By the Light of the Silvery Moon

If you're hearing barbershop quartet music in your mind, then I've had the intended effect.

Tonight I went for a walk. It has been the quintessentially perfect Spring Saturday here. I started to walk down the block and turned around because I heard an oncoming car, but then I saw the moon. It was enchanting...an apricot-colored sphere lit, it seemed, from within. I turned around and headed toward Muskegon Lake so I could get a better view. I stopped at a boardwalk/overlook at the end of my block and just listened. (Yep, I even turned off the iPod!). The moon's light was spread across the lake in a wide swath and the waves, such as they were, lapped quietly against the sand. As a kid I used to climb down that hill and sit on the beach; it's a shame that now it's overgrown with beach grass and trees or I would have climbed down again. I felt so peaceful. (Quiet's a rare thing at this point in my life!). I just thanked Heavenly Father that I live in this place and enjoyed this moment.

I don't have much else to say, really. But I came across a quote by Parley P. Pratt that I used to have written on the inside of my college-class copy of The Book of Mormon. Here goes:

"The gift of the Holy Spirit...quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; it adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being." (Key to the Science of Theology, p. 100-101.)

Sometimes I reflect on issues facing the Church, or certain points of Church history or doctrine, and I can't see clearly now, with the knowledge and understanding I have, how it is to be reconciled. I realize, however, that the surest test of truth is a witness from the Holy Ghost, and that of all the things I must strive to have (Disney Vacation Club membership, thin thighs, perfect kids), the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost is the greatest of all of them.

Well, that list is pretty frivolous, but you take my point.

Thanks to all the ladies who came over for our Big Dinner Party in Andrea's honor last night. Rachel: Andrea, Holly and I all had our matching purses coincidentally lined up on a table and agreed that, yep, it was a little scary! We love our going-away gifts.

The Easter Candy from...

Aaargh! I HATE Easter candy. Just hate it. I do everything in my power to ration it out to the kids, but it calls to me ("Beth! Beth!") from it's place in an out-of-the-way cupboard every hour of the day. I even buy candy I don't like that much, so I won't want to eat it, but then my mom buys the REALLY GOOD STUFF and, well, what does a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup do to you?

So, in an effort to combat the effects of the aforementioned candy, I decided to do a little light strength training yesterday, just a few calisthenics to assuage my guilt. I overdid it on the squats. I can barely get up and down the stairs! My quads hurt so much. And of course, they look the same as ever, as I only did one day's worth, but I still have to endure the pain. It's like punishment for my sin of gluttony.

On a weight-related note: I've been weaning myself off of the chocolate-covered pretzels. I just don't buy them. Just don't go down that aisle. (Since they're in the toilet paper aisle, I also don't buy toilet paper, unless it's an endcap display). As a replacement, I'm snacking on the Malt-O-Meal Fruit Loops that we use to make edible necklaces with Helena. Gross, huh? I couldn't possibly switch to, say, carrots, or apples, or edamame. That would be far too chic and healthy for me.

On yet another food-related note: The McDonald's Southwest Salad will soon be returning to my local McDonald's restaurant. This is a wonderful thing. This is a particularly tasty salad, that isn't bad for you in any way, and has no faults except its exorbitant price. I'm happy to pay that price just to know that I won't unexpectedly find any mouse parts ground up in my "all-beef" patty, or eat oddly-modified chicken, or whatever.

More seriously, I have to declare my utter love for my kids. What did I do before they came along? They can be so sweet sometimes that it just melts my jaded old heart. Bless them.

Desperate for Design

Our lovely son is now over a year old, but he has had a bad...habit, we'll call it, of screeching when he wants something, or is bored or upset. This most often happens, and is the most annoying, in the dining room. Because our dining room is empty of anything but furniture, the screeching sound bounces off the walls like we're in an auditorium. I have actually been driven to wearing foam ear plugs during dinner. I'm not kidding.

We've decided to bite the bullet and dip into our savings to purchase some window treatments, a larger and more sound-absorbent rug, and whatever else we can throw in here outside of egg foam on the walls to reduce the amount of sound that reverberates into my soon-to-be-deaf ears.

