Merry Misadventures of a Matriarchal Madwoman

We're Having Coleslaw for Dinner tonight!

2012-01-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Crazy big cabbage just harvested.
Gosh, it's fun to eat what you've grown!
The only problem is....I've got about six more just like it.
Cabbage anyone?

That Pesky Mote

2012-01-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been thinking about this and pondering this for quite a few days. Wondering if I should post about this topic and stick my neck out, so to speak. I guess, for obvious reasons because you are reading this, that I have decided to write it and publish it.

Apparently there has been quite a brouhaha going on over at Mormon Mommy Bloggers** regarding an upcoming chat with Sister Julie B. Beck, president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The blog owners are going to have a chance to visit with her and gave the invitation to anyone to post questions, nothing is taboo. I believe that this chat will be tomorrow, the 12th. There was an explosion of responses, of which I only stuck around to read a couple of pages worth.

Actually the first question was this:
"I really would like to know how to push my husband to be a better man without pushing him. I know he is capable of so much more, but I don't want to force him to do it."

The responses were instantaneous and a lot of them not so kind. I must confess, my first reaction was, "well of all the nerve!"

But after cooler heads prevailed, and I had a chance to think about it, I defy any Mormon married woman, in fact ANY married woman to deny, in fact, that she has had the exact same thoughts at one point or another in her marriage. (sheepishly I raise my hand) If you haven't had those thoughts, well, you are a better woman than me or you just haven't had them yet. I think this young woman is sincere in her intent.

So if I were Sister Beck, how would I answer that question? Of course I am absolutely an expert on how she would answer this question because of course I was able to attend two meetings with her a couple of months ago...............(hoping you are getting the tongue in cheek here)

I imagine that Sister Beck would ask us to search the scriptures and find the answer. I think that depending on the person's needs in life, the scripture might be different for everyone. This is the scripture that came to my mind first,
"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"
Matthew 7:3
In other words, remember that old saying, "when you point a finger at someone else, there are three more pointing back at you.......(unless you have had a traumatic finger amputation or a birth defect)

I guess my point here is that we need to focus on our own spirituality, our own growth and development and our own repentance first before we go off and start yanking out those pesky motes in other people's eyes. I know that I am much happier when I follow this counsel. I have learned by sad experience that when I get all worked up about someone else's faults, and try to do something about it in my own way, it pretty much backfires and relationships suffer.

So that's my two cent's worth.
I'm going to respond to another comment made in a few days.......

Google's link function is working.....go here if you want to read it.
**http://www.mormonmommyblogs.com/2012/01/julie-b-beck-and-mormon-mommy-blogs.htm.

Numero Doce!*

2012-01-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Sweet baby girl.
Arrived early this morning at 2:01 am.
All 6 lbs 11 oz of her.
All is well with momma and baby.
Not sure her parents want her name broadcast over the internet but her initials are EGB.
Perfect in every way.
The epitome of love.

*means number 12! (my twelfth grandbaby)

Cardisms

2012-01-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Grandma, can I pick some kragits?

Interpretation: Grandma, can I pick some carrots?

Scene in playroom:
Conversation between adults:
Realizing it's very quiet,
Jessica: Daniel! Where is Cardon?
Me: Is he in there watching you guys play those violent video games!!!???
Daniel: No Mom, he's playing Barbies.

We look forward to spending some more quality time with this little guy because today is the day his mommy goes to get his new BABY!

Keep ya' posted!

Look what I dug out of the garden!

2012-01-04T05:48:00.004-07:00

My poor little garden has been sadly neglected. We had some really cold days early in December (I can hear you northerners snorting.....) I have been so busy with the holidays and life that I haven't really been out to check what is happening.

Last week I happened to step outside and it was a glorious 76 degrees, with the sun warm on my back and I got the itch to get my fingers dirty again and spent a wonderful hour digging around and seeing what damage I could repair.

Look what I dug up!

No, don't adjust your monitor. These are purple, orange and yellow carrots! I decided to try this crazy variety mix and man oh man, am I ever happy with the results. These babies are large and in charge! They were planted in October and have probably been ready to harvest for several weeks, but again, due to my sad neglect, they were largely ignored. I have another patch of regular orange carrots that are wayyyy behind in the growth scale, so I'm definitely planting these again.

We had them steamed up for Sunday dinner and man o man you can't beat the taste of fresh harvested veggies. The difference is amazing. I have a huge crop of bok choy, kale and spinach. A lot of the lettuce bolted. It has inspired me all over again to get my hands dirty again this week and plant "round two" of my purple babies.....

P.S. They are orange inside, awwwww......

Birthday Gifts

2012-01-02T05:18:00.002-07:00

No Steve, her belly is bigger.

All this poor child on the left wants for her birthday is a baby.
This photo was taken on Thanksgiving and she has definitely expanded the waistline since.
Poor baby, she's miserable...
I hope you get your birthday wish soon!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T07:18:00.000-07:00

To end off the year in style, we attended an informal extended family gathering. That was all my 93-year-old father in law wanted for Christmas.....Being the crazy picture taker that I am, I wanted to document this wonderful patriarch with his posterity.

He's still amazingly active, even at 93. He's got oxygen 100% of the time and has to use a walker, but he's still preaching the good word to his kids.

Here's half of his grandkids. I'm so happy that 5 of my 7 were able to be there!

Here's the greats....They were amazingly quiet and well behaved while we were looking for the errant strays running about the church! He is missing 36!

His kids, missing one.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why my hand was stuck in his pocket. Looking for money? Nice place to rest the fingers???

Grandpa with his oldest grandchild and youngest grandchild, who happens to belong to me...

What a blessing to have such a wonderful posterity. Look what you and Grandma created!!

While I'm cleaning out the Pit of my House.....

2011-12-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Please enjoy the Christmas photos...
Christmas Day....all in readiness...waiting for those who had early church to come....

Grandma made name pillows for the kiddos.

This was an empty stocking last year....Glad to have him back with us!

The calm before the storm...

This little guy was hilarious. He got the complete football outfit. He's a proud Sun Devil! He's doing his pose for his future Heismann trophy.

The little one on the left looks so much like his daddy, it makes my heart melt every time I see him.

This Grandma was super busy in her Santa's workshop. Once I got started, I couldn't stop! No new aprons or jammies this year, but everyone got a new quilt.

And Santa even brought Grandma TOYS!!

On Christmas Eve, this guy was beside himself with joy, because he had missed out on our traditional fajita night for two years in a row.

And it seems like this gorgeous girlie never gets in the photos, cuz she's always behind the camera. (hmm sounds familiar)

I know, I know, I'm going backwards. That is how my brain is working these days.
This was Grandma's Christmas party- on the 23rd.

First we made crafts.

Then we decorated choo-choos.

This one likes to eat frosting more than decorate.

Lots of concentration.

And even though you can't see it, this mommy is ready to pop her baby out.

Now back to cleaning and purging and looking forward to a new year!

Happy Birthday to our Angel

2011-12-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today is our angel's first birthday. This is the only photo I have of her living. I have others, but they are too personal and sacred to share publicly. Last year our hearts were broken, as she came and left us too quickly. It has been a difficult year, a year to learn and grow, and yet we have all had sacred cherished experiences with her to help us as we grieve.

Today we are gathering as a family here to remember her, never allow the other children to forget her and honor her short life upon this earth. We feel it a great privilege to have a pure and perfect and lovely soul be a part of our family.

And we have been given an extra special gift this 1st birthday of our angel.
Amy probably says it best......go see......http://www.myinfernaljournal.blogspot.com/2011/12/one-year.html

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

From my herd of turtles to yours!

It's Christmas!

2011-12-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! It's been a month! So I present a pictorial review of the last month---

We had Thanksgiving.

Food, glorious food!! It's the beginning of the time where we are always obsessing over food.

This wise guy got in trouble with me!

C's extra creamy mashed potatoes....with plenty of butter and cream!

We had our Alaska boy home to decorate this year!! Alyssa likes to decorate the minute after Thanksgiving and my guys were a HUGE help.

We went caroling for our Relief Society activity and met back at my house. It doesn't look like my house is very festive, but believe me....we are decked to the halls!

Branch Christmas party. The Primary is always a big hit.

One of the highlights of this season has been the sealing of this beautiful family. What a wonderful memory!

There's lots not pictured cuz this Grandma is too busy to take photos....lots of Santa's workshop stuff!
I'm getting ready for the grandkid's party this Friday and then Christmas Eve!!

If I don't get back on before Christmas, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Monday morning Musings

2011-11-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

I love early mornings in the winter, it feels like the dark envelopes me like a comforting cocoon. I suppose I feel this way because I live in a place that has sunshine for more than 300 days a year. Perhaps those who live in other places would beg to differ.

That being said, we got a late start this morning.

I just emptied out the last of the storebought greens into my morning green smoothie. I'm hoping that I've got enough in my garden to last until it gets hot again. This is my time of year for growing greens. We've been eating lettuce out of the garden for the past couple of weeks.

That being said, I've been a little more neglectful of my garden this year, a little less passionate, a LOT more distracted with other things. All of my broccoli plants just withered up and died. There is only one that is looking happy. I don't get that one. BUT I do have a thriving crop of spinach and kale.

My newly returned missionary son has a girlfriend! He has no car, barely started a new job, doesn't have any money and hardly enough clothes to cover his back BUT he has a girlfriend. We all found out about it on Facebook. although this momma had her suspicions.....

That being said, she is a nice girl, a good girl, a very cute girl, I may add, and she was raised in Alaska. Hmm, sense a connection there?

I have been plagued all weekend with severe neck and shoulder pain. It's muscle tension, major extreme muscle tension. Hmmmm, what do I have to be tense about???

That being said, I'm sure glad for an on-call myopractor who came to my rescue Saturday morning when the pain was so bad, I started a migraine (those are rare in my neck of the woods-ha ha). It forced me to get some rest and there has been a slight easing of the tension.

This week is Thanksgiving and we are super busy making sure folks have enough to eat.

That being said, I'm so glad for the fact that I do have enough to eat, and to spare, and I get to spend some quality time with the fam this week......

Somebody's gonna be a Big Brother!

2011-11-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

(the poor child constantly has bumps, scrapes and bruises on his head-a little active dontcha' think?)
(I think his momma hopes the next one is a little LESS active!)

Q is for......

2011-11-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

QUILT!

With a new baby coming along, this gramma gets to be creative. I LOVE making quilts for the babies. And this post officially marks the opening of "Santa's Workshop," which is code words for my kids to ALWAYS call before they come over since my latest Christmas projects may be spread all over the house.

One of them, which I just finished, and they already know about, is my ABC book for the family.

I will unveil the title page but the rest will remain a deep dark secret until Christmas Day! I choose photos from the past year and make them into books for the family. It has been a fun way to remember the past year. It started out as a project for the little kids but we have found that even the "big" kids enjoy it!

My only problem is that my crafty imagination is sometimes bigger than my time available........

My latest Love

2011-11-14T05:00:00.002-07:00

Just before my missionary boy came home, we were in a frenzy to get the house prepared for his arrival. (why do we always do that-the kids don't care!)

Anyway......I never shared what we did and since it is a big part of my life, I thought it was high time I did.

You see, while the boy was on a mission, his room became the playroom. As soon as the kids ran through the door, they tore down the hall to his bedroom and proceeded to dump every toy I own on the floor. Well, it wasn't too bad because it only actually took a few minutes to clean up every time they left.

So my dilemma was---what on earth are we going to do when my boy arrived? The kids can't just run into his room and dump out toys....just not done.

So I put on my thinking cap and thought and thought.

I have a perfectly good room that is fulfilling absolutely no purpose except for looking pretty when people walk in the door. It's VERY nice but I'm sick of not using the space.

