We wish you a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!!!

 

 

 

We are up before the kids!!! Not really … it’s 1:09 a.m. & we’re ready to call it a night. More tomorrow.

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Christmas piano music

I have been listening to piano music on Pandora for the last few weeks. Free & lovely. Here are a few of my favorites in no special order. But my two all-time favorites are *-ed.

 

*I Saw Three Ships – Jon Schmidt

Wassail – Windham Hill (couldn’t find this on iTunes)

Christmas Medley – Jon Schmidt (everything Jon Schmidt)

Hark the Herald Angels Sing – Christmas Break: A Relaxing Classical Mix (the album is nice)

Tim Janis – Christmas Piano Collection – the whole album

*Carol of the Bells – George Winston (December album)

Still – Michelle McLaughlin

O Holy Night – Michelle McLaughlin

Silent Night/ Come Thou Long Expected Jesus – Michael Chertok

Angels We Have Heard on High – Dana Cunningham

Winter Solstice – Michelle McLaughlin (love this)

Jennifer Haines – Christmas Magic (the album)

Whew! That was close!!!

Tonight, we decided to go to the stake Christmas choir concert before the First Presidency Christmas fireside. We picked up one of the YSA’s (Scott) & started speeding down the freeway. Some cars ahead of us started hitting their brakes. There wasn’t tons of traffic (luckily) & people must have noticed that something unusual was happening. Suddenly, the car in front of us totally stopped. ZERO mph. In the middle of the three-lane freeway. Scott (my Scott) slammed on the brakes & we skidded within literal inches of the van in front of us. Next, we had to wait in fear & dread for the cars behind us to realize that there was something wrong & to stop. Amazingly, the guy behind us hit his brakes & stopped within inches of our bumper. And everyone behind him did the same thing. I don’t think that we could possibly be any closer ever to being in an accident than we were tonight. I am thankful, very thankful that we were all okay & that no one got hurt.

A Tale of Three Dresses Revisited

 

   

Scott’s company party is coming up soon! I have three choices. I am honestly not comfortable in my own skin these days – I just want something that will look nice for the evening. And maybe not cost a fortune. These are all pretty reasonable. My makeup & hair & toes will be done. Any opinions out there?

Thanks to all of the great opinions out there – I wore dress #3 & loved it. It was a whole new world to not worry about having a brand new dress. When I mentioned to my friends that I just pulled my LBD (little black dress) out of my closet & added a new necklace, they explained that they had done the same thing. If you look closely, you might see that I have bumps between my eyes – more like a mountain range! I had an allergic reaction to something when I got my eyebrows waxed. Luckily, makeup kind of covered it up.

My favorite picture of the night was of me with my husband sitting at dinner. My friend’s talented husband went around with his fancy camera & nice flash & did a great job capturing the evening.

Life is Like a Marathon

I have never run a marathon. I don’t think my body is really cut out for it – I hate pain & my feet have on-going woes. (I think it’s time to find a good foot doctor – any recommendations? I only found the bad one in our town.) Scott is a good runner. And Danielle, Lisa, Kristin, Laisa, Amy, Jessica, and a million others who frequently inspire me. If running a marathon would take off 50 pounds, I would sign up. But here’s the quote of the day, “YOU CAN'T OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET. PERIOD.” So, I will just keep doing my thing & not run a marathon.

My friend Danielle worked REALLY hard to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I got to see a few of her races & watch how insane her times were & how hard she worked. If I remember correctly, she & her friend decided to have fun & not worry about time. Her friend Jen videoed the whole race & made a DVD for her seminary kids. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ryan @ the Kids’ Marathon – the winner!

Mom was so excited that she completely missed a picture of Ryan crossing the finish line in first place. We are hoping that the Greenville News’ staff photographer will make us proud and relieved.
Ryan had to run 25 miles before today (easy-peasy) & then raced for 1.2 miles to finish off the kids’ marathon. The race finished inside Fluor Field, the Greenville Drive’s baseball stadium.
Scott was outside the stadium & saw Ryan & his friend Austin running neck & neck until the last hill. Ryan’s final time for 1.2 miles? 6:05 – a 5” mile pace. The pacer on the bicycle played with the kids, “Can you catch me? You think you can catch me???”  

