declare the word unto them. And then it says "And Alma, also, himself, COULD NOT REST, and he also went forth." What make a man not be able to rest,and gets him up to go and do? It seems some people in life have it and others don't. Or do we all have it, with some knowing how to cultivate it while others are not sure how. And if so how do they get it.
Another story talks about a man that "could not be restrained"
Then I heard someone say, and I have always known this but something went to clicking inside, "their achievement level is directly related to their level of effort."
So I went and looked effort up in the dictionary.
ef·fort \ˈe-fərt, -ˌfȯrt\
noun
1 : conscious exertion of power : hard work <a job requiring time and effort>
2 : a serious attempt : try <making an effort to reduce costs>
3 : something produced by exertion or trying <the novel was her most ambitious effort>
4 : effective force as distinguished from the possible resistance called into action by such a force
5 : the total work done to achieve a particular end <the war effort>
Examples
He put a lot of effort into finishing the project on time.
It wasn't easy, but it was worth the effort.
We need to expend more effort.
Origin: Middle French, from Old French esforz, esfort, from esforcier to force, from ex- + forcier to force.
First use: 15th century
Synonyms: elbow grease, exertion, expenditure, labor, pains, sweat, trouble, while, work

More tomorrow
Wes

Lonesome meow

So yesterday there happened to come from somewhere this kitten that we didn't know we had.  Well it got meowing up a storm and trying to climb up the back door.  When my wife and daughter were outside it would follow them around and continue meowing.  They made sure it had plenty of food but it still continued on.  This scared my little girl.  Well by the time I had gotten home from work they had put the kitten in the shed.  Well my son then let the kitten out and it continues on with it's psychotic behavior.  Well the meowing dyed down and it just followed them and me everywhere.  This would happen until  we would go in side and the meowing would start up again.  So is this cat sick, or, is it really lonely?  

Doesn't life bring those type of people to us?  Those that truly need us, and yes some of them may go overboard sometimes.  Maybe we're the meowing kitten?  But let's remember that through life we all need others.  It might be someone to have, someone to talk to or listen to, maybe it might only be the need to be acknowledged.  

Let's not let that lonely meowing kitten rip our door down before we realize what they need.

Be a friend.  A good ne.

Wes

--
Wes Grimm
4th Grade Teacher
Iron Springs Elementary
"Love Learning"

One long day

So school starts tomorrow, and it has been one long day.  You never have one of those days.  HA HA.  Didn't quite get done what I was thinking, but what did get done was helpful to not only me but 10 others as well.  I guess that is what life is all about.  If I would have done what I thought I would have gotten done it would have been beneficial to me and my class, now it is beneficial to 10 times more, teachers and classrooms.

Go out and share yourself.  The results will be amazing and the reward...
well who needs rewards.



wes

Fwd: Over and over

It has happened twice now!

2 posts and both times I lost it when I went to post.  That never happens in life does it?
Well we just have to learn and keep going.



--
Wes Grimm
4th Grade Teacher
Iron Springs Elementary
"Love Learning"

Full Moon, New Moon

The moon has quite a great impact on the earth when it is a full moon.  Then when it is a new moon there is no light from the sun reflected to the earth.  So which moon do you you like better.  The New Moon or the Full Moon?  I hope that through life we are like the Full Moon and have a lot of influence for good on others.  Yes there will be times where we will be like the New Moon and hardly be noticed, or have an impact. 

But let us remember to show our light and be an example to others

--
Wes

Car doors, and other honest incidents

How many of us have lost hold of our car door in the wind and it hits the car next to us.  Yah, probably most of us, well I hope not.  Is our response "Come on kids get in the car lets go!"  or do you wait for the other car owner to come out and talk to them.  I guess little happenings like this really make the person that we are.  Hope it's a good one.
                                 

The curse of the TV

So our TV is dead.  That is probably a great thing.  I am not trying to focus on that but what has come of it because it is broken.  I am reading more at night than I have before.  I love to read and now I am actually doing it because I am not watching all that filth that is on that dumb tube.  But something better has come of it.  At night I am spending more time talking with my wife.  We have been discussing things more in depth than we have before.  And yes I enjoy it.  Maybe the curse of the TV is a good thing.


--
Wes Grimm

Notes are stronger than memory

Do you ever think of something and mean to write it down and never do, something really important,  so you say to yourself "I'll remember that" and then when it come to it you don't?

Ya, I had one of those today.  I always mean to write it done, just get to busy to do so.  Well getting to busy is a big crock of an excuse.  We would probably save time in the long run if we would just write in down int the first place.  I have learned that writers have these notebooks that they call, of all things, writers notebook.  They just jot down what ever they think when it comes to them, or details that they see or here when they are out and about.  The way a certain thing looks at dusk.  Or the sounds that people make getting on or off a bus, or the smell of food cooking in a restaurant.  Well you get the point.  Saves a lot of time while they are writing. 

