Hunyville Happenings

LOVED my November!

2012-01-11T05:45:00.001-06:00

In November, I spent one week in North Carolina with these people that I love and had a blast! (Notice, the grandbaby is in every picture and it just did my heart good to spend some time with her--she's growing up sooo fast!)

I flew home for fourteen hours, loaded our old piano in the back of our Rav4--yes I did--and drove out to Utah.

I spent five days with these people that I love.

Spent time with them in their classes, went to their concerts, crafted, ate too much, saw them at work. It was all a joy.

Finally, I spent 24 hours in Cache Valley and saw (for a bit) all of these people that I love.

Yup, there are a LOT of people in Utah that I love--and I didn't even get to see them all!

It was way to short, but I had soooo much fun!

Hubders held down the fort for two weeks, being mom and dad while adjusting to his new church calling. He's my hero (and makes my heart go pitter-pat!)

November

2012-01-08T00:06:00.000-06:00

In November, my baby, whose as cute as can be,

went into the waters of baptism with her dad,

And made covenants with her Heavenly Father.

Grandpa and Grandma came from very far away to be with her, such a treat!

Life is good!

Giveaway Winner and I'm slow (so what else is new)

2011-10-31T21:26:00.000-05:00

I'm slow to pick a winner for my first giveaway. Sorry, but I'm not going to bother to explain the why's (okay, part of it is that I'm simply a slacker/procrastinator--but that's all I'll say).

Anywhoo--the winner is...

Cozy. Cozy has an adorable blog, so click on her name and head on over there.

Congratulations Cozy, the book is on it's way!

(Turns out I don't need to put my email address on the blog yet because I already have her address--hadn't thought of that before, but I have the addresses of most of my followers--love you guys!).

Grandma's Bragging Book

2011-10-20T13:41:00.000-05:00

This is a Grandma post,

purely for the pleasure of showing off that face

that makes me melt.

(All pictures are huge if you click on them)

In the tub

First lasagna experience

Love that it's on her foot.

Her other grandma made this adorable outfit

With Daddy in the viking hat's I made from the pattern I bought here

That's all

(I restrained myself and didn't put in thousands

of pictures, but believe me, I could have!)

I'm Back and my first ever Giveaway!

2011-10-16T21:57:00.000-05:00

There's simply no way to catch up a blog that's been neglected for months, so I'm jumping in right where I am.

This summer I bought a Kindle version of the book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, by Ann Voskamp a Christian blogger whom I adore.

This book has a hold on me that won't let go and I hope it never does. She's a non-denominational Christian and yet, from the first pages, she had me smack dab in the temple. I saw myself in her brutal honesty and as I read I determined that I'll no longer live my life an amateur.

So I bought a hard copy to read again with colored pencil in hand. And I bought a journal to write down my own one thousand gifts and I'm haltingly filling it up. It's all starts and stops and forward three steps and back two, but there's so much beauty and joy in this journey.

I'm giving away a copy of this beautiful book, my very first giveaway. Only one entry per person. No facebook liking, following me on twitter or posting on your own blog on this one. To enter, just leave a comment listing three things you're thankful for--gifts from God. They don't need to be profound or astounding. For example, here are the first three gifts Ann Voskamp wrote down (pg 45):
1. Morning shadows across the old floors
2. Jam piled high on the toast
3. Cry of blue jay from high in the spruce

Your list can be simple things, like Ann's, or bigger things. Whatever, it's your list.

That's it. The winner will be announced one week from today (unless I forget and take a day or two longer). If I can figure out how to work one of those random online things, I'll do it that way. If not, I'll write your names on paper and have my seven-year-old draw a name out of a hat.

So leave your comments and let the giveaway begin.

Wow, it feels good to blog again!! (Thanks for the gentle push, Amanda!)

Joplin Two Months Later

2011-08-05T16:47:00.000-05:00

Last month, a dear friend arranged through United Way to take her kids to Joplin and volunteer for a couple of days. She invited me and my kids along. I was tickled to watch my kids work so hard in the sweltering heat.

It was an experience.So many people with nothing, people who lost both homes and jobs. Although they need help, they won't take a bit more than absolutely necessary as they do all they can to get back on their feet. Many of them are spending part of their time volunteering, finding a way to make sense of it all as they serve and lift others.

Two short vignettes:

A family with two young sons, were sitting in the emergency room for dad's broken rib when it hit. Rented home? Gone. Mom's and Dad's jobs? Gone. Just paid off truck? Found totaled two blocks away in a tree with a car in the back. Husband had a stroke during the tornado and for a while, they thought he was dead. The things they saw and walked over as they left the hospital will never fully leave them. The boys are in counseling to deal with it, but the family is intact, with smiles on their faces as you talk to them. Grateful for life and more days together, regardless of what they've lost.

A man who's lived a hard life, you can see it on his face, was in Chicago when it hit and came to help his sister whose home was damaged. He lost everything in Katrina and could never remember feeling more desolate and alone. But people came from everywhere and lifted him back up and he vowed if anything like this ever happened again, he'd get there and volunteer and so there he was working and giving hope.

I could tell more, but suffice to say, we met amazing people who were undaunted in the face of devastation.

Here are some pics (click to see the larger version).

Notice the steps lead to the nowhere now that the house is gone, but the rubble has been cleared away ready to rebuild and the family is living in a trailer with a new shed.

Can you see the three pieces of metal wrapped around what is left of this tree?

Most of the rubble has been pushed to the streets to be taken away and the construction business is booming!

Signs of hope are everywhere.

Whoda thunk that you could safely ride out a tornado in the McDonald's playplace?

I loved the flags on display, this one from a tree...

...in the middle of the rubble.

...at a rebuilding sight.

It will take years, but the Joplin's spirit isn't broken. They'll be back. I loved this sign on a bank.

Vinyl banners were everywhere on businesses. This one says:

"WE WILL REBUILD!"

I had to take a picture of the Chick-Fil-A because our family adores that place.

Yes, the Home Depot that you saw on the news has reopened from this massive tent and it's a busy place.

There are still stickers on the new windows, but Walgreens is open.

Every church I saw had tents like this outside, collecting and distributing needed items.

I'll never forget the devastation, but what a beautiful thing to see people of all faiths come together to help our brothers and sisters in need.

As One

2011-07-17T16:45:00.000-05:00

Sitting in sacrament meeting today, amongst those that we've worshipped with for more than a decade, I was struck beyond the ordinary with the power of that gathering publicy showing their desires to always remember Him. Just run-of-the-mill people who mess up, but remember and seek and try again. In thousands of congregations world-wide that sacred ritual was performed today, and grace was sought and found and hearts were filled. It's enough to give one hope beyond measure in this troubled world and it's a beautiful thing.

Why I Love Him.

2011-07-12T06:00:00.004-05:00

This man of mine--he's my fav.

Saturday, he dumped the Lincoln Logs onto the kitchen table and told the kids to build something using every single piece. Then he sat down with them and this is what they came up with.

The best Lincoln Log fort EVER!

Here's an arial view.

Just one of the many reasons I adore that guy.

Made Me Smile

2011-07-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

I came home the other day to find this on our family message board.

I have the BEST family!

Wedding!

2011-07-03T18:01:00.000-05:00

I haven't yet posted about our wedding and we've been home for a couple of weeks now (where does the time go?)

The northwest was beautiful. Soooo green and with mountains

(we don't have those where I live).

It made me happy!

We got up VERY early on Thursday morning.

It was the first time the kids remember flying so it was an adventure.

When we finally landed we went with Stephen and Amanda to Multnoma Falls, a very beautiful place! It was the only touristy thing we did there. The rest was all family--all the time!!! (Yippie!)

The wedding was, of course, beautiful. Stephen had this smile on his face all day long! (note: all of these pictures are huge, so feel free to click and see them close up)

And the dress was simply stunning.

And the flowers were lovely.

And the setting was perfect.

And it was romantic.

And Amanda's parents were just so nice (if I lived nearby, Shelley and I would go to lunch on a regular basis, I'm sure!)

Here's the whole crew. Notice all of the babies!

And the grandbaby was there!

And grandparents were there (thanks Mom and Dad and Mom H, for making the long drive!)

And it was the very first time in four long years

since our whole family was together.

And we got it on film!

Here are our kids (minus two--they seemed to be otherwise occupied at the moment)

Some of my mostedest favorite people on the planet!

When it was time for pics of Stephen with his siblings, we suddenly saw this.

And then, this.

I just love my kids--they're so much fun!

Did I mention that the grandbaby was there?

Here's the happy couple with all of the brothers.

This is my favorite picture of Emily that day.

The reception was just so nice.

The decorations were beautiful.

And the food was yummy.

And the whole fam was still together!

And there was cake.

And dancing.

And decorating of cars (this was Abbie's favorite part. She thought it was the coolest thing ever).

Here they are coming out of the church.

They hugged us goodbye.

And drove off to start their new life together!

Aren't they an adorable couple?

Ten and a half is a beatiful thing!

2011-06-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

I haven't timed a run in ages because I'm stop watch challenged. I forget to bring it, or forget to start or stop it, or accidentally reset it in the middle of my run, so I usually don't bother.

This boy and I are running 5k's together this summer (sans the tux).

In the past I have struggled to break a twelve minute mile (yup, I'm nothing if not speedy). But lately, I've been pushing to lengthen my stride, literally, not in the figurative LDS sense. I had no idea if it had made a difference.

This morning, Michael and I hit the pavement for a two miler, stop watch in hand. I remembered to start it, put it in my pocket to prevent resetting and, miracles of miracles, actually remembered to stop it at the end of the run. And guess what? We ran two miles in exactly twenty-one minutes. A ten and a half minute mile is a beatiful thing!

West Coast Here We Come!!

2011-06-08T22:00:00.001-05:00

We leave in the morning for our son's wedding in the Northwest!

Here he is with his sweety!

Highlights we're looking forward to, in no particular order:

-- Our younger kids are excited to fly (they've all done it, but were too young to really remember it).
-- It will be the first time our family has been together since 2007. We've added four people since then (actually only three, but it'll be four once the wedding is over!) I can't wait for everyone to meet, and be together and take pictures!
-- We'll get to see my parents and Dean's mom!! (there's nothing like chatting with them face to face!!!)
-- Holding the grandbaby!!
-- Watching my son kneel across the alter from a worthy woman in the Lord's house and make those sacred covenants that, as they keep, will bind them to each other and to God in ways that are real and sacred and beautiful. It is truly one of the best days of a parents life! I will savor every moment in the temple with them.

Emily Picture. I can't wait to hold her!

Jane Austin Got it Right!

2011-06-07T08:25:00.001-05:00

This quote from Elder Boyd K. Packer has recently come to my attention and knocked my socks off! (Dean says he's read it to me before, but I, apparently wasn't ready for it, because I didn't remember ever hearing it).

"Romantic love is not only a part of life, but literally a dominating influence of it. It is deeply and significantly religious. There is no abundant life without it. Indeed, the highest degree of the celestial kingdom is unobtainable in the absence of it." (BYU Fireside, Nov. 3, 1963).

I had never thought of romance in that way! "Deeply and significantly religious", I love that! Have you ever thought of God as a romantic? (Coupled, of course, with having all good attributes in perfection, but I think romance truly is one of those attributes!)

The whole concept just makes me happy and is a beautiful thing!

Summer Reading is Knocking at My Door!!!

2011-06-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

Only three more days of school! I adore summer, the days at the pool, the laid back atmosphere, the fresh fruit, the extra time for reading!

My only problem? Finding good books to read! Do you struggle with that issue? I'm part of two book clubs, one here, and one in the concrete world, and I'm continually on the hunt for good clean reads.

My husband follows lifehacker.com and just emailed the link for this fabulous article on creating an awesome summer reading list. Although I'd heard some of the ideas before, many were new and and I'm gonna try 'em. (That there is a site where you can check out kindle books for two weeks and earn gift cards as you share your own titles made my heart go pitter-pat!)

Summer reading, here I come!

My baking granddaughter!

(Hat made by my cute daughter-in-law)

Book Club!

2011-05-27T12:29:00.000-05:00

I'm guest posting over at Bakow Babble Book Club today. Click here, or click on the button on the top right to join in our conversation about The Chosen by Chaim Potok (one of my very favorite books!)

I posted way too many questions for one day (hind sight is 20/20). Hopefully, people realize they don't need to do it all at once and can continue to comment through the whole next month (and/or skip over questions that don't float their boat).

The Line of No Return (but at least you can't see them!)

2011-05-26T13:15:00.000-05:00

I've crossed the line. It wasn't my fault and my conscience is clear. But the lady said, "It's time and you need to do this."

Yes, I've joined the ranks of the single-vision-lenses-no-longer-cut-it group. They're called transitions because there are no visable lines. Far away at the top fades into tv/computer screen distance in the middle which transitions into reading distance at the bottom. My tummy is a bit woozy and it'll take a day or two, but I didn't have to hold my scriptures at arms length this morning to read them, which is a beautiful thing!

My current favorite picture of the grandbaby!

(She's the third generation to wear this dress. Is that cool, or what?)

There Aren't Words

2011-05-24T10:54:00.000-05:00

This morning, as we ate breakfast, my seven year old Abbie and I enjoyed our Emily slideshow screensaver. Here's the conversation:

Me: "She's sooo beautiful!"
Abbie (with a bit of frustration in her voice): "No, she's not beautiful, she's something more, but I can't think of the word to describe it. Adorable isn't enough either!"

I'm with her!

2011-05-17T07:52:00.000-05:00

My cute daughter-in-law, Jess, introduced me to Amigurumi a couple of years back.

Jess with beautiful Emily

There are so many creative, funny, silly patterns online. I haven't done much, but having an adorable grandbaby to crochet for has spurred me on to make a couple of things.

I made this right after she was born. It's called "Pond Friends Stacking Toy" and I found the pattern here (you have to register for a free account to access their patterns, but there are TONS, so it's worth it).

The bee is my favorite, but the lily pads make me happy too!

I bought the pattern below from this Etsy shop.

Yup! It's rattle!! Can you say ADORABLE!!

The picture is by Mamachee because I forgot to take one before I gave it to Emily.

I'm almost finished with another toy. I'll post pictures when I'm done.

(This is my current screensaver -- LOVE that smile!)

My memory is atrocious!! (and I don't know how to spell that word)

2011-05-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

It is soooo like me to announce that I'm going to include a picture of the grandbaby with every post and then post the next two without pictures!!

So here's some shots to make up for it!! (Feel free to click on the them and enjoy her close-up!)

Yup, that's MY grandbaby!!

Technical Support?

2011-05-07T10:20:00.001-05:00

Okay, this is a techy post.

I'm not great at technology. Simple, no brainer fixes, I'm all over. But if it's anything more than a very user friendly problem, I stumped!

I read blogs from my Blogger dashboard. I understand that there are readers and people who use them, love them, but my dashboard works and I know how to use it.

Now for the problem. Yesterday when I went to my dashboard the "Blogs I'm following" tab was empty and had the following notcice:

You are not currently following any blogs. Use the "add" button below to enter blogs you'd like to follow in your Reading List. Learn more

...blink blink blink. I don't know where all of my blogs went. My profile still has a way-too-long list of blogs that I currently follow, but none of them are on my dashboard anymore.

My husband has taught me that before I start asking for computer help, always reboot (which has fixed many a glitch). But I've rebooted, I've poked around on help menues, googled my dilema and I've got nothing.