So we decided to transform our front room into our office and the large office into the playroom/mom cave where I can craft and sew-actually I sew, the other girls can craft. So here's the finished product, and I LOVE it!

Complete with a little one using the room.

Here's the office. Not super keen on the desks, but they are within the budget at the moment.

And here's the requisite baby gate to keep the little rug rats out.

I love it, I love that the little kids love it, they have a place to tear apart and they always know right where to go as soon as they enter the door! (P.S. Just got a little TV to entertain the little folks and entertain the Grandma while she is in the mom cave sewing....)

Better Late than Never

2011-11-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you veterans!!

Why I have hit the Wall Today

2011-11-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

Pictorial review since last Thursday.....

Grandma's Halloween Party, or in the words of 4-year-old E, "the best Halloween party EVER!"

Noche Hispana, Good food, good program, good company.

Mother Nature Farm.

Baby shower for Jessica.

Not pictured:
Wedding on the other side of town.
Taking the computer to the computer hospital.
Getting computer from the computer hospital two days later.
Returning computer to the computer hospital for repair of computer glitch.
Picking up computer.
Trying to reload/redo/not tear hair out while working on newly formatted computer.
Hours of Relief Society work.
Catching a cold.
Laying awake half the night with bad cold.

Thus, I'm hitting the wall today and retiring for awhile.

The End

First Harvest

2011-10-27T05:55:00.002-07:00

French breakfast radishes.

The green beans are starting to bud. I'm a tad worried that we may not get too many this year because I was so late in planting the seeds. These are purple beans!

"We go together like peas 'n carrots." (name that movie)
This is the first year I've had great success sprouting carrots. Someone gave me the secret....lean close and I'll share it.
When planting, you mix the seeds with some sand, then sprinkle a little sand over the seeds. In our heavy clay soil here, it is difficult for the seeds to break through, so I made it easier for them this year. It worked!

And this is also the first year I have had great success in sprouting spinach! Again, I followed the secret advice of another gardener. She told me to "buy the big package of spinach seeds at A&P Nursery, soak them in water and then spread them out while planting." It worked! (I realize that the big bag of spinach seeds doesn't help anyone reading this in Oregon or Africa, but I'm sure there is a variety that works in your neck of the woods-I think the secret is soaking ahead of time)

So lest you think all my garden is a huge success, this is a new bed for me. We yanked out all the grapevines and this is a new planter bed. Not all of the seeds sprouted here. Not sure why, maybe the water? My hoses in this bed aren't the greatest.

So that's part of the good old garden this year. Looking forward to eating lots of fresh salads!!

Posting on Facebook is really much Easier than Blogging

2011-10-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about writing for a few days, but time always gets away from me. Somehow it's easier to post on fb the random doings of my days. Here's a sampling:

Earlier today:

"Just finished making the cookie dough for the grandkid's Halloween party tomorrow and I couldn't resist dipping my finger into the creamed sugar and butter before all the rest of the ingredients were added.....Ahhh-a match made in heaven-real butter and sugar creamed together."

The cookies are all done now and I'm wondering why mine don't look all perfect and smooth. They are lumpy and puffy in places and sort of a distorted shape. Maybe that's what pumpkins look like in real life???

Yesterday:

"Daniel J. Larsen just informed me that his most favorite soup in the world is the Sausage, Potato and Kale soup I made last night. It has KALE in it people! He even ate the green stuff! Prob one of the most nutritious greens in the world. (maybe it is because it has lots of cream in it too)"

The soup was SO delish. I have to give daughter, Jessica, the credit for finding it on Pioneer Woman. Go search for it.....

Monday:

"Oh my gosh! I just got splatted in the face by a raindrop!"

Yes, I think it's finally cooling off....and no, it was really a raindrop, not some random bird flying by because I got hit by some other raindrops. (People who don't live in the desert may think this is very strange.)

Sunday night:

"I'm totally exhausted now but what a great day it was! Got to go to two meetings with President Julie B. Beck, general Relief Society president! She speaks great Spanish!"

I had a 12-hour day that day, but the meetings were amazing. And if you haven't read your book, "Daughters in My Kingdom" yet, RUN, don't walk and get started. She told the Spanish sisters that this would be "a Liahona in their homes." I believe it. We are still anxiously awaiting the Spanish version.

And as soon as I download the photos, you can see what I harvested first out of my fall garden........

Reflections during an Early Morning Walk

2011-10-20T07:41:00.001-07:00

The time has arrived in my desert southwest where we all begin to slowly emerge from our summer hibernation, like sleepy bears after a long winter, albeit ours is summer's fury.....

The early mornings are pleasant for walking outside again. I ventured out again today just as the sun was peeping over the edge of the neighbor's roof.

I live in suburba, surrounded by concrete and asphalt and neatly plotted sections for each homeowner, except that some of my neighbor's plots aren't so neat, due to the lack (or blessing) of a HOA in my area. In addition, living in the desert means that unless you are connected to a dripper hose or sprinkler head, everything is brown, brown, brown.

As I listened to my upbeat Owl City music on itunes, I strided through my neighborhood this morning and these were my thoughts.....

There is a large cactus that I love passing by in the fall and spring. It blooms giant creamy, white flowers. The trick is to pass it early enough to see them, because they die in the sunshine. I got there early enough!

In the midst of my taupe-colored neighborhood, there has emerged a guacamole colored home (again, no HOA). It stands out like a sore thumb. Not sure of the thinking of the homeowners, but I admire them for their bravery (audacity?).

I noticed the stony faces of the people in their cars, on their way to brave the early-morning freeway traffic. I wonder what they are thinking. Does my face look stony on my morning walk today?

And why do people drive Harley's? I mean no ill-will but the dang things are SO noisy!

I smell the scent of someone's morning cigarette. Ug, I feel sorry for them to be addicted to a habit that drives them to wake up early to partake. I smell someone else's coffee and pancakes. (the smell of coffee and bacon reminds me of my grandma's house. The scent makes me smile)

I arrive home, stretch out these old, tight muscles and begin my day (it takes a LOT OF WORK getting older-but that's a topic for another blog post.....)

Random reflections on an early-morning walk.

I am a Crappy Blogger

2011-10-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

I have to face facts.
I am a crappy blogger.
I have a terrible time documenting my life. Every time I hear a talk about the joys of journaling, I guiltily slink down further into my seat. I don't know why I don't document/write/journal. I know that someday my posterity may be slightly interested in what I had to say, because I am completely fascinated by anything my ancestors had to say.

Maybe I am in denial that I am mortal?????

Hmmmmm, a deep question that I don't have time to ponder at this moment.

My problem is that I "feel" I have to have an interesting photo every time I post and it takes a ridiculous amount of effort to download photos to Blogger........

Ahhh, maybe that's the reason I'm a crappy blogger rather than the more ponderous thoughts of being mortal........

So.....sans photo.....I'll tell you what I am up to today.

Basically I don't have a car much these days, since I'm sharing my transportation with the newly returned missionary who is trying to get his life in order.....or return back to the Gentile life.....

So today I decided to cut back the jungle of basil that is growing in my front yard and try out the never-used-before dehydrator and dry me up some fresh herbs to be used in future spagetti sauce. It is currently humming away in my pantry.

I'm going with Jessica (in her car) to help her register for her baby shower. She is 7 months pregnant!! I can't seem to grasp this idea. We are hosting a baby shower for her in a couple of weeks.

I'm consumed with that fact as well as my Grandma Halloween party next week, the sewing projects waiting for me and the various and sundry duties of being a Relief Society president.

So that's life in a nutshell. I'm going to try to document this life a little better, with the occasional downloaded photo.

Scenes from a Conference Weekend

2011-10-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

I had lots of extra hands working in the garden in between Saturday sessions.

It was good to have the extra help.

Along with lots of advice from the peanut gallery.

This was so cute, I had to post it.

My new kitchen helper, cooking bacon for Sunday morning conference brunch with protection from the grease splatters.

With 10 grandchildren running around during the sessions, one must always be diligent. You never know where they are going to end up!

Demonstrating his ability to do push ups with claps in between. (lots of entertainment in between sessions)

I don't need to say a word about this one.........

Heaving a Big sigh of Relief

2011-09-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing he came home early in the morning, 9:00 am. None of us got much sleep, including him. I spent the night tracking his flights on Flightaware.com. (pretty cool web site, btw)

The timing was wrong, wrong, wrong. He actually arrived about 20 minutes earlier. Again, a good thing I tracked the flights.

Some of his adoring fan base, waiting.......

The plane had already arrived, waiting, watching, looking, straining. TL made the comment that maybe this is what it is like on the other side, waiting for our loved ones to arrive, the anticipation and anxiety!

There he is!! My first thoughts were, "wow, he sure is handsome! And skinny!" He was carrying a fishing pole, of all things.

The hug from mom. I still get teary-eyed looking at this pic. I told him I was sorry I was crying-didn't want to embarrass him!

After lots of other hugs, he opened out his arms and gave a great big hug to his sister-in-law who he had never met. It was so cute!

Finally home, after 6 1/2 hours of traveling. Only 30 hours of sleep and very little food (due to nervous stomach) By the time we had finished the day, it ended up being about 42 hours of no sleep.

But he's back, he's carrying a wonderful spirit with him, and I'm going to soak it all up for a little while before the glow leaves....

And he informed me he hates ramen noodles now.
(see previous post)

Remembering

2011-09-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it's been over two years since this event.
And PLEASE excuse the cameo appearance of my posterior in the video.

Now I'm off to buy some ramen noodles, haven't done that for two years.

The Photo below really has nothing to do with this post

2011-09-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe it does.
This is my youngest grandchild.
(for the moment)
He is the spitting image of his Daddy.
I luv to munch on him.
Therefore, he has to stop by regularly.
So I can nibble on his cheeks for a few minutes.

So....just checking in.
Still on the countdown.
T-minus 5 days now, almost 4 1/2
I'm so totally exhausted.

I spent the afternoon on the couch....gasp!
But it has just been run, run, run.
Constantly for a loooong time.
I've almost completely overhauled my own house.
It's been pronounced acceptable
For the returning missionary.
Or maybe almost....I still have a few things I would like to do..
But the budget says no.
Since this child o mine who is returning (in 5 days, lest you forgot)
Will need a new wardrobe,
a cell phone,
a job,
a vehicle,
etc.
etc.
etc.

So that puts the cabosh on any more decorating dreams of mine.

I'm super busy with church stuff.
And family stuff.

And it's okay, serving makes me happy.
And very tired.

The temps here are still in the triple digits.
I was hoping they would be lower
So when the Alaska missionary comes home,
it won't be such a shock to his system.
I looked it up today and it was actually 56 degrees cooler where he is than here.
Poor baby.

I think I should have called this post "brain dump."

13

2011-09-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

I can't say the number 13 is unlucky for me.
13 is my birthday date.
I actually turned 13 on Friday the 13th and my homeroom class at the time was #13.

So today is a lucky day for me,
Because in 13 more days...

My boy comes home from his mission!
I picked this up today from a nice gentleman who has worked with him and brought this huge bag to Phoenix with him on a business trip.

He wrote us a little note.....can you read it?

Inertia

2011-08-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

This morning I'm sitting numbly in front of the computer screen.
Why? Mostly because of

Unfinished Business.

Remember that nice wood floor in the following post?

I have a 24 in gap between the tile in the entry and the beginning of the wood floor, with a nice concrete pathway.

Why?

Because the installer had to rip out a row of tile and the tile needed to replace it and complete the flooring project is somewhere in Mexico.

We have furniture strategically placed all over the house.

Since we can't move it back into the room.

Until the floor is done.

