How to Have a Happy Day--Mind Your Own Business--Aunt, Cook, Baby-Sitter, Housecleaner, Pet-sitter

"How do I have productive days with minimum drama? Simple: I  mind my own business."
That was a quote I thought was worth copying down.
There was a lot of my own business to mind the week my brother's family--plus another niece, plus a missionary family--were here.

The day before Gabriel's family left, the girls celebrated their last dinner together with us by making pizzas and homemade icecream.
It was wonderful watching all those teenage girls having so much fun working and having fun together. 
"You can tell who the strong women [girls] are. They are the ones busy building each other up instead of tearing each other down."
I have had some of these quotes copied down for a long time, and yay! here is a good time to use them. 

It takes three girls to decide if the pizzas are done or not!

Those pizzas were outstanding!

Gabriel said if he owned a pizza shop, he would hire Rose to make the pizzas!
It's great having a brother who looks for ways to be kind and doesn't play comparison games.
There was absolutely no jealousy, just both sides looking for ways to bless and encourage each other.
Although here is a thought just in case you do have to deal with people who are jealous of you or yours:
"Jealousy is a good indication that you are doing things the right way. People never get jealous of losers."
Isn't that a happy thought?

Here is another happy thought--Rose also spearheaded making two batches of home-churned icecream!
Ohh-happy day!

The girls had bought a hand churn for icecream a year or so ago, and they enjoy using it every once in a while.

Rose made vanilla icecream and strawberry.

There's just nothing like home-churned icecream!

This one was chock full of strawberries.
Here's another quote I liked: "Do more things that make you forget to check your phone," or Facebook, we might add.
and "I hate that our generation feels the need to share everything with the internet first before connecting with another person."
All week, we were busy being productive, connecting with other people and having fun, and not being much at all on the computers.

"I thoroughly enjoy minding my own business." Such as churning ice cream and making pizzas and baby-sitting sweet, cute little babies who are trying to make themselves into icecream by fitting into the ice cream churn!

I loved watching Baby Aaron trying to feed Elisa's puppy with a spoon!! And the puppy cooperated!

And how about this one:
"People aren't ignoring you. They are busy with their lives. And the way to stop feeling ignored is to get busy with yours."
That is the best antidote to feeling sorry for yourself--get busy being productive and happy!

So I'm telling you what--we got busy with our lives that week especially!
Sure, there were some difficult moments.
BUT
"The real mark of maturity is the ability to remain pleasant even when others are not."
Now that is a quote worth thinking about.

There were quite a number of mature people here! Gabriel's three oldest girls are simply gems!
The boys wanted to sleep outside in the front yard,

and the girls slept on the back deck.
AND, Mom and Dad and little tykes slept inside (sorry no pictures!)

Hannah had a good time helping make it a  pleasant time for Baby Aaron.

I had picked up this Little Tykes toy at the house where I was cleaning, where we had to clear a bunch of stuff out of the garage and get rid of it.

We just brought this home, hosed it off, and saved it for while Gabe's family was here.

Hannah had a ball being a little mommy!