I know how to re-add the blogs manually, one at a time, but would prefer to find a fab fix that restores the whole she-bang without the time consuming monotony of cutting and pasting every address individually.

Any Techy Goddesses out there with any helpful ideas?

Funk

2011-05-05T09:17:00.000-05:00

This is gonna be quick and dirty. The to do list is looming larger than my abilities and I've only given myself ten minutes at the computer, but I want to post about an issue.

I've been in a funk lately. I've been fairly unproductive, with less drive and determination (which means no pounds are leaving my hips and the wedding is only 30 days away! whimper!). The house is messier than average (which is saying something). The meals have been more junk food-ish. The projects I have started have been left half done. My visiting teaching needs a kick start. I've just felt thbthbbbt.

I know that the underlying problem is lack of seeking. You know the kind I mean. The real personal, soul-searching seeking that brings the Spirit into our lives.

In the rush of life, there have been more than the average days missed of scripture reading lately. When I do read, I tend to rush through and say to myself, "There, done with that!"

All this has added up to less joy and peace in my life and who needs that?!

This morning, I determined that it's time to quit going down that dead end road. As I said, my list right now is beyond me, but I put all of that aside. I spent a bit more time on my knees and when I got up, I grabbed, not just my scriptures, but my marking pencils as well. I read, pondered, flipped to cross references, marked and wondered in prayer as I went.

Wow! It's small and will need continued watering, but what a sweet little seed sprouted in my heart this morning!

I love the gospel!! It's such a happy thing in my life!

(and my ten minutes are up!)

Over on Bakow

2011-05-02T12:00:00.013-05:00

I joined Cherie's Bakow Book Babble book club a while back (see her cute button on the right). The first book was a fascinating read and the discussion was insightful. I wasn't sure how well a book club blog would work, but I'm liking it!

It's time for book number two and I was randomnly picked to choose it!

We're reading one of my all time favorites, so come on over, take a gander, and join us in a good read!

Being a new grandma, I've decided that each post will now include a picture of the grandbaby. Here she is at her first Easter Egg Hunt!

Art thou stuffy?

2011-05-01T07:31:00.001-05:00

As a child, I was taught that to show reverence and respect, the words thee and thou should be used in prayer, rather than you and yours. I accepted this and it has become my comfortable language of prayer.

It came as a sweet revelation to me when a few years ago I learned the proper usage of thee and thou. Contrary to the now widespread belief that thee and thou are stuffy and formal, the opposite is actually true. When those words were in the common vernacular, you and yours were also used. However, thee and thou were for addressing those closest to us, you and yours for stuffy, formal occasions and when speaking to those whom with you did not have an intimate relationship. In one of our family's favorite books set in the Appalachian mountains during the great depression, Grandpa properly expresses his love for Grandma with the words, "I kin ye, Bonnie Bee."

This past week, much of the world focused on England and we twice heard the words, "I pledge thee my troth." Of course the word thee was used. To say "I pledge you my troth" would imply that I'm marrying you, but I have no deeply held feeling for you and don't know you that well.

If Heavenly Father were an "unknown God", you and your would be sufficient. I think it's a beautiful thing that as we use the language of prayer, we are acknowledging and confirming our intimate relationship Him.

LOVE IT!

2011-04-18T14:26:00.003-05:00

Listening your twelve and seven year old daughters giggle in their bedroom for more than an hour on a Sunday afternoon is a beautiful thing!! I adore when it's obvious they love each other! (because some days it's hard to tell)

Attitude Adjustment

2011-04-05T07:43:00.009-05:00

As a child, I assumed that adults were finished, complete. Not a well thought out notion, but one that I nevertheless held. Thus, despite my forty plus years, the continual need for change and growth in my adult life is still a bit of a jolt (dumb, but true!).

Take housework for example. Here's my reality. It's been a major responsibility of mine for over 26 years, but I've don't like it, nor do I do it very well. My focus is on finishing so I can get on with the good parts of life. More often than I care to admit, I simply ignore much of the work and do the "fun" stuff.

It dawned on me a few months ago that this is a pitiful way to spend my life, dreading a major part of it. I firmly believe in the scriptural phrase: "men are that they might have joy". Hence, it follows that, because serving my family in this way is important, there is joy to be found in the actual doing of housework, not merely in the being done with it!

With this realization, I determined to change my attitude. It's been a two steps forward, one (or two) back kind of process. But gradually, I find myself occasionally enjoying tasks like emptying the dishwasher, folding a basket of laundry or sweeping the floor.

Did you catch that? I didn't say, not minding it too much (something I've experienced frequently), but literally enjoying the process of the previously viewed as mind-numbing tasks that are required in a home. I'm not there yet. But the progress sure feels good!

Sweet!

2011-04-02T17:07:00.024-05:00

Warning. This is a grandma post.

David*, Jess and EMILY came to visit a week and a half ago. (Sooo happy to see David and Jess, but ecstatic to see the grandbaby!) We snapped a few pictures, a portion of which must be shared.

Are they a cute family, or what?

Yup, she's in my arms in this picture. I'm trying to make the mental and physical memory of it keep because it's going to have to last me a while.

Dean has always taught our kids to sing, "with parents kind of weird". No "kind and dear" around our place. David is carrying on the tradition, labeling this picture accordingly when he shared it.

Here's the whole crew. Nothing better!

Uncle Michael

One very contented grandma.

Jess is an adorable mommy! Does my heart good.

Cute Daddy, David. Auntie Abbie!

Aunt Shanna!

Hanging out with Grandpa.

You almost forget until you hold a little one again. The innocence and beauty. The joy at a smile. The tug at your heart-strings with every wide-eyed gaze, each pouty face, each cry and coo. FYI, when the grandbaby is your own, the cool factor increases exponentially.

They're back home now, thankfully, sending us pictures and videos faithfully. We've added a whole passel of new pictures to our screen saver slide show, all Emily, all the time. Love the pictures, but you can't snuggle them...sigh.

One more because I simply cannot get enough of this face!

*It was because of this woman's blog that I started using "code" names here. She changed to correct first names quite some time ago. As code names can be cumbersome and somewhat annoying, and as I can see no reason why not, real first names shall be used on this blog hence forth (but no last names or specific locations).

Sometimes You Gotta Speak Up

2011-03-22T10:45:00.003-05:00

This is not a political blog. But occasionally, I feel a need to speak up. Today is one of those days.

If you haven't already, go to this sight. Get it straight from the horses mouth.

This needs the light of day. So take a minute and click on the link above and spread the word.

Ignoring the Ticker

2011-02-28T22:05:00.004-06:00

See that ticker in the right hand corner? The one that says I'm three pounds into my second ten pound loss? Yup, it's a lie. It's was true when I last changed it, but not so much anymore! The ticker is supposed to help motivate me, but I only change it when I'm losing. When I'm gaining, I ignore it completely.

It's a fair mite off at the moment and that's why I'm going back to weight watchers in the morning. Yup, apparently, I'm back at a place in my life where I need to pay someone and step on the scales for a total stranger in order to keep myself accountable in the eating department. Pitiful, but what ya gonna do?

I'm actually pretty excited. My friend who is deaf is joining with me. I get to interpret the class for her and we'll try to motivate each other. I'm not a licensed interpreter, just a friend who tries to sign, but I LOVE it! Interpreting for her will be a fun challenge (I'm pretty good at church words, but weight loss words, not so much.)

Hopefully, I'll be able to make myself change the ticker to reflect reality soon, but until then, you can find me at weight watchers every week. A bit poorer, and slightly more svelte.

Gifts

2011-02-27T11:13:00.009-06:00

I just turned 46 (thought I was gonna be 47 this year, but apparently I got ahead of myself!) My idea of the perfect gift has changed through the years and this year was amazing!

Here's a list of my favorite presents:
1. Girlie-whirl made the whole family out of popsicle sticks, new grandbaby, unofficially adopted daughter, and future daughter-in-law included! Don't ya love seven year olds?

2. Banana-girl made a box band. The thing hanging from the ceiling flashes psychedelic colors when it's turned on. I wish you could see the keyboard. For pipe cleaners, it's impressive! So fun!

3. Although he didn't want to go, and slightly injured himself in the process, my 15 year old son was pumped at the end of our run. We're racing together this summer and that kind of determination is a gift!

4. My son and daughter-in-law sent me this picture of my stunningly beautiful grandbaby! How cute is THAT?!

5. I got phone calls from my kids who are far away. Hearing their voices makes me happy!

6. And last, but not least, Hubders wrote me a poem! I LOVE it when he does that! His poems are few and far between, but they're sweet and sappy and hilarious. Nothin' better!

What are your favorite gifts?

One More Time!!

2011-02-24T15:34:00.009-06:00

Again with the math!

This son of mine (he's my number two and I adore him)

Plus this girl (who makes his heart go pitter-pat)

Plus a date in June here, all the way on the west coast this time (we may have to fly--thirty-two hours in the car may be past our limit!)

Equals one cute couple and a very Happy Mom!

Reading: Pass It On!

2011-02-15T21:37:00.004-06:00

Annette Lyon over at the Lyon's Tale just did a great post on literacy. I have much more to say about the issue than is proper to leave in a comment, so below is a slight reword of one of my posts from last year on the subject.

Reading is one of my very favorite things, and so crucial to academic, social and spiritual growth. The big question is, as a mom, how do I foster a love of the written word in my children?

Here are my thoughts on the subject:

1. Read with them. Often! From birth to the day they leave home. It's a wonderful experience to introduce your young children to beloved picture books, but too many parents stop there. Some of my favorite moments as a parent have been spent reading novels to my older children.

2. Read good quality children's literature. I have only one criteria for determining if a book is good quality, but it's served me well. If I can enjoy reading a book repeatedly to my children, it's good quality. If the second or third reading makes me want to put it through the shredder, it's not. I try never to buy poor quality books. Why spend money on something I will loathe reading to my munchkins?

3. Make it interesting and fun. We've all been stuck in that history class where the aging coach reads the textbook day after day in his monotonous drone. Don't ever do that to your kids. You're in the privacy of your own home, ham it up, for heaven's sake! Give unusual characters funny voices, use lots of inflection, pause at the right places for maximum suspenseful impact, etc. Your voice will bring the story to life if there's life in your voice. Don't know how? Don't worry, it's a skill that can be learned with practice (and you'll never have a more forgiving audience than your wee ones). Note: Did you know that the concept of silent reading is a modern invention? In ancient times reading was always done aloud. Have you experienced the fact that your ears can tell you things about a story that your eyes can't?

4. Start reading novels to your children at a young age. Picture books are one of my favorite things. However, children as young as 4 can start to participate in the world of chapter books. You may need to talk frequently about what is going on and review the plot each time you pick it up. All the better! Encourage your children to ask questions. It will improve their communication skills. And don't be afraid to read books to your children that are a little above them. It's good for them to listen "up".

5. Have books in your home. Use the library on a regular basis. Purchase books for birthdays and Christmas*. You'll be surprised how fast your library grows! Having books in your home not only sends the message that books are important, it gives children the opportunity to peruse books at their leisure.

6. Read yourself. If you're like me, you don't need to be told this. Instead, you need to get your nose out of your book a bit more and take the kids to the park (or wash the dishes). But too many busy moms never seem to find the time to lose themselves in the written word. It's truly one of life's joys and our little ones should see our passion for reading.

The essence of my philosophy is this: A young child who has been to far away places, experienced high adventure, overcome formidable obstacles, witnessed hilarious antics and met fascinating people, all as your voice brings the words on page to life, may still have difficulty with the mechanics of learning to read, but they will not need to be convinced that reading is important. The desire to read will a part of them. They will be eagerly anticipating the day when they can enter the world of books on their own.

How do you help your children develop a love a reading?

* Books are expensive, so unless you know it's good quality, check it out of the library first. I almost never buy a book from a bricks and mortar store (although I love to look at books there). Most of my purchasing, however, happens at websites such as this one or this one, and even this one, where I can find new and gently used books for bargain prices.

Whippin' Sumthin' Up!

2011-02-11T15:48:00.004-06:00

Do you love allrecipes.com as much as I do? It's my go-to web site whenever I'm looking for a new dish to try. There are so many recipe sights out there, but this one's my favorite for the following reasons:

1. You can search for recipes by ingredient. Got a whole lot of zucchini you need to use and and are plum out of ideas? Search for zucchini recipes and you're bound to find a boat load of zucchini recipes that you'd never even thought of.

2. Once you search for a recipe you can sort them by rating. The best rated recipes will be first on the list. If it doesn't have at least 4 1/2 stars, I don't even bother to try it. If it's got ratings AND lots of reviews, you know it's good!

3. The reviews. As I skim through them I get a feel for what it's like to make the recipe, where others may have struggled, and their suggestions for said struggle. If multiple people say the recipe is too sweet, then I decrease the sugar. There's a plethora of info there, which is nice to have before you try a new dish.

Today, hubders and I celebrated Valentines day. I know we're early, but I took a gander at Mondays calendar and it's not going to be conducive to romance. Today, however was relatively free and, with his bizarre work schedule, he could do a date in the middle of the day.

I made two recipes that I found on allrecipes.com. This one was my favorite. So quick and easy and sooooo good! Of course, it's hard to go wrong with strawberries and avocados!

Where do you find good recipes?

Accountability and Adorability

2011-02-08T15:25:00.007-06:00

It's true confession time in the weight department.

I came home from my daughters wedding thinner than I'd been in years, but the last month and a half have included very little in the exercise department but more than average in the consuming department so I'm no longer as svelt as I was (dontcha just HATE that!?)

In an attempt to get it under control, I've made a couple of goals and am writing them here in the hopes that it will keep me more accountable.

1. Excercise a minimum of five days a week (I'm two for two so far this week)
2. Drink at least six glasses of water per day.

That's it. I'm keeping the goals small enough to be doable.

Now for the fun part.

Tough-guy and Cutie-pie (my son and daughter-in-law) have been truly wonderful to send grandma lots of pictures of their beautiful babe. And so, in true obnoxious grandma fashion, I've got to show you a few pictures of my grandbaby!

Enjoy! (everyone of them makes me happy!)

(Yeah, Cutie-pie is a professional photographer. Sweet, huh!?)

It's Got A Hold of Me!

2011-01-28T11:46:00.005-06:00

Cue music:

"Procrastination's got a hold of me"

It's in quotes because Michael McLean is the author of those words, not your's truly. It's part of his, no doubt, mountain of unpublished songs.

But, though I didn't pen the words, they describe exactly where I am in my life.

Here is my top ten list of favorite things to procrastinate:

10. Sweeping my kitchen floor. Thankfully, my floor hides a multitude of dirt!

9. Making visiting teaching appointments. I adore visiting with my sisters, but actually making the phone call is, for some reason, not something I want to do right now.

8. Putting away folded towels. I have insufficient towel storage space. So it's a struggle every time and I'll do it later.

7. Requesting medical flexible spending reimbursement. The paperwork; dotting every i or their gonna reject it; makes me tired.

6. Returning neighbor's dishes. When my family is in need and a neighbor or ward member brings dinner in, I am always grateful. But, I confess that I groan inwardly when I see real dishes, knowing they will sit on my counter for days (or weeks) and be washed several times before finding their way back to their rightful owner. (which will make me feel guilt and who needs THAT?)