Will you help me? I have no design sense. I mean, REALLY no design sense. I included a picture of our dining room...it's from when we moved in; I'm too lazy to take another one...but it looks the same except for a couple of things on the walls, a hutch, and a table and chairs. What colors to use on the wall, if any? What do we do for curtains? (I'm not into overdressed windows.). Rugs??? We already have red curtains in the living room, blue in the family room. Sage green walls in the kitchen, sort of grey in the family room, same off-white in the living room and front hall.

You guys know me well enough to know what would work. I so, so, so could use some help. (I always thought that when I married Dan the Designer, he'd just take care of things like this, but alas - it's become my responsibility.)

Thanks in advance!

Frugality

Today's post might not be full of fun and laughs. Just a warning, which was probably unnecessary.

I've been thinking about money. It's one of those things you can't really talk about with your friends, along with (sometimes) religion and politics. But it is something that everybody has to consider, me included.

Now, we are not wealthy by any stretch, at least in the American mind. (Compare us with any Bangladeshi, and we'd likely win hands down, right?). We've been blessed, however, in that we've both had employment when we wanted, and occasionally when we kind of didn't want it, and sometimes with a little extra employment on top. Dan has his bachelor's degree, and I'm finishing mine. We're in good health, we have a nice home, and our cars work, like, 74% of the time, but at least they're paid off. Other than our house we don't have any debt.

Having exposed a big chunk of my Personal Financial Secrets to the world at large, I have to admit that we are not as careful or frugal with the money we have as we could be. We don't just blow it on anything - by anything I mean stuff like flat screen TVs and time shares in Hawaii - but in comparison to some families we're positively spendthrift.

I felt chastened today while reading "The Tightwad Gazette III" by Amy Dacyczyn. There are, as you've figured out, three volumes, all of which I have on my shelf and have read cover-to-cover at least once. I have the information about HOW to be frugal but haven't adhered too much to any of it. The book was written by a mother of 6 kids who, along with her husband, have lived and raised their children on (in 2007 dollars) $22,710 a year in a large, rural house in Maine. Her husband was in the Navy but retired when the newsletter Amy started began to really take off. By comparison (in 2007 dollars) the federal poverty guideline was $34,000. They wanted to be frugal initially so that Amy could be at home with the kids and they could purchase their antique home, but continued to live that way even when it wasn't strictly necessary. (I keep saying "in 2007 dollars" because the books/newsletter were written in the 1990s, so I did some math - well, Googling - for you).

I don't want to bore you with the "How in the world did they do that?" stories. My point, I guess, is that we're blessed. We could be saving more than we are. There aren't many guarantees in the world but I am pretty certain that my kids will just need more money, the house will need repairs, and someday we'll be old - all contigencies that require money. There's always a rainy (or, in Michigan in March, a snowy) day, a famine for every feast, and I believe if I can live on less now it will serve my family well later. Since we're still young, saving now can mean incredible returns later through compound interest.

Caveat: Living cheaper day-to-day, paying less for consumables like food and clothes, means that we can still go on vacation sometimes. You all know what that means! :0

Baby Hunger

Oooh, what a tantalizing title! Well, I'm not pregnant (if I were, I'd be too sick to type this!), but I've had those "Baby Hunger" moments lately. Does anyone else have this? For example: I'll see someone else's new baby and remember how sweet mine were when they were like that. Or I'll be looking through Helena's baby clothes and think, "I'd love to have another little girl to wear this dress..." Yikes! Let me say, unequivocally, that this wouldn't be the best time to have another baby but I do think about it once in a while. Thank goodness Megan's having another lovely little girl!

I don't understand mariachi music. The whole thing mystifies me. There must be something cultural that I am missing out on here.

To continue my theme of randomness with this post, I'll throw in a couple of WDW pictures for your enjoyment or annoyance, and this tasty recipe for Chicken Stew from www.thesimpledollar.com.

2 lbs chicken breasts
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups potatoes, cubed
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1 small (6 oz) can tomato paste

1/4 cup cold water
3 Tbsp corn starch

Throw everything except the cold water and corn starch into a Crock-Pot. Cook on low 8-10 hours. When you get home (or your time's almost up) put the water and corn starch into the Crock-Pot, turn on high, and cook for another 30 minutes.

Have a random day!

Have You Heard of This?

Who remembers...

Live Aid 1985?

Primitive Radio Gods?

