Tender Mercies Tuesday- blog friends

I really have no time for this right now- but I want to share this.

Several years ago, in my blog wanderings, I came across Gabriela's blog. She and her family were living in Mexico at the time, but after a few months of reading, she announced they were moving to the country where my son had just been called to serve as a full time missionary. From her blog, I learned that I should send him peanut butter, syrup, laundry soap, and sandwich baggies. Other info of great use too- such as to NOT use your fingers to signal OK. Gabriela- having never met me, and me barely having left hardly any comments even, spent time looking for Christmas ornaments specifically from Brazil for the Outpatient.

Through other blog wanderings, I eventually found Becky of Misplaced Americans (now of Pensievity). I learned of wonderful missionary experiences and then found out that she lived in my son's mission. She has sent me recipes and advice, and- this past month- and merely two days after giving birth, promptly emailed me back about some medical questions because both Outpatient and the DR were feeling poorly after just reaching Brazil. (I didn't know she had her baby until that night- she is awesome).

With others, I have prayed for their children facing medical or personal difficulties. I have felt the prayers as my own family has faced trials and concerns. I have had laughter from giant pumpkin obsessed spouses and travels gone awry to tears from amazing spiritual experiences and trials. I have been excited over your new arrivals and been excited to share info about ours.

As nearly everything can be used for good or evil, I am very grateful for the great good that can come from the internet.

Thank you bloggy friends- who even though the DR does not understand the whys, he admits you guys are pretty awesome. You have enriched my life.

I am also grateful (scared but grateful) for some changes that are soon to come to this Looney bin. More on that later.

The Fun that is to come

We are preparing to admit a few temporary patients into the Looney Bin. The semi-permanent patients are extremely excited for this event. Oldest has even declared himself as the "Ava-sitter" 24-7! You read that right. He says he will be taking care of Miss Ava Grace 24-7. We will see how long that lasts. Truth be told, she loves him, and I think he may just have a soft spot in his heart for that little monkey.

My sister and her (very protective of his children) husband are taking a much deserved break from reality, and we are the lucky facility they have allowed to take in their offspring. Miss Ava will be joined by Miss Elle (already Middle is trying to make total claim on her), Miss Katerbug, Miss Talia, and Mr Calvin. No- not the jeans guy.

My Activity Day girls want me to have Activity Day while they are here. Just to meet the notorious Ava Grace. They have heard all about her. A couple have even met Her Highness already, and been initiated into the Ava Grace Fan Club. All this notoriety just may go to her head.

As for Talia- she asked me rather hesitantly if we still have snow. I was thrilled to report that no, we don't- only a very little bit in the dark north corners. However- I wouldn't get too excited for springlike weather that she is accustomed to. She will no doubt find it rather chillier here.

I have heard no word from Calvin on his expectations or fears- guess we will have to wait and see. Kate hasn't spoken up on anything either. But- we will have a wonderful Easter weekend- with the double goodness of General Conference. Although it has been six months, it feels like just yesterday. Not all of my memories of the last GC are pleasant, so I am hoping to wash my brain a little bit. I am realistic in thinking I may not hear much the first time around, but who knows, the patients and visitors may surprise me.

I will try to make it a memorable week for all of us- of the best kind of memories- so-

Talia, Calvin, Kate, Ava, and even Elle- bring your tennies, jeans and a jacket- but pray for lots and lots of sunshine. We are soooo excited to have you!



Out of curiosity- just how many loads of laundry do you think I will do this coming week?

Movie Review

Our in-patients and the DR and I just returned from watching the new movie- How to Train Your Dragon-

Very cute movie! Some slightly intense action scenes- but only for very young children-

In the words of Oldest-

"That is my new Favorite Movie"!

Food For Thought

From Oldest's fortune cookie:


No matter what your past has been, you have a spotless future.

Good Food Friday- MMMMManicotti

This was the Outpatient's favorite meal for years, although it has since been replaced by brazillian bbq-



1/2 lb pork sausage, browned and drained
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 cup plain bread crumbs
8 oz mozzarella cheese- grated
1/2 large onion, chopped
oregano- to taste
garlic salt- to taste
salt and pepper- to taste
2 eggs- beaten
1/2 to 1 C milk
14 Manicotti Noodles (cooked a few minutes less than package directions)
3 or more cups of Tomato Sauce

Additional Mozzarella for topping

Cook and drain meat. Cool. Add bread crumbs, grated cheese, chopped onion, seasonings, and eggs. Add enough milk to make sure the stuffing is moist. Meanwhile, cook the noodles a few minutes less than the directions on the box so they are still a little undercooked. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water- drain completely. Prepare pan with a cup of tomato sauce in the bottom. Carefully stuff each noodle with meat mixture and place in a 9x13 baking dish, lining them up side by side, and across the bottom as needed. Pour remaining tomato sauce over the top of the noodles, using enough to cover the noodles. Top with additional grated mozzarella cheese and bake at 350 degrees, for 35-40 minutes until cooked through.

Any remaining stuffing you can put in the freezer. My original recipe is half of this- but I always double it- at least- and I usually just use a pound of each meat.

Milestone 600

600 posts. At least of the published variety. I admit to having a few drafts, but I even cleaned those out, leaving only things I put in there to keep a copy of. There are some funny things in there- like a blog post from a lady who spent the better part of her morning running her errands only to find out that after putting on her cami- she neglected to add her shirt. She is an endowed member of the church. Can you just picture the "Going to school in your underwear dream" coming true? There is also a thought provoking post on changing perception from negative to positive by where you use "but"- for example, I went to the gym 4 times last week, but I gained 4 pounds vs. I gained 4 pounds, but I went to the gym 4 times last week (totally an example- I did not go to the gym 4 times boo)

Anyway- I had hoped for a lot of thought provoking questions to answer so I wouldn't have to provoke my thoughts on my own- but alas- not. Either I have scared all of you or I have pretty much let it all out on here.