5. Folding laundry. I'm getting a smidge better about this one, less attitude and more just get' er done!

4. Responding to event invitations on facebook. Don't know why, but I put it off until the last minute.

3. Eating and exercising. This one important to me, and yet, I've been in the, I'll start tomorrow mode for three solid weeks, pudging right up!

2. Mating socks. I know, I know, I already listed folding laundry, but mating socks is in a league by itself. I will NEVER have good attitude about mating socks.

1. Entering receipts into Quicken. The more I put it off, the more motivated I am to do everything but! This happens to be the thing I'm procrastinating at the moment.

What do you procrastinate?

Snippets of my life

2011-01-24T14:19:00.006-06:00

No time for profound thoughts or beautiful prose today but I wanted to post a few things. So here they are:

1. Holding my first grandchild for hours on end was one of the sweetest things I've ever done. Mom and Dad don't want pictures of her on the internet yet, so no pics, but in time honored grandma fashion, I think she's the most beautiful baby on the planet!

2. My son told me about this article in Salon magazine about feminist, atheist women addicted to Mormon Mommy blogs; a very interesting read. However, I had two beefs: 1. The notion that a majority of mormon women are stay-at-home moms because of societal pressures. It says a lot about our world that the assumption is that women would never freely choose this lifestyle for themselves. 2. Many of the comments and a smidge of the article were skeptical that these "ideal" lives, without trial or struggle are real ("arranging flowers all day" etc). One of the four blogs mentioned in the article, of which I am an avid follower, NieNie Dialogues, catalogues Stefanie Nielson's life as a mom. Far from a life without trial, this woman was burned over most of her body in a plane crash, almost died and still struggles daily with physical limitations as a result. And yet, she chooses to focus on the beauty. It doesn't get more real than this.

3. Being in the east to visit family, I did not clean a thing, cook a meal, or scold a single child for five whole days. It was bliss. I also did not receive a single kid's kiss, snuggle any sleepy seven year olds, or giggle and play with with my twelve and fifteen year olds. It was a pit!
It's good to be home!

Thppbbppptt!

2011-01-11T16:55:00.002-06:00

I am supposed to be holding my granddaughter right now, but nature had other ideas. Today, flights that I was scheduled to sit my keister on have been delayed more than a dozen times and cancelled at least six times. As my youngest sister would say, "THAT WHOMPS!"

I'm pinning my hopes on tomorrow and the weather had better cooperate if it knows what's good for it!

Recent Accomplishments (in which I brag shamelessly)

2011-01-04T21:57:00.004-06:00

1. Christmas is about 1/2 down, which means the place looks a shambles (impressive, huh?)

2. We made it through the wedding and Christmas without the bother of bankruptcy! (which actually IS impressive)

And now for the big announcement..... drum roll please....

3. I am a grandma!!!

It's not my story to tell, but getting that babe here was one wild ride (my son told me near the end of the five hour drive to the hospital, through a blizzard, behind the ambulance in which his sweet wife was laboring, that he'd never driven through snow like that--and that's just one small part of the saga!) but she's here!!! Yes, it's a girl!! A beautiful, petite, precious, pinkaliscious, brings tears to my eyes just thinking about her, girl!!!

They are very far away and so I've not yet had the privilege of holding my one and only grandchild. I haven't smelled her new baby smell, or kissed her softer than soft neck. I haven't counted her little toes and or run my fingers through her full set of dark hair. I haven't felt her tight grip around my finger or seen the wrinkles on her forehead when she stretches. I haven't heard those new baby squeaks (my VERY favorite!) and I haven't looked into her big as the moon eyes and started to get to know this little one, so fresh from God, who made me a grandma.

I gotta be honest, it's hard!! So I'm planning and scheming and working it out. Next week, I'm gonna meet my granddaughter and do every single last one of those things, savoring every second of it, 'cuz it's gonna have to last me a while.

In the meantime, just call me granny!

Wedding!!!

2010-12-27T08:35:00.005-06:00

The wedding was wonderful!!!! There's nothing like watching your daughter kneel across the altar from a worthy young man and make covenants that will last forever.

She's head-over-heels in love and he just wants to make her happy (and is succeeding magnificently). It's adorable!

After honeymooning in Nauvoo, they're spending the week with us! So fun to have the newlyweds here for Christmas and New Years!!!

Here's my favorite wedding pic:

What Think Ye Of Christmas: a Book Review

2010-12-09T21:47:00.003-06:00

I devour novels. Quick and messy, cannot wait to find out what happens next kind of reading. But some books must be read aloud and savored slowly and shared to be fully appreciated. What Think Ye of Christmas by Ester Rasband with original watercolor paintings by Jana Winters Parkin is such a book.

I should take the time to link to some of the lovely artwork in the book (because they are simply beautiful), but with my current time schedule that's not gonna happen. Instead, here's my experience with the book.

I was lucky enough to win two blog contests offering this book (one of them in multiples!) When I recieved my first copy, not having much time as I slogged through my daily mail on the way to multiple, gotta-get-em-done-today tasks, I opened it and quickly read through the text, taking enough time to spend just a moment on each work of art. My thoughts were along the lines of, "That was very nice," as I hurried back to my to-do list.

The next day, I gathered my children around me and read it to them, taking time to show them the pictures. That experience was on a whole new level over my first perusal. Reading with my children, wanting them to understand in both their hearts and minds what the book was saying, and even, (hope springs eternal!), implement the concept into our holiday season, the book became a beautiful witness of the Saviours birth and even a springboard to a discussion of how our family can remember him better in our Christmas celebration. (What more could you ask for!?)

You can buy the book here, and you won't be sorry. It's a wonderful addition to our Christmas library (btw, does anyone else love, love, love decorating their home with Christmas books? Not only are they beautiful, but decorating with them, puts them around the house where they are more likely to be read and enjoyed all season long. This book is perfect for decorating, because it's small and has that gorgeous angel on the front).

After you get your copy, experience it with someone you love, your spouse, your children, your sister, your visiting teacher, or simply read it aloud to yourself. Your voice will tell you things about the text that your eyes alone will miss. Take the time to enjoy the works of art. You'll be glad you did, and, who knows, it may even lead to a more Christ-centered Christmas celebration in your neck of the woods!

Candy Cane Tutorial!

2010-11-27T13:56:00.029-06:00

It's time for a quick break from wedding/Christmas preparations. I've wanted to do a tutorial on homemade candy canes for quite some time. If I don't do it now, it won't be any good until next Christmas season. This will be quick and may have lots of typos.

Eleven Christmases ago we moved to the midwest and a good lady in our ward invited us over to make candy canes with her family. I was perplexed. "You mean you make real candy canes?" She replied that they did. "With stripes and everything?" She assured me that they would even be striped. We enjoyed it so much that we now have a Candy Cane party with friends each year. It's become an important part of our celebration.

NOTE: Don't let the length of the written instructions deter you. I've incorporated all of the hints and tips from my friend into the recipe. It's not as extensive as it looks. I recommend that you have at least eight to twelve-ish people to do this, or you're going to get really tired of rolling them.

The recipe came from my friend's grandma. She was born in the 1880's, lived in Utah all her life and worked in a candy factory as a young girl. This is the recipe from the factory.

6 cups sugar
3 cups water
2/3 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2/3 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 dram peppermint oil (or less) Available at pharmacies
red food coloring

In a large pot, combine sugar, water, salt and corn syrup. Stir really well, till all sugar crystals are dissolved (if any crystals remain when it starts to boil, the candy will turn amber). Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil (she cooks it on high because it's faster).

Then add the cream of tartar but DO NOT STIR. Put lid on pot to steam for three minutes. Remove lid and, with damp cloth, wipe crystals from sides of pan.

Cook to hard crack stage (300-310 degrees Fahrenheit). Mixture will bubble white over entire surface. According to my friend, the cold water test is the only way to be sure it has cooked long enough. You will actually hear a small crack when the candy is dropped into a cup of cold water.

Immediately removed the pot from the burner. Pour 2/3 onto a buttered cookie sheet to cool. Leave the other 1/3 in the pan to cool (this will be the stripe).

Once it is cool enough to handle, lightly butter hands and pull the candy white (doesn't take very long). While pulling, add flavor. Snip a small amount off with kitchen shears to test for flavor. Next, pull, flavor and color the stripe.

Here are our friends from Kansas who joined us for Thanksgiving pulling the candy white.

Hubders adding the red to the stripe.

Lump the white into a rough ball. Stretch the red into a rough rope and make a ring around the white.

With two people, stretch the whole thing out to about a foot or so and twist so the stripe goes around and around.

Place on a wooden board and roll (should be unfinished wood, or the candy cane will slide instead of rolling). Cut with kitchen shears once it gets too long for your two hand spans. Give 1/2 to someone else and both of you continue rolling on wooden boards, cutting and passing to someone new whenever a piece gets to be longer than your hand spans.

Place extra pieces on a buttered cookie sheet in a 170 degreee oven, with the door left open to keep warm till they can be rolled (pieces that get too cold to roll may also be placed in the oven to warm them up again). Continue rolling till desired size.

Shape into canes, or any other shape you desire. Place on waxed paper, making sure that the canes do not touch each other. (I always stock up on shirt boxes at Christmas time. Lined with wax paper, they are ideal for sending the candy canes home with your guests.)

The finished product! Some of the pictures are lousy and you'll notice that some years, the candy canes are whiter than others!

Try it! You'll be glad you did!

Very, Very Busy But Got a Smile on my Face

2010-10-28T07:01:00.004-05:00

Here's the math:

This girl of mine.

plus this boy (who's a keeper btw),

Plus 7 1/2 weeks to do a wedding here (1300 miles away),

Equal an extremely busy, but very Happy Mom.

(But the bloggy world's gonna have to move on without me for a while.)

Am I losing the War?

2010-10-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else tired of the battle?

You journal, say no to desserts, get better acquainted with vegi's but can't remember what a big mac tastes like, spend relentless hours hitting the pavement and hefting weights, for months (and years). The weight sluggishly drops, quarter pound by measly quarter pound. Eventually, you get there, sixty pounds lighter, weight watcher's goal weight. It feels soooo good! You get rid of all of your "fat" jeans and sweaters. You did it!!

But you only stay at goal for a week -- one pitiful week. Yup, I got one free week at weight watchers and then had to start paying again. I was through with the counting every point, you-bite-it-you-write-it lifestyle. Didn't want to live the rest of my life that way, so although I kept exercising and tried to eat consciously, I stopped the regimented thing and the pounds crept right back on my hips, thirty of 'em over the next year and half (okay, I'm lying, it was really thirty-five, but that crosses that half-of-what-I-lost line and I refuse to go there!)

I now play around with the same ten pounds, it's a yearly cycle, but at the end of the year I'm back where I started. No net gain.

There's no point to this post. I just wanted to whine. I'm currently down 8 pounds from my normal fat place and pretty determined to hold stable through the holidays, but I'm battle weary and almost ready to throw in the towel and simply enjoy the Halloween candy -- almost but not quite.

What's your favorite, easy to implement, weight loss tip? I need motivation.

Garages are Beautiful

2010-10-16T17:20:00.005-05:00

Garage saleing makes me happy, 'cuz I'm Cheap with a capital C!

I can't see paying $14.95 for jeans to cover my 6-year-old's tiny tush, when I can get the same pair for one buck (slightly worn, but still in great shape). Today, I paid $1 for a fun curtain rod (big old metal bees on each end--perfect for my laundry room), and the adorable sheers with flowers only set me back another two clams. I've been smoothie-less since my blender died two weeks ago, but thanks to the $3 beauty I found this morning, I can again smoothie to my hearts content.

I won't bore you with every item I snagged today, but this has become the way I shop for most of the clothing and housewares needed around here. Each sale I visit becomes it's own little treasure hunt and snagging a great deal on a needed item brings a smile to my face in addition to doing happy-dance-worthy things to my budget.

Do you garage sale? Why or why not?

My Man

2010-10-12T07:39:00.006-05:00

I love this woman's blog.

Her latest post got me thinking about the guy I've chosen

and the good things he brings into my life.

Here's just one of my favs.

When life crashes down for a moment (her camping trip, for example, but whatever the current stress in the family may be), he makes us laugh, or gives us chocolate, or both.

I tend to yell.

His way is better.

He's my hero.

Whatcha Readin?

2010-09-17T22:14:00.005-05:00

Fall not only means back to school, it means my book club is starting up again!

Woo-hoo! Love it! Love the books, the giggling at Chevy's, the chips and salsa! But, I'm tapped out of ideas for books this year.

So, I'm asking. What are a couple of your all-time favorite books?

Waiting For Her Letter

2010-09-14T08:35:00.010-05:00

We adore reading around here. Something I've blogged about here and here.

This summer, I decided that Girlie Whirl, 6 1/2, was old enough to deal with Harry Potter in book form. She wasn't sure she wanted to, but I convinced her to give it a try and we began.

Oh, the fun we've had, the adventure, the humor, the discovery! It's one of the joys of parenting, this introducing your child to a new world through the written word! There is nothing like your little girl gazing up at you with a mixture of hope and pleading in her big blue eyes as she says, "Please just read one more chapter, pleeeeease!"

Playtime at our home now commonly features magical themes. Dolls take on names like Hermione and Ginny; and Girlie-Whirl keeps her wand nearby, hexing invisible foes with abandon. Needless to say, it was a very Harry summer and because we still have just over two more books to go, the Harry-ness will continue through much of the fall. Can you guess what she's gonna be for Halloween?

G-W started daydreaming about getting her letter of acceptance from Hogwarts, and asked me if I thought it could happen in real life. Last month, her twelve-year-old sister, Banana-Girl was sad. As G-W knelt by me, I asked her to remember her sister in her prayer. I was touched and amused as she earnestly petitioned Heavenly Father to bless Banana-Girl that she'll get a letter from Hogwarts, the pinnacle of heavenly blessings in her mind. I think she's finally decided that no letters are going to arrive, but she's holding out hope that it could happen in the next life.

I know that there's nothing original in the sentiment, but can I just say that I adore Harry Potter! Rowling is, in my opinion, a master story teller. The hours of quality time that my family has spent in her books are countless and full of good memories. I firmly believe that forty years from now, her books will still be in print and there will be third and fourth generation fans out there introducing the world of Hogwarts to their children.

What are you reading with your kiddles?

Whoosh.....Summer's Gone!

2010-09-11T22:57:00.008-05:00

It's time to get back into blogging -- I've missed it!

Sooo much to say. Too many things happened over the summer to write them all so here are a few of highlights.

1. Nauvoo. Mom and Dad have finished their mission there and it is once again a 20 hour drive to visit them. The three hour drive to Nauvoo was such a blessing. We spent a lot of time there this summer, playing Quirkle, measuring historic homes (you should see my hubder's sketches!), giggling and being together.

2. Triathlon. I didn't meet my goal of beating last years time, but as I didn't train as hard and I'm a year older, nine seconds added to last year's time is more than respectable. This year's trialthon was sponsored by my Big Bro (thanks, Bro!)

3. Utah trip. We took the kids out of school for a week to go to Utah to my little sister's wedding. It was beautiful and made me happy. We also spent a couple of nights at our favorite place on the planet with Hubder's family. We giggled and ate too much and slept very little. Seeing family is a boon to my soul.

And now, for the low light:

Long story, short (trust me, I could write pages). On the way home from Utah, car troubles stranded us in Laramie, Wyoming for three days. $500 later (towing, hotels and food) we learned that the car was essentially totalled, bought a brand new Toyota Rav4 and drove home. Yeah, we exceeded our vacation budget! As we unloaded the car, Banana-Girl (12) said, "This is the coolest souvenir we've EVER bought!"

