Christmas Miracle

When I was too old to expect Santa on Christmas Eve my mom and dad decided it was time to give back. My mom made my dad the most beautiful Santa suit for my dad and made me an elf costume. We would drive around on Christmas Eve and visit families in the ward and my friends. I was an Irish Elf, Killarny. My dad named me that because when "Santa got mad..he'd kill arny". (yep, we have issues). We had this beautiful 1955 Chevy Bel Air without a heater and with hand dyed seat covers. My mom would drive while dad and I spread Christmas joy. My mom would wait in the car huddled under multiple blankets. One of my favorite visits was to my friend Jennifer who we found eating Ramen Noodle with her hands right out of the package. We looked forward to it every year. We sold the car several years later but my dad and I did our Christmas errands up until I got married. Dad still plays Santa each year for the kids. It's a treasured memory.

Today while leaving the movie theater we saw Santa and Mrs. Claus driving an 1950's Red and White Chevy. I was stopped at a stop sign waiting my turn when he drove by. I let out a shriek and a tear came to my eye as Santa and Mrs. Claus waved at me. My kids thought I was nuts, they didn't understand for a moment that this to me was my Christmas miracle, a sign from my mom that she is here and watching over my family. This sweet couple dressed in costume have no idea that they made my Christmas

Giveaway

I love a good giveaway. Check out this site for a good one.

http://www.giverslog.com/giftguides/?p=2700

Gratitude

It's November and growing up it was always a magical month. My mom was a big Thanksgiving Fan and I think it's because it is a holiday where family, friends and food are forefront and the gifts you're giving are those of time and love. I have decided to dedicate my month of November to my mom for her wonderful example of finding joy in the simple things and for her unstoppable spirit. In her honor I will concentrate on those little things that make me smile.

I'm so grateful for my children's smiles.
Jacob is missing four teeth and so his smiles are priceless. He can't laugh without getting spit all over me and his little tongue pokes though his jack o' lantern smile constantly.

Kaitlyn has the words best smile. She can smile on command and her infectious laugh makes you smile.

Bailey's smile is one that radiates purity. She is such a proper young lady and somewhat reserved when the occasion calls for it but when she smiles it's from her heart and with pure joy.

Zach has the most contagious smile I've ever seen. He tries to hide it, it's almost as if it isn't "cool" to smile but when it finds its way to the surface you can't help but laugh. The off center smile accompanied by a subtle laugh melts my heart.

State Representatives

This is a post written by Carl Wimmer, one of our state representatives. It captures the many reasons I love where I live and despite my current desire to move I will stay!

"

It has been just over a week now since the community of Herriman was shaken to the core by the possibility of losing hundreds of homes to wild fire. I had an interesting perspective on the fire, and feel without divulging any confidential information, that I can share with you my perspective.

Sunday evening I had gone for a walk with my kids, and stopped to let them play at the park for a few minutes. We already knew about the fire, but the smoke was getting increasingly worse. We went home to get out of the smoke filled air. At around 7:00pm (give or take) the flames crested the hill. With how large the flames were and with how fast they were moving, I figured evacuations would be imminent. Not long after, Mayor Josh Mills issued an evacuation order of certain areas of Herriman.

I decided to get ready and go to the middle school where the evacuation point was set up. I am a CERT block captain as well as the State Representative, so I wanted to offer my assistance where I could. I drove to the middle school and was told that the evacuation point was being moved to the High School, and the command post was at city hall. My first impression was how prepared the citizen CERT team was. They were lined up, manning the evacuation points as if they had done it hundreds of times. They were very professional.

I drove to Herriman City Hall to the command post and there met with Mayor Josh Mills. Mayor Mills was dealing with the emergency in the most professional way one could possibly imagine. He was deciphering information which was coming in very quickly. For the most part I was drafted to be one of the “decision makers” along with the city wide elected officials, but most the decisions at that point were being made by the fire professionals, as should have been the case.

I helped where I could. We received word that people at the evacuation site were in need of water for their pets, as well as pet food. I called the Smiths in Herriman and they offered all they had, without hesitation.

I stayed close to Mayor Mills, ready to do anything he asked, but the citizen CERT, The Unified Fire, and the National Guard had every assignment under hand. The fire was out of control, and the winds were extremely high. Workers feared the worst if the winds did not change. At one point it was reported that the fire was moving at a pace faster than any human being could run. The evacuation area was expanded to include my home. A group of us gathered in the office of Mayor Mills. There we knelt in humble prayer, asking literally, for a miracle. We asked God to do something that we had zero control over, we asked that He protect the remaining homes (three had already burned) and to change the wind direction away from our homes. It would be less than 12 hours later when we discovered just how powerfully Gods hand moved this night.

I walked outside to attempt to drive and get my family and there was simply no way. The roads were at a standstill. It was like a movie where an entire city was being evacuated and no one is moving because of traffic. I dug in at the command post, as I realized I would be there a long while. I called home, but none of the cell phones were working. I tried texting and 9 out or 10 times they bounced back to me. I had to notify my wife to get out of our home. I do not know how the idea to use Facebook came about, but I typed in my status update for Sherry to evacuate and she almost immediately saw the post. There were so many good people who expressed such loving concern for my wife and kids that I get emotional just thinking of the kindness expressed. After some frantic moments, and some fear by me, Sherry and my kids were able to fully evacuate and go to her parents.

Governor Herbert arrived at the command post and I met with him. We went together to the Herriman High School to meet with the Red Cross and the evacuees to show our support and help where we could, even if it was just helping to carry in cases of water. Water was arriving in droves, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Smiths, all bent over backwards to help. Councilman Craig Tischner used his connections with Home Depot to get them to donate dust masks, and days later, filters for 200 homes. The community was pulling together as I have never seen. I was extremely proud at that moment to live in Utah.

Congressman Jason Chaffetz arrived at the evacuation point and he connected with Governor Herbert and me for the remainder of the evening. If I can divert for a moment and tell you the funniest story. As Congressman Chaffetz and I were walking through the High School, a young man stopped him and said “I know you!” Jason shook his hand and introduced himself “Hi I am Jason Chaffetz” the man said “Ya! You used to kick for BYU right?” and Congressman Chaffetz said “yep!” To this the man said “wow, great to meet you, what are you doing now days?” I about died laughing! The man recognized him for being a BYU kicker but not a Congressman. That’s a football fan.