Until the internet hookup gets done.

Until the ceiling fan gets installed.

Until the electrician comes to install the electrical outlet for the ceiling fan.

Until I order the ceiling fan.

And until I decide where everything is going to go,

Nothing gets done.

And..

Last week I noticed that my pool cleaner wasn't doing it's happy dance along the bottom of the pool.

So I yanked it out (it's only two months old)

Pulled it apart, a piece of plastic fell out.

And I haven't had time to take it to the store to find out what is wrong with it.

More unfinished business.

I've got to make changes in church stuff.

Like visiting teaching assignments.

Other assignments.

And it's really weighing on my brain.

More unfinished business.

It's been so crazy hot here that my garden plan has completely flown out the window.

Everything has gotten pushed back two weeks.

I bought a Groupon thingie to a garden store about 3 months ago.

It's going to expire in a few days.

And I haven't had the time to go to the store (in Phoenix)

And redeem it.

More unfinished business.

It's hard to overcome the intertia when there are so many things that need to be done, but because I am waiting for someone/something else to finish them off, I'm stuck.

So I need to get off my lazy whiny behind right now and go see if I can get SOMETHING FINISHED.

Life

2011-08-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

Making another mess in the house. Why is it we parents of returning missionaries need to redecorate/repaint/redo the entire house before they come home? Do they really care? (rhetorical question BTW)

Making kale chips. Trying to figure out how to use the kale from my Bountiful Basket in another way besides green smoothies. I sprayed the pan with Pam, a little salt and Parmesan, then baked for 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

The results? Tasty, but very strong flavored. Not for the weak of heart.

Making waves. When it has been in the 100-teens every day for the last ten days, it's hard to get worked up about anything. And the pool feels like the bathtub. Not so refreshing.

Making a BABY GIRL!! She found out this week that her little one coming is a girl. I'm super excited to go buy PINK fabric.

Making do. My calling has been really tough this week. It's hard to try to do the best you can and then get shot down. Lesson: Murmuring is bad news, really, really bad news. Don't do it. (this is note to self too)

Eighteen Years ago today....

2011-08-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

I woke up in labor. That certainly isn't a problem except that I was scheduled to have a C-section three days later. Oops. I called the doctor, he told me to come in immediately and proceeded to deliver a little baby girl via C-section!

Eighteen years later, she's all grown up (mostly) and is starting her life's adventure.

Happy Birthday to my baby girl.

Meet the newest Member of my Family

2011-08-23T05:58:00.001-07:00

Meet Sadie, the grandpuppy.

She's an itty-bitty Yorkie puppy.

To put in perspective how tiny she is....she's hiding in-between her "daddy's" legs.
I think she was a little terrified of all the herd of turtles at our house-AKA many more people than she is used to. She was shaking like a leaf most of her visit to "grandma's" house.

And again, it's super fun to visit her and pet her and play with her.
But I'm really glad I don't have the responsibility of taking care of her!

With Sharpened Pencils in hand........

2011-08-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

And her laptop over her shoulder....

My baby heads off to her first day of college........
First class: Biology, 2 pm

This is So Cute, it makes me Giggle

2011-08-20T04:25:00.001-07:00

My project yesterday afternoon.
It's supposed to be a surprise for a birthday girl, but she probably won't see this....

I LOVE to play with cute fabric.

Gratitude

2011-08-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I am especially grateful for our city garbageman/trash collector/refuse serviceman, or whatever politically correct title should apply here. He always goes really slow before he comes to our house so that we have time to run the garbage can to the curb in time. It's the little things,ya know?

Thoughts at 9:15 pm

2011-08-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

1. I'm feeling like I'm coming down with something tonight-ug-no time for this.
2. I can come up with brilliant ideas for posts, but then I don't have time to write them, and when I do have time, I have crickets chirping in the brain cells. Or blogger isn't working.
3. I'm spending lots of time with family.
4. I'm doing lots of reading.
5. I'm playing with fabric and having a great time, making gifts and Christmas presents, so I can't share.
6. I know I'm lame, thinking about Christmas in August.
7. Busy doing church work.
8. Just got back from a Thrive Food Storage "party." The jury is still out on this. Some things were good, some not so much. I don't think I'm ready to sign up for their "Q" list.
9. It's been cloudy nearly every day since I got back from Utah.
10. Rain? Not so much.
11. Dust? Lots.
12. I get a house cleaning frenzy and my house looks great for a week, then I'm never home and it all falls apart
13. I'm starting to plan my fall garden---yippee!
14. Last week was the first day of school. It was the first day since 1982 that I haven't sent a kid off to public school. Can I say relieved?
15. I made eggplant parmesan for the first time. Not too sure if I'm a fan. Prob because I wasn't super hungry at the time. It smelled good tho.
16. My missionary boy got transferred to Valdez, Alaska the LAST six weeks of his mission. He had 4-5 baptisms set up and 10 investigators. I'm sad for him. He is definitely getting to see the great state of Alaska. He will be home in six weeks (and one day).
17. Gearing up for a minor reno project in the house. We are putting wood floors in our front room and making it into a den/office. I'm tired of having the wasted space and we need some room for the grandkids to play when the missionary boy comes home in six weeks (and one day).
18. It didn't get below 90 degrees yesterday. That means the LOW temp was 90. Niiiice.
19. Getting ready for a presidency meeting tomorrow night and working on the never-finished visiting teaching lists.
20. I think that's it. I've pretty much emptied out the old brain, for the time being. It's time for a warm bath with a little lavendar and maybe a Tylenol or two....

Good night.

What my Garden has Taught me

2011-08-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken about six weeks ago.
It looks vastly different now.
Almost everything green has shriveled and died and is roasting comfortably in the compost pile.

Some things were failures, some things were successes.
I have a difficult time growing things in the late spring/summer here.
But I have that gardener's optimism that next time it will be better.

We found a fabulous place for compost.
For the Locals--Singh's Farm east of the 101 and Thomas Road.
It's like a Garden of Eden oasis in the middle of the city.
While walking on a foot of spongy, soft compost.

When I was in Utah early in the summer,
I visited my Dad's neighbor across the street.
He showed me his garden.
It was gorgeous, just starting, he had plants that I will never be able to grow in AZ.

And I realized that it was time to stop comparing my garden to others.
He has different soil, different climate, different watering needs, different everything.
And I needed to be content with my little patch.
And continue to "grow" and learn within my own sphere of experience.

Wouldn't that be a little bit like life?

True Confessions of a Random Nature

2011-08-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

I woke up feeling slightly nauseated and headache-y today.
It's probably because of the 5,129 pieces of chocolate covered toffee I ate yesterday.
Curse you Costco samplers....my exact words as I picked up the container of toffee,
"I know I'm going to regret this, but okay."

And the half bag of movie popcorn I munched while watching 17 Miracles for the 2nd time. (good movie BTW)

I'm a total loser these days.
Haven't done hardly anything since I got back from Utah.
Except read two books,
"Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" and
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"
both
excellent excellent reads...
(not quite finished with the Potato Peel pie book yet)

I need to go weed my garden patch.
Which isn't producing much of anything except a large crop of purslane.
(Which I saw was being sold at a farmer's market a couple of weeks ago)
Ugh.
To me that is a noxious weed and
I haven't quite descended to eating it yet.
(google it-I'm not up to searching for a photo of what it looks like-betcha have some in your garden too!)

I need to go backwash the pool.
And fish out the chair that has been floating in it
Since the last wind/dust/piddly rain storm.

I've got to teach tomorrow
I've got the topic
but when I have to teach in another language,
I need to be a little more prepared than that.

TL has a new remodeling project in mind.
I'm kind of excited.
But not.

School starts next week.
Except my kid doesn't.
She's in college now.

My baby boy comes home from his mission in about 6.5 weeks
Haven't done a THING to prepare for that.

It's hard to be excited or motivated to do anything when it's 110 in the shade.
And with 35% humidity (which is high for the desert!)

No wonder I'm all headachy and nauseous.
I think I need another piece of toffee.

So I have a Perfectly Good excuse for not Blogging

2011-08-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

Because I went to Utah.
With her.

I was her go-fer girl.
She was the professional.
I carried her camera bag.
Fluffed the bride's dress.
Whispered to her when the bride's hair was goofy.
Warned her when someone was getting ready to walk in the background of her photo.
Reminded her to take a picture of the rings.
Told her to breathe when she was stressed.
Listened to her plan for the bridal portraits.
And generally was the cheerleader.

In between those times,
we gabbed and giggled like teenagers.
Ate lots of chocolate...
Stalked Stephanie Nielsen, of "NieNie" fame.
(she lives around the corner from my mom in Provo)
We actually met her at Nordstrom's.
And acted like star-struck idiots....

I took lots of garden photos...

Being insanely jealous of the cooler weather....
Visiting with my family....

Even the ones who were having a mid-life crisis...

And feeling all teary, gooshy and romantic over the happy couple.

And I can't wait to have another girl trip!

My Boy

2011-07-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

Latest from Alaska.....
Because it seems like I have no time to talk about anything else......

Have To's....

2011-07-13T09:55:00.001-07:00

There are certain things we have to do when going to the beach.....

We have to spend at least one day at the beach.....this year we spent two!

We have to boogie board....

We have to dig in the sand....

It's amazing what you can discover when you dig in the sand!!

Like crabs!

And mermaids!

We had to do a few new things too.....

Like visiting the Midway.....

We watched fireworks on the beach....

We flew kites....

But some things never change.....

We always have to go to Old Town....

We have to have smores...

Except this year we did it on the beach with a fire pit. (along with hot dogs)

We always have to get very, very dirty...

We have to have a new baby....(we've had a young baby every year for years.......
And....

And we have to have a pregnant one!!!

Regrouping

2011-07-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous week with our amazing family on the beach last week! However, a few hours after our return home, we had a death in our little branch, so we are busy serving and regrouping at home. I've got some great photos to share! Soon......

Escaping

2011-07-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth! We are escaping the heat and heading for the blessed cooler breezes of California for our annual family beach party. I'm so grateful that I can choose this in our blessed country. My life is a product of all those who sacrificed before me. Thank you SO much! Enjoy your Holiday and freedoms and back at you later!

Slumber Parties & Emergency Preparedness

2011-07-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed my crazy random title posts? My reasoning behind this is to catch the eye of the reader. Ah.......there's a method behind my madness....

We had a power outage slumber party last night. A transformer near my son's house blew up and caused a large fire. Then, like a domino effect, the power went out all across our town. In fact, I was on my way to the temple and happened to call them before and they told me they were running on generators and weren't starting any more sessions.

Mine went out too. For about 40 minutes. 40 minutes is a verrry long time when it's nearly 110 outside. Well, for other unluckier members of my family, it was more like 8 to 10 hours, which makes it impossible to stay in your home. It actually feels hotter inside than it does outside in the shade.

We had an impromptu power outage party yesterday for my poor displaced children and stayed cool at my house. One of my offspring had returned home to gather their nighties when the power returned, so they elected to stay home. The other one elected to stay with me.

So we had our own mini disaster. I actually received a reverse 911 call warning me to conserve water and to go to the evacuation center named to cool off. High summer temperatures can be really dangerous and life threatening.

This got TL & I talking and thinking. We live in a city. We probably will never have a flood, hurricane, maybe a slight chance of a tornado, I guess there's always a chance of an earthquake. But the greatest chance of a big problem here is a power outage in the summer. How do we keep cool for an extended period of time? How do we survive at least with semi-comfort? How to we take care of our large family if they don't have power? These are serious questions for us. We are talking about getting some type of generator and a portable AC unit. At least we could stay alive and comfortable in our own home and maybe help others out. Anyone done any research on generators?

