Kitchen Ditcher

Random Monday

2009-03-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while because I've been having WAY too much fun on Facebook. Sorry for the defection!

I will post here occasionally because there are things that I still want to journal in my life some of which have happened this last week but first I wanted to share a great and funny video. Check it out! Entitled: Everything is amazing but nobody is happy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jETv3NURwLc

It looks like we are moving to Utah! We should find out for sure in the next week or so. It is a good move for us in so many ways. Our kids are there and they are WAY excited that we are coming. And to me, that is amazing. What a blessing it is to have your grown children actually WANT you to be closer. Even our son-in-law is excited for us to be there. Wow! Utterly incredible.

We are already looking at home rentals and have found a couple that we are keeping our fingers crossed will still be available when we are ready. I have just been praying that the Lord will guide and direct us to where we need to be.

So I've had another surgery last week. Last night I was whining to my husband that my body looks like a full on science experiment. With a double mastectomy, hysterectomy, laparascopy, portacath surgery and now a gall bladder surgery I can definitely qualify for the bride of Frankenstein! Geezo Peezo.

I've told the surgeon that we have GOT to stop meeting like this. I am running out of things to cut out.

Hope all is well out there in blogland. I might be stopping by today and saying hi!!

Robot Party

2009-01-24T21:49:00.000-08:00

I loved that our kids were raised in the mission field. Going to a high school where you are only one of a few mormon kids gave my kids lots of opportunities to share the gospel, teach about our religion and bear their testimonies. Being a member of the church made them different and they stood out in the crowd. And even though it was hard at times, I would say that my kids enjoyed being set apart because of their membership in the church.

We always sent them to EFY and while they liked being different at home, during that week, they loved being with so many others that believed the same way that they did. I loved that they were supported in the righteous decisions that they were making in their lives. One time when I went to pick them up, on the cement was written "We LOVE modest girls!" How great to be supported and be told that LDS boys don't like it when girls wear spaghetti strap dresses and that "Modest is the Hottest!"

As they got older and it was nearing the time to go to college, they couldn't wait to attend a church college where they could be surrounded with others who believed as they did just like EFY.

Which brings me to these pictures! My youngest daughter is attending BYU in Provo and last semester someone in her apartment complex had an 80's party and everyone came dressed up from the 1980's. This semester, they had a robot party!! My daughter is in the silver costume and her roomate is in the gold. How grateful I am for these wonderful church colleges where these young adults can have some good clean fun!

I LOVE IT!!

I NEED HELP!

2009-01-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

I need help with my New Year’s Resolution. Which was to make healthier food choices.
It wasn’t to LOSE WEIGHT,
AND it wasn’t to GET IN SHAPE, although I do admit that I was hoping that those things would happen naturally if I just chose to eat healthier.

I have got to think more of what I put in MY MOUTH!

As a cancer survivor, there are times that I feel so guilty that Heavenly Father has allowed me to live and now I am not taking care of the body that he has blessed me with.

Aaaarrrrggghhhh!!

Hey, I know what I NEED!! I need BOB!!!

Not this Bob.

BUT THIS BOB!!

I much prefer Bob to Jillian.

Yes, I know. Jillian is tough. Every muscle in her body is tight, even the muscles that can be found in her EYELIDS!

This is not ugly envy in me surging to the surface, but I don’t even think Jillian is all that pretty. And neither does my husband. GOOD ANSWER HUBBY!

But Bob. He is a kinder, more gentler Bob. He’s serious but he is more softer around the edges than is JILLIAN!!

So….if you got to choose a trainer….who would you choose?

Bob?............or Jillian?

Blog vs. Facebook

2009-01-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

Recently one of my very best friends got set up on Facebook and is having a blast. She nagged and nagged me to get set up too and I finally caved. And it is WAY fun! A TON of my old seminary students are now my friends and I have gotten caught up on what they are doing in their lives. I LOVE IT!

But now here's my dilemma~~~~Do I blog or do I Facebook?

I work 9 hours a day and my commute is 45 minutes each way so I am gone from home 10 1/2 hours a day and I don't have time to do both! Waaaaaaaahhhhh! (Debbie is being tempted to buy a DAILY lottery ticket so she won't have to work! Yeah THAT'S the answer!!)

So I am going underground for a while and will be playing on Facebook to see which I'd rather do.

Do Ya'll do both? Facebook AND blog??

Jumpin' on the bandwagon

2009-01-04T16:24:00.000-08:00

Deadline for this was Monday, January 5 at noon. But please visit his website to see more of his artwork. See link below.

Okay, this is a no brainer. Follow the instructions below to receive a FREE 8x10 from a very talented artist. Quit reading....start copying and posting!!

I wanted to share these beautiful pictures and what the artist has to say about each one of them! Everyone can win a FREE signed 8x10 print of your choice (out of the three prints shown), by copying and posting to your blog or website this whole post! After you post, then send an e-mail to David (contact@bowman-art.com) with your website or blog address telling him you posted it and that you read about this offer on my blog. Also send him your name and mailing address and he will send your signed 8x10 print of your choice.David Bowman: has had a passion for art ever since he could pick up a pencil. He loves creating images of the Savior that inspire and uplift. Along with his Christian fine art, David has also written and illustrated a series of scripture storybooks for children titled "Who's Your Hero". Check out his website at http://bowman-art.com/indexFineart.htm to see more of his precious art.

"Innocence"The Savior tells us we need to become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God. I've often wondered what it is about little children Jesus loves most, and I think its their innocence. They are clean slates, seeing the world and others through untarnished eyes. Their hearts are pure, without the baggage of cynicism and self-doubt. In this piece, I've tried to imagine how a child would act upon meeting the Master for the first time. Without reservation or inhibition, I think he would simply want to play with Him. He would be at complete ease, allowing his pure little heart to soak in the love and laughter of His pure, infinite heart. Its no wonder Christ delights in these little ones and sets them up to be our examples.

"Security"One of the greatest human needs is a sense of security. In all aspects of life, we naturally gravitate towards anything that makes us feel safe. In this piece, I wanted to convey a sense of complete peace and calm like only the Savior can provide. It's a security that allows us to rest assured, without fear or worry, when we put ourselves trustingly in His arms. Little children have that inherent kind of trust in their parents, so it's fitting that the man and girl who modeled for "Security" are actually father and daughter. They generatedthe exact feel I was looking for.

"My Child"This piece conveys an intimate, up-close-and-personal feeling of the Savior's love. Notice how all the lines draw your attention and point towards Jesus' face in the center. I chose the name "My Child" because the only thing that could compare (even remotely) to Christ's compassion for us is the love of a parent for his/her child. This image is also intended to put things in perspective. Above all, we are God's children first. He allows us the privilege of experiencing parenthood for ourselves and we are entrusted to be the mothers and fathers of His children here on earth.

Rewinding my life.....

2009-01-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

Blogging has been somewhat difficult the past 6 weeks or so. Thanksgiving hit with a bang and then I was off for a week to San Diego for a conference for my school district. And then Christmas! So I am going to rewind my life back to Thanksgiving and blog from there! Here goes:

We drove to Utah for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful dinner in Orem with my in-laws. Scored some major good deals during shopping the day after Thanksgiving up in Park City.

AND THEN......it was time to meet some of my favorite blogging gals! These ladies were even more amazing in person! They are much more beautiful than their picture and we had the BEST time! What a treat it was to meet them.

Here we are ~ Binders, Pam (comcewen's), Me with the VERY fashionable reading glasses hanging down my front, Jeni (Tink) and Jodi (Redhoodos)

Lovely, lovely ladies!!!

Then it was time to head home and for an unexpected little adventure! There is a restaurant that we pass everytime we go and come from Utah. We always joke about it but this time we decided to stop! The restaurant is Peggy Sue's 50's Diner and what a hoot it was!

I didn't have my camera so I had to take pictures with my cell phone but here is Peggy Sue's

And here is a picture of the talented painting inside the women's bathroom

Peggy Sue's is off the 15 fwy in the middle of nowhere. What does the middle of nowhere look like you ask? I know the picture is small, but this is what the middle of nowhere looks like:

The food was appropriately greasy and they actually had one of the best malts that I have had in a while. I LOVE malts much more than shakes! So, it was a fun diversion and we made it home safe and sound.

Coming up in the next post - Christmas, Amish Country and Colonial Williamsburg!

Kneeling Santa

2008-12-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

I have one of these statues in my home and it is by far the favorite christmas decoration of everyone in my family. Two years ago, when we went to put away Christmas, my son wanted to keep this out for the whole year.

One last thought before I sign off until 2009! In Primary last Sunday, during her sharing time on Christmas, one of the primary counselors read the following scripture: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son."

To make this more personal to ourselves and to our children, remove the word "world" and put in a name.

For God so loved "Mason", that He gave His only Begotten Son.

Merry Christmas Everyone

2008-12-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please! The winner of a copy of the book "Play Together, Stay Together is.............

Ha! Before I announce the winner, I also wanted to announce that I am unable to blog until after Christmas. The day after Thanksgiving I had a conference for work down in San Diego and it 's now Christmas and I am very strapped for time. So after the holidays, I am going to "REWIND" my life and talk about thanskgiving and the wonderful blogging ladies that I was able to have lunch with!!

Okay, the winner of my daughter's book is Lisa Lou from "Is that a garage door on my ceiling?" Wahoo!! Congratulations! Lisa, if you will get me your address I will have my daughter sign a copy for you and will ship it out to you. Email me at kitchen.ditcher@verizon.net!!!

Merry Christmas everyone and I will see everyone in 2009!

Book Giveaway!!

2008-12-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Reader's Digest version of my Thanksgiving Holiday:

Drove 10 hours, went to Twilight within an hour and a half of getting into Utah, had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, lunched with blogging buddies (will post about that later~!), went to the temple, made a quick trip to Urgent Care (I know now what a gall bladder attack feels like) spent a day shopping in Park City, had a great family dinner at my daughter's and SIL's home and got to meet the parents of my missionary son's companion. Jam packed!!

I will blog about a couple of these things later, but first things first and that is my daughter's book has been published and is available for sale! But I will be giving one away for free signed by the author!! Yah, I have that good of connections.

Leave me a comment and that enters you once. Link it on your blog for three more entries! Make sure you let me know so I can check your blog! Entry deadline will be Dec. 15 at 5pm.

If anyone is interested, it can be purchased through Amazon.com but right now it is cheaper through Cedar Fort Publishing and I think it ships faster through them too. The book has almost 100 games to play with your family and then some applications on how to better function and communicate with family members. Great stocking stuffer!!

Funny thing....before I start getting comments that my family on the cover is adorable...they truly ARE adorable....BUT THEY AREN'T MY FAMILY!! Cedar Fort did the cover on their own and chose some random family that we have no clue who they are. It might have been nice if they asked us if we had some family that they could photograph to be on the front cover but oh well....it's still a GREAT book!

On Thanksgiving Blogbatical!

2008-11-24T14:04:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Will blog with you next week.

Can you hear me now?