At around 2:30am Governor Herbert, Congressman Chaffetz, Mayor Mills and I were driven close to the fire line to view what was occurring. The flames were extremely hot, very high and showed no sign of stopping. The foreseen devastation was horrible to imagine, as we were once again told that they had 0% containment on the fire.

Governor Herbert had arraigned for he, Congressman Chaffetz, Fire Chief Jensen and myself to go up in a chopper at 6:00am to view the damage. We decided to leave so we could sleep for an hour or two before flying. Mayor Josh Mills stayed. He was not about to leave his city to go sleep, when so many were still in desperate conditions.

The next morning we met and boarded the chopper. All of us on board were prepared for the worst. We knew how devastating the fire looked just three hours before. Nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to see...Not another house had been destroyed, not one. Yes, some were damaged. But not a single home had burned to the ground with the exception of the three which had occurred earlier. Chief Jensen explained that after we had left the fire line around 2:30am, the winds had changed direction, the firemen had been able to do “back burns” to stop the fire, and one brave bulldozer driver had helped by making fire lines next to the homes.

The black charred earth was next to many homes, but the homes were still standing. The vast majority of the flames were out. Governor Herbert called it a miracle, and it was. Our prayer in Mayor Mills’s office had been heard. Not only did He change the winds, but he buoyed up the men and women who worked ALL NIGHT to help save people’s homes. There were no serious injuries reported.

The loss of the three homes is tragic, and the devastation to those families cause my heart to ache. I do not diminish their loss in any way, just to say that it was a miracle that more were not lost.

I am eternally grateful to the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our homes. The firefighters, police, National Guard, and citizen volunteers. I am grateful to the community businesses who donated so much to the cause: Wal-Mart, Smiths, Home Depot, Walgreens, Pizza hut, McDonalds and I am sure there are more I am missing.

I am grateful to the Herriman city staff, Mayor Josh Mills, Councilman Tischner, Councilman Day, Councilman Robinson and Councilwoman Raquel Deluca.

God moved on Herriman that night. Of this I am certain.

Carl Wimmer

Herriman Fire

I am the LAST person in the area to blog about the fire here in Herriman this week. I wasn't actually going to post anything but then my friend Nancy mentioned that had she lost things in the fire she'd have many pictures and journal entries posted on her blog that she'd still be able to access. What a wonderful way to look at a blog. I love being able to secure my thoughts, as random as that might be. I didn't take any of these pictures, I swiped them from neighbors who were good enough to grab their camera. When the fire started over our ridge it was time to grab our most important items and pack the car. It's funny because when I think about clearing things out of the house I can't seem to part with anything. I had each of the kids grab 3 things that are most important to them. I love to look back now and see what they took. Zach grabbed his guitar, his long board and some records. Bailey grabbed a stuffed dog from Grandma and Grandpa Roe, and the blanket I had made her. Kaitlyn grabbed her library book (she didn't want a fine), a blanket and her first stuffed animal. Jacob was so cute running around the house looking for what to pack. He at one point yelled, "are hair dryers irreplacible?" He ended up with his backpack, pencil box and erasers. I would never have guess those were important to him and I'm so glad I gave him the chance to pick. Thankfully Kaitlyn threw in a few other things for him. That left me to grab the computer with all the pictures, our home videos, and documents. We had time to grab clothes and of course stuff for the pets. (They take up a lot of room by the way...yet one more reason not to have pets).

We are so grateful that we never had to leave the house. There was a short evacuation for our neighborhood but it was retracted before we even left. GC slept through most of the ordeal, he told me to wake him if the house behind us was on fire. Not really the panicking type I guess.

We are so grateful for the individuals who worked so hard to protect our hill and homes.

This is the view from the neighborhood before it really came over the mountain and people began to panic.

Chili

I seriously don't measure so I'll tell you what I usually do with a simple chili and you can customize it.

I use either ground beef or sometimes I use steak depending on what I have. This time I used two cans of stewed tomatoes and then put in about 6 fresh ones. It really is your typical chili but adding that brown sugar makes a world of difference. I'm not sure why but if I forget to add it everyone notices!

2 large cans (Heinz) chili beans (I can't find this at Walmart and so I just use 3-4 small cans of Walmart brand)
3-4 cans (14 1/2oz.) original recipe stewed tomatoes
1 pound hamburger
1 onion
1/4 cup brown sugar (the more you put in the more sweet your chili will be) I usually put in about 3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar.
1/2 tsp. chili pepper or powder
salt and pepper to taste


Drain chilli beans and put in crockpot. Put tomates in blender (one or two cans at a time) and blend. Pour in crockpot. Brown hamburger and cut up onion to brown with hamburger. Drain grease and add to crockpot. Put brown sugar, chilli pepper and salt and pepper in crockpot. Cook on high for an hour and then low for 2-3 additional hrs.

school pains

Jacob came running at K and hugged her and then they crashed and fell. She was really worried about him being hurt because he hit his head. He wouldn't go to the office (he was fine). Then when she went to lunch she she saw the first graders walking in from recess but didn't see him so she panicked and left her lunch (she had to sneak) and ran to his class room to see if he was ok. She said her heart almost stopped. The teacher looked at her and said, "honey is everything ok?" Kaitlyn said, " I was so worried about him". The teacher thought that was the sweetest thing and gave her a big hug. Kaitlyn says she finally realizes why I am so worried when she's late. :) LOVE HER

Best Laid Plans

I woke up this morning thinking I needed to clean the kitchen. I got distracted when I went to the garage to get the broom and decided I needed to clean the garage instead. Then when I looked and saw that the fertilizer bag was almost empty I thought, "hmm, Home Depot has plants on sale". So, off I went to get plants to cover my new rock wall. I was disappointed in the plant selection so I decided I'd stain the deck. I figured it would only take a about an hour and I had two before I had to pick Zach up from the Fire Academy. I ran home, threw the stain in the sprayer and.... it exploded. So after an hour or so of cleaning stain off the cement, my hair, my clothes, my daughter...and a few choice words (thankfully the workers behind me seemed to understand) I realized there was no way I'd finish in time to get Zach across town. A call to his friend and the ride problem was solved but after six hours of staining I'm still not done, the garage is a mess, the kitchen looks like I left Jacob on his own for six hours and my freckles are now a lovely shade of Behr Stain Brown. I think I have some adult onset ADD. Perhaps tomorrow I'll tackle the kitchen.