P.S. The photo above is one of the sacred grandchildren enjoying his morning green smoothie, made by Grandma of course!

Why I smell Like pizza sauce

2011-06-29T05:43:00.001-07:00

I guess you could say I'm a jill of all trades, master of none, but as I learn more about natural foods and healing, I've come across essential oils. I believe God gave us this wonderful earth to nourish us and help us grow and heal and progress in our journey here. One of the tools He has prepared for us are the plants that grow for our use and benefit.

There is SO much to learn. The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. There are over 200 constituents in essential oils that have been discovered to be of use to man, but hundreds more that are not completely understood.

Plants have essential oils to protect them and man can make use of them by extracting their oils for their beneficial properties. Most of these are steam distilled and since oil rises above water, the oils are skimmed off and used. This is my first grade understanding and definition of how it works.

Soooo, back to the pizza sauce. I found out that oregano oil has powerful antibacterial and antiviral properties. (woah is it powerful!) These past few days I've been sprinkling oregano on the bottoms of my feet with the hopes that it will kill whatever virus has been plaguing me. I gotta say, it has definitely helped. I'm not completely free of the side effects of having a cold, but I've not had to go straight to bed with a box of kleenex..........

I just wish I didn't smell like tonight's dinner......

I pretended to be a Real Photographer last weekend

2011-06-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

I was asked to photograph one of my sweet hermanitas last weekend in honor of her upcoming quinceanera. It is an important part of a young Hispanic girl's life and I wanted it to be the best for her. So with trembling legs, and lots of advice from Jen, I bravely set forth.

She is so beautiful and sweet and was very cooperative with this fumbling amateur photographer. I look at the photos and I can see all my mistakes. I was very frustrated with the light and the thermometer in my car registered 110 degrees when we pulled up to the park....but...

I learned so much and it was super fun to be of service to this delightful family. I think I better prepare TL for a new camera budget.........

Fresh

2011-06-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time for a new layout for the blog.
I changed it all to black after our sweet Ella passed.
But I think I am ready for some fresh color.
I hope it's okay.

On Parties

2011-06-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Massage and myopractic to relieve the aching muscles and stress-$80.00
Hit my bank account took for food and decorations-$250.00 (I did get reimbursed)
Photo of TL dancing the hula (and winning the contest)-Priceless

Changes

2011-06-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

I'm really spoiled. I've always had "my herd of turtles" close by. But in the last few months some of them are spreading their wings a little more. (mixed metaphor???changing their shells????)

Last weekend we moved these guys to the WEST end of our valley. They are ready to begin a new chapter of their lives. For months and months B has been trekking across town EVERY day with a 45 minute commute to attend dental school. They gave up 18 months of their lives to care for 92-year-old Grandpa while my sister in law was on her mission. She returned and now B only has a 5 minute commute to school. Good luck guys!!

And several months ago, we moved these guys to the EAST end of our valley, 40 minutes away. They've added their new little guy to their family.

It's a little different having everyone so far away now, but they all love their new areas and are making life great where they are.

And if mom wasn't so brain dead after many hours of church in Spanish, you would have seen a nice photo of all of them at my house last night for Father's Day.......

Raising up a New Generation

2011-06-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

For years, TL had his kids ~~conned~~ trained into taking his shoes off every night. By the time one of them grew old enough to be grossed out, there was another little eager beaver ready to take over the job. Alas, for years he hasn't had anyone young enough to be excited about taking his shoes and socks off every night....until recently.....

Good job, little guy!

Daniel has a new Do

2011-06-07T20:05:00.001-07:00

This kid is a prolific photographer, and actually sends them home! A missionary mother's dream. For the fam, here's the latest.

He's doing his hair different!
But he's the same ol' Bubba D.
Kinda......

June

2011-06-01T05:10:00.002-07:00

Since it's the first of June, and as I'm relaxing in Utah as you read this, I thought I would catch up on the happenings of spring of 2011......

Grandpa's little shadow.

The Prom. This photo doesn't really do justice to how spectacular she looked.

Branch Mother's Day party. The moms are all being serenaded by the men with a traditional Mexican song (dang it, I need to get the words!) This is sung at birthdays and special occasions and there were many tears shed....

The professional at work. (My family room has fabulous light!)

Her tiny subject, my newest grandbaby, my photo, hers are waaay better.

The neighbors were working in their garden so of course when there are big machines involved, this guy wants to be in the middle of it!

Anticipation of finding Easter eggs at Grandma's party!!!

Found one! I color coded the eggs this year by child. There was less hysteria and the littles had theirs out in plain view while the older guys at to work harder to find theirs!

Pulling up carrots in the garden for the Easter bunny!

Coloring eggs is a serious business.

So is frosting your egg cookie!

But don't forget the frosting is yummy!

That's it, the Reader's Digest version of springtime at the Madwoman's house.

The Pool is Officially open for the Summer

2011-05-31T05:04:00.002-07:00

Scenes from a backyard nearby yesterday afternoon.......

Probably the last time the fire pit is "fired" up this summer.

It's not a pleasant experience when it's 110 outside.

More Graduates

2011-05-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry to subject everyone to more photos of my graduates, but another milestone passed last Friday which I had to share.

Preschool graduation!

I'm sure he was full of confidence in the hallway, but as soon as he walked into the room, the cap or his hands went in front of his face.

He is singing his little part with all his heart....but with his hands in front of his face.

By now I'm laughing hysterically and trying to keep the camera focused. (not too well BTW)

Yes! I caught him for a second.

I asked him later why he was hiding his face, and he said, "I didn't want anyone to look at me."
(oops sorry kid, a lot of people are looking at you at this moment!)

Is this a metaphor for life for all our recent graduates? Trying to be confident in a new world, but wanting to hide behind their hands? Hmmmm.......

Now I have to post a few more of my own graduate.....

It's a good thing I documented this for posterity because she lost the 2011 somewhere on the football field.

Primping for the event. (The gold around her neck indicates she is a honors student)

This photo was a happy accident for me. The light on her face and her school mantra, "Carry On" in the background. Sometimes you don't know what you are going to get when you push the button!

Her adoring fan base. (We got to sit on the field and be recognized as having our 7th and final child graduate)

Her sisters. I think I have beautiful daughters!!

I've had mixed emotions the last few days. I feel like a part of my mothering identity is gone. It's a strange feeling. I don't think I like it too much. I'm trying to ponder on it and look forward to the other exciting possibilities in life. After all, I still have two more babies to marry off.

Pickins' from my Patch

2011-05-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

This morning's harvest.

I guess I can blame my lack of posting on my garden. You see in my own little ~~h*llhole~~ corner of the desert southwest, it starts getting mighty hot, even in the morning. The prime time to get my hands dirty is early. Thus, my blogging time has been displaced by other activities.

But, what a rich reward! I should have titled this post, 10,000 ways to eat squash. We've had fried zucchini, zucchini muffins, steamed squash, roasted squash, and squash fritters, and the season has just begun! I'm going to try a creamy squash soup in a few days. (the recipe looks delish) So any of the 10 people who read my blog, any recipes for using squash/zucchini? I would be most grateful. The more disguised, the better. (yes I plan on making zucchini bread too) The goal for the squash/zucchini season is to harvest them before they get to the size of baseball bats.

One of my great joys so far this season has been cucumbers! For whatever reason, I've never been able to get a harvest of the normal, regular, dark-green, like the-kind-you-buy-in-the-grocery store. I've been able to grow the light green, crazy looking Armenian kind, but my family hasn't taken kindly to this variety. But.....this year has been a first! Those first two little chubs in the photo are cukes!!! Yea!

So good luck all you northern gardeners just getting started! I'll be "green" with envy by August when my patch is nothing but brown, dried up stubs.

And now pardon me while I go feed my babies in my little patch.....

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2011-05-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

Elder Larsen just got transferred!!!

2011-05-23T18:56:00.001-07:00

He's saying goodbye to Anchorage........

This nice lady called me today and he was sitting right by her. She informed me that he is getting transferred to............

Juneau!!!

We are beyond excited for him. Can't wait to hear from him and see the photos.....

Seventh and Final

2011-05-19T05:43:00.003-07:00

It's been 29 years.
I counted it up yesterday, with shock and awe.
You see, it was in the year of 1982,
that I sent my first little one off to public school.

And now I'm about to watch my baby graduate.
A week from today.

Time flies.
I look back on these past 29 years.
With some relief,
Some regret.
Wishing that I had participated more.
Worried less.
Enjoyed more.

But next week on that football field,
we are going to be recognized as the parents of the 7th and final child
to have graduated from Mesa High School.

And I'll probably be cheering.
And a little bit of tearing.....

Here she is receiving a surprise award.
For the Army Reserve student athlete/scholar.
Surprise!
But well deserved.

Who Says you Can't Eat Green Beans for Breakfast?

2011-05-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

I know my kids are gagging at this point.
But I picked a handful of beautiful fresh beans this morning.
And TL and I love 'em.
So I steamed them up and we had them by the side of our eggs and mushrooms.
(don't forget the butter too!)
Yummmmmm.

Editor's note:
Sorry to be absent. The weather is so beautiful right now that I'm spending lots of time outdoors and with other projects. I'm going to keep trying to share! There's lots going on...And when I had time to blog, Blogger was down....

Florida

2011-05-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

My first alligator in the wild. Definitely taken with the telephoto lens.

Not so wild alligator held by "Dad Dundee." Advice given by #1 son, "now you need to get him a real knife." Name that movie.

This is how I spent one day. I have the peeling sunburn to prove it.

The requisite photo of me in the Gulf of Mexico. I say requisite because every time we visit a new place, whatever body of water happens to be closest, I get a photo of my tootsies in the water. I have photos of me soaking my toes in the Mediterrean Sea and the Tagus River, to name a few.

BTW-the water is incredibly warm! Being used to the freezing Pacific waves (or not-I hardly venture in farther than my ankles), I was absolutely amazed. The sandy beaches are white, white, white. It is gorgeous.

Up close and personal, with the Everglades!

In our personal airboat. FUN! The guides on these airboats are native born Evergladians (is that a word) and they are CRAZY.

If you see a floating log on a river, it's probably an alligator....

More wildlife. This is a panther. There are signs all over the highways that say, "panther crossing." There are signs on the water that say "manatee crossing." It seems there is plenty of wildlife crossing everywhere. One more reason I don't want to live in Florida.

For Jessica-this was one event we attended at a wildlife zoo with GINORMOUS tents and delicious food.

We were so lonely for our kids, we adopted a cute couple from California. We were out in the Everglades again. (ghastly picture of "mom & dad"!)

This was a TOTAL blast. I want one! It was really scary getting used to it at first because you use your weight to start and stop, but once we got the hang of it, I didn't want to get off. We cruised the streets of Naples on these.

And so I'll end my post with a nice Florida sunset.....

Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
We have plenty of golf courses, retirement homes, snowbirds, palm trees, sunshine and beautiful sunsets here.
Minus the humidity......

Tap, tap, tap, are you in there? or How we Celebrated the Royal Wedding

2011-05-03T17:46:00.001-07:00

Yup, I've been absent. I've been SUPER busy doing things, you know, like picking my sunburn and scratching my Florida bug bites. Important things like that. you know.

So I thought I would return by sharing EXACTLY what I did during the Royal Wedding last week.

Snuggling with grandbaby #11!!! Not sure if his parents want his name revealed on line but he arrived safe and sound, all 8 pounds even of him!

Actually I watched the royal wedding live, as I was fretting and waiting for the phone call to come to the hospital. We had gotten the call the night before that mama was in labor, so I was ready and waiting, but didn't get the call until early the next morning that the event was imminent.