Amber wanted to know what my favorite post was. I wasn't particularly sure- but the first one that came into my mind was the one about Middle and her money jar for Grandma Bunnie. here. I am glad I documented the proof that she can be generous and sweet, because we don't get to see a lot of evidence of that here in the Looney Bin.

Out of curiosity, I went back and read quite a few posts, like nearly a whole years' worth. I am going to have to say that there were several that I hadn't remembered but that I am rather proud of. Think about its, and tender mercies, and one about my really awesome neighborhood. And I love my missionary posts :).

My patients posted several questions which I deleted because it looked like I was asking myself questions :)-

Why did I start to blog- well, it is their fault, actually. I was reading several of your blogs long before I started my own. Then my SIL started one, then one sister, then another who totally surprised me when she did even though she is an English major. Generally speaking, she is not one for sharing information like that. Long story, but after many proddings from all my patients- not the DR, though, I finally caved and set to work. Then quite a few months into it, I got smart and realized that if I sent the link to Outpatient, he could read my blog and see more pictures than ldsmail would allow. Then my mom got sick and I made sure to post every day for her entertainment.

What are some of our family quirks- Geesh- kind of hard to limit down to some- but here goes-

The DR-
- he sniffs everything! Clean clothes out of the drawer or closet as if I fold and put away dirty clothes. He sniffs food- like condiments when he makes a sandwich, he will smell the bottles of mustard, ketchup, pickles, you name it.
- He eats nearly anything with ketchup. I finally did find someone more addicted, but he is pretty bad. He is also a-chip/dip- aholic.
- He is also addicted to lotion. he can not stand for his hands to be dry or dirty. He wears work gloves for anything and everything. I keep a bottle of lotion very handy. He also does not do bare feet.
- He showers- (well used to until I harassed him majorly)- both before and after mowing the lawn. He is very clean- in case you haven't figured that out- but not in a germaphobe way.

Outpatient-
- Hair fanatic! from the time he was little, he has been unbelievably fanatical about his hair.
- This one he shares with his dad- very particular about his clothes and how they fit.
- Gets wound up about things and cannot sleep. I started giving him benadryl the night before school started when he was in about 6th grade. If I didn't, he would not fall asleep for hours.
- He feeds off the energy of others. I had to start driving him to school when he was in kindergarten because he got too hypercharged during the whole less than a mile long bus ride (there was a super busy highway intersection so they couldn't walk)

Oldest-
-jumps to outrageous conclusions. For example, I say I think it would be fun to go to Florida, he tells his sisters that we are going to Florida in the summer. I say that a vehicle looks cool, he tells the DR that I want him to buy me that vehicle.
- scared silly of spiders. No other bug, snake, scorpion, nothing bothers him but spiders.
- won't sleep in the new bed in his room because it is by the window. Even though the only thing that has gone through that window is his brother and a mouse.
- is addicted to reading one of the grossest looking book series. He has read them all- now what.
- oh, and hates cheese. Except on pizza.

Middle-
-has an impulse to constantly mess with her fingernails. Clips them almost daily. Paints them so she can pull it off and paint them again.
-hates peanut butter. Jelly. Jam. Honey.
-hates chocolate (whose child is she?)
-loves to wear her socks mismatched. everyday socks, hockey socks, soccer socks. Matching socks is bad.

Youngest-
- loves to be a performer unless you want her to perform.
can't really think of anything that would be considered an idiosync- just annoying stuff most kids do- like doesn't want to eat hardly anything that is on the menu either at school or home. Always wants her own way, and is the slowest turtle in the world.

Me-
- I am a walking idiosync- just ask the DR.
- I hate crowds- going to church is a task that I force myself to face.
- I don't like meeting new people- true story. When we moved to Oregon, I forced myself to overcome that little weirdness because I knew that unlike Washington, the DR didn't know people there already either(other than the co-workers) and it was pretty close to the best 18 months of my life.
- all of the things I love best to do involve just me. reading, sewing, painting or crafts(although that can be a blast with a friend). It seems to be genetic.
- One more- I have written about this before- but I am a laundry na zi-

Sophie-
-well- she is just weird. But we love her anyway.

And- my favorite blond (ish) sister is Amerinkus (she used to be blond for real), my favorite baby sister is SmAsh, and my favorite oldest sister is Favorite Aunt.

Think About It- Honesty

A few weeks ago, Oldest gave his first youth speaker talk (only his second sacrament talk ever). He was asked to speak on something from the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. He chose honesty.

Besides virtue- is there any other attribute more lacking in society today? Just looking at our political leaders, and other people in the public eye gives me the shivers.

President Gordon B. Hinckley in Standing for Something wrote, "Some may regard the quality of character known as honesty to be an unspectacular virtue and an ordinary, pedestrian topic for contemplation and consideration. In recent years, we have been subjected to widespread public debate about the seriousness of lying. The apparent number of citizens who seem remarkably unconcerned about major breaches of trust by public figures has been disheartening and surprising. Our eroding moral climate is serious not merely in the present but in its ramifications for future leaders and generations". Standing for Something was written ten years ago.

Just a few years ago we saw many corporations whose owners and/or chief officers were finally caught in their dishonesty. What people fail to realize is how far down the ladder these actions affected people. Retirement plans were/are bankrupt. Whole businesses and companies who were "smaller fish" couldn't withstand the losses. All so a few greedy, dishonest people could have that third or fourth vacation home, or private jet. I know first hand. The company my husband works for was one of the victims. Ironically, the company owner and his son did go to prison, where my tax dollars are keeping a roof over their head.

