Time

I never seem to have enough time. I'd like to blog every day, and I usually have something I think is important enough to share, but the reality of my life interferes frequently. :) Jared took Tuesday and Thursday off this week, and Tuesday I spent most of the day hiding in my craft room, working on a garland for Halloween/Thanksgiving. It's finished, and I might remember to post a picture of it, eventually... My kids seem to be progressing in their schooling; at least, their test scores say so. Hyrum is doing much better with his writing.

I had a bit of a freak-out when I realized I have less than a week 'till Halloween, and I need to sew 3 costumes. Gulp! I do have the fabric, though. The good news is that I finished knitting a baby hat, and it turned out pretty cute, so I can move onto my next project :). I have a list- a pretty long one- so I'm focusing on the costumes for now.

I made brownies today. I used the recipe my mom makes to bring to her family events [and it is always a favorite], but I added something: raspberry filling and cream cheese. Mmmmm! Oh, this is such a bad thing for my 'healthy lifestyle' resolution! After I poured the brownie batter into a pan, I squeezed the cream cheese into thin stripes about 2 inches apart across the width of the pan. Then I squeezed the raspberry filling next to/on top of the cream cheese. I ended up cooking the brownies over double the recommended time, because the extra moisture from the added toppings slowed the cooking time down. It was worth every single minute, however :)

And, sadly, we still have a few pumpkin chocolate chip cookies left in the freezer, which means I should really go running before I eat them, too. If I still ran, that is.

Gratitude list:
* pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
* a date with my husband tomorrow
* good friends
* I have the right to vote :) [and I'll be exercizing it, too!]
* the internet- makes research of anything so much easier
* raspberry-cream-cheese brownies
* my family
* a reminder that following Christ can be simple- reading 2 chapters in my scripture study, keeping a prayer in my heart, remembering to thank God for my blessings.

A vague presence

So, just got a text, and Jared's plane [with him in it] is officially on the ground in Salt Lake City. Hooray!!!!
*** that's pretty much my gratitude list for today :)

An unofficial count

Well, the exact amount of alligators that Jared has spotted comes to, and I quote, "lots." Amazingly, the count for cottonmouths and containers is precisely the same, which leads me to believe this may actually be a secret military counting code, and my husband has forgotten to share the translation with me. Yeah. I, in all my recent travels, have seen a genuine pumpkin-seed-eating squirrel. He [she?] left all manner of partially gutted pumpkins all around Red Butte Gardens, and we were privileged enough to witness the actions causing the pumpkin carnage.

Jared's ETA back in Utah is also less than precise: sometime after Saturday, and definitely before Halloween, depending on which plane flight he and his vehicle are assigned to, and whether or not they end up driving back. The good [and sort of weird] news is that we have shirt-tail relatives there in Texas, where he's currently staying. My brother's wife's father's parents live in Silsbee. No, seriously, Amber's grandparents do live there. Like I said, weird. I mean, Texas is a HUGE state, and Silsbee is a small town- what are the chances? Anyway, they got in touch w/Jared to see if he needed anything before he left.

Jared's mom organized a donation to the LDS Humanitarian Aid in memory of Myles' 2nd birthday. She and my FIL drove over to my house today, with a big clothes basket full of outfits, and we went shopping with the money that was donated and bought more clothing. We're taking all of these to the donation center tomorrow.

******WARNING: I am about to step on my soapbox******

And, my latest pet peeve is complaining about the economy. It's not because I think it's doing stellar, but our society tends to believe what we see/hear on the news, and good news doesn't sell. So, a few quotes and definitions to bring some hope [and a reality check] into my life:

"The media has correctly predicted 36 of the last 2 recessions." -Zig Zigler oh how very true this is!

"How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself. So always think positively." -Norman Vincent Peale I need to forward this to my congressmen, and probably to the President as well...

Recession: A period of two consecutive quarters of negative GDP [gross domestic product] growth

"Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the second quarter of 2008, (that is, from the first quarter to the second quarter), according to final estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 0.9 percent." ***this was released on Friday, 26 September 2008 on the US Government's Bureau of Economic Analysis website

According to the definition of recession, we are not currently in one. :)The market and our economy are moving slower than a snail in molasses, but they are moving in a positive direction.

Oh, and one more statistic [from Dave Ramsey]: 97% of the 5-year periods in the stock market have made money. 100% of the 10-year periods in the stock market have made money; and this includes the Great Depression, the S&L failures, the dot-com crash, and 9-11.

I think we will weather this storm, and we'll be fine as a country. However, LOL, I am definitely looking for candidates who will balance the national/state/local budgets, and STOP SPENDING MONEY THEY DON'T HAVE. And, I'm making sure I check how they voted for the idiotic [ooooh, I hate this bill] bail-out law that was passed this past week.

