Jenson's Funny Farm

Riding the rollar-coaster of life

2012-02-12T22:07:00.001-07:00

Gordon B. Hinckley said: "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey: delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

In the category of "delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts": My thyroid numbers are all over the place. Everywhere except where they should be. The ultrasound showed three nodules. I visited the ENT Thursday, who was very old school and all business. I left feeling like I'm just another body and the plan is laid out whether it's right for me or not. Tomorrow I'm getting a biopsy on my thyroid. I'm hoping and praying for the best possible outcome. I hate the fact that I will probably be on meds for the rest of my life. After we learn the results I will be seeking a second opinion, and hopefully, will find a doctor who will let me have some say in my care.

In the category of beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed: Tom's sister called about 10 days ago. She and her husband are taking their family on a cruise, but one son is unable to go. So we were invited to use the four available spots. We have never gone on a cruise. We will be visiting Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! We are all super excited!

Some good advice from a friend for tomorrow...

just think the whole time.. “in a few weeks I’ll be on a cruise ship”, repeat over and over..

That's me!

2012-02-10T17:15:00.000-07:00

Pretty much sums it up.

Things I never knew

2012-01-23T21:08:00.001-07:00

Cooking can be fun!

I'd have so much fun finding new recipes and learning new ways to cook.

Vegetables taste delicious!

Vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans taste great without all the sugar and fat.

I wouldn't miss meat. At. All.

Dairy (and especially cheese) would easily slip into the category of condiment.

All meals can be FAST, EASY and TASTY!

If you're interested in more details you can check my "Rediscovering Me" blog.

I think I'm back

2012-01-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some wise words from a friend, I am feeling much better about things. She reminded me that sometimes when everything else is done we need to forgive ourselves. I had gotten to the point where I had done everything I could do to forgive and move on, including accepting the fact that all I can do now is turn it over to Heavenly Father.

The part that was still dragging me down was the fact that there has been a part of me that blames myself for letting it happen. Again. For not seeing it coming. Again. For seeing the red flags and ignoring them.

When I started acknowledging that I was blaming myself, I could change my thinking, forgive and start to feel better. Last time, it was like night and day. It seemed like the windows of my soul had been cleaned, and the very colors of the world were brighter. This week it all came very subtly, like a sunrise.

Life in the funnies

2012-01-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

You know you've seen too much Monty Python when...the speaker in church is retelling the story of David and Goliath beautifully, but you're picturing Goliath shouting, "I fart in your general direction. Your mother is a hamster. Your father smells like elderberries." at the army of Israel. I tell you, it was hard to not snicker.

This one is terrible, but it's James' wicked sense of humor. Tom was telling me what a friend had said about the chest pain he had during a heart attack...that it was like a rod through his heart. In the background James starts singing, "The Iron rod is the word of God..."

And on a serious note...

Hannah spoke in church today. She did an awesome job. She talked about finding our talents, and let even the oldest members of the ward know that they haven't found all their talents yet, so there's no excuse. LOL

Monty Python wisdom

2012-01-09T15:38:00.001-07:00

One thing I never got into when I was young was Monty Python. I thought it was silly. I remember one time for a singles activity (before mission...I think I was about 20) we had a sleep over at the church and one of the activities during the night was a viewing of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." I fell asleep! So as Tom (and later) the kids got into Monty Python and laughed up a gut, I was always off doing my own thing.

So here we are at 2012. Johnathan sent a game called "Fluxx" to James for Christmas. It's based on Monty Python and is a really crazy, silly game. It's amazing that anyone can actually win the game because the rules and the objective of the game change all. the. time. One card says to draw three cards and you can play one card per quote you can say. I just ignore it because I don't know any quotes. Also, there are cards where you can draw and play extra cards if you talk with an accent or sing a Monty Python song. Well, if someone else is already singing a song I'll copy, but otherwise I'm stumped, and I ignore those cards, too.

Today I was trying to come up with titles for blogs (not wanting to do the same old thing) and decided to look for Monty Python quotes. I found a good one for my journey blog. I also found this one. It is by God.

"Every time I try to talk to someone it's 'sorry this' and 'forgive me that' and 'I'm not worthy.'"

Can you imagine how Heavenly Father must feel when He hears these over and over and over. I'm so glad He is so patient and loving. I'm so glad there will never be a day when He loses his temper and says, "That's it. I'm done. What's wrong with you? Why can't you get it right? You're a screwball." But He is always there and always doing what is best for us to learn and grow. Sometimes it does feel like a two by four to the head, but He always loves us. I think one of the sisters in our ward has this down to a science. She can correct you in the nicest way, and you never feel that her love is less or that you are less because of it.

In and of themselves, these feelings of guilt, sorrow and unworthiness can be a stepping stone to better things and a better life as long as they are temporary. However, they are also a sign of abuse when they become crushing and constant. I have dealt with alot of verbal and emotional abuse in my life, and unfortunately, last year was one of those experiences.

I may not always recognize abuse as it happens, but I do recognize how it affects me. One sure sign that I have just been on the receiving end of someone stepping over my boundaries or being outright abusive is that I start apologizing for everything. I apologize for every little thing I think I did wrong, including anything I may have done to offend the abuser. In fact, I also apologize for what they did to me. I also feel guilty for standing up for myself and removing myself from the situation. From there I go to second guessing myself and feeling unworthy.

I was recently talking to someone, who said she didn't understand how someone can be abused and stay in the relationship. Why can't they just get out and stay out? I explained to her that often the abuser cuts off all avenues for you to get help. When you are abused you are so confused you don't know which way is up. It takes time to sort things out and too many times people go back too quickly. Fortunately, for me, I am strong enough to get out and stay out.

The only way I know to get past the guilt, sorrow and feelings of unworthiness is FORGIVENESS. Applying the atonement to our lives by forgiving others is the key. I did it once before and life on the other side was wonderful. For a brief three years I was the Ann Jenson Heavenly Father meant for me to be. I'm working toward that again, and I'm getting closer and closer. Sometimes I wish I could just go inside myself and fix the wires that were damaged so long ago and still cause me trouble now. I hope that someday I'll know enough to avoid these experiences in the first place, to be the real me always.

You may wonder why I post about these things. It's because I believe Heavenly Father has given me a wide variety of experiences so I can help others as they go through similar things. But I don't think it's only me. I think He designed all of us that way so we can all help each other.

Hello 2012!

2012-01-01T20:03:00.001-07:00

May you be unencumbered by the past and be the most fantastic year yet!

It's crazy how when I look back on 2011 I feel like I'm looking through fog. I sure hope the fog has lifted.

Here are a few goals for 2012.

Complete the virtue project and the integrity project for personal progress.
Piano: learn one new hymn per month, perform twice (once on piano, once some other way)

My health goals are on the other blog. I'll just say I'm excited with the direction they are taking.

And to finish off...a couple of books I highly recommend.

"The China Study" by Colin Campbell
"In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan

Boredom

2011-12-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

I've had a hefty case of boredom set in, and can't seem to get it dislodged. So I decided to make a list of the things you do when you are bored.

Sleep--and when you wake up, turn over and sleep some more
Check facebook for the 100,000th time today
Check the blog again, just in case someone blogged in the last 2 minutes
Read every book in the house
Stare at the phone and will it to ring (hoping it will be someone other than teenagers calling to talk to your teenager)
Bake cookies and eat them all. (ok, I only cooked four cookies and ate them)

Here are a few more productive things I've done:

Go for a walk
Set next year's goals
Study so next year's goals are a possibility
chat online with my sister

Magical 25th

2011-12-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

Anniversary--

I'm finally getting around to sharing a few photos of our anniversary. I love nature. It's always pretty no matter what time of year.

Relaxing in the hot tub...the best way...hot water with snow on the ground!

Christmas 2011

Timothy (on right) with his companion (just to the left)

Tom holding "Rusty Pick-ups" by our brother-in-law, Mike Harrington.

James with Marvin the Martian.

Hannah with pink...blanket and blouse.

Linda got her set of "Anne of Green Gables"

Here's our Christmas craft. Mine is on the left. Hannah's is on the right.

Put a treat in the muffin cup and count down to Christmas!

Of course, the best part of any Christmas is the phone calls to the missionary and the kids who are far away.

Merry Christmas from the Jensons

2011-12-19T12:12:00.001-07:00

2011 in a Nutshell

Tom is now working for CenturyLink (because Qwest was bought), and keeps busy in creative pursuits. He is still taking care of the church building.

Ann stopped working after the last school year and has enjoyed having more time for home, family and calling. She loved participating in the “Hymns of Thanksgiving” (a community choir/orchestra concert in November)

John and Laney have moved to Teton, Idaho, and are preparing for school to start. Laney is the manager of the Arctic Circle in Rexburg.

Tim served in Windsor, NS; Amherst, NS and St. Stephen, NB this year. St. Stephen was a repeat since it was his first area. He is now in St. John, New Brunswick which is the largest city in NB. He is loving his mission.

James is a junior and recently got his driving permit. He enjoys (?) driving mom and dad around town.

Hannah is first chair in the cello section. She is a sophomore this year.

Tom and Ann celebrated their 25^th wedding anniversary.

We hope this Christmas season finds you well

and enjoying the blessings of our Heavenly Father.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, The Jensons

Christmas traditions aren't complete without...

homemade chocolates (peanut butter truffles and oreo truffles)

Gingerbread houses! This is the one we sent Tim. He still hasn't opened the package.

Hannah's

My house

Tom's

James'

Broad-sided

2011-12-12T12:55:00.001-07:00

Flowers from my friend!

I sure didn't see that one coming. I just spent three nights in the hospital. My bp had been climbing a bit all year, but I was working hard to control it before it got out of hand. Well, suddenly it got out of hand. I had really not been feeling very good for a few days and finally realized that it was just going up and up no matter what so we went to the ER. As they tried to bring it down, my bp tanked. Glad we were in the ER. Later they did an angiogram to see if there was something that could have caused the high bp and the crash, but I'm clean as a whistle. I'm tempted to put the pictures of my pretty heart here for the world to see. At least my hard work hasn't gone for nothing.

The angiogram did show a weak area in my heart, but like the cardiologist said, "It's like the chicken and the egg. Was that area the cause of the incident in er or the result?" One of my meds is specifically for strengthening my heart. I look back over several years and wonder how it all mixes together. Everything from stress to the meds I took before. Like the meds before...they worked as far as bringing my bp down, but I had periods of being lightheaded daily. I always thought that was just the med doing it's job, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe it was bringing it down too fast and doing little bits of damage. These doctors and nurses constantly asked if I was lightheaded at all and these meds don't seem to make me lightheaded yet they are doing the job.

So now I rebuild. They talked alot about stress and I'm sure the stress from the last school year and my trip to the mid-west played a role. I'm beginning to think that I was stressed out for so long it became the new normal because looking back I can see how even the little things were stressing me out. It really brought home that I need to be very careful. Apparently, I got the Bright heart (lots of love and disease). I just don't want the disease part to get a foothold. The good news is no blockage, no diabetes and my cholesterol is fine.

The doctors seemed optimistic that I can get off the meds again in the future, if I do my part:

Exercies--already doing it

Lose weight--that was my next step

Watch salt intake--I've never been a big salt eater unless I'm eating out

Stress--definitely will watch that one more closely

A couple chuckles:

After the angiogram they asked if I wanted anything to eat or drink, I said, "yes, and make it lots of fruits and vegetables."

Their reply, "That's what we like to hear."

And

We’ve been joking about our mission traditions. With both Johnathan and Timothy we had a car repair right before they left, and now we’ve had two health issues before they come home.

James says, “I apologize now for what happens when I come home.”

We have been so blessed through all this. The sisters in the ward wanted to bring dinners...five of them. The sixth sister said, "I don't care if you need it or not. The Perry's will bring dinner on Wednesday." They just won't take no for an answer, and I love them all. Also, my counselors and secretary just carried on without me and did a beautiful job. I'm so thankful to have such wonderful ladies to work with.

One other blessing was for John and Laney. They have been going through tough times of their own and John will be having his gall bladder taken out tomorrow. The bishop called to say that someone had left an envelope for them. It contained $200. Tom and I cried.

The Circle of Life

2011-11-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Tom and I went to McCall for a small get-away and stayed at the Shore Lodge on the 22nd. Our actual anniversary was on November 26. We went all out and paid for the mid-grade room that had a balcony and view of the lake. Even in November the lake is very pretty. Tom was making all kinds of plans (snowshoeing and ice skating, etc) but when it came down to it we stayed at the hotel and relaxed in the outdoor hot tub. That's always fun when there's snow on the ground and the water feels so nice.

We bought the dining package with the room so we enjoyed dinner in the hotel dining room. Gourmet food at it's best...except I found myself wishing for regular food...lol. Tom loved it though, and we both waddled back to our room and sat on the couch moaning because we'd eaten too much.

I'll have to post some photos later. We forgot the camera and ended up using a single use one instead of the digital. So now I need to get it developed.