Monchichis?

Mr. Wendal?

The first video ever aired on MTV in 1981?

Where "you deserve a break today?"

"Do you think that it's possible that strangers like us could be friends in just a moment or two?"

Mormon Cove?


Obviously I was walking down my own particular memory lane tonight. Isn't it strange what a late night, pitch black walk when it's 25 degrees outside will do to one's mind?

One good thing about the calling I have is that at least once a month I get to hear the stake presidency speak. This week, they reminded me of the importance of the temple and the love of the Savior. Then, to top it all off, I went to the best youth fireside I've attended since I was a youth myself (thanks, Holly!). It was one of the rare times that I was able to enjoy a church meeting without interruptions, and, well, it's easier to feel the Spirit sometimes when I can actually listen to the message.

"Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast." - Jane Austen

Hidden Treasures of Epcot

When people think of Disney World, I don't think THESE are the first images to come to mind. But to me this illustrates why it's so much MORE than just an overgrown playground. And anyway, these are nice to look at!

More Hidden Treasures of Epcot

Photos from the China and England pavilions

More First Day Pictures

Our First Day at WDW

Sorry for the big delay, everybody! I figure that pictures say much more than words, so I'll give a quick explanation and post a few here.

Our first day at WDW was spent at the Magic Kingdom. All I can say is that it really was...magical. Sorry to be so cliched, but that's the best description. We had an early breakfast at the Crystal Palace, before the park opened. It was incredible to walk down Main Street nearly alone, without the usual crowds (this was why I scheduled a breakfast at 8:15am for our first day!). It was a character meal featuring Pooh and friends. The food was great - but I was so busy keeping the kids fed and meeting the characters that I didn't eat much of it. Our first ride - at Helena's request - was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. She loved it, but closed her eyes as soon as the Heffalumps and Woozles showed up. (Later in the week we tried again, and she kept her eyes open that time.) It was a wonderful day, and the kids were so good!

The best part of the day was Helena's monorail experience. She was charged up and ready for the day when we drove to the Transportation and Ticket Center to board the monorail and go from there to the Magic Kingdom (we had to drive the first day, as it was earlier than the busses were running). When we were waiting for the monorail to come, a cast member struck up a conversation with her and succeeded in getting her to talk. After a few minutes, he handed her a Transportation Trading Card with Snow White on it. She smiled the biggest smile in all of creation and said, "I got a ticket!" Well, after that it was non-stop chatter about breakfast with Pooh and "all my friends from the Hundred Acre Wood" and the castle and how high up we were on the monorail...

By far, the best part of the vacation was experiencing my kids' reactions to everything. Doesn't matter what they remember, because I'll remember!

Annoyingly Self-Congratulatory Post

YIPPEEE!!!

Just before I left for vacation, I hurriedly finished my latest BYU class, British History From 1689 to the Present. (That title alone really sparks your interest, right?). I finally got my midterm and final exam grades and they are...drumroll...a 97% (that's an A) on the midterm and an 89% (B+) on the final! Okay, they aren't perfect, but if you knew how fast I whipped up this class you'd be impressed. MANY thanks to Dan, Joel, and Caity for watching the kids so I could do two exams in three weeks (not counting the 24 essays I had to write!) and still manage a reasonable grade!

I also sent in an email to the DisUnplugged Podcast and it was read on the air! This is the second time this is happening. I'm sure any day they'll be bringing me down to Orlando as a guest host, all expenses paid. Just wait.

Could winter just be OVER? The roads are horrible, it's cold, and there is 3 feet of snow on my picnic table. That includes all the snow that was smushed down on the bottom layer. Plus, Hunter's sick with another cold. Geez.

Worldly Revelations

Whew! We're finally home, after a long two-day drive (it seemed longer on the way home) featuring two kids, two adults, an enormous inflatable Princess balloon, and the worst snowstorm I've ever traveled through. Apparently, the police were asking people to stay off the roads except in an extreme emergency. We didn't know that, but we were so close to home...

Dan took six million photos, but they aren't all uploaded to the computer and organized yet, so instead I'll just give a few observations of our trip, for what they're worth, and then give the travelogue later.

