So, I misplaced my camera yesterday....my camera is part of my hand. But I just realized that although a few snapshots aren't stored now on my hard drive, they are stored in my heart...and in my journal. Let me show you through an album of the last few days.
1) you know me and food. Can I just say, we have had fabulous tomato basil soup, incredible salads, roast beef dinners with all the trimmings, ham and scalloped potatoes, some of the best chicken noodle soup I've ever had, yummy yummy cookies, one of the finest meals I've ever eaten prepared by my next door neighbor's grandson...Cody....who is a young married. He came home early from work to prepare, really, one of the finest meals I've ever had....chicken something with a filling...sun-dried tomatoes? Pesto? Capers? with a fettuccine and the most delightful sauce and asparagus with pinenuts....and on and on and on. Really, Tanner asked me this morning if I needed him to go to the store for me to get some food and we just started laughing. We could feed an ARMY here! Thank you, dear everyones! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
2) Most unusual gifts....I have received two magazines, 1 Suduko puzzle book, Dove chocolates, a hot fudge sundae, a Jamba Juice, the most wonderful mini-series movie to watch, fresh apple juice, linen spray for my bed (Sheron, I KNEW you would come!) two bouquets of flowers (thank you, Mom and Dad....your smiley face flowers came today! And David, my sweet husband.) A large bottle of a super-dooper antioxidant drink, a basket of fruit for a fruit cleanse, a scented witches broom, Halloween candies......Tanner came from work today with my favorite drink from Starbucks....a hot caramel apple drink. It is my first of the year and just meant so much that he "knows" what would make me happy.
and then these killers:
Yesterday Marci (my DIL) and their 4 little ones drove here from Eagle Mountain where they live. She called on the phone to say they were outside but wouldn't come in (I have my very own private leper colony here). She brought me a basket of treats but the most wonderful was the kids stood on my doorstep and sang me a get-well song they had made up! Then they racked leaves and played outside...and Marci had them sit on a blanket and read them poetry from my book (!) and I would lie on the couch and watch the most amazing display of gold leaves blowing from the largest cottonwood tree....watching through the cathedral window ...and it was so beautiful that I had to run outside and Marci was swept up in its beauty as well...and well, it was just magical.
My funniest gift was from someone whose name I won't share but who lives in Cache Valley. I received a "douche" solution from this friend, whose husband sells a great mineral/nutrient-packed/healing product......and so, the douche. My friend had heard that if you apply this product on your shingle sores, it really helps to heal them. Well, there weren't any instructions that came with the product except for its proper use....so I just dabbed the solution with cotton balls on my sores. #%#%%%%!!!@@#! Okay, after 3 hours the FIRE had burned to a low enough ember to roast marshmallows! I was laughing so hard I was crying! Really, what ELSE can you do??? My suggestion....make sure you dilute the product! And truly, the BURNING did take my mind off the shooting nerve pain in my head for a few hours!
Then, today, without a camera, I opened the door to see the most gorgeous blond witch I've ever seen. High heeled boots, black fishnet stockings, gorgeous dress and hat. It was our very own gorgeous Ward Martha Stewart....bringing me a treat....and a magic wand because she "wanded me to get better and have a Happy Halloween!" Really? Isn't she wonderful. Just picture it in your mind. Thank you, Lisa!
THEN....last night Jan England and Pam Funk brought dinner. Both wonderful friends. Pam called me today about a pain medication recommendation and then she asked if there was anything else she could do. I said yes. She said absolutely. So tonight, on Halloween, Pam and her husband, our bishop, made a house call. He is a dentist and he brought his tools. Pam is a dental hygienist and she gloved up. They mixed up a compound to cement my crown back into place...until I can get well enough to go to my dentist to have it permanently fixed! Really? How awesome is that? I just want to cry, I'm so thankful.
I love Halloween...and I've just been so sad I was going to miss out on everything. Annee, Brooke's little girl, made me a great witches hand (glove) filled with popcorn and candy corn fingernails. Brandi has called me throughout the day, to report on every program, every costume, every step of the day. Tenille (my other DIL) called and asked if trick-or-treaters were permitted....and brought Rylee, Boston and Nash....all decked out in the cutest costumes ever....Rylee was a beautiful midnight fairy who turned her two little brothers into skunks! Sooooo cute! Since they are our only trick-or-treaters, they each got 3 full-sized candy bars! I wished I had my camera. Tenille will forward the pictures. But they gave me another treat as well. Yesterday Tenille and Travis went to the Dr.'s for an ultrasound. They found out if they are having a boy or a girl. And they told me!!!!
Today...and all week....I have felt so loved. What kindness, what service. How thankful I am to have wonderful friends and to live in such a loving, serving community...with a family that I adore. This past week and a half has been a trick. An awful, mean trick. But the love I have felt has been such a treat......my heart is just FULL! Today has been better than a cake walk!
P.S. Rylee thinks they should name the baby "Lily."
Friday, October 31, 2008
I'm Dressed Up Like a Shingle This Year....
Even though I'm still shingling, I will try and share just a few more Halloween images that I don't want to forget. You've seen this guy before but this is how I feel about my Halloween being spoiled.
But enough about that....
Below, the monogrammed pumpkins are for seating arrangements. They've added a yarn and felt leaf.
Next year for sure I want to make a still-life from pumpkins and gourds. (Below)
Below- my favorite Halloween treat! Unfortunately, my back molar cap is still off (which I pulled off on the fatal New England trip that was so fun....) so I don't think I'll be eating any this year. Maybe I could suck one to death....
Where will you be this Halloween night? Helping my daughter with her Halloween surprise (a cotton-candy machine with a witch spinning cotton-candy!) Eating a caramel apple. Hopefully I’ll get to see all my kiddos in costume.
But enough about that....
Below, the monogrammed pumpkins are for seating arrangements. They've added a yarn and felt leaf.
Next year for sure I want to make a still-life from pumpkins and gourds. (Below)
Below- my favorite Halloween treat! Unfortunately, my back molar cap is still off (which I pulled off on the fatal New England trip that was so fun....) so I don't think I'll be eating any this year. Maybe I could suck one to death....
And I just found on my files, that I had done a Halloween Meme just before leaving for New England. Ha! on my answer to the last question!
Do you love Halloween or hate it? Love it!
Did you go treat-or-treating as a kid? Absolutely!
What did you use as a bag? Pillow case
What was your favorite costume as a child? Cinderella with plastic high heels.
What was your favorite costume as an adult? Glinda the Good Fairy
What is your favorite Halloween treat? Caramel apple
What candy can you pass on? Skittles
What candy do you sneak from your kid’s treats? Butterfingers
What is your favorite treat to give out? Well, I try to buy candy I don’t like....because I’ll eat it until it is gone. But I always cave and buy M & M’s and Snickers, etc. We used to get over 300 trick-or-treaters but now we get none.
Do you love costume parties? Well, I love them...my husband isn’t crazy about dressing up but he loves the party. Elaine and Roger Christensen always threw the BEST Halloween parties. Brandi has thrown a ton. Tenille’s family has great ones. I love all the clever costumes!
What was your favorite Halloween memory? School carnivals. I loved the Cake Walk.
Have you ever had your fortune told? Yes, just by Halloween fortune tellers. And Maniac Rose, who likes to read me my horoscope from City Weekly magazine.
Did your fortune come true? Even better than I could imagine.
What is the scariest Halloween movie you’ve ever seen? I don’t see Halloween movies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a slasher film. Sixth Sense is about as scary as I can get.
If you could dress up in any costume, what costume would you choose? Well, I’d give anything to fit in the Glinda Costume. Well, maybe I wouldn’t give up chocolate ....or French fries....or too much of anything, obviously.
What famous Hollywood couple would your friends best think describe you and your mate? Roy Rogers and a reluctant Dale Evans. We really are better described as something not a Hollywood couple --- a left brain and a right brain would be more like it.
Are you a pumpkin eater or carver? I love pumpkins but don’t like the guts. I prefer to decorate pumpkins. And I love pumpkin desserts. I even love pumpkin fudge which the very thought of gags my BF Cathy.
Share a pumpkin recipe:
Well, this isn't a pumpkin recipe but a caramel apple shortcut. It is my favorite caramel apple dip...a recipe from my friend Terri De Julis', whom I adore. And she's a wonderful cook. And she'll be so happy that I'm posting it here so I don't have to call her every year for it.
Cinnamon Caramel Apple Dip
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 can Eagle condensed milk
Melt the chips in the milk on a low heat in microwave, stirring often.
Add:
2 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Do you love Halloween or hate it? Love it!
Where will you be this Halloween night? Helping my daughter with her Halloween surprise (a cotton-candy machine with a witch spinning cotton-candy!) Eating a caramel apple. Hopefully I’ll get to see all my kiddos in costume.
And for a different Halloween Meme from last year, click here:
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
More Complaining. Go Ahead and Roll Your Eyes.
So, yesterday was a bust. The night before had been terrible. Most of the night was spent watching the clock to see when I could take another pain killer. It hurts that bad. Really, I wouldn’t wish this virus on my worst enemy. So, in the morning I was konked out in bed. Jan, my sweet friend that also cleans for me was here trying to help make the house presentable. I told her that a serviceman was coming to get the furnace checked all out for winter. He came...and a while later, Jan came in to tell me that the serviceman told her that there were cracks in the eyelits on the heat exchangers. He suggested that we replaced both furnaces...which he would be happy to do. And, oh, by the way, he was "required by law" to shut both of our furnaces down until they were repaired.
