Sunday, December 28, 2008

CAN YOU CHOOSE TO BE A GENIUS?



My husband shared an Intel video with me that is going to be a new commercial. I tried to put in on my blog, but I guess Intel security won't let me. In the video it asks the question "Can you choose to be genius?" I thought it was a great video and it made me start thinking. Can you choose to be a genius? Now I know that brains plays a part in there somewhere, but I don't think everyone who invents something or comes up with a new system on how to do things is a candidate for Mensa. How many times have people had their ideas squelched because they weren't what was wanted at the time, or were silly, dumb, seemingly ineffective, too costly, too complicated, too simple, etc, etc. How many future geniuses were discouraged by verbally abusive parents, teachers, supervisors, friends, bosses, siblings, or by just a lack of belief in theirselves?
We live in an age where technology and infomation are at our fingertips (this was brought out by the video also). But we have so many other things that keep us busy, that many genius candidates simply do not take the time to ponder or meditate on that idea in their head.

If you would like to read an article I found about this subject, copy and paste this into your browser:

https://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/443940?articleid=443940

Monday, December 15, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, INKLINGS!



Today is Inklings birthday and since she is my sister I want to blog about my memories about her.

One memory to go with this time of year, is my memory of going Christmas shopping with Inklings. We lived in Omaha, Nebraska and one year Inklings took me downtown to shop. We took the bus down town and I remember being totally amazed at everything we saw. I have no memory of what we bought, but I'm sure we were Christmas shopping because it was really cold. I remember going into the department stores and riding the escalators up and down. I don't remember if we had lunch there or not, but I do remember her taking me into a store to have hot chocolate. She told me they had good hot chocolate and I was amazed that she even knew that. I remember burning the crap out of my mouth on that very hot chocolate, but it was good. She took me around like it was no big deal to her and that she knew where she was going. I think I don't remember a lot of details because I was in such awe during the whole shopping trip - that I was even asked to go, and because I loved seeing everything.
Inklings and I shared a bedroom. If you would like to read about this, see "Who Do You Think You're Foolin?" Post - November 18, 2007.
I remember when we moved to Texas. Inklings wanted to go to some teenage hangout (local burger drive-in) to check out some boy I think, but she didn't want to go alone so asked me to come with her. I think I was about 14 at this time. She threatened me with my life if I told anyone how old I was. I was so amazed that she asked me that I kept my word and didn't tell anyone I was only 14. I only remember sitting at the drive-in and people came up and talked to us. Inklings posted not too long ago about taking me with her to Alice's Restaurant. What I remember about that experience is being scared to death. :0+ Everything just seemed too weird to me. If you want to read about this see Inkling's post, "If you can't keep your skeleton in the closet, you'd best teach it to dance" - November 23, 2008. She called it Charlie's Restaurant, I knew it as Alice's Restaurant. I remember it because of the song Alice. "Go ask Alice, when she's 10 feet tall..." I remember I went there with some of my friends once some years later. That was enough. It was still a very weird place.
I remember going with Inklings to get a new puppy, which we named "29" because she was born on the 29th of February. I remember Inklings carrying her home in her pocket because she was so small.
One time Inklings painted some pictures for an art class in the style of Pablo Picasso. I thought they were the coolest paintings I had ever seen. Inklings also introduced me to The Black Stallion series. They were some of my favorite books. I was so amazed that she actually wrote to Walter Farley and he ANSWERED her! More than once!
I was terribly shy when I was growing up and didn't even try to grow out of it until a teenager. I always relied on Inklings because she always seemed to be so much older, wiser, cooler, prettier, and smarter than me.
Here are some more words that describe her: artistic, caring, compassionate, beautiful, steadfast, enduring, strong, spiritual, funny, sarcastic, nutty, devoted, kind, loving, sweet, tough, true, wonderful, witty, young-at-heart, writer, poet, artist, crafter, great cook, grandma, mother, daughter, sister, friend.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

MY BROTHER, TWIST



It was my brother, Twist's birthday November 28th. Thanks to Delirious for reminding me. That was the weekend we were coming home from our Thanksgiving trip to Texas, and the next few days were very crazy getting ready to leave for Ireland. I told myself I would blog about him once I got to Ireland, so here it is a little late.
Twist is my sibling just younger than me. What I remember about him as a kid was always being a very curious little boy. He was always taking something apart to see how it worked. He was always rigging things up too. I remember one time he fixed a string from the light switch in his room so he could lay in bed and pull the string and turn out the light.
Twist always had some kind of bug in a jar. He was always getting an old mayonaise or jam jar and poking holes in it for his bug. I remember him reading about his bugs in the encyclopedias too. The encyclopedias seemed to be his favorite books. Our "B" encyclopedia, if I remember right, had color pictures of lots of bugs. Twist would read about them, and lots of other things and tell us the trivia and interesting facts about what he had read. Not to be a bore, just because it was something he learned and wanted to share.
I really didn't know Twist that well when he was a teenager. I moved out of the house at 17 - he would have been 14. I appreciated Delirious' blog telling about him so I could learn.
Twist is very easy-going and patient. I don't know if I have ever seen him in a bad mood. A year ago October, my parents came for my son's wedding. Twist told me he would go with me to drive them back. We drove them home one day, and got up the next morning and drove back home. I enjoyed the time to talk and talk with Twist. It seemed we never ran out of anything to talk about. One thing I really like talking Twist about is Harry Potter. He is just as big of a fan as I am.
Here are some words that describe Twist: Adventurous, adept, curious, smart, funny, wry, devoted, patient, comfortable, loving, sportsman, fisherman, Star Wars fan, Harry Potter fan,tough, flexible, great, honest, kind, nutty, generous, wishful, spiritual, true, good, likeable, witty, brother.
Happy Belated Birthday Twist! I love you!

Friday, December 12, 2008

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES


When I was a kid, we never opened a Christmas present until Christmas morning. Not one. Not even on Christmas Eve. For any reason. Never. Ever. My parents always seemed excited about Christmas. I really didn't appreciate this until after I was grown. I think my Dad was more excited than my Mom. On Christmas morning, we were awakened to the sound of "Ho, Ho, Ho!!" Santa sounded surprisingly like my Dad! We always had to wait in the hall at the bottom of the stairs - some of us sat on the stairs waiting for everyone to come. Then Dad lined us up youngest to oldest and then we were allowed in. I can't remember a lot of specific Christmases. I do remember getting a Barbie kitchen for Christmas one year. It had an oven that had a burner that glowed red, and a turkey in the oven on a rotisserie that rotated. You could even put water in the sink and it would pump out through the faucet. Barbie's kitchen appliances were a stylish aqua! Barbie was always in style in the 60's. Another Christmas I remember getting a bicycle. Actually it was given to both my sister and I, although I don't remember her riding it that much. I rode it alot. At least until my brother got a shiny red bike for Christmas a few years later and then I rode his all the time.

The other present I remember getting was a guitar. I had asked my Mom to show me how to play her guitar. She showed me a few things, basically how to read the guitar charts, and I taught myself the rest. I loved my guitar. It was probably my favorite gift growing up. I think I was 12, maybe older. I was so shocked to get it, because I never thought I would get one. I was content playing my mother's. I remember that Christmas, Dad was so excited to give me the guitar that he broke one of his most important rules - never give hints. Dad dropped the hint that someone was getting a present from Santa that was as big, if not bigger than the piano bench. I never thought it would be me. One reason was because at 12 (or older) I knew I was too big for Santa gifts. In fact, I remember going in to the living room and just sitting on the couch watching the other kids get their Santa gifts. Finally my dad asked me if I had seen my gift from Santa. I hadn't even noticed it. It was laying on top of the piano bench but wasn't wrapped. I was so surprised I could hardly even talk! It was a Silvertone brand that Sears sold.