******now returning to the regularly scheduled blog******

Gratitude list:
* my ipod and the ability to listen to my music whenever I feel like it.
* the gifts and notes we've received as a family in remembrance of our Myles.
* email, so I can keep in touch with my friends.
* a photographic record of my life, however incomplete it may be.
* God

g'night. or morning. or whatever *yawning*

May you live in interesting times...

That is actually a curse in some cultures. I wish I could remember which book I read it in, then I could tell you which culture uses it as a curse. Anyway, these past few days have been interesting. Jared's doing well- he keeps pretty busy throughout the day, and usually sends me texts to update me on his alligator and cottonmouth sightings. Yes, he counts them. He takes pictures of them, too, LOL. I know it's hard for him to be away from us, but I can tell he enjoys the work he's doing. Currently, he'll be home either Saturday or Monday, depending on when the unit gets transport.

Yesterday I overslept. I woke up to Hyrum throwing up, and Morgen coming upstairs to tell me about it. He spent all day yesterday on the couch, with a 'throw-up bowl' in case he couldn't make it to the toilet, watching movies. Poor little man. He was so subdued, and quiet, and I could tell he really didn't feel well at all. We needed to get some books back to the library, so I bundled everybody into the car about dinnertime, and we took turns going inside- Walker stayed w/Hyrum while Morgen and I rushed to get books for ourselves [and a few for Hyrum]. Then we stayed in the car w/Hyrum while Walker found books for himself. Today I am wondering WHY I didn't just call a neighbor to come over and sit w/Hyrum while I took the other two, and I kicked myself for not thinking of that last night. Hyrum was okay; he had a blanket and spent most of the time in his seat just resting. But I get so focused on what needs to be done that I forget, a lot of times, that I don't have to do it all myself. It is okay to ask for help :).

Today, on another blog, I ran across some very needed [for me] advice. The author is a member of my church, and lost her little boy this past year as well. She posted some notes that her husband took at a local conference. The speaker was Elder Jeffrey R Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles [they act as advisors and assistants to our Prophet]. He was speaking of grief, and broken hearts, and said,

"Don't you dare in those times say, 'Well, I guess God doesn't love me.' If you say that personal problems are equated to God's lack of love, you are wrong...
When you hurt, God hurts. DON'T YOU DARE SAY HE DOESN'T LOVE YOU."

With everything that has been going on this week, I really needed a reminder of this fact.
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Gratitude list:
* having podcasts of General Conference to listen to
* the note my sister Emily sent on Myles' birthday, with a little memory she had of my son Myles.
* Fall = hot cocoa around my house. Yum!
* Fall also = beautiful leaves on the mountains.
* Somebody [and I truly don't know who] cleaning up Hyrum's vomit from the hall carpet yesterday.
* a letter from Brooks :)
* healthy children today.

Tagging

Mary tagged me, so I'll post a quick reply:

1. I have a to-do list that includes "sew a unicorn costume for Morgen" on it. Originally it was "sew a werewolf costume for Morgen" but I refuse to sew fur ever again.
2. I have a paper dragon sitting in my in-box :)
3. I also have a clock mounted in a small motorcycle on my computer desk.
4. It is snowing right now, and my fingers are cold.
5. I registered to vote last week.
6. Warm cocoa tastes much better than cold cocoa.

Enjoy your Sunday :)

Yesterday

And that title totally brings the Beatles song to mind :). But really, what I wanted to record today was that yesterday was a good day. With Jared gone, I have less motivation to cook dinner- we're all pretty happy with take-out, and it is easier to take the dinner prep time and let the kids watch a movie while I escape to my computer to check email, read blogs, and pay bills. So, yesterday we went to a nearby park, and had pizza and soda, and I let the kids run all over the park while I alternately read and watched them making friends.
I had my camera, but didn't take any pictures, and on the drive home I was hit with an urgent need to know if we'd ever eaten pizza at the park with Myles. Sometimes, after we go to the library, we go get a pizza and eat it at the elementary school playground just north of the library. The kids run around for awhile, and I read, and it is a nice way to unwind from the day. And I suddenly had a memory of one time in the spring this year, with all 4 of my kids, doing just that. It was still a little windy and cold, and I'd bought a six-pack of sprite [since I'd forgotten cups] to go with the pizza. Myles would play for a bit, then come over for a bite of my pizza and a drink of my soda. He could hold the can by himself, but I had to help him tip it, mostly so the soda didn't end up all down the front of his jacket :). He loved playing with his siblings, loved being outside, loved getting a crust of pizza to hold as he wandered around the playground. I am so grateful I stayed, even though it was windy and cold, and I wanted to drag everyone back to the car as soon as the pizza was gone; I am so grateful for that precious memory.
I am grateful for a lot of things today: my family, my faith, my husband, my children, and most of all, I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to continue to make memories with the three children I'm raising. We've spent a lot more time together lately, just us four, and even with the challenges of homeschooling mixed in, I am glad to have this time to enjoy them. Walker will be 11 in 6 months, and the time 'flies on wings of lightning' it seems. Soon enough they'll be grown, and on their own, and so for now I am happy with what I have.