Therefore, I watched the regal event live, with half closed eyeballs, knowing that I was recording it for my posterity to be watched at a more reasonable hour.

After we gooed and snuggled and I dashed home, which seemed to be filled with 500 children, including the siblings of sweet baby, not really 500. The doorbell rang and to my amazement this person was at my door...

Ready and prepped to watch the big event. Under no circumstances was I allowed to reveal any details of the wedding, INCLUDING, the Dress.

My Anglophile child arrived, prepared and ready for "tea" in her borrowed antique Mini Cooper. She was dressed appropriately for the occasion, including the required hat.

So I'll end my silence with a couple more photos of sweet baby boy, taken yesterday.

He's so squishy and snuggly and lovely!

And I think he loves his Grandma!!

Edit-After re-reading this post, I realize it sounds slightly incoherent and disjointed. I'm blaming my middle aged brain.

Headed East

2011-04-08T05:11:00.005-07:00

So in a couple of days, TL & I are headed off to the beach, except we're not going west this time, we're going east, as in Florida gulf coast east.

I've never been there. Even though we don't live in a cold climate, I'm looking forward to a little R&R on the beach-with my new book-and the extra humidity that my desert-parched dry skin will soak up.

There may be posts, sans photos, since my portable electronic devices won't do that (or at least I don't know how to add them)

Bon voyage......

Transitions

2011-04-06T05:01:00.002-07:00

We have been transitioning the garden this past few weeks. Around here, I grow cool season veggies in the fall/winter/early spring. That means that my little pea-pickers here had their last harvest.

Conference weekend.

The plants are starting to turn brown so I've spent some time yanking them out and I'm waiting for the big guns (hubby) to dig up the soil and plant me some watermelons and cantaloupes.

Oh happy day-the seeds have sprouted! Squash....

I see a little roma peeking out!

My daily battle with seedlings-it's me or the birds! The green beans are under their protective cages.

The cukes! I'm anticipating a good harvest for my green smoothies! (this is a never ending hope-I've never had much success with cucumbers-only the crazy long Armenian ones. Trying a new variety this year-cross yer fingers!)

Good luck all you northerners in your upcoming garden endeavors! We had a taste of summer last week-our first 100 degrees....so the rest isn't far behind.....ug

Some transitions I'm not looking forward to......

Just do the Best You Can

2011-04-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

This is gut-busting, laugh-out-loud funny. My interpretation of this for me is to Just do the Best you Can! Have a great day!

Peas Please

2011-04-04T05:31:00.001-07:00

I picked a HUGE bowl of peas a couple of days ago. To the tune of 5 pounds +.

And here's a wide shot of the rest of them that are languishing in the refrigerator.

Peas porridge hot,

Peas porridge cold,

Peas porridge in the pot,

Nine days old....

(a childhood memory)

It's time to freeze peas!
I feel really sorry for my grandmothers who had to slave and slave to preserve the fruits of their labors so that they could eat all winter. If we had to eat exclusively out of our garden, we would probably starve!

But I learned a few tricks to keep the harvest coming. This works with peas and beans too.
The secret: You have to pick them regularly.
I don't know if it tricks the plant into producing more flowers, a botanist I am not.
But I usually pick about every other day, and they keep coming!
The little suckers are sneaky though, they are hard to see sometimes and I can miss one and go back a few days later and it's a little "overripe."

So pardon me while I crank up the steamer-
And preserve me a little peas.......

This is NO Joke!

2011-04-01T05:24:00.002-07:00

Looks like milk!

Rich and creamy like whole milk!

Makes a milk mustache like milk!

But it's cashew milk!
I've wanted to try this for awhile and because I had a willing guinea pig, we whipped some up.
The verdict: It's really good, it doesn't taste like cow's milk, but it's very rich tasting and yummy.
My next experiment is to make some yogurt with it-totally dairy free.

If you are off dairy, give it a try, it's super easy. Here's the link to watch a video on how to make it.
The Spunky Coconut

On this Final Day of March......

2011-03-31T04:01:00.003-07:00

I'm thinking of African Daisies.
I love African daisies.
There are people in my neighborhood who actually plan ahead, wayyy ahead.
And toss out the African daisy seeds in their yards in the fall,
So that in springtime the whole world can enjoy their blossoms.
And these daisies are clever.
Because they will grow again next year, reseeding themselves!

I'm just not clever enough in October.
To think about African Daisies in March.

The appearance of African daisies in my neighborhood is always bittersweet.
Because it means that springtime is here.
The smell of citrus blossoms perfuming the air.
The days are a little longer.
And the soft smell of fresh air blows through the house.

And hellish days of summer are coming reallll soon.
When we have the smell of recycled air conditioning wafting through the house.
{sigh}

Another Birthday

2011-03-30T05:00:00.002-07:00

Okay, so I know I'm going to get in serious trouble because I've not wished EVERY person in my family Happy Birthday on their special day on my blog.

Because some days I'm brain dead or I don't think ahead, or I think my name is Fred, or....(just trying to keep it rhyming here.....)

Awwwww.

Double awwww.

Gotta insert the photos from the geeky phase.

Okay, here's a nice studly photo.....

Huh??????

With his favorite missionary comp.

And now his favorite eternal comp.....

Happy Birthday Steve!

(I can hear him saying, you did it mom cuz I'm your favorite kid.)

(No, you're not my favorite kid, just my favorite second son, fifth kid.)

(You had too much colic as a baby to be my favorite kid)

How to Get off Sugar

2011-03-29T05:13:00.002-07:00

Eat more veggies!!

Believe me, I do know how hard it is to get off sugar and stay off sugar. I've fallen off the wagon many a time in the last few months. The trick is to climb right back on the wagon. As time goes on, and you wean yourself off the sugar, the taste buds do change and sugary stuff becomes less appealing. The artificial stuff, I mean. I think we all have an in-born affinity for sweet things and often times it can be satisfied eating a piece of fruit. I have eaten food sweetened with white sugar recently, and probably will again, but it doesn't taste as good to me and actually I don't feel so hot when I do eat it. (like the chocolate covered acai berries that were hidden away and untouched since Christmas)

So how do you slog it out until you get to that point? Eat more vegetables, especially the green stuff. Here's a few ideas I've done to "eat yer greens."

Make green smoothies. They are nature's fast food. I can whip up a green smoothie in less than 2-3 minutes. As you begin to eat them, start with more fruit and less greens. Spinach is the mildest. As time goes on, you can add more veggies and less fruit. My favorite smoothie now consists of celery, cucumber, spinach, 1/2 apple, lemon, lime, ginger, chia seeds and some protein powder. Sometimes I add a truvia packet, but lots of times I forget. Yum, I actually crave this (crazy huh) Google green smoothies and you can find tons of recipes and ideas.

Make veggie omelets for breakfast. A little more time consuming, but very satisfying. Have a large salad for lunch. I love a salad with a Mexican flair with greens, veggies like green pepper and avocado, added with cilantro and some beans. I even crunch up some tortilla chips for a topping. Make stir frys for dinner. My family still at home is not as converted, so I still make a regular meal but add in a big salad or stir fried or steamed veggies, also roasting veggies is a delish way to add them to a meal. I also often make a BIG pot of vegetable soup. I use chicken broth as a base (I didn't say I was vegan or vegetarian) and throw in whatever veggies I have in the fridg. The base is always a mixture of celery, carrots and onions. I wouldn't recommend broccoli, but I have used cabbage, mushrooms, potatoes and whatever else strikes my fancy. Sometimes I will throw in a 1/4 cup of barley or brown rice to the mix. You can eat off that for days.

Grow a garden! My grandkids are picking and eating the raw peas that are coming off right now. (I do not like raw peas-but hey-if they love it-I encourage it) You have never tasted anything better than a salad with romaine lettuce, freshly picked. Or the cilantro! Amazing flavor. And don't even get me started on a tomato, still warm from the garden. I love going out and pulling an onion that is going into our dinner in just a few minutes.

So I hope this helps anyone who is interested eating healthier. Keep the veggies available in the fridg. Eat them often so they don't end up as wilted messes in the bottom of the crisper. Try new ones when they go on sale! Eat them as snacks, with hummus or some kind of dip (less dip, more veggies) Keep them handy and available.

Anyone else out there with more yummy ways to eat veggies?

Go green!

How to Dissect A Brain

2011-03-28T05:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of hosting Amy & Bret in our home for a few days. They had been temporarily displaced from their bedroom and we enjoyed their company here! It was great having time to relax and visit without pressures of hurrying home. Bret is knee-deep (waist-high) in dental school right now and it was so fun to hear his enthusiasm about his studies, especially the anatomy & dissection part. Since I have studied and been involved in human anatomy for years through my medical transcription business, I was fascinated as he described the body parts and how he was learning where they are and how they function. To illustrate his point, one morning we were privileged to witness a lecture which I will entitle:

"How to Dissect the Brain

Using a Grapefruit as an Example"

Notice the happy face on the "person" grapefruit. I don't think if that was my brain, I would have that happy face. He's using the "scalpel" to carefully "carve" the scalp.

Now he's removed the scalp.

Now he's preparing to remove the "brain."

Okay, that's probably TMI and hopefully no one has lost their breakfast/lunch/dinner at this point, but it was fun (and hysterically funny) to hear his play-by-play explanation and see his enthusiasm for his work and studies.

Don't worry, he is not going to be a brain surgeon any time in the near future, just drilling holes in unsuspecting teeth........

Last Week's Recap

2011-03-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Got the new faucet installed, trying to get used to the new one.

Picking (and eating) lots of peas these days.

The tomatoes look happy. They are starting to produce flowers!

This poor little guy bashed his face a few more times this week.

We finally christened our new firepit. (a Christmas gift).. What is it about fire that is so mesmerizing?

Our March birthday kids.

(We added a new one last year!)

Jen launched her new web site!

Love me some zumba!!! We started a zumba class in the branch this week. Super fun-but my body is protesting!

I'm learning more about essential oils. Wow I'm so amazed that Heavenly Father gave us all we need to be healthy and prosper on this earth!

Finished (finally!) this soft, sweet, cuddly blue yummyness for our newest grandbaby, arriving in about six weeks or so!

So what was the highlight of your week????

Journey to Health

2011-03-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

As I sit here, slurping my morning green smoothie, I thought I would share some thoughts about the way I've been eating the last several months. Everyone I know seems to be interested in the topic, and since it seems to occupy a good chunk of my mental space, I need to spill my guts, so to speak.

I've posted from time to time about green smoothies, healthy eating, etc. but haven't disclosed a lot about my thoughts and the journey I'm on.

I did share that a few months ago, after a visit with my doctor, that I was going on a "crazy" diet. I eliminated dairy, wheat, and all sugars, including most fruits. I can truthfully say that for the most of that six week period, I stuck with the program nearly 100%. I didn't even slip in some agave nectar or honey, which is supposed to be healthy......

It wasn't easy. In fact, on a follow-up visit, I begged the doctor to let me go off the diet. She just smiled and said, "No, I think you need to stay on it longer." She later told me at another follow-up visit (a month later) that my yeast was talking, not me. Through a series of tests, she felt that I had a major overgrowth of yeast in my system and since yeast lives off sugar, those yeasties in my body were super mad that they weren't getting fed all that delicious sugar and they were dying off.

What a difference another month made! That's when she told me that my yeast had been talking at the last visit. I was even angry about it. Crazy stuff, huh? After another month, I started feeling better. I told her that I really didn't have a desire any more to go off the diet. I had cheated now and then, but I really didn't want to.

What has happened? I feel SO much better. The difference is amazing. I feel better, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I have more energy. I have more calmness in the center of the hurricane of my life. I just plain flat out feel better. In fact, since then I have "cheated" a little, maybe a piece of a delicious orange roll (mmm Jessica made them...) or a tiny piece of brownie, but I don't feel good. My tummy may hurt or I feel sort of cranky and out of sorts.