I remember when my parents were celebrating their 25th anniversary. Tom and I had been married less than a year. We took my parents back to the temple they were married in...Idaho Falls. It was the first time they had been back to that temple since they were married. My grandparents went with us, too. It was a special day.

But I remember thinking that 25 years was such a long time. It was so far out there I thought we'd never be that old ourselves. HA HA HA Here we are! Now my parents will be celebrating their 50th anniversary next August, we've celebrated 25 years, and Johnathan has celebrated his first.

The circle of life!

Thanksgiving at our house

2011-11-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

We decided to go non-traditional this year.

Tuscan Style Salmon

Green salad, yams, olives and cranberry sauce

(the kids wouldn't give up cranberry sauce and Linda wouldn't give up yams...lol)

Rolls and fruit salad...rice wasn't pictured

After the Thanksgiving meal we had a nice afternoon.

Linda and I made Peanut Butter and Oreo Truffles.

And we all decorated a gingerbread house to send to Tim.

Our TV fare was "Hymns of Thanksgiving." Guess what! My luck held out. I didn't see every single foot of the program, but as far as I know there was only one shot where you might have been able to tell it was me...and I was behind the microphone! lol

Amazing Stories

2011-11-14T22:31:00.002-07:00

I've been in the mood to watch documentaries lately. The other day I watched one about some mountain climbers who had a harrowing experience. It was called "Touching the Void" and I was totally amazed at what the one climber did to get off the mountain alive. After that and the ones I've watched about climbing Mount Everest I've decided that any mountain climbing I do will not be that exhausting or that cold. I don't want to risk my life or battle frostbite for a little fun. It doesn't sound fun to me at all.

Most recently I've watched a few about the Holocaust. "Steal a Pencil for Me" was about a young couple who met before they were taken to the camps. They wrote love letters the whole time they were in the camps and were fortunate to survive. It's possible that their love kept them going. They have now been married 60+ years.

"The Hidden Child" was about a lady and her sister who were hidden from the Nazi's. She told about the first time she had chocolate when the town was liberated. 60 some odd years later she eats chocolate every day and remembers when the troops came to liberate them.

The most amazing for me was "Forgiving Dr. Mengele." It was about a lady and her sister who were part of the twin experiments Dr. Mengele did during the war. Eva was determined to survive and at one point it was her determination that saved both her and her sister. In later years Eva's sister died from the experiments that had happened to her, but Eva was able to forgive all Nazi's. She says several times that forgiveness is freeing yourself of the pain of the past.

I've discovered that same thing myself, and I'm always amazed at how many people never fully understand forgiveness. It's so simple, but so hard at the same time. So many just can't wrap their minds around the fact that they can forgive without the guilty party asking forgiveness. They want to hold on to the anger until the other person comes around. Eva said that as long as she waited for the Nazi's to apologize she would remain a victim, and she didn't want to be a victim any longer. She has spent years trying to help people understand forgiveness with little success. I know how she feels. I guess it's something people have to be ready for at specific moments in their lives.

As luck would have it

2011-11-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

I've had lots of fun being in this choir, although if I'd realized how challenging the work on my kidneys was going to be I would have waited until next year to do the choir. I feel good when I see the progress we have made with the songs. A couple of them are really challenging, but we're getting them! Only three more rehearsals, and then it's performance time. I'm getting a bit nervous since it's going to be on TV, but I keep telling myself that my past luck will hold out.

My luck is that I'm always in the crack.

Back in high school, during my junior year we performed "The Sound of Music" for the school musical. I was one of about 50 nuns, which meant I was on stage three times...at the beginning, middle and end. They had a photographer who took photos through out the performances, and later gave us the chance to order the photos we wanted. The photographer took several photos from one end of the stage to the other right at the point when all the nuns were onstage for one of the songs. Since I was on the front row you'd think I'd be in one of the photos. NOPE! I was in the crack. One photo had up to my left-hand neighbor and the next one picked up with my right-hand neighbor.

In the past decade I've gone to BYU Women's Conference about 4 times and I always sign up for the Instant Choir. One year my sister-in-law did it with me. When I watched the broadcast later...guess what! My sister-in-law, who was standing right beside me, was on the screen, but I was in the "crack."

And there's the time when Craig Worth came and did a story on my marching band...Yep! I was in the crack on that one, too.

There's only one time when I haven't been in the crack. It was while I was in the BYU Flag Corp, and they took a picture during one of the half time shows. I'm front and center, and on the official BYU 1983-84 calendar.

There it is. My one claim to fame!

You'd think it would give me a complex, but actually, I get more nervous thinking I could be seen by billions of viewers. I've always enjoyed my anonymity.

So, I keep telling myself I'll either be in the crack or hidden behind the conductor. LOL

Birthday and Auction

2011-10-22T16:29:00.000-06:00

Tom is 50.

He says he feels like he is on top of the world...and driving us crazy to prove it. I almost asked if he had reverted to teenage. I'm wondering how we got so old. I used to look at my parents and think 50 was so far away...and here we are. It's so weird.

Last night was the scout auction. Our funds were a bit tight this year so we took cash and when the cash was gone, we were done. I let Tom control the money because I had some Relief Society stuff to do. The results...3 cakes, a plate of peanut clusters and a groovy picture. We gave one cake to one of the high priests and another to a young family in the ward. But I wasn't letting Katie's cake out of my sight. This cake is better than "Better Than Sex" cake. It's heavenly.

Inside Out German Chocolate cake

Can't decide

2011-10-22T15:56:00.002-06:00

I can't decide if this is good news or if it will just lead to more headache in the future. Remember my trip to the mid-west and the car trouble I wrote about in July and August?

Avis called me Thursday. When their insurance people looked at the claim they decided that since my friend was the one who actually rented the car with my credit card and was driving at the time, she's responsible and not me. So they have been sending her collection letters, and she finally replied with a letter telling them it's my fault because I didn't get out of the car and direct her (she didn't even ask) and that she fixed the car before she brought it in. They don't believe her. I just hope she doesn't get it in her head to sue us later because that would be plain silly on her part. I think the fact that I showed them the dent and was willing to take care of it goes a long way with Avis. I was telling Tom today that we left on Thursday night at 8 pm and didn't arrive at the hotel until Friday night at 10 pm (driving almost all that time). Saturday morning I woke up wishing I hadn't gone on the trip. Since I've learned that I have weak boundaries I've had to remind myself that my only fault on that trip was that I didn't listen to the Spirit and went anyway. During the whole trip she was controlling, disrespectful and demeaning, but I was respectful to her. But I guess 15+ years of friendship doesn't mean much to some people.

Oh say! Can you see?

2011-10-10T23:55:00.002-06:00

I am having so much fun!

I was accepted into the "2011 Hymns of Thanksgiving" choir! The choir currently has 265 members (they hope for 274) and will be accompanied by a 65-70 member orchestra. We are learning 12 songs in 13 practices, but the directors are fabulous and really know what they are doing. It is a workout twice a week, but I am loving it! I love the challenge.

Thanks to my uncle who traded voice training for moving sprinkler pipe on the farm. He was a very accomplished musician, and even sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for a time. I only got about 4 lessons out of the deal, but at times like this I pull what I learned out of the closet, dust it off and let it carry me away. I wish I hadn't been so shy and self-conscious back then so I could have learned more from him, but what he taught me has served me well.

All the years of band, choir and piano lessons have served well, too. I'm glad Heavenly Father gave me the Bright love of music! It has greatly enriched my life.

So, I'll be singing almost non-stop for the next 7 weeks. Lots of music to learn and the warm up number to memorize. If you hear me singing under my breath while walking down the street, just smile and wave.

"Oh say! Can you see by the dawn's early light..."

Don't forget...

2011-10-06T11:55:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine wrote on her blog about things she would tell her younger self, if she could, and she gave a challenge to think of advice we would give ourselves 5-10 years ago. Like my friend, I think experience is a great teacher. I, too, served a mission for the church, and wish I'd had more experience at that time. I felt bad when asked for marriage advice since I was a single, never-been-married 20 something at the time. So, I took her challenge and this is what I came up with.

1. When faced with trials, don't ask "Why?" Ask, "What?" What am I supposed to learn from this? I can't tell you how many times I've asked that question, and immediately the Spirit has answered very simply, but with exactly what I need. I have made some amazing changes in my life because I stopped asking "Why" and started asking "What."

2. Stand up for yourself. Just because you are so nice, you can't expect everyone to be that way, too. The world is full of abusive people just looking for a door mat. You know you aren't happy being the door mat, so learn what you need to learn, and move on.

3. Don't hide behind food. Just admit the cold, hard facts of the past, learn what you need to learn, and move on.

4. Heavenly Father knows you better than you know yourself. Remember when you got your patriarchal blessing and how surprised you were to find out there would be more than one man wanting to marry you and you would have a choice? Remember the other things it said about you that you couldn't believe? Remember how you were made a co-senior companion when you had been in Honduras 4.5 months...and your companion was also from Utah and had been in Honduras for 3 months? HE definitely knows you better than you know yourself.

5. Lastly, Heavenly Father loves you just the way you are. Knowing that is more motivating than anything else. My uncle and aunt had something they said to the kids whenever they left home. I'm probably not getting it quite right, but I like to think that Heavenly Father said the same thing when we came to earth.

"Don't forget...I love you."

Faith

2011-10-02T12:27:00.000-06:00

This is my faith project.

I took the wooden pioneers that my aunt designed, printed a copy, and used the outline to create the pattern on graph paper.

I heard the quote at the SS training meeting I went to last week. The speaker, Matthew O Richardson was telling about a time when he was learning from Henry B Eyring. That was what Elder Eyring said in the lesson.

When Elder Richardson shared that experience it opened my mind to a deeper level of faith. He talked about how the pioneers committed to traveling to Utah not knowing what they were in for. He also talked about how we all desired to come to earth for a body. Heavenly Father told us it would be hard and that all wouldn't make it back, but we wanted it so bad. We didn't know then what we would face here on earth, but we wanted the reward enough to make the attempt. That's faith.

I'm so glad they decided to let mom's do Personal Progress with their daughters. It's been fun, and touching, to work with Hannah on our goals. Last night we talked about Patriarchal Blessings, and I was able to share my testimony with her about how Patriarchal Blessings guide us and help us.

I think I got it fixed

2011-09-23T00:45:00.000-06:00

If you were wanting to read my new blog Rediscovering Me...I think I got it fixed. If not, let me know.

One of the problems was that I mis-spelled rediscovering. LOL No wonder the name was available when I set it up!

Changes

2011-09-20T14:24:00.002-06:00

I decided to put my weight loss stuff on a separate blog. Feel free to read if you want, but I won't be hurt if you don't. It's mostly for me to write out what's happening. I'll be updating my goals and visits to the naturopath there, as well as writing about things I'm learning and posting photos as I progress. It's called, "Rediscovering Me" and you find it on the right of this page.

The other change...

It looks like heavy metals are finally making their way out of my life! I feel like dancing! Details on the other blog.

New tatting skills

2011-09-06T17:04:00.000-06:00

This one didn't have anything new in it, but I love the pattern of it.

The new part of this was how the chains twist around each other. I had never done that before.

Close up!

This one had a new method I needed to learn.

You can see it better in this photo. In the peaks there's a ring with three rings joined to it. Or is that a ring at all? It's actually a fake ring.

I was finally able to figure out how to do this one because I learned the skills in the blue one.

I'm looking forward to the next project, and finding more skills to learn.

I love it!

2011-08-28T14:12:00.000-06:00

This is a basket carved out of a peach pit!

My brother-in-law carves them, and my sister decided they should try selling some to raise some extra cash. Ruth told me that my pit was actually carved by Bob's grandpa, which only makes it more special in my eyes. Here's a link to her etsy shop. Sentimental Scraps by Ruth

Tatting

2011-08-27T10:44:00.005-06:00

Apparently, I haven't talked about tatting on this blog. You can see more of my tatting on my other blog, My Heirloom Tatting, but I thought I'd share some here, too.

Tatting is a very old, nearly lost art. All you need is thread, a shuttle, and a pattern. Tatting is simply tying a slip knot over and over. The designs come from leaving space between the knots or by primarily using the shuttle thread knotted around the ball thread or the ball thread knotted around the shuttle thread.

I first saw tatting when I was 13 years old and was in the hospital to have my appendix removed. My roommate was an older lady and spent alot of her time tatting. It intrigued me...ALOT.

When I was seventeen (1980), the Young Women's leaders wanted us to learn something new to commemorate the bicentennial of the church's organization. I told them I wanted to learn how to tat. They found an older sister in our ward who could teach me. It can be tricky to learn how to make the slip knots and it was important to check often to make sure I could still slip my work as I went. About half an hour later, I had it figured out, and I was off.

This is an example of my first tatting project. This bookmark was the only thing I made for several years.

Finally, in 1989 my sister asked if I could make a baby bonnet and booties for her sister-in-law. I said I would give it a try. That was the beginning of big tatting projects. There is a picture of the first bonnet pattern I made on the other blog. I ended up making three of that pattern. It wasn't my favorite so I looked for other patterns to use. I've also made many doilies and there are pictures of some of those on the other blog, too.

