It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

This movie always puts me in the holiday mood!
Sally is a girl after my own heart.
Snoopy rules!

Thanks Tammy!

For The Baby

http://thediaperbagcenter.com/chibi-zoo-wash-cloth-set-p-57.html?zenid=rce3nivpcj9u8bq25hj15c9jf7

As a gift for advertising on my blog, the diaper bag center sent me a gift from their store.
I just got these for the Golden Child...and let me tell you what, the quality is perfection!
And nope, I don't get "extra points" for revewing the gift either!
They are soft & the perfect size!
Can't wait to use 'em on ze bebe!

We Got It!

Yeah! It's one of those days!

Dog Fight!

Love the Cujo eyes...

The camera settings were off, but I like the glowy effect...

It's just too bad they don't have any fun.

Colorado Springs Snow Day!

The Boofus snuggled up in frontof the fireplace,
The Caboose cuddled onto the sofa,

Mr. Wonderful making us breakfast.

Because today is a really snowy
Snow Day

And it's still coming down

covering everything to an icy perfection

And excitedly reminds the crazy part of my Miami-born self

that I live in the Colorado Rockies!

Dani & Mr. Idaho got over 2 feet of snow today!

And it's still coming down!

The kids are getting their snow gear out...

the hot chocolate will be flowing today!

THIS is Colorado-livin' and we are lovin' it!

This is Sure to Give you the Willies!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Can u even imagine??? Yikes!

Serendipity

Serendipity
is the effect by which one accidentally
discovers something fortunate,
especially while looking for something
entirely unrelated.

For example:

Silly Putty by James Wright, on the way to solving another problem: finding a rubber substitute for the United States during World War II. ( I love silly putty! Does anyone remember smashing it on the sunday comics and getting the ink to transfer onto it?!)

Cyanoacrylate-based Superglue (a.k.a. Krazy Glue) was accidentally twice discovered by Dr. Harry Coover, first when he was developing a clear plastic for gunsights and later, when he was trying to develop a heat-resistant polymer for jet canopies. (Super glue has saved my children's lives!)

Saran (plastic) was discovered when Ralph Wiley had trouble washing beakers used in development of a dry cleaning product. It was soon used to make plastic wrap. (What kitchen is without saran wrap these days? What would I do with my leftover potato salad?)

Penicillin by Alexander Fleming. He failed to disinfect cultures of bacteria when leaving for his vacations, only to find them contaminated with Penicillium molds, which killed the bacteria. However, he had previously done extensive research into antibacterial substances. (! yeah!)

Discovery of the planet Uranus by William Herschel. Herschel was looking for comets, and initially identified Uranus as a comet until he noticed the circularity of its orbit and its distance and suggested that it was a planet, the first one discovered since antiquity. (Uranus is the punch line of so many 5th grade jokes! Thanks Mr. Hershel!)

Discovery of the principle behind inkjet printers by a Canon engineer. After putting his hot soldering iron by accident on his pen, ink was ejected from the pen's point a few moments later.
(Printers have cured writer's cramp, I'm pretty sure. Before that it we had to use carbon paper to make copies! It was messy and I always had purple fingers!)

Corn flakes and wheat flakes (Wheaties) were accidentally discovered by the Kelloggs brothers in 1898, when they left cooked wheat unattended for a day and tried to roll the mass, obtaining a flaky material instead of a sheet. (I hear Champions crave their Wheaties!)

The Slinky was invented by US Navy engineer Richard T. James after he accidentally knocked a torsion spring off his work table and observed its unique motion. (It's Slinky! It's Slinky! A wonderful wonderful toy! A slinky! A Slinky! It's fun for a girl and a boy!)

Chocolate chip cookies were invented by Ruth Wakefield when she attempted to make chocolate drop cookies. She did not have the required chocolate so she broke up a candy bar and placed the chunks into the cookie mix. These chunks later morphed into what is now known as chocolate chips. (All hail the Ruth-ster!)

"Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for." Lawrence Block

Now here in our own house, we are experiencing some serendipity too:

Remember Nana thought she was going to go to Dixie State College in August? and then off to be a Nanny in Oregon? We were all ready to kiss her sweet cheeks good-bye last August. And then that fell through, remember? And she was so disappointed. But she got into school here and kept plugging along with a cheerful attitude and just kept saying, "I don't know why I'm still here, but until God tells me otherwise, I'm home."
Then her childhood friend started hanging around and started going to church with us and before we knew it, she joined and headed off to UNM.
And then she met Little Man. Who is getting ready for a mission now. He wasn't getting ready for a mission a month ago. Wasn't. Is Now.
And then!! yes there's more! There's always more!
A young man(from Alaska) who used to date the eldest daughter, now the wife of Mr. Idaho, came for a visit 2 weeks ago. And he & Nana hit it off really well...and he just ordered his own scriptures and is meeting with the missionaries next week!
But wait! there's more!
Just yesterday, a family in our ward (of 21 dentists--take or leave a couple) hired her as their full-time-live-in Nanny, paying her more than she would've made in Oregon. And get this: they live in our neighborhood. So we get to see her and smooch her and not miss her so much.

Have you had Serendipitous Adventures in Your Life?? Share!!!

P.S. Does anyone know if there's a Monument to Ruth Wakefield? As the inventor of chocolate chip cookies she should have a monument, a National holiday and a Town named after her. just sayin. Maybe we should get that going? Wait, lemme google it first.

Finality

My Journey to the Valley of the Sun
is officially over.
I wrote and wrote and wrote about it
until there was nothing left to say.
And then
I unpacked
my bags
and sighed a sigh
of gratitude.