President Hinckley also wrote," Without honesty, our lives disintegrate into ugliness, chaos, and a lack of any kind of security and confidence. Imagine a society in which it would be unwise or unsafe to trust anyone- from elected officials to financial advisers to insurance adjusters to your child's babysitter or kindergarten teacher. Imagine having surgery performed by someone who had cheated in medical school or found a way to short-circuit the requirements of medical residency. Imagine the terror of a society that condones or at least turns a collective blind eye to dishonesty. The prospects are horrifying!"

I don't know about you- but I think almost everything he listed is right in front of our eyes- today. There is no "in the future". The past week has shown us just how blinded and corrupt our government is. I remember very well a story told by my fifth grade teacher, Miss Christiansen. Her brother had gone to college with a man who planned on becoming a doctor. Her brother saw, on many occasions, this other student cheating his way through school. It bothered him, but he didn't say anything. Years passed and they were in a small town visiting when his daughter fell and bit her tongue off. They rushed her to emergency only to find that here was this former classmate. How would you feel in that situation? He had no other choice- there wasn't another doctor available. I have related this story before- but it made a huge impact on me.

When I was helping Oldest prepare his talk, we used this quote from Karl G Maeser, which was also quoted by President Hinckley. Karl G. Maeser served as the first president of Brigham Young University. He taught his students the following, "I have been asked what I mean by 'word of honor'. I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls- walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground- there is a possibility that in some way or another, I might be able to escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I'd die first."

The Little White Lie is the biggest lie of all. We trade something good and pure in our souls in for a mess of pottage as it were, as Esau sold his birthright.

I recently attended the funeral of a neighbor of ours who was an amazing man. The spirit of love and high moral character around him was so strong. He had been ordained as a sealer by President Hinckley in 1998 or 99- can't remember exactly. Just a great person. The resounding message of his life was his love of people, and his word was his bond.

I can't think of a better legacy.

Finally, President Hinckley stated, "Very simply, we cannot be less than honest, we cannot be less than true, we cannot be less than virtuous if we are to keep sacred the trust given by those who have gone before us, or if we are to merit the trust and confidence of those with whom we live, work, and associate......I once overheard a man- a strong and wise man whom I admired greatly- gently counsel his daughter who was leaving on a date: 'Be careful of how you act and what you say'. 'Daddy, don't you trust me?' 'I don't entirely trust myself', he responded. 'One never gets so old or so wise that the adversary gives up on him.'"

Elder D. Todd Christofferson very recently addressed law students at Duke. He was asked to offer advice to the graduates on "leading a moral life" in the law. Elder Christofferson refered to to his lasting impressions of the Watergate era.

"As I listened to those hours and hours of the White House tapes and the conversations as they went around and around about how to resolve the morass created by one bad decision after another, I concluded that … the only thing that really is your safety is to stand on the rock of honesty. … If you ever once make an exception, you're unprotected. That's why I'm for being firm on that rock."

The DR made it home

The adventure is over, now back to reality. The DR and Outpatient actually landed on Monday morning- but due to the extreme tiredness, and having a lot of work issues to deal with the minute his feet hit the ground- the DR didn't come home until late yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. I finally caught up with him at the soccer fields at about 6:00pm- where we quickly gathered Middle and Oldest and hustled them to their hockey team end of season party. Then I went and picked up Youngest from her friend's house and she got to see her daddy for the first time in two weeks. That is the longest she has ever gone- actually the longest for all but Outpatient who lived through the years when the DR worked out of state for a month at a time- and there wasn't video chat then either.

I have a fun thing that I have been keeping quiet about- but Outpatient was told about a month ago that he was in the Portuguese Liahona. The DR brought me back two copies. There is the picture of Outpatient and the family whose sealing they went to this past weekend. The picture is from the day of their baptism, and the article is about how futsal brought them to the gospel. Too fun! They are such awesome people.


I had the chance to try and communicate with them over skype :P. The father is learning English- but not enough to really understand too much yet- but he spoke way more English than I speak Portuguese. The Outpatient was off with friends so he wasn't any help. The DR- meanwhile- was trying to skype with me at the same time- so it ended up being a bit of a circus for a little while. I finally gave up talking to them and just used google translate and wrote to them. It went a little better- although it is still hard because you are never sure how things were translated :) They were obviously so happy! They treated their sealing like a wedding, they had a luncheon, she had flowers and a cake with their family picture on it. They also had a professional photographer. They asked DR and Outpatient to be their witnesses. It makes me teary. The Outpatient wanted so badly to be there for this, and we would have made sure it happened so how- but if you recall- I mentioned that I met an angel in carhartt overalls last January. Well- a sweet man had showed up at my door who had heard the Outpatient speak about his desire to be at the sealing. He brought us an envelope containing a fairly large amount of money to help make sure that Outpatient could go. The goodness of people can be quite astounding. This man is a complete stranger to me. I didn't know who he was at all before the Outpatient spoke in a different ward, which is ironic because this man actually lives in our ward now- but he wasn't when the Outpatient left on his mission (the wards all changed three months after he left). Angel in Carhartts is inactive so he didn't meet Outpatient when he got home. He told me the lord would bless him- and it was just between us- ( I don't think the blog will be a give-away) .

Anyway- grateful for such a generous person, that the DR and Outpatient were able to experience that trip together, and that they are all safe and sound. I need to mention that the DR challenged the grandma of the family to take the discussions- she told him her other son needs the gospel in his life after seeing what it has done for M, F, &V. So, he challenged her, and she told him she would :) so maybe the DR will get to have an influence on a Brazilian convert as well. :)

Food For Thought

" Mediocrity is our Kryptonite"

What would you like to know or ask?