Double Whammie for Kaitlyn

Wow, today by little girl is off to school...her last year in elementary school...yep...she's a SIXTH GRADER!!!! As if that isn't reason enough to have a panic attack she is also turning 11 on Friday. It seems like just yesterday she was off to kindergarten saying things such as , "should she really being teaching kindergarten, how smart is she anyway". She was pitting boy against boy in physical fights on the playground to see just who got to be engaged to her. She was eating scrambled eggs and syrup made daily by my BFF Ann (that makes me sound young and hip, not like I'm trying too hard to be cool..right?)

It's hard to express how grateful I am for this little spitfire of a young lady. She had a rough start in life and has battled her share of health issues but she doesn't let it stop her. From threatening the nurses at the children's hospital with their life if they poked her one more time, to demanding they get some new toys to entertain her since she's been in the hospital for too long, she is full of spunk. I think I've had more sleepless nights caring for this sweet child than I have all the others put together and yet I wouldn't trade any of it. I love her determination, her ingenuity, her ability to tear up on command to get what she wants from daddy (ok, maybe I'm just jealous of that one), and her generosity. So today I will stand on the corner and watch her embark on another adventure(in sixth grade your mommy doesn't walk you in anymore) and remember my sweet little girl whose spirit is captured in these photos.

Herriman is Under Water

Wow, what a wild weather day. We had record rain fall today. I believe they said that in 15 minutes we had more water than we usually get in the entire month of August. It was spectacular to say the least. I am not sure I've ever seen that much water come down at one time. We were in Smiths when it started and 10 minutes later when we got home there was water up to the bottom step of our deck out back. Poor Waffles was outside and for a dog that is terrified of water it was a nightmare. The new home being built behind us just had the landscaping finished and that beautiful rock wall that I was so excited about turned into a waterfall. Just like the CERT trained girl I am I stood in the kitchen yelling "do something" to Zach. Thank goodness he was home! He came up with a brilliant way to keep all the water from coming into the house. Who new keeping bags of compost and giant inflatable toys would come in handy. They were able to keep water from getting into the house (which is more than I can say for a neighbor whose basement is covered in 8 feet of water). My favorite part of the rescue effort at home was my sweet children trying to protect my budding tomatillo plants. Zach built a dam all the way around them and funneled the water to the front of the house and even covered them to protect them from the hail. The pictures that follow are horrible quality but we were under water people...I had bigger issues!!!!

Make Shift Barrier (Waffles Still Looks Concerned but she follows me anywhere)



This is supposed to be my cement patio...it's there somewhere.






Looking at the pictures it seems so silly but I PROMISE It was a big storm!

$10 happiness

There aren't many direct marketing companies that I haven't tried at least once. I'm kind of a sucker for those things. I'm not sure what the attraction is, I don't like selling things and truly just end up doing it for the discount but as soon as the first phase of excitement leaves and I realize I don't want to purchase items over and over and really don't want to have a party of any kind I let it go. Cookie Lee was no different. I really felt like I got my money worth on it though. It was all stuff that I would want or that my girls would. The problem is that my jewelry boxes (and the girls) are overflowing and I NEVER take the time to look through them. In fact, I still had a box full under my bed waiting for me to come up with a solution. (It's been there for two years). So yesterday after seeing Bailey's jewelry all over her dresser I decided it was time for a solution. I didn't have her with me so I HAD to experiment on one for myself (I'd hate to have bought the wrong color fabric :). So.... ta...da.....I learned a few things (like the fact that my friend and neighbor Trish is a great resource when I'm stumped). I also learned that cats REALLY like to destroy cork boards so don't turn your head for a minute or Kaitlyn's kitty will have that thing shredded within seconds. GC is really good at saving the aforementioned cat from becoming an outside cat by helping me fix the problem. Finally, I need to come up with a better trim but at this point it's already hung up and I'm just going to go with it. I will change it out when I do one for Bailey.

More of My Mommy!

When I was a teenager I was way to cool to refer to my mom as "mommy" but now that I'm a mom with teenagers of myself (who would rather die than call me mommy) I ache to hear that sweet expression of love from my children. I keep finding myself going through these new photos of my mom and am remembering so many little things about her. She was SHORT! It was always funny because my brother is 6'4 and I'm 5'8 (minus an inch now for disk issues but I'm still going to claim that extra inch) and she was only 5 foot and 1/4 inch. You could never forget to say that 1/4 inch. It was a form of validation for her. In church or at meetings I'd often look over to see her feet resting on my dad's briefcase because her feet would go numb hanging over the bench. She had her favorite chairs just for that reason. In fact, my favorite chair in the house is the one that she saved and scrimped to buy just so she could have a spot that "fit" her.

Old Family Photos

Growing up I was very close to my mom's mom. We called her Honey and my grandpa was Papa. I have learned things over the last 15 years or so that make me appreciate my mom so much more for her allowing me to have a relationship with Honey despite the fact that there were some family issues that lurked in the back. My mom knew that I loved Honey and that our relationship was great. I always thought she was the most beautiful woman and she was so much fun to be with. She collected dolls of all kinds and her house was a museum of all sorts of collectibles. She was addicted to QVC and her house, a beautiful home in the historical district of Boise was always bursting at the seems with her newest possesions. Food was not allowed out of the kitchen but for me there was always an exception. She and I would spend hours watching movies, eating junk food and shopping. She didn't drive so our shopping was always with Papa who would sit in the car and patiently wait while we did whatever damage was to be done. He and Honey didn't share a bedroom. I never understood their relationship but it seemed to work for them. Perhaps one of them snored... I know I've considered that option a time or two when I'm laying next to the buzz saw I'm married to.

This is my mommy. I talk about her all the time. I recently received a gold mine of photos from her youth and this is one of my favorites. I love the dress, I love how proper she's sitting, and I love the chair. It was one of the only ones that she could sit in and have her feet touch the ground.