Ryan & his friend Michael went running in the neighborhood several times & at the middle school on Friday afternoons. Michael finished a short time after Ryan. What did these typical preteens want to do once they finished the race? “Snack table!!!!” They returned several times & it was probably the highlight of the day for them.
We spent the rest of the day watching other racers. We walked out to Augusta Road & saw the first half marathon guy racer go by. (He sold me my shoes – maybe I will get faster?!) Then we went back & saw Michael’s dad run & finish the 5k in about 20”.
Greenville is not a very big place & a lot of people that we know like to run. Scott went out on the course & ran with & cheered for my friends. My friend Danielle placed second in her age group with 1:33 for the half-marathon. (13.1 miles) Several other friends ran their first half marathons. I have signed up with my mom & my sister to run in Myrtle Beach in February. Time to lace up those sneakers.
BTW For my friend Kristin’s race report (and a picture of Scott running a bit with her) you can visit her blog.

Busy, busy, busy!

  We have been running around like crazy for the last few weeks. I am going to do a super-post & let you see some of what we’ve been doing.

Scott was in San Diego & Seattle for work. While in San Diego, he went to the Monday night football game (Denver v. San Diego) with a co-worker. When Scott cheered for Denver, some people told him to sit down. :) He had a great time, but we are glad to have him home!

How do we survive when Scott’s gone? We eat out  - a lot!!!  Not every single meal, but almost.

 

 

 

 

 

This picture was taken on the morning of our busiest Saturday ever – each of us is dressed for the activities of the day. Scott? High council @ the YSA conference @ Clemson. Chris? Cross-country meet @ Furman University. Mom? Spectator @ everything. Ryan? Baseball scrimmage game & pizza & bowling party. Jared? Soccer player & end-of-the-season party.

 

Christopher’s cross-country season is winding down. Tomorrow is the regional meet on his home course. Last week he had a very difficult race – throwing up, hip pain, etc. Hopefully his time will be better & he’ll be happier with the results this time. He has two college classes this semester – Spanish 101 & Computers 101 – and is doing well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan has been playing lots of baseball – one practice and two games per week. (Can you see the ball in the air?)What does he do in the morning to prepare himself for the day? He wakes up & watches ESPN Sports Center, of course. He has adjusted to middle school – he turns in assignments & keeps track of everything.

 

 

Jared loves to play with Cody – video games, Pokemon cards, & Legos are the current favorites. He also loves music & has some pretty sweet dance moves.  His reading level has jumped almost two years since last fall. :)

 

And…

Guess who learned to ride his bike on the first try?

 

 

 

 

We have been very busy with our Young Single Adult calling. Jordan Garrett left on his mission for Brazil. We had everyone over for General Conference breakfast – waffles, strawberries, whipped cream, bacon, &  juice. Matt Carter came home from Iraq & got to meet his baby Benjamin for the first time. We spent a fun weekend with the YSA’s at Clemson for the annual conference.

Brain Freeze!

Usually I can think of something clever or witty or at least palatable for my blog posts. Today? This week? This month? Not so much. I will be back soon, well rested, healthy, and full of too much to say. I think that I am behind a 12-on-the-12th entry and several about the kids’ sports. Time to let the fingers fly on the keyboard – with special emphasis on the Backspace <---  key for all of my typos. We have done a little bit of work in the yard and on the house. Soccer has wrapped up & baseball & cross-country are winding down. Pictures will  definitely going to be coming up soon. Thanks for reading.

… can I have a moment of peace?

Today, I remember when the kids were little & the demands were constant. There was never really a break. The rewards were frequent – little kids are just plain cute – but the demands were intense too. I have had a rough couple of weeks or months – bronchitis, the flu, the death of a good friend, a cold, a traveling husband, lots of sports & activities – and I am just ready for a few minutes of quiet, calm, guilt-free peace.
Saturday was CRAAAAAAZY~ YSA conference at Clemson, soccer & last-day party, baseball & team party, cross-country meet @ Furman, dinner for 120, a Sunday school lesson. The kids have three days off of school this week – #1 is off Monday, #2 & #3 off Thursday, and #1, #2, & #3 off Friday. Too many days on top of busy, running-faster-than-I’m-able days.
I love my kids & I don’t want them to be gone. I understand when people say that they really miss the time with their kids. I love what one of my friends has on her blog, “The things that drive a young mother to exhaustion are the very same things that feed her soul.” I will miss the busy-ness & the dirty laundry & the carpool line & the non-stop activity. However, I hope that I can remember how hard it is to make it through the day sometimes.
My kids are good & cute & wonderful & talented. I could not ask for better children. They say things that make me laugh & smile all the time. But for right now, I just want a good night’s sleep and a chocolate croissant.

She did that for me?!