Below are more bookmarks. I finally got tired of making the same pattern of bookmark all the time, so I looked online, found some pictures and patterns I liked, found some patterns of edgings in my books, and I'm set.

This one (red) was an edging in one of my books. I just had to figure out how to make the turn around the ends.

I found this one (purple) online. I could easily see how to make it just from the picture because it is very similar to one of the bonnets I've made.

For this one (pink) I found a pattern online.

This one was also from a photo. It uses the split ring technique. For this one, two shuttles are used instead of a shuttle and ball. Half the ring is worked, then it is flipped over and the other shuttle is used to complete the ring.

This was from another photo. I wonder if it was meant for needle tatting which I have never wanted to learn. I tried it with the split ring technique and then figured out a better way with just one shuttle.

And here's the last one...for now.

Time flies

2011-08-18T21:28:00.000-06:00

I'm really having a hard time with the passage of time this year.

James and Hannah are both registered for school as of today...HIGH SCHOOL. I can't believe both my babies are in HIGH SCHOOL! Three more years and maybe I can graduate for the last time...lol.

Also coming up:
Tom's 50th birthday. That means I'm only 16 months from that one myself.
Our 25th wedding anniversary is this November.
And my parents' 50th anniversary is next August.

Wow! I really don't know how I got here. Wasn't I graduating from high school just yesterday?

Cards

2011-08-17T00:07:00.001-06:00

One of my friends asked me and a mutual friend to participate in a bazaar with her. It will be run by her church, and she asked for two tables. I only had two things to contribute (the other two ladies are much more into it than I am), but my sister posted some photos of greeting cards she made on facebook. That got me thinking. I could do some cards for the bazaar.

So here's what I've been doing to keep myself busy the last couple days. 33 cards of the following varieties.

I lifted this one from my sister. It took a bit to make a pattern for it, but I think it's so cute. Here it is folded and not folded. All the cards fit in a standard card envelope.

My friend was given a card like this last year and I copied it because I liked it. I really like the yellow and pink ones.

This is the inside. It's a folded pop-out.

These are scherenschnitte hearts. I learned to do these way back when in Relief Society. About killed my hands, though. One of my fingers is still a little numb. My favorite ones are the purple and red ones.

These were also inspired by my sisters. Linda sent the flower one to Hannah for a birthday. Ruth's daughter sent the yellow one to Hannah because she missed her.

A few Christmas cards.

I don't know where I got the sayings for these cards, but I've always loved them.

So, now to find the next project. I'm thinking maybe I can tat some bookmarks in time for the bazaar.

Girl vs Boy

2011-08-11T21:54:00.000-06:00

Differences between shopping with girls and boys...

Girls--5 hours, 5 stores and lunch at a restaurant.

Boys--90 minutes, 1 store and fast food.

Number 23

2011-08-11T09:13:00.001-06:00

St. Paul Minnesota Temple

This was one bright spot in the trip, although it was somewhat tainted by my friend's negativity. Hopefully, time will dull those feelings and allow me to remember the Spirit that was there and the super temple workers.

Realization

2011-08-05T23:43:00.002-06:00

The biggest problem on my trip was that my friend was trying too hard to impress everyone, and unfortunately, her efforts came at my expense. She needed to prove to everyone how "successful" she is since she was able to leave her home town. Problem is she brought her home town with her when she left, and it will be with her until she changes her thinking. And the problem was that in order to prove how successful she is, she ended up trying to control me and was generally disrespectful and inconsiderate. At one point she embarrassed me in front of her friends by making me look totally naive.

Pride sure causes alot of problems.

The beauty of 16 year old boys

2011-08-04T10:54:00.000-06:00

As Tom and I struggle to deal with our feelings after what happened with our friend, our 16 year old applies his "perfect 16-year -old" wisdom. Just be forwarned...

When boys turn 16 they think they know everything.

It's like they told us in the MTC when John left on his mission...

"It's too bad we can't send a boy on a mission when he's 16. That's when they know everything, and mom won't cry when he leaves."

One of the best things...

2011-08-03T12:33:00.003-06:00

Is knowing that you can answer the question

"Are you honest in your dealings with your fellow man?"

with a resounding, "YES!"

Sure wish my friend could honestly say that.

My trip to the Mid-west

2011-07-30T14:02:00.000-06:00

Didn't turn out anything like I hoped. Here are a few words to describe the trip...

Regret
Making the best of the situation
Her controlling
Her disrespect
Embarrassment
Hunger
Her dishonesty
Her betrayal

I'm not sure if my friend and I will still be friends when this is over. I vacillate between trying to forgive and work things out and just cutting her off. I never had any idea that she could behave like this. I learned some very valuable lessons.

NEVER rent a car when the person who is supposed to pay for it can't.
Be very CAREFUL who you travel with.
ALWAYS get the rental car insurance.

Crazy year

2011-07-02T09:35:00.000-06:00

And personally, I can't wait for it to be over. I'd love to take a six month vacation...or a six month nap.

Major stress on the job
A major car repair--rebuild the transmission
Major dental work
Lost my job because I reported the manager was abusive
The dog died
And the fridge is broken

We got Buffee when she was five years old. She is now 13. She had such a hard time breathing this last winter that we wondered how much longer she would be around and if she would survive another winter. She has been steadily going down hill the last few months, not able to walk with Tom which she loved to do. The vet offered to put her to sleep, but Tom wanted her to go quietly at home with her family around. So the vet did what he could to make her comfortable. Wednesday she passed away with the kids petting her and loving her.

We'll always remember her facial expressions and how she could talk to us. She was a man's dog and would follow Tom around the house when he came home. As the kids got to be adult-sized she would follow them around more, too. She was alpha dog no matter where she went. She had a lot of poise and confidence. Tom and I were "Mommy and Daddy" while the kids were "Puppies." Buffee was a real sweetheart. She was my first dog, and I never knew I could love a dog that much.

And the fridge...of course, it breaks on Friday just before a holiday. So it will take until Wednesday to get someone to come check it out. So, I pull out a cooler and load it up with ice and all the crucial things. Fortunately, a repairman's parents live in our ward and we met him recently. So I called the parents, who gave me his phone number and I left a message. Later, I called the company and set an appointment (for Wednesday). Well, the repairman took time to come by last night before he went home from work. Thank goodness for small blessings. He was able to diagnose the fridge, and told me that if we manually defrost the freezer the fridge should work fine for the time it will take to get the part in. I'm so glad he was able to come last night instead of living out of coolers until Wednesday to find all that out.

I have to acknowledge the tender mercies...but I still want a six month nap.

Extreme camping

2011-06-19T23:06:00.002-06:00

Camping in the desert...

highs in the 90's and lows in the 60's

sun, sun and more sun

shade is a premium

ice is to die for

watch out for heat stroke!

lizards everywhere

sand in your shoes

homemade ice cream and naps in the city park

beautiful formations

miles and miles of hiking

pictographs and dino prints

great friends

Camping in the mountains...

Last minute location change of the family reunion

(Logan canyon was closed due to flooding)

Is that snow on the ground?

Man, that river is high.

green pine trees all around

highs in the 60's and lows in the 30's

see your breath at night

sit in the sun all day 'cause the shade is too cold

Rain, rain and more rain

Watch out for hypothermia!

Mud, mud and more mud

Pick up some more tips from the best Dutch oven cooks (my cousins)

See our backyard...all the camping gear is drying out

Wasn't too bad

2011-06-06T20:13:00.004-06:00

I had another talk with the district ladies. There were three of them. I appreciated that they explored the issues without making a judgement on either side. I'm sure that when they talk to the manager she'll talk her way out of any trouble, but at least I tried. It's enough that I know what she is, and I'm out of it. I keep telling myself that all of this was caused by her bad attitude and impatience and pride. After explaining why I didn't feel I could come to the district for help, the thought that keeps surfacing is, "Why didn't she go to the district for help?" Probably because she didn't want help.

The district ladies encouraged me to apply for new positions. I asked specifically if they would tell other managers about this when I apply. They said no.

So, now that the stress is going to get better, I'll revamp my eating. I've been eating just for survival and not making the best choices. I'll get that turned around soon.

Sleepless nights

2011-06-03T08:43:00.000-06:00

The district supervisor emailed later yesterday to say she wants to meet next Thursday because she has more questions.

After yet another sleepless night over this issue (I've lost more sleep since January than in my entire life), I decided that I'm tired of getting abused. I'm tired of having to deal with abusers. I'm tired of trying to do something about it to make things better for the next person and getting no where.

If those ladies in the district office can't recognize abusive behavior when it is spelled out for them, then I don't want to work for them. I can't meet with them Thursday because I am taking my van to the mechanic for a follow up check up and I don't know how long it will take. They will just have to rely on phone calls or email.

Also, because we are going on vacation the next day and the last thing I want is more drama and sleepless nights to ruin my vacation.

I'm done. Fed up. Finished.

The Irony

2011-06-02T15:27:00.002-06:00

I could have let the district think that I left the job because of a family issue and I would have stood a chance at a similar position at another school.

But since I let them know I had problems with the manager at my old school, didn't try to work it out months ago, and left the job with only 24 hours notice when I couldn't take her abuse anymore, I pretty much have no chance.

Oh, well. I can sub as long as I want, and I have all summer to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I think I'm burned out on food service anyway.

Hmmm Mmmmm Good!

2011-05-30T10:33:00.002-06:00

One pumpkin...

saved from our garden last fall.

Cooked yesterday...

equals delicious Pumpkin Pie Squares in May!

Cars...who needs them

2011-05-25T16:39:00.003-06:00

Our one and only vehicle has been causing us some worry lately so we decided to be responsible owners and have it checked out before it died. We thought maybe that would help it be cheaper.

Yeah, right.

A rebuilt transmission and $2400 later it had better drive better. The mechanic is working with us as best he can by knocking off $200 and doing a lesser repair for free. I'm just glad that we could cover half and had good enough credit to take care of the other half. We'll knock that out quickly with Tom's overtime. I can't wait until our emergency fund is fully funded.

Another good thing is I'm not trying to get to work with a car in the shop. Between this and all the Relief Society business I've had in the last two weeks I'm glad I got out of that kitchen. I didn't need the stress from before or the added stress now.

I've found there's something about being stuck at home with no car. It's boring. Suddenly you think of everything you could be doing if you have a car. I've successfully channeled that into other things though. I've been knitting and today I figured out a better way to do the tatted alter cloth I've been wanting to make. It should be more durable and still pretty.

Life is good

2011-05-19T12:45:00.002-06:00

It's amazing how much stress can take out of you. All week I've been enjoying the lower stress level. I've enjoyed all the Relief Society stuff I've been able to do without being stressed out before I even start. I'm going through in my mind what to tell the district. I have to be one hundred percent sure before I cut off any relationship. She finally gave me enough to reach that point. I've also dealt with enough abusers in my life to know that whatever I say will be thrown right back at me and I will not argue. I know I can't win a war of words, and I won't even try. I don't need to report her or tell the district anything to get past this and move on with life. I do feel bad for the next people in line, and a responsibility to them.

Change is welcome

2011-05-16T21:32:00.004-06:00

Life has been pretty stressful this school year, but most particularly since I started my new job in January. I won't go into too many details, but the fact is that after four months the kitchen manager revealed her true colors and I hit my breaking point. Last Friday was the worst of all the days we've worked together and I decided I needed another school next year. Over the weekend I felt physically ill whenever I thought about going back to work on Monday. So, I decided to go back to the sub list for the rest of the year. It probably means that I'll have to stay on the sub list from here on out, but that's ok. I'm feeling like I am just about done with food service, period.

I've been very upset over this, to the point I've had trouble sleeping. The biggest thing that bothers me is that I didn't see the signs after all the times I've dealt with abusive people. I feel like a fool. I'll get past it, but it will take time. I know better than to bury the feelings. I have to let them out so I can progress to forgiveness. Right now I'm angry and embarrassed and I hope she gets some consequences soon. The district has to suspect something is going on when this manager has been through two assistants in one year.

But at the same time I'm counting my blessings that I'm not still in that situation and I'm enjoying my freedom.

So here are some of the fun things I did today and have planned for the rest of the week:

Slept in until 7:30 am

Ate breakfast and goofed off on the computer until 10 am.

Did Relief Society business.

Ran errands (and celebrated with lunch out)

Planning a trip to the temple

Will make more RS calls and do more RS business

Relax, relax, and relax some more.

It felt so good to not be stressed out today!

Breath...that's important

2011-05-10T16:33:00.007-06:00

Today I tried out the mantra of a friend...

"I chose this. I chose to have children. I have good children." Repeated as long as necessary.

So, James, Hannah and I had a dentist appointment this afternoon. After work I called Hannah's school to tell them I needed to pick her up at 1:2o. Then I called James's school to tell them I needed to pick him up at 1:30. That secretary lectured me on calling earlier so she wouldn't have to interrupt his class by taking a note to him. I couldn't even get a word in edge-wise to tell her that I was calling as early as possible since I work at 7:15 AM. Then she told me that James was in the seminary building and I'd have to call them.