I am coming up on 600 posts. Wow. Now- most of you know me pretty well in real life- so I don't know how much fun this will be for you- but...

Is there something you would like to ask me or know that you don't already?

I promise to keep it as real as possible only protecting the innocent as neccessary-

You can ask as many as you feel like too- either in the comments or you can email if you wish.

Good Food Friday- Recipe Blog and Pizza Sauce

I have started putting all my Good Food Friday posts into a single blog for my recipes so that I can have them more organized for my own use- but you are welcome to head over there too!

Looney Bin Cafeteria in the Family Therapy Sidebar.

It might take me some time to get them all over there.

http://headnursecooks.blogspot.com/


I realized that I posted the recipe for pizza dough and for making Caesar Pizza- but I didn't post the regular red pizza sauce recipe.-


Homemade Pizza Sauce:

1 can (approx 10 3/4) tomato Puree
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 TB grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt

Can be adjusted to personal taste-

Mix all ingredients together well. Spread over prepared pizza dough.

Sometimes we are blessed

Sometimes in our life, we get to rub shoulders with some remarkable people. Much of what I am about to share here- I have shared with the actual sweet lady, but it has been a few years. She may not get to read this, but maybe she will. If not, I hope I get the chance to tell her again how much she has influenced my life.

I have been blessed to know Marcia for about 35 years. I can't actually remember because it feels almost like I have always known her and her family. Marcia is one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. I can hear her soft voice saying my sister's and my name as if I get to talk to her every day, but in truth, I haven't in nearly a year, and it hasn't been very often at all since I married.

One of my most vivid memories of Marcia is from when I was in fourth grade. The day was the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter. It was afternoon recess and I was outside playing "Horses" on the patio outside of the library. I saw Marcia pull into the parking lot and come walking fairly rapidly up the sidewalk, but she didn't head towards her son, she came to me, and grabbed me and hugged me tight. Then she got down on her knees and told me my mother was very sick and had been taken to the hospital in an ambulance but everything was going to be alright and I was going to go home with her and stay until my mom got better and could come home. My mom had suffered a miscarriage, and very nearly bled to death on the operating table. I believe she went through 9 units of blood. Anyway, I spent the week at Dennis and Marcia's house. I don't remember being overly worried about my mom because Marcia told me everything was fine. And I knew Marcia wouldn't lie to me.

Marcia had a library of romance novels that she let me stop and borrow from on the way home from school. I had a crush on her son for quite a while. She had a player piano and he used to play "down by the old mill stream" on it for me :) I don't remember ever hearing her even be very angry.

Our families- along with a few other families- did lots of things together. The dads played church softball, we went on camping trips. The grownups had some awesome New Year's Eve parties.

I knew for a long time that Marcia wasn't healthy. Marcia's body does not make blood, and she has had to get transfusions for years- decades actually. It used to be that the ward had blood drives just for Marcia, they can't do that anymore for some reason with the newer restrictions, but Marcia has to have transfusions much more often now.

When I was 17, Marcia was called to be my Laurel Advisor. We adored her. She could only teach about once a month- usually right after she had a transfusion. Sometimes we got really lucky and she could teach us twice. I don't know how she managed her family, I really don't. I know when I went through a time when I was severely anemic for several years and had small children, I couldn't even begin to keep up.

Anyway, Marcia loves poetry- both collecting and writing it herself. She gave our class blank journal type notebooks and every lesson she had thoughts and poems to go with it and she had us write them in our books. I still have mine and use it all the time. I am about out of pages :(. The DR uses the thoughts in my book too.

Look- I have had it 26 years, one week from today.

Dear Marcia,

I have told you before but not nearly enough times, you are an amazing person. I am humbled and so very grateful to have felt your influence in my life. I thank you for your welcoming personality, for your generous nature, and your love. You are an inspiration to me.

Love,
Me

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints in our hearts and we are never the same."

Happy St Patrick's Day

Cool- first pic of Oldest without his glasses on the blog (notice his complete lack of molars STILL)

As you can see, the leprechauns got a little more rambunctious than usual-




Okay- not really- It was Crazy Hair Day for Red Ribbon Week (Drug Prevention)


May the Luck O' The Irish be with ye :)

Tender Mercies Tuesday - Comfort

John 14: 26-27

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

What better tender mercy have we been blessed with than the gift of the Holy Ghost to bring peace and comfort to our hearts and souls in times of trial and tribulation.

The overwhelming blessing of His love manifested by the lifting of burdens, the warmth of reassurance in the eternal nature of our family.

I looked at the sweetest picture of my nephew this morning that his momma put on FB- and I thought how much joy he has brought to his family. I thought about the pain brought by the loss of his older brother, who would be turning 10 in a month,and yet the comfort and sustaining power that followed. I never forget A. We stop by the cemetery periodically, just to visit for a minute. I track his progress by another nephew, and Miss Youngest as well. They would all be close in age.

I am so grateful for the comfort and guidance of the Holy Ghost. I have felt the strength that was not my own bringing me peace when I thought my first child might not live to be born. I have felt comfort and direction during eight long years of infertility. I have been strengthened when I thought I couldn't stand on my own, and carry another's burdens for one more minute. It has been and is the light that beckons when I feel the dark murky depths of discouragement threatening to submerge my soul.

Perspective

Today was Grandparents Lunch Day for Youngest. Being fresh out of any available grandparents, she was sure she was going to be the only kid in the whole third grade who didn't have a grandparent there to eat lunch with. She didn't even have her daddy. (She sooo wasn't- and she wasn't even close to being the only one with a mom to eat with instead).