2008-11-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

Of all days, yesterday my husband left the house before I did. Usually I leave first and then he leaves to go work out. But NO! Yesterday he had to leave first.

I'm making the finishing touches of construction upon my face ( not even residential construction, INDUSTRIAL construction) Yeah, my face needs a lot of help to be in public.

I hear the front door open and then hubby's sweet little voice:

"Hey Hon, where's your cell phone?"

"It's in my purse."

"Ummm. I don't think so."

"Did I leave it in my car?"

"Nope. Come here. I want to show you something."

I leave the construction site (bathroom) to see what he is talking about. It is everything he can do to not burst out laughing.

I go to the front door and this is what I see:

Hey, at least I had a FULL CHARGE!!

Crying Dryly

2008-11-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

I have a daughter that makes me laugh almost everyday! She is so awesome! Yesterday she called me crying. She was very frustrated because she was late for an interview because she was lost and couldn’t find the office. At first I couldn’t even understand what she was saying because she was so upset.

After we figured out what to do, in an effort to lighten the mood, I asked her if she had mascara running down her face now. She replied that she didn’t.

How can you cry with mascara without it smearing down your cheeks and smushed under your eyes?

(Not a real picture of daughter. Just a hired actor to play my daughter on my blog)

So I asked her “How come you don’t have smeared mascara?

Her reply? “ I was crying dryly!”

I started cracking up.

How in the world do you do that?

Santa Claus is NOT coming to town....but PAM is!!

2008-11-18T18:51:00.000-08:00

Calling all Utah bloggers! Or visiting Utah bloggers!

Over Thanksgiving weekend, PAM is coming to Utah! Who's Pam you might ask? If you don't know, WHERE have YOU been?

This is the lady who has done humanitarian work in Africa. Come shake her hand that has served in a leper's colony in India. This is the lady who, yes and it IS TRUE!, was banned from Stake Girls Camp for causing too much havoc. The one, the only, GIGGLE THE RAPIST! (See her side blog)

Both Pam and I will be in Orem over Thanksgiving and we are SO excited because we are having LUNCH with Jodi/Redhoodoos and Creative Chaos/Binders!!

WANNA COME?

My Jail Time aka And now for the rest of the story aka The conclusion aka THE END!

2008-11-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

“You need to come and get me RIGHT NOW!”
“Okay Deb, where are you?”
I told him that I was going to give the phone to the officer so he could give him directions on how to get to the police station.

I crawled back up on my bunk and waited for my boyfriend to come.

It took less time than I thought before I heard footsteps coming down the hallway again. The metal door creak opened and there stood my boyfriend. He walked over to my bunk and as serious as a heart attack, he said:

“Well Deb….. they posted your bail at $30.00 - OR - one “YES" answer. He then pulled a ring box from his pocket and opened it up to present my diamond engagement ring to me!! And since I only had 23 cents in my wallet, I said YES!!!

Obviously he had arranged the whole thing. He was parked down the street when the officer came to my door. When I got to the police station, he was taken upstairs and watched me get frisked over a surveillance video camera. When I told the officer what my boyfriends phone number was, he just dialed the number of the office upstairs where my now “fiancée” was. He was holding the key to my cell in his hot little hands when I had called him to let him know that I was in jail.

IS THAT A GREAT ENGAGEMENT STORY OR WHAT?

My hubby is SO DANG FUN! We have been married almost 29 years and still going strong. He reminds me of David in the movie “Legacy” when he tells Eliza that he doesn’t have much to offer her but his two hands and that he promises to make her laugh everyday. My hubby makes me laugh everyday! We have so much fun together!

So in this month of November where we should remember what we are thankful for, I am extremely grateful for my husband.

P.S. I have gotten GREAT enjoyment out of the "Jerk", "Creep" and "Hope you dumped the dude" comments! So has hubby. No Apologies Needed!!

My Jail Time (Part 3)

2008-11-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

As I was escorted down the hallway of the jail, I looked at the other people who were in the cells. They had had a drug bust that night and every single jail cell had someone in it.

For some reason, I don’t think they were very happy to be there, because as we passed, they started calling the officers some not very nice names, which just added to my terrifiedness. I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me!

The officers soon realized that there wasn’t a free cell to put me in and so they made the decision to put me into a solitary confinement cell. That scared the absolute living daylights out of me but would much rather be there than in one of those cells with those delightful, mature, cultured, well-mannered and well-spoken drug abusers. Just in case you couldn’t tell, that was sarcasm people. I doubt Martha Stewart ever saw the kind of conditions that I saw!

As I was introduced to my warm, comfy room scented with cinnamon (sarcasm again) I looked around at my surroundings. There were two bunk beds folded down from the wall and a small sink. The roomed was metal and painted an off-white color. Scratched into the paint were foul words and obscenities that weren’t very complimentary to our justice system or towards the police. In the door was a slot with a flap, kinda like a mail slot that you would find in an older home.

I crawled up on to the top bunk, leaned against the wall and hugged my knees. The officer told me that he was going to process my paperwork and that he would be back in a while. As I sat there, I kept telling myself not to cry. “Debbie, you are no longer a little girl, you need to be mature about this. Act like an adult because you are an adult, right? Waaa…..I don’t want to be an adult!! “ Some tears began to roll down my cheeks.

After what seemed like an eternity, I could hear footsteps coming down the hall. The flap in the mail slot opened and an officer handed me the receiver of a phone. (this was the age of dinosaurs and there was no such thing as a cell phone)

I got off my bunk bed and went over to the door and took the phone. The officer told me that I could make one phone call and who did I want to call?

MY DAD, MY DAD, MY DAD!! My Dad and I were very, very close and he was my knight in shining armor so I told the officer that I wanted to call my dad and my boyfriend. Then he wanted to know which one I wanted to call first. Even though every fibre of my being was screaming to call my dad, he WAS thousands of miles away and probably couldn’t be much help , so I decided that my one phone call would be to my boyfriend.

Now remember, that the officer is on one side of the door holding the phone and I am on the other side of the door holding the receiver with the cord coming through the mail slot. He asked me what my boyfriends number was and he dialed the phone. I was huddled up next to this metal door and held the receiver to my ear.

It was now VERY late at night and I was so relieved to hear my boyfriend’s voice on the other end.

With my chin quivering (still trying not to cry) in my most mature voice, I told him that I was in jail.

“JAIL?? What are you doing in JAIL?”

“I didn’t register my car and this police officer came and put me in a car and took me to jail and I’m in this cell and you need to come and get me RIGHT NOW!” (breathe out)

“Geez Debbie, Johnny Carson is on right now. I’ll come and get you when it’s over.”

“WHAT???”

~TO BE CONTINUED~

Jail Time Continued

2008-11-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

“You have a warrant for my arrest?”
“Yes Ma’am”
“For WHAT?”
“Are you new to the state Ma’am?”
“Yes”
“Have you been here over 30 days?”
“Yes”
“Have you been working for more than 30 days?”
“Yes”
“Have you registered your vehicle in the state of Texas?”
“No”
“Well, in the state of Texas, it is mandatory that you register your vehicle within 30 days. Your employer has reported earnings for you and the state knows that you are here. I’m sorry but you will have to come down to the station with me.”

I looked past the officer and see his police car parked against the curb of my street. It’s beginning to dawn on me that he is serious.

Remember that it is fairly late at night and I am in my robe. The officer kindly let me change into some clothes, I grabbed my purse and was escorted to the back seat of the police car. I was scared to death and was SO relieved that he didn’t put handcuffs on me.

I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me. Here I was a very young 20 year old girl, I was VERY far from home and I wanted my DADDY!!!

I was taken to the Mesquite County Jail. My coat was removed, they took my purse and emptied out my wallet to inventory my belongings. I had 23 cents on me.

They had a lady sergeant come to the front office and made me put my hands on the counter and spread my legs while she frisked me. I was fingerprinted and photographed.

Now it was time to take me to my cell.

~TO BE CONTINUED~

My jail time

2008-11-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

1979, Provo, Utah and I needed a job. I was walking through the University Mall and remembered that I had seen a job advertised for the Keepsake Jewelry Store. I wasn't prepared for an interview but decided to stop in and at least get an application.

Holy Moly! The guy working behind the counter was adorable! Dark hair, hazel eyes, dark mustache. Hubba hubba!! Boy was I glad that I stopped in. I only wanted an application but he ended up interviewing me anyway.

When I got home, I told my roommates that I didn't care if I got the job, but I definitely was going back to flirt with this guy. Before I could do that however, he called me!!! He pilfered my phone number from my application and called and wanted to know if I would like to go to Cascade Springs. I was from California and I didn't know where the sam hill Cascade Springs was, but who cared?? HE CALLED ME!

After that first date, we saw each other every single night and things were starting to get serious.

After about a month, he dropped a bomb on me. Keepsake Jewelry wanted him to transfer to a store in Texas!! Panic! I was really falling for this guy...what was I going to do with him being in TEXAS?!?

Little did I know that he had plans. Plans that I would move to Texas too. Which I did. He rented an apartment for himself and found me a house with a single mom who needed extra money and was renting out a room.

Thinking back on it now, I can't believe that my parents let me go. I would NEVER have let my kids do that!!

So we moved to Texas. He started working at the jewelry store and I found a job as a receptionist at a photography studio.

About a month had passed and I was home alone. It was late at night, my roommate and her son were gone for the weekend and I was watching tv in my comfy robe.

I heard a knock on the door. With it being late at night, I hesitated in opening the door. But when I did, there was a police officer on the other side.

"Is your name Debbie _____?"
"Yes"
"Is your social security number xxx-xx-4978?
"Yes"

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but I have a warrant for your arrest. You'll need to come with me."

~TO BE CONTINUED ~

Squee Dunks and Punky Doo?

2008-11-11T07:11:00.003-08:00

When my knight in shining armor and I were first married, we lived in a four plex that had two other young couples. It was great fun. We would get together after work and eat dinner together and play games. It really was a great situation.

One of the couples that were also newly married called each other Squee Dunks and Punky Doo. My hubby and I couldn't believe it. How mushy, how gushy, how disgusting could you get?

As a joke, we started calling each other those names. In secret of course, never in front of the other couple.
When we did it, it was because we were being SARCASTIC, we did it because we were MAKING FUN OF THE OTHER COUPLE!

We would never REALLY call each other a pukey name like that!

Well that was 28 years ago, and IT STUCK and

WE STILL CALL EACH

OTHER THOSE NAMES!!!

I don't even think about it now and sometimes I will slip
and say "Punkie Doo" IN PUBLIC!!

Ewwwww!!

I'm sure when people hear that, that they think we are DISGUSTING!!!

So what pet name do you call your wife/husband? Do you have an itty, bitty, wittle POOPSIE??

Let's hear it!

Toothpaste Challenged

2008-11-09T14:09:00.000-08:00

I am seriously challenged at brushing my teeth. I have this drip that happens EVERY DAY on the left side of my face. NOT the right side, ONLY the left.

People on TV NEVER look like this. (I am not a real toothbrusher, I just play one on TV)

A Brooke Shields, I am not.

