Continued...

John and I went skiing at Kelly's today. It was nice--I felt somewhat confident half of the time. I need to leave the "snowplow" stage one of these days, however.
The above photo is of John's family at the train depot in Boise. Thanks Nichole and Ampersand!

Christmas in Boise

This is my family's picture taken by Frannie, my niece Nichole's partner at Ampersand Studio, the day after Christmas.
It was really nice to see everyone, and get to visit a little. Sometimes it is hard to live away from home.
I'll be posting John's family's photo ASAP.
We gave both of our parents family photos for Christmas.

Searching...

I have always been kind of a nut when it comes to Christmas. Finding me listening to Christmas music in October is common place. The magic and excitement of Christmas time would fill my whole being with joy.

I have just always loved this season!

But as my life has twisted and turned its way to where I am now, I find it harder to find that feeling. I guess I'm kind of like little Cindy Lou Hoo in Jim Carrey's rendition of the Grinch,
"Where are you Christmas; why can't I find you?
Why have you gone away?"
Or perhaps I have been looking in the wrong place.
I have been thinking the past couple of days about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I find it hard to comprehend the fact that He, being a God who created this very earth, a spirit with fantastic power and majesty, came to this world at that time period to be born as a weak and helpless infant. I remember holding my own tiny babies, just new to this life, and feeling their dependence on me for maintaining their existence. I wondered who they really were. Now am I beginning to know.

I search my own feelings as I ponder the possibilities. I wonder at what Mary felt. And what our own, loving Heavenly Father felt. Felt on the day His only begotten Son was born to this earth.
The contrasts are so stark.
A God and a helpless baby.
The glory of the Heavens and
Palestine at the beginning of this time period.

I marvel that there were those who lived near Him, who talked with Him, who did not feel His Spirit, who could not discern who He was. And it scares me a little. Would I have been one of those? Was the reason why I was born at this time and place because I would have been too stubborn and blind to be able to see Him as who He is?My challenge now is to try to follow Him; to become like Him enough so that when He comes again I will recognize Him and be comfortable in His presence. This is a challenge indeed! I fall so short of my goals everyday, sometimes I almost lose hope.

To lose hope is to despair.

And, as Marilla says to Anne in the movie "Anne of Green Gables,"
"To despair is to turn your back on God."

Recently, when I was having one of those periods when I felt as if I could never measure up to who my Father in Heaven expects me to be, feeling alone and forsaken, I had a little thought that has sustained me. The image of myself with my Savior standing by my side, holding my hand as I face judgment flashed into my mind just for a moment.
I know that Jesus Christ loves me and lives. I am grateful for His birth and His life here on this earth. I am thankful for His Atoning Sacrifice in my behalf. I know that He is waiting to stand by me when I am in need of Him. I love Him.

It's December 9th!!!

No school for us!

Ta da!!!

Thanks Grandma Jean and Grandpa John for the beautiful new bed linens!!!
Thanks Mom and Dad for the matching bulletin board and new outfit!
Happy Birthday, Taylor!
We are off to Rexburg to be beautified!

It is Birthday and Christmas Time!!!

I have explained to Taylor that it is much better to enjoy this "Christmas Time" than to be grumpy wishing that it is Christmas already. I suppose that this concept (patience) is a little too advanced for my sweet, vivacious
"bull in a china shop"
10 (almost 11) year old daughter. Yes, Taylor will be 11 on Wednesday!
She is getting sooooo old!
She is a great friend,
a fantastic student,
and a loving sibling.
Could never find anyone that could replace her!!!But it is time to grow up just a little. The rest of the girls in our family have been working on helping her to become more "lady-like." It doesn't seem like we are getting too far as we all live through the burps and the "stuffing the mouth too full and then talking" episodes, and her habit of saying exactly what is on her mind.
(don't you just love brutal honesty?)But we are going to make a go at it! For her birthday I am going to take her and Madi out of school and we are all going to visit the beauty college in Rexburg for pedicures and manicures. After we will head on over to the college for lunch in the student center.
A day just for girls!(Sorry John and Seth!)

