The Fair Report

The County Fair came to town a bit ago, and Trev and I both entered our handiwork/produce.  We didn't break the bank, but both came away with a little premium money and a few ribbons to show for our work.

Trev's 3 warty pumpkins each earned a blue ribbon.  His 3 wood carvings took a red each, and his origami rose (far right, hard to tell), was awarded a white.  

I entered the above quilts.  The Grinch quilt took 1st and the Sunflower quilt took 2nd.  

Its always an interesting experience to find out what "experts" think about your projects.  I always learn a lot when I get to help during the judging of quilts.  This year I didn't get the call to help, but I would have really loved to hear what the judges said as they evaluated each of my quilts.  Watching them judge one of your quilts while you are standing there is also an interesting thing.  (They have no idea who the quilter is, no names are visible).  Its very tempting to try to explain why you did something when they point out a weird thing, or wonder why something turned out the way it did.  The quilter usually knows exactly what they are talking about. When I was a less-experienced seamstress, there was no way I would have entered anything to be scrutinized and possibly criticized. NO WAY!!  I'm glad I have a little more confidence and a lot thicker skin now that I have a little more wisdom!  :)

A few thoughts on Grace...

Grace, the grace of God, has always been a bit murky to me.  Probably because the Atonement has been murkier!  I get how we can repent, be forgiven and move forward, but really, I never understood how it worked in someone's life who isn't out committing major sins and needing major repentance.  I also, always loved the song, Amazing Grace.  I am not sure I have ever truly listened to the words of that song, but I love the concept that His grace in "amazing", because it is.

A while ago, Brandon sent me a link to a Speech by Brad Wilcox that he gave at BYU in 2011.  Well, suffice to say, I loved it, it sank into my heart and I shared it with many people, especially those in my life who I felt could use encouragement in their struggles. I used part of it for a Family Home Evening lesson.  I even worked it into a Relief Society lesson wondering if it was an approved resource for my lesson.   But since then I have...

Seen it in BYU Alumni Magazine
Heard it referenced over our pulpit by a High Counselor
And, found it in the September issue of the Ensign.

There have been other "sightings" and I'm so happy for that!  It is truly the best explanation of what the Atonement means in our lives and how to take full advantage of it.  Which I think is so important because if we don't take advantage of it, the Savior died on the cross all for naught!!  The best way we can show our appreciation for his sacrifice for us is to take FULL advantage of it!

You can read the talk in the Ensign, but I think it is more powerful to listen to or watch it from the link above.  Anyone who feels like they are too far gone to be eligible for repentance will be encouraged by Bro. Wilcox's plea for them to try it, to trust in it and to seek the peace it can bring.

I am grateful to have this knowledge and the way it has enriched my life.  I am grateful for the Atonement and the love of the Savior in my life. I am grateful for the power of Grace.

*Here is a quirky little sideline about Brad Wilcox.  When I lived in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, the play "My Turn on Earth" came to town.  That is still a little baffling to me, because Scottsbluff is about as small as it sounds.  Just around 10,000 people, and out in the middle of the Nebraska panhandle.  Anyway, Brad Wilcox was one of the actors in the play, and I'm quite certain I got his autograph on my program.  I remember going on stage after it was over.  Crazy, huh?  I also remember selling him movie tickets to the Varsity Theatre when I worked at the Candy Jar as a BYU student.  I'm sure I recognized his face as he probably paid in cash and quite possibly may have commented that I saw him in the play.  Not sure on that point!  Well, here it is many years later, and he has made a different sort of impression on me!

Its a beautiful day!

Whenever the song, "It's a Beautiful Day" by Michael Buble, comes on the radio, and Kristin's in the car, she proclaims how much she loves this song.  Not to be confused with the other 20 songs she proclaims to be her favorite when they come on!  :)  She has a lot of No. 1's.

Anyway, up until the other day, I hadn't really listened to the words, and just assumed it was about someone who was having a great day because they were in love!

Well, I couldn't have been more wrong!  The song is all about a break-up, and for whatever reason, I have smiled ever since when I think of that song!  Not that I advocate break-ups or anything!  I think I smile because I was so wrong about the song!  Now, of course, some break-ups are just what is needed, and then people really do have a beautiful day, so I guess it just depends on your perspective.

Since I am so good at giving links with descriptors, here is the fast path to the music video.  Enjoy as Michael sings about his beautiful day!

And have one yourself, sans break up!

Let's talk books

If you know me at all, you know that one of my favorite things to do is read.  I love, love, love it!!

This quote, which I kid you not (I had already decided to blog about books when I found it) came up on my Goodreads quote of the day pretty much sums it up...

Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book. 

