It's your day Zacy!!!

I have a secret

recipe...
I got it from a crazy source.
I need someone else to make it
and
give me feed back
before I share it publicly.
If you like bisque soup
and
want to play
email
call
bring/send treats.

Is there ice cream and cake in heaven?

I vote Yes and that it's...well...Heavenly!

I always want to send a note...

I once read the that the death of your child makes you part of an exclusive club you never wanted to join with dues that you'll be paying everyday for the rest of your life. When I hear of someone who has entered our club it devastates me. While everyone has their own unique journey we all share the crushing grief and life time of loss stretching ahead of us. I've never met the Whitt family or their angel daughter Tuesday, but their journey has been inspiring and heart wrenching. Their virtual family is having a special event Saturday....here's how they describe it:


We would like to hold a virtual parade on Saturday, February 7th, for Tuesday (the same day her family is having a celebration of her life parade for family and friends). We want each and every one of you to stop what you're doing on Saturday and spend a little time with your kids on a bike ride or a wagon ride or a sled ride or a skateboarding cruise or a stroll in the park and to photograph it.

I hope you'll join us...can we ever make enough memories with our families? You can go here or here or here to read more about Tuesday. I'm sure there were plenty of her family waiting to greet her, but I like to think Nathan was there too offering to show her around...he's like that...always wanting to be the big brother and share his knowledge. I always wish I could send a note or a hug...I think he'd like a care package from home.

Oh, it just gets better

Let me set the scene:

Mother of the year, takes her two wonderful sons to a cooking class.
Food was delicious and not tooo hard to make
so realistic mother of the year agrees to make food at home.
Hard working father pays for large grocery bill
due to quality ingredients needed for French and Greek food.

First, the loving mother of the year and chef son make Sundried Tomato and Basil Hummus
Verdict: Not as good as the Cooking Goddess'
Humble mother of year calls Cooking Goddess for advice
Salt
sons with a death wish won't try improved version

Next, ever so patient mother of year and son who is walking a thin line
make Chicken Fricassee
Chicken is cooking
time to add stock and white wine
yes, I did go to the store and for the first time in my entire life buy wine
that would be a WHOLE 'nother post
So, non-alcoholic mother of the year measures stock and then pulls out bottle of wine
crap
it's not a screw top
scrambling mother of the year instructs side kick son to google
how to open a wine bottle
(ok seriously of all the things I thought I'd never say to one of my children
this has to be at the top of the list)
first cork screw (attached to cheap can opener)
breaks
mother of the year now getting desperate sends pirate son
to hunt for another cork screw...(we have to have one somewhere don't we?)
cabela's multi tool...no
generic multi tool...no
last hope...swiss army knife in back of father of the year's night stand...SCORE!
eventually mother of the year and chef son open wine bottle
and continue cooking what had dang well better be the most delicious
and appreciated dinner this year!

family of the year sits down to dinner
verdict: Not as good as the Cooking Goddesses
son who deserves to go to bed with no dinner says
"It must be her pans and her plates 'cause she didn't even make the food, the class did."
older and wiser son says
"we just need to wait a month before we cook any of her food"

done!

Pictures by Zac (aka chef, side kick, walker of thin line etc)

on silver linings

the things I've learned about trials:
fighting it doesn't help
humility does
complaining, whining, whailing is wasted enegry
prayer is power
doing it alone doesn't work
giving it to God does

for me the silver lining and the hard part can be the same
the overwhelming feelings
of love
divine intervention
and
knowing there is often nothing you can do
but
wait
pray and
trust

The Real Me

So, this sweet sister emailed me a request for me to answer 5 questions for the getting to know you section of our Relief Society newsletter. I dutifully complied. Imagine my surprise when a sweetened and sanitized version was printed. I believe in being honest, true etc...in that spirit I share my original answers:

Where are you from?
I grew up in Centerville, UT and then Linwood, NJ

What are your talents and interests, or what things do you enjoy?

Spending time with my family, Sleeping, Reading, Scrapbooking, Tetris...in that order

What do you dislike?
Garlic, Cantaloupe, being awakened unecessarily, scary movies (also wanted to say, but didn't dare, people who aren't prepared and waste my time)

Your skills,training, education:
I have a BA in education and a minor in psychology. I can read and watch TV at the same time. I'm better at Tetris on facebook than my daugther Mychel-Anne (she's a freshman in college). I can make bread, jam and a cake for scratch but I choose not to. I'm currently learning how to use itunes.

What callings do you have and/or have you had in the past?

Years in primary, young women's, sunday school and every so often Heavenly Father lets me be a Relief Society teacher. Current serving in my most shocking and awesome calling ever: Primary Chorister. Who knew it gives you rock star status in the children's eyes....a definite bonus.