So I call the seminary building and they say..."James isn't here."

So then I'm thinking, my teenager is going off the deep end. He's ditching seminary. He's probably goofing off and getting into drugs. He ditched school and now he's lying, bleeding in the street somewhere and no one knows who he is. (Moms, you know how it is when our kids aren't where we expect them to be. We think of the worst thing possible.)

Needless to say, James didn't make it to his dentist appointment, and I was dreaming up all kinds of consequences for him.

And I started breathing deep and repeating the above mantra.

Finally, when James came home from school he had a legitimate reason for not being in seminary. Problem was he forgot when it was happening and therefore, couldn't tell me. Tim had us spoiled because he was always where he needed to be. John would come home late or this or that, but ALWAYS had a good reason for doing what he had done. We couldn't punish him for putting someone else first and helping them, etc. So, today with James...he had a good reason, his communication was the problem.

After talking to him about it all I told him that I'm happy that I have good kids, that when we have times like this I can trust that they have a really good, reasonable excuse and aren't just out bumming around.

Definitely, a not so good mom moment, although I did handle it rather well when he finally came home.

Thanks, Lisa, for the mantra.

Just a calm, relaxing day

2011-05-08T19:39:00.004-06:00

Today was just about perfect.

7 am--ward council meeting

8 am--Tom made gluten free Swedish pancakes and orange juice for breakfast

8:30 am--Linda arrived

9 am--Church where we had wonderful talks, a great Sunday School lesson and I was able to attend YW with Hannah. Here's the gift Hannah gave me.

12:30 pm--PHONE CALL with Tim!

4 pm--Dinner with John and Laney, complete with the cheesecake I made for the occasion.

After hearing about struggles some of my friends are going through this was a perfect day. We are all safe, we were all together and enjoying each other's company. What more could a mom want?

New skills

2011-05-06T19:29:00.003-06:00

California Rolls

The new two hour person at work is a lady from Japan. She is a real pleasure to work with, and we just adore her.

Last Friday she brought all the ingredients for a sushi making lesson. Here are my results...

I never knew sushi was so tasty!

Not old enough

2011-04-07T21:57:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I was told I didn't look old enough to have a 23 year old son.

That made my day!

Number 22 and spring break

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

I remember when my Grandma Housley said she had visited every temple except some foreign ones (London and Swiss). She had even visited the Hawaiian temple and the New Zealand temple. I think she would have a hard time keeping up now days. I don't think I'll ever visit all of them, but I have fun visiting new ones when I have the chance.
Temples I have attended:
1. Portland
2. Oakland
3. San Diego
4. Boise
5. Twin Falls
6. Idaho Falls
7. Logan
8. Ogden
9. Bountiful
10. Salt Lake City
11. Jordan River
12. Mount Timpanogus
13. Provo
14. Manti
15. St. George
16. Mesa
17. Winter Quarters
18. Nauvoo
19. Palmyra
20. Washington DC
21. Altanta, Georgia

AND 22...

Oquirrh Mountain Temple, Utah

Tom loves the ocean and misses it. I miss the mountains. This was the view as we came out of the temple. I wish the picture had the mountains on either side of this one. Fantastic!

Spring break!

I was soooo ready for spring break this year. After school got out and I dealt with some Relief Society stuff, I decided I HAD to get out of town...fast. Our original plan was to wait until Thursday to go to Utah. But I needed to go relieve some stress.

So Saturday afternoon James, Hannah and I went to Twin Falls. We spent Saturday and Sunday visiting with Linda and relaxing. It felt so good to start unwinding. Monday we traveled to Salt Lake and stayed with Tom's sister, Christi. More sitting around, lots of reading and relaxing. I finished one book, read one of Christi's books and got half way through the Work and the Glory #8.

Tuesday I met my friend Carol and we went to the temple. My goal was to soak up as much spiritual strength I could before coming home, and the temple was a good start.

Wednesday we went to Provo and visited with my parents and my sister Leah and her kids. I finally got some sewing projects finished and had a good visit with mom. I also asked Dad to give me a father's blessing. Afterwards, mom, dad and I had a great visit.

Thursday I met Tom in downtown Salt Lake after he rode the bus down. We had some time alone for a date! Then Tom taught his sister and his cousin how to make Swedish pancakes and Grandma Myrberg's homemade marshmallows. That evening Hannah and Tom when to the All Star Weekend concert. They had a great time. James hung out with his cousins and I relaxed some more.

Friday we met the Grubers (less Sean) at the zoo. This was one of our favorites...

The baby elephant is about 18 months old now. Another favorite was the old orangutan. He was eating a frozen treat and would hold it in his mouth for a moment and then he would hold the treat on his lower lip while his mouth warmed up again. Every time he did that Gordon laughed.

Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed time with the Grubers and the conference. Finally, on the way home we met with Tom's family for dinner and started the journey home.

What a wonderful conference! So many of the talks seemed to be for me. I loved the overall message that I am doing ok, but I still have things to work on. I felt built up and encouraged to keep going. I loved seeing the hand of the Lord in the arrangement of the talks. There's no doubt in my mind that He is in charge.

And, of course, I'm excited about another temple being so close to where we live. I can't wait to add it to my list.

Who's watching?

2011-03-21T20:07:00.003-06:00

I'm constantly learning what it means to be a Relief Society president. You'd think at almost one and a half years I'd almost have it down, but NOPE! No matter how hard I try I can't even put it into words. You just have to experience it yourself to fully appreciate what a Relief Society president does. I never wanted the job and hope to never do it again (ha ha!...heavy sarcasm, here), and during the last month or so even the nursery has been sounding good.

There have been a couple things in the last few days that have really helped. First, was our Relief Society birthday dinner. One of the girls talked about how Heavenly Father sees everything we do even when we feel that no one is noticing the things we do. Then we did an activity where half of us sat in a circle. The other half were standing behind those who were seated. The ones sitting, closed their eyes and the ones standing, moved around the circle and told each person something they admired about them. Then we traded places and repeated the exercise. It was so spiritual. There were tears and lots of smiles. It felt so good to hear people telling me that they appreciate what I do for them in my calling. They also told me they appreciate and admire my loving and peaceful nature.

The second thing happened on Sunday as we were waiting to start our presidency meeting. The secretary and I were sitting in our favorite room when a little boy from the other ward came in. He was hiding because he didn't want to go to primary. Lisa started asking where his parents were and suggested he go find them.

"No, I'm with my grandma."

"You should go find your grandma and let her know where you are."

"No, she'll make me go up there and I don't want to go. She can't see me here."

"Heavenly Father can see you."

"No he can't."

"Yes, he can."

"You mean, He can see me through the ceiling?"

"Yes, He can. He can see you everywhere."

"Oh. Maybe I should go to class."

Maybe I should pay attention since this message came twice. It reminded me that Heavenly Father loves me, knows me and accepts me. He notices what I do and helps me do what I need to do. I may have challenging weeks (like the last one), but I'm not alone because He is there. I'm just got to keep remembering that.

And so it goes...

2011-02-23T22:47:00.003-07:00

Well, I'm feeling a bit better about everything now I had my little melt down. Things are looking up at work. Detoxing is still there. Relief Society is smoothing out...kinda.

Yesterday we had a memorial service for one of the less active sisters. We provided soup, rolls and cake for the lunch and it was so easy. A real blessing for everyone involved.

Then I learn that we have another funeral in the near future. Sister Harriet Wardle, one of the sweetest sisters in the ward, passed away this morning. I don't know when it will all happen. It was a bit surprising since Harriet has had the better health of the two of them lately. Jess is still hanging on although his health has steadily declined in the last few months. We miss seeing the two of them making their way down the halls of church or already sitting in the chapel when we arrive.

While we were living in Salt Lake I had to work for a time although I didn't want to leave the kids. Hannah was just a baby. One day I read in the Book of Mormon about how the people of Alma prayed that their burdens would be lightened. I prayed that mine would be lightened, too, and felt a physical lifting of my burdens. The weight on my shoulders actually felt lighter.

Tom reminded me of that scripture yesterday, so I've been praying for several things. That my burdens will be lightened. That I will be stronger and able to endure. That I will be forgiving, patient and able to fulfill my duties the way the Savior would. It's just a beginning, but my mood definitely shifted for the better today.

Note to the members of the ward who read this...We'll be calling for help!

The Blues

2011-02-18T19:44:00.002-07:00

These last few weeks have been horrible. I'm so tired of feeling stressed out and worn out all the time.

First, the visit to my naturopath revealed that my body is having a hard time getting the lead out. (No pun intended.) He now has me on a supplement to help with that. The detoxing makes me very tired in the evenings, besides keeping me from losing any weight. Do you know how hard it is to eat like you're on a diet when you know it won't do any good? Very frustrating. I hate this stage of my healing.

Second, since the end of January I have had to do some things for Relief Society that have been very hard for me. AND then when it was done I was criticized because I didn't do it right. I never wanted this job and sometimes I have wished that I could give it back to some of the complainers. The previous president said she loved this job. I still don't, and I don't know if I ever will. It's the hardest calling I've ever had.

Third, we have had a very hard year at work, and were overjoyed when the new assistant manager decided to move to a new school. I took her place...but her presence is still very much in our kitchen. Rather than talk to me about things, the manager let her frustrations build up until she blew up one day (referenced in the previous post). She acted totally inappropriately and I am having a very hard time dealing with it. I walk on egg shells at work and then cry in the evenings. The day it happened she "invited" me to go home if I couldn't pull myself together. If I had gone home, I really doubt that I would have ever gone back. As it is, I'm wondering if I will stay past this year...or even make it to the end of the year.

What a man!

2011-02-11T19:09:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

Here's what Tom brought home to cheer me up.

Thought provoking words

2011-01-17T14:52:00.003-07:00

"I lost what I used to be and I miss what I used to be"...

One of my friends used these words in a post on sparkpeople.com. It made me think. Our life is a journey. We live and change. We're faced with all kinds of experiences and change some more. Did I like what I was as a child? Have I ever liked myself? Did I lose myself along the way? Have the changes been good...or bad?

I've often stated that life begins at 40, and I still believe that. I did not like myself as a child. I had poor self-esteem. I struggled through life hoping that someday I would please Heavenly Father, and that is what kept me making the choices I made in my youth. After my mission I came home more confident and liking myself, but it was short-lived. It was just a taste of what I could really be.

For a long time I would look back at that brief time after my mission, and wish I could find it again. Finally, at the age of 42, I figured it out. I realized that I was acceptable to Heavenly Father. No matter what I do, HE still loves me and I am worthy of that love. That is extremely motivating to continue doing my best. I have overcome the effects of past abuse. I am confident, happy, at peace with myself. I am a positive person and have an optimistic outlook. I LOVE MYSELF!

Do you remember the radio ad for a product to recover lost hair growth? I left work one day just as that ad was playing. Immediately after starting my car I heard, "Try ______ and have the confidence you had 20 years ago."

I said out loud, "I don't want the confidence I had 20 years ago. I want the confidence I have right now!"

"BOLD"...

One of my friends just started a blog and used this word in her first post. She was saying that she is bold in some of her opinions and beliefs. It made me think because I'm the same way. Some things I have a very definite, strong opinion, and other issues I really don't care one way of the other.

Here's one where I have a definite opinion:

A friend posted an article on facebook last week about the differences between Chinese parents and western parents. I try to keep an open mind, but frankly, that article had the attitude that the Chinese way of parenting was best and us westerners just dabble in parenting. No wonder our kids are turning out flops.

There were a couple things that really bothered me about that article. First was that Chinese parents call their children names and demean them if they fail, calling their kids "garbage" and other things. I'm sorry, but THERE IS NO REASON EVER TO CALL YOUR CHILDREN NAMES! It is possible to be firm and to expect high things of your children without "motivating" them with demeaning and horrible names. I would NOT have been motivated by that and neither would my children. Names used in my past were things like fathead, meat head, bird brain, and others. They never made me want to do better. They only made me feel worse about myself.

Second, Chinese parents nag and fight their kids until the kids give up and the parent wins. Chinese children are never given the opportunity to CHOOSE. The whole idea is that the parents know best and must force the children to agree. I do not agree with that (besides the fact that is sounds very much like my childhood). I feel very strongly that children are blessed with the ability to choose. My patriarchal blessing tells me that I have always felt that way and that my children would have agency and would need to be taught to make wise choices. I believe that the only way they can learn to choose is to have the opportunity to make choices. To practice.

I start with simple things. When a child is 2 years old, I don't let them choose how long we will stay at the park to play. When it is time to go I pick them up and take them. When they are older I call them and start walking away. They have always come running. At the age of 2 years, I do let them choose between two shirts...do you want this one or that one? Last year I had to explain to one of Hannah's teachers that at the age of 13 Hannah was old enough to choose if she would continue in orchestra or not. She chose to stick with it, and she is much better about practicing this year (wonder of wonders!) By the time our kids are in their last year of school they are handling most of their own lives. Between high school and mission is when I teach them how to handle their own bank accounts and the finishing touches of cooking, mending and other skills.

