Be Still

One of my favorite scriptures:

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

--Psalms 46:10 

* * * * *

What do you do when the world seems full of darkness?

Fill it with light. . . . for every act of darkness, I need to do a thousand acts of light. The only way we win is by living better, by pushing back harder, by loving, and by nurturing in tiny and slightly less tiny ways and then repeating. Darkness only wins when the good people of the world stop generating light.

We will never do that. . . .

If I am part of the light, I need to commit every day to shine brighter, to love stronger. We can never. Ever. Give up.

 --Kathryn Thompson, daringyoungmom.com

* * * * *

Lo, in the silent night
A child to God is born
And all is brought again
That ere was lost or lorn.
Could but thy soul, O man, 
Become a silent night!
God would be born in thee
And set all things aright.

--Anonymous, circa 15th century

May we all become that "silent night" this season.

May we be still enough to let God be born in us to make us the bright lights He needs us to be. 

--Shawni Pothier, 71toes.com 

* * * * *

And a song that is becoming a favorite:

Be Still by The Killers

* * * * *

I've been contemplating next year and what my goal might be for the year. Life is getting busier as my kids are getting older. They are more involved which means I get to be the transportation taxi. Ten years ago my good friend Sharon who is more my mom's age with older children told me to just wait. If I thought life was busy with toddlers, just wait until they're older. At the time I couldn't fathom life being any busier. But I've discovered different stages in life have different types of busyness.

At this stage it's becoming harder for me to find time to be by myself, to experience some quiet revelatory stillness. Even the bathroom isn't off limits when you have a two-year-old and you are his only friend for the entire day. Funny, because I thought this was my life ten years ago.

(not my picture, but one that reminded me of my little Alex)
 
If I'm going to be a light that shines brighter in this world, I need God to help me know how. And for that to happen, I need to BE STILL. This just might the goal I need.

In preparation for the last day of the world . . .

 Those crazy Mayans. They should have consulted the Oreo.

Unfortunately, Tyler decided to spend his last on earth getting a tooth extracted. No solid food for two days. But who's counting, right? He was instructed to eat only yogurt, smoothies, jello, cold drinks, ice cream.

Ice cream? Ooohhh, I like that. I hereby declare that ice cream will be served for dinner.

That's right. Ice cream will be our final meal.

Cookies 'n cream, that is.

 * * * * * * *

And here's something that's had us all scratching our heads around here:

For a Christmas gift, my elementary grade kids got to choose either a can of Pepsi or Mt. Dew as they were getting off the bus.

My junior high kids? Well, they got a candy cane.

Does anyone else find something wrong with this picture?

Same bus, same bus driver. 

Math name tags

This is how Santa chose to identify his gifts at our house last year.
That's right. There was a little bit of work involved in determining whose presents were whose.

Several years ago Tyler and I committed the ultimate oops when we left a child of ours home. Ever since that day whenever we are all going somewhere, one of us will initiate "sound off." This simply means that every child has a number and they yell out their number, IN ORDER (that way we know if anyone is incognito). Kiersten is 1, Erik is 2, Nate is 3, Ashlyn is 4, and Alex is 5 (who recently learned to say his own number and join in the fun).

We also have a bunch of math whizzes in our home and "Santa" thought it might be fun to challenge them a little bit. Each math equation's answer corresponded to one of the kids' sound off number. If the answer was 3, the present went to Nate.

Oh, it was a lot of fun. The morning went a little slower and the kids enjoyed working together to make sure those gifts got to their rightful owner.

At the beginning of this Christmas season I was stewing about what I could do this year that could be just as fun. I had read a book not too long ago on organization and the author mentioned that one way to be organized is to decide on one thing and do that same thing year after year. For instance, she has decided that for each grandchild's first birthday, she will give them a book. When it comes to that first birthday, she doesn't stress and worry about what to get them.

That thought hit me one day, and SERIOUSLY, why mess with a good thing.

So Santa is back on board with our little math name tags and has some pretty good ideas on how to jazz it up. He's thinking about throwing in some algebra (you know, like solving for X), a little geometry, and definitely some story problems.