HAIR REMOVAL! A must read

2008-11-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

Hair Removal....

This is funny. (I don't have a clue as to who wrote this, but... WHAT A HOOT!)

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax.

Read on...

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids.

I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours, "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet."

So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those "cold wax" kits.

No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off.

No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be?

I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to
figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other
stuck together.

Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works!

OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this!

Hair removal no longer eludes me!

I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north.

After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship.

I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet.

Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip)

I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRRRIIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!!

Blinded from pain!!!!....

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP!

Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted.

I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious.

Do I hear crashing drums???

Breathe, breathe............

OK, back to normal.

I want to see my trophy -a wax-covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it.

I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair.

I hold up the strip!

There's no hair on it.

Where is the hair???

WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet.

I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not!

I touch.

I am touching wax.

I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair.

Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet?

I know I need to do something.

So I put my foot down.

Sealed shut!

My butt is sealed shut.

Sealed shut!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself :

"Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!"

What can I do to melt the wax?

Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!!

I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should

melt and I can gently wipe it off, right???

*WRONG!!!!!!!*

I get in the tub -

The water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.

Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water.

Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!!
God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!

I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone.

It's a very good conversation starter "So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!"

There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me.

She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?"

She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her.

I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.

YEAH!!!!! Right!!

I should be the joke of someone else's night.

While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor .

Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!!

By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event.

My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.

What do I really have to lose at this point?

I rub some on and OH MY STARS !!!

The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend.

It's sooo painful, but I really don't care.

"IT WORKS !!!

It works !!! " I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up.

I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair...

THE HAIR IS STILL THERE...ALL OF IT!

So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts.

I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I'm going to try hair color...

ABC! It's easy as 1,2,3!

2008-11-05T07:28:00.000-08:00

I know that there are those out there who don't enjoy tags, but I seriously do. Usually because I REALLY learn something about the person who got tagged. I LOVE reading tags!! A big shout out to BeckaBabe for her ABC tag! Here goes:

A- Attached or Single? Extremely attached. I would not be able to breath without my eternal companion.

B- Best Friend? My two Sistah's!! We have the same sense of humor, we talk the same (we have even fooled each other's husbands!) and we definitely LAUGH the same! Our kids love it when we get together and they hear all three of their moms laughing!

C- Cake or Pie? What is Cheesecake? Cake or Pie?

D- Day of Choice? No doubt about it. Sunday! A day of rest. Ahhh..........

E- Essential Items? MASCARA! I rarely leave home without it. Mary Kay all the way!!

F- Favorite color? The green grass of my lawn, green pine trees and green M&M's!! Yowzers!

G- Gummy Bears or Worms? Bears but only the white ones. No green. I know, I know, I just said that I like green. The white ones are pineapple...YUM!

H- Long Beach, CA!!! Wahoo for Southern Calif!! Total beach babe while growing up, like fer sure. Hang ten teeshirts were the bomb. Surf's up DUDE!

I- Favorite Indulgence? Buying clothes for my kids. I CAN'T NOT DO IT! My youngest is 20 and even though the budget might be tight, I can't not buy them something that they think is SO CUTE MOM!!!

J- January or July? July. Love warm summer nights.

K- Kids? Three AND I MISS THEM DEARLY!! An empty nest is for the birds!!

L- Life isn't complete without? Phone calls from my daughters, emails from my missionary son and hugs from my hubby

M- Marriage date? Feb 7. Thought about getting married on Valentine's Day but thought that would be too cheezy.

N- Number of Brothers & Sisters? Two. See Letter B!

O- Oranges or Apples? Apples

P- Phobias and Fears? I am a cancer survivor and my greatest fear to is die a lingering and painful death. When it's my time, I want to get hit by a truck! lol

Q- Quiet time, what do you like to do? Read scriptures and playing on my laptop. It is so therapeutic to me. Blogging of course!

R- Reason to smile? Blog comments, chocolate, George of the Jungle and Rocket Man videos and my primary kids.

S- Season of choice? Definitely fall! I live at 6000 feet and I love the cool, crisp mornings, warm days and cool nights. The Best!!

T- Ticklish? Oh yeah! Our family has a tradition of trying to write on the bottom of each other's foot with a ballpoint pen! It's a killer!

U- Unknown fact about me. Before I was married, I once told a group of people that I was a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader and they believed me. I know, not great, but that's all I could think of!

V- Vegetable? I love veggies more than fruit except for ..........? Those who know me will know that I HATE TOMATOES! Bleck!!

W- Worst Habit? Cracking my thumb knuckle.

X- X-ray or Ultrasound? Seriously I have so many of both that I glow in the dark.

Y- Your favorite food? Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

Z- Zodiac sign? Leo. "The typical Leo is flamboyant and generous with tremendous charm and a magnanimous spirit." So true...what can I say?

I now tag my sister CookingSherri!

Jury Duty Joke

2008-11-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, I received a jury summons for my youngest daughter who is attending college in Utah. I responded to the summons by telling them that she no longer is a resident of the state of California.

About a week and a half later I received the court's response: Your request for excusal for jury duty has BEEN DENIED. On the very same day that I received this response, I received a jury summons for my son who is serving in Brazil. I mailed the summons back stating that he is not a resident of the COUNTRY.

A few days ago, I received the court's response: Your request for excusal for jury duty has BEEN DENIED.

The Light, It Calls Me Home

2008-11-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning out a drawer the other day and I came across a poem that one of my daughters wrote when she was in high school. It touched me now as it touched me then.

The Light, It Calls Me Home
Alone I sail through mist and rain
Not knowing where I go.
I want to let the wheel down
But something tells me no.
It seems I'm sailing blindly
No matter where I roam
Then brightness flickers up ahead
The Light, it calls me home

I keep my eyes upon it
As I sail through the dark
The waves, they try my gaze to drift
The Light is now a spark
But as I push the waves aside
I know I'm not alone
For up ahead, it leads me now
The Light, it calls me home

Then as my ship gets closer
A storm begins to rage
It pleads to me, don't follow
The Light that's been my gauge
And as I sail unwavering
I hear a peaceful tone
The Light has calmed the waters
The Light, that calls me Home

Now as I trudge on through the storm
Following the Light
My Savior stands beside me
A guide in day and night
And as I learn to follow
His every stepping stone
I feel His love surround me
As He helps me make it Home.

Worst Mommy Moments

2008-10-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

In a previous post, Mother Goose made a comment that at times she feels like she fails desperately at being a mother. I too have felt this way many, many times. After reading her comment, it reminded me of a relief society lesson where the teacher asked ahead of time for us to admit our worst mommy moments and then she read them anonymously. So I am now confessing mine. MAJOR CONFESSION TIME.

When my son, who is on mission, was a little boy he said some word or made some noise that was inappropriate ( I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS NOW!) and wouldn't stop. I tried everything. Ignoring him, rewarding him positively when he wasn't doing whatever it was that was bothering me, but he wouldn't stop.

One day I was telling a friend about my terrible, awful, horrible problem and she said that when her kids do things like that, that she puts a drop of tabasco sauce on their tongue. That was it! I WAS GOING TO DO IT! (Forgive me Father, for I have sinned) That night, just like clockwork, off goes my son. I took the bottle of tabasco sauce and was going to put a drop on his tongue and you know the little plastic thing in the bottle that keeps it from pouring out? Well, it fell out and I ended up pouring massive amounts of tabasco sauce into my little boy's mouth. He started screaming and gagging and crying and I started BAWLING! His mouth was on fire (I am crying now just thinking about it)
and we ran to the kitchen to get some water and some ice.

WHAT KIND OF MOTHER WAS I? WHAT KIND OF MOTHER DOES THAT TO HER LITTLE SON? Well, I found out later that this friend who suggested this torture in the first place, would put just a dab on her finger and then put it on their tongue. She neglected to tell me about that minor detail the first time.

Boy, did I feel like a failure. I had failed miserably and it still bothers me to this day. But it has now turned into my son's favorite thing to tease me about. We actually have this "tabasco" connection with each other. For years, every Christmas I would buy him a Tabasco tie. He has tabasco boxers, shirts, cups, you name it. It is now a very special thing between us. I tease him that he is a HOTTIE! Except no Tabasco ties on his mission. But I will have on ready for him when he gets home!

I have failed miserably as a mother many times since then although probably not quite as bad as this. But here is a scripture that gives me hope: D&C 117: 12-13

12 And again, I say unto you, I remember my servant Oliver Granger; behold, verily I say unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord.

13 Therefore, let him contend earnestly for the redemption of the First Presidency of my Church, saith the Lord; and when he falls he shall rise again, for his sacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the Lord.

In verse 13 it states "WHEN HE FALLS". Not IF he falls, not MAYBE he will fall, not he MIGHT fall, but WHEN he falls. Our Heavenly Father knows that we are not perfect and that WE ARE GOING TO FAIL MISERABLY. But in verse 13 it also states that he will "RISE AGAIN". There's our challenge. After we feel that we have not been the best mother or the best wife or the best friend, or the best daughter or the best member of the church, we need to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and try again. BECAUSE in verse 12 the Lord states that Oliver's name "shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation.

As mothers in Israel if we have done our best I too believe that our names will be held in sacred remembrance from generation to generation. Even if we do have an affinity for tabasco sauce!

Okay moms, time to fess up. What is the WORST thing you have done as a mom?

There's no place like home and this post is for you Shaila and my last notes on Education Week and the longest title of a post you have ever seen!

2008-10-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Gosh, there is no place like home. It's always fun to have some place to go but it is even better when it is time to come home. I came home to a mountain load of work and had to work overtime this week but it's good to be back. And now it's time to catch up with blogging!

Shaila has kindly asked (more than once I'm embarassed to say) for me to post about the last class that I attended at Ed. Week. It was my favorite of all of the classes that I went to. It was one given by Michael S. Wilcox and it was about how to have a more zion like society.

Brother Wilcox based his talk on Romans chapter 14 and especially this verse: 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

He talked about how the members of the church that were eating meat despised those who did not eat meat and those who did not eat meat judged those who were eating meat. He said that Paul had a letter signed by all the apostles stating that is was alright to eat meat and that Paul could have just shown that letter to all involved but Paul wanted the people to think and to learn a lesson by persuading them to choose the right instead of just telling them to.

He then talked about that there are things in the church that are black and white that we know we must do and that are commandments. But then he talked about those things in the church that are more grey areas and are not really so-called "commandments". And with those "grey areas" there are those who "despise" those who don't do them and there are those in the church who "judge" those who do. When he has given this talk in a classroom setting, he has asked his class to discuss what some of those things are, but because this was such a big group, he just told us what his classes came up with.

So here are some things that his classes came up with:

1. Drinking coke. There are those who don't see anything wrong with drinking Coke or Pepsi and then there are those who would never lift a can to their lips.

2. White shirts. Some people are adamant that men MUST wear a white shirt to church and then there are those who wear a shirt of color.