I told her I would certainly be there to eat lunch with her. That only slightly appeased her. She tried recruiting an aunt. She was still less than satisfied this morning when I mentioned that I would bring her lunch with me when I came.

I packed her lunch, then one for me, grabbed my water bottle, and headed to the school. As I was walking into the school, it struck me that my mother was a grandmother- at my exact age. With two grandsons. My mother in law was a grandma at 41. With three granddaughters by my age. And although it would be pretty unusual for me to be a grandma to a third grader, it was not at all impossible for me to be a grandma in age. oi.

Outpatient and DR in Brazil

Just have to mention for the - I don't know how many times- how much I love technology.

We have been able to video call the DR and Outpatient twice since they left and chatted by skype a couple of times also. Tonight we just viewed the pictures they have taken so far. Obviously the picture quality wasn't all that great- but still- to be able to go through the slide show while online with them is so awesome.

The DR's ear is feeling a little better, but they are going to try to get some medical assistance for both of them when they get back to Campinas tomorrow- they have been in Botucatu the past three days. It has been so awesome for the DR to hear first hand from the people what a great missionary the Outpatient was. For him- Outpatient- it has been awesome to get to hug and love the people with whom he served and who he taught. The DR has also been very sobered by the humble circumstances that many of these people live in and by the circumstances his son lived in also. There were many things that the Outpatient didn't tell us about, which I know it doesn't matter in the least- he was better off- still- than many.

Tomorrow it is back to Campinas where the DR will get to meet another of the family converts that the Outpatient was close to and that I have emailed and skyped with frequently. They will be eligible for the temple in a couple of months. They are planning on feeding the DR some lovely concoction of cow's stomach. The Outpatient really wants his dad to experience that :)

I sent some little gifts for the children (CTR things) so I am glad they will be able to deliver them in person.

Done for the Year

Sorry in advance for all the hockey talk- but it is our life and Grandma, DR and Outpatient were not there so this is to bring them up to speed.

Other than a team party in the next week or so, hockey is over for the year.

They lost the championship game 4-5. It was sad, but they played well and that is the only game they lost all year in that league. So they were really disappointed. Some of them ridiculously so. I had to get all mean mom on them to get them to stay on the ice for a team picture with the trophy. Good thing they knew not to mess with me at that point. Geesh. Really, I know they are disappointed- I am rather competitive myself- but to act like sore losers wasn't going to cut it with me and a few of them found that out. No one gets to win every time. Every one of the other teams have lost to our team multiple times and most of them were by a lot. That is something that the board will be discussing because our Bantam team won their game by 6-1 and their celebration was a lot too much- so the same problem- bad sportsmanship.

Anyway- it was a nail biter waiting to see if we even got to play in the championship game in the first place. The way the tournament was set up, is for every win- you get two points. If there was a two way tie- then they went to the goals scored against you (we only had one)- but in the case of a three way tie- it went straight to penalty minutes and we had 18. Yikes. Second game was called by penalty happy refs rather than the type that feel like "let them play unless..." Anyway - down to the wire, but we got to play because of one penalty difference (bummer for them- but it would have been more of a bummer for us because really- how do you explain that the only undefeated team in the league doesn't get to play in the championship????)

After the game, Oldest was really bummed because he felt it was his fault- the 5th goal was scored on his line- but I reminded him that it had been 4-2 in our favor and the other line was scored on twice in a row, tying it up in less than a few minutes. They had all played well- it just didn't work out in their favor this time.

It had been snowing pretty good all day so I was really glad that I hadn't planned on driving home. Plus the game started almost an hour late. Then when we got up this morning (yuck to the spring forward) and we checked the road conditions- they didn't look all that fab- so we held off until the afternoon and I was glad we did. The roads mostly dried up, and it was much nicer to drive than it would have been.

Can I get a hallelujah for the end of hockey? Hallelujah!

Nothing if not eventful

That is my life :)

Yesterday, we arrived at the rink in plenty of time. As per usual, I had to go ask for a dressing room for the girlie. They checked their list, asked me which team we were, traded me keys and sent me to locker room number 2. Imagine my surprise to open the door and a room full of girls (thank goodness- cause we surprised them too) from a different team. All much older (obviously) than Middle. They were very nice- the girls have to stick together. Anyway, I did try to change her room to one that was in the same hall as the team, but other people were in every one- so we just left it as it was. She went in to dress after the girls were done. (She is a tad shy- I could tell you funny stories about her and the maturation program).

So- first game, the team played really well after about the first period- by the second period the score was 2-0, then they got in the groove and the game ended up 9-1 our favor. Not a big surprise, we have played them several times. However, toward the end of the game, Oldest headed to the bench, his coach grabbed his stick and chucked it behind the bench. I wondered what in the world was going on- Oldest is not a hot head at all with other people, so I couldn't imagine him doing anything that would make the coach mad. Come to find out- his stick had broken when he got checked into the boards.

So- we had a big problem. Oldest doesn't have a back up stick. Especially when we are not in Small Town where he could at the very least use one of the DR's. I also know NOTHING about hockey sticks, other than we needed a blade, and that Oldest shoots left. So we headed to where Oldest had gone the last time he needed a new blade. It had gone out of business. So I headed to my baby sister's to drop the girls off before I headed somewhere else. Luckily I got smart enough to call the next store first. The guy I talked to had played hockey for 10 years, told me they didn't have a left blade, but they did have a used stick that would work, plus a few new one piece sticks. With no way to contact the DR and Outpatient to somehow educate myself, I headed out into the wide and scary stick buying world :). Oh, and they closed in 40 minutes and were clear across the valley.