Christmas morning can't come soon enough.

The W in Christmas

My all time favorite story to read during the Christmas season is probably A Christmas Dress for Ellen by Thomas S. Monson. I say probably because it could very easily be replaced if I come across another good one. But that one has been tops for several years now and makes me weep every time.

Another favorite of mine is called "The W in Christmas". It's in my book of Christmas stories and one I re-read every year. 

Each December I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations: extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet I still found myself exhausted, unable to fully appreciate the precious family moments, and, of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six-year-old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's Winter Pageant. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production.

Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher who assured me there would be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early and found a seat in the cafeteria. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.

As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas" I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment: songs about reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes, and good cheer. So when my son's class rose to sing "Christmas Love" I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, who were adorned in fuzzy mittens and red sweaters, with bright stocking caps on their heads. Those in the front row, center stage, held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas" a child would hold up the letter "C."   Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly we noticed her: a small, quiet girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down. She was unaware that reversed, her letter "M" appeared as a "W."

The audience of first- through sixth-graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, and she stood tall, proudly holding her "W." Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together.

A hush came over the audience, and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos there was a purpose for our festivities.

When the last letter was held high, the message read clear: 

"CHRISTWAS LOVE".

And I believe He still is.

Alex's certificate

Look what Tyler found on his printer one morning.

It looks like Alex, our two year old has not only figured out how to boot up the computer and run Typing Instructor, but he now knows how to print.

It looks like he could use some work on his words per minute and accuracy.

Ash came home with her own "bigger" certificate that get she gets to display outside our home for the next month.
And how about that grass? You'd never guess it was the first of December.

Resurrection and Regifting

This little boy loves trains. Getting caught in the electrical cord? Not so much.

You gotta love that we live right by a real train track with real trains that go by about 10 times a day. So yesterday I decided Alex needed to do something more with his time other than computer games, and I resurrected the old train sets. The only problem was I couldn't remember how to put together our motorized Thomas the Train track. We had combined two sets so I had no idea how many pieces it really needed or where they went.

This necessitated that our family (aka our children since they have the smarts)  figure the darn thing out for our family home evening activity.
And once they did we all concurred that we could sit there for hours watching Thomas and his friends haul coal around that little track.

Alex was so elated as he watched those trains do their business that I decided to regift it for Christmas. Ashlyn was all on board with that idea since she has Alex's name. She'll do the boxing and wrapping and I'll have one less gift to wrap myself.

I love when our old toys become new again.

Reverse Psychologist

SEOP. Honestly I'm not even sure I know what those letters stand for . . . Student Education something Plan. Maybe Occupation? Anyway, Kiersten and I met with her counselor today to discuss her future.

That seems !crazy! close.

She took some kind of a pre-ACT test and her scores projected that she could get between a 29 and a 33 on the actual test. Her counselor tried to steer her in the direction of a medical career; she told him she likes writing and music. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was thinking, "That won't make you a lot of money."

And who cares. No one wants to spend a lifetime doing something they don't enjoy just to get up the next day and do it all over again.

It looks like we've got some planning ahead of us.

And what about Erik? He's only a year behind.

Well, tonight Kiersten was attempting to use reverse psychology on Alex to get him to do something, and that led to a discussion of psychologists/psychiatrists.

Erik pipes up from the other room and in all seriousness tells us that he might want to be a reverse psychologist.

Now that would be an interesting field of work.

The Killers concert

I dare say that one of Tyler's favorite bands is The Killers, whose lead singer also happens to be a Mormon. One day I happened to see on Facebook that they were coming in concert to Orem and a thought popped into my head that Tyler might like to go.

So I decided to surprise him.

I got the tickets,

pinned them to his cork board in his office,

and the waiting began.

How long would they sit there before he noticed them?

Day one . . .

Day two . . .

Day three . . .

It's not like they are exactly hiding.
Day four . . . 

Day five . . .

Day six . . .

He finally discovered them.

Funny thing is that he looks directly at that board when he answers the phone.

He was pretty stoked about going. This was only his fourth concert ever and all four have been with me. Hmmmm, it must be me that likes concerts.