Lucy, I'm home.

Why I love LDS Missionaries

Go read this.
Now.
Take a tissue.

http://lds.org.au/newsroom/article.asp?id=C6C01817-D5A0-46D2-B2F8-D37B0E1E80AD

Time

WARNING: This post is a true blue ramble.

It's been 4 days since
I came home from Arizona.

I've had alot of down time
time to think it all through,
time to let things settle down.


I left Phoenix 11 years ago.
October 1998 was the last time
I ever went there.
I didn't care if I ever went back.
You could say
I ran away from the State
and from alot of pain.

I ran away from an abusive marriage.
Having no family there
I was just as happy to be leaving
his family too.
They weren't nice.
Not to each other and certainly not to me.

When it was learned that I was
the one asking for the divorce
people made assumptions about
it.
I got hate mail.
Anonymously.
As much as I knew noone on the outside
knew what was going on inside the marriage
it still stung.
In the past I had been asked to speak
about Marriage.
I believe in Marriage.
I wanted to be married.
I just happened to be married
to someone who didn't.

But I didn't talk to people
about it.
And they made up their own minds
as people are wont to do when they
don't know the facts.
I got phone calls too.
From information-seekers...
"I hear you're getting a divorce--what happened?",
they'd ask.
I'd say, "I appreciate your concern, but this is
between D. and I."
These weren't my friends calling
these were busy-bodies.

It was so awful that by the time
I was finally closing the chapter
on that marriage
and moving forward in my new life,
I blocked it all and
just carried that pain with me.
All these years.

Seriously, I didn't want to look back.
Couldn't look back.
I decided that Arizonans were
not my kind of people.
They were harsh to me.

Then about 6 years ago
the phone rang and it was a good sister
in our ward who wanted to assign me
a new Visiting Teacher from Church.
I'm not a picky person
but when she said,
"You'll love her. They just moved here
from Arizona."
I got a lump in my throat.
No, I thought. Not Arizona. I can't do that.
I even told the good sister that I'd rather not.
But she assured me,
"Oh you will love her. Just give it a try."
I couldn't say No to her.

The morning she was due to come over
I was emotional. I was on guard.
I even called my husband at work
and he said
"If she's rude, show her the door."
But I never had to do that.
And that Arizonan became my best friend.
Nannette.

It was she who escorted me to Surprise
last week.
Encouraging, Uplifting and Carrying-on
all the way.
Sitting in the courtroom next to Nana
all smiles and eyes twinkling when I looked
over at her...
her hands rubbing Nana's back
and holding her hands.
That's my friend.

The thought of going back to the Valley of the Sun
made me nauseas
dredging up old pains and hurts.
Even the day we left,
I was looking for a "pardon" that would allow me to stay home.
But that never came.
Thank goodness.

As I drove thru Black Canyon
I saw the desert
with new eyes.
The tall saguaros looked majestic
the green mesquites were simple
and lovely
surrounded by lava mounds
and rolling desert hills,
oleanders, palm trees, bougainvillas,
prickly pears, Joshua trees,
and flowers that bloom once the
heat of summer has passed...
It wasn't the "dirt hole"
I labelled it from years before,
it was welcoming and vibrant.

Then Nan surprised me
with the meeting of Lori
who was so gracious
and so genuine...
And then Nan's friend Jennifer
was down-to-earth
and all that good stuff too!
IN fact, every single person
I met on the trip was the same way.

The entire experience wasn't what
I had anticipated.
I was worried I wouldn't be strong enough
for the harshness of the desert and it's people.
But that was so unnecessary...
I could let my defenses down
and exhale away my fears.
I could finally rest.

As I sit here now
I am so grateful that the pardon never came--
that I had to go
because in going I found
healing.
This trip was balm to my heart...
and I feel whole.

Before I left for the trip
I received a blessing from Mr Wonderful.
In it, I was blessed with Peace
and Comfort and Strength.
The closer I got to the State border
I felt more peaceful really.
I can even remember the exact place
where my heart was overflowing--
and tears filled my eyes...
right there in the Black Canyon just coming over a hill...
I think I know what it is to have a heart mended
on the spot
because my heart eased and that burden lifted
in just a moment's time.

It wasn't the "place"
that caused the grief
it was the situation.

"Time heals all wounds" they say...
but I don't think I entirely agree with that--
Sure I didn't think about my old life
with the same intensity--
afterall it's been 11 years
and life has taken over, ya know?
Time and distance certainly helped me
move forward--
I remarried my own personal Mr. Wonderful,
have created the marriage and life I always wanted--
But that little part of my heart
that was singed and torn from 11 years ago
was still very much the same as when I'd
packed it away on the dark side of my heart--
that piece of my heart
was still the same--
until Now.
Now, it's whole and new as if it'd never
been injured in the first place.
THAT is healing.
And time didn't do that.
Perspective did,
new friends did,
and
My Father in Heaven did--
I just had to let go.

Isn't it such a waste to let old injuries
reside in our souls?
Letting go of them is truly like
a Balm of Gilead...
that's time well spent.

CONFESSION

I still haven't unpacked.
And I don't even care.
My luggage is still sitting on the front room floor.

I haven't even left the house since I got home.
I've taken more naps than a toddler.
I am, in the language of my southern sister-in-law:
"Plum-Wore-Out".

The only thing I've cooked
is spaghetti noodles.
Altho I did make a salad to go with
our RONCO rotisseried chicken tonight.
Can I just say
I love my rotisserie?
Slap on the chicken
turn on the machine
and walk away
for a nap.