When we got to the store with 20 minutes to spare, the guy I talked to was not available to help us, but the gal was also a hockey player, and she found us the one and only left blade they had. Not quite the same pattern as the old one- but it would have to do. We also ended up buying the used stick- just in case. As we were leaving the store, the guy was out front moving some inventory- low and behold- he played hockey with Outpatient, and was coached by the DR. He was rather surprised and so were we! Nice guy, chatted a bit about what he and we were up to these days. Funny thing though, he really doesn't know that much about hockey sticks either, LOL! The girl was much more knowledgeable. Even I knew the flex on the used stick was way too high as it was a senior stick- but for the price- it was worth it to me to buy in case we have another misfortune and the length was perfect.

We were able to talk to the DR and Outpatient on skype last night. Then this morning, they are both feeling under the weather. Just great. The Outpatient already knows there isn't much they can get medicine-wise. Hope they figure something out-

Off we go to the next round of games, new blade and back up stick in hand. Now for the dressing room.

They have arrived

Just heard from the DR and Outpatient- they have arrived safely in Campinas-

Now if we can get pulled together, we will head out in a couple of hours for hockey in Cougar town.

Will be a wild weekend-

F. A. A. D. D.

Gabriela at Living la Vida Loca posted yesterday about her case of C.A.A.D.D. (child activated A.D.D). I can so relate- although I have to call my condition F. A. A. D. D.-(Family Activated A.D.D).

Last night I was making pizza crust from scratch and was looking everywhere for the sugar dish (yes- yeast needs a little sweetness just like the rest of us). Couldn't find it anywhere, looking, looking, DR calls. Proceed to make dinner. This morning, get patients off to their educational pursuits, go to make myself some oatmeal ( 2 points ;) ), realize I am out of it upstairs, head downstairs to get some- never make it-answer phone, run garbage out to curb instead, pick up this, throw away that, check emails, check on blogs, but over an hour later, realize I didn't eat. I go back to the kitchen to get some oatmeal- remember - OH YEAH- I was going down to get some. Head down to the basement, end up in the boys wing (no- I do not keep the cereal in there- the light was left on which is a daily occurrence) started cleaning up in there. Head back up stairs. Where was I? Oh- cereal. Turn around and head back down stairs to get my cereal (seriously). What do my eyes behold? The sugar dish! In the family room? And then I remember that I couldn't find it last night, which reminds me that I never did find it, and never did put that little bit of sugar in the dough after the DR called, which probably explains why the dough didn't raise properly last night.

My life feels like the book "If you give a mouse a cookie".

I just ate my oatmeal. Mission accomplished.

Oh Dear....

Earlier today I was picking up the various school papers that youngest had flung on the table in her haste to escape the house on her way to school. Something caught my eye- She had written her teacher's name as the subject of a story problem on her math test.

They were to write a story problem for the number sentence 9+7 = 16.

It said, "Ms. C. joined the Weight Wathers (her spelling, not mine) program. The first day she ate 9 points. The second day she ate 7 points. The third day she ate 5 points. How many points did she eat in the first two days? 16 points."

I can only imagine what Ms. C. had to think about that.

There goes any chance for Teacher's pet :) .

And don't ask me what the 5 points was all about- guess Youngest was being an overachiever, or tricky. One never knows with that girl.


(by the way, daily points are quite a bit higher than that :) )

Brazil Bound

Well- today is the last day before the big boys head to Brazil. As a matter of fact, the DR will leave home today at any minute, join up with Outpatient, and then in less than 24 hours, they will be flying southward.

Of course today and the rest of this week is chock full of activities. We started today will school pictures times three, and Oldest had an eye appointment (having trouble getting the right fit for his contacts) and his science fair project due, then I have been making sure the needed laundry is done, the suitcases are packed, plus a few empties ready to go in case they need them (Mission President's daughter is sending home a whole slew of stuff). Then I have to run down in an hour because Oldest also has an orthodontist appt (crossing fingers although not too hopefully that they will be able to start something!). I canceled activity day until next week which will actually work out better because we will do a fun St Patrick's day service project.

Tomorrow is Middle's maturation program, and an orchestra program, plus regular TaVaci, and hockey scrimmage. Friday we have to leave here before noon for the final hockey games/ tournament of the year. We will get home and start our first hockey free week :) although I hear rumblings that soccer practice will start since they have been shoveling the snow off fields to speed the melting process- here's hoping we get at least a week off :)

Tender Mercies Tuesday- Friendship

Yesterday we had some great teaching moments about friendship. Youngest and I spend Monday hockey practice time at the in-laws, she did make up and watched a dvd while I did the elliptical. We watched "The Barbie Diary" or what ever it is called. It led to a great discussion with Youngest about how not to treat people, both from the mean girl point and from the nice girl who gets distracted by attention from the "populars". Little did I know that Middle had her own personal experience that would come to light a little later.

We returned home, a little later than usual, and I was hurrying to get dinner ready when Youngest said that B was at our house. For a minute I thought she was coming for Activity Day-, but she just handed a plate to Oldest who was outside at the moment and then left. Oldest came in bearing a plate full of cookies with a note for Middle. It was so sweet! Middle had been trying to play with a group of friends, two of whom she has been friends with for several years, one of which is a pretty good friend. When she went to play with them, MC told her that she, R, and Em didn't want to be friends with her anymore. It was only her saying it- the others weren't there yet (they are in different classes), but of course, Middle was hurt. So, B brought Middle cookies! How nice is that? Anyway, I told Middle that it sure didn't sound like Em to me, and I suggested that she call and talk to her, tell her what MC had said and just ask if it was true, and if it was, then thank her for being friends for the past 4 years and tell her goodbye. Well- of course it wasn't true, and Em said she would talk to MC about it. I wanted to share the note from B, but I don't know where Middle put it. An item of note- B is the younger sister of a person whom Outpatient helped by being a good friend at a really tough time, which I found out about just last August. No good deed goes unpaid. Not that Outpatient was looking for anything, he was just being a good friend and person, and now that same attitude has blessed the life of his little sister.