3. Wearing nylons. Some women think that you should NEVER go to church with bare legs.

4. Traveling on Sunday. Hey it's no big deal to travel on a Sunday, right? I mean, come on, we're on vacation and we only have so many days and so we have to travel on a Sunday. Then there are those who don't think we should take a vacation from obeying the commandments so that the Lord won't take a vacation from us when we are in need of something.

5. Wearing shorts. Some church members feel that as soon as you have gone through the temple that you should NEVER wear shorts ever again, because no matter how you sit or how long the shorts are, you can see potentially see your "Rocky Mountain Surfer Suit" (mormon secret code words for "g------s")

We could go on and on. I'm sure that you can even think of some more examples, but I will end here.

So, now we have these coke-drinking, blue shirt wearing, short shorts people who travel on Sunday despising the non-coke drinking, white shirt wearing, stay-at-home on Sunday, nylon donning people who are judging the coke drinkers.

Bro. Wilcox boiled it down to this which is what Paul was trying to teach the people. We should base our decisions on charity and not rights. Do people have a right to wear blue shirt to church? They absolutely do! But if they know that it might bother someone, why not choose to wear a white one? Does someone have a right not to drink Coke? They absolutely do. But they should not judge or make someone else feel wrong for doing so.

Do we have rights to do certain things? We absolutely do. But if we know that it will cause contention with others, we should be charitable in what we decide to do. This is the key to having a more Zion-like society and the answer to the question "Can't we just all get along?"
I LOVED this class and this thought.

Phew! There you go Shaila! Wow, this post was so long that I've really worked up a good sweat. I think I'm going to go to the frig and get me an ice cold Coke.

Out to lunch!

2008-10-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

Super quick! I am in Utah at the moment. Red, I was in Draper just this morning and thought of you! Tomorrow I fly to Sacramento for a conference for my work. I have so many things that I want to blog about but no time. Check back soon though...lots of posts when I get back!

Happy blogging everyone!

Super Heros

2008-10-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

This is the Spider Man that I remember!!

When I was growing up, I really, really loved Spider Man. I would always watch the cartoon on Saturday mornings. Wow. Saturday morning cartoons. Remember them? I know that they still have cartoons on Saturday morning but they just aren't like they used to be. Don't you agree? I mean, Stinky and the Pee Brain or whatever that cartoon is, doesn't COMPARE to the cartoons that we watched as kids. Gosh those were good days and good cartoons!! Anyway Spider Man has always been my super hero of choice.

With that in mind, I wanted to share an excerpt from my son's last email from Brazil. We always look forward to and treasure Wednesdays because that is the day that we get to hear from him. Anyway, here is something he said in his last letter:

"It hit me today a little bit. I have less than a year left to be a missionary. We went to the temple and just walked past the guard and the gate, and no-one was there in front so I stopped, and said
"Don't we have to talk with someone, or something? My companion said, "Elder, We are missionaries, we can do anything! That is when it hit me. Its like if super-man knew that one day he would stop being super-man. But then comes super-husband, super-dad, super-otherstuff. Isn't life great being super!" (member of the Church)

It hit me that we are all super heros in our Heavenly Father's eyes. We are being super husbands, super mom, super wives and super people. You all are super moms. Not because you bake your own bread, sew all your children's clothes, have a five course home made meal for dinner every night, have an immaculately clean house, or don't have an ounce of fat on your body. You are a super mom because you are raising your children with morals and value. You are a super mom because you are teaching your children about the Lord's true and restored gospel. We are all super heros because we are doing the best we can and because we are our Heavenly Father's children and a member of His kingdom.

So a big shout out to all my blogging buddies. Y'all are now my FAVORITE SUPER HEROS!

"My" General Conference

2008-10-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

Did you all enjoy "my" General Conference this weekend? I am sure that you are appreciative that I was gracious enough to share it with you. I'm kinda like that. So willing to share. Willing to share with you all the lessons that can be learned at the feet of the Apostles. Willing to share the "ah hah" moments when the spirit speaks directly to your heart. Willing to share the realization of areas where we are lacking and then vowing to be better.

More than ever, I felt like this conference was JUST FOR ME! So many times, things were said that were applicable to me in a very personal way. On Saturday, Elder Wirthlin had me laughing and then Elder Holland had my crying. On Sunday, my two favorite talks were from Elder Eyring and Elder Hales. Elder Hales talk to me is up there with Pres. Benson's talk on "Pride" and Pres. Bednar's talk on "Not Being Offended".

My favorite quote though of the whole conference came from Elder Wirthlin's talk. In light of what we are going through on a personal basis, this is now my personal mantra. "Come what may. And love it!"

So how was Conference "YOUR" conference? What was said that was spoken directly to you?

Perspective on Problems

2008-10-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

I have been catching up in the blogging world and after reading Lisa's blog, it reminded me of an experience that I had years ago. There is no doubt that as parents we would much rather suffer the hardship, pain, anguish, heartache, fear or afflictions ourselves rather than watch our children have to suffer through these things.

I am a 13 year breast cancer survivor. I have endured chemotherapy, radiation and a double mastectomy. My children were only 9 and 6 when I was diagnosed. I had the same fears as "The Frump" that I would leave my children without a mother to love and care for them. My cancer was rare and wild and I was given only a 40% chance of living.

My cancer was aggressive enough that it made me eligible to be able to have a bone marrow transplant. I live fairly near the City of Hope where this procedure would take place but I needed to have a consultation first. On the day of my consultation I walked into the lobby of the City of Hope and found the room to be fairly gruesome. There were many patients in various stages of their cancer. Some were extremely ill and slumped in wheelchairs. Some had masks over their faces. (As a cancer patient you are very susceptible to disease and need to be careful about being around other people that are sick) Some people had no hair, some were obviously wearing wigs, some had sickly looking hair and then there was me who just wore a scarf over my bald head.

I sat down and waited for the receptionist to call my name. As I looked around at the others who were experiencing the same disease that I was, a little girl caught my eye. She was about 9 years old and was wearing jeans and a baseball cap with a long blonde braid hanging out the back of her hat. There was something about the braid that I thought looked funny but couldn't really see anything obvious. She was with her mother and I remember thinking that I would never bring a child to a place like this because it was pretty scary for a child as young as her.

I continued to watch her and her mother and then starting really looking at the little girls' braid. It finally dawned on me that the reason why her braid looked strange was because it wasn't a braid of real hair, it was a braid made up of yarn. She was bald underneath her baseball cap and I realized with heartache that she wasn't there with her mom, but that her mom was there with her.

Immediately my heart overflowed with gratitude that it was me that was dealing with this disease and not one of my children. Parents that have to endure watching their children deal with life threatening diseases or debilitating situations have a guaranteed spot in heaven as far as I'm concerned. I can't think of too many worse things in this world.

My prayers go to Lisa and all others who are having to deal with scary health issues with their children.

Oh and I decided not to go ahead with the bone marrow transplant. But that's a story for another day.

Random Weirdness

2008-09-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

So I've been tagged by Pam who is my SIL to list 7 random, weird things about yourself. I didn't have to think long....okey dokey, here we go:

1. I love watching SUMO WRESTLING. Seriously, this CRACKS ME UP! It doesn't come on that often, so I don't get a chance to see it much, but if I find it while surfing, I CAN'T NOT WATCH!

2. I can type close to 100 words per minute. The reason why is a whole other story in and of itself. Has to do with an OCD.

3. I can wiggle my eyes at an incredibly fast rate. Please don't ask me to do it while driving!

4. I HATE watermelon. How many people do you know that doesn't like watermelon? Everybody tells me that if I have a really cold, really good one that I will like it. Haven't found it yet.

5. I have once put someone's entire hand in my mouth.

6. I have kissed Beau Bridges. Really. Is anyone out there even old enough to remember who he is? This might not be so impressive if people read this and think, Beau Who??? lol

7. I have been in Czechoslavakia when it was still considered behind the iron curtain as a communistic country. An experience I will never forget. God Bless America.

Okay, I could go on and on....this was WAY too easy! So everyone feel free to jump right in and share YOUR random weirdness with the rest of us. I'm on my way to your blog to learn more about you!!!

Trials again...Yes!!

2008-09-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

How old do you need to be in order to be done with trials in your life? Maybe it's not a chronological age that qualifies you that you are done with challenges. Maybe it's if you have learned enough from your prior trials that will be your "golden ticket" for admission into "Charlie's No More Trials Factory".

If this is truly the case, then I have definitely NOT LEARNED MY LESSONS from my past challenges and the Lord is seeing fit to dish out some more so that I can learn them DANG WELL!

Two weeks ago, hubby lost his job. We thought that he had one pretty good iron the fire, but it looks like that fire might not be as hot as we thought.

We are trying to be optimistic and decided to look at this as an opportunity. Since hubby has to look for a job anyway, we decided to look in Utah and we would move out of California. Our "hot" opportunity would allow us to live in Utah, but now it may not pan out.

So it's been hard to blog while worrying. I definitely have already seen blessings though. While sharing together our concerns, worries and fears, I feel closer to him than normal. He is amazing and I am one lucky woman.

One lucky woman who will be learning more lessons.........

Education Week Really Really Cliff Notes

2008-09-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted on my favorite class (S. Michael Wilcox - Pam I thought of you the WHOLE time!) that I attended just yet (it's coming Shaila!) It's probably going to be a long post and I haven't quite found the time yet, but here are some snippets from some of the other classes that I attended.

Mary Ellen Edmunds on Tackling Pride - Do I want to be right or do I want to be good? Do I want to be right or do I want to be kind? Do I want to be right or do I want to be happy?

Humility is not thinking less OF ourselves but less ABOUT ourselves.

Mary Ellen on Contention - When Mary Ellen was littler and was upset about something, she said that her mother would always ask: "Mary Ellen, What would Jesus do?" And Mary Ellen said that she would think inside her feisty little mind "I don't care what Jesus would do....I want to know what Porter Rockwell would do!!"

Here's a quote from Neal A. Maxwell that I heard at Ed Week that I really liked:

"Sometimes the BEST people have the WORST experiences because they are the MOST ready to learn."

Neal A. Maxwell, remarks at Joseph S. Clark funeral, Feb. 22, 1996, quoted in Hafen, A Disciple’s Life, p. 20.

WOW.

I think that is the best explanation I have ever heard as to why bad things happen to good people.

And the last snippets come from S.Michael Wilcox on a class regarding marital relationships.

Section 121 in the D&C is great advice for husbands and Sec 25 is great advice for wives.

Delight in your husband and let him know that you delight in him.

Is the celestial kingdom a physical place or is it an environment, a person or a relationship? He then related a dream that he had where he was asked if he wanted to see the celestial kingdom. He was then showed a woman far away, dressed in white and as she got closer, he recognized that it was his wife. So...then he said....I just want you all to know that I had breakfast with the celestial kingdom this morning!!

And the best is yet to come........

Outhouse Humor

2008-09-03T15:26:00.001-07:00

Yesterday while visiting Lisa's blog (you gotta check her out, she's pretty funny!) her post about stealing an ATM machine brought back a memory. Lisa lives Montana and my dad grew up in Montana.