School's In!!

2010-08-22T21:38:00.005-05:00

Summer is officially over, having sent my wee ones (and not so wee ones) off to school last Wednesday. I'm sad to see it go, but as I prognosticated in a previous post I am fully in the it's-time-to-get-them-back-in-school-so-that-we-can-get-organized mode, along with the I-can't-wait-to-get-back-into-blogging mode.

This is quite the landmark year. For essentially the first time in more more than 24 years, I do not have a preschooler or even a kindergartner...blink....blink.

I'm not sure I comprehend what that is going to mean, it's been so long. But, as of last Wednesday, I have six hours without any children in my house every week day. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm sad about the end of my preschooler days. I'll miss the one on one time with my Girlie-whirl. But at the same time, there's this shining notion of myriad possibilities that is tantalizing and oh, so exciting!!

So here for all the world to read, which will, hopefully, keep me more accountable, is my short list of things I want to accomplish in my child-free hours.

1. De junk the whole house. I'm going to dedicate one morning a week to throwing stuff out and organizing what's left. I'm going at it room by room. We haven't had a move in over ten years to force us to get rid of stuff and somethings gotta give!

2. Attend the temple at least twice a month. (I'm embarrassed to say that would be an improvement, but there it is!)

3. Dedicate one afternoon a week to visiting teaching. I will be a better visiting teacher if I have a specific time each week to think about my sisters and act on any thoughts I may have.

4. Blog, read, craft, exercise. All that stuff that you do, but feel guilty about the time it's taking away from your family.

I know. It's a pretty boring list for all my bluster about the exciting possibilities. But it's what I want to do. Someday, maybe, I'll move on to more exciting pursuits. But for now, finding time for these is quite enough of a thrill!

Drum Roll, Please!

2010-07-25T21:52:00.002-05:00

Yup, I'm MIA from the blogger world for the summer. Haven't read or posted in a very long time, but summer's being a blast! I'll be back once school starts again, and I'll read every post from my favorite bloggers, (you know who you are!)

However, I do have on piece of news that I simply HAVE to share, so I'm back, momentarily, to announce that around the 19th of January, I will become a grandma!! Tough Guy and Cutie Pie are prego (and she's just starting to show--sooo cute!!)

I keep finding myself in the baby section of various stores, perusing the goods, but not buying anything, 'cuz we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. I'm even more excited than I was with my own pregnancies (and I'm not nauseous!)

Well, I'm off to finish out my summer with a bang! Later!

Does the Journey Seem Long?

2010-06-26T19:32:00.000-05:00

Slowly, you get there.

Pound the pavement regularly enough and 5k becomes doable again. Hop on the bike day after day and the miles are no longer insurmountable. Swim enough mornings and even a land lubber like me begins to approach the needed distance.

Fifty-six days until the triathlon. I'm in a very different place than last year. Not as panicked, determined to better my time, and on my way.

North Carolina!

2010-06-18T14:50:00.001-05:00

Our family just got back from a trip to North Carolina to see our son, Tough Guy and his sweet wife, Cutie-Pie. It was a fabulous trip and it got us to the ocean with our kids (something, I must admit we've never done before).

The sixteen hour car ride was a bit extreme for the five of us in our trusty Camry. But the kids (age 15, 12 and 6) were amazingly patient and it took only a quiet word from Dad to pull them back when things got out of hand. (Can someone tell me why Dad's word is law and Mom's word is ignored?)

We stayed on the military base (Cherry Point), which was cheap and an adventure! We gabbed and played with our fun son and daughter-in-law. We ate too much. We got sunburned at the beach, gathered lot's of shells, and made a spectacular sand castle (no pics of the beach, 'cuz there's no cheap way to get pictures off of my cell phone and I wasn't gonna get my camera full of sand).

We ate Carolina BBQ. Yum!

We explored a Civil War Fort.

We visited an aquarium. Where we:

pet the rays,

and a sea turtle,

and spent lots of time in front of the shark tank.

A brief look at one of the many things that kept the kids entertained during the 32 hours on the road. Who knew that carrots could be so entertaining!

And yes, we stopped in Metropolis on our way home!

We've only been home for three days and I already miss Tough Guy and Cutie-pie.

Good thing they're coming in July!!

Don'tcha just love summer!?

Git 'er dun!

2010-06-06T08:52:00.001-05:00

I've blogged before about my abysmal organizational skills. Yet, hope springs eternal and as the seasons change, I feel the drive to make another attempt. Every year as school winds down, I find myself thinking, "I can't wait until school gets out, so we can get organized." (Which inevitably leads to August thoughts of, "I can't wait until school starts so we can get organized.")

I'm fickle when it comes to housework. I don't like it, I'm not great at it, and to be frank, I'd rather be doing almost anything else (blogging, playing games with my kids, having a root canal). And while I fully realize that my efforts will likely bear little fruit, I nevertheless feel that the struggle, the attempt, is important. Important personally, to wrestle a weakness. And important for my kids to see me try continually to overcome.

Anyway, school's out, so it's time to make the attempt. One of my biggest problems with the kids and chores is accountability. We set up chores and establish rules such as, no screen time, playing with friends, or going to the pool until they're done. But, within a couple of weeks, it tends to fall apart.

We've tried chore charts before, with varying degrees of success, but this summer, we're trying it again. Hopefully, the visual reminder will help both Mom and kids.

I made the chart last night. Bright colors, this template, some scrapbook paper, ribbon, stickers, and popsicle sticks. The sticks are green on one end and orange on the other and the kids will flip them over as they complete their morning chores.

I'm determined to make a go of it. And, worst case, we'll be a smidge better with the chart than without. A win in my book!

Hogwarts Party!

2010-05-29T17:03:00.003-05:00

Although we celebrate birthdays with a family party every year, my children don't get friend birthday parties yearly. They only get them on "big" birthdays -- when they turn five, eight, twelve, and sixteen.

Banana-girl is nuts about Harry Potter (okay, to be truthful, the whole family are huge fans -- especially of the books), and so decided she wanted a Harry Potter Party for her twelfth birthday. We made BIG plans, and sent out cool invitations that looked like a letter from Hogwarts addressed to their specific bedrooms (owl feathers and everything) but then life got in the way and most of the plans had to go by the wayside as we threw the party together in the last three days before the event.

Two days before the party, I found this link and simply HAD to make wands. I made ten. It took me most of the day and I was sick of them before I was through, but very happy with the results! Who would guess that they're made of paper and glue! I bought some hot glue sticks and paint, but literally only spent about $10 dollars on the lot! The friends got to choose a wand (a party favor) as they came to the party -- via platform 9 3/4 (the porch). Below is a picture of all ten and a close-up shot of the one Banana-girl chose. (it's ticking me off that the pictures are flipping sidways when I upload them, but I can't seem to do anything about it, so sideways they shall be. Sorry, no pictures of the actual party -- I never think to pull out the camera during events!)

We played games, laughed a lot, ate too much (there was butterbeer and treacle fudge, but the rest was muggle food), stenciled shirts, and generally had a great time!

Here's a picture of the party favors, minus the wands (fizzing skittles really do fizz!)

Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom!

Banana-girl!

2010-05-28T15:11:00.001-05:00

She turns twelve years old today.

Here she is at two.

She's short (the one in the middle), spunky, hilarious, a faithful friend, and a fabulous daughter!

I love how much richer my life is because she's a part of it!

Happy b-day, girl!

Heavy.

2010-05-17T12:14:00.000-05:00

The weight battle and I have not been on speaking terms lately. Too much eating, too little moving, soooo many resolutions to do better that have fallen by the wayside, scattering debris in their path. But I'm back in the determined mode (when things are pitiful, you can get depressed or get determined, right?).

What brought on this new bout of determination you ask? A little breakfast conversation with Girlie-whirl.

"Momma, I'm gonna have girl milk every day now instead of boy milk" (pink lids versus blue lids).

"You are? How come?"

"'Cuz girl milk doesn't have any fat in it."

"Oh, sweetie, you don't need to worry about fat in your milk."

"How come?"

"Because you're skinny minney."

"Does that mean you're large as a barge?"

Nuf said!

Random Thoughts

2010-05-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

I'm taking a break from Christian Connection Thursdays today. I'll bring it back next week, but it's just not happening today and I'm gonna embrace that and move on.

Some thoughts that are dancing around in my brain:

Random thought #1
I sometime wonder if my children are "getting it". Do they understand why we live the way we do? Are they developing a love for, and a desire to be obedient to our Father? Am I providing opportunities for them to come to know God? Am I filling them up with my love so it will be easier for them to recognize His? It's so easy to get caught up in the minutia of life that you don't take time for the big important stuff. You know, cuddles, laughs, pointing out the blessings and savoring them, teaching them in the moment, even if the moment falls in the middle of a rush to get somewhere, asking what's on their mind. I truly believe these are some of the most important things, but they're not the squeeky wheel and so often don't get the "grease". (This random thought was brought to you by the desire to do better)

Random thought #2
The other day, Girlie-Whirl offered family prayer. I think the following is word for word:
Note: She says, Thankly for we thank thee, but what she really means is "please bless". We've worked on it, but she persists and since I wish I were more thankful for the trials and struggles, I haven't tried too hard. Her thankly's are a little whisper of reminder from God (when I let them be).
Henly Father,

We thankly for those that are sad to be happy.We thankly for Mrs. Frandsen's husband. We thankly for Sister Jones. In the name...
Sweet, simple, direct, and all about others who need help.

Random thought #3
Is it possible to keep an organized house without putting in any effort? I keep desperately searching for a method that will not take time and energy, but alas, I can't find one!

Random thought #4
Having older children call home and "dish" is one of life's great joys!

2010-05-09T22:59:00.002-05:00

I can't let today pass without a few words about the mothers in my life.

First, my own angel mother. She's such a fun mom (and grandma)!!! No matter our age, toddler to teenager, I knew her very favorite thing was to be with us kids (and still is!) What a gift that was. She would start water fights in the kitchen, loved to play games with us, found humor and joy everywhere, was more fun to recount a date to than my girl friends, showered us with her love, taught us well, gave us room to grow, and most importantly, her eyes clearly reflected the deep-down joy that she ghad from living the gospel. It was from her that I came to want that same joy in my life. I will forever be grateful to my Heavenly Father for the beautiful gift my mother.

Second, my mother-in-law. She's loved and accepted me from day one, is a beautiful example of life long service to others, raised six wonderful children (Hubders being the favorite!) and looks for the best in everyone.

Third, my grandma. She was never very healthy and asthma was a constant. When I close my eyes, I can still hear her staccato cough coming from the kitchen as she prepared meals for the family. (Her potato salad is THE best!) I don't recall her ever complaining about anything and I knew that she adored me. After she died, I ended up with the little side table that sat by her chair. She made literally hundred's of sets of temple robes in her lifetime. The table always had a green apron on it, embroidery in various stages. It's one of my most prized possessions.

These good women continually put their in God and put family first. They loved being a mom and it showed in all that they did. Their examples have shaped and blessed me from day one and will continue to be a blessing to generations yet to come. Thank heaven, literally, for mothers!!

Christian Connection Thursday! #4

2010-05-06T05:00:00.045-05:00

Today I want to introduce you Deirdra. She's a strong woman. Beautiful, full of hope, determination, wonder, and love for her pastor husband, her kids and anyone else that meanders across her path. Her blog Jumping Tandem is a lovely place, where you'll find courage, faith, joy, and smiles.
As with all of the women I've spotlighted, it's not only her insights that intrigue me. It's her words and the way she puts them together. Reading her speaks to my soul and I can't help but sigh with contentment. (Eventually, I'm gonna learn to write like that, but it'll take years!) She has so many posts that I wanted to link up, (I restrained myself and didn't link up the one on journaling, nor the one where she watches her husband pray in the morning -- but it was tough).

I've limited myself to only two:
This post is about reading the scriptures and the jewels to be found there.
This post is about remembering. (Do you recall that Spencer W. Kimball said it was the most important word in the English language?)

Mosey on over to her place and spend some time there. You won't be sorry!

I feel a bit guilty. All but one of my Christian Connection spotlights have come from (In)Courage (and she has just been asked to join their team!) I'll eventually go elsewhere, but there is such an abundance of beautiful writing there, I just can't help myself!

A Little Ticked at Target

2010-05-01T20:08:00.002-05:00

A few months back a number of bloggy friends started a little crusade to clean up their corner of the world by asking Target to use those plastic "thingeys" that let you see the title of the magazine and the photo, but cover up all the words along the side. Cosmo being the magazine in question.

I, too, had been bugged by the mag and felt like I should wage a battle in my neck of the woods. But, to be honest, I was chicken and usually rushed while at Target (a convenient little excuse that assuaged my concience for a while). But as I continued to see the smutty covers, daughter whose reading skills were becoming increasingly adept in tow, I became more and more bugged. So, one day, when I had a bit of time and Target wasn't very busy, I simply asked the checker to let me speak to the manager. She left to find the manager, and I stood there trying not to look nervous.

I was taken aback when the manager appeared. She looked seventeen! But, I calmly made my case. After pointing out the offensive phrases on the latest Cosmo cover and drawing her attention to the fact that it was displayed right at eye level for children, I asked her if she wanted to explain what these phrases meant to my six year old daughter (that came straight off of someone's blog, maybe Mommy Snark, but I'm not sure). She made some excuse about how she didn't think they could use those "thingeys" (I truly wish I knew what they were called), because Cosmopolitan paid to have their magazine displayed in that prominent location and to alter it would be a breach of their contract (or something like that). When I pressed and explained that I simply wanted to be able to bring my daughter to their business establishment without the need to talk to her about sex after every trip, she told me that she thought that it would have to be a nationwide Target policy in order for them to be used. When I informed her that I had friends (thanks bloggy buds!) who had talked to the managers of Target in their states and that they now used the "thingeys", she said something about how a local grocery store chain doesn't carry Cosmo anymore because they didn't want to use the plastic "thingeys" (which had nothing whatsoever to do with the point I had just made, but seemed to satisfy her). She told me that she would look into the issue. Which I took to be a nice way of saying, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I went home and emailed multiple friends who patronize this Target, told them my story and asked them to talk to management if they felt comfortable doing so. I know of two friends who did, but they got the same run around. Since then, I have emailed corporate headquarters and snailmailed the local store about the issue. No response and, of course, nothing has changed.

I know I can choose to go elswhere, but Target is literally within walking distance of my home and I love the convenience. I would like to continue with my little battle, but am at a loss as to what to do next. Any suggestions?

Trip to Utah and Banana Girl's Artwork.

2010-04-30T08:50:00.001-05:00

I just got back from taking my son out to BYU. It was a fabulous trip (the 43 hours in the car NOT included, but survived!)

Trip highlights:
Visiting with my sisters and my husband's wonderful (and hilarious) family, hearing my adorable niece speak in church before she leaves for the MTC in Brazil, being at the cabin at Bear Lake!, spending the night at a dear old friend's home and gabbing nonstop the whole time, meeting my daughters boyfriend (he's approved!), watching my son be nervous 'cuz it's been a while since he was in school and knowing he's gonna simply fly, and spending a week straight with my youngest (the logistics of leaving a kindergartner behind were just not worth tackling so she came along).