Normal...

I wanted to list some of the sights and sounds that are common around our house:

* "[Name of child], in the game..." followed by a description of what their powers are, or which kind of animal they are, or a rule they think this game should have. This game [and it changes minute-to-minute] is one they will play in the pool, in the car, at home, outside, in their bedrooms; pretty much anywhere that at least 2 of the 3 kids are together.

* Kids singing along with the Snacktime CD[Barenaked Ladies]. I love hearing Hyrum's evil laugh, 'Bwaaah-haah-haah!' at the end of '7-8-9.' And all the kids know 'The Ninjas' by heart, and join in on the chorus: 'The ninjas are deadly and silent! They're also unspeakably violent! They speak Japanese, they do whatever they please, and sometimes they vacation in Ireland!' ;)

* Walker with his 'glasses' on. He likes to wear the frames of his sunglasses, and pretend they are real glasses. Jared doesn't really get this, but I remember doing the same thing, because I [for some weird reason] really wanted to have glasses when I was 12.

* Walker reading something. He inherited a love for reading from both his parents.

* Morgen talking to the dogs. I hear her every morning outside my window, which overlooks our backyard, calling to whichever dog is closer, trying to entice them over to her. She has entire conversations with them :)

* Morgen slamming her bedroom door repeatedly, but only when she doesn't like how W and H are playing 'the game' with her.

* Hyrum clearing his throat before he says a prayer over the food. I asked him, once, why he did this. He believes that when he clears his throat, it changes how his voice sounds *giggling*.

* Hyrum enunciating his 'L' sounds. I have started correcting him, because he lisps :) and says the 'L' sound as 'W': 'wamp' [lamp], 'wike' [like], 'reawy' [really], 'wawking' [walking]. So lately, when he is sounding out words, he concentrates on pronouncing that 'L' sound.

* Knitting needles clicking. When I sit with the kids while they work on their school assignments, I like to have something to do with my hands. Sometimes I read, but lately I've been knitting :).

* phone conversations w/Jared that begin, "How's Texas?" [or wherever he's currently staying in his travels]

quick post

Okay, we're off on a mini-adventure: Jared left this morning for Texas. He and his unit got called up to help down there with clean-up, and of course he was pretty excited to go :). The kids and I are taking this opportunity to visit my in-laws for the weekend; I have been trying to visit them, but only if Jared was out of town. I don't see him as often as I'd like, so when he's home I want to be there as well :). Since Jared won't be home for a few weeks, I thought I'd take advantage of his absence and go spend some time with his parents.

**Jeannette, the MP3 version of the scriptures is here. Each book is a separate download [i.e. the Old Testament and New Testament are 2 downloads], and the best part is that the download is FREE :)

Our week in review

Monday: We worked on school in the morning. My friend Melissa called and wanted to know if I was interested in free tomatoes. YES! My tomatoes produced NOTHING this year. Not sure why... Anyway, she knew a farmer who was finished w/his tomato crop, and was planning to plow the field. He offered us all the free tomatoes we could pick. I ended up with about 6 bushels :)

Tuesday: Remember the tomatoes? We canned a bunch of them. Morgen and Hyrum washed, I blanched, and Walker and Morgen and I all peeled and quartered them. It took all day to do 8 quarts, mostly because of the helpers LOL. I was pretty proud of them, though.

Wednesday: We worked on Math, English, and Spelling. Hyrum got to cut out things that began with the letter "L." We also took some chrysanthemums [yellow] from our flower garden up to the cemetery. Even after I cut enough for Laura May, Myles, and my grandparents and great-grandparents, we still have over half the plant left! Those are some sturdy mums. We cleaned around the graves, and got shakes at Granny's before we drove home.

Thursday: School in the morning, and I went to the temple in the evening- kind of a peaceful day, which is good.

Friday: School in the morning again, then I started another batch of tomatoes. They are spoiling pretty quickly, because they were all so ripe to start with. I had Hyrum wash them for me, then Walker came in and started peeling them for me without me even asking! Wow. :) Oh, and Jared made it back from Chicago safely. Hooray!

Saturday: We drove down to Thanksgiving Point, packed a lunch, and wandered through the Farm Country. The kids love looking at the animals, and wanted to show Jared everything they liked from their last visit. We left so I could attend the General Women's Conference at my church- oh, I enjoyed that :).

