Fun at the pump

Who knew that pumping gas could be such an ordeal? Let's start with getting the gas tank door open. Apparently it's been a long time since I've had to fill up our '96 Nissan Sentra. When I couldn't get the door open with the pop-it-open latch by the drivers seat, and couldn't pry it open with the key (there are marks from previous attempts) I called Bill. He laughed at me! Hysterically. He had to compose himself before he could explain to me what to do.

Step 1: Open the trunk.
(Step 1 1/2: pull out half the crap back there because when I told Bill to put my van stuff in the car, I had no idea it would fill up the whole trunk!)
Step 2: Pull back the felt lining.
Step 3: Pull on the little white springy latch.

Whatever! If I hadn't been running on empty for 20 miles already, I would have driven away. I was so annoyed at the car that I gave in and bought Tasha a sugar-laden, blue-dye injected, slushy inside while it filled up.

But wait! It takes far less time, and far less gas to fill up that little car than it does the van. Oh my heck...$32?! I don't remember the last time the van took less that $40. Yipee! Hmm, let's divide that my the number of miles that I drove and low and behold....(drum role please)...over 30 miles to the gallon!!!

Yes, call me a spoiled little brat of a wife that has been driving fairly new vans since Kyra was born. I don't change tires and lock my keys in the car ALL the time. I switched to driving the car a couple of weeks ago because of the stinking environment. Bill now has the shorter commute so he gets the gas-guzzler, and takes the bus at least once a week. Where does that leave me?! The junker car with good gas mileage. Wah. I don't even lock the doors to the thing because I'm too lazy to unlock the door manually. Maybe someone will steal it and we can buy a hybrid.

I think of Crystal and her broken drivers-side door during the summer. Then there is Briget changing breakers and fixing vacuum cleaners. How lazy am I? Or is it Bill's fault for spoiling me? You know, I USED to know how to fix a leaky sink faucet and tell you thread gages on nuts and bolts. Now I can't even take out the trash. Hah.

Opening our Eyes

In the garden of Eden, Eve was tempted by Satan to eat of the forbidden fruit so "her eyes might be opened". Although it was the right choice, it was seen as a sin and the rest of the story is history. If she didn't do it, neither would Adam, we wouldn't be here and we would not know the good from the evil. But then let's face it, in this world there is a lot of good, a lot of evil, and a lot of in between. Don't worry, this isn't about all the evil in the world. It isn't even about the good. This is about finding good, better, best, and incorporating the ideas together. Because, let's face it, we can't always have the best so we have to work it in to the good that we have and know.

April is a brilliant woman who rediscovered Waldorf Education for the both of us. Right at a pivotal point in our children's lives, she directed me back to the ideal way for children to learn that was taught in one brief glimpse in college. As I recall, Waldorf is what we all strive for, want and need but rarely find. But April found it...right here in Phoenix! WooHoo! I wasn't in love until I read the book, but I found the best and want it for my child. Now, I just have to see if Desert Marigold will deliver what the philosophy promises. (I have been advised that it might not, but I'm not casting judgment as of yet.)

So I deviated from my point...letting the best meet the good. I tutor reading and found a great way to help kids with auditory processing problems. I use the LindaMood Bell Phoeneme Sequencing (LiPS) program. It works, without failure, even with kids who don't really want to learn. You've heard of phonics? I call this super phonics plus some. I have this kid that forgets everything and LiPS has given him some tools to help him retrieve the information he knows. Often times I have to intervene, but he's learning to do it on his own now and when I see it I'm amazed! The other day he forgot what a C sounds like. He could get the sssssss part, but not the kkkkkkkk sound. What the heck? Who forgets that?! This kid does. So I remembered the story from the Waldorf book about the cat, I drew a cat with a big swishy tail, and made sure the outline of the tail was a darkened letter C. Wa-la! The best meets the good, or best to best. Whatever, the kid got it and I didn't have to tell him outright. Maybe he'll remember the cat, maybe not, but now he has just one more thing to help him out. Brilliant.

So, my eyes are opened and I'm looking at everything through a different frame of mind. I know my work is good, and works for all my students. They can read now, and couldn't before. That's good, but is there better?!

Freaky photo

Look closely at the picture on the right of Kyra and Tasha...there is something amiss. I didn't notice it, even when I took the picture, but now it is really freaking me out.