First: Counting Crows with his old college roommates
Second: Neil Diamond. Yes, I dragged him. He may not have enjoyed it so much, but I LOVED it! I am a Neil fan through and through.
Third: Jon Schmidt at Thanksgiving Point.
Fourth: The Killers

I guess it was payback time for me and the Neil Diamond concert. The Killers concert was fun and we had a great time, but I honestly didn't know many songs and part of going to a concert is being able to sing along. Tyler hinted that he would like to go to another one, so between now and then I guess I better brush up on my Killers music.


Brandon Flowers I Am a Mormon video

Christmas Letter 2012

The Leary Family
2012

A Year in Review

Alex (2 ½) has a developed an affinity for Erik’s Kindle. I would like to be able to report that he’s precociously reading books on it but actually he’s really good at targeting Bad Piggies with a bunch of Angry Birds.

Ashlyn ‘s (7) monkey bars got the best of her which entailed a trip to InstaCare. Luckily no broken bones and she scored a Happy Meal out of the deal. She also ran her first 5k this year.

Nathan (10) says he has been heavily recruited this year joining the ranks of soccer player, Lego engineer, violinist, pianist, and early morning scientist. He loves his busy life most days; the other days he’d really rather be engrossed in a novel, preferably about mythical people.

Erik (12) is the most popular kid at school, or so says Kiersten. We suspect it is probably due to his skills on the basketball court. He eats and breathes basketball. And then he just eats and breathes. And sometimes he just eats. One of his favorite things to read is the Taste of Home magazine.

Kiersten (13) became our first teenager. We are loving teenagerdom and love her and her infectious happy attitude. She finished the Book of Mormon for the first time, joined the brace face club, and has two piano students (her first job).

Missy* put together her first Primary program as chorister and can’t wait for next year (I’ve been in charge of many programs on the script-writing end). This is by far my favorite calling. AND, Alaska wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be (refer to Tyler).

Tyler* has put up with me for the past 15 years. To celebrate, I indulged him with an Alaskan cruise. He loved the wildlife, the crab, the salmon, the scenery, and the eat-whenever-whatever-you’d-like cruise ship cuisine.

*Our kids may think we’re old if we reveal our actual ages. I’d prefer they still think otherwise.

May the Christmas spirit find room in your hearts and home this season.

The dual symbolism of the serpent

Over Thanksgiving I was sitting in my parent's living room wondering why the symbol of the snake is used for both the Savior (see Numbers 21: 8-9) and for Satan (see Genesis 3).

It seemed odd that such a symbol could represent both. So I decided to ask Google and came across a talk written by Andrew C. Skinner, a BYU faculty member. This is what he had to say about it:

[W]hat of the serpent image as a symbol for Christ? If the serpent was a legitimate emblem of the coming Messiah, how and why did Lucifer usurp the serpent symbol after Adam and Eve were placed on this earth? In a roundabout way, the Prophet Joseph Smith may have provided a clue regarding the origins of serpent imagery as a symbol for Christ and why Satan appropriated it for his own.When speaking of the dove as an identifying symbol of the Holy Ghost, Joseph Smith said, "The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove."(History of the Church 5:261)

A possible implication of this statement is that other signs, symbols, and tokens may have been instituted in premortality to represent deity, but the one that Satan absolutely could not imitate was the dove. However, as the preeminent counterfeiter and deceiver, Satan could and does usurp other signs and symbols properly applied to God in order to try to legitimize his false identity as a god. This is why Satan chose to appropriate and utilize the sign of the serpent as the best means of deceiving Eve as well as her posterity.

The scriptures help us to see that Satan imitates and perverts every divine truth; every godly concept, principle, or practice; and every good and positive symbol, image, sign, and token in order to deceive and manipulate the souls of men. This even includes appearing as an angel of light (see Alma 30:53; D&C 128:20). By usurping and manipulating the symbol of the serpent, Satan tried to validate his false identity and his lies, insisting that following his ways would elevate our first parents to the status of the very God represented by the true image of the serpent (see Moses 4:10–11). Satan came to Eve clothed, as it were, in the garb of the Messiah, using the signs, symbols, and even the language of the Messiah, promising things that only the Messiah could rightfully promise. "(And [Satan] spake by the mouth of the serpent.) . . . And the serpent said unto the woman: Ye shall not surely die; . . . ye shall be as the gods" (Moses 4:7, 10–11). In reality only the one who worked out an infinite atonement could legitimately make these kinds of promises. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why Satan is justly called a liar from the beginning (see Moses 4:4; D&C 93:25).