B and Middle

It isn't our first experience like this, and I know it won't be the last. I also know all to well that boys can be just as bad as girls when it comes to treating others like garbage. I can only pray and help my children to be the good friend, to be the one to lift another, to set the example of kindness and to turn the other cheek when necessary. Outpatient could testify that he is way better than I at these things, having survived several such incidents with friendships intact and respect earned. The DR is also a great example of being a good friend.

Scatter Sunshine

After hearing the weatherman refer to Small Town as Siberia during one weather report. Then another time hearing him wonder out loud if there wasn't some way to send us a little sunshine. Then my loverly Ode to Fog ( I am sure that had some influence), Grandma Bunnie decided that she could indeed send me some sunshine. So this is what she came up with. Something yellow. Something Spring. Something loverly. Something happy.



Currently the only thing yellow outside except for some snow. And speaking of snow- Anyone want some? I have oddles and am willing to share!

Weekend Wrap up-

This past weekend, we had a break from all sports related events. Does this mean we stayed home? Heavens no- why would we want to do that?

We were lucky attendees for the baptism of my nephew, and it was a great day! We had to get up rather early to travel and make it on time, but Middle had a big shindig she really wanted to attend on Friday night, and seeing as how we are hardly ever available for such things- we decided she should get to go. So, the rest of us relaxed at home Friday night, then got up early enough to be ready to leave by 6:30- which was going really well until the back door of the van decided it did not want to latch- no matter what the DR tried- so we (and I am serious) tied it shut with a bungee cord. We are nothing if not resourceful :)

We made it in plenty of time- only to realize that I had left a little gift for the newly minted member sitting at home. Again with the brain! "Of all the things I have misplaced, I miss my mind the most"- don't know who said it, but I sure live it. After a wonderful meeting, the Lunch Lady served up a wonderful luncheon, as per usual. The girl can cook, and I didn't do too bad except for the cream puffs, oh, and a brownie. And the homemade crescent rolls. And the braided bread. But- I did do alright- I had only had oatmeal for breakfast and I was careful the rest of the day.

We went to visit the newest member of the One Year Old club- Miss S- who was still mad at me for leaving her off my list in February. She may never forgive me. I then spent the rest of the afternoon running my typical Wasatch front errands and restocking the Outpatient's pantry.

Sunday was Fast Sunday, and I had a rather long list of things to fast for. I guess that the more things you are needing blessings for, the easier it is to fast. I didn't eat until late last night, after we returned home, and that was on purpose. I felt that a full 24 hour fast was my personal goal for the many implorings to my Father in Heaven. It was not at all hard except when Oldest insisted on crunching his crackers very loudly on the drive home :) We had a wonderful spiritual experience in the morning in which strength, wisdom, and courage were gained. I got to hug on Outpatient quite a bit- and I need need need to get that boy home so I can measure him on my "wall"- he took his shoes off and stood back to back with the DR and he is taller! He doesn't think he is growing- but if he isn't then the DR and several other people are shrinking.

This week will be a doozy- the DR and Outpatient will leave for Brazil on Thursday- although the DR will leave home on Wednesday- and they will be gone for a week and a half. So there is laundry and packing and a few more gifts to secure. I am so excited for them (only a little sad for me). Why am I not going a few of you have asked- well- number one- I am a mom. I have three other very busy souls in my care and not really any options that would have worked to allow me to leave. I did get an offer of help, but it came a week too late. I cried over that one, but oh well. The other major reason is money. It has cost a small fortune just for the passport- visa process. It means a lot to the DR to be able to go (although I think he is starting to get a little nervous about being in a group of people and not having a clue what is going on: he was with the Outpatient on Sunday and listening to him talk to several of the people in Brazil and I think it hit home- that enormity of the language barrier) It will be an awesome experience for the DR and Outpatient is so impatient to go see the people he loves there (oh- and remember the former sister missionary that the DR had a bit of a crush on? Well- the outpatient has a date :)

We also have the last week of hockey with a tournament this weekend, Oldest has an eye appt and an ortho appt, Middle has the dreaded maturation presentation (how is it that the DR ALWAYS gets out of those?), and I am supposed to have activity day here on Wednesday. Well, that won't be happening- I figured out that was sooo not going to work with trying to get the DR out the door that day. Who scheduled my life any way?

Update on the D word

The past several weeks have been a little frustrating for me as I pretty much hung around, going up or down a few tenths or more- but not making downward progress. Meanwhile, the DR has been steadily dropping weight. He has now lost almost 18 pounds since the first of February!

I will admit that I had stopped the physical tracking of my eating and fluid consumption- trying to just mentally keep track.

Guess what? It doesn't work very well. I went back to tracking this last week. I also started rewarding myself for every room I clean in my house (that part I figured out from FL Y Lady- not W8 Wchrs) I figured out a serving of plain m and m's, (1/4 c- that equals a whopping 5 points- or a full quarter of my daily point allotment)- then I scaled it back a little to aim for more like 4 points, then I took that and divided it in half to come down to 2 points ( 24 pieces). I put them on the counter and as I finish cleaning a room- say the bathroom for instance, I eat a couple of them- then when I am done with my housework- I get to finish what is left. I mark the 2 points into my daily allotment and when I got back on the scale- I had finally dropped 2.8 pound- so that my total is 17 pounds lost since the start of the year. Still have to really make time for the exercise- I know that would make a huge difference.

The key for me is I have to write it down. I also have to feed myself a little bit of chocolate everyday- it makes me happy. I also like to feel like my pants are getting pretty loose- which they were on Saturday.