Estrogen Issues

My good friend in Scottsdale emailed this to me and it was too funny not to post:

10 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE "ESTROGEN ISSUES"
1. Everyone around you has an attitude problem.
2. You're adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet.
3. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans.
4. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.
5. You 're using your cellular phone to dial up every bumper sticker that says: "How's my driving-call 1- 800-".
6. Everyone's head looks like an invitation to batting practice.
7. Everyone seems to have just landed here from "outer space."
9. You're sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy.
10. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.

I don't know about you, but I can relate to 1,3,4,5, and 9 especially! I'm trying to lay of the chocolate chips and ibuprofen and I try not to think about hitting people...I could do real damage with a softball bat.

'Til we meet again...

President Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008 at age 97. Our sweet Prophet of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is now together forever with his wonderful wife in the Celestial kingdom. He has been the prophet for almost 13 years now, and clearly the prophet that I most remember. Although he wasn't the President of the Church when I was baptized, he has been for most of my active years. He told me not to wear more than one pair of earrings, so I don't. I will never forgive him for that, but I will always honor his council because I know it came from the Lord. I know President Hinckley would laugh with me if I told him how mad I was when he said that, and hopefully he is now. I look forward to the day when I can meet him in heaven as my brother and thank him for the guidance and direction he gave to me, my family, and so many people in this world. He was truly an inspired man with a great sense of humor, vitality, and love for life. The press ate him up and he spit them out :) He more than doubled the number of temples that are in the world today, making it more accessible and convenient for members all over to attend and do work for their ancestors. I will always remember that when I see any temple, anywhere. I have a testimony that this Church is true. I know that Gordon B. Hinckley was a Prophet of God. I know that we have revelation in these Latter Days and that a new Prophet will be given to us through that very revelation. I love you President Hinckley and will miss your shining face at Conference. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Guacamole

Combine:
15 oz can shoe peg corn, drained
15 oz can black eyed peas, drained
2-3 avocados, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onion, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin

Pour the dressing over avocado mix. Serve and enjoy with tortilla chips.

You can make it ahead and add the avocado at the last minute if you prefer. That is what I usually do since it gives everything some time to marinade. If you can't find shoe peg corn you can substitute as small of a kernel of corn as possible. Black eyed peas can also be replaced with another small bean, like great northern.

15 hours

That's how long I have spent in the last 2 days talking with my friends in person. Seriously, just sitting there and talking. OK, there was food involved at different points, but mostly just talking...about everything. I guess that is what happens when you have a birthday, GNOut, and a parenting class all in the same week! You can learn a lot from and about your friends in that amount of time. You can also pick up their habits and the way they talk and act. I've caught myself saying and doing the following: 1) elbows bent and arms waving in the air; 2) "ya,ya" in agreement with someone, also referencing that you don't have to go into the whole story; 3) "yeah..." with a long sigh, head tilted, and a sympathetic look. I know there were others but I've forgotten them by now. Now that I think about it, I've talked with friends more than I've slept! (that would be 10 hours) Goodnight...

Are we all Bloggin' crazy?

WooHoo! Doesn't bloggin' just make life happy?! When you write your post, it helps you spill all the stuff that is in your head and get it off your mind. I sleep better at night, having blogged. Then there other people that blog to keep their family in the loop about their lives. That's cool too, mostly because Tori has joined the blogging band wagon. Isn't it fabulous when you can keep in touch with someone you love at your own convenience?! (and for free!)

Then there are comments...I read on someone's blog that having people comment on her blog gave her "warm fuzzies". I totally agree, as long as "warm fuzzies" means the same thing it did when I was in the 3rd grade :)

So Bill thinks I'm a big geek because I save all you great people in my favorites list. But at least I'm talking and thinking with real people (via the computer!), not watching show-off celebrity, over-paid and under-brained athletes, or flipping over to the "Hot dog Heavens" show. At least he agrees that they need to stop showing people eating hot dogs. (Can Ted's really qualify to be on this show?) Anyone hungry yet...next up is the deep fried hot dog!

A half pound hot dog?