My female hormones have really stabilized. I don't have hot flashes every morning any more. I've lost some weight (yay), although that wasn't the focus of the program. I feel more peace.

What have I learned about all this? A ton. First off, it's a mental thing. The only way to make changes is to make up your mind first. And when the cravings hit, it's the mental part that keeps you on track. Second, it is about sacrificing. Sacrifice is pretty much a law of heaven. You don't get anything good without a little sacrifice, sometimes a lot of sacrifice. But when the blessings come, like feeling good, it is worth the sacrifice. Is it easy? Nope. Do I "fall off the wagon?" Of course! But as time goes on, it gets easier because I feel better.

So if anyone is interested, I'll keep up the ramblings now and then about a healthier lifestyle and how it's working for me. But it is a journey, and one I plan to keep pursuing for the rest of my life.

The Sacred Cow

2011-03-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

I am about to rattle the cage of the sacred cow of food storage. (Is that a mixed metaphor?)

First off, let me state that I am a firm believer in having food storage. I have studied it, practiced it, use it, and store it. I have a label on my blog for "food storage obsession."

But my question is:
Who came up with the amounts of food necessary to store per person?
400 pounds of grain per year per person?
We have faithfully and diligently followed that recommendation for years.
We have wheat and rice and oats stuffed into every corner of our houses.

But, case in point........

I was discussing this very question with Jessica while looking at her beautifully organized pantry shelves, complete with inventory sheets......(I'll let her blog about that-it's amazing!)

She told me that when she and her husband were first married, we had given them a 50 lb bag of rice for a Christmas gift (which they loved!) So if the calculation holds true, that 50 pound bag should have lasted them about a month.......

She still has probably a little less than half of it left, almost six years later.

Of course they eat other things besides rice every day.

Another case in point.....

We bought a couple hundred pounds of white rice when one of my sons was a baby. We ate a LOT of rice, two or three times a week. We appreciated that rice when times were tough. I had a big family full of kids to feed.

That baby is going to turn 23 years old next week. I still have over half of it left.

I know that we should have these things set aside in case of emergency. I believe in storing what you eat, and eating what you store. But the amount of space it takes to store this much food for a large family is a lot, and I'm wondering if the quantities are a true reflection of what we should be eating. Should the amounts be scaled down a bit so we don't have dusty basements full of decomposing food that has been wasted instead of eaten????

Thoughts?

I Ain't no Pioneer

2011-03-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

So what's the worst thing that can happen on a Saturday night?
You get a water leak under your sink.
At 9:30 pm.
Tomorrow is Sunday.
We are gone all day Sunday.
We don't know any ~~cheap~~ plumbers that work on Sunday.

So TL jerry-rigged the faucet so I wouldn't absentmindedly turn on the faucet and create a flood.
(oh I wouldn't do that would I?)
Then later Sunday night he realized he could have turned off the water underneath the sink.
(I think our minds work exactly the same way)

So the pitcher to my right is my water source, which I have to collect on a very regular basis out of the bathtub.
And I sit and wait all day for the plumber to arrive, to fix the broken pipe and install the new faucet.
(at least I got a new faucet out of this-the old one was on its last legs)
I don't like hauling water.
It's a pain.
I am spoiled rotten.
I think of the African ladies who walk for miles with gallons of water on their heads.
And be grateful for my sink in the middle of my kitchen.

But I will repeat, I ain't no pioneer......

Birthday Wishes

2011-03-20T09:43:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my first born.
She grew up to be an amazing woman and mother.
Despite my lack of parent skilz.
Her being the guinea pig.
And my complete and utter failure in the photography department.
I ♥ you!

Put on Yer food storage Hat

2011-03-19T07:29:00.001-07:00

Okay, we had the most delish soup last night! So run, don't walk and go get your pencil and paper so you can write the recipe down. It's so easy, it's ridiculous. Go ahead, I'll wait.......

So first off, I'll give you the recipe. The original that I typed was for an insanely huge amount. I cut it in half. I can't remember where I got this recipe, so if anyone reading this knows who it came from, please give them the credit. First, the recipe, then I'll tell you how I tweaked it and I think made it better, and also the boo-boos that I made......

Pinto Bean Soup

3 cups dried pinto beans
6 cups chicken stock
2 cans diced tomatoes with the liquid
1 can diced green chilis with liquid
1 can tomato soup
1 large onion
1 t. garlic powder
1 T balsalmic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste.

Put all the ingredients into a stock pot. Bring to boil, then turn down heat to simmer. Cover and cook for four hours or until beans are tender. Garnish with cilantro, avocado and serve with chips.

#1 boo-boo. I only read to the part where it said cook for four hours. So in working backwards in my mind, so dinner would be ready at six-ish, I think, "self, why don't you soak the beans all morning and then they will cook faster." Uh-yea. So I did soak the beans, but 4 hours was not long enough to tenderize the beans. My beans may be older, but they were not tender after four hours. I chose not to cook this in the pressure cooker because I wanted the slow, simmer flavor of the stove top cooked beans. Even after the branch president and Relief Society president ran to the hospital to check on a member, the beans were still a tiny tad tough. But trust me, the flavor was fab!

This is how I also tweaked it. I cut the onion up and sauted it in a little olive oil before I added the rest of the ingredients. To me that is a sacred cow of cooking, you must always saute your onion.

Second, you MUST try Muir Glen Fire Roasted organic tomatoes. MUST. I am running low and I plan to buy a couple of cases for my food storage. They have an incredible flavor and will change your mind forever about plain ol' diced tomatoes. (P.S. for the local yokels, Sprouts will give you a 10% discount on cases!)

So I added two of the 15 ounce-ish size cans to my stock pot. Finally I only added 1/2 can of tomato soup to the mix.

Boo-boo #2. I didn't have an avocado to put on top.
We added fresh cilantro, a little guac that I had in the fridge and shredded cheese. Yummmmmm.

Boo-boo #3: I am breaking the cardinal rule of a recipe on a blog. No photo of the final product. No photos of the process.

But, you gotta try this! Reasons this is awesome:

It's vegetarian if you are that.
It's food storage if you are that.
It's super easy.
And it's delish!

The Official Unveiling of the Legs......

2011-03-18T08:35:00.001-07:00

In honor of the first 90 degree temperatures the last few days.....
The first day of wearing shorts......actually last week......

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3

Take 4.....

Aww fuggedaboutit.....

The post should be entitled, "How to take an unsuccessful photo of little children milling about."

Suffice to say, it's very warm here.

Growing Green!

2011-03-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

Warning:
This post contains photos that definitely do not represent a good hair day.

We are in the midst of soil preparations for the spring/summer garden! I've neglected my garden dreadfully this past winter due to not feeling well and being dang busy with other obligations. It's time to plant tomatoes!

It's a carrot!!! Somehow nature just plugs away, even though I ignore it occasionally. This bed doesn't get much sun in the winter and so things grow slowly, or not at all. So I was so surprised and delighted to see the results.

Better than roses???

TL and I went to a local organic gardening class on Sat. afternoon and learned about how soil is a living thing and in order to get better veggies, we need to nourish the soil (we knew all this before, just a good reinforcement-and it always helps when hubby is on board-right girls?)

If we feed the soil, we get better veggies, better veggies contain more vitamins, they are stronger, withstand the stresses they are sometimes placed under (weather, weeds, bugs) and in turn they nourish us and we feel better!

I'm so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who planned this all out. It is an absolutely amazing process, how everything works together to produce nourishment for our bodies. Our earth has all the "stuff" we need to prosper physically and spiritually.

"Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;
Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to aexcess, neither by extortion." D&C 59:16-20

Grow something green and be grateful!

In Which I have one Good Hair Day and Before my Eyeball turned Red

2011-03-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

Jessica sent me some photos she had taken and to my surprise, there was one of me I actually liked! Untouched, un-Photoshopped and having a good hair day...This was taken on Valentine's Day while I was out giving treats and kisses to my grandkids.

I realized that it has been two weeks since I blogged and while I have had many post ideas percolating in my fevered brain, it hasn't translated into getting them written down.

Just busy living life.

And to explain the eyeball part, I woke up Sunday morning with broken blood vessel in my right eye. It's enough to scare away anyone, including grandkids! As of today, it is slowly going away. I went to the keeper of all information, Google, and found out that mostly this happens for unknown reasons and I promise I'll go to the eye doctor if it doesn't go away.

No, I'm not posting a photo. Besides the fact that it is technically difficult to take a picture of oneself, especially a closeup of your own eyeball, it is quite creepy-looking and I wouldn't want to scare my mother.

Although my best line was last Sunday when one of the brothers in the branch asked me what was wrong with my eye. To which I replied, "demasiado frijoles." (too many beans) By the look on his face, I think he went home and told his wife, no more beans! (I did tell him I was kidding)

Scenes from the Frozen North Part Deux.....O Tres?......O whatever...

2011-03-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

I've tried to cull out the most ridiculous and left only the most sublime......

You can add your own captions.

Words fail me.

Can't wait to read the responses.

In Vain

2011-02-27T06:31:00.001-07:00

Over the course of the last few months, I have come across some wonderful blogs, amazing writers and touching stories, one of which is A Daily Scoop, written by Stephanie Waite, a young mom who lost a little girl at the age of 17 months. Her writing is brilliant and she wrote a post titled "In Vain."

She writes that whenever they speak the name of her deceased daughter, it is always with reverence. Then she compares it to the way we speak of our Lord, Jesus Christ. She knows the pain of losing her precious daughter, and always wants those to speak of her tenderly and with reverence. She ponders on how our Heavenly Father must feel when His children use His holy Son's name irreverently and disrespectfully.

I've been pondering the words of that post for weeks. When we speak of sweet Ella, we do so with tenderness and reverence. Her name will always be precious to us. She will remain a sacred special piece of our hearts forever.

Do I do the same with my Savior Jesus Christ? I have never spoken His name in vain. But I have covenanted to take His name upon me. Do I demonstrate respect, honor and reverence for His name through my daily actions? Do I take His name in vain by the way I act or speak? Is His name precious to me? Do I hold in the same sacred regard my brothers and sisters?

I've often reflected on this and pray that my life will always honor His holy name, thereby honoring and respecting my Heavenly Father.

A la the Snapple Commercial-Stuff

2011-02-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

I giggle every time I watch the Snapple commercials......So here's the Stuff....

Hung out with these guys a couple of days last week while mommy was gone. (photo taken at my house)

LOVE this photo. Look at the concentration. Mom---this is Jen's youngest. Can you believe it??? Dontcha just want to nibble on those chubby cheeks??

Got some fake hydrangeas for my tablescape. Since there is no way in this life I'll ever be able to grow real ones here in AZ, I have to content myself with the fake. Momza-do I need a few more? Do they need to be taller? (I didn't cut their fake stems)

Finished this top--now I need to quilt it!

There is something so satisfying about going outside and selecting a few items from my garden to add to my dinner..... These are onions and cilantro. You narthern folks.....you gotta grow something this summer! Really-it's super fun! The "bowl" in the photo is my salad spinner, an indispensible item in my kitchen inventory. A necessary tool when you garden and/or eat lots of veggies...plus they're cheap!

Not pictured......doing lots and lots of reading about eating healthy, went to a couple of classes, lots of church stuff, hanging out with kids stuff.....the usual momstuff.......

Color du Jour

2011-02-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

Recently I bought a t-shirt that was a little bit different color than I usually wear. To my surprise, I got a multitude of compliments on the color! Something about how it matched my eyes, etc. The color is:

Please ignore the awkward expression on my face and the neck wrinkles. And the poor lighting. Thank you.