I only took two pictures the whole trip (what was I THINKING?!) they were both of my sweet mother-in-law. Here she is:

Heart of gold, that woman has!

I came home (so sick of the car I could scream) and THRILLED to be back where I could see my man's face again (and Bikey-boy's and Banana-girl's).

Upon returning home, I found this piece of artwork, made by my almost 12 year old daughter. It made me happy! Click on the picture to see the detail and read the labels.

Christian Connection Thursdays! #3

2010-04-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

My first two installments of Christian Connection Thursdays, found here and here, have spotlighted women who have turned to God in the midst of extreme circumstances and found joy and peace. Today, I spotlight a woman who, instead of facing extraordinary trials, faces the normal, day to day difficulties that slow us down, stress us out and stop our progress, (if we let them).
Meet Ann Voskamp. From her bio @ (In) Courage:

"Ann Voskamp is a farmer's wife. She homeschools their six farm kids. She deals with a lot of dirt. Especially in her own heart. When the kids and the washing machine sleep, she scrubs the real dirty laundry with words and The Word."

My three favorite things about Ann, (without the fanciful "e.") are:

1. She writes of commonplace difficulties. The kind that we feel we should deal with on our own, but can end up being the starting block of a backsliding heart. Reading about another's struggles with the "mundane" is consolation to my heart as it strives against the grind that wears me down.

2. She's made gratitude a way of life. Her list of 1000 blessings is up to 1489 and counting!

3. Her words wash pictures over me. I'm there, in her home watching her strugglings to praise God in the arduous moment. Oh, to be able to write like that!

Here is my favorite post! Click on over and settle in for lovely prose and thoughts that lift out of the mundane to the divine.

Christian Connection Thursdays!

2010-04-22T07:00:00.002-05:00

Today I want to introduce you to Sara Frankle; a lovely lady with some thoughts on life and God that are a fresh breeze on a hot summer day. I'm not gonna go into her background info here, (you can poke around on her blog to learn her circumstances). Suffice to say that she can no longer leave her home without severe repercussions. Now if I were in similar circumstances, I would feel downright justified in an all night pity party that hung around for a year or two. But Sara chose instead to find joy and light and beauty and God... everywhere.

I know I linked to her profile, but just in case you didn't click on over here's a quote from it:

"Just a girl who used to write for a magazine to make a living, and now writes a blog to make a life. Extremely blessed, well-loved and choosing joy while learning that homebound doesn't limit your life, just your location."

I was pretty determined to only link up one specific post, but I can't choose so you're gonna get two.

This post is a whole new twist on the trite, "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" concept. Nothing trite here. Just a fresh look, whole lot of faith and hope, and a sense of the goodness that Heavenly Father extends to us as we seek him.

This one is her Easter post this year. I love it when a post makes me gasp with a new insight! This one did.

Mosey on over to her blog. You won't be sorry!

One of my Hero's

2010-04-19T16:36:00.002-05:00

Today is my sister's birthday (we're both at an age where it's not polite to ask). She's the one who surprised me and flew 1300 miles to cheer me on when I did the Triathlon last year) Over the years, she has become one of my heroes. Here are a few of the reasons:

1. She's so thoughtful. She's one of those people who is continually doing small deeds that show her love. Example: I couldn't find any decent drainer spoons and mentioned it to her in passing (you know, the kind that let you dish up the corn, but leave the liquid in the bowl). The next time I saw her, she handed me one. She happened to be in a store, remembered what I said and picked one up for me. That's just the way she rolls. She remembers small details and does something about it if she can. I wish I were more like that.

2. Eleven-ish years ago, I watched her help her husband through cancer treatment, lose him a year later and then proceed to be a single mom to her six kids (ages 12 years to 18 months), with grace, a sense of humor and continual faith.

3. After her husband passed away, she did a remarkable thing (actually she did MANY remarkable things, but I'm only mentioning one here). You know how there are always people who don't know what to say and so don't say anything. Then three or four months later, they still haven't talked to you and so can't even look you in the face? She didn't let that happen in her ward. If there was someone whom she hadn't talked to since her sweetheart's death, she would initiate the contact in simple ways. She'd walk up to them at church and mention that she'd seen their son playing soccer the other day and was amazed at how he'd grown, or something like that. People soon realized that she was fine to talk about his death, or not, she just wasn't fine with not talking at all. (BTW, she's since remarried and really great guy)

4. She's one of those people who is happiest if she's serving and so does it continually. Family, friends, ward members, acquaintances, you name it, if she can help, she will.

Here we are in July of last year.

Sis, I sure wish I could give you a big hug on your birthday. Will you settle for next friday? Can't wait to see you this weekend!!!

Christian Connection Thursdays

2010-04-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

This is the first of my Christian Connection Thursdays where I spotlight a blog post from a Christian woman that has impacted me.

Some of you may already know Angie Smith. I discovered her only recently but she already feels like a dear friend (no, she doesn't know me from Adam, (her blog has almost six thousand followers), but spend some time on her blog and you'll know what I mean).

In January of 2008, Angie learned that the daughter she was carrying would not live. Some of her doctors recommended terminating the pregnancy, but she and her husband, Todd, chose instead to carry little Audrey Caroline, hope and pray for the best, and accept God's will.

She started her blog Bring the Rain, the story of Audrey Caroline as a way to keep friends, family, and even complete strangers who wanted to help and pray for her little family, informed about their journey through this difficult time.

Wesley (The Princess Bride) was right. "Life is pain." There is no shortage of people going through excruciating circumstances, but what sets Angie apart from the norm is her deliberate and conscious decision to choose belief and faith again and again in the midst of sorrow. Her absolute determination to look for the beautiful, the spirit filled, the healing, always with her face uplifted to her Maker is simply breathtakingly beautiful to read. That her prose is real, thought provoking, and tender makes her blog just that much better.

I stumbled upon her blog and an hour, and half a box of tissues later, I emerged. Fortified in my faith, grateful for her example and with great desires to be a more present Mom to my sweet brood.

Navigating her sight to find her story is a bit cumbersome so below are links to four of her posts that knocked me over.

This link is to her first post in January of 2008

If you only have time to read one post, make it this one. It's a tender letter she wrote to little Audrey a few days after her birth. It recounts the experiences of the pregnancy and birth. Bittersweet's the word. Yes, there's sorrow, but there is also joy, peace, and an abundance of faith.

This post is twenty two days after Audrey's birth. A dark day when light found it's way in via a sweet daughter.

Click on this link to read Angie's most recent post on Easter. It's a sweet perspective on the resurrection that she discovered after a conversation with one of her daughters and some time in the scriptures.

Do spend a few minutes with this strong, faithful woman. You'll be glad you did.

My Number Four

2010-04-14T21:37:00.001-05:00

Fifteen years ago
today, this boy came into my life.

It was a nightmarish labor and delivery -- (delivery is never a modest proposition, but if it's a teaching hospital, a lot more people see all of you, and if yours is the delivery on the floor that everyone's worried about, that number goes up exponentially) -- but it's been fab since then.

He's my calmest and the happiest kid I know. He's slow to anger and quick to volunteer to help. He sees the best in everyone and loves with a pure heart.

Happy B-day Bikey-boy!!! We sure love you!

Announcing Christian Connection Thursdays!

2010-04-14T13:21:00.002-05:00

With great excitement, I announce the start of a weekly feature here at Hunyville Happenings, it's a new step for me in the bloggy world and I'm very excited about it! Every Thursday I will feature a post from a Christian woman's blog that has impacted me. I'm calling it Christian Connection Thursdays (I'd love a better name, but I'm not gonna hold the whole process up another week just because I don't love the moniker.)

Here's the background behind the new feature.

Growing up in northern Utah, I had very little direct experience with anyone who wasn't LDS. Because of that, all of my examples of powerful women of faith were Mormon. Now, I knew, intellectually, that there were people of great faith in every religion, but knowing it in your head and experiencing it in real life are two very different things.

I have lived in the midwest for almost ten years now. I count strong women of faith, who are not LDS as some of my dearest friends and their examples are a great blessing to me. Recently, I've jumped into the world of Christian women bloggers more fully and have loved, loved, loved what I've found there. The beauty and grace and example of good, strong, holy Christian women is something that we, as Mormon women, should be aware of and share, and savor, and celebrate and allow to bless our lives (because it will, in beautiful ways).

That's what Christian Connection Thursdays are all about, acquainting ourselves with these good ladies. Check back tomorrow to meet a truly amazing woman.

One More Egg

2010-04-10T18:25:00.005-05:00

I had a brain blip the other day and failed to post a picture of the coolest Easter egg of the day. Hubders only decorated one egg, but it's quite the egg! He dyed it and then used permanent markers to make this replica of a mosaic from one of the side chapels in the Cathedral Basilica of St Louis. He downloaded a picture from the internet and then drew it free hand. Yup, that MY man!!!

Perusing the Page

2010-04-10T08:30:00.008-05:00

Oh the joys of reading! It's one of my very favorite things, and so crucial to academic, social and spiritual growth. So, as a mom, how do I pass my love of the written word on to my children.

Here are my thoughts on the subject:

1. Read with them. Often! From birth to the day they leave home.

2. Read good quality children's literature. I have only one criteria for determining if a book is good quality, but it's served me well. If I can enjoy reading a book repeatedly to my children, it's good quality. If the second or third reading makes me want to put it through the shredder, it's not. I try never to buy poor quality books. Why spend money on something I will loathe reading to my munchkins?

3. Make it interesting and fun. We've all been stuck in that history class where the aging coach reads the textbook day after day in his monotonous drone. Don't ever do that to your kids. You're in the privacy of your own home, ham it up, for heaven's sake! Give unusual characters funny voices, use lots of inflection, pause at the right places for maximum suspenseful impact, etc. Your voice will bring the story to life if there's life in your voice. Don't know how? Don't worry, it's a skill that can be learned with practice (and you'll never have a more forgiving audience than your wee ones). Note: Did you know that the concept of silent reading is a modern invention? In ancient times reading was always done with both your eyes and ears. Have you experienced the fact that your ears can tell you things about a story that your eyes can't?

4. Start reading novels to your children at a young age. Picture books are one of my favorite things. However, children as young as 4 can start to participate in the world of chapter books. You may need to talk frequently about what is going on and review the plot each time you pick it up. All the better! Encourage your children to ask questions. It will improve their communication skills. And don't be afraid to read books to your children that are a little above them. It's good for them to listen "up".

5. Have books in your home. Use the library on a regular basis. Purchase books for birthdays and Christmas*. You'll be surprised how fast your library grows! Having books in your home not only sends the message that books are important, it gives children the opportunity to peruse books at their leisure.

6. Read yourself. If you're like me, you don't need to be told this. Instead, you need to get your nose out of your book a bit more and take the kids to the park (or wash the dishes). But too many busy moms never seem to find the time to lose themselves in the written word. It's truly one of life's joys and our little ones should see our passion for reading.

The essence of my philosophy is this: A young child who has been to far away places, experienced thrilling adventures, overcome daunting obstacles, witnessed hilarious antics and met fascinating people, all as your voice brings the words on page to life, may still have difficulty with the mechanics of learning to read, but they will not need to be convinced that reading is important. The desire to read will a part of them. They will be eagerly anticipating the day when they can enter the world of books on their own.

How do you help your children develop a love a reading?

* Books are expensive, so unless you know it's good quality, check it out of the library first. I almost never buy a book from a bricks and mortar store (although I love to look at books there). Most of my purchasing, however, happens at websites such as this one or this one, and even this one, where I can find new and gently used books for bargain prices.

Eat up!

2010-04-09T14:34:00.007-05:00

It's either feast or famine with me. No posts for a long time and then BAM two in one day. But reading has a particular hold on me at the moment and it's time to blog about it.

I adore, with my whole heart and soul, reading to my children. We've read from day one and I don't stop until they leave home. Some of my sweetest memories are connected to the books we've read.

Here's a smattering:

I remember reading the Chronicles of Narnia with my first three at the bus stop every day as we waited for Daddy to come home from work. Hubder's said it became every one's favorite stop. They'd watch the daily ritual of the three munchkins running across the grass, big smiles on their faces as they joyfully called to Daddy over and over. Everyone would all hug his knees at once as he stepped off the bus. I loved seeing the whole soul love that my little ones daily showered on their dad. Note: Please, please, read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first!!! I mean it. It's so much cooler that way. Your children will thrill to the ah-ha moments when they read The Magician's Nephew, but only if they've read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first. Read them in the order they were originally published. Trust me on this one!

Ruggles was only three when he could quote all of Where the Wild Things Are. I can still hear his little voice, wrapping itself around those words, changing his voice when woarwing his tewwible woarws. Some extended family asked to hear it, but the book wasn't with us. No problem. He sat up on the couch, opened his hands like a book and read the whole thing, turning imaginary pages in the appropriate places. Oh, to have that on video!

My children came to love Joseph Smith as we read the Work and the Glory. And I will never forget the Memorial day when we found Amanda Smith's grave right next to their great, great, great, great, great grandmothers, the very day after we read of the Haun's Mill Massacre. Their eye's lit up as history came to life for a moment.

As we read Number the Stars, I watched my children bristle at the injustice of the Nazi's and savor the bravery of ten year old Annemarie. It's a beautiful thing when a mother gets an insight into the growing conscience of her children.

It still brings a smile to my face when I think of Tough Guy, as a teenager, plopping down on the couch with The Trust Williams Series. He only did it when he'd had a bad day. He'd open the book up to a random page, start reading, laugh out loud for a few minutes, then get up with a smile on his face and move on with a good attitude (what a blessing for a mother!)

I could go on, but this post is already longer than anyone is gonna want to read. Suffice to say, reading has been an integral part of our home. Our lives have been richer and happier and more hilarious because books have abounded.

What are you reading to your kids?

Internet again!

2010-04-09T10:39:00.008-05:00

We have a decent internet connection again!!!!! Woo-hooo!

This post won't thrill anyone. It's barely going to get proof read (no extra time today!) No thoughtful ideas, nuthin' funny. Okay, now that all but my family and a smattering of closest friends are left, here are some things that I really wanted to post about and some pics to go along with them.

My oldest, Tough Guy and his adorable wife, Cutie Pie, just did a Mexican cruise with her family. They bought us these hilarious masks. Cutie Pie didn't understand why Tough Guy was insistent that these were the perfect thing to give us. But he knows us and we're just weird that way!
Side note: Hubders taught Jared Hess in seminary, so we, of course own Napolean Dynamite, but, I confess, I don't have any use for it. Nacho Libre, however is hilarious (in an incredibly embarrassing kind of way!)

Here's Girlie Whirl in mask #1

Bikey-boy in mask #2

No cool stories, nuthin' profound with this next picture. But it's a picture of my sis who came and spent a week with us (she's holding my adorable new niece). Muff (we've called her that since she was one year old!) is a fabulous, funny, caring person and having in her my life is a beautiful thing. It's a full 20 hour drive from her house to mine, so visits are few and far between. We had a blast!!! Come back soon, girl!!

No school on friday, so we invited my sis and our neighbors to the north (our two favorite families to play with), to decorate Easter eggs. It was two full hours of creative juices flowing everywhere (yup, some of them even flowed into my lap in the form of blue dye. It washed out of the pants just fine, but parts of me looked like a smurf for days!)

Here are pictures and short explanations of the three methods we used.

These ones were dyed normally and then artist tissue paper (not the wrapping paper kind) was applied to the damp egg. After they dried the paper was peeled off. Very fun way to decorate eggs!! Thanks sis!