First, we realized just before we left that we need to put our priorities on spending special time with our kids now, before they get older and lose that wonder that young children have. I saw a teenaged girl at our hotel, sitting outside of her room, texting a friend on her cell phone, and knew I only had about 10 more years before Helena's at that age. Although we might have to sacrifice other things - a perfect home (well, we're pretty far from that already), new furniture, late-model vehicles, convenient eating out, etc. - it's much more worth our time and money to vacation, or at least dedicate special family time, with our kids NOW, not later. (Not that we won't vacation later, but it won't be the same).

Also, I feel better. The kids are behaving better. The stress knots in my stomach and shoulders are gone. I have more energy and focus and I'm excited to get started on a new BYU class, work on my calling, etc.

We also saw over and over the way Helena, particularly, would get into the "magic" of the whole experience. Let me reiterate that Walt Disney World is NOT an amusement park and bears no resemblance to one, except perhaps when there are lines. (Even those brought good memories for Helena. Today she pretended for about 15 minutes that she was waiting in line to see her "friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.") Hunter, of course, had to spent a lot of time strapped into a stroller, but sometimes he'd get a great view from Dan's shoulders and he just about leapt off in excitement. Even the smallest things mean so much to kids.

As we were driving home, there were some things I wasn't looking forward to returning to at home that I've reviewed and will do whatever I can to improve, change, or if necessary, eliminate. We also talked about the things about WDW that make us so happy, and we'll try to add those into the family atmosphere whenever we can. Coincidentally, they are all things that the gospel has already taught us to do, so it will be more of the same "path to perfection" stuff for us.

I'm glad, too, that Mitt Romney dropped out of the presidential race while I was in sunny, warm, delicious Florida. I didn't spend more than a few minutes on it there, whereas I would have analyzed it endlessly if I were here, packed into my igloo.

More on the way...and I promise it will be less contemplative!

"New York Doll"

If you haven't seen this film - really a documentary - yet, do everything in your power to watch it, soon. It will be particularly meaningful if you are a Latter-day Saint, but definitely isn't limited to an only-LDS audience. I hope I haven't posted about this before and am thus boring everybody, but this movie tells the story of Arthur "Killer" Kane, bassist for the New York Dolls, a rock band popular in the late 1970s, who joined the Church in 1989. I watched it tonight while I was walking on the treadmill. Somehow, his story fills me with gratitude and gives me hope and assurance that God gives us what we need most when it's most needed.

Recently I posted about a good day. Today was...less good. Sometimes I am absolutely awed (and concurrently angry!) that two children under the age of 4 years could so universally destroy each and every room of our house. That's each of the bedrooms, both of the bathrooms, the living areas, and even the basement. I have two options: I could become a Cleaning Nazi, which was my mom's tactic, or I can let them (more or less) loose in the house and tidy up later. I've been taking Option Two but I admit that I'd be much less successful without Dan's "Hurry Up and Clean" style after he gets home from work. (Then I remember this Ensign article I read once...this was from the 1970s, and it was encouraging women to better manage their lives, so that they could comb their hair, tidy up the house, put on a little lipstick and greet their husbands with a calm and loving smile when they returned from work. The feminist in me groans! It's a lovely ideal, but it would take a lot of grace to get me to that point.)

There is a Winter Storm Warning for the weekend here in MI. These things always disappoint, don't they? I mean, give me 2 feet of snow and cancelled church and completely impassable roads. THAT is a proper Winter Storm. Don't even classify it if we're just going to get a few inches of snow and some wind. Honestly.

I wish I had some pictures, or interesting stories, or whatever. The only thing I can thing of is Helena's comment tonight. She was about to get on the potty and take care of business, when she looked over at me and said, in complete seriousness, "Mom, I'm going to get on the potty and go pee, and then I'll flush the toilet and Bennie (our cat) can come in and have a drink. Bennie!!! Benihana!!!!"

And of course Hunter doesn't say much yet. But he is so precious! This is where only photos can approach justice for his adorability. He grins, he babbles, he crawls at lighting speeds around the house and up the stairs, with his trademark sashay (his little butt swings dramatically from side to side as he crawls.). His favorite thing to do - painful for the recipient but hilarious all the same - is to grab you by the hair and pull your head down to his tummy, where he fully expects you to give him Big Tickles. It's always worth the pain from the hair-pulling because he gives you Big Soul Laughs in exchange for the Big Tickles.