The TV just showed a spot about a place in Vegas that sold a half pound hot dog for 99 cents. That is absolutely the most disgusting thing I've ever seen or heard of. Let's not even discuss the contents of a regular hot dog, but what must they put in one that is half a pound and only costs 99 cents?! This old man said, "you don't need anything else, it's a meal in itself". What is your definition of meal?! Your only hope is that you add some chili on top and some of the beans have been left in tack because the rest of the thing is nutrient-free, inculding the imitation cheese oozing out of the package.
I'm sure the next time we're in Vegas, we're going. Yuck.

Lemongrass

This news just in (well, at least in my inbox!)...drinking lemon grass water can help fight cancer cells. In a test tube filled with cancer cells they actually dropped in some lemon grass in some form, it killed the cancer cells, and left the good cells. What a smart herb! Dr. Weinstein at Ben-Gurion University says that the best way to consume the citral (lemon grass is the easiest to come by of 3 citral's) is to put the loose grass in hot water, and drink about eight glasses each day. I'm sure I have seen this at health food stores, maybe even a lemongrass herbal tea somewhere. Let me know what you find!
Thanks Heather for the update, you are queen for the day!

Breast Cancer 3 day

In light of the many noble people that I know that are in training for the Breast Cancer 3day, raising money, supporting, and working for this very important and devastating disease, I have done a little research of my own. I appreciate all that the 3 day is trying to do but I also believe that there are a few holes in the system. I have not ever seen on any sign, posting, or website, or blog promoting the 3 day that has anything specific as to how to prevent this horrible disease from coming to our front door. To me, this is a travesty. When we learned that smoking caused cancer we were told to stop smoking. Now breast cancer is a front runner for money gathering, yet I do not hear many ways to prevent it. In fact, when I plugged in "breast cancer 3 day" to the Google search I was lead directly to their website. This site is devoted solely to registering you to raise money. It took several clicks and an eventual website transfer to get anywhere near prevention information. After MUCH clicking, etc. here are a few things we can do to PREVENT breast cancer: (italics are my insertions, everything has been cut and pasted from http://cms.komen.org)

Get exercise:
Women who do not engage in regular physical activity may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer [88,89]. Regular exercise can delay the first period until an older age, help with weight control and reduce the frequency of regular menstrual cycles—each of which can help decrease the total amount of estrogen a woman is exposed to over her lifetime (for more information on estrogen and breast cancer risk, click here) [44]. Low to moderate levels of physical activity may also enhance the immune system’s ability to kill cancer cells or slow their growth rate [90].

Breastfeed:
Although the issue is still under investigation, there is now good evidence that breastfeeding protects against the disease, particularly in premenopausal women [132,133]. Breastfeeding appears to offer protection against both estrogen receptor-positive and estrogen receptor-negative tumors [134]. (In short, the longer you breastfeed the more protection you get. This is a combination of all your children, not just the duration of one child)

Birth control pill:
Although evidence on the topic continues to mount, the overall conclusion has remained the same for a number of years: current or recent use of birth control pills slightly increases the risk of breast cancer. (this one has so many if's and's and but's that I'm not going to touch it. Look it up for yourself, with all the variables, and certainly don't trust your doctor and his/her opinion on the matter. Get informed and know your body.)

Estrogen Plus Progestin (this is hormone replacement therapy for post-menopause)
Estrogen plus progestin increases the risk of both developing and dying from breast cancer [92-101]. When women begin taking these hormones, their risk of having an abnormal mammogram appears to increase within the first year of use, and their risk of developing breast cancer starts to rise within the first five years [99,100]. For each year that women take estrogen plus progestin, their risk goes up slightly [97].

Until the 3 day does more to publish information about how to prevent this disease I am going to have to keep my money in my pocket. There is no reason that on the pink package of paper I bought at Officemax, there could not have been "Tip #1: reduce your estrogen". In my humble opinion, there should not be a single commerical in regard to the 3 day that doesn't give you some direct info on prevention. I have no way of choosing who to support of the dozen people that I know that are walking. You are all wonderful, dedicated people and I respect you all. Please don't take this post as a knock on what you are doing I think you are doing a great good. Good luck on your ventures and let's us all spread the word on how to stop it!

What to do?!