Overnight Trip

Saturday morning GC and I decided to make a last minute trip to Boise to bring some items back from my grandmother's house. We decided to take Zach with us and the other three kids stayed here with Uncle Daniel and Aunt Tasha. We've never left our kids before...sure there have been the long hospital stays but GC has ALWAYS been home with the kids when I've had to be gone. It was one of the more difficult things I've done. I knew Bailey and Kaitlyn would have things covered but the thought of being that far away from my kids was killing me. We made excellent time, visited with my grandma and came back the next day with a few of the things she had asked us to have (those of you who know the rest of the story feel free to laugh out loud!) On the way back we had to stop at just about every rest stop..including the one I drove through just to annoy GC and the one we just had to stop at to watch the helicopter scooping up water to put out a wild fire. By 9:00 Sunday night we were ready to drop the truck off at the Budget rental and after going through the checklist GC dropped the keys in the box. Just as we started to drive away he realized he left his phone in the truck. Perhaps if we weren't in Utah we'd have had a chance of finding someone to open it up for us but countless phone calls were not answered and we resorted to a little B&E. With a coat hanger we got from customer service at the nearby Shopko GC fished for over an hour he successfully recovered the keys from the the drop box.

boo hoo hoo

Bailey's gone! I hate this time of year. I finally get my girl home for the summer and she takes off to go climb rocks and zipline and have water fights. She'll sit out under the stars and roast marshmallows around campfires. She'll meet new girls and stay up all night giggling and impress the leaders with her mad hiking skills. She'll participate in archery where she'll surely be top dog since that's one of her hidden talents. (Is it weird that my daughter is freakishly accurate with a bow and arrow?) Unfortunately for me she'll be gone not once this year but three times. I guess the first one didn't count, she didn't spend the night but was gone for two days at youth conference where she ate WORMS!!!! Yes, you heard me, she ate worms!!!!!! She's very competitive and when the other team was ahead in a little game she decided to make sure they didn't win. The young men leader told me the next day that the boys then had to attempt to eat a worm as well because they couldn't stand the idea of having a girl beat them.

As if this isn't bad enough having one of my precious children gone, my sweet baby Zach (almost 16 is still a baby, right) will be leaving this week as well for a camp of his own. I have NEVER let him go to anything even remotely connected with Boy Scouts. Scouts scares me to death. They play with fire and shoot things and jump off of rocks that are much too high. I decided this year against my better judgment to let him go. He's so excited. I like the leaders and I'm pretty sure they'll keep an extra close eye on him since they all know who his mommy is :)

So if you can't find me this week its because I'm huddled in the corner counted down the hours until all 4 of my sweet babies are back home.

Should Have Been a Cowgirl

It's no secret that I am an animal lover. Just walk past my front door and see the piles of bird poop from the little babies that have made their home inside my porch because we can't stand the idea of killing them. Just last week I had a bunch of kitties rescued from under the neighbors porch in my bathroom while I found homes for them. (No, I didn't keep any!) I have two cats, a dog that I keep despite the continual stress she causes and a squirrel named George that lives in my rock wall and destroys everything I plant. I have deer that eat my bushes and something has eaten my tomato plants. As long as it has fur I will forgive it and just plant a bit extra. I LOVE animals. I wanted to be a zoo keeper at one point but once I found out that I'd have to work with reptiles I changed my mind.

I want an alpaca, a mini horse, a peacock, a jersey cow, a sheep, a goat for yard work and of course a horse for each family member. I dream of having a giant barn with a swing on the top floor that I can use to get from the upper floor to the large pile of hay I'd store at the bottom. It's a dream that I'll probably never realize because in reality, I don't really like poop all that much and I'm kind of lazy.

I mentioned this dream to my brother when he was here and I can still here his laughter. Apparently, he remembers when we lived on a mini farm as kids and wouldn't go outside for fear of getting dirty.

After going to our local rodeo last week I've decided that I truly was meant to be a cowgirl. I LOVE the sound my cowgirl boots make when I walk and how Jacob can step on my feet all night and I don't feel it. I love having wearing my hat and standing by the fence watching the cows and horses do their thing.

I'm thinking of listing my house and moving to the country. Only Bailey and Jacob are on board with this. Kaitlyn thinks I'm nuts and Zach knows that means he'll be the one scooping the poop so he's not to thrilled with the idea. My husband is all for it. Of course, he knows that Zach will be doing the brunt of the work so of course he's thrilled.

So friends, find me a mini farm where I can have my alpaca and grow my own corn.

Wonderful Way to Start the Summer

What a terrific way to start the summer. My brother and his adorable daughter Stina were able to come and visit for almost 3 weeks. We had such a great time and it was so fun to be able to be with them. Shad'o and I have always been very close. He's seven years older than me and was often the third adult in our house. I really wish he didn't live so far away. I know he loves Denmark but I can't help but secretly hope one day he'll find himself back in the states. We did all the typical American things while they were here, including eating so much that I had to pull out the jeans from the forbidden pile on top of the closet. The highlight of our trip was a local rodeo. It was more fun to watch their faces than the rodeo. When I've caught up on my sleep I'll write more about our wonderful adventures.

Mongolian Beef on Steroids

Amazing Stir Fry

(kind of a Mongolian Beef on Steroids)

Who wants to see the recipe that had me eating asparagus AND broccoli? I know you do!!!!! Can you believe it??? The recipe was so popular that after the kids had eaten ALL of the beef out of this I HAD to resort to eating the veggies to get more yummy saucy flavor. Who knew...I can eat green stuff and not die!!!!!!

2t. veg. Oil
½ t. ginger (I used ground) plus a little more for a bit more flavor
1 T. garlic (I like garlic so I added a pinch more
½ c. soy sauce
½ c. water
¾ cup brown sugar

This is your sauce. Sauté the garlic in the oil and add the other ingredients and cook until the sauce starts to thicken. I ended up adding a pinch of corn starch to thicken it up a bit more but in reality I didn't need to. Then set the sauce aside and work on the meat.

I used flank steak but chicken would be super yummy as well.

1 lb. Meat
¼ c. cornstarch

Coat the meat in the cornstarch and let it sit for a few minutes. Then in cook the meat in a pan until almost completely done. At this point I added my veggies. I used asparagus, broccoli, and carrots. I would have added baby corn but I was out. Add sauce and continue to cook until veggies and meat are desired doneness.