Because Satan appeared as a serpent in the Garden of Eden, thereby adopting a symbol of the Messiah, it seems plausible that, like the sign of the dove, the sign of the serpent had been instituted in premortality as a symbol of deity, particularly Jehovah (see Exodus 4:1–5; 7:10–13; and Numbers 21:5–9), and later on as a symbol of Jehovah-come-to-earth, or in other words Jesus Christ (see John 3:14–15), the true God of life and salvation.

So, there you go. In short he is suggesting that other signs and symbols were given premortally, but that Satan being the Great Deceiver has taken those for use as his own. Knowing the symbol of the serpent belonged to the Savior FIRST helps us makes sense of how Eve could be deceived when the serpent appeared to her. There would have been no other reason to believe otherwise.

And why a serpent to represent the Savior?

Snakes were regarded as having medicinal powers to heal and make whole. Jesus Christ was often referred to as the great physician. Also, as a snake sheds its "old" skin leaving behind a body with "new" skin this is seen as a sort of rebirth and renewal. In essence this is what the Savior does for us. He helps us to put off the "old" man and become a "new" creature through him. 

Rock art

Prior to indulging in our Thanksgiving feast, we decided to work up an appetite and take a hike to see some Indian writings I haven't been to since I was a kid. The hike was easy enough that we took Alex with us. 

I feel so blessed to grow up in the area that I did and wouldn't trade it for the world. And I love being able to share it with my kids.

 

Tom and family

Look who stopped by Thanksgiving morning.

 

Dueling pianists

I found this fun little duet online and have taught my kids how to play it, which may or may not be such a good thing. We hear it all the time now and Kiersten is teaching it to her piano students.

However. . . 

It has increased the amount of time they spend at the piano and that is a definite plus.

What if Dr. Suess wrote the Book of Mormon?

Today's post is number 365, a full year's worth of blogging.

Today we also finished the Book of Mormon as a family for the 2nd time. I love that book more each time I finish it. It is certainly applicable to my life. Kiersten also finished it for the first time several weeks ago.

And it's dumping snow outside, the first snowfall of the year. What a magical kind of day.

So in commemoration of our second completion (which, by the way, didn't take us nearly 3 years to finish like the first go around, maybe more like 2), I offer the following question:

What If Dr. Suess Wrote the Book of Mormon?*

Nephi:
Of goodly parents I was born.
I've never drunk, I've never sworn.
This is Lehi, he's my dad.
Laman, Lemuel, they are bad.
And who is this? Why this is Sam. 

Sam:
Yes, this is Sam; Sam I am. 

Laman:
That Sam I am, that Sam I am. I do not like that Sam I am.

Sam:
In a tent, my father dwelt.

Laman:
And it's so hot, I think I'll melt.

Lemuel:
Our father's brain is out of whack. 

Laman:
Yeah, it's too hot. I'm going back.

Lehi:
Then go and get the plates my dear.

Laman:
On second thought, I'm staying here.

Nephi:
You said you'd leave and go away.
Now all you want to do is stay? 

Lemuel:
That Nephi always gets his way.

Laman:
Here we are in this damp cave.

Sam:
We would not be here if you'd behave.

Nephi:
I will go and I will do.
There's the angel, that's my cue.
Laban's had too much to drink.
Now he'll lose his head, I think.

Nephi:
Look what I found, a brother from the quorum.

Sam:
We will take him home, we will call him Zoram.

Laman:
Our gold and silver we have spent.
I do not like it in this tent.

Lemuel:
I cannot read the Liahona.
I must have drunk too much Corona.

Laman:
We hate it here, we have no lives.

Lehi:
Then go back to the city and get some wives.