As most dads do, my dad would tell stories about his childhood. One story that I loved the most was when he would tell us about stealing outhouses.

His buddies would gather in the back of a pick up truck and in the middle of the night, go around and steal outhouses and put them in the back of the truck. They then would deposit the outhouses on other people's lawns throughout their little town. Some people didn't think that was so funny. (LOL)

Here's something else that they would do with outhouses. He and his buddies would push the outhouse back and expose the hole. So that in the middle of the night, someone might fall into the hole on their way out to the outhouse. Some people didn't think that was too funny either.
(ROFLOL)

I am grateful for indoor plumbing and two ply TP.

And speaking of indoor plumbing, when it was invented and made available, my father's family was the first one in their little town in Montana to have it installed in their home. And the people in their town ostracized them for the longest time. What kind of filthy dirty people were they to actually go to the bathroom INSIDE THEIR HOUSE? Disgusting!

Education Week Cliff Notes

2008-09-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

One of the classes that I went to at Ed. Week was given by Brent L. Top. I can't really remember what the title of his class was, but he talked about the difference between our public ministry and our personal ministry. Most have callings, some of us have jobs, some of us might sit on a board or a committee or a city council. All of the duties associated with these activities are considered to be part of our public ministry. But what are we doing with our personal ministry? He then related the following:

He told the story of when he was called to re-open the BYU Center in Jerusalem. While he was there, Elder Faust and his wife and Elder Holland and his wife came over for a visit. They had meetings, devotionals, firesides, talks to give etc.

While they were there, Brother Top's little 9 year old daughter asked her mother to help her bake some cookies and she took them over to the hotel where the Faust's and the Holland's were staying. She left the cookies in front of their door with an anonymous note that said "From the cookie monster". Way later that night after their daughter had gone to bed, there was a knock at the door. Brother Top was watching a movie in his pj's with his wife and thought that it was a student that was knocking so he just yelled "Come In!". In walked Elder Faust and Elder Holland with their wives. Brother Top said that he and his wife had been eating popcorn while they were watching their movie and probably had popcorn falling out of their mouths when they saw who it was. Elder Faust said that he was there to talk to the Cookie Monster!

Brother Top got his daughter out of bed so that she wouldn't miss this experience. Brother Top said that it was such a humbling experience. Here he knew that these two apostles had an extremely busy schedule with their public ministry and that they were probably exhausted after all that they had to do that day, but they made the time in their personal ministry to thank a little 9 year old girl for some cookies.

Time. My favorite excuse is TIME. I love to tell myself that my opportunities to do better in my personal ministry is because of a lack of time. I work 9 hours a day, my commute is 45 minutes each way so there is a total of 10 1/2 hours a day that I am not at home. But I also realize that it is an EXCUSE.

I think Pres. Monson is the ultimate example of realizing the importance of his personal ministry. When speaking at conference, he most always tells a story and it is usually an example of his personal ministry; visiting a widow, going to the hospital and giving a blessing, visiting a family.

So even though this isn't really a new thought, it's one that has stuck with me probably because I feel like I have a lot of improvement to make in this area.

Tucano's

2008-08-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

While at Education Week, one of our favorite places to eat in Provo is Tucano's. It is a Brazilian Grill Restaurant and is so fun! They have skewers that they grill over an open flame and then bring the skewer to your table and carve for you right there. You have little tongs that you grab on to the meat with. There is also a little wood gadget on your table with one end painted red and one end painted green. If you want the servers to keep coming, you keep your green end up. When you are taking a breath (and unbuttoning your pants) put your right end up. (See next picture!) I think our red end was up only once! That's because I have a SIL that can pack it away! (Hugs to Montana!)

Cute waiter huh?

Some of the things that they bring to you are BBQ chicken, top sirloin, marinated tri-tip, brown sugar pork, bacon wrapped something that I can't remember, tenderloin (my fav!), grilled pineapple, grilled veggies and even chicken hearts. (My kids didn't believe me that they had those!)

Enjoying the food!

(See...our green end is UP!!)

I told my daughter to get a picture of the grill which you can kind of see in the background but whan I can see the most is the backside of the cute waiters that are there. Yeah....this daughter is single!!

Good family, good food, good times. Life doesn't get any gooder than this! Yeah, I know that's not a word but I like it!

How cool are you?

2008-08-27T20:51:00.001-07:00

My coolishness factor is dropping at an alarming rate. When I go blog stalking I see blogs that are so cool. Their pictures are so cool. Their posts are SO COOL. I visited Beeswax's blog and you should see how cool she looks in her cool jeans. She's having a giveaway for a free cool Coach (nastily rumored as a knock-off) purse. I'm hoping that I win. That will make me look so much cooler. I need some coolish help.

A while back, my daughters told me that I had 80's hair and that I needed a haircut makeover so that I could look like a mom in the 2000 decade. See what I mean?

When did this happen? When did my coolioness disappear? Did it slowly evaporate when I wasn't looking? Or did I wake up one morning only to find that because I had neglected my coolishness that it cruelly disappeared?

Is it too late for me? Am I doomed to be uncool for the rest of my middle-aged years? Is there any hope? Who is the coolest person that you know? Wait...I don't have the time to read who would be on the top ten list of the most coolest people....I have to go cut my hair

Blogbatical

2008-08-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

I was SO in need of a vacation. I was SO in need that I didn't even leave a little note on my blog like other obsessive/compulsive , courteous bloggers do to let you know that they won't be posting for a while. So I've been on a blogbatical.

On Thursday, August 14th at precisely 4:30 and one second, my daughter (who had met me at work) and I charged skipped down the hallway of my office and made a beeline to my car.

Within minutes, we were speeding leisurely entering the 15 fwy headed north to Provo. I've made this drive so many times that I could do it in my sleep. With car on auto pilot, off we went. No sooner than we were ON the freeway, we got OFF in Barstow to get a Tommy's Burger.

Are there things that you do when you are on vacation that are kind of tradition? You have to do them every time you go somewhere? That's Tommy's Burger for this daughter and I. Another one is to get a pink frosted Grandma's cookie when I am in Utah. I've done it for so long now, that all of my family members will not let me leave the state until I get one. (I have GOT to stop posting about cookies!! Resurrect Fudgees from your memory)

Although I had things to do in Provo, like moving this daughter into her apartment and getting her settled, I was also going to attend Education Week, which I did and will post about it later. BUT my biggest goal was to find a pool. All I wanted to do was to lay by a pool, with a cool drink in my hand and try to imagine myself on a tropical beach. All I needed was one day. ONE DAY to relax by a pool and read "Breaking Dawn". I didn't know anyone with a pool but I do have a nephew who works at a hotel and I was going ask him if I could sneak enter the pool area of that hotel. Well, with TWO daughters now in Provo, other things took precedent and I never found that pool with my name on it.

Back to our drive. Young single adults can't go for a very long time without loud music some tunes, so after we engulfed ate our Tommy Burgers, on came on the music. Luckily she chose the Beatles. Pretty soon we were yelling singing at the top of our lungs to "Hey Jude". Nah, nah, nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, HEY JUDE!!! After which we would break into peals of laughter. Road trips are the best, and I am at my best when I am with my kids.

That pool with my name on it will have to wait for another day on another vacation. This past week was great and I'll post some pictures soon along with some treasures and nuggets that I learned at Education Week. For now, I am home, unpacking, doing laundry and oh....and I quite forgot....I need to go turn my CD player on. Nah, nah, nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, Hey Jude!

Good to be back.

Spreading Wings

2008-08-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

"The home is the laboratory of our lives and what we learn there largely determines what we do when we leave there. " President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, November 1988

I remember hearing a talk by a sister who supported this statement by Pres. Monson. She specifically spoke about the importance of the things that hang in our children's rooms. She had two sons. In one room, she hung planes, pictures of planes and plane wallpaper. In her second sons room, she put up boats. Nowhere to be found was a picture of the Savior, a picture of temple or any kind of religious picture. Her first son turned out to be a pilot and her second son joined the Navy. Neither stayed active within the church. Her sons saw boats and planes in their rooms every day of their lives. How could that NOT affect them she now tells people.

As my children have left the nest and are now spreading their wings, I have thought about this statement from Pres. Monson. What are my children doing in their lives that they learned in the laboratory of our home? There have certainly been "experiments" that have exploded in our faces and things that obviously didn't work. We learned by trial and error until we found a "theory" that rang true and then we implemented.

Here are my feelings as to some of the things that our children learned in the laboratory of our home:

1. First and foremost, a love of the gospel.

2. Our house was the house to hang out at. We had parties, game nights and when there was a day when there wasn't seminary we would have breakfast parties for our non-member friends and make pancakes, waffles and their personal favorite - scones! We never get together with Grandma and Grandpa without playing games. We are game playing fools!! This has definitely been carried on in the life of my oldest daughter. Her bachelor's degree is in Recreational Therapy and Youth Leadership. The book that she wrote that will be out in December is about games that you can play that will strengthen your family. She is just about to get a job at a facility for troubled teens (I just KNOW you will!) as a Recreational Therapist where she will direct activities and then process as to how these teens can apply the lessons learned into their lives. I would say that this part of our home life largely determined her future career.

3. My youngest daughter is studying Cultural Anthropology. Growing up she and I had a special love of nature shows, wildlife shows, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and one of our favorites Man vs. Wild. We loved to see the different countries, their cultures, their legends and wildlife that was indigenous to that area. Hubby traveled quite often and on the nights that he was gone, I would let this daughter stay up late with me to watch National Geographic. My polynesian princess daughter is half Tongan and my DH and I have felt that it was very important for her to be raised knowing her culture. She has taken hula for many years and is an accomplished dancer. She now wants to study the social culture of societies and travel the world. This love of nature and people has definitely determined her course of study.

4. My son is probably the hardest to determine at this moment in time. The thing that stands out foremost in my mind probably has to do with service. As a family, we tried to take advantage of any and all opportunities that we could to serve others. Memories include adopting families at christmas, yardwork, snow shoveling, free babysitting, dinners, etc. How grateful we are that our son chose to serve the Lord by serving a mission. We shall see what he will take from our home when it comes time to decide on a career.

Sometimes we as the mad scientists (parents!) look upon our children as lumps of clay that we must mold into what we want them to become. I like to look at them more as seeds and that is our job to nourish and nurture and help them become what they are meant to become.

What do you hope your children will take from the laboratory of your home?

Birthday in the Mission Field

2008-08-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Son.

I miss you dearly.

Family Fun!

2008-08-09T12:29:00.001-07:00

Do ya'll get this magazine? If not, it's pretty worth the $10.00 for the ten issues that you will receive. I LIVED by this magazine when my kids were younger. It has the greatest ideas for crafts, fun foods, places to go etc., to use with your family. Even though my youngest "kid" is 19 now, I still subscribe to this magazine. Why you might ask? Years ago I read this article about a grandmother who every summer holds "Grandma's Camp" for her grandchildren. Her grandkids come for a week every summer. Throughout the year, she clips ideas for games, crafts and food to do with her grandkids. She organizes the activities into "booths" and the grandkids go from booth to booth doing or making whatever activity or craft is at that booth.