Oh.
So, I am sick in bed. David is busy at work. I don’t know what in the heck eyelits on the heat exchangers do. So...I drag my zombie, jolt-receiving body out of bed and start making phone calls. I call the repairman I used to use in Cathy’s house. He came later in the day. He looked at the mess the former repairman had done, scratched his head...finally called the repairman and asked him to explain the problem. The 2nd repairman didn’t know what he was talking about. I’m not sure if I was getting scammed big time or what. Tomorrow, the Lennox repairman hopefully will come since the furnaces, both of which aren’t that old, are Lennox. Hopefully they can put the furnaces back together. What a big mess. I’m not thinking really good thoughts....
My mother said if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Really, though, does a serviceman have the right to come into your home and dismantle your property and declare it against the law to leave it in the manner that he found it? Hmmm.....
As you can see by this terrible post, I really shouldn’t be posting. I am sick as can be. Shingles attack the nerve endings and I have two nerves that are killing me. So I think that means I should take a few days off from blogging so I don’t subject you all to my misery.
But I do have something good to say. Today, my dear friend Sophia, is going to the temple with her husband and 3 grandchildren they have been raising to be sealed as a family for eternity. Sophia and I have wept, squealed, worried, pondered, prayed, begged and anticipated this event for almost a year together. I was suppose to be in the temple with them. It makes me cry that I’m not going to be there. Instead, I’m here having a pity party ... in a very cold house!
And....can I just say I love my daughter. I so wanted to make this week special for her...and instead she gets to do all my list...which includes choosing all the family pictures, ordering etc. which really doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is and takes her precious time. She is working double time since Ryan lost his job 2 months ago (almost everyone there lost their jobs since it is in the building industry.) And then Laurie Barnson, here visiting from Las Vegas, mades several runs to fabric stores to find the fabric for me that she is going to sew for table toppers for the bridal dinner we are hosting. Twenty table toppers. She couldn’t find the fabric after going to several stores...but brings me a hot fudge sundae to cheer me up. And while she is here, my friend, Penny, who just lost a grandchild and almost her husband this past week, shows up with a pizza for dinner. And Peggy, my BF from college days, who lives in Oregon, calls me to tell me that she has been searching online for just the perfect fabric I have been looking for...and it is. And....I am just sitting here crying...both cause I feel so rotten...and cause I just feel so loved. One of Brandi’s friends, Amy B., that I adore, heard I was madly searching for a certain thing for Christmas and she called Brandi to tell her she found it for me. And my mom did the same from Vancouver. And Brendalyn called to see if a gelato would make me smile. And I know that people have far worse things than this rotten shingle business....and what would my life be without wonderful people in it. I have a good husband who tries to take care of me and listens to me whine. I got two wonderful get well cards today in the mail that let me know people were thinking of me. And yesterday I got a letter, from a mother of a missionary we sat behind in Church in Cape Elizabeth last week. I thought she would want to know he looked beautiful and radiant as a lightbulb. What I didn’t know was the day I called was his birthday. She said she had been missing her son so much...and had really ached to have contact with him. Then I called. She felt her prayer had been answered.
So, I guess what I am saying is, life goes on. Repairman come and go...a few make bigger messes...maybe aren’t honest. I’m hurting. But guess what. I am surrounded by people who love me. Who care about me. Who make me laugh. Who pamper me. Who cry with me. And even in this sorry state, I can still do a little service....be an instrument for someone else of God’s goodness.
Life is good. I’ll try and act like I don’t forget that....
Oh.
So, I am sick in bed. David is busy at work. I don’t know what in the heck eyelits on the heat exchangers do. So...I drag my zombie, jolt-receiving body out of bed and start making phone calls. I call the repairman I used to use in Cathy’s house. He came later in the day. He looked at the mess the former repairman had done, scratched his head...finally called the repairman and asked him to explain the problem. The 2nd repairman didn’t know what he was talking about. I’m not sure if I was getting scammed big time or what. Tomorrow, the Lennox repairman hopefully will come since the furnaces, both of which aren’t that old, are Lennox. Hopefully they can put the furnaces back together. What a big mess. I’m not thinking really good thoughts....
My mother said if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Really, though, does a serviceman have the right to come into your home and dismantle your property and declare it against the law to leave it in the manner that he found it? Hmmm.....
As you can see by this terrible post, I really shouldn’t be posting. I am sick as can be. Shingles attack the nerve endings and I have two nerves that are killing me. So I think that means I should take a few days off from blogging so I don’t subject you all to my misery.
But I do have something good to say. Today, my dear friend Sophia, is going to the temple with her husband and 3 grandchildren they have been raising to be sealed as a family for eternity. Sophia and I have wept, squealed, worried, pondered, prayed, begged and anticipated this event for almost a year together. I was suppose to be in the temple with them. It makes me cry that I’m not going to be there. Instead, I’m here having a pity party ... in a very cold house!
And....can I just say I love my daughter. I so wanted to make this week special for her...and instead she gets to do all my list...which includes choosing all the family pictures, ordering etc. which really doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is and takes her precious time. She is working double time since Ryan lost his job 2 months ago (almost everyone there lost their jobs since it is in the building industry.) And then Laurie Barnson, here visiting from Las Vegas, mades several runs to fabric stores to find the fabric for me that she is going to sew for table toppers for the bridal dinner we are hosting. Twenty table toppers. She couldn’t find the fabric after going to several stores...but brings me a hot fudge sundae to cheer me up. And while she is here, my friend, Penny, who just lost a grandchild and almost her husband this past week, shows up with a pizza for dinner. And Peggy, my BF from college days, who lives in Oregon, calls me to tell me that she has been searching online for just the perfect fabric I have been looking for...and it is. And....I am just sitting here crying...both cause I feel so rotten...and cause I just feel so loved. One of Brandi’s friends, Amy B., that I adore, heard I was madly searching for a certain thing for Christmas and she called Brandi to tell her she found it for me. And my mom did the same from Vancouver. And Brendalyn called to see if a gelato would make me smile. And I know that people have far worse things than this rotten shingle business....and what would my life be without wonderful people in it. I have a good husband who tries to take care of me and listens to me whine. I got two wonderful get well cards today in the mail that let me know people were thinking of me. And yesterday I got a letter, from a mother of a missionary we sat behind in Church in Cape Elizabeth last week. I thought she would want to know he looked beautiful and radiant as a lightbulb. What I didn’t know was the day I called was his birthday. She said she had been missing her son so much...and had really ached to have contact with him. Then I called. She felt her prayer had been answered.
So, I guess what I am saying is, life goes on. Repairman come and go...a few make bigger messes...maybe aren’t honest. I’m hurting. But guess what. I am surrounded by people who love me. Who care about me. Who make me laugh. Who pamper me. Who cry with me. And even in this sorry state, I can still do a little service....be an instrument for someone else of God’s goodness.
Life is good. I’ll try and act like I don’t forget that....
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Gross Out Test- for Halloween...you just gotta try it!
Since I'm really a mess....went to the Dr.'s again today....and I have a whole new section of my body shingling....that isn't suppose to happen! My sympathy for people that suffer with chronic pain just quadrupled. So I won't just keep complaining...because, really, that is all there is to do except scream, let's turn our thoughts to Halloween. But first, thank you for kind wishes extended my way. Sooooo thoughtful. So nice. Thank you for prayers. Really, I'm happy for each of them! Lynda Raddon brought my favorite Tomato Basil Soup and House Salad from Porcupine Grill for dinner. Double-double yum. It is awesome to be pampered.
The Gross-Out Quiz ...this might be perfect dinner conversation with your younguns around the dinner table. (NOT!) (This quiz came from Encarta MSN)
Warning: This quiz contains information that you might rather not know.How much do you really know about gross things? And we're not talking about things that try to gross you out, like horror films or Fear Factor episodes. We're here to see how well acquainted you are with some of the "grosser" corners of the natural world. Good luck.
The giant rafflesia, a type of lily, is the largest flower in the world. However, it is better known for smelling like
a) Cheese
b) Dirty socks
c) Rotting meat
2. In a single year, how many descendents can a pair of rats produce?
a)15,000
b)1,500
c)150
3.Tapeworms, a type of intestinal parasite, can grow to be how big?
a)10 inches
b) 30 feet
c)70 feet
4. 2,200 acres is the size of
a)The biggest spider web ever found
b)The biggest individual mushroom ever found
c)The biggest bat cave ever found
5. Ambergris, an essential ingredient of certain types of perfume, is
a)A fatty substance produced in the intestines of sick whales
b)An oil found in the core of rhinoceros horns
c) The earwax of elephants
6. True or false: Venus flytraps, a carnivorous plant, eat frogs.
a)True
b)False
7. Approximately how much dung does an adult elephant produce each day?
a)30 lbs
b)130 lbs
c)330 lbs
8. "Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite." True or false: Bed bugs really exist.
a)True
b) False
9. The regal horned lizard isn't too big, but it repels predators in short order with what gross behavior?
a)It skewers them with its horn.
b)It spits a lethal poison.
c)It shoots blood from behind its eye
1. The correct answer: Rotting meat
2. The giant rafflesia, which can weigh 15 lbs and measure up to 3 feet wide, smells like rotting meat, or carrion. The flowers emit the odor in order to attract carrion flies, which pollinate the flower.
3. How do rats multiply? As horrifying as it may be, a pair of rats can multiply so fast, they can have as a many as 15,000 descendents in a single year.