Jane Smiley

I thought I would share a few of my all-time favorite books today.  I have many that I love, but will only choose a few in consideration of whoever out there might be reading this!  ;)

The top of my list has to be The Book of Mormon.  As a teenager, I just didn't get it.  Of course, back then, I hadn't read it through, and therefore wasn't really qualified to make any kind of judgement about it.  Well, 30+ years later, I have read it cover to cover many times.  I now feel qualified to say that it is true.  The principles in it can enrich our lives if we will let them.  The Prophet Joseph Smith brought this book out of obscurity, translated it through the power of God, and made possible its publication.  His sacrifice for this book and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is something I will always be grateful for.  There is so much in this book that reading it one time will not suffice, and a continual study will only benefit the reader.  If you haven't read it, do it!!

Now, to more secular books...

The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, is a book that stayed with me a long time.  It made me want to buy eggs from locals who didn't have to clip off the beaks of their chickens, and to buy beef that wasn't from cows fed in CAFOs.  I read labels for many days after to see just how many products in the ingredient list were made from corn or corn by-products, and I envisioned the perfect life on a self-sustainable farm, complete with my own chickens who would live in a coop that I moved to follow the cows in the fields.
The author has an agenda, I'm sure, but I didn't feel he was pushing it on the reader.  I felt he was just informing us of the practices used by food processors in the industry today.

I finally coerced our book club to read Mere Christianity, by CS Lewis, this month.  It is deep, it is not a beach read, and it is worth every minute you put into it.  So many things he talks about are so close to LDS doctrine, a person has to wonder if he didn't know at least a little bit about it, but I'm quite sure he didn't.  You have to read a chapter, and then most likely read it again.  I discovered some study questions that will help the next time I read it, and I will read it again.  My favorite part?  The Rat Analogy.  Do I act like I should when I am caught unawares?  That alone makes it worth my time to read.

My favorite classic, Pride and Prejudice, by none other than Miss Austen herself, has to be first, but admittingly, I also love Middlemarch by George Eliot, aka Mary Ann Evans.  Two favorite parts from each novel.  P&P - Mr. Bennet's declaration that Elizabeth will be lost to him if she marries Mr. Collins, or lost to her mother if she doesn't!  Classic Jane Austen.  Middlemarch's last page holds one of my all time favorite quotes spoken by Dorothea - "What are we here for if not to make life less difficult for one another."  Timeless advice to enrich our lives as well as those we serve.

As for contemporary literature, The Poisonwood Bible gets my top vote.  Barbara Kingsolver tells the story of an evangelical preacher who takes his wife and 4 girls to the Congo to save the natives.  It is heart breaking to see the effects of life in the jungle on the patriarch, who is the classic example of power gone bad, and his family who are innocent victims of his attempts to save the world.  Admittingly, I haven't loved most of the other books by this author, although Animal, Vegetable, Mineral was informative and well-done, along the vein of Omnivore.  Following the lives of Rachel, Leah, Adah and Ruth May will keep you engaged and turning pages.  (And if you like pallindromes, there are more than a few in here.  I found those quite fascinating.)

And finally, in full disclosure, my guilty pleasure would have to be Coming Home, by Rosemunde Pilcher.  Unlike the book cover in the above link, my copy has a bunch of pink roses and looks like a totally shallow romance novel. Yuck!! I have read this book several times, and each time get swept up in Judith's life as well as the other characters developed by Ms. Pilcher.  The descriptions of Cornwall cause me to want to look up flights to England and book a ticket.  It isn't deep, the story is a tiny bit predictible, and (gasp) after my last reading, I found it doesn't fit my criteria for language!  How did I miss that? But I do love it, and when I need a book to take me away, this is my go to!  And it definitely qualifies as a beach read.  I almost always scorn fluffy books, and some may consider this one.  If that is the case, so be it!  I don't care!

My son-in-law, Brandon, doesn't understand how a person could read a book again, (although I am sure The Book of Mormon is exempt from this to him.)  I know there are many books out there that are on my list, and not enough time to read them all, but sometimes revisiting a favorite title is just the ticket to remind me how much and why I love a book or an author. I catch things I missed in previous readings, and am enriched by them. I am sure I will never be able to adequately explain this to him, but maybe we'll just have to agree to disagree on this point.

What am I reading now?  Gulp, by Mary Roach.  This author has a fantastic sense of humor, and somehow that translates in the books she writes.  Now that may not seem so unusual, but consider the topics she has chosen to write about...the alimentary canal, cadavores, science and sex, life for an astronaut in space, the afterlife.  None of these topics are particularly funny, but she is able to do the research and make an interesting and informative read out of them.  I have admittingly only read the book about cadavores, and honestly, not sure how far I will get in Gulp.  It could get pretty gross, but I'm willing to give it a try because I really like the author, and who wouldn't benefit from learning more about how our bodies, one of the great miracles of life, work?  I will give an update after I am finished reading it.