In about an hour John and I will be heading to Pocatello for the ISU Honor Band Concert that Madison is playing in. She spent the night last night at the Holiday Inn with all sorts of kids from other highschools--they had clinics yesterday from 6-9pm and then today as well, starting at 9am. If Bethany makes it home from her ballroom dance competition in time, she will accompany us and hopefully be fitted for ballet pointe shoes--a new dance experience for her this next semester.

Seth is a little "under the weather" today--hope he pulls out of it and does not give it to the rest of us. Construction has started again on our basement (which means that it is REALLY cold--so cold that guys like John give up their fishing--and hope for lots of snow for skiing) so he didn't get to sleep in for too long this morning (hammer, hammer, sand, sand).

Tonight we are planning a movie night to watch "Night at the Museum--Smithsonian"-- none of us have seen it, and we have been waiting until we could all be home. Cozy!

Moving (Trudging) along...

Well I have been having a hard time getting motivated lately. I think it is because there are a lot of things going on, and I haven't been really excited about them. I want to do other fun things, but I feel guilty doing them, so I just don't do much at all, procrastinating what I have to do until the last minute and then feeling bad because I haven't gotten much done.

There, I confessed.

Now, since I have confessed, I need to make some specific goals to do better.
I think I will do that tomorrow, though.

I did get our Super Saturday done with--but I finally decided on that one that it was coming no matter what I did, so I needed to buck up and make it happen. It did turn out well. I still have a couple of piles of project kits in my living room that sisters who didn't show up that day haven't picked up yet. I will be very glad when these disappear!

I also got Seth's mission plaque photo accomplished. I say "accomplished" because it really isn't as nice and wonderful as I wanted it to be, but we don't have much time when he has his suit on and when the weather is nice, and when the lighting is okay. I wish we could have gone somewhere else to take it, but we ended up at one of the parks in Rigby, at about 3:30pm on a Sunday afternoon. The light was kind of harsh, there were not many leaves left on the trees, and not a lot of interesting backgrounds. Plus a mission picture needs to be a little more formal than a senior picture. I struggled with it. But here it is:


I did get all registered for BYU-I this week. Since apparently I have had the condition I have now (no motivation-procrastination) most of my life, I have to wrap up all the loose ends this semester and get my associates degree. This I will be doing in an earlier catalog. The counselors there have bent over backwards for me, counting my 20+ year old classes towards G.E. courses I need. Once I do this, I will proceed with my degree in Elementary Ed. I have chosen this path for a number of reasons:

1. because I already have Elementary Ed classes under my belt
2. because I feel I will be a good teacher
3. because I have been trying it out (substituting) and know what I'm getting into
4. because we will always have a need for teachers (job security--but this may be getting tougher!)
5. because I will have holidays, weekends, and summers off (in theory)
6. because with an elementary ed certification, I can teach kindergarten through 8th grade (at first I was leaning towards secondary English and Journalism, but I came to my senses when I considered the number of positions available locally in highschools as compared to elementary, middle school, and jr.highs)
7. because I want to help earn money to go towards John and my retirement (we would like to have enough to serve at least one mission together!)

When I first went to talk with the Ed. Dept. counselor and dept. head they said, "So you want to be a teacher!" and then I answered with, " I think so," and then they looked at me, with maybe a little concern, and said, "You don't sound too sure about that."

I think this is because I have a different perspective on the whole matter than the 19-21 yr. olds that will be my peers for the next couple of years. I have studied this out, considering many other paths, and this one seems to be it. I am considering getting a master's in counseling after I am through this stage of the game and have actually gotten hired and have taught a couple of years.

On to other subjects...
You know, it is really hard to have your kids grow up and start that "seperation process." I have been going through this for a few years now, and you would think that it would get easier, but with each kid it is a little different. It is a time when they want to make you feel like they really don't need you around, but they depend on you for their support. It is not yet a time of "thank yous" but a time of "leave me alone, but I need you to do this for me asap." It is a time when no one has time to help with household chores, etc., and everyone needs a car or at least a ride. The laundry piles are huge, the bathrooms are always trashed, most of the time you have to wade through their bedrooms, and here I am in my "no motivation--procrastination" state...