4. How long can a tapeworm grow? Tapeworms range in length from about .5 inches to about 30 feet. Ick.
5. You had to think outside of the box on this one. The biggest individual mushroom ever found, an Armillaria mushroom, takes up more than 2,200 acres of underground space! Like all mushrooms, this one is a kind of fungus, and it is considered one of the largest known multicellular organisms on Earth. It was found in Oregon.
5- Really? Who thinks up these things? Ambergris, an essential ingredient of certain types of perfume, is a fatty substance produced in the intestines of sick sperm whales. An extremely valuable natural product, ambergris prevents the evaporation of volatile oils used to make expensive perfumes. In 1955 a chemist developed a synthetic, much less expensive form of ambergris.
6- TrueVenus flytraps do eat frogs! The plants, native to North and South Carolina, feed on insects and other small animals. The creatures are lured by sweet fluids exuded by the plant, which snaps blade-like leaves around its prey. Flytraps then digest their prey with glands located inside their leaves.Watch a video of a Venus flytrap eating a frog!
7. Adult elephants poop about 330 lbs each day. Elephants don't have particularly efficient digestive systems, so about half of the food they consume ends up being passed through their body. Not only do they produce a lot of dung, but they do it frequently: Elephants go to the bathroom approximately 15-18 times per day, which works out to each dung pile being about 20 lbs.
8. TrueUnfortunately, bed bugs do indeed exist. They are tiny little flat bugs that hide during the day and come out to feed at night (when people are in bed--hence their name), sucking the blood of humans and other animals. Perhaps they should be called "vampire bugs" instead.
9. It shoots blood from behind its eyes.The well-camouflaged regal horned lizard remains motionless if approached, but if picked up, it may attempt to disconcert its attacker by puffing up its body and squirting blood, sometimes as far as a few feet, from a reserve behind its eyes.
The Gross-Out Quiz ...this might be perfect dinner conversation with your younguns around the dinner table. (NOT!) (This quiz came from Encarta MSN)
Warning: This quiz contains information that you might rather not know.How much do you really know about gross things? And we're not talking about things that try to gross you out, like horror films or Fear Factor episodes. We're here to see how well acquainted you are with some of the "grosser" corners of the natural world. Good luck.
The giant rafflesia, a type of lily, is the largest flower in the world. However, it is better known for smelling like
a) Cheese
b) Dirty socks
c) Rotting meat
2. In a single year, how many descendents can a pair of rats produce?
a)15,000
b)1,500
c)150
3.Tapeworms, a type of intestinal parasite, can grow to be how big?
a)10 inches
b) 30 feet
c)70 feet
4. 2,200 acres is the size of
a)The biggest spider web ever found
b)The biggest individual mushroom ever found
c)The biggest bat cave ever found
5. Ambergris, an essential ingredient of certain types of perfume, is
a)A fatty substance produced in the intestines of sick whales
b)An oil found in the core of rhinoceros horns
c) The earwax of elephants
6. True or false: Venus flytraps, a carnivorous plant, eat frogs.
a)True
b)False
7. Approximately how much dung does an adult elephant produce each day?
a)30 lbs
b)130 lbs
c)330 lbs
8. "Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite." True or false: Bed bugs really exist.
a)True
b) False
9. The regal horned lizard isn't too big, but it repels predators in short order with what gross behavior?
a)It skewers them with its horn.
b)It spits a lethal poison.
c)It shoots blood from behind its eye
1. The correct answer: Rotting meat
2. The giant rafflesia, which can weigh 15 lbs and measure up to 3 feet wide, smells like rotting meat, or carrion. The flowers emit the odor in order to attract carrion flies, which pollinate the flower.
3. How do rats multiply? As horrifying as it may be, a pair of rats can multiply so fast, they can have as a many as 15,000 descendents in a single year.
4. How long can a tapeworm grow? Tapeworms range in length from about .5 inches to about 30 feet. Ick.
5. You had to think outside of the box on this one. The biggest individual mushroom ever found, an Armillaria mushroom, takes up more than 2,200 acres of underground space! Like all mushrooms, this one is a kind of fungus, and it is considered one of the largest known multicellular organisms on Earth. It was found in Oregon.
5- Really? Who thinks up these things? Ambergris, an essential ingredient of certain types of perfume, is a fatty substance produced in the intestines of sick sperm whales. An extremely valuable natural product, ambergris prevents the evaporation of volatile oils used to make expensive perfumes. In 1955 a chemist developed a synthetic, much less expensive form of ambergris.
6- TrueVenus flytraps do eat frogs! The plants, native to North and South Carolina, feed on insects and other small animals. The creatures are lured by sweet fluids exuded by the plant, which snaps blade-like leaves around its prey. Flytraps then digest their prey with glands located inside their leaves.Watch a video of a Venus flytrap eating a frog!
7. Adult elephants poop about 330 lbs each day. Elephants don't have particularly efficient digestive systems, so about half of the food they consume ends up being passed through their body. Not only do they produce a lot of dung, but they do it frequently: Elephants go to the bathroom approximately 15-18 times per day, which works out to each dung pile being about 20 lbs.
8. TrueUnfortunately, bed bugs do indeed exist. They are tiny little flat bugs that hide during the day and come out to feed at night (when people are in bed--hence their name), sucking the blood of humans and other animals. Perhaps they should be called "vampire bugs" instead.
9. It shoots blood from behind its eyes.The well-camouflaged regal horned lizard remains motionless if approached, but if picked up, it may attempt to disconcert its attacker by puffing up its body and squirting blood, sometimes as far as a few feet, from a reserve behind its eyes.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Happy Birthday, Dear Daughter
The other day I read a poem. Before I was sick. Before I had an ice pick shoved up the side of my head every 6 seconds that makes me cry or bang my head on the wall to make the pain stop or......
really wail when I realize the fun I'm missing this week. But enough about my shingles.
I do want to say my friend, Debbie Stowell brought us the most wonderful dinner. And Nancy and Michelle, from the RS Presidency came over after church and let me cry and laugh. And Elsa brought me a treat as well. And funny Kathy Wilson came and brought me 8-year-old 800 mil. Ibuprofen. Just in case. And Lynda Raddon is bringing dinner tomorrow. And David brought me flowers yesterday. And David and Tanner gave me a blessing this morning. And really, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. But ouch! A really, REALLY big ouch!
So enough about that.
Last week I read this poem...and it touched me so much I couldn't wait to share it. What a beautiful expression of love for a daughter. I feel exactly what the poet is describing about Brandi. Except let me clarify that I am NOT 60. Sixty is when they encourage you to get a shingles vaccine. What gives with that???? (Not that I have anything against 60...I'm just not there yet. ) Ouch. Oh, sorry, I keep changing this subject....
Anyway, my daughter has been a gift to me since the minute she was born. I have always even been in awe of her....she was good and perfect from the very beginning. I'm so sorry I can't make this day special for her.
Every child can be seen as a miracle, and here Minnesota poet James Lenfestey captures the beautiful mystery of a daughter.
Daughter
A daughter is not a passing cloud,
but permanent,
holding earth and sky together
with her shadow.
She sleeps upstairs like mystery
in a story,blowing leaves
down the stairs, then cold air,
then warm.
We who at sixty should know
everything, know nothing.
We become dull and disoriented
by uncertain weather.
We kneel, palms together,
before this blossoming altar.
really wail when I realize the fun I'm missing this week. But enough about my shingles.
I do want to say my friend, Debbie Stowell brought us the most wonderful dinner. And Nancy and Michelle, from the RS Presidency came over after church and let me cry and laugh. And Elsa brought me a treat as well. And funny Kathy Wilson came and brought me 8-year-old 800 mil. Ibuprofen. Just in case. And Lynda Raddon is bringing dinner tomorrow. And David brought me flowers yesterday. And David and Tanner gave me a blessing this morning. And really, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. But ouch! A really, REALLY big ouch!
So enough about that.
Last week I read this poem...and it touched me so much I couldn't wait to share it. What a beautiful expression of love for a daughter. I feel exactly what the poet is describing about Brandi. Except let me clarify that I am NOT 60. Sixty is when they encourage you to get a shingles vaccine. What gives with that???? (Not that I have anything against 60...I'm just not there yet. ) Ouch. Oh, sorry, I keep changing this subject....
Anyway, my daughter has been a gift to me since the minute she was born. I have always even been in awe of her....she was good and perfect from the very beginning. I'm so sorry I can't make this day special for her.
Every child can be seen as a miracle, and here Minnesota poet James Lenfestey captures the beautiful mystery of a daughter.
Daughter
A daughter is not a passing cloud,
but permanent,
holding earth and sky together
with her shadow.
She sleeps upstairs like mystery
in a story,blowing leaves
down the stairs, then cold air,
then warm.
We who at sixty should know
everything, know nothing.
We become dull and disoriented
by uncertain weather.
We kneel, palms together,
before this blossoming altar.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Are you sick of Pumpkins yet?
Sorry, but since I have a LOT of time on my hands (and shingles on my neck, chest, etc.)...I thought I would live Halloween vicariously through all these pumpkin pictures. There are so many I can't wait to try. All of these pumpkins come through Better Homes and Gardens. I have put the link at the end of the post....that you can click on and find the instructions for any of these pumpkins. Happy decorating!
Above...this one creeps me out!
Above: Use a stencil and black marker for the lacey pumpkin. Isn't it pretty?