Duck tape was used to mask off parts of the egg and then the eggs were dyed. (again, sis's idea)

These were dyed with silk ties. We did this last year and I wanted to try it again. Opening them up once they've cooled is so fun! You never know what you're gonna get.

Argghhhh!

2010-04-05T11:39:00.004-05:00

Our internet connection is having major issues. It can't handle uploading a single picture.

So instead of blogging I'm ranting, and muttering under my breath.

Hopefully we'll get it fixed soon and I can upload pics of my sweet sis visiting and the cool masks from Mexico that my son and cute daughter-in-law sent us and the Easter eggs we made (we had a blast for two solid hours decorating those eggs.)

...sigh

Box Sledding

2010-03-24T08:08:00.000-05:00

Looking for a fun family activity now that spring it here? Try box sledding. A friend introduced me to it and it's a blast!

These pictures were actually taken last fall. I never got around to blogging about them, but the pictures just make me too happy not to post them.

After taping all the boxes together, we realized that the hill behind our house was insufficient and so moved the process to our friend's back yard. Here's the moving process. It reminds me of a big caterpiller.

We had so much fun. I didn't get many pictures, but you can see the joy on Girly-Whirl's face.

This was actually a party to welcome Ruggles home from his mission to Thailand. As he got ready to slide down, I got my camera all focused in. He shoved off and the camera died. Dead batteries. Thbbthtbbt. So, no action shots of the guest of honor. (Ain't that just how it goes?)

Here's my only picture of him that night, with my prego Sis (who's baby was born in January)

Wanna box sled at your house? Use big boxes (less seams that way). Make sure that the overlap is on the downhill side and cover each seam with packaging tape. Sit on a piece of cardboard and slide on down.

Note: It's a fast slide! Be careful. Proceed at your own risk. (Can you believe you have to say that or risk a law suit?)

Note #2: I drafted this post in January but didn't want to post it until now. Shouldn't the post say todays date? ANNOYING! I didn't want to redo the whole post. I can cut and paste the text, but puting the pictures back in was just too much!

Really?

2010-03-22T11:54:00.007-05:00

This is not a political blog. But sometimes you just got say something!

I have followed the current debate in the country very closely and my biggest questions have not been addressed by the party in power. (Not in the whole 100 years of discussion about health care reform. (smirk))

So here are my questions:

In the Refusal to Learn from History category:
1. Can anyone point to even one government entitlement program that wasn't riddle with fraud?

2. Can anyone show me a single country with nationalized heathcare where costs went down and the quality of care went up?

In the Refusal to Use some Commen Sense category:
1. What would be the drawback of trying real torte reform? (Other than the decrease of trial lawyer dollars lining the pocket of our lawmakers) It's working well in Texas, wouldn't cost a dime to enact and could have huge benefits.

2. Why have lawmakers refused to try real competition for insurance companies. Again, it wouldn't cost a dime and could make such a difference.

In the Shaking my Head category:
1. When there are so many untried low and no cost options that could arguably fix the worst of the "healthcare crisis", why are we taking drastic measures that the majority of citizens of this country are apposed to?

Aaarrrrgh!

Behind!

2010-03-20T23:40:00.003-05:00

I've had multiple things I wanted to blog about, but life got in the way. The following three posts are a quick attempt to catch up on some of them.

Catching up. #1 Dangerous Things!

2010-03-20T22:52:00.019-05:00

My husband recently bought the book: Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do) by Gever Tulley and Julie Spiegler. It's well worth the price. I agree with the premise that if all corners are rounded and everything is made of plastic, our children miss out on a lot of learning/creative opportunities.

We chose ten things from the book, invited our neighbors to the north, and made a day of it.

Here are a few of the photos:

Dinner cooked in the dishwasher. (And, yes, we washed dishes on the bottom rack!)

Launching a hot air balloon in the family room (it sorta worked!)

Smashing thrift store dishes (this was a definite favorite!)

The end result in the garbage can.

An overcooked peep fresh from the microwave (the grapes sparked a little, the CD's were a spectacular three seconds and the marshmallows were HUGE!)

Taking apart appliances. This one was another fav. We took apart a printer, a joy stick, an adding machine, a keyboard and a telephone. Lot's of cool parts inside!

This is our bomb in a baggie right before it exploded!

Girlie-Whirl about to lick a 9-volt battery!

We didn't get any good pictures of the super glued fingers but it was a big hit. No dry ice to be found so that didn't happen. But our neighbors said they're going to plan a whole day around dry ice and invite us over! Can't wait!

Catching up. #2 Bread?

2010-03-20T22:39:00.011-05:00

We load our bread machine every sunday morning. We adore coming home from church to the smell of hot bread.

Last sunday we came home to this.

This is the top of the loaf.

Here's the bottom.

My son swears he put all the right stuff in. We have no idea what went wrong. Any ideas?

Catching up. #3 Piano!

2010-03-20T22:23:00.008-05:00

Last month, my husband bought me this!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! We've had an old piano for years and all of my children have learned to play on it. It's been a great blessing to our family, but it wasn't a great piano when it was new and decades later it's simply not a joy to play.

The new piano is an Essex. It was designed for use in schools and university practice rooms. It wasn't made to be a beautiful showpiece of furniture. It was made to sound fab and last long enough to be passed down to my great-grandchildren.

The WHOLE family is playing constantly! Hubders has dusted off Moonlight Sonata and he's almost re memorized it (note: he has a musician's soul, but can't read music, so he learned to play this piece by learning where middle C was on both the page and the keyboard and counting up or down for all the other notes-- and he plays it beautifully!) Bikey-Boy and Banana-Girl are practicing without nagging from Mom. I'm playing almost daily. It's been such a good thing in our home!!

Thanks Hubders!

I'm not a decorator, but I love my new light!

2010-03-11T20:56:00.019-06:00

My home is not impressively decorated. I'm cheap and although I enjoy looking at beautiful homes, magazines about decorating and decorating blogs, I don't usually implement any of the ideas that I see.

As a result, I don't love my home. Let me clarify. I love it because it's where the people I adore the most hang out and because I can relax here. But I don't love the way it looks and it doesn't reflect my personality (except the disorganization--that's me to a T!) It's time to branch out and fall in love with my home.

This blog is one of my favs. In the past, one of my biggest roadblocks to home decorating is that I know it won't be perfect and so I don't even start. The Nester's philosophy of decorating is "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." I'm starting to embrace that concept and it's so freeing!

I went garage saleing with a good friend last Saturday and found a light fixture that I fell in love with. It was super cheap (nine bucks), but has no glass. I decided that nine dollars was worth the risk of having it sit in the basement if I never bothered to buy the glass.

However, I didn't put it in the basement after I brought it home. I left it on the floor of the dining area. Hubders (who didn't even like the light) put it up yesterday! (Thanks sweetheart!) I LOVE it!!! It's not perfect, incomplete as it is, but it's beautiful!

This is my old fixture (actually this one is just like it and hangs over my stairs--nice, huh?). It's shiny and tired looking and only gives off 180 watts of light.

Here's the new one. It's distressed and has character. It's big and fab! It gives off soooo much more light than our old one. My dining area is so flooded with light as I type this that the kitchen lights are rendered unnecessary. Imperfect, but puts the old fixture to shame!

(Tangent: This picture shows two of my favorite things in my home, the chocolate donut clock, which I found at a junk shop. It's cheap and covered in naugahyde and I have to keep re-hot gluing in spots, but I LOVE it! The other, the $20 mirror I found at walmart one day. Also notice our nook for the entertainment center we've yet to build. Believe it or not, what you see is a HUGE improvement. Until last week it had a small tv stand, a side table and a small coffee table all lined up in the nook for our media needs.)

I don't know how long it will take me to find the right glass. I need eight of them, and I won't spend an arm and a leg, so this could take a while. But, in the meantime, I'm so excited over the beauty of my light that who cares if you can see the white part you screw the bulb into? It's such an improvement that I'm happy to live just like this for a while!

One more shot, a close up, just 'cuz I can, and it makes me happy! (if you click on the picture you can make it full size and truly see the beauty of my $9 light!)

He May WEAR the Pants, But Does He BUY Them?

2010-03-01T22:20:00.003-06:00

Within the first couple years of our marriage, my husband became very hesitant to purchase clothing for me. The first item of clothing he ever bought me was a bathrobe for Christmas. Not the one I would have chose, however, and since it didn't fit I had a good excuse to exchange it. I came home with a different style which squelched any desires he had to repeat the scenario. Btw, the robe I bought was cute, but way too hot. I could never wear it for more than ten minutes at a time and eventually gave it way in pristine condition. I shoulda kept the one he bought me!

One Christmas, eight-ish years later, wanting to encourage him, I asked for a white turtle neck for Christmas. I gave him my size, he headed out and quickly returned, somewhat confused and overwhelmed. Too many sizes and choices, he said. When I asked what on earth he meant (after all, I gave him the size and how many choices can there be for a white turtle neck?) he informed me that there were lots of confusing choices. There was a Misses section, a Petite section and a Women's section and each of those sections had both turtle necks and mock turtle necks. He was at a loss! And he had a point, let's face it, women's sizes are stupid.

Undaunted, I told him to buy it from the misses section, that either mock or turtle would be acceptable and sent him back. On Christmas morning, I opened up a package to find a white turtle neck with tiny navy blue flowers all over it. It was lovely, but wouldn't go with a single thing in my closet. However, wanting to show him how tickled I was with his brave foray into the women's clothing section, I searched high and low until I found a navy blue cardigan to buy that looked fab with the turtle neck. I then proceeded to wear it to death, and truly loved that turtleneck. (I also bought the white one that he didn't buy for me).

Jump forward to Christmas 1990. We had been married 15 years by this time and my man had purchased exactly two items of clothing for me, a bathrobe and a turtleneck. It wasn't a big deal to me. He's very supportive whenever I feel the need to buy new clothes (in fact, I have to be careful because he always say yes to me -- he's just like that).

Christmas morning there were some nicely sized boxes with my name on them. I was dumbfounded as I opened them and found that each one contained clothing!!! Four blouses and two dresses in all!!! He'd gone to Dress Barn, asked for help (what a man!), and bought me lots of lovely clothes!

I never did learn the specific whys of the sudden change, except that he loves me and thought I'd enjoy it. He was right. Ya know, ya think ya know the man and yet, he continues to surprise me. Makes me happy!

Does your husband buy clothes for you? Do you wish he would (or wouldn't)?

Coming Clean

2010-02-26T10:41:00.011-06:00

My weight has been creeping up since mid December. It's not a pretty sight. I've stopped checking my families weight loss blog and started skipping the body test on the Wii-fit. I don't want to face the weight gain so I avoid things that remind me. But I can't avoid getting dressed each day and it's getting painfully obvious that it's past time to do something.

Although I've made multiple half-hearted attempts to get it under control in the last few months none of them have been real enough to yield any results. This week I'm getting serious. Making better choices, controlling the mindless eating, zipping the lip after 7:00 pm, making exercise a priority every day, and I've put a weight loss tracker on my blog (up in the right hand corner). Hopefully it will help keep me accountable. My goal, for now, is ten pounds and I'm currently down two.

Here are the facts. They're not pretty, but I'm coming clean so I'm not gonna sugar coat it. After moving to the Midwest ten years ago I joined weight watchers and lost 60 lbs. I put back on 35 those pounds, but lost 10 of them last year training for the triathlon. Currently, I'm right at the 35 re-regain.

During weight watchers I learned to look at weight loss in terms of cubes of butter. That way, even a 1/4 lb loss was a success because it was a whole cube of butter no longer hanging on my hips. Well, I just did the math and 35 lbs is ... shudder ... 140 cubes of butter! YUCK!!! No wonder my clothes no longer fit!!! That's just downright embarrassing!

I've come clean. I'm motivated. I'm down 8 cubes of butter. I'm tracking the loss publicly. Watch me shrink.

Gasp! Are you a Utah Mormon?

2010-02-20T23:44:00.001-06:00

Although I now live in the midwest, I'm a Utah Mormon. Born there, raised there, lived there for the first thirty-five years of my life. Growing up I would occasionally hear comments about church members outside of Utah (you know, in the mission field! Ooo, exotic!).

After moving to the midwest, I began to notice occasional remarks about Utah Mormons. Probably no more than I'd heard about saints in the "mission field", but being a Utah Mormon, I paid more attention.

For example, not long after my move to the midwest, a truly sweet lady told me she'd heard that Mormons in Utah don't even DO their visiting teaching! She was aghast and wondered if it was really true. It was after that conversation that I began to think in earnest about the issue and pay attention to the stereotypes.

My conclusion, after exhaustive research and study (okay, after mulling the issue over for some time) is that saints are the same regardless of where you live. Shrewd , huh?

In every ward I've lived there have been three types of people. These are my classifications, and may be lacking. If you disagree, write your own post! (Or comment on mine) The following will surely seem judgemental, and probably is. It should also be noted that the classifications are not strict divisions, but more like markers on a continuum. There may be more members between the classifications than actually in them.

People in all three groups attend church meetings on a regular basis, and, I would assume, have testimonies of the gospel.

Here are the three categories:

1. High yield, low maintenance saints (I stole this phrase from a conference talk, but can't remember who said it. My vague memory is that it was Elder Maxwell, but I didn't bother to look it up). From my experience, every ward, whether inside of Utah or out, has a core of workhorse members. Those that give in abundance (at least of their time, and talents, I've never been privy to tithing receipts) and ask for little if anything in return. They work through all but the biggest of their own trials without thinking of asking the ward for help. They are the ones who step up and act when others have a need, accept whatever callings come their way and serve without fanfare. That their testimonies are deep and abiding is evidenced by the way they live quiet lives of service.

2. Luke warmish saints. These are members who, though active, can't necessarily be counted on to follow through when it comes to service. They serve well and lovingly at times, but frequently aren't willing to put forth the effort. (As I write this, my lack of visiting teaching so far this month nags at my conscience). I've known more than one person who started out luke warm and ended up being high yield, low maintenance.

3. High maintenance, low yield saints (reversed the phrase from the conference all by myself!) These are ward members that are repeatedly in need and tend to loudly make their needs known while expecting a crew to come and get them out of their fix. They infrequently are on the giving end of service, but expect to be on the recieving end on a continual basis. I'm not talking about hard working families that have fallen on hard times and, while doing all they can, still need help. These are saints who expect others to do the heavy lifting whenever they're in a bind. I'm happy to say that this group is the smallest of the three.

I've lived in ten wards and each has had individuals running the entire spectrum. I believe that all three groups are necessary. We learn and grow as we interact with each other. And interacting with whiners in a Christ-like manner helps us grow in ways that interacting with fab, fun, folk simply doesn't.

Give me your thoughts. Do you think people are different inside and outside of Mormondom?

Day of Rest!

2010-02-16T22:30:00.016-06:00

We went to Nauvoo to see Mom and Dad this weekend. It was just me with the three youngest. We had a wonderful time. A sleigh ride (forgot the camera so Dad lent me his, but the pics are still in Nauvoo). Hot chocolate at Magleby's -- THE BEST hot chocolate on the planet!!! Games with Grandma and Grandpa. (if you haven't played Qwirkle, you should. It's a good one!) Fun conversation and the love that you feel from parents. All great stuff.

Sunday morning, however was not my fav. You've experienced your own version this. Mine went something like this.