That guitar had many miles put on it. As a teenager, it was the last thing I grabbed before I went out of the house. I took it everywhere, throwing it into the back of my car so I could take it, at the request of my friends, to Buffalo Lake where we sat by bonfires singing, or to parties. I played the guitar while my cousins and I sang in the talent show every summer. I think I even tried to take it Christmas caroling one time, which didn't turn out too good I think. I was never really good at playing the guitar, just okay. It didn't matter. I loved doing it and loved singing with my friends. I made a guitar book from songs I had copied from the radio. I kept a piece of paper and a pen by the radio and whenever a song came on that I was trying to get the words to, I would listen and write as fast as I could. Sometimes I would wait an hour or so and call the radio station to request the song again so I could finish getting the words I missed. We didn't have internet where we could go to web sites to get the words. Then after I got the words, I would sit and play and try to figure out the chords to use. I only knew basic chords and never got very fancy, so probably some places of the songs didn't sound real great. After I got all the words and the chords, I would copy the whole thing over on a clean sheet of notebook paper and put them in a 3-ring notebook. I still have that notebook of hand-copied songs.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMBER!


Yesterday was Amber's birthday. I had jet lag so bad I didn't even know what day it was, so I am posting a little about her today.

When Amber was a baby she was really a fireball! Her 2 sisters were well-mannered, quiet little girls who I could take anywhere and people commented on how well-behaved they were. Amber was always into everything and curious about things and had a lot of energy. Even my pediatrician said when I took her into a check-up: "You don't need any boys, you have Amber!"

We always said a family prayer at the dinnertable,and we would kneel down beside our chairs to say our family prayer, then sit in our chairs to say a blessing on the food. One day we were all kneeling beside our chairs and my husband was praying. All of a sudden Amnber started saying, "Where'd they go? Where'd they go? I don't know. Where'd they go?" The girls and I were trying so hard not to laugh but it was so funny. When my husband finished praying, we all three burst out laughing. He thought we were being so rude to laugh during the prayer, but it was really funny!

As a little girl, Amber favorite place to play was my kitchen cabinets. She and Survival Knife and Babs would play in the pots and pans cupboard and the big tupperware cupboards. If they took a few things out, they could fit easily in there. They loved to play in there especially if I was in the kitchen cooking or cleaning up.

I used to think it was funny because Amber always seemed to be able to boss her younger brothers into getting them to do whatever she wanted them to do. They were always running upstairs to get her something out of her bedroom. One day Babs came to me and complained that she was telling him to go get her something. I said to him, "Tell her no - that you won't do it." He said, "No, I can't." I don't think he was afraid she would retalliate or anything, I think he just thought he couldn't because he felt he needed to do it for her.

When Amber was a teenager, we would tend my oldest daughter's baby at night while she worked. One night I had to go somewhere and Amber was tending the baby. It was a stormy night and while I was gone, the weather service issued a Tornado Warning. When I got home, the boys were sitting in the den watching tv. I said, "Where is Amber?" They said, "She's in your closet with the baby." I went to my closet and there sat Amber with the baby, a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMBER! WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STACE-GHOST!


Today is Stace-Ghost's birthday. Stace-Ghost is married to my youngest son. I was thrilled when Stace-Ghost and Babs announced their engagement! Stace is such a great person. She allowed me to help with the wedding and reception far more than a normal mother-in-law would, so it was a great chance for us to get to know each other better, even though she and Babs had dated for several years. I've always admired Stace-Ghost for joining the church when she was a teen-ager. I remember when she was investigating the church and was trying to decide if she should join. Her mother was allowing her to join, but was not thrilled with the idea and she was trying to decide if she should go ahead and do it. I didn't know her real well at this point, but I had friends who knew her and I could see the love that they had for her and knew that she was a special person. She and Babs have been living with us since August and as I continue to get to know her better and better, I also grow to love her more and more. She is perfect for Babs. She is funny and energetic and gets Babs to be more energetic than he might think of being otherwise. I read Bab's blog about her and I'm glad that he tries to be a better person for her. That is the way it should be. Stace-Ghost is friendly and easy to talk to. I like how she speaks her opinion and is not afraid. She truly cares about Babs and every member of his family and will do anything for them. I could not have found a better soulmate for Babs if I had been choosing myself. Happy Birthday Stace-Ghost!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

THANKSGIVING DINNER


We had our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. We had it a week early because my husband and I are going to his mother's for Thanksgiving next week. Last year we decided to start having Thanksgiving a week early (we actually have it on the Saturday before Thanksgiving) because 4 of our 5 kids live in our town and all go to their in-laws for Thanksgiving. Last year we had our dinner at night so they could all go to their inlaws at mid-day. By the time everyone sat down for dinner, no one was hungry except my husband and I, thus the reason for the change.
We have the same things every year. The. Same. Things. Every. Year. This year I thought maybe we should change things up so I asked my kids if we should change some of the dishes. Some mentioned a dish or two they could do without, but most wanted the same things. The. Same. Things. So I made the same things: Turkey (although this year I decided to just do a Turkey breast), Cornbread stuffing, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli-Rice Casserole, Pink Stuff, Rolls, Pumpkin pie, Pecan pie, and then I threw in something new: Cheesecake.
Well, now we're going to go to my husband's mother's next week. Guess what we will have: Turkey, Cornbread stuffing, Broccoli-Rice Casserole, Pink Stuff, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie. :0+ I'm not sure I can eat this stuff for our Thanksgiving plus eating it for leftovers for a day or so, and then go to my mother-in-law's and eat it again. So NEXT year, there are definitely going to be some changes. Maybe we'll start small and just replace one dish at a time. So here's my question: What do you have for Thanksgiving? I need some ideas!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

JUST SEVEN

I've enjoyed reading everyone's seven things, so here are my seven:
1) I was a horrible tomboy when I was a kid. All the boys in my neighborhood had a "club" and built a treehouse a few blocks away from our home, in the "woods", and they let me help build it. My parents bought my sister and I a bike, but I secretly coveted my little brothers red bike. I rode it everywhere - mostly by myself. I couldn't wait to come home and get his bike and go riding. Another thing I loved doing was riding a "skateboard". I had to put that in quotation marks, because it was really a "skate" - "board". I got a board, tore a pair of my roller skates apart, and nailed them to the board - Voila! We had a choice of riding our skateboard on the street - which had lots of gravel on it from when they would sand down the snow in the summer, or on the sidewalk, which had bumps and places where the sidewalk had either risen or fallen. I remember challenging one of the older boys to a "Skateboard Race" to see who could make it all the way to the bottom of the street 1) first, 2) without falling off your skateboard. I won!! It actually even amazed me. I used to argue with the lady next door. She wasn't really great at arguing and my friends and I always thought I won the arguments. She was always yelling at us kids for being mean to her daughter. Her daughter was spoiled, bratty, a cry-baby and a whiner, so we never really felt that bad about being mean to her. Another one of my favorite things to do was climb trees. We had one Maple tree that had a little spot in it we called "Scamper's Perch" because it was where our cat always climbed up to and sat. I always loved to climb that tree and just sit in Scamper's Perch. I can even remember when Scamper was alive, he climbed up there and got on a limb by me and looked at me like, "Hey! You're in my seat!" I also used to climb the tree - in my Sunday dress - behind our old church on Fontnelle (sp?) street - waiting for my mom and dad to get finished doing their "church stuff". I think I still have tomboy tendencies, because a t-shirt or sweatshirt and jeans is my absolute favorite thing to wear. I don't wear those shirts that much, because they are really not very flattering (maybe I've gotten a little more girly), but I do wear jeans almost every single day.

2) I HATE liars. I hate people who do not tell the truth. I hate people who only tell half-truths or twist the truth to their advantage, or conviently leave something out so you don't get the whole story. I'm not quite sure where I got this, but twice when I was a teen-ager I lied to my parents. The first time was because a boyfriend had asked me out to a drive-in movie and my parents didn't want me to go to drive-in movies. He told me to lie to my parents and tell them we were going to go to a walk-in movie, and then we'd just go to a drive-in. We did this, I know at least twice, maybe three times. He would always tell my parents we were going to go to a movie that he had seen, so he could tell me about it enough to tell my parents, when they asked me the next day about the movie. This worked pretty good, until one day I guess he either ran out of movies, or didn't tell me enough about it. He told my parents we were going to see "Bullet" with Steve McQueen. If you have never seen this movie, it has one of the greatest car chase scenes ever made in it. The next day, sure enough, my dad asked me about "Bullet". My dad was a great movie buff and saw lots of movies. He had seen "Bullet". I guess I wasn't "gaga" enough over the chase scene, or else he got suspicious and threw something in that really wasn't in the movie. I never knew. Anyway, the jig was up. They made me break-up with him. The other time I lied, I plead the 5th. :0)

3) Another thing about me, which is evident above, I NEVER tell ALL my secrets, and never will.