I know I should unpack.
I will unpack.
I will.
Tomorrow.
Probably.

More Surprises & Stuff

Random things left over from our trip to Surprise, Arizona...

* We bought Michael Buble's new cd and listened to it exactly 231 times...give or take. Song #5 is the fav. But #4 is way fun to sing with too!

* In looking for a Mexican place to eat, the GPS led us to Ralberto's in Flagstaff. Ptui!!! GAG! Don't go there!!! Ever! Fake Guacamole!!!! Like, from a jar or something. Plastic guacamole--there oughta be a law!!!

* Quoting Diana: "I don't typically lie." Nan:" Typically? Except on days ending in "y"? Momza: "I don't typically lie. much." oh we played that one into the ground!

* Sardella's Pizza and wings off Cactus and 43rd...to die for...we bought a cheese pizza and 40-pc wings to go! Which we had for dinner tonight! YUM!

* At the Fry's market next door to Sardella's, we bought every stinkin' jar of Macayo's taco sauce--both mild and medium. And it was good. We're serious about our salsa. just sayin.
That was 10 bottles, fyi. And yes, I woulda bought more if I coulda.

* I was in complete shock when we won the court case. My attorney prolly thinks I'm a weirdo for not jumping up and down. I was just trying not to hurl. My knees actually felt weak.

* A plug for my attorney: Carlie Owsley Walker at R.J. Peters and Assoc. TOTALLY ROCKS!

* Nan's friend, Jennifer has a chihuahua that looks kinda like a pot-bellied pig. it even oinks.

* Nan only wanted to stay in hotels that had 24 hour jacuzzis. I will travel with her the rest of my life.

* I still haven't unpacked. I've been too tired today. Tomorrow isn't lookin good either, fyi.

* I forgot my camera. ugh. I may never forgive myself for that.

A week of Surprises!

I am exhausted.
When Diana yelled up the stairs
this morning,
"Love you Mom"
I said
"You're Welcome."
She laughed, "What?"
I replied, "Hunh?"
"I just told you I love you and you said
'you're welcome. Are you awake yet?"

That was a few hours ago.

I am home from my trip to Arizona.
I've been thinking about what I could write about it
that would be blogworthy and not a travel-log
so this is my attempt to write about my trip
using the word
"SURPRISE"
as many times as possible.
Here goes:

With my friend Nan, and daughter, Nana at my side
I headed down to
Surprise, Arizona.
Because I had to go to court
because my ex-husband stopped paying child support
so I surprised him by getting an attorney
to sue his fancy pants.
That surprised him!

On the way down
to Surprise
we stopped for fuel
and a potty break.
Which is not a surprise, right?
But! while we were fueling the car
and relieving ourselves,
which took about 10 minutes
One of us went into an adjoining casino
and won over two hundred dollars!
Surprised the heck outta us!

When we got to Phoenix
coming down I-17 I was
SURPRISED
at how HUGE it has grown to be
since I left 11 years ago!
The traffic is unbelievable!
I didn't even know where I was--
my bearings were totally messed up!

Nan says she's going to stop by a friends' house
on the way,
that's no Surprise
tho
cause she knows everyone in the State of Arizona...
I'm not kidding.
If she doesn't know YOU, she knows your Mom,
Your best friend from high school or your Vet.
just sayin.
But what I didn't know
was she had arranged for me to meet one of the awesome
blogland Gals I follow!
So when we pulled into the driveway
and out walked Lori from Joy in the Journey--
I was more than a little
Surprised!
I was in shock!
and I looked like roadkill.
A million hours in the car isn't pretty,
ya know?

But Lori was wonderful
just as I knew she would be--
no surprise there!
But then she said she'd made us dinner!
Surprise!
My favorite: Chicken tortilla soup!
And her awesome apple dip!!
Loved. Every. Bite.!
Love you Lori!

As we were sitting around the table
her sweet husband next to me,
we were chatting about all kinds of church stuff
and I turned to him and said
"What is your calling in the Church?"
A slight twinkle in his eye
and little smile on his lips,
"Stake President."
SURPRISE!

Oh! and one of their neighbors is
a man I used to work for
as a Chiropractic assistant
back in 1986!
Surprise!
It's a small world!
Thanks Nan for the great Surprise!

So with a hug and a smile
we headed out to Surprise
where we were staying.
On the way to the edge of the world,
Nan made plans for her friend to meet us
at my favorite Mexican Restaurant
"Macayos"!
Surprise!
I didn't expect that
but hey! it's Macayos!
So we went and because I was still full from dinner
I ordered a "Famous Macayos cheese quesadilla"
Yum.
Nana shared it with me.
THEN! the staff came out and
sang "Happy Birthday" to Nana!
and we all shared a fried ice cream!
Woohoo! for yummy Surprises!
We were stuffed!!!

And the weather in Surprise was
perfect!! And I mean PERFECT!

When we finally settled in
for the night
I realized that I didn't know the exact time
of the court hearing--I thought it was 8:30AM--
Surprise! --it wasn't until 1:30 PM!!
YEA! I could sleep in!

Nan's friend, Jennifer made us breakfast:
sausage gravy and homemade biscuits!
YUM!
I showered and said my prayers,
got dressed, thanked our wonderful hosts,
Then we headed over to the Surprise courthouse.