Garnish with sesame seeds or green onions. Serve with rice.

Bro. Downs

Whoever said it takes a village to raise a child obviously did not have Ken Downs in their life. While it might be true for most people, I firmly believe that this one man alone has saved countless lives, raised dozens of children and touched the lives of every person he's met.

I came into the story years after it began. Downs, as everyone referred to him as, was at one point in his church service my husbands priest quorum advisor. Now that in and of itself should qualify any man for sainthood. It can't be the easiest job when all the teens are doing their best to follow the gospel standards but imagine it when you have a kid whose greatest pleasure seemed to be seeing how many schools he can get kicked out of in a school year or how many mail boxes could be blown up before anyone caught him. This might have put a mere mortal man off, they may have turned tail and run but not Downs. He had a way with the boys, the good, the bad and the down right ornery just seemed to gravitate toward him. A fireman by day he had all the cool gadgets and new lots of cool tricks and the best part of it for my husband was that he knew how to safely blow things up, catch things on fire and put it out again. Perhaps this was before law suits and permission slips were a must, but he was able to take the boys on trips to Mexico where survival skills and running from the Mexican police were an exercise that ingrained the importance of prayer into the minds of scared young men as they ran for cover and tried their best to stand for truth and righteousness with the military police breathing down their necks. Despite my husbands quest to “find himself” which often meant “running away from himself”, Downs never let go. He was an anchor in an otherwise turbulent see of teenage hood. The connection the two had did not wither after GC was no longer in his charge.

He would check in with him frequently and continually offered words of encouragement and when we moved back to California as a married couple starting our career and family it was to Downs that we ran. He met us at the moving truck ready to unload. He had made one phone call and what seemed like the entire ward was there to help us move and they were there a few months later when our home was ready and we moved in for good. A somewhat shorter man in stature, he was larger than life and within moments of meeting him your soul was over come with warm fuzzies and the feeling of complete and unabashed love. I will never forget the first time he laid eyes on Zach. He walked in the room, took a double take at what appeared to be a miniature version of his once disobedient priest and paused to place his hand upon his head. His eyes got big and he turned to me and with conviction said, “wow, that is one special spirit right there...you can feel the goodness leaking from every pore. He'd remind me of that often through out the years. He reminded me of it again one day when Zach had locked Bailey in a closet on accident and the door would not budge. The poor girl was trapped without a light and even worse...no game boy or toys. Zach immediately grabbed a flashlight and played flashlight games under the door to entertain her while I reached for the phone and just as always, Downs was on my doorstep within minutes. I am sure the man had super powers, I would often clock the drive from his house to mine and there is no human way possible he could have made it there in the time he seemed to when ever I called.

I liked to think we were special, that our family was his favorite, but as I listened to ward members over the years I found that Downs seemed to be everyone's “go to guy”. He served as counselor, mentor, friend, confident, advisor, and companion to any who would let him.

One of the things we were the most sad about when we left California was that we would no longer have Downs up the street. We were thrilled when a few years later we both ended up in St George. What a thrill to have him at our home once again. When Kaitlyn become very ill and fear set in he came. I don't remember calling him, but then, he seemed to come before we knew we needed him a lot anyway so we weren't shocked that he came. He looked at her, looked at me and said, “she'll be OK”. That was all it took for me to believe it. I felt as though he had a direct connection to my Heavenly Father and if he said it then it must be so.

He passed away this week and the LDS members of the Camarillo Stake let out a collective sob when the news was announced. The tears spread through out the country and even the world as his relationships were on each continent. I myself dropped to my knees in prayer to thank my Father in Heaven for sharing with us for what seemed liked too brief of a time. I didn't pray for his soul, I knew where he would be...serving the youth, comforting those who needed it and watching over his friends and family from a place far better suited to his amazing spirit then Earth. Monday after his death there was something that I would have picked up the phone to discuss with him and of course the realization that he wouldn't pick up was daunting. I was comforted by the fact that his legacy lives on in each of us.

OH Yummy!!!

I am trying to find a way to get breakfast into my children who just don't seem to have the time or the desire to eat in the mornings before school. I realize that with one leaving at 6:30, 7:30 and then 8:00 it's kind of hard to make something that we can all enjoy without me cooking that many times. We're burned out on cereal and I'm burned out on buying cereal. I found this recipe and thought MAYBE my kids would eat it. I know my husband won't but then he only likes breakfast from McDonald's. So yummy and filling. I used some frozen fruit and while I'm sure it isn't the healthiest of recipes (butter and brown sugar) it will surely make the transition easier for my corn pop loving kiddos.

Torture Can Be So Fun

I had the most wonderful last few days. I had the opportunity to spend time with my wonderful friend Ann who came to visit and one of the highlights of the weekend was learning how to wax. I have suddenly become hairy and I'm just too cheap to pay someone to do it. I of course didn't want to experiment on myself and the last thing I wanted to do was to screw Bailey up but Zach would make a great candidate. He isn't the most hairy child but thankfully he had a trail on his tummy that was just screaming for a good waxing. We laid him on the table and went to work. I'm sure that any neighbors looking in the windows would have wondered what four women were doing standing around a shirtless teen laying on the table. He was a good sport. But in his own way of seeking revenge I think that he purposely controlled his response to the pain so that I would think that it was a painless process. After about an hour of experimenting I am pleased to announce however that my face is hair free (not to worry...eyebrows are still in tact).

It's hit me this week just how little we can control life. I will deny it if you repeat this, but I kind of like control. I like to decide where we're going, what we're doing, who we're doing it with and which path we'll take to get anywhere. I'm pretty convinced that I would make an amazing CEO of the Universe if it were a possibility. When my kids were little it was very easy to censor what they watched, what they ate and who they played with. They had choices, I don't mean to make myself sound like a dictator but usually I would say something like "would you like an apple or a pear with your lunch?" With control has come the ability for me to "fix" everything. It's a rarity that there is something that a little "mommy magic" can't make better. I've prided myself in being the one who "gets things done". Suddenly this week, better yet the past six weeks, I've been forced to realize how little control I actually have in life and you know what....it hurts. It is physically painful for me to watch my children be put into situations that I can't make better. I've watched the way they handle adversity and can most certainly see their daddy in them when they suck it up and say, "well, it will work out". I on the other hand am continually reminding myself to breathe, to just make it through this next hurdle and everything will be better. I'm still waiting for that "something better" to come along. I'm feeling a bit broken right now, a bit off my game. I have found myself clutching my chest through out the day probably in a subconscious attempt to ensure that it hasn't broken in two and is shattered somewhere along with my dreams. I realize this is senseless rambling and that in the words of my husband,"it doesn't do any good to stress about things that can't be changed" but I'm not as strong as he is. I admire his ability to go to work and think about "work". I envy that ability to "turn it off" to "compartmentalize" but perhaps it comes with the mommy card we get when we have children, that inability to stop thinking for even one minute about the future and stressing about today and perhaps regretting a bit of yesterday. I guess I'll follow Jacob's advice and eat an Oreo, he says they help with just about everything and then I'll wear the knees of my pants out just a little more while I plead with my Father in Heaven to give me the strength I need.