4) I dated my cousin. I know, this probably grosses some of you out. I never looked at it that way. He was my second cousin - maybe second cousin, once removed, I don't know. I dated him for two summers. He also dated my sister, Inside Stories, so there is another secret about her. :0)

5) I am an absolutely obsessive Harry Potter freak! I have all 7 books and I also have all 7 books on cd. I have listened to the cd's probably 5 or 6 times each, maybe more. I love Harry Potter, because to me it is a great Good vs. Evil story. I love those kind of stories, because I think that is what the world is going to come to. Those of us for good will band together, regardless of religion or race, and fight against those who are evil.

6) When I was a kid I thought I was horibbly ugly. I was too tall, too skinny, had naturally curly hair in a straight hair world, and had horribly bucked teeth, so bad I couldn't even close my lips around them. I used to drink this stuff called "Neutrament" (was that what it was called?) that was supposed to help you gain weight. It didn't work. I used to iron my hair, and especially my bangs, with the iron. One time I burned my forehead on the iron. I used to put hair straighteners on my hair and roll my hair on huge rollers. I wore braces for 4 years and retainers after that. One time when I was a younger teenager, an teenage boy investigator came to our church. Everyone at church came up to me and told me he and I looked exactly alike - so alike we could be twins. I think they were going up to him and telling him the same thing, because he kept looking over at me. This turned out to be one of the more traumatic events of my young teenage life. I started crying and ran out of the church and started walking home. My parents picked me up on their way home, but I continued to cry ALL night. My dad came in to try to console me and told me if I wanted to, I could go to a beauty shop and get my hair cut and styled. I cried harder because to me, my dad was saying that yes, I was ugly and hideous. That night really changed me and finally I dried my tears and picked up a huge chip and put it on my shoulder and got an attitude that dared people to knock it off. I think that also started my rebellious streak. I decided I wouldn't let people hurt me anymore because I wouldn't care anymore what people thought.

7) When I was a teen-ager I played the guitar. I used to take that guitar everywhere I went when I was hanging out with my friends. I had a group of friends who loved to sing. Nece, Danny, Billy, and Randy were the main ones. We weren't boyfriend and girlfriend with any of them, just friends. If you saw these guys, you wouldn't think they were singers, but they did. Some of them would have parties at their house and I'd take my guitar and we'd sing half the night. We used to love to go out to Buffalo Lake. There were small caves out there that we could get in and build a fire and sit and talk and sing. I can remember other people who came to our parties, but they would often not stay long. I remember one guy said, "Geez, all you guys do it sing - this party's no fun!" One of our favorite songs was one my friend, Danny taught us - "Flowers for Mamma". It was a tear-jerker country western song. Danny first started singing it, but then after my friend Nece and I learned it, he used to love it when she and I would sing it and would always want us to sing it. She and I even sang it one time at our church talent show that my mom entered us in. I can remember how shocked the members of the ward were that I had actually come to a ward social. I think they thought I had seen the errors of my ways, but I hadn't. Not yet anyway.

Well, that's it - or at least that's "seven". The hard part was not coming up with seven things, but just trying to find seven things I was willing to tell. :0)

Monday, November 17, 2008

LUV YER GUTS


Whenever my brother says goodbye at our family chats,he says "Luv yer guts". My sisters and I are always trying to come up with something similiar to say back to our him. I was thinking we should come up with a list, so we'd have something to go by, since he signs off so fast you barely have time to think.
So here's some sayings I've come up with:

Adore yer adnoids
Care for yer colon
Lovin' yer liver
Ecstatic about yer eyelids
Dig yer duodendum
Pleased about yer pinkie
Relish yer reumatism
Like yer larynx
Covet yer clavical
Envy yer eyes
Happy for yer hair
Glad for yer gallbladder
Elated for yer eyebrows
Here's more from Amber & Delirious:
Best to yer breasts
Appreciate yer appendix
Cherish yer chunkiness
Attached to yer arteries
Enjoy yer ears
Partial to yer pecs
Friendly to yer fingers
Infatuated with yer irises
Devoted to yer tailbone
Bewitched by yer brain
Sweet on yer stomach
Idolize yer intestines
A kiss for yer kidney
Ecstatic for yer elbow
Luv yer lungs
Thankful for yer thyroid
From Sticks:
Not knockin' yer knees
From Inside Stories:
Dig yer bones

Can you think of any more?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

MY MOM'S A SURVIVOR


My mom is one of the greatest people I know. Yesterday she had a masectomy and she did so well she was able to come home today - a day early. She never wants anyone to worry about her so she always downplays everything. When she found out she had to have a masectomy, she told the doctor she had been flat chested all her life so it wouldn't be much of a change for her. She told everyone not to worry about her, because she wasn't worried. When her surgery was delayed about 6 hours, because of longer surgeries ahead of her, she sent my dad and her sister on home because she was worried about them, that they wouldn't get home before dark. She tried to keep it a secret from people other than family, that she was going in to the hospital. She lives in a small town and didn't want anyone making a fuss about her or bringing in meals, etc. She came home from the hospital, taking no pain medication. None of her children live near to her - the closest are about 2 hours away. She refused to let any of her children come to help take care of her. I hope she continues to do well and can recover from this without any complications. Here are some words that describe my mom: fighter, lady, stubborn, fiesty, energetic, able, artistic, beautiful, caring, dear, devoted, patient, loving, funny, corny, big-hearted, generous, kind, learned, nice, clownish, regal, sweet, eighty-three, evans-blooded*, tough, wonderful, witty, enduring, smart, trusting, nutty, obstinate, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife, daughter, sister, friend.
*family joke

Monday, November 10, 2008

UNDER SIEGE

This is a picture of the Los Angeles Temple with police riot guards at the Propostiton 8 Demonstration. For more info and pictures on this, go to this blog: http://beetlebabee.wordpress.com/

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

BREAST CANCER


I found out today that my mom has breast cancer. It is only in the first stages. For some strange reason it took her doctor 4 weeks to get back to her to tell her she had cancer. That did not set well with us one bit. She will have a masectomy on Monday. My mom always downplays everything. She doesn't want us to worry. She says, "Oh, I'm not worried about this, they'll do the surgery and it will be okay. This is very routine." She doesn't want us to worry and she doesn't want my dad to worry. But that doesn't make it so. Mom opted to only have a single masectomy. I think I'd just go ahead and have a double if it was me. I couldn't deal with the whole cyclops look. Mom is 83. If I was 83 and found out I had breast cancer in the early stages, I hope I would be as positive and non-chalant as she is about it. She always tells us she doesn't want to be 90. But then again, does anyone hope to live to 90 years of age? Why?

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

A NEW PRESIDENT....

GOD HELP OUR COUNTRY.

I VOTED - DID YOU?


Today's the day - go vote or keep your mouth shut for the next four years! I did early voting this year and voted a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty nice - the lines weren't long and the whole thing only took about 15-20 minutes.

SO GET OUT AND VOTE!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

OUR NEW FENCE!



I don't know if you can see this very well, I took this with my phone because I can't find my camera. We just had this wall/fence built this week. It is a block wall with wrought iron on the top, and a wrought iron gate. If I find my camera, I'll take a better picture.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

HAPPY HALLOWEEN


Inklings sent me this cartoon. I just loved it because it reminded me of someone I'm having to deal with in my RS president calling. :0) I even sent it to my bishop. Probably a good thing I'm being released in a couple weeks. :0+

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

TRICK OR TREAT


Halloween was always one of my favorite holidays when I was a kid. I think one reason was because we never really got a lot of treats or candy as kids, except at holidays. Halloween was my chance to get a whole lot of candy just for me. We didn't have fancy Halloween treat buckets or decorated sacks or anything. We didn't even have plastic sacks back then, so usually we would get a used grocery paper bag and color it with crayons or markers by drawing Halloween pictures on it. After doing this for several years, and carrying that paper bag around for a couple of hours (yes, a couple of hours - we were serious trick-or-treaters), the bag would get all ratty or it would tear. It was also not very comfortable to carry, especially after you got a pound or two of candy in it. So I had the great idea of using an old pillow case. It worked great, and so I continued using that from then on.