I think I might have to try online shopping for all of my purchases and here's why:

Shopping with children...whining, pouting, asking for everything, multiple bathroom visits, in-the-cart, out-of-the-cart, on-the-cart, hanging-off-the-edge-of-the-cart-and-almost-letting-it-tip, extra purchases, no, yes, this way, that way, look-mom, yes dear, come on please, is it time to go yet, just one more thing. Not much fun in the way of shopping with my kids, at least not the menial trips that I make, and at least not any that I can remember. I can say I have left early, thus spending little or no money. I guess that's a benefit.

Shopping without children...there is almost ALWAYS a whining or crying child in the store that sucks the life out of my "woohoo, I'm shopping without my kids" euphoric experience. I feel sorry for the parent, empathize with the child, and then miss the very children that I purposefully left at home! I experience a gut-wrenching need to hug Tasha, who, when I do make it home, complains that I didn't have the heart to buy her the nothing natural, fruitless, dye ridden go-gurts that she requested. (That was my fault for asking in the first place, duh!)

So obviously I'm not complaining about the crying child and/or their parents. In fact, I'm not even complaining. Apparently I'm being compassionate. Did you know...it is impossible to be angry and compassionate at the same time? There is brain research, seriously. That really struck a chord with me and helped me realize that I wasn't a nut case for missing my kids when I really didn't want to bring them in the first place. My heart was just messing with my brain.

But if I stop shopping at Safeway on Saturday night, I might not ever see people from church outside of the church building. Hah!

Spontaneous learning

In the happy land of make believe all children and adults would have the desire and opportunity to learn and explore the world around them at their own pace. Unfortunately, the age a child should be reading, writing, and doing algebra not only is out there, but has gotten earlier and earlier as the years have passed. "Everything I need to know I learned in Kindergarten" is a funny poem that comes to mind...and there is absolutely nothing in it about the 3 R's. (by the way, what idiot came up with the 3 R's?! Obviously not a language teacher...probably a politician, but don't get me started on them WRITE now) So now some people freak out if their child is not reading in Kindergarten when it used to be 2nd or even 3rd grade. My mom reads the paper religiously and cuts out articles that end up in my recycle bin, usually outdated and unread. She stopped for a while and would just tell me...THEN I wanted the whole article so she started up again. Anyway, while she was telling me about a company that offered tutoring for preschoolers I just about flipped my lid! What on earth should your preschooler feel like they are behind in before they even start school?! Ironically, as she was telling me this, Kyra was reading a board book to Tasha. I pointed to them and said, "that's what preschool tutoring should look like!" Case closed.

My 2 daughters are completely different personalities and completely different learners. I look and them and wonder how Bill and I created such polar opposites. It is a daily (ok, hourly) frustration but absolutely fabulous learning experience for me. Wow. I'm going to have to repeat that in front of the mirror each day. Even as an infant, Kyra would watch you or another child play with a toy before she would attempt playing with it. Tasha has always jump in head first and demanded first and last crack at anything. I think this has proven true with everything except the escalator, which Tasha still holds your hand on. Kyra was about everything social, artistic, and entertaining. She'd let you read to her for any length of time, enjoying the pictures and language so she could absorb the story as the author intended. I would reread some of the same stories night after night because I was too lazy to get new ones, or because she would fall asleep by the time Sam-I-Am convinced the cat that green and ham were actually tasty. Tasha INSISTS on rereading the same stories over and over and over again. She "reads" the lines she knows, and knows several books by heart. She withdraws from too social of situations, and likes to be the entertainer, not the entertainee. Tasha asks questions that Kyra didn't and Kyra listened to the answers that Tasha never heard.

Contrary to what many people may think, the teacher in me usually stays at school or tucked away in my tutoring bag. I am not constantly diagnosing children's reading abilities and I don't write lesson plans in my head for the morning that I will spend with my 3 year old. She does go to preschool and loves the social interaction of the small group. I requested that she be able to write her name in lower case letters instead of the all caps that they started her off with, but other than that I think I've been pretty laid back. Tasha WANTS to read and write and so I encourage that. Kyra wasn't interested until Kindergarten and even then I think it was mostly peer pressure. She didn't LOVE to read until the summer after 2nd grade, and now I can't stop her from doing it (but who would want to?!). Here's what writing instruction looks like at my house...
She wanted to write the name of her favorite book (of the week) so she went and got it. Good idea Tasha. Last year I had to remind Kyra that she should probably look up how to spell Hermione! (OK, she's not that bad) Same mom, still a teacher, but 2 very different learners.