So even though I don't have any grandkids yet, I continue to get this magazine and clip ideas for my future "Grandma's Camp"! I have some of the FUNNEST STUFF! I have the instructions on how to make a sprinkler jungle gym out of PVC pipe that squirts water everywhere. I can't wait!

One of the cutest ideas that I got from this magazine years ago was for a fish card game. You were supposed to take pictures of all of your family members and get double prints so you had two of everyone. Then you were to laminate them all and play a game of fish with them! It was supposed to help your younger kids to remember all of their family members. "Do you have a Grandma Thompson?" No...go fish! "Do you have a cousin Kaitlynn?" Yes!!

I actually took all the pictures of my kids bazillion cousins and aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas but never got them laminated. We did play with the actual pictures a few times and it was so fun!

I can always use more ideas for my Grandma's Camp though. What are some of the favorite things that YOUR kids like to do?

Fudgees!!

2008-08-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter is home from BYUI for two weeks, after which we are on our way to Utah to move her to Provo and attend Education Week. As always, when my kids come home, I always like to spoil them by buying their favorite foods while they are here. So on my way out the door to go grocery shopping, I asked this daughter if there was anything that I could get her. Her reply? "Mom...get some Fudgees!!"

Fudgees? What in the sam hill are Fudgees? "Mom...you've never had Fudgees?" No. Then you really need to get some!

Positive that we didn't have these things in California and that they were probably a hictown Rexburg thing, I was on a Fudgee quest. (no nasty emails regarding Rexburg, we really love it there!)

Surprisingly, I found them right away. After being home for like.......2 milliseconds....I ripped open the bag.

And then I prepared to taste these morsels called Fudgees. OMG! These are so good....I am in big trouble. B.I.G. T.R.O.U.B.L.E. These are the kind of things that are considered "mommy treats" and you hide them from your children and put them into the recesses of your cupboards where only you know where they are. Except when your children are older they will tell you that they knew where your stash was the whole time!

So I tell my daughter that I am so....SO...in trouble because these are so yummy and she says....."Mom, They are even BETTER dunked in milk!"

So I gotta go now. I need to find me a glass.

Fav Websites!!

2008-08-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share two of my favorite websites and see what are your favorites? The first is FlyLady. This is a great and fun website to help organize and clean your home. If you are suffering from CHAOS, which stands for (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome!) because your house is a mess, this is the site for you! She starts you off with baby steps and sends emails instructing you what to clean. For example, you might get an email telling you to take 15 minutes right now and clean out a bathroom drawer. And it helps so much to just DO IT right then! You feel SO FREE! You feel so LIBERATED! Because now you have a CLEAN BATHROOM DRAWER!! Wahoo!!! You will receive general emails and also emails focusing on a certain part of your house every week. It is so helpful to have someone TELLING you do it..or at least it does me!! If anyone tries it, let me know if you like it. She has a great sense of humor which makes cleaning fun.

The other site is Dotti's Weight Loss Zone. For those of us trying to watch our weight, she lists tons and tons of restaurants and the calories/fat/carbs and sometimes weight watcher points for the food that is on their menus. The rest of her site is pretty good but I think the restaurant info is the best.

Now what are two of your all time fav websites? The only rule about this is that they can't already be a website that is on the sidebar of your blog.

I REALLY want to know....so tell me...Who's in YOUR top two??

Blog Neglect and X Games!

2008-08-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

So, it's been over a week since I have had a chance to post and blog surf. I feel like I have been missing in action and actually suffering withdrawals from not being able to stalk my favorite people! But today I have some time to sit here and as "Red" puts it, caress my fingers over my keyboard! Ahhh...it feels good!

Anyway, to fill in the gaps, yesterday hubby and I went to the X Games! It seems like when we knew that the kids were going to be leaving last summer that we talked about how we would be so free to do things and lately we have been sitting home every weekend. So I surprised DH and bought tickets and we went. We had a blast! The best part was just being together, but the day was beautiful, we saw some way cool motocross freestyle jump tricks...it's amazing that these guys can get their motorcycle so high in the air and do flips and actually let go of their bikes upside down and are able to land smoothly! It was incredible!

In the picture on the left, there is actually a motorcycle rider in the air and upside down but you have to look really hard to see him. Look for two little tires underneath the bleacher roof kinda to the left.

We also saw some skating events but were more interested in the motorcycles. Today when DH was teaching Sunday School, he mentioned where he was yesterday and his kids were SO jealous!! They thought he was so cool....!!

Blessings 101 and Tagged again!

2008-07-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with your blessings? This is how I have been feeling lately. It seems as if the planets are in perfect alignment over our house and I don't want to do anything to upset the balance of the cosmos! Our three adult children are all amazing. We have a son in law whom we just love. They all have a desire to be obedient to their earthly parents (can you believe that means me?) and to their Heavenly Father, they are all making righteous decisions and we couldn't be happier. That in and of itself is a tremendous blessing, but lately I have been feeling so grateful for where we live.

We are living in the best kept secret in Southern California. Our house stands at 6000 feet amidst tall pines. Here is a picture of our house in the winter and a picture of our house in the summer. We get snow every winter which I know sounds so strange for So Cal.

We also have our very own chapel that we don't have to share with another ward! I know, I know....everyone altogether now with one big....Awwwwwww.... We have our own stage, satellite dish and baptismal font. The time for Sacrament never changes. It's been 9:30am for the 18 years that we have lived here. Here's also a picture of the road from our house to the chapel.

I also really enjoy the wildlife that can be found in our area. Here's a list of animals that our family has actually seen with our two eyes: Rattlesnakes, bats, owls, blue jays, squirrels, raccoons, foxes, roadrunners, bobcats, coyote, red tail hawks, deer, bear and bighorn sheep! We have mountain lions, but we haven't met one in person, hubby has just seen tracks.

There are only 3000 full time residents in our little community and it has been such a wonderful place to raise a family. I am so grateful for all of the wildlife and nature that our Heavenly Father has created for us to enjoy. I certainly do!!

Now I have also gotten tagged again!! Maybe I shouldn't have enjoyed it so much the first time!! lol

Anyway, so here goes:

1. 4 places I visit frequently:
*Work
*Target
*Coldstones
*Post Office

2. 4 People who call/Text/Email me regularly:
*Hubby
*Brooke
*Brittany
*Vicki

3. 4 favorite foods
*Shrimp
*Kraft Mac and cheese
*Creme Brulee
*Anything from Claim Jumper

4. 4 Places I'd rather be:
*In Utah with my kids
*In the temple
*Greece
*Australia

5. 4 Movies I'd watch over and over:
*Newsies
*Anne of Green Gables
*Monty Python and the Holy Grail
*George of the Jungle

6. 4 Bands/Groups I like to listen to...
*Rockapella
*Neil Diamond
*Rod Stewart
*Michael Buble

WIPE OUT!!

2008-07-25T07:53:00.001-07:00

One of my very good friends in my ward has a son who is going to be on the tv show "Wipe Out"!! His name is Tyler Jorgenson and his episode is going to air next Tuesday, July 29th!! He's not allowed to tell anyone how he did, but he HAS made the remark that he's preparing for the "mocking". Hmmm...wonder what that means? Check him out next Tuesday night!

I've been tagged!

2008-07-23T07:26:00.001-07:00

I'm it! I'm it! I've never been tagged before and I'm so excited! Redhoodoos tagged me and she is my new favorite friend! :o}

Can you just feel the ground shaking beneath your feet? That's me jumping up and down!

Okay, so I am supposed to list six words that describe my life. And this shows that I need to GET a life, because I thought about this all night. It is definitely harder than you think but here goes:

1. Blessed
2. Miraculous
3. Routine
4. Family-oriented (Hey, don't give me no flack, that's ONE word!)
5. Enjoyable
6. Purposeful

So nothing earth shattering but that describes it pretty well. So now the second part of the tag is to tag five others. The following people have been duly warned!!

Brittany - You need to do this if you would ever UPDATE your blog!
Diane - Okay, you got me started with blogging in the first place...now you're it!
Brynne - I can't wait to see the words YOU come up with!
Lisa (Is that a garage door on my ceiling) - No running away into the beautiful outside where you live...you're it!
Tyler - With your twins, you should have some interesting things to say!

Toodles....I'm off to your blog to leave you a note!

Kitchen Ditcher's Quiz

2008-07-21T15:01:00.001-07:00

Scroll down to take the quiz. I can't get it to scoot up! Click on "TAKE QUIZ"

If anyone (other than immediately family) gets 100%, let me know. You may win a prize!

P.S. In order to avoid any more confusion, this quiz is how well you know our family! lol

Kitchen Ditcher's Quiz
1) In which temple did this family start their eternalness?
		Los Angeles, CA
		Salt Lake City, UT
		Logan, UT
		Honolulu, HI

Make A Quiz - Take This Quiz - View Scoreboard

Latest fashion arrival from India!

2008-07-20T16:33:00.001-07:00

My sister-in-law has recently returned from a service and humanitarian trip to India. If you haven't already read about her amazing experiences, go check her out at http://coloradomcewens.blogspot.com She's got some pretty incredible photos from an orphanage and a leper colony.

While she was over there, I asked her if she could get me an authentic Indian outfit and here it is!! You can't imagine how comfy this clothing is! I seriously could wear it everyday! The pants underneath kinda look like "I Dream of Jeannie" pants but getting a closeup while still on me would have given you a little too much information about myself if you know what I mean!

Look at the cool beading! And try not to notice the sunburn I got this weekend!

This clothing makes you feel very pretty and very exotic. Here is my best attempt at looking exotic!

Thanks for getting this for me Pam. You're the best!!

Missionary vs. Wile E. Coyote

2008-07-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well, before I start this post, I want to issue somewhat of a disclaimer and let everyone know that the two missionaries assigned to our ward are very valiant servants. They are not slacker missionaries (you know what I mean), they are obedient, VERY hard working and have raised the level of missionary work that is being done in our little community very substantially. But even the BEST missionaries need a little diversion........

This post is also dedicated to Redhoodoos who shared with us a photo of a coyote that she saw in Yellowstone! So Redhoodos, this one's for you!

In keeping with the recent direction from the Brethren, the missionaries in our ward live with a member family. Sister M. LOVES having the missionaries at her place and is a great second mom to them. However, Sister M. has a little fountain in the front of her yard and a coyote comes daily to drink from the fountain. Well, Sister M. also has a 4 year old little boy and worries constantly about the two wildlife animals mixing! We live in a tiny little mountain community of about 3,000 and seeing coyotes can be a daily experience.

So the Elders get permission from Sister M. to try and eliminate the coyote. (as in, dead) Since I think the ACME company is no longer in business (beep, beep, road runner music in the background) the Elders came up with a plan. I do not know how in the world they did this, but the Elders captured a squirrel, (which also can be seen on a daily basis) and...well... I'll leave the rest of that part to your imagination. Needless to say, it won't be eating nuts anymore.