I can't really remember what my costumes were. I do remember one Halloween I dressed up all in black - black pants, black turtleneck - can't remember what else. I can't even remember what I was supposed to be. That may have been the year I started using the pillowcase. I may have been a burglar. Ooh. Aah. We never went to any Halloween carnivals or Trunk or Treats or Halloween parties. All we did was trick-or-treat. We started on our street and kept going street after street after street after street.

One street over from our street, lived Mr. Applegate. Yes, that was his real name. Mr. Applegate was another person who also loved Halloween. He used to decorate his house really scary. He even had scary music playing. When he opened the door, he was dressed in costume. I don't remember if he dressed up in the same thing every year or different things. I don't even remember how he dressed up. All I remember is that we all thought it was the scariest house in the neighborhood. It was so scary we didn't go by there during the rest of the year. Maybe we wondered what kind of weirdo got that much of a kick scaring the crap out of little kids at Halloween year after year. Lots of kids wouldn't even go up to his house to get candy. They were so scared they just skipped it. I remember skipping his house lots of times, and then finally came the year that I felt brave enough to trick or treat at Mr. Applegate's house. I'm sure I had my friends with me because I would never have dared go by myself. I remember we went up to the door and we were scared to death. He answered the door...the scary music was playing...he was in his scary costume (whatever it was - I was too scared to look at it)...then he INVITED US IN!!! OH NO!! WE FORGOT THAT HE ALWAYS INVITED THE KIDS TO COME IN! We went in and there was Mrs. Applegate. She didn't have a costume on . She was just a normal, nice, non-scary lady who had a HUGE bowl of candy. She held out the bowl and told us to take some. We each took a piece. She said, no - we were all supposed to take at least a handful of candy. A HANDFUL of candy?!! Well heck! This was worth any fear we had had to bear so far! We thrust our hands into that bowl and grabbed as much as we could hold, dropped it in our sacks, said "Thank you" and left. That was it. See, we told each other, Mr. Applegate's house really wasn't that scary. But as we left we could hear the next trick-or-treaters coming up the walk. One little girl was crying that she didn't want to go to Mr. Applegate's house - it was too scary!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

THE CATHOLIC VOTE

I'm not Catholic, but watch this video - All I can say is "Wow!"


Wednesday, October 22, 2008

AN INVITATION

Last night I went to visit an inactive lady. My secretary had called her and tried to get an appointment. She told my secretary: "The missionaries are coming Tuesday night at 7pm. If she wants to come, she can come when they come." (She is a member, her husband is not.) I called the missionaries but they really didn't love the idea of me coming with them because these people haven't been real receptive, so they suggested I show up 15 minutes before 7, which I did. When she answered the door, I could tell she was not thrilled to see me. I introduced myself and included that I was the Relief Society president and asked if we could come in (I had brought one of her visiting teachers with me). She told us we couldn't come in and then said that when the lady called her she told her she didn't want me coming because she didn't feel good. I said, "No, that is not what you said. You said that the missionaries were coming and if I wanted to come I could come at the same time." She stood there and said, "Oh. Yes. That is what I said." So, since I knew she still would not let me in, I talked to her there at the door, which really just involved verifying some records and giving her a Relief Society newsletter and inviting her to church. She told me they were getting ready to leave to go to dinner. I thought, "Well it's a good thing I came early, because she was trying to avoid the missionaries too."

This lady has been on my mind ever since. She recently had a very dire tragedy in her life when her daughter's boyfriend committed suicide in their apartment. All the way home I kept thinking, "Don't you know how much having the church in your life can help you?" Going to church every week is how I keep going in this life. I gain strength by being around people who think the same way I do. I enjoy listening to the speakers and teachers talk about how we can improve our lives by living the gospel. It's comforting to know if I ever needed anything, someone would be there ready to help. Now granted, I am not a person who accepts help readily, but if I DID ever need it, I would get it. I think the other thing about going to church is knowing I am on the path to be able to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. I want to do that. One reason is because the people who came before me, my parents, my grandparents, etc. were good people. I know they lived good lives and did the things they should do so as to be able to live with God and Jesus. I want to live with these people too. I want to be a good person. I don't think it is hard to be a church-going person who is trying to be a good person. I think when we do not do the things we are supposed to do, we allow other influences in our lives and these things complicate our lives and drag us down. Some people think living the gospel is too restrictive. I disagree. Allowing things in our lives that control us is restrictive.

If I could say anything else to this lady I would tell her to please let the missionaries come in. Listen to what they say. Accept their invitation to come to church. Let the gospel work in your life. You will be a better and happier person

Saturday, October 18, 2008

A NEW LOOK

So I got tired of looking at my same old blog and decided to visit thecutestblogontheblock.com and change it a little. They have some cute stuff. Thanks to Gilbert Girl for helping me navigate it.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

FIT FOR A QUEEN

When I was in Ireland looking for a house to rent, I looked at one house that was brand new and not quite finished yet. It still needed counter tops and floors put in. My Re-lo lady said if I rented that house I might be able to have some input as to what kind of furnishings I wanted. I told her that I would really like a king-size bed, since that is what we had at home. She looked puzzled and said, "Not a queen?" I said no, the queens were a bit too small for us. She said, 'But the queen bed is bigger than a king." I said, "No the king is bigger." She said, "Your king beds must be bigger than ours." Later I thought about it and remembered, "Oh wait, this is a country ruled by a queen. Ah, now it makes sense." However, their queen-size beds were just as big as our queen-size beds, so I really have no idea what she was talking about.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

HOME SICK

Well I came home from my house hunting trip to Ireland with a sore throat. At first I thought it was just maybe dehydration, or from breathing what I call "Airplane Air" (which is dryer air). I called my husband today and found out he has been sick since I left with fever, chills and body aches. So far all I have is a sore throat, but it just keeps getting sorer and sorer. Great.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

GRANDBABY #9

Since Gilbert Girl announced this on her blog, I am going to blog about it. A day or two before I left for Ireland, Gilbert Girl told me she was pregnant. This came as a surprise to all of us, since her youngest is 8 months old. The ironic thing is that she has been thinking about having a baby - well actually trying to decide if she should have one more or if she should adopt, or if she should just say she is done. I think the Lord knows the desires of her heart. I think he knows how hard of a decision this would have been for her. And even though the spirit was willing, the body knew how hard it has been with every pregnancy for her. Sometimes the Lord knows we are making a decision subconsciously so He decides to help us along with that decision. So please remember her in your prayers that she will have it easier this time around.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

ONLY THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE???

My husband and I went shopping Friday night and when we got home our son was watching the presidential debate, so we sat down and watched the rest with him (about 30 minutes more). After the debate they were asking people what they thought about the debate and who they thought won the debate and why. They asked several people who they thought won the debate and they said "Obama." I was apalled when they asked them why they didn't like McCain and the people said things like, "He stuttered" or "He didn't smile". EXCUSE ME????!!!! I thought we listened to WHAT they said and then based on what their positions were on things then we decided who to vote for. I can't believe people can be so shallow. I started thinking about some conversations I had with people I know who said some of the same things. One person said she didn't like the way McCain walked. She said he was too stiff when he walked. I asked her if she knew that he had been TORTURED in Vietnam and his bones were broken so badly that they didn't set right. He can't even raise his hand to a salute unless he bends over from the waist to make his head meet his hand. I remember hearing a comment from someone about that too. That he couldn't salute properly. I truly cannot believe that the things people in this country look for in a president is how he walks, how he salutes, does he stutter when he talks, is he good looking, is he rich, does he smile enough, etc., etc., etc.!!!!! And yet the comments I have heard about why people like Obama are: He is a handsome black man, he has a lot of charisma, he is such a good speaker. Sheesh! I even noticed that when the debate was over, Obama walked as quickly as he could (to beat McCain) over to the commentator (or whatever you call him) to shake his hand. I watched as McCain walked over - if you looked close you could tell that he even has a bit of difficulty actually walking. Wake up people! Quit being lazy and try actually finding out where these men stand on the ISSUES!!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

THE DANGERS OF SPLENDA

Stace-Ghost posted on the dangers of Splenda. Click on the link to watch this video on more dangers:

Click on the link below to view this video.If the link doesn't launch the video, copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar and hit "enter." http://www.comcast.net/data/fan/html/popup.html?v=864022612


After I read Stace-Ghost's post I thought, "I'll just use up the Splenda I have and then start using sugar." After watching this video, I'm throwing it all out now!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

COURAGE

Last night I watched "Lord of the Rings - Return of the King". I've been watching the Trilogy for the past couple of weeks. One of my favorite scenes in this movie is when Aragorn is giving his battle speech to his men at the Black Gate:

"Hold your ground! Hold your ground!
Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers,
I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
A day may come when the courage of men fails,
When we forsake our friends
and break all bonds of fellowship,
but it is not this day.
An hour of wolves and shattered shields,
when the age of men come crashing down,
but it is not this day!
This day we fight!!
By all that you hold dear on this good Earth,
I bid you stand, Men of the West!!!"