Aqua blue. I'm finding that it makes me feel kinda "sparkly." I'm thinking that I need to have more of this color in my wardrobe.

So what's your color du jour and why???

**Tip of the day**
Do not, under any circumstances, spill green smoothies onto any type of fabric. It stains. It stains badly.
Please don't ask me why I know this.
Just trust me.
Don't do it.

My Life: A project in process....

2011-02-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hi there, just checking in! I can come up with the most brilliant ideas for post topics (especially in the shower-my best thinking time), but when it comes to follow through-well, sometimes it ain't happenin'.

So my momma doesn't worry too much about me, here's another photo montage of the latest and greatest around here, as it appears at this exact moment......

Project in process....I passed by a Pottery Barn tablescape and fell in love with it. Of course it had about 10,000 more tchotchkes on it than my table does, but we gotta be real here people... cuz we be real people. One thing missing are the artfully arranged fleurs that need to be placed in the "vase." And I'm certainly not buying them from Pottery Barn, even at a 10% discount! (Thanks Jess for letting me use your 10% discount coupon so I could buy the "vahz" and placemats) (P.S. credit for fabric goes to Scrapbooks, Etc-yes a scrapbook store that carries fabric....) (P.P.S credit for fabric choice goes to mwah---polka dot on reverse side-uber cute!)

Another project in process......refilling of the pool after acid wash. Pool boy says "it was the worst job he'd ever done." Meh....last year the pool boy from the same company told me that the plaster was in fine shape and I didn't need an acid wash.....hence the reason we waited another year.......(not looking forward to the water bill) But the plaster is looking mighty white and sparkly!

Project in process???? What the? My garden this year has been CRAZY. If you can't see it, there is a teeny tiny broccoli floret growing on the teeny tiny plant. Usually the plant is about 5 times this size when the fleur appears.......Freeze, warm, freeze, warm...that's been the name of the game. I think I'm going to have to buy lettuce again sooner this year too.....sniff . It's almost time for the spring/summer garden planting too.

Another project in process. ..... (do I sense a theme here?)

Project in process..... study of this book. They told us at the training meeting that it was a "treasure." Boy, howdy are they ever right! I've gotten tons of inspiration just from the first two chapters!

Ever ongoing project in process. Eating healthier. Eating more green stuff....

Welp, there you have it. My ongoing life is an ongoing project.

And Blogger is being super dumb and not letting me manipulate my photos or line justification......

{sigh}

Back atcha' later!!

♥♥Team Ella♥♥

2011-02-14T16:26:00.003-07:00

On this day of hearts and love, I need to share the fun day we had Saturday, February 12th! Our whole family participated in Ethan's Run. I mentioned it earlier in my blog and we had a FABULOUS time! What follows is a photo montage of our wonderful morning. We figured that we probably raised at least $1000 with our ginormous group of red-shirted warriors!!

Team Ella!!! (minus a few team members)

Ella's Mommy and Daddy

10 K runners!

This was their first race evah!!

Getting ready to run....

Getting ready to run #2...

And they're off!!

Still smiling! No pain.......yet....

The intense competition between the stroller pushers during the Fun Run.

Proper headgear and eyewear is most important, at the risk of being acutely embarrassed.

Crossing the finish line! Mom faking a long hard run!

Our warriors finish, actually #2 finished before #1.............

We felt Ella's presence with us and had joy being together as a family and remembering her sweet, short life.

Titles and Updates

2011-02-08T16:30:00.001-07:00

I dearly love reading other people's blogs and catching up on their lives. I get miffed when people don't update on a regular basis. Maybe I'm a voyeur or something????? So why don't I update my own blog often? Maybe because I think my life is borrrrrinnng????? But I know that maybe many of you are absolutely fascinated with my life and are wondering........did the computer get fixed? .....how was the trip???.....is it warm there yet???.....how is her weird crazy diet going??......does she still love her ipad?........and other trivia that the world is waiting to hear about which leads me to...

The trip
The trip was great. We told everyone in San Diego we were there to warm up, which totally confused the San Diegoans (is that a word) because usually "Zonies" are there to cool down. Most of the time we drove around trying to find a great place for our annual family trek to the beach. We stayed in the Gaslamp Quarter, which unfortunately I found out later was "party central" and we are definitely not party animals. I think dozing off at 8:30 pm does not qualify us as partiers.... We visited Old Town, ate yummy homemade corn tortillas, nasty clam chowder, visited Little Italy (I had no idea there was a Little Italy in San Diego), my favorite jewelry shop in Coronado......all in all it was fun, relaxing and I didn't want to come home.

Electronic devices
Yes, the computer is back on track, poor thing it was severely infected. And one of my favorite things to do in our hotel room every morning was surf the net and read other people's blogs and my emails on my ipad. I'm sure you can get a mental picture of the two old folks lounging around their hotel room, with their granny/grandpa glasses and playing with their ipads. (or maybe it's a picture you want to forget?) Really fun-who needs a laptop?

The weather
We missed a lot of the coldness while in California and I think we are having a warm-up phase but I've heard that we are getting a cold down again. We covered the garden and tucked it all in before we left, but we've got to repeat the process again tomorrow night-if the weather forecasters are correct. My poor garden has not been a rousing success this year.

The weird crazy diet
Uh, yea, still on it. The doctor said, keep doing it. After I picked myself up off the floor sobbing, I resolved to keep going. The only problem is, there is no such thing in Little Italy as wheat-free pasta. And when you go into Panera Bread, there is no such thing as a breakfast without bread. Needless to say, I did my best, but fell off the diet wagon a few times. The problem was, that my tummy didn't feel so hot with a belly full of wheat filled raviolis. Sheesh. Can't win for losin'.

Lather, rinse, repeat.
Remember the instructions on the shampoo bottle? That's also a definition of my life since we got home.

Still not feeling like I'm over the cough/cold/virus thingie. Annoying. I'm tired of the raw, scratchy throat and stuffed head every morning, over and over and over.
Just got done redoing the visiting teaching list again.

Unexpected surprises
Two Sundays ago: Picture in your mind, a branch president, conducting the opening of the priesthood meeting with your small Spanish branch. You begin the meeting, turn your head, and in walks a member of the First Quorum of the 70, and not just a member, but one of the 7 presidents of the 70. After you pick your teeth up off the floor, you welcome him warmly and turn the rest of the entire meeting over to him. Then you sneak out to tell the Stake President, who happens to be in a meeting in the other room. (true story) (for those of you reading who are not Mormon, the only thing I can compare this to is if the Governor or your State Senator walks into the middle of your local neighborhood watch meeting)

Uh yea, it was really exciting. I won't mention his name, except to say that his son moved into our little branch, and he is defintely Hispanic and if you want to go figure out who it is, go here .

Photo February
Many of my talented offspring and others, came up with the genius idea of doing a photo a day for February. I'm actually going to copy the idea, but since I'm always a day late and a dollar short, you are going to get a random sampling of my just downloaded photos off my iphone....eight to be exact....one for every day of the month so far (with an extra one thrown in for good measure)!

New branch presidency last year.

Me eating a fried pickle last summer.

The Christmas dishes I bought.

Poor little cb's cut lip.

Snow clouds. Yes Virginia, it did snow in Arizona. Yes, I was driving while taking the photo, and please don't chew me out for doing that. I won't do it again!

The branch president took a picture of the Relief Society president during one of their meetings.

See the fountain? Yes, those are icicles. Yes, I took this from my car. No, I wasn't driving when I took it. It was taken last week in the middle of the day.

Huh? My foot in our rental car.

The leather pouch carried by my great-great grandmother's first husband. His name was Ezra Allen and he was murdered on his way back to Utah after participating in the Mormon Battalion. It carried gold he discovered in California. The pouch was given to his widow and she used the gold to get herself to Utah. She then married my great-great grandfather, had my great-grandfather...and so on and so forth. (if you go to San Diego you MUST see the Battalion exhibit-it's awesome!)

Okay-

Nuf said.

I hope my sanity is not seriously in question at this point.

Random Chilly Thoughts on a Groundhog Day Night

2011-02-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

It's COLD! I know all you hearty souls in northern climes are snickering right now, but today was the lowest low in Phoenix history on February 2nd. A blustery 44 degrees! And who knows how cold it is with the wind chill! I don't know if Mr. Groundhog saw his shadow today, but it's definitely winter here-and looks like it will be for the forseeable future. It's a good thing I'm headed to San Diego! We need to warm up a little! Brrrrrr....

And here's hoping that I leave all viruses there, come home with a clean bill of health, and speaking of viruses, my lil computer is mighty sick-thinking good thoughts for the computer doctor.....

Signing off again from the iPad,

Me

Happy February 1st!

2011-02-01T06:31:00.002-07:00

My confession today:
My computer is fried and in the computer hospital. I dearly hope it isn't fatal. So I'm writing my post today on my new favorite toy. If you haven't already guessed, it's one of those fancy schmalzy iPads. I don't like to be all braggy, so I haven't shared my delight over my Christmas present. TL is always incredibly generous to me on Christmas and sometimes it embarrasses me. (the kids are saying, yea right mom!)

So anyway,one of the perks of being the wife of a partner in my husband's business is the fact that often we are the beneficiaries of gifts and goodies, this year being new iPads, which the wives received. I say Yeah!

So why do I love my l iPad? #1 being the fact that I can read my emails, other people's blogs and surf the net while my beloved computer is in the hospital. l have download (so far) a half-dozen books on the kindle app, I've downloaded all the manuals for the Church in Spanish, I have the scriptures in Spanish and English, my calendar and to-do list in one easy place! One of my dark secrets is that I love to read in bed and I have a whole library of stuff to read on sleepless nights without turning on a light to disturb sleeping hubby.

So oops... I digress...

Happy February!

Here's hoping that the month of love is filled with hope and healing. January was tough. really tough. I think we are all ready for a break!

First on my agenda this month is a lil trip with TL on Thursday......
Can't wait!

Latest News from the Frozen North

2011-01-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

Just got another camera memory card package from the Elder, so I'm showing off some of the latest photos for the fam. These make no sense to me in any way, shape or form, but it does show the workings of the mind of my youngest son.

Doing the Lord's work

I think this is a hint...he wants more letters.

He's busy!

Brrrr...

At least we know he got the Christmas package!

Ccccooollldddd...

Even colder.

Long way from Samoa....

Said goodbye to one of his best friends and former comp (on the left) and said goodbye to his current companion (on the right)

I believe this is his new companion. He's now a trainer!

Some of his latest artwork.

Believe me, this is purely conjecture on my part, but I am assuming these are his thoughts behind these latest photos, since he didn't say a word about them. (plus a whole lot of silly videos-mostly at the Burger King ordering cherry icees--in the middle of winter in Alaska, mind you)

Garden Update

2011-01-27T05:35:00.001-07:00

I haven't updated my garden for a loooonnnggg time.
Because I haven't been in the mood to garden much.
Thank heaven's it's been taking care of itself.

Thanks to hubby who reminds me to cover it on those freezing nights.
And believe me, we've had LOTS of those this winter! Crazy!
And the automatic watering.

So without further ado---

Trying to conserve space in a square foot garden...
The peas are blooming now! They are climbing up a wire trellace.
I pick from the lettuce patch almost every day, that's next to the peas.
If you've never grown lettuce....you gotta try!! It's super easy, super delish, you'll never want to buy store bought lettuce again, unless of course it's out of season for your area. (my out of season is summer) Lettuce is bitter when it's too hot and you don't water it enough....
And then there's some onions on the edge.
I usually use these as I need them, some get big, some I use as green onions, however long they stay in the ground.