Lehi:
A tree, a tree, I see a tree!!
The fruit is white, the fruit is free!
A floating building, could it be?
Why do they laugh and stare at me?
Laman, Lemuel, come and see! 

Laman:
We will not eat your precious fruit.

Lemuel:
We will not wear a tie and suit.

Laman:
We will not help you build your boat.

Lemuel:
We do not think that it will float.

Laman:
No, not this boat.
It will not float.
Not even in a shallow moat.
I do not care what Nephi wrote.

Lemuel:
We will not eat your fruit I say.

Laman:
We will not eat it on a tray.

Lemuel:
And we won't eat it in a tent.
Not even if your clothes you rent.

Laman:
We'd rather have a can of spam.

L&L:
We will not eat it, Sam I am.

Sam:
You do not like it, so you say.
Try it, try it, and you may.
Try it and you may I say.

Laman:
Sam, if you will let us be, we will try it, you will see.

L&L: Say, we like this fruit of life.
Sorry that we caused such strife.
You've saved us from an awful jam.
Thank you, thank you, Sam I am!

*This little poem was in my files from many years ago. I certainly am not taking credit but I'm really not sure who to attribute it to.

Is faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ written on our hearts?

Today was the first Sunday of the month which meant I received a Relief Society newsletter. Our RS president shared the following short excerpt from a message Linda Burton, General Relief Society President, gave at the General Women's Meeting that I missed (because I was in a car headed to Canada):

A few years ago, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland shared his feelings about the deep-rooted faith of pioneers who pushed forward to the Salt Lake Valley even after the deaths of their children. He said, "They didn't do it for a program, they didn't do it for a social activity, they did it because the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ was in their soul, it was in the marrow of their bones."

"That’s the only way those mothers could bury [their babies] in a breadbox and move on, saying, 'The promised land is out there somewhere. We’re going to make it to the valley.' They could say that because of covenants and doctrine and faith and revelation and spirit."

He concluded with these thought-provoking words: "If we can keep that in our families and in the Church, maybe a lot of other things start to take care of themselves. Maybe a lot of other less-needed things sort of fall out of the wagon. I'm told those handcarts could only hold so much. Just as our ancestors had to choose what they took, maybe the 21st century will drive us to decide, 'What can we put on this handcart? It's the substance of our soul; it's the stuff right down in the marrow of our bones.' Or, to put it another way, it is what is written in our hearts!

Sugarbusters - Week 2

Done!

My two-week sugar fast should really be retitled and called two weeks of madness. Tyler and my kids kept asking when it would be over. And frankly, I am a little relieved to have it over. I have really missed my ice cream and chocolate.

This past week I gave in to my cereal with 7 and 8 grams of sugar. I also hosted book club at my house and didn't want to be a rude hostess, so I indulged in one cookie, with CHOCOLATE CHIPS.

Friday night was date night and we ended up at Chuck-a-Rama. When Tyler first suggested it, I said no way. There was no way I was going to be able to walk out of there without dessert. But I did. I discovered a sugar-free chocolate chip cookie which didn't taste too badly. The sugar-free vanilla pudding was not as great. 

Yesterday Ash and Kiersten made my all-time favorite, chocolate chips cookies and I couldn't resist. Only one though.

This no sugar diet has had it ups and downs and has been a real eye opener. The biggest thing I've learned is how easy it is to eat things with sugar and how hard it is to eat healthier alternatives. AND that it's okay to have a treat. But just one and not four or five helpings. Sugar has invaded everything. I really have to plan what I'm going to eat and have stuff handy for when I get snacky.

I can see myself doing this again, just not right away.

I am a canner

Hi!

My name is Missy and I am a canner.

It's true.

I've become quite domesticated this fall. Canning was never something that interested me. But ya know, it is kind of satisfying to stand back and look at my beautiful bottles that are going down on my shelf for the winter. Last year I tackled peaches and this year I added apples to my repertoire.

So, what DO you do with a box of apples?

Dried apples, of course.

Ya, that got old after a week. Drying takes a long time.