So inside the courthouse
I waited to meet my attorney--
I'd picked her off the internet--
no kidding--
and had no idea what she looked like!
A lovely young woman came around
the corner
and you guessed it--
Surprise!
It was her!
She was sharp as a tack,
so professional
but funny
and personable!
Once inside the courtroom
I was kinda dopey
I didn't know what to expect.
But she led me along
and was such a comfort.

Watching the Ex testify was like watching
a horrible train wreck.
It got messy.
That's what happens when
you lie, dude.
Sometimes you get away with it
and sometimes you get cornered.
He got cornered.
He rarely gets cornered.
Surprise!

The judge was really perfect.
So much so, that I am writing him a letter
and telling him as much.
For those of you in Phoenix,
his last name is Brotherton.
And if you ever have to go in front of him
be thankful.
Judge Brotherton gave me
all that I was asking for and
we won.

I was SURPRISED!!
Actually, I was nauseas
and was hoping I wouldn't puke.
But wonderfully relieved it was all over.
Entirely grateful.

After the court,
we went to Olive Garden to celebrate.
Then we headed to Winslow, Arizona
for the night.
Know that Eagles' song,
with the line,
"Standin on the corner in Winslow, Arizona,
such a fine sight to see
there's a girl my lord
with a flat bed Ford
slowin down to take a look at me..."
Know it?
Well, there's an actual statue of a guy
"Standin on the corner"...
and Nan, Nana and I started singing that song
about every stinking thing
we saw standing on a corner...
construction crew:
"Workin on the corner in Winslow, Arizona..."
a metal camel:
"Camel on the corner in Winslow, Arizona.."
McDonalds:
"McDonald's on the corner in Winslow, Arizona..."
we even saw a real guy, so we rolled down the window
and sang to him,
"Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona! Sucha fine sight to see!"
That Surprised him!

So we got home late last night
to see a snow-covered lawn--
and Nana's boy, M. met us in the driveway...
and to her absolute SURPRISE!--
he decorated her room with streamers and balloons
for her birthday!!

So I collapsed into my own bed
amazed at how fast 4 days rolled
by...
grateful for good friends
who've kept me in their prayers
held good thoughts for me
thru this trial
and a family that was kept safe
in my absence.

Surprises.
I love a good one.
How about you?

*how many was that?

Road Trip!

The mountains of Colorado
will trail behind me
in my rear view mirror
as we drive South
for the land of kokopeli's
cactus, asphalt
and hot
hot
sun.

It was a toasty 100 degrees
there in the Valley of the Sun
yesterday.
It's supposed to be in the high 80's
while we're there...
I am thankful for tender mercies.
I can't do 100o anymore,
that's freaking HOT!
I'd probably cry if I had to--
I'm a sissy that way.

So I've dragged out my
short sleeves
and capris,
my sunblock
and sandals
and even my swimsuit.
In October!
On account of it being so hot.

I haven't been to Phoenix since 1998.
I've heard it's gotten
BIGGER and BETTER
ALL-NEW IMPROVED
and the hot pavement goes forever
in all directions!


This small-town girl is ready
for the likes of the 5th largest city
in America.
I've packed my bag,
gotten a great tour guide
and said my prayers.

Did I mention it's going to snow here this week?
And I will be seeking air-conditioning like none other there.
Did I tell you it's hot?

5 Weeks and Counting Down!

Spoke to Dani last night
we talked all things
Baby.
The nursery is ready to go
she says.
The crib linens are on
the bassinet is ready
to lay a little head down
into it's wonderful softness.

She is feeling the weight of
Golden Boy's head on her
pelvic floor--
do you remember that?
I let her know that's normal.
He's settling in for the
journey of birth.

I can't wait to see his little face.
I see so many new little faces
coming into this world
I oooh and ahhh over them,
and then I hand them back
to their mommies and daddies.
This one,
this little Golden Boy
I can keep.
I'll be there when he comes into
this wonderful world
and I'll hold him and smell him in
and smooch those soft cheeks
I won't have to give him back--
"Cept when he poops.
Then I'll hand him back.

Oh, this is going to be
Good.

Yesterday was Christmas, Today is Halloween!

Since Christmas is something I have to plan for,
I shared our tradition yesterday
of the 4 gifts of Christmas.

But today it's all about Halloween, bebeh.
Halloween rocks!
We used to have huge halloween parties
every year because Nana's bday
is next week
and she loved "dress-up"
so it just always worked.

In Colorado,
Halloween is either freezing freakin' cold--
snow, wind, blizzard conditions
freezing rain and negative wind chill
or it's a beautiful fall evening.
We plan on it being cold though.
SO costumes are made or chosen
based on whether a long-sleeved turtleneck
a fleece shirt
or long johns can be worn under said costume.
Only one time has there been a leftover Summer day
for Halloween--
and Nana was "I dream of Jeannie".
The rest of the years
we go with long dresses for the girls--
any kind will do...
Snow White, Sleeping Beauty,
Fairy Princesses, Scary Witches--
or Knights, Army Guys, etc. for the boys--
it doesn't matter really
as long as we can warm it up
under them we're good to go.

Mr W has a TIGGER costume
and I have the POOH one--
which I got the year Boofus was born--
I was 9 months pg in a POOH costume.
The round belly made me look authentic
and I was so darn cute!