Who needs tutoring, desks, writing sheets and workbooks? Just give me a kid a pad of paper, pencils and a book! But then again...back to my opening statement, "In the happy land of make believe..." Plain and simple, all kids are different and not all of them will take the initiative, at least not at the same time!

New sisters!

So I'm going to say that I have 3 new sisters now. Officially, legally, and state-approved, I'm not sure where we stand. When your father-in-law asks his "lady-friend" to move in, they buy and wear "commitment rings", and we start the whole meet the family routine are we there yet? Welcome to the 21st century where the kids questions their parent's behaviors and wonder about their living situations! Anyway, Maggy is my new mother-in-law, and she has 3 wonderful daughters...Angie, Katie, and Lizzie. Bill's father would want me to call them Margaret and Elizabeth, ect. but that is too stinking bad. Not only do I have 3 new sisters, but they are all younger than me...that makes me a big sister. Cool.

Another upside is that my girls now have 3 new aunts that all have a lot of energy and no kids of their own. Man, I loved it when I was an aunt. Life was so much fun when you could just send them off to their parents when you were done. Anyway, they love Kyra and Tasha. So much, in fact, that they endured close to an hour of Tasha's performance antics.

But not only did they watch patiently, they participated in the show! Here they all are with their weapons of choice to encourage the 3 year old, one-woman show...

Angie, Katie, Maggie, and Lizzie

Welcome to the family...we LOVE YOU!

Ignorance used to be bliss

Why did I have to go and do it?! I watched the movie "An inconvenient Truth"...Al Gore's look at global warming, which, if you didn't know, is not only still happening, but at an all time high and just getting worse, quicker! Crap, I say. I'm going to have to do something. Then I also check out the book "The Solution is You" by Laurie David. (mostly because her newly released book has not yet made it to the library and I had to put it on hold) I don't know who she is but she has a forward written by Larry David. I don't know him either, but he's apparently in show biz...uh-huh, he was pretty involved with Seinfield. (apparently I don't pay much attention to these names because he also had his own show on cable, I forget the name) Anyway, his forward was so hysterically truthful that I made Bill read it. So the book was fantastic. I read it Tuesday night. Yep, all in one sitting...it was short, took 2 hours. Check it out. But again, crap I say. Now I'm really going to have to do something about this. One person at a time...

Go turn off a light. Or better yet, shut your computer off for the night.

Bat 6, by Virginia Euwer Wolff

I finished this book late last night. I bought it several years ago, I don't know why, other than it's a story about a 6th grade girls softball team. Interestingly enough, it takes place right after the end of WWII (again, maybe why I bought it) and that is the era that Kyra is studying right now. It does not tell for sure whether or not this is a true story, based on a true story, or completely made up. I assume there is some bit of truth to it because the author thanks a whole slew of people at the beginning, including 2 Oregon city softball teams and their coaches. "Bat 6" is the game that happens each year between these 2 teams and this game is the 50th game ever played.

Ms. Wolff tells the story from all the girl's point of view, changing characters on almost each page. Some of the girls have more to say than others and each of them "write" in a different style. They introduce each other, their teams, and some of the odd things that happen in their little towns. Right off the bat you meet the new characters/star players that move into each of the towns. One of the girls is a Japanese-American who is moving back home with her family. They had been gone since the beginning of the war when they were sent to an internment camp. The other girl, Shazam, (in the other town) just moved in with her grandmother since her daddy was killed in the war and her mother could not take care of her. In the beginning, all Shazam writes about is her puka shell necklace from her daddy, and her fire dream. Now right away warning sounds shoot off in my head saying that something bad is going to happen in that game. (especially if I am right about what I suspect happened to Shazam's dad)

The most interesting thing I read, however, was at the very end of the book. The author comments, "Our daily news is filled with children doing horrifying things, and I'm fascinated by the question: What is it we notice about these kids but decide not to acknowledge?" Boy, I think that is a commentary for so many of the bad things that happen in our little world. So many people that are looking for help from anyone, and nobody paying attention. Unfortunately, some of those people seeking help don't scream for it...instead they grab a gun and shoot up a high school or post office. You know who the victim is, and you hate to see some of the plea-bargaining lawyers fight to defend a lunatic that just blew away dozens of people...but what if? What if there were signs that everyone was ignoring, and someone pleading for help before they went crazy? There is so much cruelty in the world, and some of it just causes the rest of it. Can't we all just be nice?!