Creepy Creatures
The creepy-crawlies of Halloween (both flying and footed) cause cries of fright. Spray white pumpkins with a sealer, then use patterns to transfer the critter outlines to the pumpkins. Fill in the outlines with black paint, then arrange the spooky gourds on a black tray. Stick a colony of bats cut from card stock and equipped with wire stems into the center pumpkin to heighten the horror.
Again, above....don't carve all the way through the skin so that the light shines through.
Above is one of my favorites!
Above...this one creeps me out!
Above: Use a stencil and black marker for the lacey pumpkin. Isn't it pretty?
Creepy Creatures
The creepy-crawlies of Halloween (both flying and footed) cause cries of fright. Spray white pumpkins with a sealer, then use patterns to transfer the critter outlines to the pumpkins. Fill in the outlines with black paint, then arrange the spooky gourds on a black tray. Stick a colony of bats cut from card stock and equipped with wire stems into the center pumpkin to heighten the horror.
Again, above....don't carve all the way through the skin so that the light shines through.
Above is one of my favorites!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Halloween Just Got Scarier
I've been relying on my Halloween files because I really have been too miserable to post. Since we got back in town, I have been down in bed. My "rash" has gotten significantly worse....and then my ear got all inflamed (just call me really weird)...so I called to see if a Dr. was in today that could just look at me once again.
Shingles. Shingles is a horrible word. Can I just tell you...it is miserable. Shingles is the chicken pox virus....which lies dormant in your body....until it decides to humble you and put you out of commission. I have actually dreaded shingles since my mom and grandmother both had them and I knew how awful they are. News sources say that anyone over 60 years old should get a shingles vaccination. Well, I'm not 60.....hell-o! Shingles also is a product of stress. It is also something full of "we don't really know."
But what I do know is that shingles affects the nerve endings...and I have a great sharp pain shooting up the side of my head, about every 3-5 seconds that is making me catch my breath and HURTS! Let's hope this doesn't go on for long! Well, at least when you have a shooting pain piercing your head, you don't think about 1) the bad throat and chest cold you also have and 2) that your inflamed ear is a secondary infection called celulitus....which is like blood poisoning and 3) my battered-and-bruised body from the escalator fall (still humorous when I think about it...) So, this is why I'm not blogging. I'm a wreck. Just in time for Halloween. Shingles. An ugly, itchy, stingie, pain-shooting costume I'm going to be wearing for a month or so! I have a feeling this is going to ruin Halloween for me. I'm going to miss out on all the fun. Bummer. So, keep enjoying the pumpkin pictures. More tomorrow. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! (Sorry I'm such a whiner!)
Shingles. Shingles is a horrible word. Can I just tell you...it is miserable. Shingles is the chicken pox virus....which lies dormant in your body....until it decides to humble you and put you out of commission. I have actually dreaded shingles since my mom and grandmother both had them and I knew how awful they are. News sources say that anyone over 60 years old should get a shingles vaccination. Well, I'm not 60.....hell-o! Shingles also is a product of stress. It is also something full of "we don't really know."
But what I do know is that shingles affects the nerve endings...and I have a great sharp pain shooting up the side of my head, about every 3-5 seconds that is making me catch my breath and HURTS! Let's hope this doesn't go on for long! Well, at least when you have a shooting pain piercing your head, you don't think about 1) the bad throat and chest cold you also have and 2) that your inflamed ear is a secondary infection called celulitus....which is like blood poisoning and 3) my battered-and-bruised body from the escalator fall (still humorous when I think about it...) So, this is why I'm not blogging. I'm a wreck. Just in time for Halloween. Shingles. An ugly, itchy, stingie, pain-shooting costume I'm going to be wearing for a month or so! I have a feeling this is going to ruin Halloween for me. I'm going to miss out on all the fun. Bummer. So, keep enjoying the pumpkin pictures. More tomorrow. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! (Sorry I'm such a whiner!)
Pumpkins Just Make Me Happy!
Most of these ideas are from Country Living Magazine....
Above: What a GREAT idea! Just paint a mouth on your pumpkin and add a mask and hat.
This towering display stems from an Australian "Crown Prince" pumpkin base, which is topped with a scarlet maxima pumpkin, known for its brilliant rind, a French cheese pumpkin called "Musquee de Provence," a pallid "Baby Boo," and an ornamental gourd topper.
Display your pumpkins on your idle cake plates!
Do some cool swirlies with a carving tool!
Shaved Swirl-A-Whirl Pumpkin
Materials:
pumpkin (fresh or foam)
Funky wire sculptures!
This towering display stems from an Australian "Crown Prince" pumpkin base, which is topped with a scarlet maxima pumpkin, known for its brilliant rind, a French cheese pumpkin called "Musquee de Provence," a pallid "Baby Boo," and an ornamental gourd topper.
Display your pumpkins on your idle cake plates!
Do some cool swirlies with a carving tool!
Below:
For an autumn table, carve out jack-be-little pumpkins and insert votive candles. This festive decoration can be used for Halloween parties, as well as Thanksgiving feasts.
For an autumn table, carve out jack-be-little pumpkins and insert votive candles. This festive decoration can be used for Halloween parties, as well as Thanksgiving feasts.
TIP: Consider unscented candles at the table so the heavy scents aren't competing with the food aromas.
Tuck candles and small pumpkins inside glass cylinders or canning jars.
Shaved Swirl-A-Whirl PumpkinMaterials:
pumpkin (fresh or foam)
rotary pumpkin-carving tool
or a wood-carving toolmasking tape
Steps:
1. If using a fresh pumpkin, cut a hole in the bottom and remove the seeds.
2. Starting from the top of the pumpkin, make a spiral pattern with masking tape all the way around the pumpkin. Try to keep the distance between the tape lines consistent. Continue wrapping the pumpkin with tape until you reach the pumpkin's bottom.
Steps:
1. If using a fresh pumpkin, cut a hole in the bottom and remove the seeds.
2. Starting from the top of the pumpkin, make a spiral pattern with masking tape all the way around the pumpkin. Try to keep the distance between the tape lines consistent. Continue wrapping the pumpkin with tape until you reach the pumpkin's bottom.
3. With a carving tool or knife, cut inbetween the tape...don't go through the skin.
Funky wire sculptures!
What did one jack-o-lantern say to the other? Cut it out!
What is a pumpkin's favorite sport? Squash
What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter? Pumpkin Pi (3.1428571428571428571428571428571)
More Pumpkin Delights
Personalize a tiny pumpkin or gourd: Photocopy the first initial of a guest's name from a clip-art book (the Dover Clip-Art Series has a big selection). Tape a piece of transfer paper onto the gourd and tape the letter on top of it. Transfer the letter with a pencil. Remove the papers and trace over imprint with a permanent marker. TIPS: Hand letter an initial on a small pumpkin or gourd with a pencil, then retrace it with a permanent marker. An alternative to hand lettering is stenciling. Purchase a pack of alphabet stencils at an art-supply or crafts store. Tape a stenciled letter on a pumpkin or gourd's surface and stencil with a permanent marker. Or I bet vinyl lettering would work.
The above picture is from Martha Stewart's Halloween edition from last year. Just fill your jars with Halloween candy and put a funny pumpkin head on top!
Pumpkin Yummies
Look how cute this cake looks with Halloween candies stuck in the icing. Actually it looks like they have made marzipan candies but store-bought would be a fast fix. I am already imagining licking the cream cheese icing on this cake.....
Above-These little pumpkins were filled with Baked Stuffed Pumpkin (recipe here: Country Living) but you could fill them with your favorite stuffing mix...add ground beef or sausage....use cous-cous or orzo or rice.....add some cranberries and onions.....yum, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
I have done flowers in pumpkins before...but really, we are so lucky to have fake pumpkins that would do the trick much easier. Fill a little votive to put inside for water....use a floral frog to help secure the stems.
I love the little cookie cutters that come in a round box. I have one box of leaves (like the one used here)....one of hearts. The little shapes come in handy for decorating pies, desserts, jello, cookies, sandwiches. If your pie has a top crust, add some little cut-out on the top to make it even prettier!
Google recipes for roasting pumpkin seeds. Like many things, I HAVE roasted pumpkin seeds before....BUT....I must say....getting all the slime off of the seeds in order to roast them takes time and work! I'm all for buying them at the store. Usually by the bulk section or specialty nuts in our produce section. Like many nuts, roasted pumpkin seeds should be stored in the freezer. I keep my pinenuts there as well. Sprinkle some warm pumpkin seeds on your favorite bowl of autumn soup!
They have baked these cakes in mini-bundt cakes. You should get about 12 mini-pumpkins out of a boxed mix. To get the look of these, they have trimmed the bottoms of the mini cakes to create a flat surface. They then joined two cakes so that the fluted tops are at either end, then drizzled with chocolate or vanilla glaze and sprinkles with coarse colored sugar or sprinkles before the glaze sets. Top with a marzipan stem. You can get marzipan in most craft stores now. Have fun creating all sorts of things with it!
Can be prepared in 40 minutes or less. The trick to great butternut squash soup is the simple addition of one tart green apple to balance the sweetness of the squash.Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
I carrot, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped
(squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if vegetarian)
Pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper
Combine butter, onion, celery, and carrot in large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Add squash, apple, and broth. Bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or until squash is soft. Puree. Add spices to taste.