We play games like
Bigger OR Better: Divide the group into teams, give each team a penny, and send them off in different directions in the neighborhood. Each house they go up to, they ask the person there if they have anything BIGGER or BETTER than a penny. They then trade the penny for whatever the person gives them and go to the next house and trade that object for something BIGGER or BETTER...and then at the end of the given time, each team returns to the house and we vote on who got the best BIGGER or BETTER--you'd be amazed at some of the things we've ended up with!
Cracker Whistling: Divide kids into teams. This is a relay. At the other side of the room, each runner has to eat a saltine and whistle, before they can run back to their team. The teams that gets thru first, wins.
Murder in the Dark: This is really for older kids. Everyone sits in a circle,holding hands, lights off, and either a big candle (with a large plate under it) OR a decent flashlight that sits upright towards the ceiling. Each player draws a small peice of paper from a pile in the middle of the circle. Only one peice of paper has an "X" on it. The player that gets that "X" is the "Murderer" and tells noone.
Now this is where it gets interesting: The Murderer has to kill off everyone else in the circle before being caught. How he does that is by squeezing the person's hand next to him the number of spaces the person he wants to kill is sitting away from him. For example, if the next victim is sitting 3 people away from him, he'd squeeze 3 times the hand of the person sitting right next to him, then that person would squeeze their hand 2 times, and then the next person would squeeze their hand 1 time, and the person who gets their hand squeezed 1 time, dies and is removed from the circle. No words are allowed at all, except if a player (not dead) has a Suscpicion. Then they say, "I suspect the Murderer is _______." If another player wants to, they can Second it. Then the Suspect has to be honest and say whether or not they were the Murderer. If they're innocent, the Accusers are out. If the Suspect is the Murderer, the game is over and can start again. The Accusers get a treat for winning or whatever.
Apple Dunking: Fill a humongous bucket with water, toss in the apples and let the kids go for it with their mouths. But with cold and flu season being so rampant these days, we won't be playing that this year.
Fortune Telling: Little kids love this game. Someone older (like a Mom or Dad) dresses up like a gypsy and tells them their fortunes.
Mad Scientist Lab: Blindfolded, the kids are led down a line of bowls filled with assorted foods and they try to guess what they are touching: Tiny pickles are "witches toes", Whole olives are eyeballs, Spaghetti is brains, and on and on. Tiny kids don't like this much, but 2nd graders do!

So those are just a few games.

As far as trick or treating,
when it's so cold, the younger the kids are,
the quicker the round of the neighborhood is over.
We also go to trunk-or-treating at Church
and the kids love that!

Once the kids have their loot of goodies
I go thru it all and toss out the unwrapped/suspicious stuff
and then they have free reign for a couple days--
they can eat as much as they want for those days
then I toss out the rest.

Amy over at Fourth Frog Blog does something unique--
so you should go over and read about it...
maybe it'll give you an idea or two.

So I've got a Halloween Party to plan.
The Caboose wants to be Dorothy from Wizard of Oz--
but she'll have to wear a long sleeve shirt under,
and white sweater tights.
oh, and I'll need to go to Goodwill maybe and
find some of those red glittered shoes.
Boofus wants to be a variety of things--
all of which include some kind of sword, so we'll see.

Me? I'll be getting out that POOH costume.
It's like a SNUGGLI...all fleecy and warm
I can bear (pun-intended) the cold in that!

What kind of Halloween traditions do you have??

The 4 Gifts of Christmas

The Gifts of Christmas:

Since it's getting close to Christmas-shopping time, I thought I would share this.

After years of wandering down aisles at Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us, I discovered a better way to celebrate Christmas with my family. It works great for us, changing the way we give and receive gifts.

Each person receives FOUR gifts...

*Gold: Something Special, something asked for or truly needed. “worth gold” in sentiment. (wrap it in gold paper/bag!)
*Frankincense: Something Spiritual/Inspiring for the individual.
*Myrhh: Something to compliment the individual’s talents or hobby.
*Santa Claus: Something whimsical, fun, unexpected. (wrap it in cartoon paper/bag ie: santa, snowman; make it FUN!)

This tradition means gift-giving has become meaningful and more personal, which is what I was going for all along--and it can be incorporated into traditions you may already have.

With the economy being as it is currently, this might help keep your Christmas simple but amazing.
Now the best testimonial as to whether my kids like a tradition or not, is whether they carry it on in their own family. My oldest kids have adopted it too. So there you have it.

Now, I better get busy and start making my list!

Do you have traditions you wanna share?

How to Throw Money Down the Drain

First, you buy expensive Collector Barbie dolls...

And you keep them boxed up for-ev-er...

Keep all of them put way up high. In their original boxes. For years!

Then, your 14 year old puts them in your 8 year olds room while she's at a sleepover, thinking she'll surprise her little sister by letting her display them in her room.

But 14 year old forgets to tell 8 year old not to open the boxes.

Voila! that's how you throw money right down the drain. In the trash. Out the window. Up in smoke. Down in flames. See how easy that was?

Just Say No

This rotten cold is in my head
and has been keeping me close to home.

In an effort to get over it,
I've done all I can think of
taken all I can
to nix this germ to death
and still
I'm stuffy.

In desperation,
I rummaged thru a medicine box
and found a lone
Aleve Sinus and Cold pill--
ah HA! relief came quickly
so the next day
I had Nannette go buy
a whole box for me.

These are the kind of pills
that you have to sign your life
away for at the Pharmacy counter:
your name,
Driver's License,
next of kin,
favorite TV show
and color of your toothbrush.

Nannette,
what IS the color of your toothbrush?

So that was Wednesday.
Have you noticed I've posted alot of
blogs this week?
There's a good reason for that.
I haven't slept since Wednesday
on account of the SPEED
in the drugs I've been taken!
I went to bed at 6:30 this morning.