Now switch your minds from The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote to Jurassic Park. Remember how they tried to lure the T-Rex by tying up a live goat? Enter recently expired squirrel.

With squirrel securely in place, the Elders sit on the roof, with bow and arrow in hand, and wait for Wile E. But Wile E. turned about to be very wily, because at midnight the Elders decided this was a waste of time, they were tired and so they went to bed.

So what happened to the squirrel? In the morning, all that was left was the tail. Compliments of Wile E. Coyote.

Bad boys, Bad boys, whatcha gonna do?

2008-07-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

I saw something kind of exciting the other day. Well at least it was exciting for me in my work-a-day world life. I was at one of our local malls, the kind that are currently called lifestyle centers where the stores are outside and not enclosed. Things have truly become full circle. I am old enough to remember strip malls where the stores were outside and then enclosed malls became popular and these strip malls were converted and enclosed. I clearly remember thinking how cool enclosed malls were because you could now shop inside in case of inclement weather. Not that we get a lot of inclement weather in Southern Calif, but I still remember thinking they were so cool. Now it's back to being outside and called lifestyle centers. Yet I digress.....

I came out of one of my favorite stores to see a crowd gathered around a parked car. There were also two police officers with their cruiser parked askew on the street. Then I also saw the cameraman and another guy holding a microphone on a long pole. I'm sure there is a technical term for the microphone guy, but I don't know what it is!! I'm sure they were filming an episode of "COPS". The two officers were tapping on the windows of the parked car and my first thought was that someone had left their child in their car. The temperature was probably 95 degrees and all the windows were rolled up. My heart groaned at the thought that this situation might turn out to be fatal.

Well, there was something left in the car and it was the car owner's dog. The officers waited around for quite a few moments then decided to take action. One officer laid a large tarp across the windows on one side of the car while the other officer tried to get the dog's attention on the other side of the car. The cop with the tarp took his billy club and attempted to break the window behind the driver's seat. The club bounced off the window and once he dropped it on the street. It took the officer five tries before the window finally crumbled. A cheer rang out through the crowd as the officers guided the dog out of the car. A young mother with two kids in a stroller had some bottled water which they poured over the dog and gave him a drink.

A few minutes after freeing the dog, the owner arrived. He was a young man of about 24 or 25 and guessing by his hand gestures was trying to tell the cops that he was just over at another store and was going to be right back. The cameraman zoomed in on him, as the officers guided him to the curb and had him sit down. The cops didn't care too much about the story they were being given. I wondered what kind of ticket he was going to get. Was this a misdemeanor or is cruelty to animals a felony?

The crowd finally dissapated, the young man had his dog returned to him and drove away with a smashed window. The last person remaining was a security guard sweeping up the broken glass in the street.

All in all, I was just glad that no one was harmed in the filming of this episode, man or dog!

ER

2008-07-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

THIS...

PLUS THIS.....

UNFORTUNATELY EQUALED THIS....

Hubby's summertime project is to replace our upstairs back deck. During the demolition process, DH stepped back thinking there was something there and fell through our deck. On his way down, a rusty old nail caught the back of his leg and we had to run him to emergency where he ended up with some internal stitches (the nail cut into the muscle) and 8 external stitches.

While growing up, his mother told me that they were on a first name basis with the emergency personnel at their local hospital. If anything was going to happen to my husband as a child, it would be to get stitches. Whenever someone would call her and tell her that she needed to come quickly because one of her sons was hurt and needed stitches, she knew immediately which son it would be!

So here's to one more battle scar for hubby. Because it has happened so often, he takes it very well. In fact, he was joking on the way to to the hospital. I was laughing so hard...he had me in stitches!! Groan......I know.....

A personal struggle

2008-06-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

So I went to El Pollo Loco the other day for lunch. (LOVE their chicken tostada salads!) As I was sitting in my nice air-conditioned car, I was grabbing my purse and on my way getting out of my car when I looked up and saw a woman approaching. She was dressed nicely, had a smile on her face and was looking directly at me and motioning me to her. At first I thought that she must know me from somewhere. And then I recognized her. I actually have been approached by her once before asking me for money. And this time just like last time, she was so darn nice about it! She called me honey and sweetie and wanted to know if I could give her some money so she could get something to eat. Well, here we were standing right in front of the door to El Pollo Loco. So I told her that if she would come inside with me that I would be HAPPY to buy her something to eat. She then politely declined and said that she actually had something to eat just a little while ago, but that she needed cash because she was out of money and her food stamps weren't coming until the end of the week.

Sometimes I have a hard time with this.

Where I work is not the nicest part of town. I get approached for money on a fairly regular basis. So here is where I struggle. Sometimes I get irritated because I feel, especially in this situation, that the person isn't really in need. I mean, she actually kind of lied to me and said she needed money to buy food, but after I offered, she changed her story. And I work hard for my money and sometimes I want to tell them - Go get a job! And I think poorly of them.

And then...

I remember the scripture Mosiah 4:17-19 and worry that I fall into this group.

"Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just - But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?"

Here are some of my notes that I have written in my scriptures about this scripture:

"Our attitude and actions towards those whom we are in a position to help will in great measure determine how we are treated on Judgement Day." David Ridges

-and-

What are the things that WE beg for?

So I guess mine isn't to be the "judge" of another's need, but to be willing to give when I can. I know that when we give to another, that the Lord blesses us. And whether or not the person is truly in need is for the Lord to decide and that is their part of being held accountable.

But still I struggle.....

Out of the mouths of babes!

2008-06-29T16:00:00.001-07:00

I have the best calling in the world. Other than being a wife and mother, I love being the primary chorister! I don't know if it is because of the time of life that I am in right now, or that after serving in so many other areas, it is wonderful not having to be "in charge". In my 28 years of married life, I have only been in primary once and that was when we were first married.

So I LOVE being in Primary! Today we had a review of the songs that we have learned so far. On the table I had eight glasses. Some were filled with water and some were filled with water and white vinegar. In front of the glasses, I had spoons with a drop of different food color and then a pile of baking soda over the drop so you couldn't tell what color was underneath.

Then out came not just Sister McEwen, but Sister McEwen, the mad scientist!, complete with white lab overcoat and mad scientist goggles. Whoever was picked got to put on the goggles and choose a spoon. When they put their spoon into a regular glass of water, it just turned the color of the drop that was on the spoon and we sang a review song. If they put their spoon into a glass that had vinegar, it kind of exploded and overflowed and then they got to sing a Primary song of their choosing.

The kids loved it. So one time, little Jessica was selected to be the mad scientist. She is the teeniest little girl, about 5 or 6 six years old and has this teeny little squeaky voice. I put the mad scientist goggles on her and she picks her spoon. She very carefully puts it in the glass and it turns green but explodes and overflows. So now I ask Jessica what is her favorite song? The kids are being rather noisy now because our science experiment has overflowed so I ask everyone to quiet down so that I can hear Jessica tell me what her favorite song is.

Jessica pulls on my blouse so I kneel down close to her. She tucks my hair behind my ear and in her softest voice, whispers....DEF LEPPARD!

It took all I had not to burst out laughing! I then suggested that Jessica tell me what her favorite PRIMARY song is! I guess I had neglected to say that word the first time! She chose Families can be Together Forever, and all was back to normal. Except all the kids wanted to know what the first song she chose was!

What a funny Sunday!

Introducing.....a NY Bestseller Author!

2008-06-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

Our daughter Brittany has just signed with Cedar Fort Publishing to publish a book!

To help pay for college, Brittany worked for about two years for Brother Jeffrey Marsh who is a religion professor at BYU Provo. Last year, he approached her and asked her if she would be interested in writing a book. Cedar Fort was looking for someone to write an updated version of an old book that they had. They wanted a new, fresh book on games to play with your family. Well, Brittany's major is Recreational Therapy/Youth Leadership and Brother Marsh thought she would be perfect for the job.

So she started on her book about 6 months ago. This week she found out that her book has been accepted and she already has her contract!

Something that makes her book a little different than just a book of games is that after each game, she has added a "So What?" paragraph. Part of what she has learned in being in recreational therapy is how to process after you have played a certain game or participated in an activity. Right now Brittany is finishing her internship at a facility for girls with eating disorders. Recently they took the girls rock climbing. After that activity they asked the girls what they learned. One response was, that, as other people were cheering her, she needed to believe in herself. And that if someone else thinks that she can do something, then she needs to know that she really can. Brittany also just took some of these girls to help with the Special Olympics that were just held in Salt Lake City. Some of the things that the girls felt they learned was that there were more important things than how you looked, which was huge coming from girls with eating disorders where image plays a major role, and that there were other people who had more serious challenges than what they were dealing with in their lives.

I think we all have moments like these and we have the same fleeting thoughts, but when really discussed in a more clinical setting, the lesson tends to sink in a little deeper into our souls. That's the true benefit of recreational therapy.

So back to the "So What?" paragraph. After each game, Brittany suggests some ideas of how to apply this to our family life in an effort to strengthen family relationships. Some games are just plain fun, some games require family cooperation and some games improve family communication. The "So What?" paragraph offers ideas on what to discuss with our family afterwards.

Needless to say, we are beyond proud of her. To be published period is an amazing accomplishment, but to also be published in your field of work is incredible.

Brittany, we love you! YOU GO GIRL!!!!!

Pet Peeves

2008-06-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

I consider myself to be a pretty calm and rational person. I am rather easy-going and it usually takes a lot to get me riled up, but I do have a few pet peeves that can get me agitated. Some are small and I realize I may have an OCD about them, but, oh well, who out there isn't a little compulsive about SOMETHING! So here two of my favorite pet peeves:

The last ten cents at the gas pump. You put $20 into the machine. And you are using the outside machine because going inside to the cashier TAKES TOO MUCH TIME. I hate pumping gas for myself in the first place so I want it over with as soon as possible. You put the hose into the car and start the gas. You hear the gas gushing through the hose into your car, the price is ticking by so rapidly that you can barely see the numbers. Yes! I am going to get in and out of here lickety split! And then....the pumps reads $19.90 and the ticker slows to a crawl. 19.91...$19.92....Forget it already, I almost want to just put the hose back instead of waiting for $19.98....$19.99...$20.00. Nowadays, how much gas does 10 cents get you anyway? Probably just fumes. For me?...Oh, I'm fuming alright!

One ply toilet paper. Why do they even make this stuff? It makes serious jobs almost impossible. We made the mistake of buying some one-ply at Sam's Club. We didn't know at the time that it wasn't two-ply so now with it just being two of us at home, we now just about have a year's supply of the stuff. I wonder... Does the church recommend a year's supply to be able to toilet paper houses? Come see me. I've got it covered.

So what is it that gets your nerves to boiling? Someone putting the milk back in the frig with 1/100 of an inch of milk left? Car radios blasting music? Let's hear it! What is YOUR pet peeve?

Hot Flash

2008-06-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hot flash. Right now. This minute. And no matter when you read this post, I will probably be having one then too. Sweat is gathering and contemplating about dripping down my forehead underneath my bangs. It is also pooling on my upper lip where there is no dark hair as of yet, but I hear that may be coming.

