Happy Easter from our family!
Drewby’s drawing: “There is light in the tomb.”
Glad vs. Mad – a lesson to remember
March 10, 2013 Leave a Comment
A list… what do you think all these words are about?
The answer? Trials. The hard times. The slaps and the crazies and the wearing out the knees of your pants in prayer hard times.
The lesson today was on choosing to find joy and happiness throughout your trials and your life.
D&C 122:7-8 – “…that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?”
Shelly taught the principle so well and discussed Pollyanna’s take… find the good in the hard. These experiences are for us and our growth.
In Sacrament Meeting today one of the bishopric talked about how taking care of a new baby can be challenging. It is a trial. But it is so worth it and we know that. So we’re okay with the sleepless nights and the diapers and the demands. We know it is worth it. Then he asked a question I’ve been thinking about all day – What if we did the same thing with the other trials in our life? What if we figuratively snuggled them up and rocked them? – Knowing they would be for our good.
Same concept – worded differently.
And a mommy tip. If you have a sleepy little one at church that is just. not. wanting. to. crash. Use the camera on your phone like a mirror – so much fun to watch themselves in motion. And/or snap a quick photo. Your little one will also be entertained to see a current up-to-the-minute photo of themselves on the phone if they are anything like my little one. 
And there you have it – joy in even the little trials.
Dreaming…
January 9, 2013 2 Comments
Planning… and wishing… and hoping… and dreaming. One book for each month this year.
Brown paper covers sewn with regular ol’ typing paper on the inside. And a smattering of embellishments…
{credits}
Smencils not required, but oh-so-fun. {And they have Smalentines. In mint chocolate chip, ch-ch-cherry, be mine, sweetheart and strawberry cream. I swoon.}
13??!?!!?
December 31, 2012 Leave a Comment
Giving Thanks
November 23, 2012 4 Comments
Thankful for so many blessings. Thankful for a Heavenly Father who is aware of each of us and our needs. Thankful for my family that keeps me smiling and giggling. Also, thankful for the yummy smells in my home.
That’s the short list. I was making pies this morning and that last one had to make it’s way on.
There are so many wonderful things to be thankful for, always. Another one at the moment is an amazing aunt that took the time to teach me how to make tortillas.
It started when her boyfriend came for a visit and taught her his mother’s recipe. The tortillas all the neighborhood children still talk about now that they’re grown. That’s the one.
It looks a little something like this:
“THE tortilla recipe:
it is 3 to 4 cups flour to one cube softened butter….mixed in well with your fingers…add about 2 tsp salt and a pinch of baking powder. Have 2 cups lukewarm water ready to add as needed. It takes most of it. Mix with your hands to a dough that feels about like pie crust dough..not too wet but not dry either. flour the area you will roll them out very lightly (the flour burns on the grill otherwise) and using a peice of the masa about the size of an egg roll it out (flipping it over and around after each roll) until big and thin. (they aren’t all perfectly round but still taste great) then on a hot grill (we used a skillet, a cast iron grill and a big electric grill and they all worked great) that is dry..not greased at all….put one at a time and turn with it bubbles nicely all over…it may puff up and that is fine..when done stack them up on a paper towel on counter to cool before bagging them up. Thats it!! I think I covered it all. The butter and the dowel for a rolling pin (the size of a garden tool handle) really makes all the differnce. And every single other recipe I have tried in the past called for too much baking powder. Eppy explained that more than a pinch makes it stiff and hard to roll. That pinch is enough.”
Love.
Now, tortillas and I go way back. My roommates in college used to tease me because I bought and ate way more tortillas than bread. I wish I knew how to make them back then.
Jenny’s daughter showed up at my door a few weeks ago with this:
Inside were these treasures:
Part of the original rake-handle-rolling-pin and masa made by Jenny. We ate that plus another batch in the first evening.
My first tortilla:
Not the prettiest thing, but it was sooo very yummy. I’ve made them 3 times in the last month and am working on perfecting the skill. My family doesn’t seem to mind.
The first photo is from one of my latest late night attempts. I’m getting there.
Here’s Jenny’s actual recipe card she also sent over:
Adorable. Those smiley faces and happy-go-lucky writing… she’s a lady in love. I love that she’s in love. I’m in love too. Thankful for her tortillas and her sharing heart.