I don't feel that I've done my kids a disservice by not forcing them to perform exactly the way I think they should. They are more confident than I ever was. The author of the article believed that the Chinese way created confident children and the western way created damaged children. Hmmm,...I haven't seen that in our family. One of my friends readers commented that Chinese parents turn out children who can do the job and excel in following orders, but they aren't innovators. I think I'd rather have innovators in my family. Tom pointed out that the Chinese way of doing things is based on their communistic background. Hmm, another thought.

Word to the wise

2011-01-15T16:12:00.006-07:00

After receiving our Bountiful Basket today, dinner will be bean and cheese burritos with fresh salsa cruda and guacamole. We'll also be having fried plantain bananas with crema.

Word to the wise...when making salsa cruda, DO NOT touch your face when your hands are covered with peppers, onion and garlic. And if you do, NEVER sniffle. I learned from first hand experience. Tom will be making all our salsa from now on!

This has been a day to remember and revisit the past. First we walked to Fred Meyer for a few groceries, thinking we'd get our exercise while accomplishing something. Then we remembered...we used to do that all the time when we were newly weds and didn't own a car. Tonight the kids will be gone; we will be playing scrabble...the favorite date night of our early married years. Tom is even spreading out a blanket for us to play on. The only things different than times past...our ages, 24 years of marriage, and a nice fire in the fireplace!

Temple!

2011-01-15T11:37:00.004-07:00

This is what the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple will look like. It was announced in 2007 and I was sad to learn that construction had been halted soon after it was begun. Finally, the church decided to change locations of the temple site and construction was begun again in 2009. Members in Honduras had to travel by bus 12 hours to get to the temple in Guatemala. Mostly, they go once a year.

I lifted this photo off facebook. My friend Francis is in it somewhere. I was looking at it thinking, "Wait! That's not the Guatemalan temple. What temple is that?" It's the Honduras temple! I'm so excited for them. My friends there in the Teguc area will be able to attend the temple as much as they want!

Netflix lessons

2011-01-08T17:05:00.004-07:00

I know we are behind the times when it comes to technology! After all we've only had a cell phone for a year and a half now, and I've only had an mp3 player for about 3 years. Well, we were looking at the budget and decided that even though we don't rent movies every month, we were still spending more than $10 per month when we did the math. So we signed up for netflix. It's been fun watching movies and shows whenever we want and having them delivered at the door.

Some of the shows I watched were documentaries on Mount Everest. (Yes, I'm looking forward to summer and more hiking! But I've decided that Mount Everest won't be on my hiking list.)

It takes several months just to prepare to climb Mount Everest, and it can take 2 months to achieve their goal. For example: I never knew that to climb Everest they leave base camp and climb to Camp 1. They stay at Camp 1 for several days getting used to the elevation. Then they move to camp 2 for a night and then camp 3 for a night. Then they hike all the way back to base camp for a few nights before they start over. With wonderful weather and perfect health, the trip to the summit and back can take a couple weeks, and by the time they actually reach the summit they have climbed Everest at least twice. Finally, when they reach camp 4, they rest for a few hours and then start climbing again at 11 pm. That allows them to reach the summit and return to camp 4 all in one day.

The part of one show that caught my attention was this:

Once people are on the mountain they can't be stopped. They are focused on the goal. Even when there are accidents and bad weather it is hard for them to turn back knowing that they may never reach the summit in their lifetime. It's especially hard when they know this is their only chance to do it.

Those in base camp can only give advice. They cannot enforce a direct order and it does no good to give them. They can't say, "The weather is bad, get back down here." All they can say is, "The weather isn't looking very good. Maybe you should turn around." It's up to the climber to use his judgement.

I've been thinking about how that lesson can be applied to life. We all have our goals and dreams. We work on them and make progress in them daily. The closer we are the more excited and focused we get. If someone were to give us a direct order, we probably wouldn't listen. All they can do is make suggestions and let us decide.

It's amazing what you can learn from Netflix...lol.

Old/New goal continued

2010-12-28T20:26:00.002-07:00

So day 3 hasn't been a rousing success, but I'm a work in progress. Tomorrow will be better.

I had a nice visit with the naturopath today. I told him that I feel like this detox thing is going to take forever. He told me that the bulk of it happens relatively quickly, but the end of it drags out. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but it gave me hope that some day soon my bp will return to normal because I won't be detoxing as actively as I am right now. Whatever I'm detoxing now is making my left hip hurt bad enough that I can't find a comfortable position to sleep. Ugh.

He also told me that my body is stronger. I can't tell if I'm progressing or not, so it's always nice to hear good things like that. It's still hard to be patient when it's taking so much longer than I hoped it would.

He also told me that I've progressed enough that another layer has been uncovered. Good or bad news I can't tell at the moment. Hopefully, that's good in the long run. Apparently, our scar tissue isn't as supple and pliable as regular tissue and sometimes it runs interference in the nerve impulses that run through our bodies. So we did some work on my scars today. He had me touch my gall bladder scar and tell him about the circumstances, my emotions at the time, when it happened, etc, as he waved a lazer beam over me. It was weird, but I'm sure he knows what he is doing. Then we did it with my C-section/appendix scar.

It's really interesting to learn about my body this way. I'm really thinking that for now this is the best course for me. I'm glad I found someone good.

Old/New goal

2010-12-28T00:12:00.003-07:00

Out of all my goals this year, one I focused on a lot was my weightloss and health goal. I've seen some progress, and some regression. It has been disheartening to see some pounds come back, but I figure it's part of the journey. Part of that is because of the detoxing I started in July, and part of it is just plain because I lost the pounds in the wrong way in the first place.

I have always felt that I shouldn't eliminate any food, but rather that I need to learn how to eat all foods in the proper portion size, to have a well-balanced diet. While visiting the naturopath I've learned that eating low fat for so long may have contributed to my current health (or lack thereof) and I have happily increased the fat I eat. Early in this journey the naturopath asked me to track my food and had very few suggestions to make my eating better. I was doing quite well on my own and once I started really looking at what I was eating I started losing weight because I started eating better portions.

However, the last six months have really been hard for me as I worked towards this goal. The slow track got very boring. HCG came along and promised quick weightloss. I thought I could cut 5-6 months off my overall journey. I didn't realize until later there were several aspects of that program that wouldn't work for me, and in all reality hcg cost me a good 6 months in my progress. 1. It was so restrictive that I ended the diet even more tired of self-denial and gave up not eating certain foods completely and in some cases a little too early. 2. It totally messed with my head and my thinking. I have always worked on having healthy thinking when it comes to food...but after hcg I was entertaining serious thoughts of bulimia and other diet mentality thinking. 3. While some people can readjust in the three weeks of maintenance, I took months and months. I don't know if I am totally stabilized yet. 4. My body kicked into heavy metal detox which made it even harder to readjust after the diet.

So, I'm back to doing what I know deep inside myself is the right thing for me to do. To strive for a well-balanced, healthy diet that eliminates nothing. I recently found some inspiration in this. One of the sisters in our ward started doing something very similar last March. All she has done was to limit her sugar and refined foods to two days in a year's time (her birthday and Christmas) and exercise 6 times a week. In nine months she has lost 80 pounds and is looking great.

My goal this year is to limit my sugar intake (the obvious sugar) to one day per week. I'll try to limit it to reasonable portions on that day, but I'm not going to sweat it if I over do it once or twice. The second part of this goal is to eat as gluten-free as possible. That, by itself takes care of alot of refined things. The third part is to do some kind of exercise 5-6 days a week. I'll have to figure out how I want to report my progress, but I'm excited.

I'm also a little scared. I'm stepping out on faith. What if my body is still so stressed with detoxing that I still don't lose weight? What I'm hoping for is that I'll be back down to 163 by my birthday in June, but I've decided that at least I'll be eating for health and some day the weight loss should catch up.

So I'm off on a new year already. December 26 was my first day. I haven't done perfectly, but I have done a ton better. So I'm happy with my progress so far. I'm even seeing a very slight sign that things are turning around after the first two days.

I got it!

2010-12-18T14:25:00.001-07:00

I got the job! Sometimes I wondered if they were trying to find ways to not give it to me, but ultimately, the district left it up to my kitchen manager and she wanted me. My new hours start on January 3.

Interview

2010-12-14T22:24:00.001-07:00

My interview is Thursday afternoon. I'm getting nervous. I have the most seniority of the applicants. That should help a little.

Wish me luck!

2010-12-08T22:05:00.002-07:00

I'm pretty nervous about what I've done. I submitted an application for a new job. Actually, it's still with Boise School District Food Service and it's still at my school. The only difference really is that I would be working 5 hours a day instead of 2...AND I would do everything the assistant manager used to do. The only catch is they took the title away so I'll still be an assistant 1...but doing the job of an assistant manager. I just found out today that a fellow who works at North Junior High is also applying. I knew it wouldn't be as easy to get this position as it was to get the 2 hour job 3.5 years ago. THEN, I told them I wanted the job, Jo called to tell the lady at the district office and she told Jo I had the job. I didn't even have to interview. Of course, I had been subbing for four years at that point. Now I'm in my fourth year at this school, eighth year with the district. I guess we'll see if I have enough seniority to help at all.

24th!

2010-11-26T09:27:00.005-07:00

My cousin did a series of posts about her husband during their anniversary month and I thought it was a neat idea. So I’m stealing that idea from her.

So much for copying a good idea. Life has been too crazy. A series of posts became one post.

I didn’t date much in high school, or in college, for that matter. My first date was while we were visiting Payson, Utah. We were living in Lewiston, Utah at the time. I was almost a junior. I was visiting with one of my Payson friends and kind of haphazardly suggested that we grab her brother and her boyfriend and go to a movie together. So, we did. We went to the drive-in and saw “Young Frankenstein.”

The other three dates in high school were also girl’s choice affairs. Two were dances and one was a Young Women’s activity. For that one we had it on April Fool’s day and we colored the food weird colors. We each asked a boy to come to the dinner with us. I asked the boy in the other ward to go with me to this activity. (Yes, boys were limited at that time in Lewiston…they were either dating someone seriously, or my cousins. Very few were available.) He was one of the popular boys in the school and I was surprised when he said he would go with me. The leaders tied our hands together so we were one big chain of people and we had to eat that way. My date was left handed, but valiantly ate with his right hand so he could get along with all the right-handed people.

I was in college before boys started asking me out, and that was rare. I had a low self-esteem, but I had a mask of confidence. To look at me you’d never know I felt poorly about myself. I also didn’t have much training where boys were concerned. I didn’t have an older sister to teach me the ropes, and my oldest brother was 10 years old when I started college. Not a lot of education to aid in the dating scene. Some of my guy friends (Garfield and Bruce and a few others) helped with that. They taught me that boys were afraid of rejection, that if I smiled at boys the battle was won, and that I had a lot going for me.

Here are a few of the boys I dated in college:

-Ben—one date

-The one who told me on our first date that he came to BYU because he knew he would find a wife. I told him it was going to be quite a while before I got married. On our second date he told another boy in the ward that it would be a while before he got married. That was our last date.

-Joel—We went on three dates and he had decided that I was the girl for him. I had to write him a “Dear John” letter during the summer.

-Raymond—who didn’t like the fact that I’d never been outside the United States

-Paul—who believed in keeping his woman bare-foot and pregnant. I let him know I was not the girl for that.

-And then there was Tom! I can count the number of boys I dated on both hands so this is the entire list.

Part 2: Tom is very persistent and optimistic.

Tom and I met in January 1984. It was my third year at BYU and about 1 year after he had returned from his mission. The first time I met him was at a ward dance. He was trying to get my roommate to go skiing with him, and she wasn't taking him up on it. For some reason his persistence didn't impress me then. Tom and his roommate were made home teachers to two of my roommates while the other roommate and I had another set. That's when Tom started winning me over. I was impressed with how much he cared about my roommates and what a good home teacher he was. Soon he was coming over twice a month to home teach and 28 times to goof off.

Tom's persistence and optimism have really paid off through the years. No matter how hard things got he always was looking ahead and seeing the silver lining in the clouds.

Part 3: Tom is fun and impulsive.

One of our best dates was the night we went dancing on campus. We didn’t know anyone at these dances, but there were always a number of ward dances going on. After we danced for a while we ran through the sprinklers. Then Tom showed me how the statue of Brigham Young could do the funky chicken. The statue has been moved now so I don’t know if it will work, but back then you could run across the cuad and the vertical lines of the Administration building passing behind Brigham created an optical illusion that made it seem like he was dancing. Another good date was the night we bought items from the bulk section of Smith’s. Just 3-4 pieces of each kind of candy. The cart was filled with plastic bags and a little candy. We went on a few dates, but mostly just enjoyed doing things together as friends.

Just before leaving on my mission Tom and I played a joke on a mutual friend and went to church "engaged." I had on a cheap, fake diamond and all. During that weekend Tom also kissed me for the first time...my first kiss ever.