Books have always played a huge role in my life.  From Nancy Drew to Laura Ingalls Wilder to the Boxcar Children as a young girl, then on to bigger and sometimes, but not always better, characters, I have been grateful for the ability to read, and the love of reading my mom encouraged by making sure my siblings and I always got to the library.

So many books, so little time!! (Look it up, its a book also.)

Raindrops on roses...

Today was a crazy, rainy day.  It started in the middle of the night, and went all morning, then took a break in the early afternoon, and full out poured in the evening, and has been raining tonight!!  

So, the roses on the rockwall definitely have raindrops on them, but these roses were picked the other day, and have been making the table a little prettier ever since.  

The three in front have my vote for the favorite roses in the rose garden. From left to right - Double Delight, Sunset Celebration* and Diana, Princess of Wales.  They are all lovely colors and have just the right rose scent.  A little musky, not the heavy old-fashioned fragrance, really pleasing to take a whiff of.

Rose season is drawing to a close, especially if we keep getting as much rain as we have lately.  I'm so glad to have this last little bit of summer sitting on my counter.

*Here is a little back story on the Sunset Celebration rosebush.  It sits right at the edge of the rock wall, just in front of a very pushy lilac.  (The lilac is beautiful and fragrant in the spring, but the rest of the summer, I could do without it!  Just a sidenote.)  Anyway, the SC rose wasn't doing very well for several consecutive summers, and one day I decided to really chop back the lilac.  Well, as a result, the rose began getting consistent sunlight and began to thrive.  I liken that to the "Son" in our lives and if we will let His light into our lives, we too can thrive.  Just a little Gospel thought for you.

Playing for the cure

This afternoon was the cross-river rival girls soccer game.  Sometime in the last few years, this has become a fund raising opportunity for breast cancer. The teams wear special jerseys, and in CHS's case, socks, and at the end of the day, there is money to donate to breast cancer.  (I'm very foggy on the details, so that's really all I know about the fundraising part.  This wasn't something Chelsie's team did when she played for LHS.)

This game holds more interest than most, because many of the girls on both teams have played for several seasons on the same traveling soccer team.  Also, several of the girls are LDS, and know each other from Girls Camp, Trek, Youth Conference and youth dances.  It is really fun to watch them on the field competing against each other, really battling it out, then afterwards, giving each other hugs, and apologizing for accidentally hitting one another.:)  Sadly, LHS came out on the short end.  It was a good game, the refs let them play, and the comraderie at the end was great.

This game holds a little more meaning for me this year, as my former sister-in-law was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  She caught it early, has a treatment plan, is staying positive and has a good support system of friends and family.  I truly wish her all the best.  I think she will appreciate knowing this game was played in support of women like her, battling in a different way, but like the soccer girls, hoping for a check in their win column.

Kristin and one of her former teammates, now rivals.  You can see they misspelled our last name on her jersey.  That hasn't happened for a long time, so I guess it isn't surprising.

They even played with a pink soccer ball.  

Kristin with the throw in.  One of those L's has her name on it.

With her really good friend and tough competitor, Addie, after the game.  

It's time for Pasquale

Pasquale Vignola
born - 1865  Potenza, Potenza, Basilicata, Italy
died - 15 jan 1900  Denver, CO

Pasquale is my Great-great Grandfather on my dad's side.

His name has been niggling at the back of my mind for some time now.  I tried to get a little info on him and promptly hit a road block.  My dad found out some things, emailed them to me, and I promptly (I am very prompt sometimes!)  archived them in my email and got busy with life.

Fast forward to this weekend - our Stake Conference.

At the 4:00 meeting yesterday, ward leaderships were taught how Family History brings everything together in the Gospel, and that we can't be saved without our ancestors, just as they can't be saved without us.  We were instructed that we need to use our callings to encourage Family History in our wards, and encouraged to take our own family names to the temple instead of doing the work for those names already there.

At the meeting today, President Perez issued the challenge for us to prepare one name to take to the temple before the next Stake Conference in 6 months.

Now, what is my excuse for not getting something like that accomplished??
Distance?  No, I live about 5 minutes from the nearest Family History Center.
Access to records?  No, I have some computer skills, and again the FHC 5 mins away.  Also, in the FHC there are 19 (I think) programs that the Church has provided for us to use which are free to us but would cost a lot of money to have access to at home.
Time?  No, I am down to 2 kids at home, and could definitely find an hour or two a week to work on it.
The work is all done?  Hah!!

Clearly, there is no reason to let my ancestors wonder if I'm ever going to get their work done.  Maybe I can even enlist my dad to help out.

So, I think I know what I need to do.  Pasquale is my first goal, and who knows where he will take me.

It's Time!!

Livin' in the land down under...

Of all our children, our oldest daughter, Ashley, had our vote for "Most Likely to Live in the Same Town All Her Life" Award.

Well, we couldn't have been more off target.  Since going to college, she has lived in Provo, Dallas, Seattle, back to Dallas, Philadelphia, Bogota (yes, Colombia), and again to Dallas.