As I watched that movie and heard that speech, I thought of another war speech:


"And now, behold we will resist wickedness even unto bloodshed. We would not shed the blood of the Lamanites if they would stay in their own land. We would not shed the blood of our brethren if they would not rise up in rebellion and take the sword against us. We would subject ourselves to the yoke of bondage if it were requisite with the justice of God, or if he should command us so to do. But behold he doth not command us that we shall subject ourselves to our enemies, but that we should put our trust in him, and he will deliver us.

"Therefore, my beloved brother, Moroni, let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them with our swords, that we may retain our freedom, that we may rejoice in the great privilege of our church and in the cause of our Redeemer and our God." - Pahoran speaking to Moroni, Alma 61:10-14

And then I thought of one more war speech:
"As long as the United States of America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of terror. This will be an age of liberty here and across the world.
Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in our grief and anger, we have found our mission and our moment.
Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great achievement of our time and the great hope of every time, now depends on us.
Our nation, this generation, will lift the dark threat of violence from our people and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail."
- President George Bush to members of Congress, September 20, 2001

Monday, September 15, 2008

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS...

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you knew it was going to be hectic? Last week was my week. My counselor called it "Relief Society Week", and it was. We had Dion's lunch on Monday (our RS women get together at our favorite pizza/sub place and have lunch once a month) Tuesday was our RS temple day and I am supposed to attend the 10am and the 7pm session (see post, "Alzheimered Out".) Wednesday I visited a sister to take her some baby clothes someone had donated. Thursday we had our quarterly Enrichment meeting which was a "kick-off" to our Sunday meeting. I had to make a crock-pot of soup to take, so made my daughter's recipe of "Taco Soup". It turned out really yummy. Then Friday I had a presidency meeting and cooked 2 briskets for a Memorial luncheon we had on Saturday. We had originally been told to expect 25 for the luncheon. Then we were told up to 35. We ended up with 42, not counting kitchen help. On Friday we decided to double some of the recipes. We ended up having enough of everything. We actually had salad and dessert leftover. I had gone to Rudy's BBQ and actually just bought 3 lbs. of brisket "just in case". Only the kitchen people ate some of that. All in all, it seemed like the whole week went off without a hitch - we had a record turn out for our Enrichment, all the classes were great, we had enough food for the memorial luncheon, lots of people helped with cooking food, set up and take down. Our Sunday meeting was absolutely fantastic with our presentation of our scripture reading program, the song -written and composed by my secretary - was absolutely fantastic! The singers hardly looked at their music, sang with conviction and really touched the hearts of all who listened. (By the way, her song won "Honorable Mention" in the church songwriting contest and she gets to go to SLC to hear it performed at some meeting where she will meet Sis.Beck!) All week, I have just been amazed at the service offered, each function going superbly and without a hitch and the fact that I only made the one screw up (forgetting to pick up the sister). You know, sometimes the Lord really does bless us!

TACO SOUP

Combine the following in a crockpot:
3 cans corn (do not drain)
3 cans Ranch Style beans (do not drain)
3 cans Petite Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 package Taco Mix
1 package Ranch Dressing Mix
(I added a cup of water just because I like my soup with more broth)

Brown 1 pound of hamburger and 1 chopped onion, drain grease and add to pot. Cook in crockpot 4-5 hours. Have bowls of the following ready to allow people to choose what they like to embellish their soup: shredded cheese, sliced olives, peeled, sliced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips or Doritos.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

ALZHEIMERED OUT

Okay, I decided I really needed to write a new post, if for no other reason than to get the yearbookyourself.com pictures further down.

This morning I had just finished blow-drying my hair when I got a phone call. The minute I picked up the phone and saw who it was, I realized that I had forgotten that I was supposed to pick up a lady to go to the RS temple day this morning. She is here visiting her daughter who just moved in a few months ago and just had a new baby, and at church Sunday asked if she could get a ride. Now the interesting thing is that while I was talking to her a thought occurred to me that I shouldn't offer her a ride, but find another person to take her. One of my fears was that I would forget. Which I did. Our RS has the 2nd Tuesday of every month for our temple day, and the old RS presidency had 2 sessions they would schedule. So I've been trying to go to both of those since my counselors and secretary don't seem to be able to go to either. I decided I would go to both for a few months and then decide which ONE to keep and cancel the other. This week has been a little hectic with a new grandbaby born last Friday - a girl, 6lbs. 10 oz. to Survival Knife - I had to get my husband off to Ireland on Sunday, we have a big RS meeting this Thursday night and I have to do a luncheon for a funeral -actually a memorial service - on Saturday. As I passed the calendar on the fridge yesterday, I kind of paused for a moment to look at it. I stopped and wrote the funeral time on Saturday, but did I write the Thursday night meeting on it? Did I write the RS temple day on it? NO! Which is why I forgot. I guess when you get older you have so many things going on in your brain so your brain just cleans house for you and makes you forget certain things. Your brain says, "You can't possibly do all that, so I'll just help you forget a few things." I only mentioned things above that I have to do this week. I didn't mention all the things in my brain and the fact that I got a phone call this morning and spent an hour on the phone talking to my friend who is going through financial difficulty and is about to lose her home. I go through my day writing lists of things I need, or things I need to do, but I guess there is no perfect system. When the lady called me this morning to ask why I wasn't there picking her up, I offered to take her to the 11:00 session, or to the 7 pm session, but she said she'd just drive herself. What do you say when you forget something like that? I apologized profusely but I'm sure she is wondering about what kind of ward her daughter has moved to.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Monday, September 1, 2008

YEARBOOKYOURSELF.COM












For some reason, these are the only ones my face would fit into. None of the 1950 pictures would work.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

LISTEN AND LEARN

My husband and I were watching the coverage of Hurricane Gustav tonight. Geraldo Rivera was one of the reporters. He was interviewing an archbishop from the Catholic church in New Orleans. My husband commented that you could tell from the archbishop's demeanor that he truly believed in what he was doing and was a kind, good-hearted man. I replied that he reminded me of President Gordan B. Hinckley. Pres. Hinckley had that kind of a demeanor: kind, loving, patient, concerned with what you had to say, like he had all the time in the world to just sit and talk with you. I truly admire that in people. How is that learned? One way I think it is learned is by working with people and serving them. However, I don't think everyone who works with people learns this. Some people learn the opposite, they learn impatience, rudeness, and act like they don't care what you say. What is the difference? How do some people learn patience, kindness and love, while others learn rudeness, loathing and impatience? I think one answer is you have to love your job. You have to actually like what you are doing. President Hinckley was a perfect example of someone who loved what he was doing. He always had a smile on his face. I loved it when he would joke around. It kind of caught you off guard sometimes to have your prophet tell a joke from the pulpit, but it was great!

Have you ever sat and talked with someone who acted like what you had to say was the most important thing in their life at that moment? One person that comes to my mind when I think of this is my mother-in-law. She is the greatest listener I have ever sat and talked to. She acts like she has nothing better to do than to sit and listen to you. Maybe because this is true - she HAS nothing better to do than to just sit and listen to you because she is in her 80's. But she has always been that way to me. I love to just sit and talk with her. Especially if it's just you and her. She gives you her full, undivided attention. I think this is one of her greatest gifts. She is someone I would like to emulate in that characteristic. My husband also has this gift if it is just you and him and he's not near a tv. But he is not as good at it as his mother.