My good friend Liz left this life quite suddenly on Tuesday evening. I just kept screaming in my head – Wait?! We need to go on girls’ night out. We need to talk about your trip to Minnesota. I need to tell you thank you for all that you did for my boys in Boy Scouts. I need to tell you thank you  for a million little things that were really all big things.  She kept Chris, helped him with lunch & homework & getting to & from school for eight days so Scott & I could celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. She brought the family to Chris’ soccer game and cheered for him (in cold, wet, drizzling rain). She drove Chris from seminary to high school every single solitary day. She checked in and let me complain every day when I was so sick that I thought I wouldn’t make it. I feel like their is such a hole in my heart – I can only imagine the heartaches of her husband and children and grandchildren who are left to go forward from here. She was a great mom who was a tireless advocate for her children’s success in school and in life. She was an amazing person and I am so very,very sad to have her gone.

    
I loved this video link that Liz introduced me to. It sums up what type of a person she was. It is LONG but the good long that you don’t want to end.

Amazing Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Last night we celebrated Rebecca’s 21st birthday at YSA FHE. I wanted to make a cake; she wanted chocolate. I wanted it to be yummy, but I wanted to take a Sunday afternoon nap so No Frosting. We tried this recipe from the Chocolate Cake Mix Doctor cookbook. It was simply delicious, decadent, rich, and amazing!

PAM with flour for dusting the pan
1 package chocolate cake mix (original said German chocolate)
1 package (big box) chocolate instant pudding
1 cup sour cream (16 oz. tub)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mist & flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Shake out excess flour. Set pan aside.
Place all ingredients in a stand mixer  except the chocolate chips. Blend for a minute, scrape down the sides, blend a few minutes more. Batter will be thick & well-combined. Add chocolate chips & mix. Pour into Bundt pan & smooth prepared batter with a rubber spatula. Place pan in the oven.
Bake the cake for 58-62 minutes, until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger & is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool on wire rack for 20”.
No frosting or glaze needed. Just lots & lots of ice cream or milk. It is very rich.

Random September shots

   

The boys ran the Midnight Flight Race in Anderson. Chris surprised us all with a time of 20:23. Ryan ran 24:26.

Jared continued playing soccer – practice & games are Friday night & Saturday morning so it doesn’t conflict with any other events (a minor miracle).

Ryan came down with the flu first & then the other kids & I followed swiftly behind. We were well-cared for by friends who brought us dinner & gave priesthood blessings. We had 3-4 bad days each & then it was better. The boys missed a whole week of school and had LOTS of homework to make up. Jared took the nap of the century last Thursday & slept from the minute he got home from school until 7 the next morning! The best part of that night? Scott finally got home from Wichita!!!!!!!

I had my hair done by a new guy. Since I went on a late-night run for Play Dough to Target, I had the checker take my picture – how many pictures of the 365-pictures of the day include the photographer? Not many.

Ryan is back to playing baseball. His finger is mostly healed – it just hurts if he pushes on it. (Don’t push on it…)

The Boy Scouts had a court of honor. Ryan earned his Tenderfoot & Chris earned a few merit badges &  his On My Honor award. It’s great that we have dedicated scout leaders that keep the boys moving along.

Memories without Pictures

Most of you probably know that I LOVE to take pictures! I have been working a resolution to take a picture a day for the whole year. There are many events and days in my life that do not have pictures to go with them that are very special. If I had a digital camera, I would probably have a million photos, but instead I just have the feeling in my heart.

Meridian Magazine had an article today about the origins of the Primary songs. I am especially fond of I Am a Child of God and my memory took me on a quick little review of some important events of my life. This might be boring but I need to capture the feelings now.

My Baptism: October 22, 1983. I had been attending church for years and finally decided that I wanted to be baptized. I started attending seminary and getting huge doses of the Spirit every day & realized that I wanted to feel that peace every day of my life. At my baptism I requested the song “I Am A Child of God”.

Temple Square: I met Scott in a physics class at the University of Utah when I was a freshman in college. His opening line? “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” We dated for a long time. One activity that we did with his parents was to go to Temple Square for FHE. While there, the missionaries pleaded for volunteers to work five hours per week. I was so inspired by the message that I asked how I could sign up. Soon, I was working every Saturday afternoon from 12:30-5:30. I was set apart as a full-time missionary and committed to learn the tours. I eventually knew three tours – the Life of Christ (upstairs near the Christus), the church history tour (around the grounds), and the Book of Mormon tour (South visitor’s center).  I was able to see a major shift as the church brought in full-time missionaries to replace the member volunteers. I still remember Sister Barnes & the powerful testimony that she brought on her mission. I was able to sit in on discussions & to see lives change. It was very powerful.