For their next big adventure, they are heading to Perth, Australia!!  Who would have ever thought it??

Now, as the mama of this wonderful girl, I have to report on my progress...

When she was first married, the thought of her moving so far away would have sent me into all manner of panic attacks, and worriedness, and even just plain sadness that she would be so far away.

But 7 years into her great married adventure, I am happy to say that I am so excited for her and her family.  I have a feeling that having her move so many times, to places far away and may I say, dangerous in one case, has made me a little more open to her adventures, and maybe the opportunity of a few of my own!!

So, I say, bring on Australia!  It will be far, it will be hard to communicate (there is a 15 hour time difference), but it will be fun, and new, and it is something that they have been wanting to do for a while, and here is there chance, so who am I to throw water on their exciting plans!!

But, should I get to visit, please don't be surprised and/or offended if I pass on the vegimite sandwich!  ;)

Another Garden Post

Yesterday when I went out to pick the garden, I realized that I had some beautiful flowers going in my yard.  Not the fact that I didn't realize this until now, gives away my lack of involvement in the flower department this year, but despite my neglect, there are a few pretty ones to share.

We tried some pots in the shade and this dragonwing begonia really stands out.  Much better than the other begonia behind it, the alyssum that didn't make it through the summer and the coleus which you can see if you peer at the left side of the pot intently.

This is my miracle sunflower.  When I was weeding the garden earlier in the summer, I accidentally pulled out the young plant.  I quickly replanted it, but it wilted as a newly yanked out plant would.  But wonder of wonders...it survived.  Although it is small and bloomed later than the few other sunflowers in the garden, I enjoy it everytime I get out there to pick the garden.

Same plant, just a close up.  I love how the sun lights up the petals.

Orange zinnias and purple osteospernum.  What a happy combo.  The zinnias are volunteer from last year, and the osteospernum is an annual I stuck in the ground in the early summer.  I love the way they look together.

A close up of an aster that isn't the prettiest one in the patch, surrounded by weeds.  Beautiful or not, it is supplying pollan and nectar for this bee.  The circle of life...we are all connected to each other...any other Disney song you would like to insert that applies.  :)

Fall is my favorite for many reasons, and it just occured to me that one big reason may be that the temperature is more conducive to actually spending time outdoors, and giving me a chance to enjoy our yard.

Today I have something to say...

yesterday, I did not.  Hence, no blog post.  It was late when
Kristin had me help her with learning Latin American countries and capitals, and I realized when it was time to blog that I had nothing rattling around in my head to blog about!  I decided that rather than just rambling about nothing, I could feel good about skipping a day and spare whoever is reading this a dull, stupid blog post.  You are welcome!!  :)

But today, I had several different thoughts.  Should I blog about books I have read lately?  Should I blog about the class I signed up for at Big Picture Classes that has been eliciting all kinds of memories from my childhood?  No, I thought I would leave those for another time and revisit my good friends of late, summer squash!!

We are having a potluck for our RS Meeting tonight, with the main dish being this ridiculously easy pulled pork recipe.  The pork is being made by others and we are also supposed to bring a dessert or side dish, and as I still have more summer squash than I can possibly use before the next wave comes, I decided to make this recipe.

It is a good one.  I modify it a bit, as I never have radishes.  When I have tons of summer squash, I also have tons of cucumbers, so I put in a cup of julienned cucumbers and a cup of chopped onion (preferably a Walla Walla Sweet).  You will note that my "sticks" of veggies are nowhere close to uniform in size.  If I had a mandoline, I am sure it would look much better.  My limited experience with a mandoline left me missing a small chunk of my pinkie, so I choose to take a little extra time to cut them with a knife, and risk having them non-uniform.  (As if there is even a chance that they will be uniform!!  ;)

Btw - before I started this blog experiment, I had no idea how to get from my blog to a link using a word or phrase.  I'm sure for most others, this is common knowledge and you are at this moment rolling your eyes at this.  But...I am pretty excited that I figured it out all by myself.  I didn't even have to Google it!  Kudos to me!!

Try the salad if you so feel inclined and/or have a kitchen counter being overrun by green and yellow vegetables.  I think you'll like it.  (Here is a funny thing relating to zucchini - when I was buying Amber some food to get her started at school, she wanted a zucchini!!!  It took a little cajoling for me to actually pay money for one knowing what I had waiting for me at home!  As a mom, how could I turn down a request that included a vegetable???)

All the kids are teenagers now (or have been one in the past)

I started a tradition of hanging a sign on our house when each of the girls turned 13.  Living 2 blocks from the jr. high school, I loved the thought that when their friends walked home, they would see the sign and know it was their birthday.

Well, having a child with a summer birthday shot a hole in that tradition.  In the middle of July, the only people who walk by our house are those who are out for a morning walk/run/stroll.  The fact that Trev was at Scout Camp the week of his birthday only complicated things.  