Serves 4-6. (or buy canned squash....Williams Sonoma makes a good one that is bottled. I would still do the veggies in butter and blend it together with the bottled squash. Pumpkin works well too. I also like a little half-and-half in it...of COURSE I would.....)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
What's Going On
How I am feeling today:
1. miserable with the cold/hacking/bruised body from the escalator fall/
2. bummed that I have a lot of things to do....and no umph to do them
3. Itchy. I didn't mention the rash that developed on the trip as well. All up one side of my neck and torso....little bumps now. I was worried that it was beginning shingles but the Dr. thought maybe I was reacting to the leaves. Poison Ivy like but not really. Anyway, just one more thing!
What I'm missing out on:
1. Sophia was actually coming to spend two days but her babes adoption is going through so we will re-schedule.
2. Utah Field Trips is meeting at my house this morning and going to Gardner Village...to see all the fabulous witch/Halloween displays, wear witch hats and have lunch. I hate missing out on the party.
3. And I missed M. Wilcox's class yesterday as well. Just to stay home and sneeze and cough and hold my bruised ribs and itch and scratch. That kind of stuff.
Things I'm looking forward to:
1. feeling better
2. Brandi's birthday is coming up on Monday! I hope I get some time to her by myself this weekend.
3. Next week, going to the Logan Temple to see my blogging friend, Sophia and her family being sealed. The adoption has been a miracle that I've loved sharing in the steps along the way.
Happy things to think about:
1. Brooke and Tanner's wedding. My mind is always whirling around it.
2. Hopefully planning a trip to Portland/Vancouver in December.
3. All of the holidays!
Things to pray about:
1. Christine, one of my FAVORITE nieces-in-law (I love all of them!)....she and Dee lost a baby on my FIL's birthday....just a week after my FIL's death. They still hadn't recovered when they learned she was pregnant again. She has lots of medical things going on but the baby has stopped growing as it should....so we are calling in all prayers. This little family has been through SO much...
2. The Gwilliam family. Brandi and my son, Ryan, were able to go to the funeral. They said it was just amazing and shared some faith-promoting stories. I'll share some of them later. Tom actually convinced the Dr.'s to let him check out of the hospital (with blood clots in his lungs and legs) so he was able to be there. He is not out of the woods yet.
3. A friend that has been in a dark place for many, many years... has finally found joy again. I'm so excited for her. And keep her in my prayers.
4.Our country. I can't wait for Tuesday to be over...this election to be over but I'm so worried about the liberal state of affairs. Our country is slowing losing all the ideals I believe in.
I have downloaded all my trip pictures but haven't felt well enough to journal them. Maybe later. But I do want to share a thought I gained on this trip. We went to church on Sunday in Cape Elizabeth. The sacrament meeting talks were some of the finest I've ever heard (which included a 12-14 year old girl.) Her father also spoke and talked about the word "infinite" ....one of the words that we describe God with. He is "infinite." When I think of the word infinite, I think of "without number" but it didn't really define anything that I could relate to. But this man said that if someone knocked on your door, and you answered, and there were 3 people there, we could recognize immediately that 3 people were there. If there were 5 people there, we could do that as well. But if there were 187 people there, we would see a crowd of people but not the individuals. But God would. Without number to him means he can have a million beings to care for and nurture....but he sees us and nurtures us individually. We are not just one of a crowd of humanity. His love is for each of us personally. For me, for Christine, for the Gwilliams, for you.
I love that....
1. miserable with the cold/hacking/bruised body from the escalator fall/
2. bummed that I have a lot of things to do....and no umph to do them
3. Itchy. I didn't mention the rash that developed on the trip as well. All up one side of my neck and torso....little bumps now. I was worried that it was beginning shingles but the Dr. thought maybe I was reacting to the leaves. Poison Ivy like but not really. Anyway, just one more thing!
What I'm missing out on:
1. Sophia was actually coming to spend two days but her babes adoption is going through so we will re-schedule.
2. Utah Field Trips is meeting at my house this morning and going to Gardner Village...to see all the fabulous witch/Halloween displays, wear witch hats and have lunch. I hate missing out on the party.
3. And I missed M. Wilcox's class yesterday as well. Just to stay home and sneeze and cough and hold my bruised ribs and itch and scratch. That kind of stuff.
Things I'm looking forward to:
1. feeling better
2. Brandi's birthday is coming up on Monday! I hope I get some time to her by myself this weekend.
3. Next week, going to the Logan Temple to see my blogging friend, Sophia and her family being sealed. The adoption has been a miracle that I've loved sharing in the steps along the way.
Happy things to think about:
1. Brooke and Tanner's wedding. My mind is always whirling around it.
2. Hopefully planning a trip to Portland/Vancouver in December.
3. All of the holidays!
Things to pray about:
1. Christine, one of my FAVORITE nieces-in-law (I love all of them!)....she and Dee lost a baby on my FIL's birthday....just a week after my FIL's death. They still hadn't recovered when they learned she was pregnant again. She has lots of medical things going on but the baby has stopped growing as it should....so we are calling in all prayers. This little family has been through SO much...
2. The Gwilliam family. Brandi and my son, Ryan, were able to go to the funeral. They said it was just amazing and shared some faith-promoting stories. I'll share some of them later. Tom actually convinced the Dr.'s to let him check out of the hospital (with blood clots in his lungs and legs) so he was able to be there. He is not out of the woods yet.
3. A friend that has been in a dark place for many, many years... has finally found joy again. I'm so excited for her. And keep her in my prayers.
4.Our country. I can't wait for Tuesday to be over...this election to be over but I'm so worried about the liberal state of affairs. Our country is slowing losing all the ideals I believe in.
I have downloaded all my trip pictures but haven't felt well enough to journal them. Maybe later. But I do want to share a thought I gained on this trip. We went to church on Sunday in Cape Elizabeth. The sacrament meeting talks were some of the finest I've ever heard (which included a 12-14 year old girl.) Her father also spoke and talked about the word "infinite" ....one of the words that we describe God with. He is "infinite." When I think of the word infinite, I think of "without number" but it didn't really define anything that I could relate to. But this man said that if someone knocked on your door, and you answered, and there were 3 people there, we could recognize immediately that 3 people were there. If there were 5 people there, we could do that as well. But if there were 187 people there, we would see a crowd of people but not the individuals. But God would. Without number to him means he can have a million beings to care for and nurture....but he sees us and nurtures us individually. We are not just one of a crowd of humanity. His love is for each of us personally. For me, for Christine, for the Gwilliams, for you.
I love that....
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Funny travel stories...
I'm on my way to the Dr.'s office....a great way to come home from a trip. David and Tanner had really bad chest/coughing/hacking/nose/throat things before we left....and I tried to keep my distance...but it found me in New England. But the trip was STILL over-the-top wonderful. Even though Kirk left one of Cathy's suitcases on the airtrain in New York...and we spent a couple of hours trying to find it (ha!)...and it was filled with important stuff and treasures....but it made the trip even funnier. But darn it! The best part of the trip, Kirk and Cathy missed! It was the darn airtrain again. David and I turned in the rental car....then were hauling our luggage on the escalators....up to catch the train. I was in the lead. My large bag had my carry-on hooked on the handle and I was trying to maneuver them on the escalator. I THOUGHT I had it....we were almost halfway up when my bags, that weren't really on the stair all of the way....pulled me back, down and over.....kerplucking down the escalator....over my bags, crashing into David.....REALLY hysterical! Some guy at the top stopped the thing and came down thinking I was dead. David was feeling terrible he couldn't have foreseen the disaster! I was glad I hadn't been wearing a skirt....and TOTALLY bummed our friends weren't there to witness the wreck! I REALLY hope the people viewing the surveillance cameras had a great laugh...I really might show up on Leno or Utube soon! Today I have stair step bruises up my arm and leg. Afterwards, David just had to look at me and I would start laughing. Really, what doesn't kill you, makes you laugh. Thanks for sharing some of YOUR trip stories! The winner is posted at the bottom!
Ryan said...
The song is "we are the pirates who don't do anything". Hope you are enjoying your trip!
Amazed said: Thank you Ryan. I knew I could depend on you. How I wish everyone could hear you sing the song....great pirate accent!
Sophia said...
Oh, there is the overnight story that we're going to have to share... my most amazing travel story ever! But, it will have to wait till then! In the meantime, a funny travel story...Did I ever tell you about the time we were driving through the orange groves in central Florida to Disney World? I was in the back seat with the bigs who were then babes and decided to peel an orange for them to snack on. Mom said, "Look kids! Look at the orange trees growing! See all of the oranges! You can even smell them, we're so close!!!" At that point, I handed her a slice of orange and said, "Yes! We ARE close!" Or I think that I did tell you about the time in Atlanta when the guy wouldn't let us into the outside lane and kept inching up to the other car so that we couldn't get through to get off on our exit. (Dumb tourists that we were.) He ended up slamming into the car in front of him while trying to be a snoot or was it a snot to us!? I'm still laughing at that one!And there was the time that we invited three families to the ranch and took SEVEN vehicles for a week long fun trip. SEVEN, so that we could take everything from home and not miss out on any of the comforts of life! There were only five kids and six adults. I could tell funny stories from that week for days!Oh, this is a fun challenge. You just gave me a great topic for a blog entry. HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME!!!! No need for a prize, Doyle and I just love to make you smile! LYB!S~
Amazed said- I’ll tell you what...you really DO have funny stories...the funniest being not what you shared here! (unlady-like snort....inside joke!) Can’t wait to see you next week!