So try this experiment: The next time you talk with someone-either someone you know, or someone you don't know - look them in the eyes when you speak. Smile. Listen to what they are saying. Reply with comments so THEY know you are paying attention. Listen, instead of trying to think of an experience or story you can tell as soon as you can jump in. Don't look at your watch. Don't look over your shoulder at people passing by. Don't watch tv or look at a magazine or the newspaper while you listen...and watch their reaction. Look at their face. These are all things I need to work on. Lately I've tried doing this a few times. It's sometimes hard to do. And no, I can't do it every time. But it has interesting results...

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DELIRIOUS!

Today is my younger sister, Delirious' birthday! Since Delirious was about what - 6 or 8? when I got married, I don't have a lot of memories. In fact this first memory I don't really remember exactly, but I have a very faint memory of it:

When Delirious was born, my mom had to go back into the hospital. I think she was only a few weeks old. My grandmother came to visit and take care of us, Delirious, and Mom after she got out of the hospital, but before Grandma got there, Mom was hospitalized. I think some kind of kidney infection. Mom was so worried that Dad wouldn't wake up when Delirious woke up for her night feedings. Maybe I sensed her worry, I don't know, but Mom says that when Dad did wake up in the middle of the night and looked at the clock he thought he had overslept and not heard Delirious cry. Then he heard something and he looked over and there I sat in the chair feeding Delirious her bottle. Dad went back to sleep, and a few hours later he woke up and did the same thing - wondered if he had overslept. Once again, he looked over, and there I was feeding the baby again. I was about 8 or 9 years of age at this time. When I was a child, I LOVED babies. I adopted Sticks, Delirious and our youngest brother as "my" babies. The only reason I didn't adopt Twist is because I was only 3 when he was born. :0)

I loved having Mom, Dad, Delirious and my brothers come to visit me after I got married. One time Delirious had come for a visit when she was still young, she came to me and said, "Nene, can I snoop in your house?" I thought that was so funny - she was curious and wanted to look in my drawers, cabinets, and closets, but was polite enough to ask first.

My children LOVED having Delirious come to visit, because their favorite thing to do when Delirious and my brothers came, was to play "hide and seek". Now this was not your normal "hide and seek" game. Delirious and my brothers used to make "clothing dummies" - sort of dummies out of clothes that they had stuffed to look like a person. They would "hide" these dummies in beds, etc. so it would look like someone was in the bed.

I remember when Delirious came back from her mission in Taiwan. I was so excited that she was going to have a long lay-over in our airport! Unfortunately her plane was over an hour late (can't remember how late it was). I was Enrichment Leader and had a big Enrichment meeting that night. When I found out how late her plane was going to be, I called the Enrichment Counselor and asked her if she could do the Enrichment meeting herself so I could stay at the airport. (And actually, I was going to leave and take all the stuff to her since it was in my car, and then come back to the airport). She freaked and said she couldn't possibly do it. (It wasn't that big of a deal.) I seriously thought about just not showing up, but then I decided to do my duty. When Delirous got there, I only had time to walk her to her next terminal and gate, give her a hug and tell her goodbye. I cried all the way to church, being so mad that the counselor wouldn't help me. When I got to church, she said to me, "Oh, I'm so sorry, you should have just stayed." I said to her, "Well, that's why I called you, to see if YOU would do it, but you said no." I felt so bad having to leave Delirious there to wait 2 hours more until her plane came. (I couldn't have gone back, since it was an hour's drive home from the airport and would have taken another hour to drive back.)

I remember when Delirous came to stay with me when I had Survival Knife. I think she had only gotten there the day before. My pains started and I knew my husband was still in school and I couldn't get in touch with him (this was before cell phones). It would be 2-3 more hours until he got out of school. I was afraid to wait too long before going to the hospital, so I went into my bedroom and prayed that I would know for sure that I was in labor. Within just a few minutes I knew I was. So we loaded up the rest of the kids and Delirious drove me to the hospital. Even though the hospital was clear across town, we only had to go down one street to get to it. I told her that coming back, once she got close to our neighborhood, the kids would be able to tell her where to turn.

Delirious is a wonderful person and a great sister! I am so proud of the woman she has become. She is still fun to be around, and when she and I and Inklings get together, for me it is enough to just sit and talk and talk and talk...like I need to fill up my "sister" reservoir so it will last until the next time I can see them.
HAVE A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY DELIRIOUS! I LOVE YOU!

Monday, August 25, 2008

PERSERVERANCE PAYS OFF

For as long as I've been blogging, I've never been able to write a post using my desktop computer, but have always had to use my laptop. Not that I mind using the laptop, but the keyboard is a little freaky and sometimes it will jump up and start typing in another part of the post where I have already typed. The reason I always used the laptop is because I could never log in to write a post with my desktop. Every once in awhile when I am on my desktop computer, I try "one more time" to see if I can log in. The other day I tried, and Lo, and Behold! It worked! Did the computer fairy come and fix my desktop? Did my desktop finally give in and admit that I was going to blog with or without it? I don't know, but I am glad I finally have both computers cooperating!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GILBERT GIRL!

Today is Gilbert Girl's birthday. Once again I will share some memories in honor of her birthday.

Gilbert Girl was born during a baby boom. The hospital was so crowded they were putting 3 people to a room, using labor and delivery rooms for regular maternity rooms, and women in labor were having to just be in the hall. They even ran out of those plexiglas basinets and were putting the babies in some cardboard ones they had for emergencies. I was only in labor with her for an hour and a half.

When Gilbert Girl was about 2 1/2 I used to take her to Primary with me and put her in the nursery. Only she wouldn't go into the nursery. This was when we had Primary during the week after school. So whenever it was my turn to conduct, I had to take her on the stand with me. This came to a screaching halt one day, when I realized that instead of standing reverently beside me as I was conducting, she was instead standing beside the podium sticking her tongue out and making faces at all the Primary children. I'm sure you can imagine the kids'reaction to that. So the next week I threatened her that if she didn't go into the nursery, I would call her dad as soon as he got home from work (back then he usually was home by 5:15) and he would come get her. She didn't go into the nursery, I called her dad, he came and got her and took her home. The next week she went into the nursery.

When Gilbert Girl was about 5 we went to visit my Grandparents. My Grandfather had been very ill and he actually died a few months later. While we were there, she and Native Minnow took a special interest in Grandpa. I think they were worried about him. Every time he got up, they would go to him and take his hands and help him walk around. They walked him around the house, and even around the yard. He didn't speak much to them, but we knew he liked having them do it, because if they weren't around and he went to get up, he would say, "Where's that boy and girl?"

When she was 4 1/2 she got to be Mary in a Nativity scene for Christmas in Primary. She said she didn't want her dad and I to come in and if we did she wouldn't do it. We stood in the hall and peeked through the back door.

When Gilbert Girl was small I swear she had ESP. Many times she would say something that had to do with what I was thinking at the moment. I used to even try and test her. For some reason it seemed like whenever we were in the car was the best time. I would think of something and sure enough, she would comment on it. Sometimes it was even like she was finishing a thought I had.

Gilbert Girl had her handwriting analyzed by her Aunt Delirious. Here is what Delirious said about her: (which I think describes her)

-positive drive and determination
-very sensitive to pleasures of life, doesn’t like to overdo it. (For example: May appreciate a sundae with fewer toppings.)
-wants to get on with life
-disciplined and organized but busy
-adaptable nature in relationships
-good balance of giving time to self and others
-likes to be in control of emotions
-likes to take time to get to know people (more slowly)
-rational, get-to-the-point
-intelligent
-likes to be involved with others
-easily bored with routine
-interested in many different things, wants to do it all
-comfortable with self, same in public as in private
-unsure if she wants to be independent
-does not need continuity of thought to arrive at conclusion
-somewhat intuitive indecision making process
-confident in appearance
-a person of conviction

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GILBERT GIRL!!! I LOVE YOU!!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

PASSPORTS & VISAS

Well it looks like Ireland is going to happen - we're ordering our visas! I feel like we've been on hold for a long time and someone is getting ready to shoot the starting gun. Two years seems like a long time. Mr. L is coming home this Friday. He's been there for 2 weeks. He'll be home 2 weeks then go back. He rented a car this time and has been driving over there. (yikes!) He said he is staying at an old converted "Jane Eyre" type manor home. The hotel rooms are in a new addition. It's out in the country. He says it's pretty cool. He went to church this Sunday and found out the ward we will probably be in. I looked on the church website and there are only 3 or 4 wards in Ireland and the rest are branches. There are like 10-12 wards and branches. We will be in the Preston, England temple district.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

STICKS AND STONES....