Of course, I still wanted his picture with his sign to complete my collection, so even though this was taken about a month after his birthday, it is still accurate, and solves my dilemma.  Win/win.

Everyone knows the sterotypical teenage girl...I won't even go into detail about that.  I didn't really know what to expect from a teenage boy so all I can say is it is a new adventure.  Sometimes a pretty wild and loud one, but being the great kid that he is, we'll keep him!!

The raisin project - Day 18

We have had grapes down the side of our yard for many years.  The past few years they have really taken off, and this is the second year we had so many we could make grapes.  I do find it very ironic that they have finally become so prolific as the number of people living in our home is shrinking!!!

This year, John made a trellis so 1) the neighbor's horses wouldn't eat the grapes, and 2) the grapes would hang down and make it easier to pick the bunches.  The trellis is a great success!!  Unfortunately, it was a BAD year for wasps and they were as eager to get to our grapes as we were.  They ate a lot, and consequently, we picked the rest of the grapes before they were completely ripe.  Through the process of dehydrating them, though, they do become sweet and tasty.  

Ready to be washed and picked off the stems...
These will make some delicious golden raisins.

On the trays, waiting to go into the dehydrator.  I'm not going to lie.  Picking them off the stems is a mindless, boring job, made much easier by a good movie!!

In the dehydrator.
Here is a funny thing.  When I was looking at this picture on my camera, sans reading glasses, I couldn't figure out where I would have taken a picture of a black plaque with green lettering on it!!  (My eye dr. husband will not find that amusing!!  :)

One of the finished trays.  I did 2 full batches this year.  18 total trays.

Ready to be put into quart jars...

The finished product on the pantry shelves. We have 13 1/2 quarts this year.
We won't think about how many quarts the wasps got!  

There and back again...(but I am not a Hobbit)

The big trip is over, I am back home, Amber is in her new "home", and its time to adjust to 4 people living in our home (Kristin tried to set the table with 5 plates tonight :(   But of course, its all good, and here is a quick summary of our BYU-I adventure...

I loved walking around the campus.  It reminded me a lot of BYU-Provo.  One of my favorite things is the conference center that holds 15,000 people.  It is amazing!!!

Unpacking!!!
 (I wonder if they ever consider making the closets just a little bigger in the girls' apartments??)

Dinner at Jimmie John's Sandwich shop.  Yummy bread!!!
Allison, Ryan, Amber and Andriana (Amber's roommate)

I was very happy the BYU-Utah game wasn't this week, as I'm certain Allison and Ryan wouldn't have been able to come see us!!  :)  But the game is next week, and they came, and it was great to have our newlyweds hanging out with us for the day!!  (Note - Students are not allowed to wear capris on BYU-I campus.  I knew this, but totally forgot, and the only pants I packed were capris!  Oops!!)

The beautiful Rexburg LDS Temple.  I got to attend twice - once with my friends, the Youngs, who put me up for the weekend, and once with Allison and Ryan!  There are stained glass windows on all every side and they have gold, green, and blue glass.  There is a wheat motif throughout the whole temple.  Really lovely!
Notice the "R" on the hill behind the temple...Amber said people hike that and its on her list of things to do.  I didn't even know there was an "R"!!

I loved this little bit of whimsy in front of the architecture building.

Amber and her roommie!! (You can just see the corner of her bed behind her.  This comforter wasn't her first choice, but as that one was sold out, she got this one (which wouldn't have happened without her Aunt Dawn!  Thank you, Aunt Dawn!!!).  She really loves this one though, and it looks very cute on her bed.

One final note - I wish so badly I had taken a picture of my friends, the Youngs.  I didn't think about it until this morning and I was pretty sure Lynnette didn't want me to take a picture of her in her robe, so I didn't even ask.  Shoot!! They lived in Lewiston for years, and moved to Rexburg about 4 years ago to be closer to family.  Of course, they love being close to family, but I know many people here really miss them, including our family!!  They were so good to me this weekend, and I loved spending time with them!!  

Off on an adventure...

It is finally here...the day to take amber to BYU-Idaho...tomorrow...it couldn't have been a day longer...
As it usually is before a trip, it has been a chaotic night, and its time to hit the hay, and get up bright and early and head out because as you may or may not know, Rexburg is quite a drive from our little hamlet.  In case you are wondering, there are 3 different routes to get there, and not one is preferred over the other.  I took an unofficial poll. It wasn't much help!
It will be pretty unlikely for me to blog while I am gone, so I will have to play catch up when I get back.  Just know that it will be a great adventure, and I may have a story or two to tell when I get back.
See ya!

2 weeks GBE

Well, two weeks into it, and I haven't been perfect, but I haven't given up either.  Honestly, I don't feel inspired at all to be witty, introspective, or impressive.  I do feel like sharing 2 blog posts I have run across recently.

