Day 9, A Moment

May 9th- Give a Moment From your Day

It's movie night here at the Rawlinson house! The girls got to pick out candy and a $5 movie at Walmart, and the they are in heaven!!

Day 8, Advice

May 8th- Give a Piece of Advice for Anyone

This one was actually really tough for me, that's why I'm a day late. I don't have a lot of advice for people. I mean, there are tons of fashion blogs, parenting blogs, even hairstyling blogs, and I don't write for any of them.
So I called my Carrie-sister, and mention how stumped I was, and she gave me a great idea.
GIVE ADVICE TO HARRY POTTER!!
Oh, I can really do that.

I've chosen book 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and I'm going to go through and give advice to the characters.

This will include spoilers to the entire series, so if you haven't read the series, then you should stop reading this and go pick up a book! Really. It's better than anything I can write, that's for sure.

Here goes!

For Harry:

Dude, angst much? We get it, really. You saw Cedric die and the Dark Lord rise again, and no one believes you. On top of that, you're 15, so you're full of the angries. 

But seriously, tone down the emo a bit, k?

Also, Cho is lame.

For Ron:

Hermione likes you. Lavendar is really pretty, but Hermione likes you.

For Hermione:

Ron likes you. He just doesn't know how to tell you. Take some initiative, girlfriend!

For Dumbledore:

Talk to Harry. Talk to him a lot. He needs the reassurance you can give him. He's going to have Voldie in his mind either way. 

For Snape: 

Dude, seriously? Harry's 15. You're a grown man. Get over it an teach him Occlumency. Maybe try a little patience, yeah?

For Sirius: 

Lock up Kreacher, and go sit by the fireplace all evening. Just trust me.

For Fudge:

Just listen to Dumbledore! When has he ever steered you wrong? Just do what he says. 

Also, go ahead and resign. 

For Umbridge:

Die.

Day 7, The Thing's You're Afraid Of

May7th- The Things You're Most Afraid Of

I like to think that I'm pretty brave. But there are some things that terrify me.

Spiders. Oh sweet mother, I am the poster-child for arachnophobia. No joke, I've been known to shake and cry and throw up when encountering those dudes. It's so bad that even seeing a picture of a spider makes me nervous. I can't handle them.
I was going to try to find a video of a girl crying because she saw a spider, but I couldn't find one that didn't show the spider. So I couldn't watch any. Sorry dudes.

Another thing that makes me nervous is the country at night. Brandon's parents live a few minutes outside of town, and we often find ourselves driving some tiny back-road at night to go to their house. I make Brandon lock the doors, and I WILL NOT stop or get out of the car. Dude, I know how horror movies start. The young couple's car breaks down on the side of some country road, so they trek it up to the nearest farmhouse to get help, and 24 hours later, they are nothing but a pile of bones under the crazy farmer's floorboards. No way.

The thing that scares me the most of all though, is something that scares all of us.
When I was pregnant with Margot, I got really vivid nightmares (pregnancy dreams are wacky, folks) about terrible things happening to my family. They were horrible. I would wake up crying and shaky, and wouldn't sleep much more that night. I'm not going to go into detail, because you don't wanna know.
I still get the nightmares, one of the many pregnancy side-effects that never went away. My hair has gotten thicker (not complaining) and I gag anytime anything besides gum or food is in my mouth (goodbye nail-biting), and I have terrible dreams.
The dreams are really just manifesting what my worst fear is: that something will happen to my family, and I won't be able to save them. The world is a scary place sometimes, and it's terrifies me that something scary could happen to my children or husband. My worst thought is that my family will be hurt or afraid and I won't be able to help them.
The idea of that makes me want to build an underground bunker and hole my family away and never leave. But I also know that the world is a beautiful place, full of wonder and light and love, and I want my family to experience the good, even if it scares me sometimes.

What about you, what are you afraid of?

Day 6, What Do You Do?

May 6th- What Do You Do?

I do a lot.

I change diapers.
I say prayers.
I paint nails.
I make lunches.
I kiss booboos.
I cut hair.
I go grocery shopping.
I take naps.
I play hide and seek.
I eat candy.
I buy shampoo.
I talk on the phone.
I write.
I make blanket forts.
I tell stories.
I go to church.
I fold laundry.
I listen to music.
I play barbies.
I clean up.
I scrub hair color off my hands.
I snug babies.

Among other things.

Day 5, Someone You Love

May 5th- Publicly Profess Your Love for Someone

This is an easy one. Today is May 5th, which is my dad's birthday! Of course I'm going to tell him how much I love him!

 My dad is the coolest dude you will ever meet! Seriously.
You want directions to anywhere ever? He can give them to you. You want to know where the best eateries in New Orleans are? He's your man. You want to hear about what The Rolling Stones, Meatloaf, or Dolly Parton are like in person? My dad can tell you. You need help deciding on the best sleeping bag to buy for a campout in January? Talk to my dad. You need help with rebuilding your classic car? You're in luck!
See what I mean? Cool dude.
My dad was a drummer in a band, and met all kinds of influential musicians. He lived in New Orleans, right in the French Quarter, playing music.

the band Prairie Swing, my dad is second from left, my uncle is standing

He drove a semi for years, all across the country. He was a mechanic, and knows pretty much all there is to know about cars. He knows about camping, biking, hiking, and pranking. Boy does he know about pranking.
I'm convinced that when writing the Harry Potter books, J. K. Rowling used a time turner and went back to LaGrange IN during the 50s and 60s, and hung out with my dad and his twin brother, Bill. That's where she got her inspiration for the Weasley Twins.

 Senior picture

The stories I've heard about my dad and his brother are hilarious. Like the time they put stinky cheese in the radiator at the schoolhouse and got school canceled for a week. Or the time they built 8-foot tall stilts and walked around town. Or when they got a group of kids together and carried their band instructor's car onto a tiny island in the middle of a lake and he couldn't get it back.
Hysterical!

But the best thing about my dad is that he is my dad. There has never been a time in my life that I doubted that my dad's first priority was me and my sisters. He has sacrificed for us, worked really hard for us, and loved us every day!    

me and my dad

I love you Daddy! Thanks you for teaching me about humility and service and unconditional love. Thanks for watching out for me, and loving me, and letting me tease you mercilessly (You know you like it)! You are a wonderful father and a perfect grandpa, and I'm grateful that I got in your line!
Happy Birthday!

 

mmm

Hello, my friends.

Look at you guys, all adorable sitting there in a row!

I'm going to eat you now.

Day 4, Favorite Quote

May 4th: Favorite Quote and Why You Love It

The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, Harry Potter.
I have several favorite quotes, all spoken by Albus Dumbledore, Order or Merlin-First Class, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He's a pretty wise dude.
I narrowed it down to one for you:

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that." 

Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I love this quote. I think sometimes we get caught up in what we could have had, what we might be missing out on, and Dumbledore is telling us to stop worrying about what might have been, and focus on what is.