Around 2:30am the Midwife called--
I was already AWAKE
but too sick to go to a birth, dang it!
Cuz who wants a coughing wheezing fool
in the room when a baby's on the way?
Noone, that's who.
So I had to stay home.
After the call,
Mr Wonderful poked his head out of our room
to find me sitting in the loft office
plucking away on the PC.

"why am I still awake?" I asked him.
"Its the psuedoephedrine in the meds you're taking."
"The what?" I asked.
"Speed. That's why you have to get it from the pharmacist.
It's what drug dealers make Meth out of."
"Wait. Why would drug addicts want to be up all night with clear sinuses?"

The first couple of hours were fine.
I checked the profiles of all of my facebook friends--
even those I don't really care about.
That's also when I plucked out the 50 things your Mama never told you,
and about 4 other blog posts that,
in the light of day,
I have saved as a draft.

I read all the Entertainment News online--
did you know that "experts" are waging in
on how long Khloe Kardashian and her new husband
will stay married?
And then I read obscure news reports like
the one about the pregnant beluga whate that
washed up on shore in Alaska--and
there's only 321 beluga whales left on the
whole stinkin planet!
Did you know that?

I read more blogs than I ever have...
even left comments on bloggers'
from Germany ( I can't read German),
from Italy ( I can't read Italian)
from Brazil ( not fluent in Portugese either, but I liked their pictures!)
and I even got an email from one blogger
in German
thanking me
in broken english.
no kiddin.

That was in the first couple of hours.
By 3:30am I was on HULU--
thank goodness for that!
I watched 3 hours of
Dancing with the Stars.
All the episodes I missed
without commercial breaks.

And then, the drug finallywore off
and I climbed into bed
at 6:30am. and I was OUT.

I will never ever take
a drug that makes me stay
up all night long.
I don't care how stuffy
my sinuses are...
I'll Just Say No.

Now you know
why I could never be a
Drug Addict.

Stuff Mama Never Told You

1. The day you accept his proposal for marriage, will be the last day you ever think solely about yourself. From there on out, all of your choices including what you will eat, where you'll live, what TV shows you'll watch, and how much milk you buy every week will change.
2. The day after your wedding, you'll wonder why you worried so much over the wedding.
3. The girlfriends that you always had time for, before the wedding, you don't seem to get to see even 1/4 as much as you used to, after the wedding.
4. While eating Cheerios or the Special K diet worked just fine for you as a dinner food, it doesn't work out that way after you're married. You actually have to cook...like with pots and pans. And your mom's spaghetti or pot roast never tasted so good as it does when you visit on Sundays.
5. But don't worry, you get to have cereal for dinner when you get toddlers.
6. The day you discover you're pregnant, isn't always a big celebration. Especially if you're a fertile Myrtle. And it's the 3rd child in two years.
7. But Becoming a Mother gives you special powers that you never knew you had.
8. Baby poop is sticky.
9. Baby spit-up can be projected across the room.
10. You might up-chuck changing a toddlers' diaper.
11. Gerber's Banana Delight is pretty yummy.
12. Breastmilk leaks when you hear a baby cry and it's not yours.
13. Never feed a toddler chili. Just don't.
14. Don't dress your child for the photographer until right before the photoshoot. Ever.
15. And wait to put the bows/ribbons on until right then too. Same goes for little boys' ties, hats, and jackets.
16. Tell the photographer to make sure your 9 year old isn't making a funny face in the sea of faces, before the camera clicks. "Just keep an eye on 'em."
17. Vacations are not all they're cracked up to be. Going to Disneyland as a child is not the same as going as a parent. It can be really stressful. And always more expensive than you planned.
18. Lock the bedroom door.
19. Check it twice.
20. Giggling behind said locked door makes the little ones come running to see what all the fun is.
21. Make sure you have a lock-popper outside the bathroom door. Don't forget to put it back after you use it.
22. Juice boxes are better than juice bags in the hands of little ones.
23. Put up the dog/cat food when your pet is thru with it.
24. Dog/Cat/Rabbit food will not harm your toddler, but whew! on the smell!
25. Pacifiers melt in the dryer.
26. Don't enjoy the peace and quiet coming from a child's bedroom. Check on them. Often.
27. Colored marker doesn't come off the roof of your car.
28. Fruit snacks are hard to get out of hair.
29. You will see more children's movies in your lifetime than you can dream of, and some will give you nightmares.
30. The first time your child writes their own name, you may cry.
31. All the build-up for that first Primary day in Nursery is a let down cuz the baby is gonna cry
the next Sunday for sure if they didn't cry the first one.
32. And you may stand in the hall and have to fight back tears as every fiber in your being wants to go in and pick 'em up!
33. Same thing happens the first day of preschool.
34. And Kindergarten.
35. And first grade.
36. And high school.
37. And the good news is, on those first days, you might get a nap instead of running all those errands you wanted to run while they were gone.
38. Or have uninterrupted computer time.
39. Or just have one less sandwich to make for lunch that day.
40. You may forget to pick up your child/ren from school.
41. And you'll feel like dirt when you see them standing in the school office with the secretary.
42. But that's okay, because there's another kid there too!
43. Unless you're way way late...cuz you totally lost track of time and your cell is dead.
44. Be prepared for a tongue lashing and tears.
45. Ballet shoes are not worth what they cost for little girls. And are often found in the bottom of the toy box.
46. Speaking of toy boxes, kids love it when you go in and organize their toys--so they can pull them all out faster.
47. Boxes are better than toys.
48. Don't buy legos until there are no babies/toddlers left in the house. Just don't.
49. All Barbies look the same when their clothes are off: Naked Blondes.
50. Missing a baby bottle/pacifier/favorite blanket? Check the trash.