I'll try to get some more photos on here for next time...give you something worth looking at!

"Shouting is the sign of a weak mind straining to be heard."

A Good Day

Today WAS a good day. Nothing specific; it was just nice to spend time as a family (we had a "campout" in our living room, complete with mess kits, tents, and s'mores.). I also worked for a long time on my current BYU class (English History from 1689) in preparation for my midterm, and following soon after, my final exam. I will be done with this blasted course by the time I pack the van for Disney World.

In that Disney World vein: Tonight I watched a large portion of the Republican/Democratic debates from New Hampshire, and you know what I've decided? Mike Huckabee just isn't a very nice man. No more detail unless it's asked for, because this isn't a political blog. It's just what I came away with. Anyway - the whole thing got me a little riled up, so I went downstairs to do some laundry (what numbs your mind faster than laundry???) and I had my "sounds of Walt Disney World" channel playing on the computer from when I'd been studying. Hearing that nice peaceful monorail loop soundtrack spirited me away to a much, much, happier place, where politics don't exist - because it's a benevolent monarchy. In fact (skip ahead, this is boring), the community of Lake Buena Vista has about 6 permanent residences for legal purposes, but is completely controlled by the Disney company. That way they can make changes to the property (which is twice the size of Manhattan) without opposition.

Another good thing that happened today was that I made it all the way through one of my early 90s Susan Powter workouts - and I didn't feel like retiring to my bed for the remainder of the day! Susan's gone absolutely bonkers now, but her energy is infectious without being obnoxious.

The only thing keeping today from being fantastic is that Hunter is teething. The poor thing has this enormous tooth cutting right through his tender little gums...Helena tried to encourage him by telling him it would make chewing food so much easier. He just cried at her.

Helena anecdote of the day: This morning our Primary hosted a "Meet Your New Teacher" breakfast for the kids. Helena is now a Sunbeam (!) and was thrilled to go to a real activity. The event was very nice, fairly well-attended, etc., but my favorite part was the end. Sis. Wilson asked for prayer volunteers, and Helena looked at me like she wanted to, but wasn't sure if she could. I told her to go up to Sis. Wilson (since no one else was volunteering) and tell her you'll do it. Well, Helena refused help, naturally, and proceeded to offer one of the best prayers I've ever heard her give. It was even appropriate to the occasion: "Thank you for this nice breakfast and all the meat [they served ham]"..."Thank you for Jesus"..."Thank you that all our friends could come." Andrea and I were cracking up as reverently as possible, knowing half the kids had their eyes open. It was a fun time for the grown-ups, too.

Resolve

Since it is the beginning of 2008, I've been considering what I want my New Year's resolution to be. In a way I almost believe it doesn't matter, because I so often fail. But without going into too much detail, here it is: I will be a better person at the end of 2008 than I was at the beginning.

How's that for nebulous?

But I am utterly serious. I'm not talking about looking better, or having something more. I'm talking about my spirit and my soul becoming...more. Will I be translated this coming December? Probably not. I need many decades to get within walking distance of perfection, but isn't the beautiful thing about being human that at least we can try? The poor spirits who decided to follow Satan don't even get the opportunity. As a child of God, I know we all have the gift of progression and the capability to have our souls refined until they are beautiful. It's a lovely truth.

I've already confessed to being a fan of corny movies and dopey TV shows. But did you know that "Tiny Dancer" as performed by Ben Folds is one of my favorite songs? Come see me in 10 years, it will be something different. Of course, there are bands and performing artists who I've always loved, among them Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles, Judy Collins, and most of the Aerosmith catalogue.

If you're all planning your own New Year's resolutions, remember that the only thing that counts is what you're doing today towards your goal. Progression, or regression, are only defined by which way you're facing.

Fact Over Fiction, Every Time

I have to start out by apologizing for the long drought in blogging. I could blog about Christmas (if I had the pictures on the computer) or New Year's but I don't have the time or "brain energy" tonight. Instead I want to insert a mostly forgotten, but absolutely true, moment from American History, taken from the book "John Adams" by David McCullough.

In July of 1826, the two great patriots, former Presidents of the United States, and friends John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both lay seriously ill at their homes in Quincy, Massachusetts and Monticello, Virginia.