Anonymous said... One day my family and I were traveling from our home in SW Washington to Seattle for a wedding reception of the son of some very good friends. As usual, I had a million things to do along the way - like stop at Costco to drop off some film and stop at a drugstore to get some wrapping paper and a card so I could wrap the gift as we went among other things. I guess you could say I was a little "preoccupied". So - first stop - Costco. I told Eric to drop me off, turn the car around and I'd just run to the kiosk, drop the film in and run back and hop in and we could continue our trek. Well - he dropped me off, I ran to the kiosk, dropped my film back, ran out and hopped in our green Explorer and said - "Ok - let's go". From the driver's side seat, I heard this deep voice say, "Well! Hello there!" It was at this time I noticed that the car's interior was gray, not tan, and the teenager sitting in the backseat, although very cute, was not mine. I ventured a glance at the driver and - yup - you guessed it. . .not my husband. As I tried to politely extract myself from the car I'm sure I was babbling something about what a nice car it was and we had one kinda like it and he had one daughter but I had two and so on . . . I fumbled for the door handle and was very relieved when it seemed to open by itself. When I looked closer, I saw that it had been opened by the missing member of this beautiful - but not my - family. The wife/mom of this crew helped me out and I politely held the door open for her as she rejoined her family - who by now were immersed in fits of laughter. I waved goodbye, tried to regather my scattered wits, and look for MY green Explorer, only to discover that there were at least 5 green Explorers parked in the "no parking" zone waiting for someone to come out of Costco. I guess I could have had my pick. When I finally did find my own car, my family had no idea of what I'd just been through. Heck - I could have been kidnapped and they'd probably still be lazily waiting outside Costco for me. The rest of day went well. We got to the wedding reception and had a wonderful time but - for at least the next year, whenever we'd get out of the car to go into a store, my kids would remind me of where we were parked, make me take in all the landmarks, even write it down so as to not get "lost" again. They even reminded me that I could always go to a store clerk to ask for help if I ever "misplaced" my car and family again. If they had been little kids, I would have thought this was cute, endearing, heart-warming. They were 14 and 16 years old so this was more like. . . payback!
Amazed said: Hysterical Pam! Why is it NOT a stretch to picture this with you! No WONDER we were friends! When I got my last new car, I told David it had to be something other than white or silver because I could never find my car in the parking lot. So, he buys me a khaki green Jeep. The first week I had it, I went to Kevin and Lori’s wedding at the SL Temple. I parked out on the street. Tanner and I were going back to the vehicle afterwards, and he watched as I went to, and tried to open two other khaki vehicles before realizing they weren’t my car. But at least I didn’t get inside some the wrong man! Although, at a Ward party, I did go up and give a little "almost" bun squeeze to my husband....and it wasn’t my husband! But we are talking "trip hazards"...not just major screw-ups!
Cornfields, children and waterballet said...
OK my travel stories pale in comparsion to some of the stories posted here. TOO FUNNY! We had only been married about a year when Daren and I were traveling through the desert near Phoenix, AZ. I was about 7 months pregnant. We were on one of our many trips from Madison, WI to San Diego, CA. We had no working air conditioner at this point in the trip. The temperature at 10:00 PM at night was about 110 degrees. Seriously! So, we stopped to see a movie at the mall and hoped to get a little break from the hot weather. Once on our way we stopped for gas just outside of Yuma--YAH-HOO! Anyway, Daren told me to go inside the gas station and try to get cool while he filled the tank with gas. I went inside and simply put as much as my body as I could inside the freezer! It felt so good! Then after Daren saw me, he bought a bag of ice and threw ice at me and rubbed ice on me for the rest of the trip up out of the desert. He would get the biggest kick out of rubbing ice on my pregnant stomach and watching "Colin" kick at his hand! We have had many trips across the desert since then. It never ceases to amaze me at how hot it can be!
Amazed said: Just the image of you with your belly in the freezer will help me remember never to buy ice at the gas station again! I don’t think I’ve ever been in THAT kind of hot before....and being pregnant and hot is the worst!!!
busymama said...
I think traveling across country in a Penske 3-seater cab truck with my husband and brother Travis should get me some kind of prize! Not only did we all ride squished together for several days, but we also had the "privilege" to stop at each and every stadium of each and every sport team in each and every city along the way - good times!!!
Amazed said: Brandi, my heart still goes out to you on this one. Really, just traveling cross-country with Ryan and Travis talking sports the entire way would have blown my brains all across the ceiling. On our way home yesterday, we had to, of course, stop at the Basketball Hall of Fame....I think you did as well. It runs in the family....
Marty said... I couldn't get this to post earlier so hopefully it does now...Years ago we went camping in the pop up tent trailer. Drove to the Grand Canyon (5 hours), it was pouring rain and realized we had forgotten the crank. Turned around, went home and called it a weekend.
Amazed said: THIS IS THE WORST!!!! How FRUSTRATING!!! Not even funny...well, it is "after" the fact! I love stories "after the fact." And Marty, I guess you realize your blog is closed...so I can’t even read about YOU! The Scott Six said...
A funny travel story... I grew up in a family of 11 kids and we drove practically everywhere we went. It provided for a LOT of funny travel memories. My favorite:- We went to Yellowstone and the Old Faithful Geyser. We were pulling into the famous lodge up there and had a rented camper filled with kids. My dad pulled up under the pull through with a camper - not a good idea. There's height restrictions on those things! It broke a sprinkler pipe that started spraying everywhere. What an embarrassment. We were already always the center of attention with so many of us and then we pulled a stunt like this. What a hoot!The other travel memory that sticks in my mind is traveling across the U.S. with this same large family. We were jam packed in a suburban and have 3 weeks full of funny stories. One funny one was when we were in a Midwestern state, we were driving on a Sunday. We had gone to church in the morning, so we were all in our Sunday dresses. There were 9 girls in my family and 2 boys. When dinner time rolled around, we stopped at Hardee's and as we were walking in (still in dresses), someone rather loudly said, "What's this? A bunch of polygamists?" In hindsight, I guess we could have looked just like that. I was rather embarrassed at the time, but find it funny now! Hope you enjoyed your trip! Andrea Scott
Amazed said: Hysterical! Way to draw attention to yourselves! Both stories made me laugh! I love to hear from you!
And ANDREA!!!! You are the lucky winner!!! Email me your address at mdwillpoet@msn.com!
Ryan said...
The song is "we are the pirates who don't do anything". Hope you are enjoying your trip!
Amazed said: Thank you Ryan. I knew I could depend on you. How I wish everyone could hear you sing the song....great pirate accent!
Sophia said...
Oh, there is the overnight story that we're going to have to share... my most amazing travel story ever! But, it will have to wait till then! In the meantime, a funny travel story...Did I ever tell you about the time we were driving through the orange groves in central Florida to Disney World? I was in the back seat with the bigs who were then babes and decided to peel an orange for them to snack on. Mom said, "Look kids! Look at the orange trees growing! See all of the oranges! You can even smell them, we're so close!!!" At that point, I handed her a slice of orange and said, "Yes! We ARE close!" Or I think that I did tell you about the time in Atlanta when the guy wouldn't let us into the outside lane and kept inching up to the other car so that we couldn't get through to get off on our exit. (Dumb tourists that we were.) He ended up slamming into the car in front of him while trying to be a snoot or was it a snot to us!? I'm still laughing at that one!And there was the time that we invited three families to the ranch and took SEVEN vehicles for a week long fun trip. SEVEN, so that we could take everything from home and not miss out on any of the comforts of life! There were only five kids and six adults. I could tell funny stories from that week for days!Oh, this is a fun challenge. You just gave me a great topic for a blog entry. HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME!!!! No need for a prize, Doyle and I just love to make you smile! LYB!S~
Amazed said- I’ll tell you what...you really DO have funny stories...the funniest being not what you shared here! (unlady-like snort....inside joke!) Can’t wait to see you next week!
Anonymous said... One day my family and I were traveling from our home in SW Washington to Seattle for a wedding reception of the son of some very good friends. As usual, I had a million things to do along the way - like stop at Costco to drop off some film and stop at a drugstore to get some wrapping paper and a card so I could wrap the gift as we went among other things. I guess you could say I was a little "preoccupied". So - first stop - Costco. I told Eric to drop me off, turn the car around and I'd just run to the kiosk, drop the film in and run back and hop in and we could continue our trek. Well - he dropped me off, I ran to the kiosk, dropped my film back, ran out and hopped in our green Explorer and said - "Ok - let's go". From the driver's side seat, I heard this deep voice say, "Well! Hello there!" It was at this time I noticed that the car's interior was gray, not tan, and the teenager sitting in the backseat, although very cute, was not mine. I ventured a glance at the driver and - yup - you guessed it. . .not my husband. As I tried to politely extract myself from the car I'm sure I was babbling something about what a nice car it was and we had one kinda like it and he had one daughter but I had two and so on . . . I fumbled for the door handle and was very relieved when it seemed to open by itself. When I looked closer, I saw that it had been opened by the missing member of this beautiful - but not my - family. The wife/mom of this crew helped me out and I politely held the door open for her as she rejoined her family - who by now were immersed in fits of laughter. I waved goodbye, tried to regather my scattered wits, and look for MY green Explorer, only to discover that there were at least 5 green Explorers parked in the "no parking" zone waiting for someone to come out of Costco. I guess I could have had my pick. When I finally did find my own car, my family had no idea of what I'd just been through. Heck - I could have been kidnapped and they'd probably still be lazily waiting outside Costco for me. The rest of day went well. We got to the wedding reception and had a wonderful time but - for at least the next year, whenever we'd get out of the car to go into a store, my kids would remind me of where we were parked, make me take in all the landmarks, even write it down so as to not get "lost" again. They even reminded me that I could always go to a store clerk to ask for help if I ever "misplaced" my car and family again. If they had been little kids, I would have thought this was cute, endearing, heart-warming. They were 14 and 16 years old so this was more like. . . payback!