Little Sympathy

All of you crying about your snow- keep in mind that we were just barely- BARELY getting to see SOME of our ugly brown and very dirty grass.

That is all.



(well, until I get another post done :) )

Tender Mercies Tuesday- Chilean Earthquake

Saturday morning, I awoke early to get the DR, Oldest and Middle off to hockey games. Since Youngest and I had another hour until we had to leave, I got online and there was the breaking news announcement. It was barely 7:00 am. I saw the words Santiago Chile- and must confess I wasn't sure where my nephew was in relation to Santiago. Then I began to read the whole news release. Epicenter 56 miles north of Concepcion. Oh no! Nothing like a nearly direct hit. Then news reports began to talk about Talca. 60 miles from the epicenter. Mass destruction. His current area.

I have to say, I felt calm. Even knowing how much more severe it was compared to Haiti. I waited until after the game to tell the DR- not really any reason to try to yell it to him while he was coaching. Another of our nephew's was serving in Peru a couple of years ago during an earthquake, and I know that the Lord protects his missionaries.

My nephew Tanner had this to say in his email, "We´re all okay here, and are trying to get things in order. We´ve just been visiting people for the past two days. The earthquake started at about 3:30 am here. I actually didn´t wake up at first haha my comp and Elder Mayberry ran outside right away and when they realized that I and elder sarmiento hadn´t left they yelled for us to get outside. I woke up very confused about why our house was shaking, but grabbed my flip flops and went outside still half awake. I´ll tell you that it was definitely a different experience watching houses, trees, and fences all bending and moving in weird ways. The earth under our feet felt alive and angry, the night before the quake I was just randomly searching through my scriptures and found the part in Moses where the Earth talks to Enoch. I thought that was really weird, but after feeling the Earth shake like that i´m convinced that it´s a living creature ha. There´s a lot of destruction outside of our neighborhood. Fires, power wires fallen in the street, and houses completely flattened. I really don´t know how we and our house escaped unscathed. We slept at the house of an investigator in tents in their yard two nights ago, because their dad wasn´t with them and they were all terrified. We brought games and our good humor to try and cheer them up. Everyone´s sleeping outside doing the camping thing. Finally last night we received water and electricity, but we still have to boil the water cuz it´s not clean. You´re right about the food storage thing. I´ve been thinking that if these people had been more prepared we´d be in a lot better shape right now. "

Now, I doubt I would have been feeling quite as calm if it had been my son instead of my nephew- not that I don't love my nephew a lot- But I was so thrilled for my sister in law to have heard from her son so quickly. It would have driven me crazy to not be able to know for myself that my child was all right.

I just barely received an amazing email that contains a letter from the wife of the mission president of one of the Santiago missions. Wow! If any of you are interest in reading it- I will forward it to you (if I don't have your email- leave it in the comments) oh my goodness! Sometimes the tender mercies of the Lord are small- seemingly insignificant things and other times, they are so big, no one can doubt their origin.

My Dissertation (edited)

Today, I wrote my dissertation of sorts as I cleaned and scoured the bathroom. I composed my thesis as I rotated laundry and loaded the dishwasher.

Now- before you wonder if I have lost my mind or if I went back to school years ago without telling a soul- no- no I didn't and haven't.

But- I have had a rather annoying thing bugging me lately.

Facebook has made me feel inadequate with my life and lack of accomplishments. I have been in contact with one of my good friends since junior high off and on, so I know what she had been up to in the nearly 20 years since we graduated from high school. She has recently started her own planner business (interested- let me know and I can hook you up with her) and she spent quite a bit of time working with the St even R Cove y company- well- through her, I hooked up with my class's reunion group, and located several other friends, girls that I cheered with, and so on. In meeting up with them, I am feeling a little like- what a lot of stuff I missed.
One of them traveled with the Lamanite Generation from B Y U for several years, another with the Young Ambassadors. Today one mentioned she was preparing to retire (um- excuse me? we are NOT that old). Any way. So, as I scrubbed the tub and the floor in the bathroom, I thought about the different path I took. Not that they didn't take this part of the path also- they just did more before. And since.

I married a mere 10 days after my 20th birthday. I had been going to college for a year (little more), but I lived at home, never saw any of my high school friends at all, and just worked and went to class. When I married, I got a full time job to put my hubby through school, never looking back. Until now. I never gave any thought to what my friends had been up to. My few most close, I knew, but others- not really. I hadn't attended any reunions until the 20th- and even then, it didn't have this effect on me.

Maybe it is Favorite Aunt's fault :) since she has gone back to school.

I don't know. I don't like school per se- if I could audit every class, and just learn what ever I wanted to learn without the papers, tests, and stress- that would be ideal- since I love to learn. But it bothers me that out of the proverbial blue, I feel like I missed something.

I know that being mom and wife is the most challenging and crucial job there is. I know that there is not really anything I could contribute outside of my home that will have a greater effect on the eternities.

So why do I feel like I missed out on so much? I certainly wouldn't have toured with the LG or the YA- not my thing at all.

I have my master's degree in bathroom cleaning and dishes, my doctorate in laundry, only a minor in child development, and I am flunking out of de-junking.


(edit: while a college thesis or dissertation make take time and lots of effort- at least it stays done. Unlike a mine.)

Good News

My sister in law has heard from her son in Talca, Chile- so he is well- and they have water and electricity back already- amazing miracle! He actually slept through the first part of the earthquake until his comps woke he and another elder up. They are sleeping in tents for now, until the fear of severe aftershocks had passed. He said his area isn't too bad, but the center of the city area is very damaged. They are spending their time visiting and helping where they can, and are being taken care of as well by members and non members alike. He mentioned that he can really see the value of being prepared.