"Early on the morning of Tuesday, July 4, as the first cannon of the day commenced firing in the distance, the Reverend George Whitney arrived at the house to find 'the old gentleman was drawing to his end. Dr. Holbrook was there and declared to us that he could not live more than through the day.' Adams lay in bed with his eyes closed, breathing with great difficulty. Thomas sent off an urgent letter to John Quincy to say their father was 'sinking rapidly.'

As efforts were made to give Adams more comfort, by changing his position, he awakened. Told that it was the Fourth, he answered clearly, 'It is a great day. It is a good day.'

At Monticello, Thomas Jefferson had been unconscious since the night of July 2, his daughter Martha, his physician Robley Dunglison, and others keeping watch. At about seven o'clock the evening of July 3, Jefferson awakened and uttered a declaration, 'This is the Fourth,' or 'This is the Fourth of July.' Told that it would be soon, he slept again. Two hours later, at about nine, he was roused to be given a dose of laudanum, which he refused, saying, 'No, doctor, nothing more.'

Sometime near four in the morning Jefferson spoke his last words, calling in the servants 'with a strong clear voice,' according to the account of his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, but which servants he called or what he said to them are unknown.

Jefferson died approximately one o'clock in the afternoon on July 4, as bells in Charlottesville could be faintly heard ringing in celebration in the valley below.

At Quincy the roar of cannon grew louder as the hours passed, and in midafternoon a thunderstorm struck - 'The artillery of Heaven,' as would be said - to be followed by a gentle rain.

Adams lay peacefully, his mind clear, by all signs. Then late in the afternoon, according to several who were present in the room, he stirred and whispered clearly enough to be understood, ' Thomas Jefferson survives.'

Somewhat later, struggling for breath, he whispered to his granddaughter Susanna, 'Help me, child! Help me!' then lapsed into a final silence.

At about six-twenty his heart stopped. John Adams was dead.

...That John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had died on the same day, and that it was, of all days, the Fourth of July (50 years past 4 July 1776), could not be seen as a mere coincidence: it was a 'visible and palpable' manifestation of 'Divine favor,' wrote John Quincy in his diary that night, expressing what was felt and would be said again and again everywhere the news spread."

I've studied John Adams in some detail and believe he represents the best in American statesmanship. If I were participating in the "Hawkeye Cauci," I would be looking for a candidate with his qualities.

Eight Great Years!

Dan and I will have been married eight years tomorrow. Isn't that unbelieveable?! It doesn't seem so long, that's for sure, but then, it seems like we've been together forever at the same time.

Now, although I have plenty of sappy, loving things to say, they aren't going to be said on this blog! I'll say them to Dan instead, who will probably appreciate them more and not throw up a little bit in his mouth while he hears it, like you might if you had to read it. Instead, I'll take a cue from Caity's recent blog and talk about how things are with Dan and I today.

1. How long have you been married? Eight years.
2. How long did you date? Ummm...technically since I was 16, but I think we "knew" earlier than that: I was 14. That's 14 years.
3. How old is he? Dan's 29 - he'll be 30 in Feb.
4. Who eats more? At one sitting, it's definitely Dan, but on some days I bet I eat more just by grazing.
5. Who said "I love you" first? That's hard to remember. I think it was Dan...
6. Who is taller? Dan, by a lot - he's 6' 2"
7. Who sings better? Well, I guess I do, but there's a lot of untapped potential in Dan's voice.
8. Who is smarter? Dan would probably say I am, because I have all of this information in my brain, but when it comes to practical and useful things, it's Dan by a mile. I write better than he does but he can do nearly EVERYTHING you can imagine, so there it is.
9. Who does laundry? Me, mostly.
10. Who does dishes? Me, mostly.
11. Who cooks dinner? Me (or at least I buy it from somewhere!)
12. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do.
13. Who pays the bills? Our computer and bank work together on that one. :)
14. Who mows the lawn? Dan - I've done it before but he's, I don't know, 40 times faster than me.
15. Who drives when you're together? Usually Dan, but if I want to get somewhere fast I drive. It seems faster if I'm driving.
16. Who is more stubborn? Um, we both are, but I'm more vocal. Surprise.
17. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine. They live nearby.
18. Who proposed? Dan did. That is a whole separate post!
19. Who has more friends? I guess I have more friends, but Dan has more work acquaintances and interaction with the outside world.
20. Who has more siblings? If you include all of my stepsiblings along with my one natural sister, i have 8 siblings, as opposed to Dan's 7 natural siblings. But if you include HIS stepsiblings he has MANY more. In fact, I cannot count them.
21. Who wears the pants? Get ready - sit down - put down your drink - Dan does! I just talk more. The buck stops with him.