Wake up at 7:15 in a panic because church starts at 8:00 and Dad warned you that all the missionaries are in their seats and listening to prelude music by 7:50. Rouse three children and rush them to the breakfast table. Leave them with instructions to get dressed the minute they finish their cereal while you jump in the shower. Get out of the shower to find that your children aren't done getting dressed, ~~yell,~~ patiently usher them through the dressing process.
Fix hair, brush teeth, comfort eleven year old daughter who's discovered she left her Sunday shoes home and is mortified at the thought of wearing tennis shoes to church. Fix Girlie-whirl's hair. Snarf a bowl of cereal. Holler for everyone to get their coats on as you eat the last two bites. Throw on your coat and ~~yell~~ gently remind your children to get their coats on. NOW.

Herd them out the door and discover that we're gonna have to wade through snow to get to the car, a fair jaunt. Tell them to wait at the door while you get the car. Plod through the snow in your Sunday flats and fill your shoes with snow. Open the trunk for the snow scraper. Realize that it's in the very back of your large trunk and that you're gonna have to climb in to reach it. Notice that your skirt isn't gonna allow it. Hike up the skirt and climb into the trunk with great haste in a very, ahem, shall we say, ladylike fashion. Grab the scraper and hastily brush the snow off your windows.

Jump in the car. Start her up and force your impatient, late self to eeeease on the gas so your wheels won't spin in all the snow and slowly drive round to the front. Roll down the window and, with the patience of Job, of course, verbally hurry your children along as they dawdle out the door.

Drive slowly and carefully to the church while pointedly ignoring the persistent little voice in your head that's screaming "You're gonna be late!" Arrive at the stake center only to find that you can't park any where near the place. Drop the children off at the door. Find a parking place on the opposite side of the building from where your children are.

Wade through more snow (filling your shoes again). Enter the building, seeing your children at the end of a very long hallway. Wave to them, 'cuz you're right by the chapel and it would be really convenient if they would come to you. Realize that they're looking out the door for you and thus will never see you waving. Race walk down the hall. Gather your children. Hang up coats. Herd them down the hallway. Find your parents in the chapel. Collapse on the bench and recover as best you can from the marathon morning.

It was well worth the effort. A lovely sacrament meeting. My children have never been to church in a congregation with no children. The sacrament was completely silent. A novel thing. But I could have happily done without the first hour of my Sunday.

Why do you blog?

2010-02-02T10:34:00.021-06:00

I have a friend who has no patience for blogging. She feels it's waste of time; self centered people rambling on about their own little lives. I don't completely disagree with her. There's a lot of that out there. But there's so much more.

Lately I've been pondering about why I blog. What roll does it play in my life? Is it something I should continue? How much of my blogging is about selfish pride? Let's face it, most of our posts are about ourselves. I tried to write a post once without referring to myself in any way, and I couldn't do it. It's also quite an ego boost when you get great comments and see your following increase --not that I have many followers, but watching it go from nothing to the 20's felt good. Impressive, huh? I'd be less than honest if I didn't admit that's part of why I do this. I don't necessarily have answers to all these questions, but I think they are worth asking.

There ARE drawbacks to this whole bloggy thing. The biggest negative for me? It's soooo easy to spend WAY to much time and neglect my home and the wonderful people who live here. (For example, I'm supposed to be balancing the checkbook right now, one of my hate jobs, but I enjoy blogging much more and so, here I am). There's always the temptation to click on one more link, and then one more, and life becomes unbalanced. (And even if I find the right balance today, it will still be a struggle to find it tomorrow.)

The benefits are just as real. I've met wonderful new friends. (Bloggy friends gave me the inspiration to wage my own mini anti-smut campaign in my neck of the woods.) I know exactly where to go for tutorials on everything from home decorating and crafts, to cooking, cleaning and organizing. (But to be completely honest I don't generally DO any of the tutorials myself, I just read them and think they're cool). Another benefit is simply the fun of it all. No guilt here about doing it just 'cuz I like it as long as I keep it from taking over my life.

My two favorite benefits? 1. I'm writing regularly! I've long known that to improve my writing skills, I need to simply put in the time and write, often. But knowing and doing are two very different things (remember Elder Bednar's Conference Talk?). Enter, blogging. Now I write at least weekly (even when I don't post) and my writing is improving! I'll never be a Hemingway (I confess I've never read anything by him), but improvement is always a beautiful thing and is met with palpable smiles from above. 2. With the exception of three years in my late teens, I've never kept a journal. I know I should, but I don't. And I feel guilt. My blog is a record of my thoughts and feelings and of some of the doings of my family; again, I feel heaven's approval and the burden of guilt on the journal front lifts! (I remember someone posting that her blog couldn't count as a journal and I vehemently disagree!!!)

So my question: Why do you blog? Have you considered calling it quits? Give me your thoughts.

A Quarter of a Century!

2010-02-01T05:00:00.004-06:00

Twenty-five years ago today I knelt across the altar from my man. (Dig those glasses!)

We were married in the olden days when engagement photos were always formal and in your Sunday best. (And perms were in!)

We've been through a whole heap 'o livin' since then. Six babies, seven moves, good times, money worries, health problems, house building, more puns than you would believe, weight gain (I'm at my chubbiest below -- why is chubby only cute on babies?)...

...weight loss. This was the year that I had a trophy husband...

...Silliness and more humor than I could have imagined. I never know what he'll be up to next. (Much of my family has commented on the appropriateness of my look below)...

...a bit of heart ache and a whole lot of joy. I'd do it all over again in a heart-beat!

Happy Anniversary, Hubders!

Devils Food Cake!

2010-01-30T08:44:00.006-06:00

Josi Kilpack's new book Devil's Food Cake has just hit the shelves. (You can read portions of it here, and purchase it here. )

I became aware of the series when my sis was asked to be part of her test kitchen. The books are fun, light-hearted mysteries and the "who-done-it" is enough of a twist to be a surprise. Sadie is an amateur sleuth, and fabulous cook who turns to cooking when faced with problems. I enjoy her tenacity and quirkiness.

The recipes are also well worth trying. The High Tea Lemon Cookies (from English Trifle ) are so moorish that it's downright dangerous to make them 'cause I'm gonna eat 'em all!

Yes, this post is a shameless attempt to win a copy of Devil's Food Cake, but since the book is worth reading, think of it as a great tip!

Worth it.

2010-01-28T06:00:00.005-06:00

Pregnancy is on the brain. My sis delivered a beautiful baby girl on Monday and it seems that most of the blogs I follow are written by a gestating women. They write of growing larger (funny post!) and being anemic, exhausted, and overwhelmed (seriously, check out their blogs, you won't regret it); of dealing with pregnancy while doing the mom thing and all that it entails. Reading their well crafted pregnancy posts takes me back. It's been over six years since I experienced it, but I remember. I remember it all.

All women love to ~~whine about their pregnancies~~ share their pregnancy stories and I'm no different even though it's been awhile. So settle in, here's mine.

My first three were text book. The normal annoyances, that's all. But #'s four through six were a different story. None of it was life threathening, or even comparable to what many women have gone through, but it pushed me right to the limit.

I developed prenatal tachychardia which is a fancy way of saying that my heart raced. It didn't matter whether I was in great shape or not (and I did the pregnant thing both ways); simply walking across the family room sent my heart rate up to 140. And stairs? The doctor said if they were unavoidable, I was to do half the flight, sit down and rest for five minutes, and then continue on up. (Yeah, like a mom can do that!)

When my heart raced, which it did every time I did something really strenuous like move forward more than three steps, I was not only short of breath (similar to running five laps), but it also zapped all energy, on a molecular level from every cell in my body. The exhaustion was immediate and overwhelming. The doctor put me on some pills that helped (and put me through withdrawal when I quit taking them after delivery--which is another story, but can I just mention that a doctor should TELL you if that's a possibility). But the pills didn't fix the problem, just made it more manageable.

And so, a significant portion of my last three pregnancies were spent as a world class wimp. My husband says I have a can do attitude. When there are things to be done, I roll up my sleeves and git her done. But that 'me' was gone and the new me was something that was, in my opinion, just plain depressing. A shower took a fifteen minute rest to recover from. Blow drying my hair was just about impossible (something about raising my arms above my heart). I could do the grocery shopping if I walked slowly, but someone had better be there to put it all away when I got home. Every single thing I did was difficult and exhausting....for months.

My last pregnancy was the hardest. I was almost fourty. I had three teenagers, and they were a great help, but they were also very involved in things which means Mom is busy too. (Side note: Does anyone else just love that Elder Packer teaches that when you schedule the youth, you schedule their mom. Everyone should understand that!!)

Now, I love being a mom. There is no more sacred moment in life than when they place that baby in your arms. The innocence of children is one of the most beautiful things on the planet. Helping them grow into responsible adults is the hardest and most rewarding challenge there is. I know ALL that stuff, and believe it, deeply. And yet, as I slogged through the final months of that last pregnancy, I could not help wondering: Is it really worth THIS?? I felt guilty that I wondered, but I just couldn't help it.

I remember my feelings as they handed Girlie-Whirl to me in the Hospital. The pregnancy was OVER!!!!! Angels sang, bands played, fireworks, the whole sha-bang. As they put her in my arms, the feeling was instantaneous and overwhelming. It was, without a doubt, completely...worth...it.

When a Rabbi comes to dine.

2010-01-25T14:58:00.016-06:00

Our home had the rare opportunity of having a Rabbi as a dinner guest yesterday. The mere thought of it so fired the imagination of Girlie-Whirl that she spoke of nothing else all morning. Her dolls became part of a Jewish themed playtime, she made a card to welcome the Rabbi, and she continually asked me how much longer until he would come.

This opportunity came to us as a result of a two-day Jewish/Mormon Conference held this weekend in our neck of the woods. Hubders had been asked to be the local LDS representative for the question/answer session, and since the Rabbi (from L.A.) wanted to speak in an LDS congregation it was arranged for the two of them to speak at a combined Priesthood/Relief Society in our ward.

Our church starts at 1:00 pm. The Rabbi wanted to meet with Hubders at 11:00 and since he would have to eat somewhere, I had Hubders invite him to dinner, fully expecting him to decline because of kosher issues. But he seemed grateful for the invitation and when asked, said that we could serve anything we wanted; however, since we asked, he didn't eat pork or shell fish and didn't mix meat and dairy. Grateful that I wouldn't have to worry about which bowls I prepared which food in, and that I only had to make minor adjustments (no milk in the mashed potatoes etc), I nevertheless felt the weight of hosting a Rabbi for dinner.

The Rabbi was humble, gracious, personable, and clearly wouldn't have complained regardless what fare we had offered him. He was willing to sit with our family and explain what a Rabbi was and what he did. He consented to offer a blessing on the food (the first motzi ever uttered in our home) and taught us as he did so. He was interested in all our children had to say, even when Girlie-Whirl babbled on about nothing. It wasn't long before my worries over whether the meal was kosher were banished and we simply enjoyed each others company like old friends.

Sunday was one of those huge days for Hubders (you know the kind). He spoke in Sacrament Meeting, it was his week to teach Gospel Doctrine class, he spoke with the Rabbi during priesthood/Relief Society, and then participated in the question/answer discussion at the Jewish/Mormon conference in the evening. He was grateful when it was all over and tried to minimize his roll, but as his wife, I was all sorts of impressed. Gonna have to sew the buttons back on my blouse!!

The sister who introduced Hubders at the conference is a good friend and rather than just read his bio (thank you!--don't you hate it when they just read what's already printed on the program?) she spoke more personally of attending his classes, his depth of scriptural knowledge, his enthusiasm as a teacher, etc and she ended by saying that even after twenty-five years of marriage, he still opens every door for his wife; which he does, but who knew that she'd noticed it! I sat there in the audience and enjoyed hearing someone sing the praises of my man and resolved to take his kindnesses to me less for granted.

The whole weekend was unforgettable. Our family has always had an affinity for Judaism. We own a menorah, shofar, Torah scroll, prayer shawl and yarmulke; and have taught multiple Jewish folk songs to our children. I've loved reading Chaim Potok's The Chosen to my children because I feel it gives them a window into the lives, strugglings and faith of modern Jewry. But our ties to the Jewish community have been enhanced and deepened because of the conference. On Saturday, after the dialogue at the synagogue, I was able to attend the Jewish worship service, which happened to be a Bar Mitzvah. Although much of the service, being mostly in Hebrew, was lost on me, parts of it were deeply moving.

As one who loves the standard works and wants very much to help my children come to understand the power of the word of God, I felt a great kinship there. The Rabbi spoke of their ancestor's love for the Torah. He then took the Torah scrolls out of the ark, handed them to the father, who handed them to the mother, who handed them to the older son, who handed them to Jacob (whose Bar Mitzvah it was), who then held them in his arms and carried them through the aisles of the congregation as members kissed their fingertips and then touched the breastplate of the Torah. Their obvious joy in the scriptures and their desire to pass that joy onto their children is a commonality that transcends dogma.

I hope to continue the dialogue with our Jewish neighbors. I believe it was helpful and interesting to members of both faiths. A Rabbi who sat by Hubders on the stand last night continually asked him questions of clarification as the LDS speaker gave his address. I carried on religious conversations with my daughter-in-law's mother and her grandfather's girl friend (both Jewish), something I never imagined doing. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach said in 2003, "The Mormons are our brothers, the Christians are our kin." After this conference, I feel that familial relationship more than ever and am looking forward to the next family reunion.

I'm still mulling the weekend over in my mind and it will be some time before I feel like I have a handle on all that happened and what it means. The most obvious lesson is that they, like us, truly love God and want to live his law. The differences between our religions which divide us are nothing compared to the similarities which ought to unite us as believers in God and in his word.

Neat as a Paperclip (cuz the pin is outa reach)

2010-01-19T08:13:00.010-06:00

January. Good intentions, resolutions, new starts. It's such a good thing. (Except for when it feels depressing, if ya know what I mean.)

I'm not big on new years resolutions, but I am big on trying to do better and improve. My focus right now: overcoming the clutter. It's been a goal of mine for years, but my efforts have never yielded any results that could be termed permanent. I haven't quit trying, but my attitude about the whole things has become one of: you're-never-gonna-get-anywhere-but the struggle-is-important . Needless to say, not a happy feeling.

Last week, while perusing this blog I came across a short mention of this post on yet another blog and was intrigued enough to click on over. Not only did I find some good ideas and simple to implement strategies (an absolute MUST. Any hopes of following through on anything that is complicated is deluding myself!); as I read I actually found hope in the housekeeping department!!! Wow!

I think one of my problems in the past has been that I've always felt like I needed to make my home immaculate, which is unreasonable for me, and so felt defeated before I even started. Her blog helped me figure out the level of clean that is acceptable to me and then determine the minimum required to maintain it. So much more doable!

I've started implementation. It's been surprisingly easy and pain-free and the house has been orderly (well, orderly for me, others would beg to differ). There's been an extra bounce in my step, a smile on my face, and a feeling of a burden being lifted. I'm diggin this whole thing!!!!

Now to see if I can keep up some semblance of the system for more than a week!

Who can say no to a bargain like this?

2010-01-18T14:00:00.011-06:00

For twenty-two year I've had one of these.

It's been great and together we've made mountains of bread and cookies and other such things. It's been the work horse of my kitchen. But the lid is now broken, the blender's destroyed (I melted the pitcher), and although the motor still runs fine, it's just not the mixer it once was.