Part 4: Tom is supportive.

Most boys wouldn’t take me seriously when I first told them I was going on a mission. They usually did a double take when they realized I was serious. Tom and Bruce were the exception. They were excited that I was going on a mission and totally supported me. Tom wrote about every six months, and his letters were just right. He talked about scriptures that meant something for him and new insights he had about them. He was very encouraging, and wrote the kind of letters a sister missionary needs to receive. Over the years Tom has supported me in everything I do. I don’t think I could hold the calling I do without his support.

Part 5: Tom is a cut above the rest.

He’s the only man I dated more than three times.

He’s the only man I’ve ever kissed.

He’s the only man who had Heavenly Father’s stamp of approval!

Thanks, Tom, for keeping life exciting. Twenty-four years ago I thought I was in love. Now I know a little more about love and look forward to learning more about it with you in the years to come.

Eleanor Roosevelt

2010-11-23T14:50:00.001-07:00

I need to make one of these!

Heroes

2010-11-18T16:26:00.004-07:00

This has been a kind of melancholy day. Some people come into your life and make such a difference that you miss them after they are gone and remember them always. I've been remembering someone like that today.

Four years ago today we got a phone call from Joe Rudd who was the high priest group leader. Tom was one of the assistants. Joe said, "I have bad news. Tim Perry passed away today." Tom and I were so totally shocked that we sat in the living room for several hours, our minds so numb we could hardly think. We couldn't believe it.

Tim was our age, and was our home teacher for a short time before we moved into our house. He helped us with car repairs at least once, but I remember his visits to our home the most. Words can't even explain what a great person he was. I always picture Tim on the other side working with my brother. He was that kind of person. He is one of my heroes.

Tim Perry

Never knew...

2010-11-15T20:53:00.005-07:00

My cousin has some really good ideas and I decided to lift a couple from her. Here's the first one.

I never thought...

I never thought I'd spend so many years in a family of boys.

I never thought I'd enjoy boys as much as I do.

I never thought I’d love a dog like I do Buffee.

I never thought I'd have to choose my husband. My patriarchal blessing told me to CHOOSE wisely...I never thought more than one would be interested.

I never thought I'd have a miscarriage. I never thought I'd have two of them.

I never thought it would take 17 years of renting before we would buy a house.

I never thought my mom would get cancer, and survive.

I never thought my siblings would struggle with drug abuse. I never thought one of my siblings would die young.

I never thought my siblings would struggle with marriages.

I never thought Heavenly Father loved me and accepted me exactly the way I was.

I never thought I'd struggle with infertility.

I never thought I'd have a c-section. It never crossed my mind that I'd be prepared for that possibility a week before it happened.

I never thought I'd leave the country for my mission even though I really wanted to.

I never thought I would counsel people on the effects of verbal and physical abuse.

I never dreamed that my three year old would learn from the experiences of others and decide to always live the word of wisdom. I never thought that same three year old would bear a testimony (by himself) about the importance of making correct choices.

I never knew my children would be so strong that they would be able to counsel me during the rough times, and have the faith to give amazing blessings.

I never knew I was a leader…until Heavenly Father gave me the opportunity while I was on my mission. He sure thought more of me than I did.

I never thought I'd be a lunch lady like my grandma!

It's amazing to see Heavenly Father's plan in my life and how well it turned out...through all the good and bad times.

Thinking of the things I never knew made me think of things I always knew.

I always knew that at least two of my sons would serve missions.

I always knew I would know my husband for a long time while we dated (nearly 3 years), would be engaged for a short time (2-1/2 months) and would be married for all eternity in the temple.

I always knew I'd serve a mission while I was young...as long as marriage wasn't on the horizon.

I always knew Heavenly Father wouldn't steer me wrong; that He would always tell me what was best for me.

I always knew He would be there for me. I just had to overcome my own feelings of worthlessness.

I always knew that I was worth more than I thought I was…stronger than I thought I was.

I always knew I'd serve as Relief Society president...I dreaded it.

I always knew my husband would be a high priest.

I always knew we would be blessed with wonderful children. I really can't take too much credit for how they turned out.

I always knew I would graduate from BYU.

Adventures in the kitchen

2010-11-11T14:45:00.004-07:00

We've been eating new foods this week because of the Bountiful Basket we got on Saturday. Here are a couple things I've made.

Collard Greens--When Johnathan found out we had collard greens he wanted to be invited over. He hasn't had them since his mission in Indiana. He liked the result. So did Tom. The rest picked at it, and James refused to even try it. I don't like my food slimy or too spicy so I thought this would be a good one to try. Don't let our experience talk you out of it. It's a good recipe if you like collard greens. Tom said, "This one can stay on the menu!" Too bad he's the only one who cared for it. Next time we have collard greens I have another three recipes I'd like to try.

Collard Greens Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs collard greens, tough stems discarded, leaves chopped

2 Tbsp medium onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons bacon fat (I chopped the cooked bacon and threw it in. Why have it left over?)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp dark sesame oil (Dynasty or comparable)(Didn't use this because I didn't have it.)

Chili pepper flakes, a pinch

Salt, a couple pinches

Sugar, a couple pinches

METHOD

1 Use a large skillet with a tight fitting cover. Melt bacon fat and heat olive oil on medium heat. Sauté onion until transparent, a couple of mintues. Add garlic and and sauté until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

2 Mix in the greens, sesame oil, chili pepper flakes, salt, and sugar. Cover and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes.

Serve with barbecue sauce. (I put BBQ sauce in the dish and served it that way.)

Serves 4.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/collard_greens/

Brussel Sprouts--Again, James wouldn't even try this. Tom really liked it. Hannah and I thought it was ok. I won't buy brussel sprouts, but if they come in a future basket we'll use them. I used left over cornbread in this and that made it a tad sweeter than it would usually be.

Brussels Sprouts Cheesy Casserole Recipe

Cheddar cheese adds a nice cheesy taste to brussels sprouts!

2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen Brussels sprouts (mine were fresh and I steamed them for a bit.)

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 1/2 c. soft bread crumbs (2 slices)

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (More cheese is always good!)

2 tbsp. chopped onion

2 tbsp. butter, melted

Cook Brussels sprouts according to package directions; drain. Cut sprouts into fourths and set aside.

Combine eggs, half the crumbs, soup, cheese, onion, and dash pepper. Fold in sprouts.

Transfer to a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Combine remaining crumbs and butter; sprinkle atop sprouts. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.

Makes 6-8 servings. --www.cooks.com

I served this with baked bbq chicken.

And last...not new, but I'm so excited at how it has been turning out! The key is the quinoa flour I added. The bread holds it's shape better, is moister and has a heartier taste to it.

Gluten-free bread

On top is the bread. Below is a hamburger bun. The little ball things are drops of dough that were frozen. I'll use those to make cinnamon pull aparts later.

Gluten-free flour mix

1 cup rice flour

1 cup potato starch

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup corn flour (not cornmeal)

1/2 cup tapioca flour

2 cups quinoa flour

6 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum

Mix all together and store in an air tight container. Use at a 1:1 ratio to replace regular flour.

Betsy's Favorite White Sandwich Bread

3 cups gluten-free flour mix

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 tsp yeast

1/4 cup oil

1 3/4 cup warm water

1 tsp vinegar

3 eggs

Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Place yeast on top. (Don't mix it in!) Combine water, oil and vinegar. Pour water mixture over yeast and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Mix well, then add eggs. Beat on high for 5 minutes. Turn on oven to 375. Grease pan and spoon batter into pans. Let rise for 20 minutes. Bake loaf pans for about 35 minutes. Bake English muffin rings (or hamburger buns) for 20 minutes.

How many ways...

2010-11-09T16:39:00.002-07:00

can you spell the word "MOVIE"?

moovee

muuvy

mooovey

Here was my choice during Relief Society on Sunday...

muvie!

I also had a rough time spelling "HOBBIES."

I'm grateful for the wonderful sisters in our ward who didn't mention my poor spelling!

New foods

2010-11-06T13:56:00.002-06:00

I just picked up my first Bountiful Basket!

We're excited to try some new foods. Tom was really excited when I started researching and found out that fuyu is a persimmon. He loves them.

We also got some collard greens and brussel sprouts.

So, PLEASE send me some good recipes. I've never eaten them or cooked them before.

Grateful for...

2010-11-02T14:35:00.003-06:00

Technology!

I don't know how we lived without caller ID. I'm so glad I can look at the number on the phone and then tell Hannah, "It's for you! Answer it yourself!" I've also screened lots of political calls, and once in a while it has been handy to see who called and maybe didn't leave a message. It also helps to answer the phone knowing it's likely going to result in a food order, thus eliminating the surprise factor. lol

But the best is still the internet and computer technology that allows me to touch bases with my family in Honduras. This photo shows Mama and Papa...Francie and Jose Angel with a couple beautiful granddaughters.

Swoosh!

2010-11-01T00:33:00.003-06:00

That was October. Where did it go? I don't know. Do you?

Since my last post my life has been filled with the typical things...Relief Society, work, Relief Society, kids, Relief Society, kids' homework...did I say Relief Society? Please understand! I'm not complaining. Although this job has been very busy and taken lots of time, I'm enjoying it. I just don't have enough hours in the day and wonder where all the time went.

One of the highlights from the last couple weeks was this excerpt from Tim's email...

don't worry about the naturopath thing it will eventualy pass and you will be okay. some things just take time and seem like they will never end, but it will and just as the song "if you could high to kolob" says "there is no end to glory; there is no end to love; there is no end to being; there is no death above." so if we focus on what we are aming for everything will be a lighter burden and we will beable to make it to our goals. then if we stick to verse 4, that will help us alot to because it is like the iron rod. if we follow the things that we have been taught then we will be able to make it with no worry. everything will be okay.

i love you mom. i hope you have a wonderful day!

bye

timothy

Great advice! Especially when I know he has personal experience with it. Tim always struggled with school, but he never gave up. He kept trying and working at it. It's great to see the growth he is making and the man he is becoming.

Looking forward...Tom and I have decided to work together on another goal. This time we are limiting our sugar intake. No sugary treats except twice a week. Wish me luck!

Work, doctors, life, fence and temple

2010-10-12T22:28:00.004-06:00

WORK…

It's been crazy since school started again and I've been hanging on. It always takes me a while to get used to spending 2.5 hours a day working...added into my regular schedule. This year we have a new assistant manager, and it's been stressful. She is having a hard time learning her duties. The other two of us are doing our best to pick up the odds and ends, and we are getting tired. Time will tell if she will be able to do this job. Add in Relief Society, food orders and more Relief Society…I’m going full speed most days. Enough said on that.

DOCTORS…

What else is up is my blood pressure…again. Ugh! It was just borderline high at my doctor’s appointment, but she was worried about it. (The question I have, which no one can answer satisfactorily, is why when my bp was at this level for 10 years they didn't worry about it, but now they get all worried.) She gave me a new prescription (not the one that worked…that would be too easy!) The results were headaches during the night and generally not feeling well during the day, weight GAIN and an INCREASE in my blood pressure. Next I talked to the naturopath about my bp problem. He discovered I am detoxing heavy metals (aluminum and tin in particular) and said that would cause my bp to go up.

WHAT! YOU MEAN THERE'S A CAUSE FOR WHY MY BP WOULD BE GOING UP?! ONCE AGAIN...the doctor was prescribing meds to cover up a symptom while ignoring possible causes. FROM HERE ON OUT THE NATUROPATH IS IN CHARGE OF MY INSIDES AND THE DOCTOR IS IN CHARGE OF EMERGENCY ACCIDENTAL CARE ONLY!

LIFE…

James finally got his Life badge in scouts! He is excited to get working on his Eagle and wants to finish it before he turns 17.

FENCE…

Our poor fence has been sagging for a number of years and we decided it was time to fix it. We took out 11 posts…8 of which were so rotten they weren’t even supporting the weight of the fence anymore. The only thing that kept it up were two rebars, one telephone pole and one bush.

The poor, sagging fence

The three "good" posts

Cementing in the new posts...we decided we never want to do this again!

The new posts are looking good!

Taking out our frustration...

The new fence

Next summer's project...

I can't forget to mention the help we had yesterday getting the fence finished. Kirk Banister and the boys came; each had a hammer. The boys were so cute and pounded away for as long as there were nails to pound. The elders, one of John's friends, our home teacher (Ron Wright) and one other man from the ward also came to help. The fence was finished in less than two hours. Thanks everyone!

TEMPLE…

We traveled to Twin Falls for another family temple trip. Our friend Carol had more names ready for baptism and asked us to meet her there. We did 95 baptisms. I had heard over and over through the years that the people we did the work for would greet us on the other side and thank us for doing their work. I never believed it. I always thought they would greet other people, but that I would be overlooked like I was here.

Two things that happened recently helped me to understand how they really will be waiting for me and wanting to thank me when I get there. The first was meeting the Honduran family online again. They looked me up! They remembered me! They thanked me over and over for the efforts I had put into my mission and teaching them!