So my point-well I guess I better get better  at jotting down my thoughts when they come to me.  Yes this will mean start carrying around some type of note pad.  But wait most of us already carry those around.  They are called Cell Phones (most now a days have a note pad function on them.)  Like we didn't already know.

--
Wes Grimm

Dropbox with link this time

So here is some info again and with the link this time.

http://db.tt/5kwzyFc

DROPBOX

Dropbox is software that syncs your files online and across your computers. 2 GB of free space.

Dropbox replaces:

• Emailing file attachments to yourself and other people
• Using USB drives to move files between computers
• Renaming files to keep a history of previous versions
• Complicated backup software and hardware
• And more!

Dropbox lets you go back in time to undelete or undo changes to files.
Every time you save a file in Dropbox, Dropbox syncs it to its secure servers. Dropbox keeps a history of every change you make so that you can undo any mistakes and even undelete files. By default, Dropbox keeps 30 days of history for all your files.
With Dropbox, online backup is automatic.
Any file you put into your Dropbox folder is automatically backed up to the servers. Even if your computer has a melt-down, your files are safe on Dropbox and can be restored at any time. While the free 2GB account is perfect for backing up smaller files and documents, Dropbox offers larger accounts (up to 100GB) for backing up more and bigger files, like your music and video collections.
Dropbox lets you share files easily.
You can easily share entire folders or photo albums with Dropbox. Simply put the folders you want to share in your Dropbox, and invite people to them. You can also send people links to specific files within your Dropbox. This makes Dropbox perfect for team projects.

--
Wes Grimm

Organizing life-Drop box

So we do sometimes run around like I said last time, like chickens with our heads chopped off.  How much of that is because we have no focus on what we are doing?  It is interesting to note in our day to day lives that when we are organized things run so much better.  Try it, I dare you.  I have noticed that the Saturdays that I don't schedule out with things to do, they fly by and it feels like I get nothing accomplished.

So what am I saying?  Life is better when it is organized a bit.  Yes we most definitely need off the cuff moments though. 

Here is a way to make your technology life a little easier.


DROPBOX

Dropbox is software that syncs your files online and across your computers. 2 GB of free space.

Dropbox replaces:

• Emailing file attachments to yourself and other people
• Using USB drives to move files between computers
• Renaming files to keep a history of previous versions
• Complicated backup software and hardware
• And more!

Dropbox lets you go back in time to undelete or undo changes to files.
Every time you save a file in Dropbox, Dropbox syncs it to its secure servers. Dropbox keeps a history of every change you make so that you can undo any mistakes and even undelete files. By default, Dropbox keeps 30 days of history for all your files.
With Dropbox, online backup is automatic.
Any file you put into your Dropbox folder is automatically backed up to the servers. Even if your computer has a melt-down, your files are safe on Dropbox and can be restored at any time. While the free 2GB account is perfect for backing up smaller files and documents, Dropbox offers larger accounts (up to 100GB) for backing up more and bigger files, like your music and video collections.
Dropbox lets you share files easily.
You can easily share entire folders or photo albums with Dropbox. Simply put the folders you want to share in your Dropbox, and invite people to them. You can also send people links to specific files within your Dropbox. This makes Dropbox perfect for team projects.

--
Wes Grimm

Blank moments

I am sitting here at lunch doing nothing thinking that I need to do something, but there is nothing there.  So I just sit here aimlessly staring at my computer screen looking  at nothing in particular.   I want to be doing something productive, but still here I am.  Is life like that?  At times yes I think so.  We just go through the days following our routines just because they are easy and that is what we always do.  Its easy. And then on top of that we don't have to chance anything, or think about it.  Walking down the sidewalk or riding on a bus or in the subway; how many are there that are drone machines programed on our daily routine.   Then there is a bump on the road we walk around it and get right back on our one way railway track.

My kids are growing up and I am not going to get them little again.  It is warming up outside and they want to be out there.  But "I have things to do"  needs to get thrown off my track and spend some time with them.  If I don't I sure am going to miss out. 

Memory's are everything, lets not waste them.

--
Wes Grimm
4th Grade Teacher
Iron Springs Elementary
"Love Learning"

Life is about family

So today was a little over whelming for me.  I let the work load and other concerns over burden me.  I took my eye off the prize and stubbled a little.  But there is nothing like family and family time together that can bring you back on track.  I helped out a niece with some algebra homework tonight, helping her understand a little better and then a nephew came and we all worked on a problem together and tried to get the right answer.  Then all the family got together and we talked for a while.  During the chatter and chitter we were learning how to make butter from cream.  Yep the whole churning the cream to make butter.  And you know what, it turned out pretty good.  The time was good, I got refocused on what was important and why I do what I do, and how I can be better. And now I am ready to hit the ground running again helping others feel like they are worth a million dollars.
Family really is what it is all about.