Brotherly Love

So there we are in Sacrament meeting, standing to sing a song. It happens to be one of the 3 songs I know the words to, so my eyes are wandering and I'm smiling at Tasha. She's hugging and kissing me as I try to let words escape my mouth inbetween puckers. Then both of us turn our attention to the row in front of us. Little baby Tyler has been flirting and hiding with us all morning long and now is no different. He's holding onto the bench as he wobbles back and forth keeping his balance. He is content to hear the music all around him, minding his own business and watching everyone. Quite innocently, his big brother Justin leans over to rub his little hand. You know how we all lovingly stroke little baby hands...it was very sweet. Without even taking his eyes off Tasha and I, Tyler realizes who has his precious hand. He grabs ahold of Justin finger, narrows his eyes (still on us), contorts his mouth into an ornery grimace, and proceeds to twist his big brother's finger as hard as his 9 month old body can possibly twist. AAAh, the love!

Mysterious Money

How is it possible to find money in the washer...IF you did a load of garments? There are no pockets to contend with here. It's happened before. It used to be 7 cents, consistently. Now it was 50 cents! Two whole quarters. The laundry fairy has blessed us abundantly. Is it possible when you start off the new year with a goal to increase your fast offerings, and you do give, that the Lord will bless you with change in the washing machine? That seems a little strange. Maybe it is the washing machine trying to pay us for the fact that it also needs a repair. Go figure!

The Blessings of a Broken Fridge

It is really, really clean now. That's it. When your fridge breaks, you clean it. The rest sucks. My cold stuff went to the Lopez's house, my freezer stuff is still at the Randall's house. My mom keeps bringing me stuff I stashed in her freezer before Christmas. On Monday I composted and disposal-ed several jars of stuff that didn't make it to cold territory in time. The jars made it to recycling at the Library, yeah for me. I guess on the upside also is I finally bottled 3 pounds of butter before it went sour and we now have a fridge full of possibilities. I'd take a picture and post it but that would be really over the top.

Super Size Me

HAH! Was that the best movie or what?! Who would have thought that a documentary-type movie would be full of such wit, sarcasm, and doctors with personality?! Morgan Spurlook was hilarious and had no shame. That was great. And I LOVE that it made a difference in the world. Six months after the movie came out McD's took the super size off their menu, and now we all see choices at all the fast food restaurants. Not that we should be there at all, but it's nice to know that you can get some sliced apples that have been dipped in something to preserve them, sealed in plastic that will clog our landfills, probably put in storage for a while before they are shipped all over the country before making it into the store where they will eventually make it to our little kids mouths. The best line of the movie goes to one of his doctors. The messy-haired, balding man with the full beard that tried to convince him that he was destroying his liver. At the end of the film when he was to summarize why we should or should not eat fast food he gives a definitive "No" you should not eat it. He states, "There's no reason whatsoever why fast food has to be so disgusting!" I made Bill pause the movie I was laughing so hard. Yep it's disgusting and we'll all agree on that, but why does it have to taste so dog-on-good!

Book Lists...

Yes, I've added my book list to my site and April beat me to it. But great minds think alike, right?! At least that's what she said in a few more words. I think she credited us with being brilliant, witty, sophisticated, talented, lalala...OK she didn't say that either, but it's true. Anyway, I used to be so confused when people would list all the books they were reading. I would read one book at a time. How boring! That's no way to enjoy literature. I'm all for the more the merrier now. It really is a better way to not get bogged down with one thing and think that you're never going to move on. It is also the way that I got all the way through the Book of Mormon finally...I was hooked on the Work and the Glory series. So hooked, in fact, that I would stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning reading. I figured if I could do that for so long then I could at least read 1 or 2 chapters in the BOM before I started in for the hours ahead. Pretty cool I think. I got engrossed in the scriptures too and didn't want to put them down! Good thing Kyra was a easy going toddler and was able to put up with the naps and the reading. I'll let you know how each book is when I finish it.