This one is by Jen Hatmaker.  (Maybe some of you have heard of her post that highlighted her as the Worst End of School Mom Ever.  It is pretty funny in and of itself, and if you are interested, click here.  My son-in-law Brandon actually sent that post to me, and I was ever so glad.)  But I have digressed...

The other blog post was shared by my youngest sister on Facebook. (The language in this post is not squeaky clean.  Just a head's up.)

What I find interesting about both of these posts is not only that they are somewhat related, but that neither of these moms are LDS.  Now, I'm not going to claim LDS women have the market on comparing themselves to other moms, but those of you who have listened to General Conference or a General RS Broadcast lately, know that it is a big problem among us.  We strive hard to be perfect, then fall short because we are human, and move on to beating ourselves up because we are NOT perfect, and surely are the LEAST perfect of all the sisters in our ward who are, well, perfect!!  It is a vicious circle.

Now that I am a grandma, and my kids are not little anymore, and I have (more than a few) grey hairs, I can honestly say that I am often able to refrain from comparing myself to others.  I think I have learned at least that much in my life so far.  But I would be dishonest if I said that the comparison monster does not rear his ugly head occasionally, and I have to beat it away (one good use for those gargantuan zuchinni, hee hee) and step back and remember that I would be a fool to let him get into my head.

I think that the majority of the time, though, I rejoice in the good things that happen to those in my circle, and that I sorrow with them for the not so good things that happen, and cheer them on when they are doing something hard or new, and, most of all, that I keep my perspective.  I would like to think these things anyway...

As I said at the beginning, I'm not perfect, but I haven't given up...

Don't make me call my flying monkeys...

I have always been a Wizard of Oz fan.  I truly have no idea how many times I watched it as a child/teenager.  I haven't watched it a lot as an adult, mostly because my kids weren't very interested in it, not like I was.  I love that it starts out in black and white, then magically changes to full color when Dorothy landed in Oz.  

I love the Munchkins, Almira Gulch and her bicycle, flying through the air, and Dorothy's interaction with each of her Oz friends - the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.  I don't know how old I was when I realized the farm hands in the beginning of the movie were those three characters in Oz.  I LOVE Dorothy's ruby slippers and the fact that she can tap them 3 times and they will take her home.  

I also love the soldiers marching into the castle singing Oh-Ee-Oh, Oh-Oh.  (maybe its the song I love more than the actual soldiers.)  I don't love the wicked witch, but I do love the concept of her ability to call out the Flying Monkeys when she needed a little back up.

Now, I can't claim magical powers, or that I know the secret to getting yourself back home when you lose your way, but I have been known a time or two to warn my kids that they don't want me to call my Flying Monkeys!!  :)

Enter this sign that I ran across at the BYU Bookstore the last time we were there!  I truly couldn't resist buying it because now I have something physical I can flash when the need arises to call out the FMs.

So perfect when my inner wicked witch surfaces!! ;)

Happy Birthday Chelsie!!! - day 13

Happy Birthday, Chelsie!!  #24, and going strong!  She is smart, funny, has a strong testimony, is a great wife, and will be a mama soon. (She is ignoring the fact that she was a really crabby baby and relying on the knowledge that Dallin was a very happy baby!  :) She works hard, plays hard, and loves life. (If you don't believe me, just look at this picture...it is indicative of Chelsie and her husband, Dallin.  They love to goof off.)

Despite being a crabby baby, she got over that, and for the most part has been a most pleasant family member.

Chelsie spent many, many hours on the soccer field.  She started in Kindergarten and played all the
 way through her Sr. year in High School.   

Dressed up in their wedding clothes at Allison and Ryan's Mexican Fiesta reception.

Of course, I could go on and on about her, and these few pictures don't really tell her full story, but in the spirit of shortness and sweetness, let me just say how much we love her and are so grateful she is in our family, and how much I love that I get to be her mom!! 

Here's to many more, dear Chelsie!  We love you!!!

A lesson learned a little too well...Day 12

Some of you may remember this post wherein I told of the great lesson I learned to live in the moment and not always try to capture it on the camera.  Well, I am here to tell you, there must be a happy medium somewhere, but I have yet to find it.  

There are ZERO pictures from Allison and Ryan's open house because I DIDN'T TAKE ANY!!  Really! None of the dessert table.  None of Alli and Ryan chatting with some of the guests. None of the present table, or the Mexican banner strung along the bottom of the deck, or my 3 friends who slaved in the kitchen to keep things organized, or Ryan's parents who traveled from Southern California to be here, and, you guessed it, none of the beautiful flowers my friend, Roberta, put together!!  AAUUGGHH!!!  I am so sad about this!

The best I can do is show this picture of the lanterns the girls made for the trees.  This is actually the day after the Open House, when we lit them.  Logistically, we just couldn't work out getting them lit for the actual event.  I know - Lame!!  And truly, this picture doesn't do them any justice, but you will have to take my word, they are charming, and will be perfect next time we need them.