Amazed said: Hysterical Pam! Why is it NOT a stretch to picture this with you! No WONDER we were friends! When I got my last new car, I told David it had to be something other than white or silver because I could never find my car in the parking lot. So, he buys me a khaki green Jeep. The first week I had it, I went to Kevin and Lori’s wedding at the SL Temple. I parked out on the street. Tanner and I were going back to the vehicle afterwards, and he watched as I went to, and tried to open two other khaki vehicles before realizing they weren’t my car. But at least I didn’t get inside some the wrong man! Although, at a Ward party, I did go up and give a little "almost" bun squeeze to my husband....and it wasn’t my husband! But we are talking "trip hazards"...not just major screw-ups!
Cornfields, children and waterballet said...
OK my travel stories pale in comparsion to some of the stories posted here. TOO FUNNY! We had only been married about a year when Daren and I were traveling through the desert near Phoenix, AZ. I was about 7 months pregnant. We were on one of our many trips from Madison, WI to San Diego, CA. We had no working air conditioner at this point in the trip. The temperature at 10:00 PM at night was about 110 degrees. Seriously! So, we stopped to see a movie at the mall and hoped to get a little break from the hot weather. Once on our way we stopped for gas just outside of Yuma--YAH-HOO! Anyway, Daren told me to go inside the gas station and try to get cool while he filled the tank with gas. I went inside and simply put as much as my body as I could inside the freezer! It felt so good! Then after Daren saw me, he bought a bag of ice and threw ice at me and rubbed ice on me for the rest of the trip up out of the desert. He would get the biggest kick out of rubbing ice on my pregnant stomach and watching "Colin" kick at his hand! We have had many trips across the desert since then. It never ceases to amaze me at how hot it can be!
Amazed said: Just the image of you with your belly in the freezer will help me remember never to buy ice at the gas station again! I don’t think I’ve ever been in THAT kind of hot before....and being pregnant and hot is the worst!!!
busymama said...
I think traveling across country in a Penske 3-seater cab truck with my husband and brother Travis should get me some kind of prize! Not only did we all ride squished together for several days, but we also had the "privilege" to stop at each and every stadium of each and every sport team in each and every city along the way - good times!!!
Amazed said: Brandi, my heart still goes out to you on this one. Really, just traveling cross-country with Ryan and Travis talking sports the entire way would have blown my brains all across the ceiling. On our way home yesterday, we had to, of course, stop at the Basketball Hall of Fame....I think you did as well. It runs in the family....
Marty said... I couldn't get this to post earlier so hopefully it does now...Years ago we went camping in the pop up tent trailer. Drove to the Grand Canyon (5 hours), it was pouring rain and realized we had forgotten the crank. Turned around, went home and called it a weekend.
Amazed said: THIS IS THE WORST!!!! How FRUSTRATING!!! Not even funny...well, it is "after" the fact! I love stories "after the fact." And Marty, I guess you realize your blog is closed...so I can’t even read about YOU! The Scott Six said...
A funny travel story... I grew up in a family of 11 kids and we drove practically everywhere we went. It provided for a LOT of funny travel memories. My favorite:- We went to Yellowstone and the Old Faithful Geyser. We were pulling into the famous lodge up there and had a rented camper filled with kids. My dad pulled up under the pull through with a camper - not a good idea. There's height restrictions on those things! It broke a sprinkler pipe that started spraying everywhere. What an embarrassment. We were already always the center of attention with so many of us and then we pulled a stunt like this. What a hoot!The other travel memory that sticks in my mind is traveling across the U.S. with this same large family. We were jam packed in a suburban and have 3 weeks full of funny stories. One funny one was when we were in a Midwestern state, we were driving on a Sunday. We had gone to church in the morning, so we were all in our Sunday dresses. There were 9 girls in my family and 2 boys. When dinner time rolled around, we stopped at Hardee's and as we were walking in (still in dresses), someone rather loudly said, "What's this? A bunch of polygamists?" In hindsight, I guess we could have looked just like that. I was rather embarrassed at the time, but find it funny now! Hope you enjoyed your trip! Andrea Scott
Amazed said: Hysterical! Way to draw attention to yourselves! Both stories made me laugh! I love to hear from you!
And ANDREA!!!! You are the lucky winner!!! Email me your address at mdwillpoet@msn.com!
Autumn Winner
We got home last night about midnight. Mishap after mishap but the most wonderful trip. I loved reading the autumn poems that were sent....below are just a few thoughts, some I've used before, that stand as my declaration and admiration and my total all-about love affair with Autumn! Read to the end to find the winner of our drawing!
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus
Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.
Stanley Horowitz
No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace, As I have seen in one autumnal face. John Donne
October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter. Nova Bair
Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. Elizabeth Lawrence
Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile. – William Cullen Bryant
Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees. Santiz
Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree. Emily Bronte
Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night. Hal Borland
Nature always has something rare to show us. John Muir
And the winner is!!!!!!!! PARKER!!!!!! Honest, this contest wasn't rigged!
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus
Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.
Stanley Horowitz
No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace, As I have seen in one autumnal face. John Donne
October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter. Nova Bair
Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. Elizabeth Lawrence
Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile. – William Cullen Bryant
Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees. Santiz
Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree. Emily Bronte
Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night. Hal Borland
Nature always has something rare to show us. John Muir
And the winner is!!!!!!!! PARKER!!!!!! Honest, this contest wasn't rigged!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Contest Time
Post a poem about autumn. It can even be just a stanza of a poem about autumn. You can even WRITE a poem about autumn. Bring them on. Contest ends at 10:00 a.m. MST on Wed. A little prize will go to the winner whose name is drawn! We are staying in a fabulous Bed and Breakfast place called The Queechee Inn at Marshland Farm...we are about a week late for the leaves peak but it is still magnificent. I don't want today to end! Tomorrow is driving back to New York, ooing and ahing all along the way. Can't wait to post pictures.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Contest Time!!!
It is late Friday night. My intentions, since we have laptops, were to journal our trip each day. Well, NOTHING has gone as planned. We have had one mishap after mishap...but what doesn't kill you makes you laugh! I'll share details later but for now I'll introduce a contest. Just comment here until Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. MST...and share your funniest traveling adventure...or share someone else's story.....or your worst travel experience or your best. It can be long or short and sweet. Even just tell me where your next travel will take you. I'll draw the winner and post it on Wed. morning. We'll do another contest on Monday. Prize a $25 gift certificate somewhere! After today, I need some more funny travel stories!
Meanwhile, the trees and leaves are fabulous! Over-the-top beautiful! Name that veggie tale song about "Boston in the fa-a-a-ll"....my son, Ryan sings it...and that is all I can remember!
I hope wherever you are, you are loving autumn. What a wonderful world!
Meanwhile, the trees and leaves are fabulous! Over-the-top beautiful! Name that veggie tale song about "Boston in the fa-a-a-ll"....my son, Ryan sings it...and that is all I can remember!
I hope wherever you are, you are loving autumn. What a wonderful world!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Quick and Easy Italian Recipes
Creamy Chicken Italiano
Crock pot recipe:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or equivalent)
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 c. water
1 (8 oz.) Pkg. cream cheese, soft.
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (4 oz.) can mushroom stems, drained
Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine salad dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours. Combine cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken. Cover and Cook on low 1 hour, or until chicken juices run clear. Serve over cooked noodles or rice.
Chicken Linguine
1/2 C butter
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. dry basil (yes, that is TABLESPOONS)
3/4 t dry red pepper flakes (I would NOT omit these)
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
4-5 (total, mix & match) small zucchini & yellow squash, cut small
2-3 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1 C Parmesan cheese, grated
Plus, powdered Parmesan cheese to taste
1 pkg cooked linguine
In a 9x13 casserole dish, place butter in oven as it preheats to 400 degrees. Add garlic, basil, red pepper flakes. Stir. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cook for 30-40 minutes (should be pretty well cooked). Add zucchini, squash and tomatoes, cook for 15 minutes.
Take out of oven drizzle with lemon juice (don't forget this part...it is the crowning touch!)then toss with pasta and cheese.
Crock pot recipe:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or equivalent)
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 c. water
1 (8 oz.) Pkg. cream cheese, soft.
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (4 oz.) can mushroom stems, drained
Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine salad dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours. Combine cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken. Cover and Cook on low 1 hour, or until chicken juices run clear. Serve over cooked noodles or rice.
Chicken Linguine
1/2 C butter
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. dry basil (yes, that is TABLESPOONS)
3/4 t dry red pepper flakes (I would NOT omit these)
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
4-5 (total, mix & match) small zucchini & yellow squash, cut small
2-3 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1 C Parmesan cheese, grated
Plus, powdered Parmesan cheese to taste
1 pkg cooked linguine
In a 9x13 casserole dish, place butter in oven as it preheats to 400 degrees. Add garlic, basil, red pepper flakes. Stir. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cook for 30-40 minutes (should be pretty well cooked). Add zucchini, squash and tomatoes, cook for 15 minutes.