One consolation is my 10 year old--on being asked if she likes being the youngest she said, not all the time, but she is glad she gets to stay with us longer and not have to leave soon. (And I am glad too!)

Well I will finish complaining for today. As you can tell, I am procrastinating this morning. Yes, the sink is full of dishes, there is laundry to wash, dry and fold, plus I am obligated to have a Rigby High School cross country slideshow DVD finished by 11:30am.

I'll get it all done eventually...
it is just that I have so much on my mind.

Frontal Lobes...

Whenever one of our teenagers does or says something unexplainable, we blame it on the fact that, "their frontal lobes have not developed yet."

Check out this conversation that I had as a substitute p.e. teacher at the middle school the other day...

before class started...
girl: "My cousin was in your last class."
me: "Really?"
girl: "Yah, I have lots of cousins..."

after class...
girl: "That kid over there is my cousin."
me: "You do have lots of cousins."
girl: "Yah, I have a couple of little ones that are babies, and then some that are, like, my age. My grandma's dead."
me: "Oh, I'm sorry."
girl: "And I have a kitten that is dead. And I have a kitten that is black. The black one is named Figaro. My sister named it after the kitten in Pinocchio."

with that statement, she turns and wanders off. Makes me wonder a little about middle school brains...

Flu...and pancakes...

Madi woke up this morning and is sooooo sick. Don't know if it is the swine flu or not--the doctor's office told us to keep her at home, contained as much to one room as possible, have her drink lots of liquids and treat her symptoms. Our home teachers came over to give her a blessing. She is miserable.

She just told me she needed to write a paper. I told her that she wouldn't be going to school on Monday. She said, "How do you know?" I told her she could only go if she didn't have a temperature for a 24 hr period (without any medication). (Sigh...she is quite determined :-)

Meanwhile, I rush around and disinfect door knobs, light switches, anything that needs it. My hands are already dry from washing so much and from hand sanitizer.

Before Madi woke up this morning, however, I found a new recipe for pancakes and I had been mixing them up when I found out about Madi. There is no one here to share them with, but I made them any way and I think that they are really good. John's mom told me that John's sister, Terri, and her husband, Daniel, slather their pancakes with vanilla yogurt before they add the syrup. I decided to try it, but I have some peaches that I picked up at a fruit stand yesterday, so I peeled one and added it to the top of the yogurt (homemade vanilla) before I added some of the real maple syrup John's parents brought us when they came last week to visit. It is very good! I think I will fix this tomorrow after church. MMMMmmmmmmm!

I did change the recipe by adding one additional egg, and just a tad less baking soda and baking powder. I also used (from my food storage) powdered buttermilk and powdered milk--I mixed them in with the dry ingredients, and then after I had mixed the dry ingredients really well (I hate it when you can taste the baking powder!) I just added 2 1/2 cups of water for the milks, and the rest of the ingredients right into the dry ingredients, mixing just until mixed. Then I threw in the chopped walnuts.

Grain and Nut Whole Wheat Pancakes

Rated: Submitted By: MYLEEN Photo By: Miss Nefarious Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 6

"This is the BEST pancake recipe I've tried - nutty, moist, and tasty pancakes!"

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 egg 1/3 cup sugar 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1.	Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until fine. In a large bowl, combine ground oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2.	In another bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, oil, egg, and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix wet ingredients into dry with a few swift strokes. Stir in nuts, if desired.
3.	Lightly oil a skillet or griddle, and preheat it to medium heat. Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter onto the hot skillet; cook the pancakes for 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until brown.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 10/10/2009

Pray that the rest of us will not catch this from Madi--it would really throw Bethany's life into a turmoil, and John doesn't do well with being "sick" period. Taylor, Seth, and I would just suffer through it.

As a side note, we are having a little road and RV pad put in currently, so we have a place to park our new "to us" little trailer, and John's drift boat. Here are some pictures.