The second thing was the Spirit. As they told us that these people would be waiting to thank us on the other side, I knew it was true…even for me!

2010-09-21T15:32:00.003-06:00

Here's a link to James' blog. He is posting some of his short stories, and they are really good...(even if I am a bit prejudiced!)

The first (and only one posted so far) had me riveted! James learned a new word...he didn't know what riveted meant...ha ha.

http://zingmonkey.blogspot.com

Que buena!

2010-09-19T21:13:00.003-06:00

It has been so fun to catch up with the Meza family from my mission. It's so gratifying to know how they have been for the last 25 years and to see the things they have done. I was chatting with Francy tonight. She told me that she was Relief Society president for four years and now is working in the other Relief Society meetings as well as teaching the temple prep class. Her husband is an assistant in the high priests. They are preparing for a temple trip to Guatemala on October 20. She says they go every year and she loves being in the temple. I know they are excited to have connected with me as I am with them. This technology is great! I need a current photo of them. This is the best I could do from their facebook albums.

Nancy (I think), Francy and Jasmin

Francy and her son Manases when he was on his mission--coming or going, I'm not sure which

And with all this Spanish floating around on my facebook I think my English is slipping a little. I was filling out the conducting sheet for Relief Society today and wrote for the lesson "Faith en Cristo" ha ha!

Sometimes I'm slow

2010-09-09T22:51:00.002-06:00

The other day I wrote about something I finally "got" while at the temple with Johnathan and Laney on Saturday.

Tonight I went to a Regional Auxiliary Training meeting and had the opportunity to learn at the feet (almost literally...I was on the second row back, within five feet of the speakers) of two members of the General Relief Society board. On top of that, the Relief Society presidents from our stake and one other stake were invited to attend a focus group with Sisters Staples and Doxey from the General Board.

After being spiritually fed and having several "ah ha" moments, I can honestly say...

I feel like I finally kinda know what I'm supposed to be doing!

200th post

2010-09-08T15:11:00.002-06:00

I've seen people do fun contests and drawings for their 100th and 200th posts. I'd like to do that sometime, but at this stage in my life I'm noticing something a little strange.

At 100 posts...Johnathan came home from his mission and I was writing about it.

At 200 posts...Johnathan was getting married and I wrote about that.

Oh well, maybe things will slow down a little and I'll get to do something really fun for the 300th post. LOL

Change in perspective

2010-09-06T15:12:00.007-06:00

I've had a little time to collect my thoughts about Saturday. One thing the sealer did with John and Laney was to have them look in the mirrors. He told them that the one direction was their ancestors and stretched on and on forever. The other direction was their posterity, which also went on forever. I've seen this done several times, including our own wedding, but I never caught the full vision of what it meant. One thing that made Saturday so powerful for me was that I finally got it.

I've been playing a game on facebook called "FrontierVille." In this game you are given tasks to do and as you complete them you are given new tasks. There are tasks for the house, barn, school, inn and so on. Each series has 5-10 (or so) tasks in it.

I've been thinking how much life is like that. Heavenly Father set up a series of tasks for us to do. There's the "growing up" series of tasks that includes: attending elementary school, getting baptized, graduating from primary. Then there's the "teenage" series: going to Young Men's or Young Womens, attending junior high and high school, dating, learning to drive, and graduating. Then there's the college, mission, and marriage series, which ends with the "get married in the temple" task. All that is followed by the parenthood series. At that point some of the new tasks are: teach your children to work, get your children to do their homework, and raise your children without killing them...to name a few. One of the tasks in this series is the "get your children to temple marriage" series.

Yesterday was a culmination of the "get your children to temple marriage" series for us as we watched Johnathan and Laney get sealed as a couple. However, the next series was opened up for us to see...It is the "help get your grandchildren to the temple" series. We think we know the entire plan and then another view is opened up and we see more of Heavenly Father's perspective. That can be mind boggling.

It all makes me so happy to have the gospel in my life, and to know that Heavenly Father has a plan. I don't understand the entire plan, but I know He does. I'm glad I've learned to trust Him, and I know He is in charge.

The big day

2010-09-05T09:03:00.005-06:00

At this moment I'm having a hard time putting my feelings to words (too little sleep, too much stress and too many feelings all at once). Besides the fact that it was such a special experience that I don't know the words to express it all. Today "a picture says a thousand words" will have to do.

Johnathan and Laney Jenson

September 4, 2010

Boise, Idaho

The part that got to me the most was watching them drive away. True to fashion, Johnathan honked all the way down the street!

Just another one of those goodbye times. (see the post before this one)

Tomorrow...

2010-09-03T18:40:00.001-06:00

First I sent him to kindergarten. He ran in to greet his teacher and new friends without looking back. I went out for some shopping therapy.

Then I sent him into the lone and dreary world when he went on his mission. He was excited and didn't look back. I read my mission journals and reminded myself of all the blessings and growth he would be gaining.

Now, I send him off to start his own family. He's still only looking forward with excitement...

I feel anxious because I know he is starting on some of the hardest years of his life, as he creates this new family, gets through school and settles into a career...

BUT I'm looking forward to grandchildren!

2 days

2010-08-30T16:19:00.017-06:00

What you typically think of as sibling rivalry didn't exist in our house...ever! Johnathan has always been so tender with his siblings. Johnathan was 3 years old when Timothy was born. I was able to leave the hospital on time, but Timothy had to stay for a full 10 days. Johnathan cried because we had to leave the baby at the hospital. He never reverted to earlier behavior because the baby was getting all the attention. He never treated Timothy, James or Hannah poorly. He has always been so sweet, caring and patient with them.

However, a type of sibling rivalry did finally show up at our house...

When Timothy got his Eagle, he pinned the father's pin ABOVE Johnathan's pin on Tom's lapel. James says he will put his above Tim's AND he will be younger than they were when he gets it done!

But I think Johnathan got even when he proposed to Laney the day AFTER Timothy received his mission call!

3 days

2010-08-30T16:19:00.013-06:00

Johnathan has always had a good head on his shoulders. He has been able to discern right and wrong and make wise choices. I always felt sad that some of my siblings were examples of poor choices, but what a wonderful son I was blessed with...a boy who could look at his uncle and aunt and decide at the age of 3 that he would not smoke and drink like they did.

We talked a lot about choices in our family from the time Johnathan was tiny, and it showed in his first testimony. He was nearly 4 years old, and gave his testimony by himself with no prompting. "I'm a big guy. I know the church is true. I know that my church is true. Boys and girls need to have right choices. I want everyone to be happy in the whole world. My testimony is about Jesus. So, boys and girls, we need to get right choices. I want everyone to be happy in the whole country. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

I probably should have worried about the friends Johnathan chose to hang with over the years, but I knew he was strong. He knew where he was going and how to get there. Most of his friends have been non-members. Rather than them being a poor example for him, he has been a good example for them. He accepts them where they are at and loves them no matter what they choose, but at the same time he has helped many of them overcome a wide range of problems. I guess that's where he found his talent for psychology. The van has been known as "Dr. John's mobile psychologist office" for years now!

4 days

2010-08-30T16:19:00.009-06:00

Johnathan has always been very energetic and quick. Not only did he learn everything early, but he went about doing them with vigor. Often I have felt like Johnathan is rushing to meet the world about 100 miles per hour faster than I'm comfortable doing. Half the time I wanted to put on the brakes!

Johnathan has always been very articulate, too. He thinks fast on his feet (another thing he did not get from me). A good example of this is the talk he gave in church last Sunday. He literally remembered he was speaking when he saw his name in the ward bulletin. Those of you who were there...did you even realize that as he spoke? I only realized it when I notice he was using Tom's scriptures.

He is a deep thinker and very analytical (I think he did get that from me), but he has NO FEAR of public speaking and he has always loved to perform. His earliest role was as the son of Jens Nelson in a musical about the handcart pioneers. He has always been interested in producing films, too. While we were in Utah he produced a short film about growing up entitled "Suddenly I Turned Around." He entered that film in the school's reflection contest and it went to the state level, if I remember right. Of course, his favorite part in that was throwing the watermelon off the roof!

I'd sure like to know what happened to that little boy. I can't really have a 22 year old getting married in a few days when I haven't aged a day over 27, can I?

5 days

2010-08-30T16:18:00.003-06:00

One thing I learned about Johnathan was that he couldn't do anything quietly!

I remember thinking one day after Johnathan first learned to talk, "There go our quiet car rides!" And I was right. It seemed that Johnathan thought it was his job to keep everyone entertained while we were driving anywhere. He talked non-stop! Many times we'd have to tell him to stop talking so "mommy and daddy can say something, too."

I especially noticed Johnathan's loud tendencies when Timothy came along and was so quiet. I would watch them play in the yard...Timothy very quiet and methodical, Johnathan very loud and wild. I can still see him in my mind, running, sliding, swinging...and yelling at the top of his lungs!

Six Days...

2010-08-29T16:38:00.005-06:00

Until Johnathan gets married.

I've been thinking about my baby alot lately. Johnathan did everything early.

He sat at four months.

He crawled at six months.

He pulled himself up to furniture at six and a half months.

He walked at nine months.

He pedaled a bike at twelve months.

And he's been running every since!

If you ever wondered why we are so busy around here...now you know...we've been keeping up with the kids!

Cubberley Class of 1980

2010-08-27T14:56:00.006-06:00

That's the class Tom would have graduated from if they hadn't closed his high school between his junior and senior year. So instead Tom graduated in the Palo Alto Class of 1980.

Now, after 30 years alot of these kids have found each other on facebook and decided it was time for the first reunion of the Class of 1980 from Cubberley High, Palo Alto, California.

And that is how we ended our trip to California. We had fun meeting all Tom's friends from high school and getting to know them. For me it was a new experience to be in a large group of people, most of whom were toting a can of beer or some other alcoholic beverage.

We left the party Saturday night about an hour before it ended and while looking at the photos later, Tom commented, "I think the party got wild after we left." Since we've been home, Tom said, "When my two friends came and told me how they feel...I think they were sloshed." Because I grew up in Utah, that just wasn't something that happened in my neighborhoods or schools. I asked Tom if we were the only members at the festivities and he said, "No, there was this guy and that guy, too." Five or six of us in 150 people. Very different than what I'm used to, but I never felt out of place or weird because I wasn't doing what they were doing.

All in all, I think Tom was part of a pretty good group of kids/people. Since we've been home some of the comments we've read thanked us for coming, commented on how much they enjoyed meeting me and the kids, and, my favorite, calling me "the love of Tom's life." I just love that phrase!

A couple of Tom's friends told about a time when they decided to dig a fox hole in the backyard. They got it about 4 feet deep and ran into hard clay. So they filled it with water, thinking it would soften the clay. After four days the clay was still hard so they covered the water hole with a towel and then a truck tire and built an obstacle course. The goal was to get Tom and a couple other boys to run the obstacle course, fall into the hole filled with water, and get mad at them and chase them around the yard.

Well, all was going well until Tom fell into the hole of water...climbed out of the hole and finished the obstacle course. It definitely wasn't the reaction the two boys wanted, but it was so Tom!

Tom also took us to tour his old high school. It is a number of buildings that contain classrooms. The "halls" were only covered overhead by a roof, but other than that it was open to the weather with the class buildings on either side. The lockers were on the sides of the buildings. So virtually they were outside except for when they were in class. I'd never seen a school built like that, but in Palo Alto where the weather is so temperate year round...why have walls and air conditioning?

I'll end with one of my favorite quotes from one of Tom's classmates...

"Mid-life sure beats teen angst!"

I've always said life STARTS at 40!!!

Hands on!

2010-08-22T16:30:00.004-06:00

I've visited several National Parks and have always enjoyed the sights from afar. However, we learned from our friends in Yosemite that the best way is to get up close and personal. I've never seen a place where you can scramble, boulder and climb to your heart's content.

We had a blast scrambling to the foot of the Lower Yosemite Falls to find there's a swimming hole where you can actually swim! Tom and the kids climbed close enough to put their feet in the water, but I sat in the mist and enjoyed nature's air conditioning.

Tom and James thought it would be fun to take pictures of us actually climbing El Capitan. So...

And James had a grand time jumping on top of the world! (On top of Sentinal Dome, that is.)

Next we discovered another swimming hole at the base of El Capitan. Tom and the kids are standing on the rock at the bottom of the picture. I was standing in the middle of the river.

And finally, we discovered a fallen sequoia tree that was hollow. Tom crawled half way through it, but the kids made it all the way.

I think I put in another 20 miles of hiking on this trip, so overall for the summer I have a total of about 35 miles hiked. I'm so excited about that! I couldn't do that just last summer. How I've missed hiking!

Hannah's birthday

2010-08-17T18:42:00.004-06:00

What's more memorable...

Swimming in the ocean on your birthday?

And having a genuine Hostess cupcake birthday cake?

OR!

Receiving a poster of your favorite actor?

And having a real birthday cake?

And having friends to enjoy it all with you?

OR Maybe both?!!!

And still more wildlife from our trip. Hannah was so excited to see the wild horses.