SO, that's my top 50--What did I leave out???

Sick days Fall 2009

Cold Season = Kiddos home from school.

= Legos









We keep telling ourselves that one day,
our boy is gonna be
the next
Bill Gates...
engineering, architecture,
aerospace design...
the sky is the limit!
--the only thing holding him back
is his aversion to Math.

but for right now,
we're keepin' him
supplied in legos!

p.s. my voice was hoarse from same said cold.

What do your kids do on sick days?

With Apologies to Oprah...

"Oprah" made a mess of her string toy...

as you may be able to make out on the carpet behind her.

"Oprah" has actually eaten some of their homework.

The kids are calling the dog
"Oprah"...
We named her "Dakota"

or "Kota" for short,
but she doesn't listen--
I wanted to change it to
"Gully",
but I admit it
Oprah is growing on me.

Postscript: I think we're gonna keep "Dakota"...Oprah didn't last.

Road Trip

So I'm heading south
WAY SOUTH
to Arizona
October 20-22
to be exact.

Aside from some business
I have to take care of,
there's just one place
other than Macayo's I want to go.
The Temple.

Maybe I can meet
my blogland friends
there?
Let me know!

NieNie's Beauty

I watched Nie Nie on Oprah yesterday.
The sight of her left me in awe--did it you?
Her Beauty exceeded L'Oreal
stomped all over Clairol and Maybelline
out-shone any Clinique or Bare Escentuals model.

Her beauty came from within.
And you can't buy that.

Life's challenges can poison our souls
give us a bitter taste in our mouths
that will leave us in dark places
and closed hearts
OR
Life can polish our souls
give us reason to rejoice with our lips
light up our world
and open wide our hearts.

The Choice
as always is
Ours as
Stephanie Aurora Clark
showed us so brilliantly.

Prayers of Parents Are Answered

As a Mother of many, I have spent hours on my knees
praying for my children--
when they were young,
my heart was mostly focused on
their health.
Every fever,
every stuffy nose,
scraped knee and elbow
brought me to my God
on behalf of my children.

My prayers became more extensive
when they started school:
That their minds would be keen
and their voices kind,
that their hearts would be strong
and not weak to the things
of this world.

Seasons change
and as young adulthood lay at their feet
and mine
it was time to re-examine what it was
I really really taught them
by word and deed...
was it enough?
The loops in my example
began to show
the lapses in my teachings
revealed.
I was not a perfect parent
a perfect teacher
a perfect example.
As much as I tried,
my own fallibilities
were laid out.
The words of my prayers
repeated the same--
pleadings for their safety
and that their hearts would not
fail them
and that our Heavenly Father
would not let them
wander off too far from the path,
when I saw my children making choices
that put fear into my heart for them.

At that point
right there,
I had to exercise
my own faith.

I could not follow them around
all the days of their lives
pointing out the dangers
of worldly options.
No, I had to trust that
despite my best efforts,
tho I was not
am not
a perfect Parent,
we do have One who loves
me and my children unconditionally.
I could trust in that
Perfect Love.

So what inspired this post, you may wonder?
Well last week I witnessed a parent's prayer
being answered
and I didn't even know it.

We were at lunch with Nannette
who prompted Nana to get to know
a young man
in our ward.
I will call him "Little Man".
She egged her on to
"just text him, he's a nice guy."
Nana got the number from Kadi
and then randomly texted
this young man
who had no idea
God was about to answer some prayers.

Over the course of the weekend
Nana got to know Little Man
and invited him over to watch
General Conference with us,
make cookies,
have dinner, and just hang out.
She wasn't doing him
a favor.
He's a handsome
kind and thoughtful
young man,
so that was easy.

By Sunday night,
his life took a different path.
He read his scriptures with Nana.
He said his mind was "enlightened about Gospel things."
He made amends with family members.
Tender phone conversations took place,
tears were shed,
apologies offered and accepted.
A course correction seems evident.
And he credited Nana for the new focus.
She, of course, points to the Savior
and says it wasn't her.
Cuz it wasn't.

By Monday, we are hearing that
his parents are anxious to meet
this "new girl" in their son's life.
They want to see who God used
to answer their prayers.
They will be surprised to see
it's just my Nana.

My Nana, for whom I have spent
time on my own knees
praying for her safety and happiness.
My Nana, who wondered over and over
why she didn't head off to Oregon
for that Nanny job
or leave for college
this last Fall
when everyone else left.
Who was left behind
for reasons unbeknownst to her--
but now we are seeing that it was
part of the plan for her life
to stay.
Kaitlyn.
and now, Little Man.

Does our Heavenly Father hear the prayers
of parents and siblings
when one of their own wanders away?
Yes He does.
We can trust in His Love
and Timing.
Neil A. Maxwell said,
"Faith in God includes
Faith in His timing."
Have you had prayers answered regarding your children?

"God does hear our prayers,
but it is usually through
another person that
He answers them."
-Spencer W. Kimball

Shout-Outs, HomeBirth and Heaven-stuff

It's 2:30AM Tuesday morning.
I'm not a night owl
nor am I an early bird.
Coughing got me up
to make some Echinacea tea
and check emails and others blogs
that I missed reading over the
weekend.
Everyone has been so busy
out in blogland!
SO here's my shoutouts:

~Wendy, so glad you are still alive
after the whitewater rafting trip!

I wanna do that someday! Fear and common sense
seem to get in my way! I just need to jump in!