Here is a sweet little moment from my day.  As I was cooking the usual Saturday night hamburgers, I noticed a bird on the edge of this lantern.  The bird kept dipping into it as if it was eating, but all I can figure is that there is water in there from our recent rain, and it was getting a little liquid refreshment.





I decided that this moment is one benefit of my blogging experiment...I notice little things like this and run to get my camera.  I truly had to run Trevor over as I was getting it.  It was not my finest moment. :)

Day 11 and a strange coincidence

This morning when I opened my email, I found this waiting for me to read.   The TED talk is short, and really good.  I have been thinking up 30 day challenges all day.

Now just a little background...
Stacy lived in our ward for about a year way back in the late 90's.  She is talented beyond my wildest dreams, and developed a scrapbook education company, and is in demand by scrapbook companies galore.  She is a mom, a wife, and a strong member of the Church, which is about where the similarities between us end.  Well, she is only a few years younger than me, so there is one more.  She was a great friend to have for a year, but sadly she moved away and we lost touch.
Fast forward to 2011...my good friend, Sue, moved to the same town as Stacy and in a crazy twist of fate, moved right across the street from Stacy.  Our friendship was re-kindled.  Yay!

Now, those of you who may know me well, will know that I am often a day late and a dollar short, and NEVER on the cutting edge of anything, but miracle of miracles, I set the same goal as Stacy, and even did it before her!!  I am sure this sounds really stupid to you, but I feel a certain something, although at this point, it must remain unnamed because I really can't define it.  Suffice to say, I feel a little on the cutting edge, and a little more on par with Stacy.  (Not that I am comparing myself to her...no, no, no...that would be foolish as our lifestyles aren't really comparable.  I will admit that seems a lot like what I am doing, but you will have to trust me, I am not.)

So to wrap things up...
-I loved the TED talk.  Have you discovered TED talks? I have only seen a few, but they are good.  I should spend a little more time with them.
-I am happy to have a rekindled relationship with Stacy.  She is really a very motivating person to have in your life.  And I am NOT comparing myself to her.
-I am happy I followed through with the idea to blog for 30 days and look forward to more 30 day challenges.

Day 10 - GBE

Well, we knew it would happen, I just really thought it would take me a little longer, but it's happened, and I'm going to just keep moving forward.  So in that spirit, here is Day 9...

You may just think this is a blurry photo, but if you look closely you will see that raindrops are making it look that way!  The weather all week has been muggy!  Hot and muggy.  Tuesday it rained, and it was still a little hot, but the sun was hidden by the clouds, and it was nice.  Sadly, by the time I walked out of the grocery store, the sun was out, and the rain was gone.

Yesterday, Amber and I traveled to Walla Walla for some desperately needed dental work, and were entertained the whole way home by a very cool lightning storm.  Then in the middle of the night, it rained again.  (The Walla Walla trip is my excuse for skipping my blog yesterday.  I was very tired and had a killer headache by the time we got home, and I completely forgot about doing it!  Darn!!

That brings us to today, and this is what it did all morning.  Lovely, steady rain!!  My windows were open, there was a breeze going through my house, and I even pulled on a sweatshirt as I felt a little chilled.  "Mmm..Fall is falling", I thought to myself!!

But like many good things, it was only temporary, and by noon, it was warming up again, and I was peeling off my sweatshirt, and the sun came out for most of the afternoon.  "Shoot", I thought to myself, "so much for Fall!!"

The sun was hidden by clouds all through Kristin's soccer game, which was not only nice for the players, but the spectators as well.  But as I type, we are back to heavy, hot air.  It was good while it lasted.

The New and "Improved" Library

Anyone who knows me well, knows how I feel about the library in our fair city.  It is an old hardware store that was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, but ended up being there for decades.

You can read more of my rantings in this post. (Sorry if that doesn't work, I've never tried it before.)

Fast forward to June, 2013.  There is finally a new library in town - downtown, in fact.  It is also a former hardware store (ironic) but it has been remodeled into a really beautiful building.  It is large, spacious and looks like a library, not a cinder block building.  I was ecstatic to hear there was finally a solution to a big problem, I was able to volunteer a little when they were getting ready to move to the new building and I was eagerly awaiting the opening day...
You can see it was a great effort, and it is about the farthest thing from looking like a hardware store.  You can't see the benches in front, but there are quotes, and mosaics, and the round thing in front is a sort of fountain.  Who wouldn't love this library in their town???

Here's the thing - it is a huge disappointment to me.  Maybe I am being overly sensitive about the whole thing, and not grateful enough.  I am not sure what to think.