I tried making apple jelly. I had it once and remember it being so delicious. Well, I learned that jelly can be kind of tricky. It didn't seem to be setting up, so I figured I just needed to boil it longer than the minute the recipe was telling me to. And I was right. It turned out great with a tint of red because I chose the lazy way and didn't peel my red apples.

I made apple pie filling bars for Grandma Leary's 90th birthday party. Oooh la la. They were most excellent. BUT, I've been good this week. I brought leftovers home and haven't had a single one all week.

Today I made apple pie filling while the snow fell, and [tangent coming] can I just tell you how much I've been wanting hot chocolate these past two days. I'm afraid that next week when I've conquered this crazy no-sugar diet, I may just have a huge relapse and stuff myself silly with everything I've denied myself [end of tangent].

There are still apples left in my box. Some apple crisp just may be in the works tonight.

In case you were interested in those apple pie filling bars (I never did get the correct name for them), here's the recipe:

Fruit Pie Bars

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
3 c. flour

2 c. pie filling (or any fruit, sweetened and thickened)

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs. Add almond, vanilla, and flour. Spread 2/3 of the batter onto greased cookie sheet. ( I just use parchment paper.) Spread pie filling over batter. Drop the remaining batter by spoonfuls over the top of the filling. Don’t worry that it doesn’t look pretty. It will puff up. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Just until the edges are a light golden brown. After you take it out, let it cool then drizzle icing over the top.

Icing:

1 c. powdered sugar
1– 2 T. milk

Sugarbusters - Week 1

The rules for last week:

(Monday through Friday, weekends were optional which I chose to do)

• no soda, diet soda, energy drinks, sweetened fruit juices/ drinks

• no sweets, candy, or desserts

• no added sugar (in coffee/tea, or on cereal, etc.)

• no cereal or oatmeal with more than 6 grams sugar per serving

• no sweetened milk, milk products, or yogurt

So how did I do?

Not too bad.

Monday: It was hard. After lunch I really was craving something sweet. The apples I've been drying really helped and I made some popcorn. Later in the week when I went grocery shopping, I bought some mixed nuts. Those have been a life saver.

Wednesday: I broke. I needed milk for my Grape Nuts. At 12 grams of sugar per serving, milk is a huge hidden sugar food. Who knew? And you know, Grape Nuts are pretty nasty without a sprinkling of sugar on them. Again, when I went shopping I bought some Silk almond milk with 0 grams of sugar. It was surprisingly good and definitely a keeper.

Friday: I again faltered on the cereal. I had one of my favorites, Cinnamon Pecan Special K with 7 grams of sugar, but this time with almond milk. So I figured I may have eaten more sugar in my cereal but I saved by having no sugar in my milk. AND, it tasted way better than the Grape Nuts breakfast.

That night I had 2 of Papa Murphy's cinnamon wheels with 10 grams of sugar each. Oh, they were sure good and sweet.

A huge bag of my favorite peanut M&Ms have been sitting in the pantry, OPENED, all week and I haven't snitched even one. In fact I haven't had anything chocolate all week which has got to be some kind of personal record for me.

Saturday: I bottled apple jelly and I had to try it out on some rolls.

Sunday: We had a birthday party, and again, I had to try out my dessert to make sure it was going to taste okay since I've never made it before. At the party I allowed myself one dessert which I never do. I will usually take several and eat them all.

I may not have eliminated sugar entirely last week, but I sure made a great start. I'm on to a new week.

Kiersten held out for three days and then caved when we got home Wednesday night and her dad had made ginger snaps. But she's on board again for this week.

My cravings have definitely diminished and I don't find it as hard to turn the sweets away. I've been drinking a lot more water and I haven't had any little headaches this week which I'm pretty sure was attributed to all the sugar I was consuming. I've been a lot more conscientious about how much sugar is in the food I'm eating, and I'm sure my kids think I'm some kind of a sugar Nazi and can't wait for all this to be over. Sunday dinner at our house always includes Koolaid. I'm not even sure how this little tradition started. So yesterday I had the Koolaid maker use 25% less sugar and no one could tell a difference.

I strongly believe in moderation in all things, even sugar. After this week is over I don't plan on being as stringent, but I do hope to keep the sweet stuff in check and start using less sugar in my recipes.