My other lettuce patch. Been trying to keep rotating the crops, you can see some new plants just getting going in front.

This is the swiss chard, cilantro patch gone wild. I LOVE fresh cilantro and I LOVE being able to go out and pick it fresh when I need it. Of course another green that has to be planted in season, it bolts in the heat. ug!

And the piece 'o resistance....
The dead, frozen tomato plant.
For some reason, every fall I start thinking I'm the gardener invicible and I CAN grow tomatoes in the winter.
Yes, these were covered.
Sniff.

Remind me next fall when I'm thinking I can do this again.
Tomatoes + cold = waste of money and water.

Whole Lotta Creativity

2011-01-26T05:29:00.001-07:00

It seems in these here parts,
There's a whole lotta (pro)creation goin' on.
And this Grandma has got to get busy!

I don't think I've mentioned it yet,
In order to respect the privacy of those involved...
But Grandbaby #11 is due to arrive this spring.
Numero 5 for my boy!

And it happens to be a BOY!
They are super excited to have a change of color,
Since they've been busy with pink a lot.
They have a lot of experience with blue--
Since their first two are boys......

I've had my eye on the sample quilt for this fabric for a while....
I love its vintage-y-ness.
Can't wait to see the finished product.
So I'm SUPER excited to start creating some more goodies for my babies....

Seein's how they are being so creative on their own.....

Ethan's Run

2011-01-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know that congenital heart defects (CHD) are the #1 birth defect? One out of every 100 babies is born with a congenital heart defect every year. These are unexplainable heart defects that just "happen." Our family was chosen this past year to be a part of this special club. It's not a club that anyone wants to be part of, but those who belong share a bond that is inexplicable.

Our family this year is participating in Ethan's Run, a fundraiser held each February to support the Eller Heart Family Council. Under the direction of the Congenital Heart Foundation, this group helps provide information, support and financial assistance to families with babies born with heart defects.

Unfortunately our family wasn't able to benefit from these services, but we have chosen to support this wonderful cause in honor of our sweet Ella. Ethan's Run was started to remember Ethan Skidmore, a little guy who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. After enduring many surgeries he left this life at six months of age. His sweet momma, Heidi, has been a support and comfort to our family.

So go HERE to learn more about Ethan's Run, and if you live locally, we'll see you on February 12th at the race!!

P.S. just so ya' know.......most of us "weekend warriors" are participating in the fun run.......
P.P.S. there's lots of other fun family stuff going on that morning at Ethan's Run too!

It's not about the Cant's

2011-01-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

I think I'm writing this post just as much for a pep talk for me as anything else.

About a month ago, I dutifully returned to my doctor's office for a followup on all the bloodwork and lab tests that she had recommended at my Well Woman exam. (FYI: my primary care doctor is a naturopathic physician-you may or may not agree with her results or recommendations-but I LOVE her. She spends a lot of time caring for me physically and emotionally)

To make a long story short, the tests revealed that I had "cellular exhaustion at the deepest levels."

Well, duh.....I think I coulda figured that one out without all those tests!

JK.

She recommended a list of supplements and a special diet to basically detox my body and get my cells to function better so that I could feel better in my "speshul" phase of life. She gave me a stern lecture about taking care of myself so that I can be around to take care of others....followed by a big hug.

Remember folks, this was December 15th, 10 days before Christmas.
Uh, yea....

She told me to do the best I could during the holidays. I'm a determined sort of soul so I plunged into the diet immediately. The diet? Oh yea, no sugar, no wheat, no dairy, no fruits, except organic apples and berries, for at least 6 weeks.

Nice.....just 10 days before Christmas.

So I went forward, with all the gusto of a person on a mission and with the enthusiasm of a new goal.
Then Christmas Day hit.
Honestly, I really was good up until Christmas Day.
I did notice that I was feeling better, with more energy.

But who can resist the luscious coffee cake on Christmas Day? Or the crunchy., buttery toffee that Jen makes every year (that I pretty much take sole possession of) Or the homemade cinnamon rolls? or the specially selected Christmas candy for the stockings? (think crunchy junior mints.....mmmm...)

After a week of sugar-filled gluttony, I decided it was time to hit the diet again. Because I had promised myself to take care of myself and listen to my doctor's advice for a change.

But boy howdy, it has been SO hard. All I can think about is what I can't have.
Besides the fact that the TV is constantly tuned to shows like Cake Wars or Paula Deen, or somebody else who is cooking up something forbidden......
And I watch hubby slurping down creamy Chicken Alfredo at the local restaurant.
Whilst I pick at my grilled chicken salad.

Whine, whine, whine.

And it has been SO hard to go through the trials of the last month without the comfort of a bowl of chocolate ice cream.......or a piece of chewy ciabatta bread from the local bakery.....

Whine, whine, whine.

But I just realized the other day...
that there are hundreds of foods I CAN eat.
There are dozens of different grains.
There are multitudes of different veggies.
Maybe my palate can adjust to less sugar in the diet.

I had some brussel sprouts yesterday.
Honestly, I did feel good when I ate them. They were delicious.
(not a slice of chocolate cake mind you, but tasty)

So I'm challenging myself to look at the CANS
and not the CANTS.

It's probably a good lesson for myself.

Remind me the next time I start whining about how I can't do something.....

Like Momma always Says......

2011-01-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

Eat yer greens!

I mean, EVERYTHING tastes good when cooked in bacon grease!

**Recipe

Fresh Swiss chard from the garden

1 slice of bacon

Cook the piece of bacon until done.

Fight over who gets the piece of bacon.

Slice up the swiss chard.

Dump it in the bacon grease,

Stir fry until tender crisp.

(It really was delish!)

Divine Tutoring

2011-01-16T10:38:00.001-07:00

During this time of grieving, I have been studying and reflecting, and the words of a hymn came to my mind,

"In the quiet heart is hidden

Sorrow that the eye can't see...."

Lord, I Would Follow Thee

LDS Hymns

I have often asked myself,

"Why?"

"Why were not my earnest prayers and fastings answered the way I want?"

"Why were not my pleadings for my child answered?"

I found a quote by Elder Orson F. Whitney,

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable.....and it is through.....toil and tribulation that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven."

For those who have "sorrow that the eyes can't see," may these words be a balm and solace to your weary soul....

Soft

2011-01-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday felt like being surrounded with a lovely soft cocoon of love.
Even with the tears.
I don't want it to go away.

It was a perfect day in Arizona.
Sunshine with a few floaty clouds.
Beautiful music at the funeral home.
My best peeps in the WHOLE world around Amy & Bret.
Time to hold and cuddle sweet Ella.
Admire her beautiful dress.
Explain Heavenly Father's plan to little kiddies.
Beautiful pink roses on a tiny white casket.

It seemed like we got all the green lights to the cemetery.
An incredibly gorgeous program created by Jen.
Surrounded by those we love,
Sweet words of testimony.
Prayers of faith.
Consoling hugs given.

One of the best moments for me was when my sister-in-law,
herself a grandma to 17 beautiful grandbabies, (I hope I got the number right)
hugged me so tight-
I felt our spirits connect-
I felt her sorrow at the loss of a beloved grandchild.
Knowing how she would feel if it were her.

A wonderful luncheon.
With time to visit with family.
Great service rendered.
And they don't call it comfort food for nuthin!

A lovely soft cocoon of love.

For the Locals

2011-01-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

Graveside services for Ella Standage will be held on Wed. January 12th at 1:00 pm at the Mesa City Cemetery. Thank you so much for your love, prayers and donations to help us Remember Ella.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

2011-01-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a week ago and I couldn't help but look at the clock now and then and think, one week ago....

I suppose that's only human.

But like it or not, life moves forward.
Meals have to be prepared.
And therefore dishes washed.
Clothes have to be washed.
Doctor's appointments must be attended.
Church callings fulfilled.

Pain lessens.
And returns.
Fades away.
Then stabs painfully.
And recedes.

It will be fine. I will be fine. We all will be fine.

Amy is doing well. She is hanging with me this week. We are planning to go to Hobby Lobby today and see if she can spend her Christmas gift card, depending upon how far she can walk!
Looking forward, one step at a time.

We still have the services to get through. For those locally, we should know more details in the next couple of days. It will be a graveside service at the Mesa City Cemetery. I'll be sure to let everyone know.

Thank you again for your love, prayers and compassion.

Thoughts

2011-01-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is just going to be a rambling, free-form sort of post. My thoughts at this moment in no particular order.

Grief is an interesting thing.
You can't predict it, you can't structure it, you can't organize it.

While I was watching the valiant efforts of the medical team try to save the life of our dear Ella,
I felt numb.
Disconnected from myself.
Focused on my son-in-law and husband, who were sobbing openly.
Focused on my daughter's grim stoic face.
I held back the tears.

But they came later.
They come in waves.
Like the waves of heat that blast your face when you open an oven door.
Like the ocean waves that keep coming and coming.
Then I pull my self together.
And make the heartbreaking phone calls.
Make the necessary plans.
Trying to think of things to ease the pain for my dear ones.

Then the waves return.
Like when the lady at the baby store gives me a beautiful crystal bracelet.
For our little Ella to wear in her casket.
And throws her arms around me and holds me while I sob.

Or when the labor and delivery nurse who attended Amy writes a sweet note,
attached to her generous donation for Ella's funeral expenses.

But then I can laugh myself silly at a movie last night (Wild Hogs) on tv.
And have wonderful conversations with my kids in Amy's hospital room.
And we can giggle over our family's idiosyncrasies.

And speaking of my kids,
My patriarchal blessing tells me my children will be a comfort to me.
Wow, is that ever being fulfilled, in an amazing way.
Each of them, with their own unique talents and gifts, bring a huge measure of comfort.

For those of you who still have little ones at home.
Just you wait until they are adults.
You will never love them more.

I think my cousin Anne gave some awesome advice.
Breathe. Take one day at a time. Carry a box of kleenex in the car.

Better words were never spoken.

Our Angel

2010-12-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to begin, other than just to say it.
Last night Amy and Bret welcomed their precious baby, Ella.
Only to relinquish her to the arms of a loving Heavenly Father a few hours later.

Our hearts are heavy.
Our eyes are wet.
A mother and father's arms are empty.

We know of a plan.
A Plan of Happiness given to us by our dear Father in Heaven.
It gives us comfort to know that she belongs to an eternal family.
But still we ache with shed and unshed tears.
And painful loss.

We are so uplifted by the love and prayers and comforting words of others.
And we thank you so much.
And please never forget our precious angel baby, Ella.

Please go to my daughter's blog, Green Apple Images, and see the tribute and photo to our precious baby and if you feel able, donate to help a young couple pay for her funeral expenses.

How Many People Can you Cram into this Madwoman's House on Christmas Day?

2010-12-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

It's Christmas!!

Christmas stockings are ALWAYS a favorite. Gifts are specially selected for the receiver.

Can this poor woman cram any more baby into her belly?

Grandma with the requisite garbage bag, trying to cram more paper into it.

Princess was the theme of their stockings!

Jammies: The theme this year was polar bears for the boys, snowflakes for the girls, in honor of our boy in Alaska......
Who we had an awesome 1 1/2 hour visit with BTW......

We even managed to cram the missionaries in. (standing in front of our Sun "Devil" tree-oops)

The fruits of Santa's workshop-Grandma did a LOT less sewing this year.
And I didn't get a photo of the girls in their matching aprons.....again!!!

Wait? I paid for all this?????

Okay everybody.......

2010-12-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

Take a deep breath........

inhale..........(1)

exhale........whoooooooshhhhh

inhale.......(2)

exhale......whoooshhhhhh

inhale......(3)

exhale.......whoooshhhhhh

Okay.
We're almost to the finish line!
You can do it!