WAHOO!!!!

The pictures don't do this justice, it's dark but I just couldn't wait to post them.

I may be the happiest person entire world today!!! Remember my REALLY blank entry way? It's all done! I only spent a full 48 hours being obsessed with it. I went to Hobby Lobby over and over, I looked all over the internet to find a canvas like Jen suggested but in the end I just HAD to have these frames. It was an adventure and I'm pretty sure I spent the same amount of money on Command Strips as I did the frames and photos! The frames have one of those lovely little stands on the back and so it wouldn't sit correctly on the wall but after hours and hours of yelling at my husband to figure out the solution and him telling me to return the frames and buy one's without the stand and me saying "NO, I love them...figure it out", it hit me, REMOVE THE BACKS!!!! Brilliant...I KNOW. I was afraid to put them on the wall in the layout I had changed at least 20 times until Laurie Freeman was kind enough to come and give me the thumbs up (I love her house and her sense of style so she was the perfect one to come and tweek it a bit). How cool is that big M? I wanted a monogram letter but wasn't sure it would work but a little spray paint and I was thrilled. (BA, that stuff really damages the brain cells, I'm understanding you a bit better :) I can now sleep, of course I'm probably going to just stand in my entryway and smile.

help!!!

I am in a desperate situation...well... I woke up with a bee in my bonnet to fainlly do something to my entry way but now I'm stuck...I dont' know what to do because no holes are allowed on the empty wall (my husband has begged and pleaded so we'll use command strips)



This is the entry way looking out toward the front door. I don't know if the colors will show up well but at least you can see the really empty space above the bench. I didn't even have a bench there until I got tired of people not taking off their shoes. I may have to make a little sign to put out or something.



We have those long windows that kind of bug me when I'm not home because then I'm afraid people are just looking right in. We've actually caught neighbors doing that before and frankly when I'm hiding from the world I dont want that. I bought some of that special glass paper that you can add to block it out about but that was two years ago and I don't want to rush.

I just pulled these frames out from under the guest room bed. I realize that the pictures are OLD but they're so cute I don't care. I"m leaning toward the darker ones but then I have to replace the photos for sure because my angel Jacob is not in one.



Now that you know how much style I don't have please help!!!

Poor Kid

I'd post a picture but he'd probably not bet too happy with me after he's all better. Zach had his wisdom teeth out today. It went smoothly. He was so happy to see me when he came out of recovery. He kept saying, "I'm so happy inside, I love you". He was just like he was when he was 5. It was actually kind of fun to see that size of him until we were in the drive thru waiting for the meds (he insisted he was fine) and all of a sudden he started to throw up...everywhere. He hit the inside of the car, the outside and the lane at Smiths. The technicians were not too thrilled. The look on their face was priceless. I couldn't help but laugh because really throwing up is just part of our routine around here. After a ton of paper towels and lots of weird looks from bystanders we were cleaned up enough to be on our way. He slept most of the afternoon(I washed the car) and I'm really hoping he'll be better than new before we know it.

Creativity!!

I had a great day today. I got to go to lunch with one of my wonderful friends that I have known since I was 15. In fact, I used to babysit for her little boy who is now serving a mission in Australia (wow, that kind of hurts if I think about it). We became wonderful friends while I babysat for her and now we get to visit a couple of times a year. Since we had time to kill after lunch we went to Hobby Lobby. Oh how I love that place. I was in search of stuff to make pillows for my front room but that just didn't go as planned so I ended up making these super cute flower clips for my girls. The best part was when I got to play with fire :) In order to get the kind of curved edge you run the fabric over a flame....SO MUCH FUN!!! I did not let Zach or Jacob watch however, we've had enough fun with the fire dept. this year (that would be an excellent blog post...I'll get on that!



Then I made this cute pink flower but I'm not sure what I'll do with it. It seems a bit big for a hair clip, any suggestions?

A Tribute to My Valentine

He cherishes me and loves me without end. How do I know this? The answer is simple. It is not necessarily an answer that the casual observer would see or hear but it is there. For instance while most men panic if a meal is not prepared for them and placed in front of them, my man never once has demanded a meal. He’s perfectly willing to fix himself, the children and even me a snack when hunger strikes. He doesn’t complain if his jeans are dirty, if his socks don’t match or the collar of his shirt is askew. He drives children to activities and even remembers to pick them up again. He fills my ice cream bowl late at night when I’m too cold to get it myself. He rubs my back, makes sure all the soap is off of me in the shower so I don’t itch and grabs me a clean towel since I don't like to share.
He carries the large bags of cat litter for the cats that he didn’t want. He scrubs the floor when the dog mistakes the front room for the lawn. He works hard for a living. He supports me in my endless hobbies. He knows just how to tickle the grumpies out of a toddler, sooth the wows of a princess, and boost the ego of his son.
He takes his children to the grave yard to visit their grandmother, and holds me at night when missing her is just too much. He makes cookies and buys pizza. He buys raffle tickets and goes to carnivals. He indulges me and my impulse Christmas shopping in July and he helps set the tree up the fourth Friday of every November.
He checks the pressure in my tires and he makes sure I have cold water to drink. He buys popcorn at movies when he doesn’t want any and drinks root beer when he’d rather have lemonade. He moves across the country to help his family and rents two U-hauls instead of one because his wife just can’t let go yet. He buys goldfish in bulk and eats burned toast so I don’t have to. I am forever grateful for my Valentine.