I'm a good natured person. I tease people a lot. A lot of people tease me a lot. But here's a question: When does teasing get old and become irritating to you? And what do you do about it?

Thursday, August 14, 2008

YOU'RE KILLING US J.K.!!

I just read a news release today that said that the next Harry Potter movie, "The Half-Blood Prince" will not be released this November, but they will wait until July 2009!!! I don't know if this was the only reason, but they said basically that they wanted to wait until July 2009 because the summer movie audiences were bigger. Is that all it's about - MONEY????!!!!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

HAPPY 50th STICKS!!!!!

Today is my younger brother Sticks 50th Birthday!!! Wow! I feel so old! Here are some memories I have of him:

I remember when he fell off the landing on the stairs. He had a bad cut under his chin - it was really deep, and I think he crushed some of his teeth. I had to hold the washcloth under his chin to keep the wound from gaping open while Mom called the doctor.

When he was a kid, I remember one of his favorite things to eat was macaroni and cheese.

Sticks was a very happy, easy going kid, always smiling.

I remember once when Mom had picked us up from elementary school, she had just turned the corner and was driving in front of the junior high and Stick's car door came open and he started to fall out. Mom looked around and told me to grab him. I did, but had just caught his shoe, which came off and he fell out the door onto the street. Mom stopped the car, I jumped out and ran back to get him. He was okay, but was crying because his school paper had got torn.

I will not tell the toliet flushing story since it is his birthday. :0)

I remember him and Twist sitting right in front of the old black and white console tv watching cartoons all the time.

I can also remember Sticks and Twist pinning bath towels around their necks so they could be Superman. I remember Sticks "playing Superman" and jumping onto the bed in the basement, only to hit his head. I also remember standing on the porch with him and he fell somehow and hit his head on a concrete block. And no, I had nothing to do with either time!! :0+

I remember after I got married, he came to my house and had a big huge boa constrictor in a bag that he was taking out to BYU. I think that was the year of the Olympics and we all sat and watched the Olympics together.

Here are 50 things that describe Sticks: happy, cheerful, hugger, mountain man, woodcarver, trail boss, smiling, bright eyes, great dad, loving husband, strong, easy going, whistler, priesthood bearer, teacher, dependable, teaser, brother, comedian, singer, guitar player, country boy, horseshoe thrower, knife throwing, gun shooting, fisherman, cook, camper, always there for you, big bear hug, cute, dimples, joker, great, loveable, marvelous, ready, son, wonderful,laughing, budding writer, poet, patriotic, missionary, lizard catcher,horny toad catcher, frog-leg eater, over-the-hill, catching up with his sister, fabulously 50 year-old!!!!

Have a great 50th birthday Sticks!!! I love you!!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

MOVE OVER SHIRLEY MCCLAINE...

I had lunch at MacDonalds with my daughter and grandkids today. Going back to my house I had Miss A and Miss M ride with me. Miss A remarked, "When I was 19 I used to ...." (she's 4) I told Miss M to listen to her. Miss M said, "Oh she does that all the time. She'll say, 'When I was 16...' or 'When I used to be a dog..' or 'When I was Hannah Montana...', she thinks she's lived many lives."

Thursday, July 31, 2008

LAUNDRY BLUES

I arrived home from vacation with 9 days of dirty clothes to find a broken washer. Three days (now 12 days of dirty clothes) and $400 later it's fixed. Yikes. Oh, and the day before I left on vacation, I broke my vacumn cleaner. Yipee - I'm on a roll.

Conversation with the repairman:

Well, it looks like it's your motor. Is this same time tomorrow good for me to come put the new one in?

Well, actually this time was not my actual appointment time. They called this morning and moved it from 10 am to 3pm, and I have 11 days of dirty clothes.


He came this morning at 9am. :0)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

MOVE OVER...

I just spent 7 days at my parents house with a constant 27 people and up to as many as 42 people. Several years ago when I couldn't get down on the ground (or back up for that matter) I quit sleeping in a tent and started staying at the local motel. It's not cheap, but it's worth it. I just count it as vacation expenses.

There were 27 in the house and the little one said, "I'm crowded, move over."
So they all moved over and one got up...
There were 26 in the house and the grandma said, "I'm going to tell a story, move over"
So they all moved over and one went to his tent...
There were 25 in the house and the fishermen said, "We're tired, move over"
So they all moved over and 7 went to Panguitch...
There were 18 in the house and the twins said, "We're bored, move over"
So they all moved over and 2 went to play...
There were 16 in the house and the sisters said, "We're old and tired, move over"
So they all moved over and 9 teenagers went to the park...
There were 7 in the house and the uncles said, "We're busy, move over"
So they all moved over and 4 boys went on a hike...
There were 3 in the house and the grandpa said, "I'm grouchy, move over"
So they all moved over and 2 got mad and left...
And grandpa just sat and smiled...

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT!

Madagascar is one of my favorite kid's movies. Madagascar 2 better be just as good!


'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' Trailer
'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' Trailer

NAVAJO TACOS

On our way back from vacation, we stopped at Cameron so my husband could finish a teleconference meeting. He had experienced some outages in some remote places we had driven through so didn't want to lose his connection again. I went into the Trading Post to "shop" but only ended up buying a cheap bracelet. An hour later I went back to the parking lot to see if the meeting was over. I noticed a group of foreign young people gathered around the front of my truck. One boy was taking a picture of my front license plate, which is in fact not a license plate, but a dealer's decorative plate, which for some reason we have not removed yet. This decorative plate has a bull on it because it is the dealer's logo. I thought it was funny that this kid was taking a picture of it.

I found out that the meeting was just ending, so my husband and I went back into the Trading Post to eat lunch in their dining room. We ordered Navajo Tacos. Oh. My. Gosh! Those were the best Navajo Tacos I have ever had! Unfortunately they were also the biggest. I swear that we both ate for 20 minutes and our plates didn't even look like we had made a dent in them! We finally gave up because we were so full. I guess we should have either shared one, or gotten the "Mini Navajo Taco" instead. It was a dollar cheaper, but the word "mini" made me think it would be too small, and since everything in the Trading Post was so expensive, I thought the food would be too. I can't wait until next year!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Monday, July 14, 2008

TEN THINGS BEFORE I DIE

1. Fly to Hawaii and do a cruise around the islands
2. Learn another language
3. Learn the pedals on the organ
4. Go on a mission
5. Finish remodeling this house
6. Lose 50 pounds
7. Give up sodas
8. Write my life history
9. See a Broadway Musical
10. Travel all over the USA

Thursday, July 10, 2008

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

Okay, since I can't come up with good original blogs, I will fall back, once again to stealing someone else's idea. Amberlilies, Delirious, and Inklings posted on their favorite things. Here are some of my favorite things, in no particular order:

My husband, dark chocolate, Diet Pepsi Lime, having lunch with my friends, dinners with my children and grandchildren, road trips, ice water with lots of ice and a cold water bottle ready to fill the cup back up, working at the temple, the scriptures, Harry Potter books, Harry Potter books on CD, Jim Dale's voice as he narrates, going to the movies, the view of the mountain and city from my backyard, the mountains, the desert, the smell of sagebrush after it rains, Friday-night-date-night, blogging, reading other people's blogs, emails, family chat with my brothers and sisters, summer visits with my family at Mom and Dad's, my parent's town, rainy nights, the whisper of the spirit, Quesadilla Explosion Salad at Chili's, rocky-road ice cream, New Mexican food with green chile, jeans, sandals, pedicures, a text message from my husband, watching my grandchildren playing with each other, the colors blue and dark cherry red, ATVs (alas!), jackets, jacket weather, playing the piano or organ, writing special programs, sight-seeing, puttering around my home, the moment my husband comes home from work, talking on the phone to my kids, other people's birthday parties....