When other friends complained to me about their hot flashes, I thought....pfft, how bad can it be? Buck up and quit yer belly-achin! How ever bad their hot flashes were, mine are worse. And it's harder than you think.

The other night, hubby and I were watching tv and I snuggled up next to him. No sooner had I done so, then I felt myself become like a glowing coal from a campfire. Hubby would have been thrilled if I had been getting "hot" FOR him, but that wasn't happening tonight! He could physically feel the heat rising from my body and asked if I was having a hot flash. I wanted to scream "Does a lake ripple when a duck farts?!?" In other words, YES!!! (That was for those who might have been confused by the duck question)

This is such a new experience for me because I normally run cold and it's hubby that runs hot. That man is my own personal heater. In 36 degree weather, he sweats. In the past, whenever I needed to get warm, all I needed to do was get remotely close to him. Now if I get close to him, I feel like I am going to spontaneously combust.

I can't take hormones. (another post in the making) My new best friends are popsicles. They do seem to help quench the fire. Summer is going to be an interesting experience.

Last fall, when my doctor said that I needed a hysterectomy, I thought "Cool!! No more worries about monthly visits." There is nothing "COOL" about it.

Cardiac Arrest Macaroni and Cheese

2008-06-15T20:07:00.001-07:00

So...the story behind this recipe goes a little something like this. Apparently the staff on the Oprah show likes macaroni and cheese. So when they would go to different cities to tape a show, they would always order mac and cheese in the quest to find the very best. This recipe won and was supposedly featured on Oprah. I've also heard that you might be tempted to omit one of the cheeses, but DON'T DO IT!! I guess it won't be the same without all the cheeses blended together. So here's the recipe. Oh and just in case you were wondering... here are the nutri facts:

1539 calories for one serving!
1252 mg sodium
95.9g carbohydrates
98.8g Total fat

I won't go on....if you've decided to make this, it's going to be one of those days when you aren't worrying about calories and just need some comfort food! I've had this and it is pretty dang good.

DELILAH'S MACARONI AND CHEESE

2 lbs elbow macaroni
12 eggs
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks melted)
6 cups half and half
4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups extra sharp white cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1 cup grated gruyere cheese
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
1 cup grated muenster cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1 TBL black pepper

Preheat oven to 325. Boil water and cook macaroni al dente (which means firm, do not overcook) Drain and set aside

Whisk eggs in LARGE bowl until frothy. Combine the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of half and half in the large bowl. Add the warm macaroni and toss until the cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half and half, 2 cups of the yellow cheddar, the remaining grated cheeses and the salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined.

Pour the mixture into two (2) 9x13 casserole dishes and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining yellow cheddar cheese on top and bake until golden brown on top, 20-30 minutes more.

Serve hot.

Trail Angels

2008-06-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Bruce and I became Trail Angels. We had no clue what they were before we became one, but we are so glad that we did. I'll explain!

There is a trail called the Pacific Crest Trail (called the PCT to the SERIOUS hiker) and starts at the Mexico/California border and goes all the way to the Washington/Canada border. It is over 2600 miles and takes approximately 4-5 months to hike the whole thing at once. The PCT runs right behind where I live. Even though we are in Southern California, I live in a tiny little mountain community at 6000 feet. We are surrounded by pine trees and get plenty of snow in the winter. Not what you imagine for So. Cal!

We are used to seeing these hikers throughout the summer. They come down off the trail to eat in town and buy things to replenish their backpack. And that's exactly what they were doing when Bruce bumped into some of them last Friday. He started up a conversation with three hikers who were looking for a motel to stay for the night. He had called me to see if I had any suggestions and then before I knew it, he was asking if they could just stay at our place.

Well we have three empty bedrooms and as evidenced by a previous comment by my daughter, we are suffering from PTCV (Post Traumatic Child Vacancy!) We have recently become empty nesters and are having a hard time adjusting so we were desperate for company!

Bruce brought Eric, Laura and Kimbur home to spend the night. They had already been hiking for a month straight. The first order of business was a shower. We supplied them with fresh towels and they all got a steaming hot shower and then promptly crashed for a nap for a few hours. After sleeping on the ground, a bed was complete luxury!

Left to right
Erik, Laura and Kimbur

We stayed up until midnight talking to them and learning about their adventures. We found out that there are many people who help these hikers along the way and they are called Trail Angels. There is a Trail Angel in San Diego who picks up these hikers at the airport, lets them stay in their home and then drives them to the trail head. Our three hikers were number 109, 110 and 111 that had stayed in their home since May.

There are also people who leave coolers along the trail with cold water and fresh fruit which are considered worth more than gold. They restock the cooler everyday for months for the more than 400 people that make this hike every summer.

Our hikers were absolutely shocked that we would take total strangers into our home. Over and over they said that they couldn't believe their luck that they would just run into Bruce in town who would invite them to stay. And after a huge breakfast complete with bacon, pancakes with homemade strawberry jam and orange juice, they teased that in a few days they were going to wonder if this really ever happened.

We learned so much during our short time with them. Kimbur had a cool gadget that was called a "SPOT". She clicked on the spot every night and via satellite it sent a message to her mother that let her know that Kimbur was okay and it gave her Kimbur's coordinates so that her mom could go online and see exactly where she was. Pretty cool.

The hikers know exactly which towns have general delivery and they mail themselves packages that will be waiting for them when they arrive.

As they left us, they were heading for the hardest part of their hike. The Mojave Desert.

When we parted, they thanked us profusely stating that it restored their faith in humanity knowing that there are still some really good people left in the world. We felt the same way about them. They were polite, clean, grateful, fun and I never even heard one swear word. It truly was a great experience becoming a Trail Angel!

It has also made me think about the angels that have been placed on my trail while here on this earth. I think I am going to write about them later, but who in your life has been your Trail Angel?

Ditching my Kitchen

2008-06-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

I didn't get my blogger name by accident. It's been a part of my email name since before cell phones. I know, I know, there are some of you out there who don't remember a time without cell phones. Yeah, I'm that old.

In making up my email name, I thought long and hard about how I wanted my persona to be described. Kitchen Ditcher suits me to a tee. There are a million and one things that I would rather be doing than doing my dishes.

When my children were young, I'd much rather read to them than do my dishes. When they were teenagers, I'd much rather be chaperoning their activities than doing my dishes. And now that I am an empty nester, here is what I'd rather be doing than doing my dishes:

Cutting my toenails
Reading
Responding to a telemarketer survey
Playing racquetball with hubby
Cleaning the hair out of the shower drain
Going to plays
Letting the dentist drill on my teeth
Blogging
Watch golf on tv - no, wait - fishing...that's even worse!

What would YOU rather be doing than doing MY dishes?? lol

Brittany's graduation!

2008-06-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

You are looking at a BYU Graduate!

A milestone has occurred! As a parent, when you bring home your little bundle of joy, your mind really can't even fathom what this precious little spirit will be like as an adult. Your life is filled with diapers, baby talk, Sesame Street, Cheerios and enough cracker crumbs in your car that it could be considered your year's supply of food storage.

College seems so far distant during those days. Milestones then included their first step, their first word and the first of day of school. Soon enough milestones became turning 16, learning to drive, dating and possibly getting their first job.

This latest milestone came so much faster than I expected. Why can't adults be in charge of time? I wish that I had a kitchen timer for my life! You know, when you are cooking something and the timer goes off but the food isn't quite done, you can add more time to the timer! And if something cooks faster than expected, you can fast forward and turn the timer off.

Wouldn't that be great if you weren't quite ready for an era or an event to end that you could just extend the time? Or during the unpleasant times in our lives, we could just fast forward the timer and be done with it?

I guess the secret is to enjoy every moment to the fullest which is exactly what we did with Brittany's graduation.

How pleased we are with how well she did and the choices that she is making in her life.
A milestone has definitely occurred - Brittany graduated. And the milestone for us?

No more tuition!!!

Very proud of the diploma!

VERY proud parents!

My life has gone to the dogs

2008-06-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

We have a dog. Her name is Honey. Some members of our family not-so-affectionately refer to her as Osama. She can be a terror.

My husband and I weren't really interested in getting another family pet. But when our daughter (who was 10 at the time) presented us with a contract complete with a well laid-out plan of everything she was going to do to take care of one, we capitulated.

Some dogs come from pet stores with registered papers. Some dogs are specifically bred to keep their breed pure. We got our dog at Staters Bros.

When my daughter was home (she's now in college) my husband barely tolerated the dog. She barked too much and when she was allowed in the house, she would run in, barrel up the stairs and it took about 1/2 hour to calm her down. Hence the Osama name.

Now that our youngest is out of the house, the dog has become ours. And my husband now loves this dog. He feeds and waters her everyday. He plays with her in the backyard. He takes her out running with him and lets her in to watch tv with him at night. I've offered - I truly have - to help take care of her. My attempts have been politely turned down. Which is fine with me. I've put my time in of making sure someone or something has been fed.

However, I too have grown to love this dog. My husband Bruce is a National Director of Food Sales and travels to many different states. Which means I am home alone quite often. I don't sleep very well when he is gone. Enter Osama. Honey is an outdoor dog and doesn't get to sleep inside the house. Except when Bruce is gone. And then I let her in to sleep inside my room. My children are embarassed that my life has been reduced to sleeping with the dog. How pathetic they think. That's okay. They won't think I'm pathetic after someone has entered my house at night and Honey has torn the intruder to shreds. Good girl, Osama.

But I think the dog thinks its pathetic too. Because she's not used to being in the house, she walks all over the house. The first couple of nights that I let her sleep inside , she kept me awake because I could hear the clicking of her overgrown toenails walking across our wood floors. I now shut the bedroom door to keep her in. Sometimes when she knows I am going to shut the door, she makes a run for it - to get out while she can!

Soon enough she settles in and makes herself comfortable on our five foot llama skin rug. And I get a great night's sleep. Aahhh...the life of a dog!!! Honey's, not mine.

Having a son in the mission field.

2008-06-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

So having a son serving a mission is wonderful. It truly is. We see and feel the blessings from his service in so many ways but it is taking longer than I thought! You know, when someone else has a son on a mission, it seems to go so fast! When I would ask someone, how long has your son been out and they would tell me "9 months", I couldn't believe it had been that long already. Well, Mason has been out 9 months and the time is dragging! UGH I wouldn't want him to be anywhere else, but I am really looking forward to our year mark. Then we can start counting down and we will have more time behind us then we do in front of us!

Our Mother's Day call was great. Mason bore his testimony in Portuguese which left both Bruce and I in tears. I can't really express in words how bizarre and wonderful it is to hear one of your children speaking another language fluently. The gospel is amazing! His testimony has been so strengthened and we love hearing about the experiences that he is having.

When he gets home he wants to make us a brazilian specialty. An avocado shake! It's made with avocado, milk and sugar and blended in a blender. Doesn't sound too great to me -- maybe if I think about having to try it, I won't be quite so anxious for him to come home!