For a long time now I've been looking at these.

But, I'm cheap and since my mixer still runs I haven't been willing to fork out the required moola to bring one home.

Friday I was here.

I had a "30% off your entire purchase coupon" and my sis and I were cruising the store hitting the clearance section in every department, seeing what kind of bargains we could find.

And I saw it. No box -- I throw those away anyway; no user manual -- I know how to find those on-line; dirt cheap and that coupon in my pocket for an extra bonus! I called Hubders and told him I was considering spending more than I originally planned. He told me to go for it. Sis concurred that I'd be nuts not to snatch it up. I paid significantly less than half the lowest online price I've found for this model.

I enjoy things so much more when I get a bargain!

I'm Afraid not

2010-01-12T14:30:00.003-06:00

I don't have as much patience as I should for my children's irrational fears. The there's-a-monster-under-my-bed kind of fears that have no basis in reality. Oh, I'm patient and understanding and helpful up to a point, and then I'm done and just want them to stop being scared!

This is unfair and hypocritical of me because as a child, I was a mass of fears. My mother truly wondered if I'd grow up to be a functioning member of society, so riddled was I with debilitating phobias. A sick feeling in the pit of my stomach was my almost ever present companion through approximately the third grade. My trepidations were wide and varied.

Here are three of the many.

I was terrified of dogs. There was nothing rational about this fear. I don't believe I've ever been bitten by a dog. But, nevertheless, my fear of them was primal and relentless. No amount of reasoning, coaxing, bribing or teaching on my parents part could make a dent in my insurmountable anxiety over all things canine. Big slobbery dogs, little yappy dogs, the size didn't matter, they all scared me to death. We owned a dog and it was the only fido on the planet that didn't send me screaming in the opposite direction. It took middle school years and the embarrassment of showing obvious fear in front of friends to curb my dog woes. I'll never be a pooch lover, but unless they're ferocious, I'm no longer alarmed by them.

My next fear was the worry of being permanently separated from my parents. Every Wednesday, after school, I watched my bus pull away without me and waited for my mom to pick me up and take me to dance lessons. I vividly remember, week after week, sitting alone on the bench in front of the school drenched in misery, knowing I might never see my parents again and contemplating the wretchedness my life would become. Mom always came, of course, but I still worried every week. Age fixed this one too, but not before years of torment at it's hands.

My third fear, was short lived, but the most debilitating. At age five-ish, I was taught in church that Satan wanted every one of us. What a horrific thought! I was just a little girl. What chance did I have against the devil? If he wanted me, I was doomed! Period. My mom repeatedly spent time trying to reassure me, teach me, and help me cope. But nothing she said made any difference. I spent my days and nights gripped in continual fear that it was only a matter of time before the Devil had me in his impervious grasp. She persisted and eventually got it through my head that obedience to God diminished Satan's power over me. That he could only have power over me as I gave it to him through committing sin. What a relief, and an incredibly useful piece of information! I was empowered! I may have been small and wimpy, but obedience I could DO; and, thankfully, my distress over the Prince of Darkness became thing of the past.

I don't know the reasons behind my abundance of fears as a child. I came from a wonderful home. My mom was the type that played with me, read to me, sang to me, snuggled with me and laughed with me every single day. I have always been absolutely secure in her love for me. Dad was less hands on, but I knew that he loved me and would always protected me from harm. And yet, my life, until I was nine-ish was a mass of phobias.

I don't quite understand how my mother managed to be patient with me and my constant worrying, but she did. And so the next time my six year old is frightened over something unrealistic. I'm gonna follow Mom's example and hang on to understanding a bit longer.

The Temple

2010-01-09T08:35:00.006-06:00

Hubders and I went to the temple last night. We're lucky enough to live only 20-ish minutes away from one.

I'm at the point where it feels like coming home walking through those doors. I don't go often enough, but I went more last year than I had in a while and I'll up it again this year.

A few of my favorite things about the temple:

The quiet. In a home with multiple children, quiet is a rare luxury that never lasts long during daylight hours. But in the temple, hushed, reverent quiet permeates for the duration of my visit. You can ponder and reflect and be circumspect about where you are and where you're heading without interruption.

The order. I am a cluttered person. I've learned that I can keep an immaculate house (and do when my home is on the market), but cleaning to that level takes over my life and I'm not willing to do that unless I'm in selling mode. I've been working for years to find the happy medium of fairly tidy with enough time for other stuff, but I'm miles away from it. In the temple every thing is white glove clean with nothing out of place. Beauty and order abound everywhere you look.

The fellowship. I never go to the temple without seeing some people that I love, and even the people I don't know seem happy to see me. No one is grumpy or ornery. All of the workers smile and make me feel welcomed. And I never hear a single whine there!

The Spirit. As I ponder and seek and ask in the temple, the joy that comes from above slowly spreads through me seeping into all the crevices and filling me up. I'm always ready to face the world when I walk out the doors and feel happy about my lot in life.

The love. It sounds cliche' but that doesn't make it any less real. In that holy place I feel my Father's love for me and for all his children more abundantly. And both Hubders and I have noticed that we always love each other more after a temple session.

The direction. When I focus on the temple, there is a clarity in my life that it just so helpful! I know what's important and what is not. Little things that tend to sidetrack me are easily dealt with. My husband and children become my all important focus. And as I act on the clarity, I can feel Heavenly Father's approval and know that I can go to Him and he will help me.

All in all going to the temple makes me deep down contented in way that nothing else on earth can.

Now to hang on to that feeling in some measure and replenish all year with frequents visits. That's the goal.

I'm back?

2010-01-06T15:35:00.015-06:00

Wow, it's been a LONG time since I posted. It feels like I don't know how to anymore and I admit to a bit of apprehension about the whole thing. I don't have much to say, but figured I'd better jump in, or I'd never start posting again.

Some random thoughts:

Having your dad, who spent his whole life doing manly things: building, hunting, bee keeping, entreprenuering, raising pigs, fixing stuff etc, knit hats for your whole family makes me happy. And nice ones at that--have you ever seen better pom poms?

My only brother, still one of my hero's, his sweet wife and their youngest, a college freshman soon headed for the mission field, came and spent a few days with us. We laughed and played and caught up. They made us two fabulous dinners. My daughters came to passionately adore their uncle again (it's been a while). And they left a wad of cash to say thanks and pay for me to enter the triathlon again this year. When I talked to my big Bro on the phone, he said that the Lord had been very good to his family this year and that we saved them some money by letting them stay so he wanted to say thanks. How sweet is that? So, I'm DEFINITELY doing the triathlon again and I'll be thinking of my family in Texas as I train and compete.

Unlike Denae, I didn't make any fudge the whole Christmas season (however, my mom made some that I partook liberally of). But yesterday, because I had to take something to the chocolate party my sign language class was having, and because my fudge recipe literally only takes three minutes to prepare (and it's the smooooooothest fudge on the planet), I made fudge. Oh, wow! It's a good thing I didn't make it before now! I'm very determined to eat less and exercise more, so I've been able to limit myself to a few well savored pieces. Had I made it during the holidays, when the only rule I had about eating was that I had to keep one foot on the floor at all times, my five pound holiday gain would have been at least double.

Foolproof Fudge recipe: In the microwave, melt one and a half pkgs of chocolate chips with one can sweetened condensed milk (a minute at a time, stirring in between minutes). Stir in a dash of salt and 1 tsp vanilla. Pour into pan lined with wax paper. Cool, cut and binge!

Heavy sigh of contentment because life is good, my husband is even better and the gospel makes me happy!

And now an arrrrgggh moment! It doesn't matter how many times I try to fix it, the post will not keep a blank line between each of the last three paragraphs. What's up with THAT? (Of course, now that I've made it part of my post, I'm sure the blank lines will be there)

Six year olds

2009-12-19T09:05:00.005-06:00

Much of this story will be lost in the telling. In order to fully appreciate it you had to be there, see the light in her eyes and hear the excitement in her voice. But I'm gonna tell it anyway.

Yesterday I helped with Girlie-whirl's kindergarten Christmas party. She hadn't wanted to go to school that day because Sweetie flew home for Christmas the night before. But she went and by the time the party was over she was a mass of exciteded babbling on the way out to the parking lot.

After telling me that this was the best day EVER and recounting multiple thrills of the day, she said, "Oh, and guess what I finished in art today?!"

"What did you finish in art today?!!" I asked her, trying to match her enthusiasm.

"My platter!" Confused look. "My splatter?" More bewildered pondering. Then her face cleared, and with no less excitement than before she said. "I can't remember the name, but I KNOW it has an r at the end!!!"

Don't you just love six year olds?

Just following along

2009-12-15T15:36:00.002-06:00

I've temporarily checked out of the writing side of the blog world. Still reading, just no posting. It may have something to do with my back-log of Christmasy things on my to-do list, but, whatever the reason, I simply don't feel the need to post right now.

I'll be back after the holidays. Unless I'm not, you know?

The Crocheted Christmas Tree....er, Hat

2009-11-27T14:14:00.005-06:00

My three younger children have no memory of their Great-Grandma. We lived in her basement apartment for the first six years of our marriage, and it was a great blessing to us.

She was an expert crocheter (is that a word?). One year she crocheted a beautiful Christmas village out of crochet cotton. She also crocheted for us a Christmas tree. She recommended that we decorate it with mini ornaments and beads and things, which we never did, but we use that tree every year. It sits there amongst our other decorations with a cone underneath to give it structure.

My children's favorite thing to do with the tree is to remove the cone and use it as a hat. We had a big enough break in our family, that for a few years, the tree was only a tree. The younger ones had never experienced the tree-as-hat. And yet, with no prompting and having never seen it done, when they reached a certain age, the tree ended up on their heads just as it had with their older siblings.

Every one of my six children have danced and sung and played in that Christmas tree. Today we decorated and as we opened the totes and were reunited with our favorite Christmasy things, the hat ended up on Girlie-Whirls head, just as it did last year and the year before that. And I spent a sweet moment walking down memory lane with my Grandma.

Christmas!

2009-11-20T07:35:00.012-06:00

I listened to Christmas music yesterday. Now I'm all excited for the holidays and so, I gathered my younger children around for a family counsel on Christmas. I asked each of them which Christmas traditions are important to them. We made a list so that we wouldn't get to the end of the holidays and realize we'd missed some of our favorite things.

Here are my three youngests lists.

Bikey-Boy (14 years old) wants to go to that church that has all the Nativities (Creches and Carols), wants to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Nauvoo, hopes to find a nice holiday concert to attend (probably for extra credit in his choir class), and it was important to him that we have pie on Christmas day.

Banana-Girl (11 years old) wants to decorate the Christmas tree while listening to the Amy Grant Christmas CD, go see that house with the amazing amount of lights that blink in time with music playing on their own radio station, do an advent calendar, and watch the movies, It's A Wonderful Life and White Christmas.

Girlie-Whirl (6 years old) wants to make sure that we leave cookies and milk for Santa along with nine carrots for the reindeer (we spent some time over the appropriate number of carrots, wanting to ensure that Rudolph wasn't left out). Make gingerbread girls (not men). She said it's important to her that we have three trees, "The one in the family room, the one in there (pointing to the living room) that we sleep under (a standard Christmas tradition in our home), and the little one upstairs." And lastly, she wanted to do that thing where she dresses up as angel and we act it out. "But this time I kind of want to be Mary."

As we talked we decided that the following traditions were also crucial to our Christmas: making it a month of meaningful service (still working out the details on this one), cutting out lots of snow flakes, reading Christmas Stories and singing Christmas carols (we try to do this every night through December), making homemade gifts for each other, delivering treats to neighbors, and last, but certainly not least, making candy canes with family and friends.

I've barely started Christmas shopping, but who cares? I'm cutting back this year. Oh, we'll still do presents, and probably a bit more than we should, but it's going to be all about the family council list. The challenge will be to resist, resist, resist everytime I want to spend more, make it bigger, pay attention to all of the material stuff that constantly bombards us all, especially this time of year. The focus is going to be, and I'm completely determined about this regardless of how pitiful I've been in the past, the Savior, serving, and family.

Politics. Just This Once.

2009-11-18T10:11:00.008-06:00

I'm a political junkie. I can't go to bed each night without finding out what happened politically in the country that day.

I've purposely stayed away from all things political on my blog. Politics is not what my blog is about; it's about my family and my life. But I'm not so sure that my life isn't being ripped out of my hands by the political winds in this great nation of ours. So, I'm going to make an exception this once and go political.

If that bothers you, feel free to leave now and know that when you check back next time you will find, once again, only the literary mutterings of a mom.

This is a link to a video (about 8 minutes long) that played yesterday on The Fox News channel. I would embed the video here, but I don't know how and my efforts to figure it out have been in vain, so this will have to suffice.

If you're a political junkie like me, you're already well aware of the things on this video. If not, I urge you to watch it. We have to know there's a problem before we can begin to fix it.

Thankful

2009-11-17T10:42:00.007-06:00

I came back from a run this morning, tired, stiff, stinky, and cold. Lot's to do today and so I jumped in the shower.

As I washed away the grime, I took a moment to savor. The hot water relaxing my tired muscles, the smell of my Refreshing Tangerine shampoo (Suave. I'm very high end), the water enveloping me in warmth and chasing away the chill.

There...is...nothing...like...a...hot...shower. Nothing. And I realized how rare a thing I was experiencing. Showers are so commonplace for us that we don't give them a thought. For most of man's history, however, turning a knob and standing under hot running water was not only an impossibility, it was simply unimaginable. Even today, there are millions of people who will never know the joy of of standing under a steady spray of warm water.

And so, in this month of gratitude, I am grateful for my shower. Amongst the hard water deposits and clutter of bottles, it's a beautiful thing.

Shameful Plug

2009-11-13T16:59:00.004-06:00

This post is for the purpose of winning. Yup, blatant and shameful and completely self serving!

Annette over at The Lyon's Tale has a contest this week. I discovered her blog a few months back and discovered she was an author I had already read. A pleasant surprise.

There are two of her books, however that I have not read and that I will purchase soon.
1. There, Their, They're: A No-Tears Guide to Grammar from the Word Nerd. Word books are hysterical and I'm looking forward to reading this one.
2. Her Chocolate cookbook that is yet to be released. After reading about her adventures creating it, it's a must have in my book.

Check her out. You'll be glad you did.

(Wow, did you notice that I linked to her blog or book three times! Impressive wouldn't ya say?)

Smile!!! -- yeah, right!

2009-11-07T12:36:00.011-06:00

My family is not normal.

When a camera is shoved in their face and the words, "Say cheese!" are uttered, most people tend to do what they can to look their best. Not at my house. A camera is seen as an opportunity to pull faces. This family tradition started with Hubders in college -- his friends literally competed to see how offbeat they could get their student ID pictures to look. There actually was an art to it -- too strange, and they make you take another picture. But I digress.

Last night, when it was time for family prayer, I found Hubders and Banana-Girl talking and laughing on the stairs. There was nothing profound or unusual about this, but I love the relationship that my man has with our children and wanted to document the simple, sweet moment with a photo. I turned on the camera, walked up a few steps and snapped a picture:

Not quite what I was hoping for, so I tried again.

Love Hubders smile, but can I get a normal look from both of you, please?

After this shot, which is by far the worst of the three,
I specifically asked Banana-Girl to smile.

She did, and I gave up, knowing that having a fun dad

is infinitely better than a getting a good photo.