I'll miss these moments

My Dear Jacob,

You came running to my room today, just minutes after you were sent to bed. You carried your favorite blanket “sportsies” with you and jumped on my lap. You pulled the blanket over both of our heads and I could see your little lip quiver even in the darkness. When you're sad your lips turn into the perfect frown and your big blue eyes are cloaked in the innocence of an angel. You tried to get the words out but I could see you were embarrassed to have your daddy hear. You like to look tough to him. I asked you, “you're scared and want to sleep in here?” you nodded and when I said “yes” your frown turned to smile and you ran to grab your monkey blanket, the dog Ann gave you and your “big” blanket. You skipped back to the bed with pure happiness and you said, “we can share these mommy”. You talked for 20 minutes about robotic snakes attacking the family and how they scared you when you were little. I told you how I imagine being a super hero when I have bad dreams and you responded, “yeah, I do that too”. As you laid your head on your favorite red pillow your sweet little hand reached out for my arm and rubbed it tenderly to make sure I was still there. You took a deep breath and fell asleep in the safety of my bed surrounded by your favorite blankets and favorite dog. How I love those moments. I know that before long you'll be concerned with being tough in front of me as well as your dad but for now I love being your soft place to land, your safe place and I love the touch of your tender hand on my arm and knowing that you're there to keep me safe too.

Ambition Gets Me in Trouble

I woke up today after very little sleep and decided to tackle my spice issue. It doesn't matter how I try to keep them controlled they end up so scattered that I can never find them. Of course the easy solution would be to use a spice rack but I can't stand stuff on my counter (ha ha ha, wish there were a day that they were actually empty). So I decided that I needed to make a spice drawer. Now that meant cleaning out ALL the drawers which resulted in this....

I decided to go all "Martha Stewart" and use little matching glass containers with clear labels on the top so that when you opened the drawer ('cause all my guests go through my drawers ) you'd be so impressed with my awesomeness. That resulted in a trip to Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby, Ross, and Kohls. I found some cute little jars at Target but when I got home I just wasn't feeling it. I couldn't justify $40 on little jars especially since they wouldn't have that little plastic piece on the top that lets my kids add "just a dash". So I ended up doing this....



I returned everything at Target being thrilled at my thriftiness (and Kaitlyn's organization skills at putting them in order for me). I'm not sure Bailey was thrilled when I picked her up from school and she saw the kitchen. After a couple of hours she had everything organized and put exactly where she likes them. I am sure it will only last until it's Zach's turn to put dishes away but look how nice my drawers look!!!!

Mid Life Crisis

So, I've spent the day trying to decide exactly what I want to do with my life. That sounds crazy since I'm a stay at home mom with four kids....sounds like I've already made that decision :) I think with the hysterectomy I've hit my mid life crisis earlier than expected. I love my life, I love my kids, love my house (even though it just dropped another 40k, ) love my church, love my neighbors,, friends...you name it. BUT, I don't feel like I'm living up to my potential. I spend a lot of my time sitting at my computer searching blogs in an attempt to find something that motivates me. It's kind of pathetic. Here is my list of things I've decided I want to be today, if any of them look good to you let me know.

1. dancer
2. american idol
3. writer
4. kite maker
5. painter
6. card maker
7. model
8. columnist
9. the next Erma Bombeck
10. a chef
11. caterer
12. pastry chef
13. nutritionist
14. photographer
15. marathon runner
16.tv talk show host
17. an herbalist
18. professional organizer
19. reflexologist
20. product tester

So, can I have your vote?

numerology

I've been studying numerology and am stunned at how accurate it is. This says a lot about me.

http://www.paulsadowski.com/NameData.asp

The characteristics of #4 are: A foundation, order, service, struggle against limits, steady growth.

The expression or destiny for #4:
Order, service, and management are the cornerstones of the number 4 Expression. Your destiny is to express wonderful organization skills with your ever practical, down-to-earth approach. You are the kind of person who is always willing to work those long, hard hours to push a project through to completion. A patience with detail allows you to become expert in fields such as building, engineering, and all forms of craftsmanship. Your abilities to write and teach may lean toward the more technical and detailed. In the arts, music will likely be your choice. Artistic talents may also appear in such fields as horiculture and floral arrangement, as well. Many skilled physicians and especially surgeons have the 4 Expression.

The positive attitudes of the 4 Expression yield responsibility; you are one who no doubt, fulfills obligations, and is highly systematic and orderly. You are serious and sincere, honest and faithful. It is your role to help and you are required to do a good job at everything you undertake.

If there is too much 4 energies present in your makeup, you may express some of the negative attitudes of the number 4. The obligations that you face may tend to create frustration and feelings of limitation or restriction. You may sometimes find yourself nursing negative attitudes in this regard and these can keep you in a rather low mood. Avoid becoming too rigid, stubborn, dogmatic, and fixed in your opinions. You may have a tendency to develop and hold very strong likes and dislikes, and some of these may border on the classification of prejudice. The negative side of 4 often produces dominant and bossy individuals who use disciplinarian to an excess. These tendencies must be avoided. Finally, like nearly all with 4 Expression, you must keep your eye on the big picture and not get overly wrapped up in detail and routine.

Your Soul Urge number is: 4

A Soul Urge number of 4 means:
With the Soul Urge or Motivation number of 4 you are likely to strive for a stable life. You tend to follow a rather orderly pattern and systematic approach in your endeavors. You have an inner desire to serve others in a methodical and diligent manner. You want to be in solid, conventional, and well-regulated activities, and you are somewhat disturbed by innovation and erratic or sudden changes. Excellent at organizing, systematizing, and managing, you have a way of establishing order and maintaining it. You are responsible, reliable and in the final analysis, practical. Highly analytical, you can see your way through all sorts of situations and generally have a clear understanding of the issues. You are a very honest, sincere, and conscientious individual.

The negative side of the 4 is rigid, stubborn and somewhat narrow-minded. There is a tendency to hide feelings, or to really not be aware of real feelings. Avoid being too rigid and stubborn in your thinking, and try to always see the big picture rather than becoming to involved with the detail. Don't be afraid to take a chance once in awhile.