Prayer

Prayer

Prayer's really important.

You can use it everywhere.

If you're in a situation,

The thing to use is prayer

If you're in a hard time,

And you think that no one cares,

Don't get in a bad mood,

Just say another prayer.

--Nathan Leary

October 2012

*He wrote this for a requirement for his Faith in God in cub scouting

Sugar-free for two weeks

The other day I visited my sister Katie in her office at Rhodes Bread where she works in the human resource department. I was there to celebrate her birthday with my mom and sisters.

Isn't she just darling!

While I was waiting for everyone to show I noticed that the employees had the option of signing up to go sugar free for two weeks. I thought that was not for me. No soda, cookies, cakes, candy, sweetened juices, or anything with more than 6 grams of sugar, etc.

But I did think about for the next couple of days and even asked my family if anyone might be interested in doing it with me. Kiersten approached me one morning and said she would try it.

Tonight at dinner we started looking at what we were having for dinner and the sugar in each thing. Pretty soon it turned into a science experiment that Kiersten is going to do for the science fair. BONUS!

So starting Monday Kiersten and I are going to start our little experiment. This should be interesting to see if I feel any different, if I lose a little weight, if I have the will power to stick with it.

First paycheck

I think she needs to take some of that and first get a haircut,

and then she owes some of that to her Grandma Jules.

She's the one who put out all the dough for piano lessons

and Kiersten and I get to reap the rewards.

Are you awake up there?

That was the classic quote after spending 34 hours in the car traveling to and from Edmonton, Canada last weekend.

My mother-in-law wasn't making sure the driver was awake. She merely wanted the radio turned on! Tyler either obliged or serenaded us with his Coyote song.

Whoo, yip, whoo, yip, whoo. Whoo, du, yip, whoo, yip, whoo, whoo.

All week I stewed about going and made the final decision when I was able to get my Primary responsibilities taken care of. Then Tyler called from the airport to say he was finally on his way home after a long week away, and we hung up. I immediately called him back to tell him I was going to Canada for the weekend and he decided to tag along.

It was so good to see these guys and meet little Ames. He is an absolute doll. (I might have pilfered a few pictures that I didn't take.)

I became well acquainted with all the rest areas. It's a long drive! . . .

Even for Mrs. TomTom, our navigator, who finally called it quits after 26 hours, and even if it really wasn't her fault. She'd just assume we "turn around as soon as we are able" and head back home.

The Saturn we drove had a possessed cruise control. Unreliable. We all suspect it just wanted to get us there and home a little faster.

Three hours from home and I saw my Uncle John at a gas station in Idaho Falls at 7:30 am on a Saturday. At least I'm pretty sure it was him walking out of the convenience store. I'm still waiting for confirmation on that.  

The Canadian border guard was not an especially happy fellow. I asked a simple question about bringing kids next summer and would they need a passport. "In MY country you  . . . yada, yada, yada. It's YOUR country with the problem."

Thank you, sir. And try to have a better day. I never really did get my question answered by him. Nor did I dare ask for a REAL stamp in my passport.

We had a much different experience talking to the American guard on our way back.  And unless the government changes things between now and next summer, children 16 years and younger only need a birth certificate if traveling with parents.

Tyler learned he's not quite to fast at Sudoku as he might have once thought. He and his mom participated in quite a few Sudoku tournaments where he got burned. I quietly bowed out after the first round. I've attempted 2 puzzles I found in the paper this week and wasn't able to complete either one. Maybe the 5 star difficult rating just isn't my skill level :)

Amber and Aaron were perfect hosts for the 18 hours we were there. They showed us their new home and the myriad of projects they've tackled, like a whole new kitchen makeover.
We took a walk to see their river.

They fed us wonderful food. I'm sure it being Fast Sunday had a little something to do with that. My favorite (besides the fresh carrots from the garden):

Peach Goodness

I don't really know what it was called. I just know I couldn't stop eating it and took several pieces for the road. I'm definitely going to need that recipe.

Thank you Amber and Aaron for inviting us. Can't wait for next summer.