On one Saturday afternoon in September, I was invited to go to the Tabernacle to see the General Women’s Broadcast & sit on the third row!!! I knew that I was sitting in VERY reserved seating. I turned & asked the woman behind me why she was sitting in this section. She sweetly replied, “I am Naomi Randall. I wrote I Am A Child of God.”

One other Temple square memory, because the men let the sisters leave their shift early so we could go to the women’s broadcast, we filled in for them for the General Priesthood Session a few weeks later. One Saturday night I was standing near the door to the Tabernacle so I could see the prophet, Ezra Taft Benson. As I looked in the door, President Benson took off his suit coat & invited everyone else present to do the same thing. (If you know which talk this was, please let me know.) As he took off his coat, he just GLOWED and inside I felt very much that he was the prophet that the Lord had chosen to lead his church!

These darling children are singing the song in the Tabernacle on Temple Square (the egg-shaped building). I love the words & the message. When I learned to play the piano (as an adult), several (lots) of kids from the ward were taking from the same piano teacher as I was. When we went for our practice recital at a nursing home, I played the piano & all the Primary kids who were taking piano sang while I played. Very sweet because I was the Primary chorister at the same time.

Better run! If you want, let me know your favorite children’s song – Primary or otherwise.

Recipe for Disaster

One traveling husband + Three kids with the flu + One mom with the flu + Hungry stomachs

Mix generously for eight days.

Note to self: Paper plates & bowls for emergency kit.

Update

: I am so proud of my kids!!! Without me saying a word, Chris realized that this pile of dishes was over Mom's head & unloaded the dishwasher. Unloading the dishwasher prompted Ryan to load the dishwasher and then hand wash the rest of the dishes. I will post a picture in the morning, but the dishes are gone!!! Now if only the homework backup could be so easily taken care of. :)

Funny side-note: Scott's co-worker was looking over his shoulder as he [Scott] looked at this picture. The guy said, "She must have really been sick!!!"

Quote for the Day (& an update)

“A man does not work only for the sake of producing, but to set a value on his time. We feel more satisfied with ourselves and with our day if we have stirred up our minds and made a good start, or have finished a piece of work.” --Eugene Delacroix

Today, this week, this season – I have had a hard time having enough health and energy to feel that I have accomplished very much. When all is said and done, what value is there on my time? Are we accountable for the use of all of our time or just the healthy time?

Having the flu has been a major bummer & I am starting to feel discouraged today. The kids and I have been locked in the house together for a week. EVERYONE e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. is going to go to school tomorrow. And I am going to try to do something productive and something restorative, not necessarily at the same time or place.

Update: Jared is not going to school tomorrow. He still has a fever and added diarrhea to the equation today. He is still his happy, perky self but his body is fighting a tough battle against the flu!

I wanted to give him something from the BRAT group (bananas, rice, applesauce, & toast) so I dug into the food storage & found freeze-dried bananas and a big jar of applesauce. I have plenty of rice & toast but fruit sounded better. I opened the bananas & gave him a sample. He smiled & said, “Hmm, better hide these!” … He didn’t continue liking them but the initial taste was positive. Then, after applesauce, he said, “It’s good! You’ll really have to try some mom!”

Cousins!

Cousins are built in friends – love that these guys are so good to each other. My kids really look to them as examples. So grateful that they are good ones! We drove down for Tanner’s farewell – he’s going on a mission for our church to Quito, Ecuador. His farewell talk at church was Amazing.

 

Here’s the same kids in 2002 & 2003. Can you believe how much they’re grown?! Brandon is missing in the first two pictures – he is married with a darling wife & baby girl now. And I think he was at work when we took the Christmas picture – I can still hear Spencer saying, “Shouldn’t we wait & take a picture with Brandon?” Yes. We definitely should have waited.

 

Frequent Flyer's Club

What do you get when you combine an active 11-year-old, a bag of skittles, and too much time in a doctor’s office waiting room? Pure & simple silliness. Ryan (probably) broke his finger at his baseball game last night. It was very purple & swollen & ugly so I insisted on taking him in to the after-hours clinic.  You can kinda sorta see the purple-ness of the middle finger of his left hand. His fingernail peeled back & there’s a purple stripe on the back of the fingertip.

 

 

There was a hint of trouble when I saw FOURTEEN cars in the parking lot. We filled out four pages of paperwork, waited in the TV waiting room, went for X-rays, waited in the little orange-walled waiting room, and then the doctor told us that it was probably broken but hard to tell on kids. While waiting for X-rays, the physical therapist came out to check on us. He saw Ryan’s name & wondered if it could be the same one that he treated last year. (Yep!)

 

 

I just had to walk away & think how great it was to capture some funny moments with a boy whose been a little serious since middle school started. Isn’t he adorable???