Your Inner Dream number is: 9

An Inner Dream number of 9 means:
You dream of being creative, intellectual, and universal; the selfless humanitarian. You understand the needy and want to help them. You would love to be a person people count on for support and advice.

hands

I've been having what may only be called a bit of anxiety and a little bit of an inferiority complex lately. I think we all go through those stages once in a while and in an attempt to get out of my "funk", I've been reading various parts of my journals I've written over the years. I found these two little passages that seemed to connect with me today.

This first I wrote when my mom was dying.
How she loved the sun. As a child I would look at her callused hands, chapped and cracked from hours of gardening and would wonder why she would work in the garden when it obviously resulted in pain. Watching her struggle to make her way to the weed I realized that it was her way of creating something wonderful, it was her masterpiece. One of her sisters was an artist, the other a musician and she, well she was her own breed of talent. She had the ability to take a seed which held the promise of new growth and turn it into a beautiful plant that not only produced food that nourished the body of those she loved, but nourished her soul as well. Why had I never appreciated the talent it took to garden. Why had I not appreciated her love of the soil? I felt guilty for at times I judged those callused hands and hesitated to hold them -- not realizing they were a badge of honor Not realizing how painful it would be hold them once they became soft and smooth from lack of use.

This one was written a couple years later when I noticed one of my daughters looking at me the same way I had looked at my mom.

Dear Daughter,

I watched you take my hand today with a bit of hesitation. You looked them over quickly and with a bit of awkwardness decided it would be okay for a brief moment. It was like holding a limp doll in my hand as you tried with all your might to block out the images of rough callouses, chapped knuckles, chipped nails and freckles turned to age spots. My heart sank as I remembered my own mother's hands. Hands much like my own with tiny bits of green from endless gardening staining the cracks in her fingers. I'd watch her in the evening soak her hands and rub them with lotion. An emery board was a standard item at the side of her bed and she'd file them to perfection knowing full well that tomorrow when she scrubbed the pans left in the sink by her children they'd be uneven and ragged once again. I'd look at her hands and compare them to the hands of other women who had regular appointments at the beauty salon to polish and buff their hands and shine their nails with a hard acrylic paint in just the right shade. I thought that perhaps my mom didn't approve of that ritual, perhaps she didn't care about manicures and pedicures. It wasn't until you said to me, “your nails would look prettier with polish, you should get manicures,” did I realize that I too didn't care for the weekly ritual of self indulgence. I choose instead to spend my money on lessons for my children, or making sure you have just the right swim suit for the next party. My mom could have chosen to spend her time in a chair chatting with women about trivial manners but instead she spent her time pruning trees and pulling weeds so our garden would thrive. She chose to scrub the bathrooms and the floors so we'd have a home to be proud of. It was never the biggest, it never had the fanciest of furniture but it was always the cleanest. She chose instead to play catch and clap loudly from the sidelines as my brother and I competed in events that would help us make our mark on the world. I realize now that my mom wore her calloused hands as badges of honor. They meant she had completed yet another day of hard, demanding yet somehow still fulfilling work. It meant she continually put her children first. So when you look at my hands and think that I just don't care about them, remember that my hands are just right to make your dinner or fold your clothes. My nails are just the right length to help open stubborn packages and untie knots that refuse to let go. They are just right for holding ice on your latest scrap or rub lotion on your back so you won't burn. Remember that it is your hands that matter to me, the way they fit in mine. The way they sound strumming a note on your instrument of choice; the way they play with the latest toy or hold your pencil to your paper. What matters is the way they tenderly pet the cat or comfort your siblings. Please don't hesitate to hold them, my badges of honor, my connection to my mother and my lifeline with you.

Funny how times change. I have had a couple of pedicures since writing this and if I weren't so cheap I'd probably jump at the chance to have my nails done :)

giveaway

Another fun game in blogland (i got this one from thrifted trasure)

*i will make a handmade gift for the first 3 people who comment on this post.

*i have 365 days to for it in...

*what it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!

the catch is you MUST participate as well:

* you must have a blog and before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post (or just copy mine!) on your blog and keep the fun going.

just think how nice it will be to get a present handed to you/in the mail! (if you know me, it wont take a full year for me to get it out! i'm already obsessing on all the cool things i can make....)

"Jacob'isms"

Jacob makes me smile with his little comments that come out of the blue. I wish I had taken the time to write down each and every thing he has said but here are a few from the past little while.

I asked Jacob if his room was clean and he nodded that it was, he then paused, turned and looked at me out of the corner of his eye and said, "wait a minute...are you going to check?"

"Ambushing is kind of my thing".

He ran into a wall and turned with the most sincere face and said, "Well, apparently that didn't go well".

While driving past the new Olive Garden in progress he was disappointed to see they weren't finishing it as quickly as he'd hope so he informed me that he was going to be obnoxious until it was finished. It was a long few months each time we passed it.

When asking for something he wanted he said, "I'm going to keep on bugging you until you say yes so we can do this the easy way or the hard way".

He asked me when he could pop his water balloon and I told him "later" his response was "later today or later in real life?"

"The cat ate my horny lizard".

"I'm the smartest, just ask my mom".

To his dad, "mom said I can sleep in her room because she isn't having issues with me".

GC said, "I see you..." while Jacob was trying to be in stealth mode. Jacob responded, "no you don't I'm a super spy level 3".

"Mom, that hug squeezed the fart right back into my brain".

Eating at the dinner table one night I felt something drip on my hand. I asked him, "did you spit on me?" His response, "Oh dont' worry, it wasn't spit, its just snot that dripped from my nose".

He can't wait until the "newest virgin" of the game to be released.

He built a Lego truck and named it "The Truck of Doom".

Zach told Jacob that he couldn't play a game on his account anymore because he was monopolizing the computer. Jacob's response was, "Oh really, then how do you explain this" and kept right on playing.

Journaling

Today while sitting in sacrament meeting it hit me that I haven't been keeping a journal the past year or so and there are so many things that I don't want to forget. It breaks my heart to think that as I get older I may forget the funny stories and adventures that we've had as a family and have decided that perhaps it's time to go back to blogging and if nothing else, keep it as a personal record of our lives together. It's all but impossible to go back and write about everything that has happened and in reality anyone who is my facebook friend already knows what goes on :) I apologize in advance if the things I write are outdated or if it's a story you've heard over and over but I will never tire of reading of my sweet children and their antics.