There are a few things that I particularly love about Dan that I want to post here, for posterity. :)

First of all, he's the perfect dad. Our kids are both enamored with him. He has a really deep sense of spirituality that moves him to tears, which I find endlessly endearing. He knows the value of work and isn't afraid of it - snow and cold won't stop him from fixing the car or taking out the trash! I have never worried about whether or not he can provide for our family's necessities, and some wants. He is faithful in his covenants. He isn't fake. He has a funny laugh - when he sees something he finds totally hilarious, he has this kind of high, "girly" laugh that is fantastic. You should hear it. Family is important to him. He puts up with my extended family. :) He is a talented artist. There is no skill at which he does not, or could not, succeed if he wanted to (cross-country skiing and ice skating come to mind - he hit them both on the first try.). He loves me and thinks I'm beautiful no matter how self-deprecating I am. We share the same goals and values. He accepts, more or less, my devotion to Walt Disney World. We like the same things, except for seafood, and the best part of my day is when he's done with work and can be with our family.

I've loved you nearly forever, Danny, and I'm so grateful you married me. I must have done something very right in the pre-existence to find you!

Oops. Sorry to my Loyal Fans for that Sappy Moment.

And I'm curious - what side of the bed does everybody sleep on? Just wondering.

Direction for a nation - Hoorah for the Bra!

Mitt Romney's speech? Spot on.

After this speech, Romney has my vote. He finally showed emotion and passion and conviction about something that is clearly close to his heart. His address went beyond his own campaign and reminded us all that America is a great nation, founded on great principles, where liberty is considered a right given to each person by God and is thus respected by government. If his practices as President stem from those principles we're on track. The only thing I think he has REALLY flip-flopped on is this NRA thing. I don't think he hunts, I don't think he believes that hunting is universally right (see the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young on this topic), and he probably doesn't own any guns, unless they are used for decoration in his study or something. But he must have felt that joining the NRA would shore up his support among us gun-toting Republicans. His other changes in opinion (for lack of a better word) come, I think, from a more careful consideration of the effects certain legislation could have in a long-term view. And at least he had the courage to change when he felt it was time.

Plus, and this is no small thing: Even though he has clearly been blessed by wealth and privilege, he has been successful in almost all aspects of his life (I can't really give examples of his failures). His success in business, in particular, hasn't come from his father or other sources - it's come from his own efforts. Why would he, all of a sudden, fail at being the President of the United States?

BUT - who cares about politics? Let's get to the good stuff.

A couple of days ago, Helena was shopping at Wal-Mart with my mom. As they walked along, Helena stopped at an endcap display and said, "Ga-ga, can you buy me one of these?" She was pointing at some bright purple bras. My mom said, "Well, honey, those are bras for girls when they get bigger." "But I'm a big girl!" Helena replied. (She had her there: Helena's twice the size of most kids her age.) "I guess we'll need to call your Mommy then" says Ga-ga, cracking up inside. So, the phone rings at my house, and I pick up. It's Helena. "Mommy, can I have a bra?" "What? What do you need a bra for, Helena?" I say, shaking with laughter. (I didn't know she even knew it was called a bra!) "I need it to cover my things and keep me warm when I go to bed." "Most girls don't wear bras to bed, honey." (Nice retort, me.) "Plus, they don't have it in your size, Helena." "Well, next time we go to Meijer maybe we can buy one in my size." "Maybe when you get just a little bigger, sweetie."

Also in the family news: Emma had a baby today! That's right, 3-year-old Emma had a healthy baby girl. Helena and Tanner assisted in the delivery, which occurred on our coffee table in the living room. It came right out of Emma's belly button and it "didn't hurt at all!" Everybody's healthy, but I think Emma left her new baby here at our house.