Wildlife

2010-08-16T16:34:00.004-06:00

We've always enjoyed looking for the wildlife while we're camping. Yosemite had lots of wildlife...and most of them liked to pose for photos.

While we were hiking Sentinel Dome we saw a bear and her two cubs.

The Best Thing

2010-08-13T11:11:00.004-06:00

First...

The friends we stayed with in California were an older couple who lived in the ward Tom grew up in. Hank was Tom's bishop at one point. His wife, Colette collects nativities and had hundreds of them on shelves in the garage.

Colette gave this nativity to Tom because Tom's mom made it.

She gave me this one because I served my mission in Honduras. This nativity is from Honduras.

Best of all...

While we were in California I checked my facebook and found a message from a girl whose family I taught while on my mission in Honduras!

This is the Meza family: Jose Angel (dad), Francisca Blanco de Meza (mom), Nancy (smallest girl) and Jasmin.

Jose Angel and Francie took the lessons for a long time. We should have dropped them several times, but we just couldn't because they were such a great family. Jose Angel had studied with the JW's for two years. He was very careful to study everything out to be sure of the move he was making. Finally, they committed to be baptized and I was transferred out of the area just before that happened. I kept in touch with them for a couple years after I came home.

Here's the Meza family on the day they were sealed in the Guatemala temple. Both parents and Jasmin have been active in the church ever since. Manaces served a mission in Costa Rica and is now 24 years old.

I keep thinking of the story that was told about a general authority who served a mission in his youth and only baptized one person. Yet, how much good came from that one baptism?

I wasn't the one who first introduced this family to the church, but I played a part in their progress. How much has happened because of my role in that? Already six people in that one family have been influencing those around them. Add all the others I taught and it is mind-boggling.

Merced

2010-08-10T23:26:00.003-06:00

Usually I post about events chronologically, but this time I thought I'd get the unpleasant out of the way first. Back in April we got the rear brakes fixed before Tim left on his mission. Not long after we started hearing noises from the front brakes. We hoped it would last until after the trip to California, but it wasn't to be. On the first day in Yosemite the brakes were toast. We did the best we could while in Yosemite, but we were NOT going to waste an entire day traveling to a city over 100 miles away to get them fixed. Finally, we left Yosemite on schedule and made our way to Merced, California. We found the Sears there, left the car and walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Long story short...finally 4 hours later we left Merced to drive to Palo Alto and arrived there soon after 9 pm Pacific Time.

Here's James after lunch.

"Hey, I know you're a teenage boy, but don't you think you ate enough?"

(Really, that's all the plates for the entire family stacked up in front of James.)

Sick and Tired...

2010-07-30T13:42:00.002-06:00

I'm so sick and tired of coming to check my blog to find out that the background has been deleted by some entity out there in cyber-dom. I guess I need to try out the blogger designs. Hopefully, I won't come back in a couple weeks to find my blog an ugly blank again.

Album 07/12/10, by Ann Jenson

2010-07-19T21:20:00.002-06:00

These are my favorites of Johnathan and Laney's engagement photos. Thanks, Shauna!

I'd like to share my Walgreens Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Ode to Chocolate

2010-07-17T11:06:00.004-06:00

Oh, chocolate, how I love thee.

I never knew you could bring joy for so long.

In days past you endured one afternoon,

Bringing joy as you melted in my mouth.

Yet this year was different.

When you came into my life on Mother’s Day, I was on a diet.

I tucked you in the freezer, dreaming of the day

When I would once again let you melt in my mouth and bring me joy.

The day finally arrived,

And I learned just how sweet you really are.

Bit by bit you melted in my mouth.

I savored every morsel.

And you lasted two weeks!

Grandma Bright's Bread

2010-07-16T15:44:00.005-06:00

Grandma Bright holding Johnathan

There was nothing better than Grandma Bright's bread while I was growing up. Grandma worked in the lunch room at the elementary school for years and the entire town loved her cinnamon rolls...which she made from scratch to serve at school.

We all wanted to learn how to make it just like her. I took my turn trying to learn it. Grandma made bread while I watched. I guessed at the measurements as she used an old coffee mug to add the flour, a pinch of this and a shake of that. Unfortunately, I wasn't able (for reasons of my own) to stop Grandma and take the time to actually measure everything as she put it in. I did find a recipe later that came close, but close isn't the same.

This spring (while I was doing the hcg diet) I learned that some of my cousins had spent time with Grandma and learned her bread recipe. They had been more assertive than me and had the actual measurements of Grandma Bright's Bread Recipe. I was finally able to try it out today!

Yummy!

Grandma Bright's Bread

1 cup warm/hot water (from the tap is plenty hot...don't want to kill the yeast)

1 Tbsp yeast

Add yeast to the water and let sit until foamy.

Add:

1 tsp salt

1/4-1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or oil

3 cups flour

If you are using a Bosch or Kitchen Aide, add the flour gradually. Let it knead until it looks good. Rise with the lid on or covered with a dish towel for 45 minutes. Grease cookie sheet or 9 x 13 pan for rolls, or 2 bread pans for bread. Punch down the dough and pan it. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and let the dough rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. (Hint: if you rise it in a warm--about 180 degree--oven it can cut that time in half.) Bake 20 minutes for rolls, or 30-35 minutes for loaves. Makes 2 loaves of bread, 24 dinner rolls or 12 cinnamon rolls. Recipe can be doubled.

Girls only

2010-07-15T12:27:00.008-06:00

This was my first trip to the Oregon Coast. I've been to the beach in San Diego and Santa Cruz once each in my 47 years. Tom always talks about how much fun the beach is and how much he misses it. I finally started thinking to myself, "He misses the beach the way I miss the mountains." That's the only way I could relate for a while. I'm beginning to see what the beach means to people. When we finally got to the beach, I didn't care it was only 60 degrees...I was in that water as fast as I could reasonably get there. LOL...I felt like a kid, running down the beach just to get my feet wet.

At the beach in Manzanitas, Oregon

I went with my two friends, Lynda and Donna. They are both 10-14 years older than I am. I felt like a teen as I jumped in and out of the Yukon and walked circles around them. I never thought when I met Donna and Lynda through Dr. Phil's message boards that I'd have lifetime friends. They both live in town. Lynda and I walk together twice a week at the mall. We get with Donna once a month to visit and work on whatever project we have going at the time. Lynda needed companions on this trip to Oregon to pick up her grandma's desk. Donna volunteered herself and me to make the trip. We talked, teased, joked and talked some more. We enjoyed it so much that we are planning another trip in three years to Manzanitas, and we'll just relax and play together for a few days.

Donna, Ann, and Lynda at Seaside, Oregon

And we can't forget the Tillamook Cheese Factory where I experienced Squeaky Cheese for the first time. I'm the face of the cow.

On the way home we took a scenic drive and saw all the falls on the way down the freeway. This is the trail at Bridal Veil Falls. I loved the greens of the trees. Gorgeous!

Me at Bridal Veil Falls

At Multnomah Falls Donna and Lynda waited for me as I walked up to the bridge you see in this photo. The trail to the top was another .8 miles, and I went a little ways, but I didn't want to make them wait 2 hours for me so I didn't go too far. I love how strong I've been feeling, and I knew the hike wouldn't be a problem for me. No worse than the Timp Cave or Wind Cave hikes! As I walked along I thought, "I LOVE doing this. How I've missed it!"

Horsetail Falls

Best Buy of the Season

2010-07-08T17:14:00.004-06:00

Yep, there it is. I bought this as soon as I saw them in the stores. So what we were on a diet at the time. I knew that if I waited until it got hot, they would be gone and I'd be out of luck. I think it is quickly becoming the most used appliance in my kitchen. I honestly don't know how this Jenson family got along without one of these babies.

We used to bribe the kids to be reverent in church with homemade cookies every Sunday. I think the tradition will change starting now. Homemade ice cream as the new reverence treat!

Yummy! Nothing like ice cream without all the fillers, and I can make it gluten-free, too!

Reunion

2010-07-02T21:43:00.008-06:00

The last of our vacation was the Bright Family Reunion. We love this reunion. We've been camping every year for 25-30 years now. We are usually at Willow Flats near Preston, Idaho, or Malibu Campground in Logan Canyon. Lately, we have been in Logan canyon to make it easier for the older generation.

Each of the original families used to cycle through and take a turn planning the reunion. In the last 5 years or so my generation has been doing it more. My Wiser cousins have been doing it for the last 3-4 years and we always look forward to their Dutch oven cooking. This year it was decided that my parents will book the campsite every year, the Wiser boys will cook the community meal, the rest of us will add potluck items for that meal and take turns mailing out info about the reunion. Everyone was happy that way. They like to cook and the rest of us like to eat.

Three of the Wiser boys...Sherwin, Doug and Anthony

This was the main cook this year...Darrel Wiser

There are 9 Wiser boys and they have 2 sisters. Love them all.

Here's a couple recipes:

Meat marinade

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp dry mustard

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 1/2 tsp parsley

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Combine all ingredients. Let meat marinade at least 2 hours. Good also for fresh vegetable shish-kabobs. Cook meat on the grill.

Dutch oven potatoes

1 pound bacon or sausage

1 onion, chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

3-4 pounds potatoes

Brown meat in 12 inch dutch oven. Remove meat and some of the grease if it is too much. Saute onion in the remaining grease. Add meat, soup and potatoes. Stir. My cousin didn't mention adding water, but now that I've tried it I would recommend adding some. Cover with dutch oven lid and bake for about 45 minutes depending on amount of heat. When the potatoes are almost done sprinkle with 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, cover again and finish baking.

Apple Chop Suey

This recipe was made by the Wiser boys' mother (my aunt). She baked it in a 9 x 13 pan in the oven. They have started doing it in the Dutch oven every Sunday after breakfast as the reunion ends.

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

4-6 granny smith apples, cored and sliced

Mix all ingredients together and pour in Dutch oven. Bake until done. Serve with whip cream.

Saturday we spent hiking some more and going to Bear Lake. I have wanted to hike to the wind caves for several years now, but didn't think I was in shape enough before now. This year was my year to reach that goal. It was a 4 mile round trip and quite steep. It raised 900 feet in 1.3 miles.

James and Hannah at the start

Tom on the trail

James, Arie, Garrison, Hannah and me

The wind cave!

James

A very impressive view

This one is cool, too.

The neatest thing happened while we were in the wind cave. We had been hiking in the vicinity of a young Hispanic family. All the way up they would pass us and then we would pass them along the trail. Finally, after exploring the cave a bit I sat down near them and started talking to them. I asked, "Where are you from?"

They said, "Honduras."

I told them I had lived in Honduras for 16 months. Then I asked what part of Honduras they were from.

"Catacamas...It's in Olancho."

Me: "I lived in Catacamas!"

I told them how long I had lived there and when. They asked why I had been there and who some of the people were that I remembered. I told them I had been a missionary.

The father said, "My uncle is Mormon. Did you know Antonio Caceres?"

"Yes! I did know them. They had a daughter named Martha, right?"

The world is so small. There we were sitting on the mountain in Logan canyon talking to the nephew of someone I knew while on my mission in Honduras. Wild!

At Bear Lake

Total miles hiked during our vacation--15!

Btw! Look at the picture of me and the kids on the hike. Notice the shirt I'm wearing. Then look at the pictures in our slide show. Same shirt...sure fits differently now!

The Quest

2010-06-30T10:49:00.003-06:00

Here's the bunch that tried to hike Mount Timpanogus. They decided after five miles that the snow was too dangerous so they didn't make it all the way. They had a great time, though, and are looking forward to another attempt later. Early September was always the best time when Tom and I hiked it before.

James, Tom, Hannah, Aseana, Sean and Roscoe

After camping with the Grubers we met a friend of mine from Junior High and had lunch. Then we visited Tom's sister in Salt Lake City for a night. Tom's mom is living with his sister and it was good to spend some time with them.

More hiking...

2010-06-29T19:25:00.004-06:00

Did I say I like hiking?

Monday we hiked to see Timpanogus Cave. I've done that three times as an adult. The first time I carried a 2 month old Johnathan up that trail and didn't think it was too bad. The next time was in 2004, I was at or near my highest weight and very out of shape. About 3/4 the way I wanted to quit and go back down, but I didn't and finally made it.

This time, 60 pounds lighter and in better shape, it still took me the entire time allowed, but I didn't want to quit at any point on the trail. I thought that was progress.

Here are a few of our favorite photos.

I can't believe how big Hannah has gotten. She's taller than me even on flat ground.

Shellece, Ann and Carol about 1/4 the way

Carol and me

the mountain goats ran off ahead...see the little spot of red?

Shellece, me and Hannah

Hannah resting...she's so cute.

Hannah's "J" tree

The heart

An underground lake

We made it through!

Front: Shellece, Gordon, Aseana, Cora, Hannah

Middle: James, me, Carol, Tom

Back: Jonathan the guide and Sean

Tuesday Shellece and I went for a short hike with the youngest two kids while the men and older kids went on a quest...the quest to conquer Mount Timp. I'll start with that next time.