Wes

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego, is she on the Oregon Trail?

Apparently she is on Face book, well soon will be.   So the Oregon Trail will be there soon to.  I loved those when I was a kid.  It is cool to see that Things that I liked as a kid are still popular, or have come back.  And Yes it has a lesson with life.  Good values will never go out of style.  You will never go wrong with right choices.

      1:05 Add to Added to queue The Oregon Trail for Facebook: Official Trailerby TheLearningCo85,182 views

      1:04 Add to Added to queue Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? for Face...by TheLearningCo58,714 views 

enjoy

wes

Washing out Life

So our washing machine is out, and it has been out for a while.  Being out means it won't drain or spin.  It fills up with water and washes the clothes, but then doesn't drain, and then that kills the rest of the cycle.  So I have been draining the loads all by hand, using a large glass. This is quite the process, and it's a big bummer since there is no money to replace or fix right now. So yes sometimes life is the same, we have to brain our selves with a cup and get all the water out.  Meaning all the things that we really don't need or want.  We have to wash out life and get things straightened out again, make things right and get on the right track

Image via Wikipedia

Right now I am wishing I had this washing machine.  At least it would work right.

O Happy Day!

Wes

Cold spells can help in life?

So I just saw something that went along with my last blog.  Apparently some plants need the cold to be able to bloom in the spring.  Here is the article Why winter is important to some plants.
Same thing for us.  We need to have winters in our lives to truly enjoy the springs an summers of our lives.  Think about it. If you never had sadness you would never know what joy and happiness was.

Wes

LIFE'S Protection from a Lily

I was cleaning out some of our flower beds today, yes it is January and I live somewhere were there is normally a lot of snow.  Well there is almost no snow on the ground and it has been really nice weather.  Probably too nice for January.  This picture reminded me of what I saw in the flower beds.

We have day lilies maybe to many of them but they are really beautiful when them are blooming.  We didn't get two of our beds cleaned out and the Day Lilies just stayed there and covered the beds up with they're long leaves, if that is what you call them.  Underneath them I found a pot with a flower in it that was living and doing quite well even though it should have been dead.  It was still alive from the protection that it had gotten from the Lilies and moisture from the snow that had fallen.  Even though the temperature seems warmer than normal there have been some real cold snaps.  Thanksgiving was around -10 at night for a few nights, and a lot of 0's for the first week in January.
     My point.  We may feel beat buried, froze out, burned out half dead and just ready to give up, but there is some type of protection that we have that has and is saving us and protecting us from the storm that is raging around us.  Just hang in there and there will be growth.  There is not one person that does not go through something in their life were they feel battered and bruised.  And there is always some type of Lily there helping us through.

Wes

Parenting through life

     So apparently Helan Hunt doesn't want her daughter to be a child star.  I think that is a good idea.  I would probably do the same thing if I were that rich and famous.  I would want my kids to be away from that type of life and I would make sure that they had a work ethic that almost no one now a day even has a clue about.  I remember as a teenager digging fence posts on my parents 24 acres,  splitting the property in half, it was in the shape of a rectangle and I went the long way.    Over 40 fence posts in one summer.  Some may think that is great others may think that it is torture.  At the time I thought that I had a great work ethic.  I was in England for 2 years on a mission for my church and didn't do much physical labor, but when I did I really missed it.
      Now 10-15 years later I look back, after working with some guys that really know how to work, I think that maybe I could have had a better work ethic.  I don't know, maybe these guys work a little to much, but they work and when it is time to work they work until the job is done.
     So what am I trying to say, well I know that todays work ethic is shot. And there are some great lessons that are taught through hard work.  Yes the movie industry might be hard work but it is a place I don't want my kids in.

wes

A little to much stress

So I took on something at work that maybe I shouldn't have.  Well my coworkers weren't to worried about it, even though it did affect them quite a bit.  So yes I was quite stressed out today, and I am one that does not stress very much at all.  And then the outcome wasn't quite like I was hoping for either.  Well it ended up working out but not like I had planned.  This came about because I came up with a brilliant plan the day before our semi big, (well it really wasn't that big) event.  And really that wasn't enough time to get everything prepared like we would have liked it.  So trying to make this cool put a lot of stress on me.  So my point,  I guess the old saying don't bite off more than you can chew, applies to me a little here,especially since I am swamped with other things already.

so here is a link to some

Consequences of Work Stress

to try and remember to relax a little at work.

Don't you think that having snow in 49 states is kind of neat.   well I guess not if you live somewhere specifically to be away from snow.  I am from Utah so I am used to it.  If you haven't really seen about it check it out on ABC

Hey 

Love Life

Wes