Treasured
November 19, 2012 2 Comments
Gorgeous October day (the 29th) when we visited the Boise Idaho temple open house – the temple of my youth. 
I remember saving pennies to help with the initial construction. Now it’s all renovated and simply beautiful. I’m so grateful we were able to take our family on the trek to see this wonder-filled building.
Thankful that we can be a forever family.
A little contemplative… Jacob said that he found the Angel Moroni on a gigantic pillar next to the temple quite interesting. He also said the temple makes him feel happy and warm inside.
Joshua loved the big stained glass window of the Sacred Grove by the baptismal font. He said with the sun shining through it looked very beautiful and made him feel peaceful.
Autumn loved the beauty of “the room where you be quiet” (celestial room). She also loved the sealing room where you can see the mirrors “go back and forth, on & on”. She has never seen mirrors placed like that before and loved it.
Andrew liked the baptism room too. He said you “go into a big circle of water and underneath there are ox. 12 of them!” He said said he felt warm and happy – “just like Jacob”.
Miss Katey loved the Bride’s Room where the ladies get ready on their wedding day. She also loved the crystal chandeliers. While touring she said “it’s sparkling everyday. Sparkles forever!”
Caleb loved the “baptism water with cows” (one way to describe it…). He says the temple made him feel good. “Yeah – feel good.”
Meri – well, she loved all the lights inside the temple. She also loved the big, beautiful windows and tried to reach every sparkly chandelier.
Jim Bob loved that they took an already beautiful temple and made it even more beautiful. “Perfection even. There is nothing lacking in construction or design.” He also loved the awe of our children – He said his very favorite part was watching their “big bug eyes and wide gaping mouths taking it all in and not believing the beauty of the temple.”
Me – The temple was absolutely gorgeous – dark wood and beauty all around. I also loved the beauty of the people there the day we toured the temple. Everyone was full of smiles and willing to help. From the men directing traffic to the people putting on protective footwear to the ladies passing out candies on temple napkins to the piano players in the adjacent church – everyone was so friendly and genuinely happy to be there. I especially enjoyed the faith building stories of our tour guides.
“The evening before the rededication (last night), President Monson told a group of 9,200 young people, gathered for the youth cultural celebration, that the temple “shines as a beacon of righteousness to all who will follow its light.”
“We treasure that light, and we thank our Heavenly Father for the blessings this temple and all temples bring into our lives,” he said.”
We rejoice in the blessings of the temple!
New and improved…
October 21, 2012 2 Comments
Katey’s latest picture: Rainbow Bacon.
It “tastes like blueberry strawberry tangerine”.
Katey also said it is yummy with ice cream.
“You just put a scoop right on top!” (Fun to watch her so animated about her drawing!)
That’s some mighty sophisticated bacon right there.
Scary Paper
October 21, 2012 Leave a Comment
Meet Googley-Eye.
He’s a crocodile. That equals scary. Hence the scary face.
Googley-Eye has a huge jaw.
Closed:
Open:
With equally expressive eyebrows from Drewby.
Googley-Eye was created and named by Andrew. He wishes we had a googley eye big enough to put right over that eye socket there. He thinks that would be perfect.
I think Googley-Eye is pretty adorable scary as is.
Everyday #2371
September 23, 2012 2 Comments
This is Drewby’s latest drawing. I love the Christmas scene – tree in the window, snowflakes falling, festive red roof. The worm in the hole on the left makes me giggle. (We think it’s all about perspective – showing the cutaway underground.) What makes me really smile is the snowball storage in the basement. Complete with two fans to keep those snowballs cool. Brilliant.
p.s. While talking with Andrew the next morning he informed me that the worm is getting ready to hibernate. :)
Flecks of Gold
September 22, 2012 Leave a Comment
This here reminder is printed on Red River’s River Linen paper (one of my favs) and displayed on our piano. It coordinates with my treasure theme for the year. I absolutely love this quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard:
“Great things are wrought through simple and small things. Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another.”
I love that the little things I do each day – for my family and others are like flecks of gold. It’s nice to imagine all that treasure building up, fleck by fleck.
The beginning story part of Elder Ballard’s talk was made into a Mormon Message:
His whole talk from General Conference can be found here.
Elder Ballard’s beautifully worded sermon is a treasure.
A fun little side note. The gold flecks on my poster?
Those are cupcake sprinkles – sweet, no?