Take out of oven drizzle with lemon juice (don't forget this part...it is the crowning touch!)then toss with pasta and cheese.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Wednesday Offerings
What a day...what a day....what a day!
Last night, after family pictures in the canyon, I had Girl's Night Out. Cathy hosted and we went to Bajio's for dinner. It is always so fun to get together and catch up on each other's lives.
but something I ate didn't sit well. Rough night. Worried about the "to-do" list today. I had about 20 items on it....crossed off a few but added too many more! We are going out of town tomorrow....FINALLY getting to go to New England.....in the fall (think the Veggie Tales song...) ...hopefully to see some leaves. You know, it was on my short bucket list. David is kind of rolling his eyes....saying things like "what in the heck are we going to do there" but I know he's gonna love it as well. I have been looking forward to this trip....to relax, be with my hubby and our best pals....but then....
Tom and Penny's granddaughter died....it has broken my heart. And Brandon and Tiffany are flying in tomorrow for the funeral that will be Saturday while we are gone. Their plane actually arrives just before ours leaves....and although we're in different terminals, we're hoping that we can see them. Today I went to Tom and Penny's...to take some freezer meals that have come in so handy....and no one was home. I came home and called to leave a message for Penny to call when she got home so I could see her before I left. Her brother called me a couple of hours later to tell me that Tom was in the ICU at the new IMC hospital with blood clots in both lungs! We just got home about an hour ago....Penny is absolutely spent. Tom was actually in good spirits although his condition isn't great. They have told him that he won't be able to go to the funeral on Saturday but he is determined to prove them wrong. On the way home, as I said on the way to the hospital, "Honestly, how much can one family handle?" But after reflecting on it, I said to David that instead of complaining that God has given them too many burdens, to give thanks that Tom's life has been preserved. It is too easy to look at the difficult things without realizing the hand of God and blessings. Tom has actually had the blood clots, which started in his legs, for two weeks....without realizing it. He FLEW ON THE PLANE to Kansas City, to be with everyone at the hospital with the baby...and flew home again....with the blood clots traveling up to his lungs. He actually was quite ill on the plane...but suffered through it, not realizing what was happening.
Boy, life happens in a second. I'm feeling kind of emotional and a little worn out to travel and hoping all will be well while we are gone.
This morning was Creative Cooking here. Today was Quick and Easy Italian. I demonstrated and made: homemade pesto, the most fabulous Marguerite Pizza, Cheesy Polenta, Creamy chicken Italiano over whole wheat fettuccine, Dennilynne's wonderful Chicken Linguine...plus a couple of warm Puglilese and multi-grain breads from Costco. If you haven't heard this tip before, go to the bakery at Costco (and I imagine Sam's) and ask for the Artisan breads only frozen. Bring them home and keep in your freezer. When you need them, thaw them, then put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Warm, fabulous, over-the-top bread for any time! For dessert, we made Raspberry Italian Ices. There were just 10 of us today but we had a great time eating and visiting. A fun morning.
But then the list kept popping up its annoying head. I called my mom and told her I was working on my 20 things I had to do before tomorrow...she just laughed. And I didn't get most of them done. Here's just a few:
1. go to Barrus Photography to view and choose family pictures. Fingers crossed that there are some good ones to choose from. If they are all bad, I don't think I want to go through that again. Maybe I can just cut-and-paste the additions to the family on our 4-year-old portrait. I'm really hoping that Tanner and Brooke got some good engagement pictures to use for their announcements.
2. It is Brooke's birthday tomorrow. I hope I get to see her before we leave. She's actually going wedding dress shopping with her mom tomorrow.
3. Pack up all the Dish Network receivers and remotes and a whole list of stuff that has to be packed in two big boxes and mailed somewhere.....or....as the lady on the phone told me repeatedly...."you'll be charged big bucks!" Really, can't they just send someone out and pick up the stuff? They have service people out and about all over. I think they just don't care about customer service once they've lost your business.
4. Mail about 5 things off to various people...some that have to be metered to be sent. Do you love going to the post office as much as I do?
5. washing and packing. Hem one pair of pants.
6. hair cut
7. get a substitute teacher for Sunday. I have tried a dozen people...can't get anyone to answer their phones. Don't you just hate caller I.D. sometimes!
8. get some groceries for Tanner
9. try and get a Dr.'s appointment for my MIL
10. drop off things to 3 people, return some items as well
11. pay a few bills
12. clean the bottom of the pool
13. download Ipod
14. clean house
15-pick up clothes from dry cleaners
and on and on and on. It is going to be a busy day! On the plane, between dozing and...well, more dozing (I'm usually asleep before the plane leaves the tarmac)....I'm thinking up a couple of fun contests while I am gone. I'll post one on Friday....and one for Monday. In the meantime, hug everyone in sight. You just never know what is just around the corner.
The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. -- Anonymous
and
Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.-- Shari R. Barr
Last night, after family pictures in the canyon, I had Girl's Night Out. Cathy hosted and we went to Bajio's for dinner. It is always so fun to get together and catch up on each other's lives.
but something I ate didn't sit well. Rough night. Worried about the "to-do" list today. I had about 20 items on it....crossed off a few but added too many more! We are going out of town tomorrow....FINALLY getting to go to New England.....in the fall (think the Veggie Tales song...) ...hopefully to see some leaves. You know, it was on my short bucket list. David is kind of rolling his eyes....saying things like "what in the heck are we going to do there" but I know he's gonna love it as well. I have been looking forward to this trip....to relax, be with my hubby and our best pals....but then....
Tom and Penny's granddaughter died....it has broken my heart. And Brandon and Tiffany are flying in tomorrow for the funeral that will be Saturday while we are gone. Their plane actually arrives just before ours leaves....and although we're in different terminals, we're hoping that we can see them. Today I went to Tom and Penny's...to take some freezer meals that have come in so handy....and no one was home. I came home and called to leave a message for Penny to call when she got home so I could see her before I left. Her brother called me a couple of hours later to tell me that Tom was in the ICU at the new IMC hospital with blood clots in both lungs! We just got home about an hour ago....Penny is absolutely spent. Tom was actually in good spirits although his condition isn't great. They have told him that he won't be able to go to the funeral on Saturday but he is determined to prove them wrong. On the way home, as I said on the way to the hospital, "Honestly, how much can one family handle?" But after reflecting on it, I said to David that instead of complaining that God has given them too many burdens, to give thanks that Tom's life has been preserved. It is too easy to look at the difficult things without realizing the hand of God and blessings. Tom has actually had the blood clots, which started in his legs, for two weeks....without realizing it. He FLEW ON THE PLANE to Kansas City, to be with everyone at the hospital with the baby...and flew home again....with the blood clots traveling up to his lungs. He actually was quite ill on the plane...but suffered through it, not realizing what was happening.
Boy, life happens in a second. I'm feeling kind of emotional and a little worn out to travel and hoping all will be well while we are gone.
This morning was Creative Cooking here. Today was Quick and Easy Italian. I demonstrated and made: homemade pesto, the most fabulous Marguerite Pizza, Cheesy Polenta, Creamy chicken Italiano over whole wheat fettuccine, Dennilynne's wonderful Chicken Linguine...plus a couple of warm Puglilese and multi-grain breads from Costco. If you haven't heard this tip before, go to the bakery at Costco (and I imagine Sam's) and ask for the Artisan breads only frozen. Bring them home and keep in your freezer. When you need them, thaw them, then put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Warm, fabulous, over-the-top bread for any time! For dessert, we made Raspberry Italian Ices. There were just 10 of us today but we had a great time eating and visiting. A fun morning.
But then the list kept popping up its annoying head. I called my mom and told her I was working on my 20 things I had to do before tomorrow...she just laughed. And I didn't get most of them done. Here's just a few:
1. go to Barrus Photography to view and choose family pictures. Fingers crossed that there are some good ones to choose from. If they are all bad, I don't think I want to go through that again. Maybe I can just cut-and-paste the additions to the family on our 4-year-old portrait. I'm really hoping that Tanner and Brooke got some good engagement pictures to use for their announcements.
2. It is Brooke's birthday tomorrow. I hope I get to see her before we leave. She's actually going wedding dress shopping with her mom tomorrow.
3. Pack up all the Dish Network receivers and remotes and a whole list of stuff that has to be packed in two big boxes and mailed somewhere.....or....as the lady on the phone told me repeatedly...."you'll be charged big bucks!" Really, can't they just send someone out and pick up the stuff? They have service people out and about all over. I think they just don't care about customer service once they've lost your business.
4. Mail about 5 things off to various people...some that have to be metered to be sent. Do you love going to the post office as much as I do?
5. washing and packing. Hem one pair of pants.
6. hair cut
7. get a substitute teacher for Sunday. I have tried a dozen people...can't get anyone to answer their phones. Don't you just hate caller I.D. sometimes!
8. get some groceries for Tanner
9. try and get a Dr.'s appointment for my MIL
10. drop off things to 3 people, return some items as well
11. pay a few bills
12. clean the bottom of the pool
13. download Ipod
14. clean house
15-pick up clothes from dry cleaners
and on and on and on. It is going to be a busy day! On the plane, between dozing and...well, more dozing (I'm usually asleep before the plane leaves the tarmac)....I'm thinking up a couple of fun contests while I am gone. I'll post one on Friday....and one for Monday. In the meantime, hug everyone in sight. You just never know what is just around the corner.
The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. -- Anonymous
and
Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.-- Shari R. Barr
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