Above: Our trailer and boat parked in the driveway...
Below: Where their new home will be

By the way--it is really cold here (20 degrees this morning!). John still went fishing...

You probably already know, but...

Seth will be serving in the Argentina Buenos Aires West mission! He will enter the MTC on January 27, 2010. We are more than a little excited around here, but they have given us plenty of time to prepare. Seth wishes he was there already (it is hard to wait around when you know there is somewhere you need to go).

I have been working like crazy trying to keep up around here. I think that it is more work to have highschool and college kids than babies. You should see our house after they all run in, fix food for themselves, exchange the items that they need and then run back out the door. And the laundry is really something else.

I have also been trying to can. And I am really slow at it. But I am working on it.

Yesterday John harvested over 20 butternut squash from our garden. And a dozen banana squash. And another big box of tomatoes.

Taylor put 11 pumpkins on our front steps.

My little clogging studio more than doubled in size this fall, which wasn't a hard thing to do considering last year I had 12 kids. I have managed to keep it all on one afternoon/evening--from 3:15-7:30pm. I have students ranging from 4 to 35 this year.

I am starting to think about registering for BYU-I in January. It is kind of exciting, but pretty scary to think about it. Bethany seems to be having a different, but good experience here. She is working hard and we don't see her very much.

Madison is also working hard--we hope she makes it through this fall. She is running varsity cross country, and her couch is about running her legs right off of her. Pray that her skinny little body can take the abuse. She also has AP Biology and advanced math and english keeping her on her toes.

Look what we grew...and Homecoming week!

Our "one" carrot that grew (we need to practice up on carrots!).

Madi at Rigby High on "Neon Day." It is Homecoming Week!

I substituted at the high school today (that is how I got the neon picture right in the hall!) and I will again tomorrow. My calm, easy week has turned busy. English, Yearbook and Economics--here I come!

I like cool...

In the middle of the night, there was a fabulous thunder/lightening storm--it woke both John and I up. It was still thundering this morning when I got up to make lunches. I harvested some pumpkins and have one baking right now. It is the kind of day that makes a person feel all homey and snuggly. I guess I'm ready for Eastern Idaho's fantastic fall.

I also bought a box of pears today. So here are 2 recipes: one for pumpkins and one for pears.

This one came originally from a good friend, Angela Sullivan. I have modified it a little over the years.

Pumpkin Chip Muffins
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups pumpkin (16 oz)
1 cup oil
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
In a large bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil. Combine flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt--mix well and add to pumpkin mixture. Mix together and fold in chips. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees, 16-20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 min.

This recipe I found a long time ago, and I pull it out this time of year. It is a little unusual, 'cause not too many people think about using pears in pie. I love this recipe!

Fresh Pear Crumble Pie
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tblsp lemon juice
2 Tblsp flour or Minute Tapioca
5 cups peeled, sliced pears
9"pastry for a single crust pie (unbaked)
topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
In a large bowl sprinkle pears with lemon juice. Combine sugar and flour, mix, and add to pears. Toss to coat fruit. Fill pie crust. Combine dry topping ingredients, mix well. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping over pear filling. Cover pie edge with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25 min. Remove foil, bake for 25-30 min. more or until the pie is bubble and crust is golden. Cool and enjoy!

I think I am going to bake some muffins for my visiting teaching sisters and make a short stop by each of their homes--it is the last day of the month...

Happy Birthday Yesterday !

Yesterday was my sister Natalie's birthday. No, I didn't forget. For most of the day, anyway. I remembered all day while I knew she was in school (she is a high school art teacher). I even called my daughter who was visiting Boise to see if she was going to be there long enough to deliver something to her--but she was leaving to come back here to Rigby in 15 minutes, so that didn't work out. However, by the time Natalie would have been home from school--yes, then I forgot. Until I went to bed. Yah, I blew it. But since she is just 2 years younger than I , I think she will understand about the forgetting thing. Well, at least in a couple of years she will.

My sister Natalie is an amazing person. Just ask her students, her daughters, anyone. She has accomplished so much, and is the kind of friend to those around her who is always there. I love her so much, and think of her all the time.