~Sue, Tammy, and all the others who posted
about General Conference,

I'm right there with you!
The house was like Grand Central Station
for Conference,
as people poured in and out to watch
the 4 different sessions with our family.
And I loved it, too.
I will say, I missed President Hinckley
alot this year.
Especially at the end of Sunday afternoon--
I longed to see that little grey-haired Granpa
walk over to the podium
and tell everyone to drive home safely,
like he always did.

~Sara, you look beautiful pregnant!

I got a birth call on Monday morning
at 12:45 am that one of our pregnant Moms
was in active labor...
that call always gives me an instant shot
of adrenaline!
I got over to the house to find Momma D.
being comforted by Papa R. as she slowly breathed thru
each wave of contractions.
I brought things out of the Midwife's car
and began the set-up.
Emily arrived and I am always glad when she shows up!
She is a younger gal who has been doing homebirth
a long time and makes her job look effortless.
After the set-up was complete,
we decided that one of us should sleep
while two watched after Momma D.
Since I've been the one with a cold
last week,
I was voted to rest first.
I welcomed it and went downstairs to rest.
The only WAHHH moment I wanna share
is that there were no blankets or throws
to be found
and the heat vents were closed
so I was a popsicle!
After an hour's rest,
it was evident that Momma D.'s Baby
was in a posterior position and needed to be turned.
So we tried lots of different positions
and took her over to an awesome
Chiropractors' office for an adjustment.
This Guy was amazing!
We were there 35 minutes
and he rotated the baby!
I am not kidding! I saw it with my own eyes!
And his technique was nearly imperceivable!
Dr. Davis, you rock!
Momma D.'s labor went from a
sluggish 8 minutes
apart,
to a fast clipping 5, 4, 3 minutes apart
within an hour afterwards!
Yea! for people who know what they're doing
and do it perfectly!
Momma wondered aloud
if the pain was going to get worse.
"are you sure it's not going to get
worse than this?"--
she was a first time Momma
and handled her labor very well.
From the time she was adjusted
to the time she was complete-
it was only 3 1/2 hours.
She loved the pool
and said she wanted no part of the
birthing stool
yet when it came right down to it
the stool really helped her
bring that baby down.
Delivery was alot of work
but @ 1:40 PM
the newest perfect little boy came into the world!
And here's something wild--
going into labor noone knew what the Gender was--
so as I'm tending to Momma D.
I was saying a prayer for her and baby
and the rest of us too--
and I just asked Heavenly Father
what the gender was--
am I praying for a male spirit or a female?
Male, came back the answer.
So as the other people in the room
were referring to the baby as "she"
I kept saying "he"--
even when the hearttones suggested
"girl"--
I smiled and said,
"nope, I'm betting it's a boy."
I learned that you can put questions
out there and get an answer
right then.
So after many hours away from home,
I returned with stringy hair (from the sauna-like bedroom)
and a need for a hot shower
with a little bit of heaven
in my heart.
The weekend seemed to go forever
but I am looking forward
to a very boring
Tuesday.

What they don't know...

In Mormonese, being a Latter-Day Saint is loosely translated into "that person who is always in meetings."
It's true. Ask any LDS or Mormon person you know, and they'll fess up. Because we have a lay ministry, it's up to US the members to keep this place cookin'.
We label our individual duties as "callings"...and most of us have had to help in nearly every organization there is set up in the Church. I've taught and led in the Women's Organization, Relief Society; the Young Women's organization (12-18 yr old girls), the Primary Organization (18 mos. to 12 yrs.), Missionary work, even the Facilities committee (cleaning the building itself! and getting others to give up their Saturday morning to do the same--and honestly, it was a fun calling that the whole family could do together), and I've also served in the Temple...among other things.
In short, I thought I'd pretty much served everywhere over the last 30 years since I converted to the LDS faith.
I was wrong.
Mr W and I have recently been called to be Stake Single Adults Representatives...SAPS for short.
lol Hey, it sounds better than SARS right? Cuz we all know that's not good.

So Tuesday night was our first meeting that is sure to become a blip in my memory as more meetings ensue in the coming weeks and months.
This meeting was a Multi-Stake meeting...wherein the seats were filled with Stake Presidency members, High Councilmen, and other men who have either been Bishops or Stake Presidency members, covering the entire Colorado Springs region. And also in attendance, presiding over this meeting was our own Stake President and one of his councilors. (Or is it counsellors? spell check, anyone?)
At the end of the long table sat two unknowns. That would be Mr W and Me.
"One of these things is not like the other...one of these things is not the same...can you guess which one?"

I felt like a hog wearing a silk dress.
Thoughts runnin through my head like
"Don't they know I'm not holy like them?"
"Don't they know I don't make my bed everyday?"
"Don't they know I fed my family hot dogs and chili last weekend and zipped them up in a tent?"

Seriously, didn't they get the memo? How can I rub shoulders with all these guys? When they find out my kids have names for bodily functions that include "Wookie farts" or "fart storms"
will they then come to their senses and realize that they have chosen unwisely?

When will they realize this stuff and look around for someone else to step in and sweetly say to me, "Don't let the door slam on your way out."
I'm just wondering how I can ever measure up.
Maybe I should start by reading my scriptures more diligently. Like twice a week.
Make my bed everyday.
Stop buying chili altogether.

Whaddya think?

Images and Words

The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.
- John Muir

Each generation takes the earth as trustees.
We ought to bequeath to posterity as many forests
and orchards as we have exhausted and consumed.
- J. Sterling Morton

In the woods we return to reason and faith. - Ralph Waldo Emerson


*****************