The first thing that was hard to swallow was the fact that instead of using the dewey decimal system to catalog the books, they used a new system called BI-SAC.  It categorizes the books by subject.  A book about quilting may have a label on it like  QUILTING
                                                               HOW TO
                                                               BURNS
It basically dumbs things down so people don't have to find the call number, then find the book.  They still have to look it up on a computer, and still have to find the book.  I learned about this because my job as a volunteer was to put the new labels on the books.  It made me sad.  I can't tell you why, but I have always loved the Dewey Decimal System.  It really makes sense to me.  BI-SAC seems like there could be a lot of mistakes, and I know for a fact more than one book was mislabeled during the process.

The other thing that is stuck in my craw is the quantity of books.  This new building is huge, and there is a second floor, and there is ROOM FOR LOTS OF BOOKS.  I know (also as a result of volunteering) that many titles were deleted because the library powers that be wanted the library to be open and spacious.  Not crowded...even with books!!! ) I find that totally oxymoronic, if that may apply here!  What better use for space in a library than for books? (I am almost certain the chapter book section is smaller than the old space.  Trevor was sure there were more books upstairs, but after today, I will have to tell him that is all there is!  :(

I really don't understand either of these things.  Maybe I have been an ostrich with my head in the sand, and libraries are on their way out.  This last disappointment may be the evidence that is true.  There are two big screens in the teen area for video games!!!  Really???  That is about the last thing I would want my teenagers to go to the library for!  And, really, I don't have any qualms about taxes that may go to the library, but video games is not something I am excited to pay for!  We don't even have them in our home - except WII, which I suppose is considered a game system, but I don't consider it like I would a PS3 or X-Box.

Anyway, since it was a busy summer, I really haven't had a chance to explore our new library.  Today I had to pick up a book on CD so I took a few minutes to look around.  Well, you know how I feel.  Really sad that something with so much potential is not living up to it!  Really, really sad.  :(

Even better red peppers...Day 7 GBE

I'm not sure anyone is keeping track besides me, but it is day 7 and I am still getting it done!!  Believe me, no one is more surprised than I am!!!

Now on to more peppers and a summer recipe...

I was so excited with my previous "best red pepper ever" but I have to amend that and say that the pepper on the left is now the best red pepper I have ever grown!!  Of course, it isn't perfect, and I photographed its best side, but who doesn't like that to happen?   I have to say it is definitely the best one to date.  I can't even hope to top it, but what a treat it will be if I do!!!  (Let's give credit where it is due...I have a feeling my pepper success has to do with the fact that John had a big part in making sure the garden got watered every day, and my kids who were often the ones I sent down to turn on that water.  So really, maybe its the best red pepper they have ever grown!!  :)

At any rate, here is a favorite summer recipe that uses garden veggies, and is really yummy!  (I could have used a red pepper in it, but chose to save these to roast and use on paninis!!  Also yummy!!

Fire and Ice

6 large firm, ripe tomatoes (I like to use romas I often use two smaller ones to equal one)

1 large green pepper, seeded

1 red onion (I always use a yellow, or a Walla Walla Sweet if I have one.)

1 cucumber

DRESSING:

3/4 cup vinegar

1 1/2 tsp celery salt

1 1/2 tsp mustard seed

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

4 1/2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp red pepper (cayenne)

1/4 cup cold water

Cut tomatoes into 4 or 8 parts.  You can skin them if you want, I never do.  Slice green pepper into strips.  Slice onion into rings.  Place in a bowl.  Heat dressing ingredients until boiling.  Let boil hard for 1 minute.  While hot, pour over vegetables.  Chill, stirring occasionally.  Just before serving add sliced cucumber.  (I often add them with the other vegetables.  (The tomatoes will keep for days in the fridge.  Fresh cukes can be added as they will get soft.

Serves 8

Enjoy!!! 

GBE Day 6 - Young Womenhood Recognition

Amber and Co. with their medallions and certificates of completion.

This group of girls received their YW Recognition all together.  For Amber, this was a great achievement.  There were times she declared she was done with Personal Progress, there were times when she'd get geared back up, and then times she would wane again.  But in the end, she persevered and earned her medallion.  We couldn't be prouder of her.  

As you may or may not know, the girls have to complete eight 10-hour projects as part of the process.  Some of the projects Amber did were reading the Book of Mormon (mandatory for the Virtue value project), planning and preparing meals for 2 weeks, participating on the High School Tennis Team, and probably her least favorite, making a quilt.  Her favorite was her Faith Project in which she studied the Preach My Gospel book during Mission Prep.  (There is a potential blog post in and of itself).  You can see that it is a very cute quilt, but she didn't enjoy the process beyond picking out the pattern and the fabric.  Again, she finished, although, not without a lot of, shall we say, encouragement from me. :)

The very cute quilt, made by a girl who loves wearing rain boots.

The important thing in all of this is that she completed the program, and did it because she wanted to, and because of that it will bring blessings into her life.  

Good job, Amber!!!