Sunday: Church was peaceful and lifted my spirits. I talked to a lady at church who knows how to darn socks, and convinced her to come over to my house to teach me. So, I now know how to darn socks! And, I'm wearing the ones I darned ;). They don't look very pretty- I used a non-matching yarn- but they are warm, and I fixed the holes, and my darns have no lumps [the mark of a superior darn, I'm told]. And I taught Morgen how to knit. Well, I showed her how to cast on, and how to do a knit stitch. She's getting it, but needs me to remind her how it works. [p.s. I also finally learned where to look for an MP3 version of the scriptures, and am downloading it to my Ipod- instant spiritual lift]
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my favorites:

*learning something new and useful [darning]
*making my first batch of white chili this fall
*homemade bread to go with the chili
*children who help without me asking/begging/nagging them
*crisp, fall mornings
*free tomatoes!
*my ipod can do anything ;) [except the dishes]

Weekend fun

Friday evening we drove down to a party at Jared's co-worker's house. It was interesting, and fun, and a lot easier to see these people again. Last time we all got together was back in June for the Lehi Days parade, and I was still pretty unsteady emotionally. So I enjoyed myself a lot more at this party.

We left around 8pm, so I could make it to a crop. I've been less than successful in scrapbooking during the week; I can do it, but there are so many other things I am juggling, it often is pushed to the side. But one of the LSS has a free crop Fridays that starts when they open, and ends at 2am Saturday morning. :)I can usually find one or two of my friends there, and we usually find somebody else we enjoy chatting with as well. So my new goal is to give myself at least one Friday a month to go to a crop and scrapbook. I've decided it is like getting an exercise buddy- committing to attend that crop forces me to scrapbook [and organize LOL], just as an exercise buddy forces me to exercise. Hmmm.... maybe I need to get me an exercise buddy, too ;).

Saturday we took our GPS and some fishing poles and drove out to Heber. We stopped along the highway and found a geocache [looked for a few, but only found one]. Then we visited Myles. I took along some of the roses from the bush in front of our house. It's blooming again- I thought roses only bloomed once a season, but this one seems to bloom in the spring and the fall. Pretty cool! Anyway, we cleaned off his grave, along with my grandparents' grave and my great-grandparents' grave. The kids played, and I think if Myles were still here, he'd be running around with them. Then we ate lunch at Subway and headed up the Mirror Lake Highway to Wall Lake.

We pulled into the parking area at the trailhead, and began unloading our stuff, when a little SUV pulled in, and the woman driving it called out to us, "Where's the lake?" Well, this trailhead serves 4 or 5 lakes, but you have to hike to get to all of them. So Jared told her we were at a trailhead, and described which lakes were on which trails. She said, in disbelief, "You mean, WALK?!?" [we are in a national forest, remember] And he said, "Yes, you'd need to hike to all these lakes." Again she repeated, "You mean, WALK?!?!?!" Well, since you last asked that question, all the lakes felt bad about being so far away, so they moved and you can see them from the parking lot now. Honestly!!! To be fair, there are some lakes in the area that are close to the road, so you can see them from the parking areas. But, if you have a map [which the nice forest service lady will give you when you pay the entry fee], you can see where the lakes are, and whether you need to hike to reach them. Each trail is marked as a trail, not as a road. I promise. *sigh* Well, the [very nice, I'm sure] lady backed up and pulled out of the parking lot, off to find a more easily accessible lake.

We headed up the mountain for a nice, easy 1 mile hike to Wall Lake. I took some magazines, and my knitting, since I don't fish. Okay, I know how, and I will do it if I think it is necessary, but as a general rule, I would rather read or knit than fish; so I read. Everybody else had a lot of fun casting, and Morgen had a strike or two [that is where the fish hits the lure, but doesn't get caught]. After an hour or so of unsuccessful fishing, they decided to explore, and ended up climbing almost half-way up the wall of rock at one end of the lake. Yep, that's why it is called Wall Lake ;). It was getting cold, and rain was beginning to fall, and some stormclouds were moving in, so we headed back to the car. Part-way down the trail it began to rain, then hail, then rain/hail mixed together. :)Morgen and I booked it back to the car. Jared hung back a little and got out Hyrum and Walker's slickers [see, we're prepared LOL]. We drove up to Trial lake and the kids fished for another hour or so, then we geocached all the way back down to Heber. It was about 9:15 pm when we got home, and we got the kids fed and tucked into bed. This morning, they all slept in 'till about 8am!

Jared left this morning for Chicago- he's taking another microscopy class. Morgen, upon hearing about his course of study, informed her father that SHE knew how to use a microscope. His response was, "I thought I did, too!" I guess he's learning a lot about including the microscope as a tool in studying chemical reactions, among other things.

Oh, in other news, our chicken mummy has burst its bag. It seems this is a direct result of me buying too big a bird, then trying to stuff it into the too-small bag. So, we're off to the store tomorrow to buy another bird [I'm thinking a cornish game hen would work much better], and more salt. This time I'll take pictures :)