No, I don't call her as often as I should or as often as I want to. But I know if I need her that she is there to listen.I hope her birthday was as good as a birthday can be when it is one of the first days of school. It always works out that way for her. She doesn't have the luxury of having the day for herself.

And I promise to call really soon, Nat!
Happy Belated Birthday!

First day back to school...

Today is the first day of school in Jefferson County--I little early in the year for my liking, but it is "just the way we do it here" I've been told. Taylor is in the 5th grade (next year she will be at the middle school--I'll have no more elementary school kids--yikes!) and Madi started her first year of high school. They were both up and at 'em early today, and needed hair curling, etc.

Bethany is in Boise to see her friends before they head back to college. And Seth is still in bed (doesn't work until later). I'm going to try to pick up the pieces today--for some reason I have felt really out of it the last few days. I can't seem to get anything done. I even made a list yesterday, but it only made me realize as I looked at it at last night that I need to develop more self discipline. Hopefully I'll feel better about it when this day is done.

Our "girls only" backpacking trip...

We (Kaylene R. and I) decided to meet half way and take our girls on a little backpacking trip.(yes, it was very little--we picked Baker Lake in the Smoky Mtns. above Sun Valley instead of the Sawtooths. It was a 2 mile hike in--

it was Taylor's and Mary's first time,
and we wanted it to be a good experience.The day hikers that kept coming in thought we were kind of strange, but, oh well!)We had nice weather,
and the lake to ourselves from 5pm to 9am each day (we stayed 2 nights).
The girls slept in our orange tent,
and Kaylene and I shared their 2-man tent.There was swimming,

card playing, book reading, hiking,
hammock swinging, chatting, and lots of giggling.
It would have driven the guys crazy!
It was a great girl's trip!

We ended up in Ketchum yesterday at
Wise Guy's Pizza Pie
and had dessert at the Rocky Mtn. Chocolate Shop.
Can you think of a sweeter ending?

Our Big Horn Crags trip...

John and I took off Monday afternoon to the Big Horn Crags. After a long bumpy ride, we arrived at the Crags Campground, and spent the night in the back of the truck. The next morning, we got up and started into the Frank Church Wilderness of No Return.

We took the trail up Fish Fin Ridge, and hiked into Wilson and Harbor Lakes. We found a somewhat flat spot on the far side of Harbor, and set up camp (our favorite spots were gone--it was a little busy up there this last week!)
There was a terrific rain/lightening storm that night--it was a little freaky--the thunder bouncing around the mountains.When we woke up, we had to wait for our tent to dry. While we were waiting, we visited with our neighbors on the other side of the lake--a older couple from Australia (small world!).
We packed up and headed down the Water Falls trail and then the Puddin' Mtn. trail to the southern lakes. We camped at Reflection Lake Wednesday night. (We also visited Twin Coves Lake, but no good campsites) We had an excellent campsite at Reflection Lake--really flat, with a huge fallen log to set all our stuff on. John set up the hammock, and it was great for reading while he fished the lake. Thursday morning, we headed off-trail up to Echo Lake (just imagine laying here in a meadow next to a high mountain lake--a cool breeze rustling the pages of your book)...and then over to Sky High Lake. We camped there and had the whole thing to ourselves (and the 2 million mosquitoes!). John set up the hammock for me again, and we spent the evening in our headnets.Friday morning we headed out. We off-trailed down out of Sky High into a beautiful meadow. This is called Bear Grass. (cool stuff) We found the Puddin' Mtn. Trail, and started our climb, and descent, and climb, and descent, etc. It was about 11 miles back to the trailhead.We had a super time!
(despite the fact that I forgot all my lunches--so John shared. And that on Wednesday I developed my first ever heel blisters from hiking--I hiked the entire last day with bandannas instead of socks on my feet inside my boots; just to see if it would help)

Madi, Taylor, and I are meeting Kaylene, Esther, and Mary R. in the Sawtooths in 2 days to do a "girl's only" backpacking trip. So I'll be reporting back soon!