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

HO HUM

You know my life has to be boring. If you don't believe me, read the 2 posts below. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

SAY WHAT?

Conversation with my gastroenterologist after my colonoscopy:

Him: You had 2 polyps, so we'll send those off to the lab. Come back in 3 years. Any questions?

Me: No. Can I go now?

Him: Yes, hurry and run before they find you!

Me: ???

ITCHY-SCRATCHY

I have a rash on my arms and legs. I have no idea how I got it. I've had it for 3 weeks. I wondered if it could be from the new Dove Cucumber and Green Tea soap I started using, so I quit using it. Still have it. So today, I stopped using the Bath and Body Works Honeysuckle lotion. I also stopped using the Dial Shower gel that I bought that has exfoillating beads in it. Now I think - is it an allergy to something I'm using? Or is it stress?

Friday, June 20, 2008

ONE WORD

1. Where is your cell phone? CHARGER
2. Your significant other? HUSBAND
3. Your hair? WHITE
4. Your mother? SPRY
5. Your best friend? FUNNY
6. Your favorite place? HOME
7. Your dream last night? NONE
8. Your favorite drink? WATER
9. Your dream/goal? RETIREMENT
10. The room you're in? BEDROOM
11. Your children? FIVE
12. Your fear? TERRORISTS
13. Where do you want to be in 10 years? TOURING
14. Where were you last night? HOME
15. What you're not? THIN
16. Muffins? PUMPKIN
17. One of your wish list items? HAWAII
18. Where you grew up? NEBRASKA
19. What you read last? PEACEGIVER
20. What you are wearing? JEANS
21. Your tv? LOST
22. Your pets? NONE
23. Your computer? LAPTOP
24. Your life? BUSY
25. Your mood? CYNICAL
26. Missing someone? HUSBAND
27. Your car? EXPEDITION
28. Something you're not wearing? SHOES
29. Your favorite store? TARGET
30. Your summer? HOT
31. Like someone? WHAT?
32. Your favorite color? BURGUNDY
33. Last time you laughed? TODAY
34. Last time you cried? SUNDAY
35. Your favorite thing? FAMILY

Monday, June 16, 2008

SUPER-DADS

Since yesterday was Father's Day, here are my memories. The first one about my dad and the second one about my husband:

My dad was a great gardener. He landscaped our home, including putting in rock walls and steps. We had a flower garden on one side of the house where Dad had planted petunias. One time he called me over and showed me how to pinch off the head of the petunia after it had withered. He told me if I did this, then the plants would grow more blossoms. So everytime I passed that flower bed, I always had to stop and pinch off all the withered or dead blossoms before going on. Dad seemed to always know all about the flowers and plants and was always telling me about them. I can remember him even letting me mow the backyard sometimes, but he wouldn't let me mow the upper level. I loved our backyard and loved to play out there. We had lilac bushes all across the back of the yard and a peony bush - which was my favorite. Dad planted - I'm not sure if this is the right name - seedum - on the rock walls. I thought it was cool to pick a piece and squeeze it. I loved the stone steps he built on the side of the house and in the back, separating the two backyard levels. I used to play that the backyard was my house and the side steps and gate were my front door. One time Dad had got some 2'X 4"s for something. He let us play with them and we used them to "outline" a house that we could play in. We used leaves for dishes and found "forked" sticks to use - yes - for forks. I used to wish that I could just really live outside in my backyard. We use to put on neighborhood variety shows, using the upper level of the backyard for our stage. One time, after our cat died, we decided we would dig the cat back up - for what reason, I don't know. We "thought" we knew where Dad had buried him, so we got a couple of shovels and started digging. We dug a pretty good hole - at least 3" deep or more. Dad didn't seem to mind - mainly because he knew that was not where he buried old Scamper. He just told us to fill the hole back in when we got tired of digging. I always wondered where Scamper was buried and wondered if it was under the peony bush?

My husband "L" went to college for almost the first 10 years of our marriage. He worked full-time and went to school full-time the last 5 years. My kids don't think their dad had a lot to do with them as babies, since he was always studying at night, but he did. Several of my babies had problems with lots of colic. He always would take them and lay them on his knees and gently rub their tummies to help them get rid of the colic. My kids always spit up a lot when they were babies, and I remember many times when L "got it" all over his shirt or even down inside his shirt when he was rocking them. One time when my 2nd daughter was a toddler, I had to go to the store at night because I had been babysitting all day. I thought she would lay in my bed while her dad sat beside her at his desk studying. It took me about an hour since I had a lot of groceries to buy. When I got back, there she was sitting on her dad's lap. She had cried the whole time I was gone and he was rocking her. With daughter #1 he would go in her room to have a "tea party" with her. He would actually sit at her little table and let her set the table and bring him "tea". Whenever he would play his guitar, the girls loved to listen to him and "dance".

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO TWO GREAT DADS!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

HAPPY 38TH!

Today is my wedding anniversary. My husband and I have been married 38 years. My, time does fly when you're having fun. Here are ten "fun facts" about our dating:
1. We met at the Hi-D-Ho - a fast food drive-in like Sonic.
2. He did not kiss me on the first date.
3. He did not kiss me on the second date.
4. After the second date, I told my friend (who introduced us) that I was going to marry him.
5. He asked me to marry him 2 weeks later.
6. We were married 2 months later.
7. I did not know his real name until after we were married.
8. He and his friends joined a fight to help out my good friend DJ, who was getting the tar beat out of him by a group of boys.
9. When we were talking long-distance on the phone one night, a tornado hit our town and did a lot of damage. The phones were down all night. He stayed up all night watching news reports because he was worried about me.
10. He is the love of my life.

CHAPTER ONE

Well, I started Chapter One in my new story today. I was sustained as the new Relief Society President of our women's organization at our church. I don't know if I should call this post "Chapter One" or "Act One". That's kind of how I felt today - acting out a play. I wanted to say, "No stop! I can't remember my lines! This isn't the part I wanted to play!" Hopefully it will get better. Maybe it will come more natural. I decided to try to learn 2 people's names every Sunday. One woman walked up to me and started congratulating me on my new calling and when she stopped talking, I said to her, "Now, tell me your name." She said, "Oh, you know my name". I said, "No seriously I don't so please tell it to me." She said, "Yes! you know my name!" I said, "No seriously I don't so please tell me." Then she said, "My name is S_____." I said, "Oh yes, I guess I did know your name...sorry."
What can I say? She had her hair pulled back and it didn't look like her. But then I added, "I'm sorry my brain is so addled I wouldn't know my own daughter if she came up to me today."

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

LET THE NEXT STORY BEGIN...

Two things: I watched "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" tonight, and I'm almost to the end of THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING. I really liked the quote from Mr. Magorium, "Turn the page, continue reading, and let the next story begin." It made me start thinking... As I've been reading THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING, even though it hasn't been the best book I've ever read, it is interesting. I have never read anything about King Arthur, so it has been interesting to me to finally read about him, Merlin, Guinevere and Lancelot. I have to admit that some of King Arthur's adventures, as Wart, were a little lengthy, as well as some of Lancelot's - and other character's - quests. But don't get me wrong...I still enjoyed reading it. I learned things I didn't know before. I got into the character's lives as well as the magic of the story.

After watching Mr. Magorium tonight it made me think about life. Sometimes parts of our lives are like the best books we've ever read. Life is good. Things are going great. Other times our life is like a boring book. We're just trying to get to the end of that particular story so it will be over. Sometimes we just skim over parts, reading them quickly to get past the uninteresting chapters. Maybe we start reading and find we really don't like this book at all - do we stop reading? Do we struggle through to the end just to find out how the story ends? Other times we start on a particular story, and as it begins we think we are not going to like this book, but then things start to happen and we start getting interested in the characters, and events that are happening in the book, and "lo and behold" we actually start to enjoy the book. Maybe it becomes our favorite, or maybe it just becomes a "nice read".

My life is starting another chapter. At first I didn't want to read it. I couldn't see how this book could have a happy ending. I thought about giving the book back. I'm only reading the introduction right now, but something is peaking my interest. Maybe this will be a "nice read". Maybe it will keep me guessing all the way to the end of the book. Maybe it will be a completely different story than I have read before. Could it possibly even become a favorite? Turn the page, continue reading...