Cooks.com

Our fridge decided to quit working again today. Three weeks, to the day, after it quit working the first time. That is a full week longer than the repair people said it would take. Cool. Anyway, that wasn't the point. The point is that I quickly need to think of a way to use as many items in the fridge section and I possibly can. Hmmm, that should be easy since it is Fast Sunday and we are all starving, right? Well, in lieu of throwing it all on the table and letting everyone pilfer what they can, I do a search. Quickly I see the meat, cheese, and milk being a problem if left to warm temperatures. (The fruit and veggies can probably make it a day if they have to) Sliced ham, bacon, Swiss cheese. Hop on the Internet, google those three items and see what it comes up with. Yummy! We had brunch pizza for dinner at 3:30 today. Thank you cooks.com! Everyone has their favorite recipe site, this is just the easiest for me to remember. I'm not sure why I still have cookbooks on the shelf.

The kids were excited because I was going to make Texas Sheet Cake to use up the sour cream and leftover frosting (boy, that's a whole 'nother story!)...too bad the fridge part is working now and just the freezer is a flop. The last cake I made I gave away and they were really mad.

Dear Moroni,

So, I'm reading in the Book of Mormon for our Sunday School lesson this morning. You do a lot of abridging in earlier chapters but then I get to the Book of Moroni. The specific verse is Moroni 1:4: "Wherefore, I write a few more things...that perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren..." Are you kidding me Moroni? (I actually wrote that in my scriptures!) Your words are just a little bit helpful. Just the most challenging scripture for all converts to know if the BOM is true or not is Moroni 10:3-5! (which, of course, is the next scripture on the list to read) Not to mention, my dear Moroni, that you include the specific words for the administration of the sacrament. That was kind of helpful. Thanks.

I am encouraged by your humbleness. Earlier, in Ether, you were promised that you would be the one to show the plates to the 3 witnesses. That is an incredible opportunity for you to be the one to bring that testimony to the latter days. You had to have known that when God promised you that! I know it was a tough time for you at the end. All your brethren were gone and the Lamanites were taking over everywhere. You probably went through moments where you had no hope, yet you wrote some of the most promising scriptures. I know you did it for the Lamanites so their hearts might someday be turned. Did you know how much it would mean to us in the centuries to follow?! Thanks for hanging in there on the Hill Cumorah, writing some extra chapters, and for burying the plates. Thanks for your dedication to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And thank you for your great example!

Love,
H

Taking a stand

So I was in this life-coaching workshop group last year. It was fabulous and we were given a worksheet to start our season for next year. Things like what we will be thinking of, reaching for, embracing, ect...I've got it all filled in except for what I will stand for. Why is this so difficult? Clean air, good health, human rights, child welfare, immigration, working moms, SAHMom's, healthcare...blah, blah, blah. Nothing is ringing loud and clear. I have churchy stuff in different areas so I think that is covered. I don't think I need to "take a stand" for the Church. So it seems so year defining, I guess that's the problem. I can't make up my mind about what to make for dinner so how can I figure out a whole year? HELP!

Happy New Year!

I know...avoid chocolate and cheese for a week...THEN invite your good friends over and have the traditional NYEve feast. Have some cheese fondue with sour apples and a delicious chocolate/butterscotch fondue with all kinds of delectable dunking tidbits. Wash it all down with some Coke. You know, that carbonated, high-fructose, caffeinated beverage that stings when it goes down. Why would one do this do you think?! Oh, who knows...'cuz it all just tastes so good and it's the end of the year. The new one is on it's way. Did I mention that the cheese fondue is wine based? But that cooks right out, right? Hmm, not right away it doesn't...I'm sure I got a little light headed when I was testing it. Apparently you must boil it for quite a while before the
alcohol dissipates. Fortunately I figured that out before I gave any to the kids.

So there's cheese, chocolate, and coke...the three evil C's of the old year. Once again I feel like a Meg Ryan character. This time however, we must fly over the great big ocean, take a train ride in France where we become "Lactose intolerant!" in French Kiss. I was exhausted at midnight but couldn't fall asleep until something like 6am! Chocolate and Coke don't have any affect on me at all.

So this was supposed to be the year to get healthy. Apparently it was just the year to gather the info to get healthy this next year. I did manage to knock off 10 pounds last January and keep it off until this January. That's good news. Here's to another 10+ and some healthier choices this year!