Speaking of babies, we found a Baby Pooh that is sort of like those Glo-Worm thingys: it's face lights up and it plays songs and stuff. That is, it does when it has batteries. Helena asked me to put batteries in it today - it's been literally years since it's had any juice - since she noticed the battery pack inside, so I found the AA's and put them in. When I pushed on Pooh's tummy, his face lit up and the song started and Helena got MAD! "Babies DON'T GLOW! They DON'T GLOW!" (Imagine her maddest face and a truly distressed voice.). "Take out those batteries! They DON'T GLOW!" A couple of hours later, I found the Baby Pooh That Shouldn't Be Glowing in the recyclables box. Nice.

And Hunter says Mama. Life just can't get any better.

Thanksgiving

I have so much to be thankful for...it would take the whole post just to list a few of them! Basically I realize that I've been blessed beyond what I deserve and it brings me joy.

This year I was assigned (for lack of a better word) to make the turkey. I had Dan pitch in to help a little, because I could not stick my hand up the business end of a turkey without gagging. Here are a few shots showing our progress:


First rule of cooking: Make sure you have everything on hand!


We put the bird in the sink. I actually prayed over this bird. I realize that Heavenly Father must get a lot of prayers over the turkey on Thanksgiving, but I just didn't want to completely screw this up. After all, a turkey gave its life so that we could enjoy this tasty meal, right?


All bagged up and ready to go! At Rachel's suggestion I decided to go with the Reynolds Oven Bag. It was easy to put together and came with simple directions. Dan thought he could improve on the directions by "injecting" some butter underneath the turkey's skin; instead, he just put two little drainage holes for the juice to leak out of.



I also made some apple pies (someone else made pumpkin). After some practice I'm now able to do pies pretty easily, and it's relaxing to put the crust together, roll it out, smooth it carefully into the pie pan. One of the pies has an "A" for apple cut into the crust; another has an "H" for Helena.

I don't have a good "final turkey" photo, because after we removed the bag it all looked pretty messy. It tasted okay, especially the dark meat, but the top breast was a little bit dry. Oh well. Practice makes perfect and I'll probably get another chance to work on it in the future. Also, my pictures look a little dark. There's another area I where I could use some improvement!

Love at Home

I am a bit of a homebody. Given the choice, I'd just usually rather be at home (of course, occasionally I'm crawling to get away!). I have a friend (Tammy) who has a really nifty organization system she uses for the many parts of her busy-mom life, including her home.

We moved into our house about 1 1/2 years ago. In some ways, it still feels like we're not quite moved in. The boxes are unpacked and all, but there are little things that bug me; for example, when we moved in we just stuffed things into the kitchen cupboards and I'm realizing that everything isn't where I really want it. Also, and this may just be a function of having kids, but I feel like our house is in a constant state of disorder. Ever since I was a kid I've left a "trail" behind me, so it's not as though I'm naturally a neatnik (which is too bad for Dan, because he is).

When our home is in order, which hasn't happened since Hunter was born, it feels beautiful and peaceful and...still. It's best features can shine through. The sun soaks through in the afternoon and washes the house in light. I can go about my usual stuff and know, secretly, that my linen closet is in perfect order, and that a stranger could come over and find any pertinent item with ease. The kids would have just enough toys and the parts of each one would be together (as opposed to now, where they're spread over the upstairs, downstairs, basement, and occasionally, the van.).

There's something cathartic about cleaning. This is my point. My mom used to say this. I'd ask her why in the world she'd spend her Saturday on picking up the house, vacuuming, doing yard work, whatever, and she'd say, "I don't exactly like doing it, but I do like the result." Dan and I have worked together to clean up the basement before, and we have revelations, and conversations, and a tidy basement to boot.

I'm taking the longest route ever to tell you this: I found this website, www.flylady.net, that can take someone like me and give me a system that isn't obsessive but promises to leave your house at least acceptable for unexpected company. (You know that feeling: I have spit-up on my shoulder from 3 hours ago, I nearly broke something tripping over that toy vacuum, and there are crushed Cheerios over every horizontal surface and WHO IS AT THE DOOR?). It's wonderful. Actually, I relied on it last year to help me get ready for the holidays, with at least some success.

Rest assured I am NOT writing this post for anyone but me. It isn't like I wasn't raised to keep a clean house - think hospital, museum, etc. - but I realize the value of it without being able to get it that way.