Good Mail

It's been SO long since I've posted or participated in Good Mail. But I did want to document these beautiful flowers that my friend Angela sent to me last week after my surgery.




Thank you, Angela! A week later and they STILL look beautiful!!! (They are not dying yet and that is AMAZING for cut flowers.)

4 Random Things

This is a picture of me in my jeans because this weather in Colorado has suddenly turned crisp! I had to break out my jeans for the first time since probably early May on Monday. I love Autumn, it is by far my favorite season but after last year's cold and snowy winter I can definitely wait on Autumn, a few more months of Summer would be nice, actually! Ready or not, Autumn here we come!

Since Autumn is on it's way, my kids finally coaxed me into getting out some of our Fall decorations too. And today after school the kids and I sat around the Living Room with a new Highlights Magazine I bought at Costco and started planning a Halloween Party for next month. Oh, what fun!

Random comment number 2: Yesterday Rilyn asked me as I was finishing up in the bathroom (the bathroom is never a private place to me, a Mom never gets any privacy) why I was using "that thing". I explained to her that "that thing" was actually a strainer to strain my urine (gross I know) to catch all the remnants of the kidney stones that they blasted last week so they can be sent into the lab and tested. And then she said, "Oh, so is it kind of like a game for you to try and catch them?" I had to keep from laughing as I told her, "Sort of." I find it amusing she thinks of catching kidney stones as a game!!!

#3

This is the greatest book that I just discovered!

It is called Scripture Stories and was published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1980. It was Laren's when we first got married and I don't know that I was ever "aware" of the book even though I've owned it for nearly 14 years (inherited with marriage) until now. I guess a double move does that to a person. It turned all of our stuff topsy turvy, some stuff we still can't find (like my flute) and then there are things like this that we find that I never knew we had.

Anyway, this is such a wonderful book!! It tells a short and scripturally correct version of the main stories in the Bible (Old and New Testament, and Book of Mormon). My kids and I have been sitting up in the "loft" outside of their bedrooms this week after PJ's are on and right after family scripture study and teeth brushing and we read one or two of these stories a night. They are even helping me because I have what I call Scripture Amnesia.

I read stuff from the scriptures and then I forget what I read. I don't do this with other books, so what is it about the scriptures? Anyway, the kids and I read this book and then take time to discuss the stories. When we talked about Cain and Abel they were very surprised to hear that despite Cain's wickedness that he became a vagabond and still roams the earth today. They thought anybody wicked should have been killed. I told them about possible Cain sitings in the recent few decades that I read about a few months ago and they were quite intrigued.



The pages have nice illustrations of each story and then as you can see the pages are not too wordy. Each story takes about 10 minutes to read and then we spend about 10 minutes discussing it afterward.


And finally...

Entryway cabinet.

We got this at Costco for $99.98, it was marked down from $400. Costco doesn't usually put things on sale, but this is a new Costco and they have a few pieces of furniture left that they are trying to get cleared out to make way for Christmas stuff. And I guess the price would have been the same to sell it to us for $99 or to sell it back to the manufacturer so they decided to just try selling it at a reduced price (75% off) of some of the items they only had 2 or 3 left of.

I have been wanting a nice entry way chest for awhile now. Of course we weren't looking for this when we saw it, but when we saw how nice it was we just couldn't pass it up for the price! Now I need a nice mirror to go above it!

Where I was

Where I was

Often times when I am gone and my kids are home with Laren and they did not see me leave when I come back home they ask me where I was. Sometimes it is a place that they wish they knew I was going so they could have come with me and sometimes they are just as happy they did not know because they had no interest.

One particular day I remember it was a Tuesday, middle of the week, nothing big was going on. Our oldest, Kayla, was in Kindergarten and we lived in Mesa, Arizona. I had plans on going to the cannery to get us some stuff for Drypack (oatmeal, rice, beans and powdered milk) because I was working on our Food Storage. I was so excited there was a crisp coolness in the air after Arizona's hot summer.

I basked in the relative coolness of the morning when I stepped out on my back porch. I also had plans to get icing buckets from a local bakery that would give them to me for free if only I washed them out myself. I was going to use the buckets for my granular sugar. And the one other errand for the day was to go to the Toyota Dealership and get the antennae fixed on my car that had gotten broken when I inadvertantly left it up when I went through the automatic car wash.

I was slightly annoyed when a phone call disturbed my early morning productive thinking about what order I would accomplish my tasks that day. It was my Sister on the other line, she was calling from Colorado to tell me that she had the Today Show on and some planes had just hit some buildings in New York City. I dismissed it as being some kind of freak and tragic accident and hung up the phone.

A few minutes later Laren was about to walk out the door to work and the phone rang again. It was Kallie again urging me to turn on the news and see what was going on. My optimistic self did not want to throw a wrench in my day but I obliged and turned the TV on. They were talking about planes, two of them, that hit the World Trade Center in New York and then one that hit the Pentagon in Washington DC, and one that we later learned crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

As I was taking all of this in and realizing that there was no way it all could have been coincidental I was saddened but determined. So I turned the TV off and walked my three children about 4 long blocks to the bus stop. Kayla would only be at school for 3 hours and then she would be home and it would be lunch and nap time.

I only had a predetermined amount of time to get stuff done. So after the bus came my younger two kids and I hurried home to take off on our errands. I remember being at the cannery and it was completely empty. There were workers but I was the only patron. Oh how that changed the following day and weeks after September 11, 2001. It was after that day that the cannery became so packed full of people trying to get their food storage in that you had to have an appointment something like 60 days in advance.

I remember going into the Toyota Dealership and everyone in the waiting room sat there with their eyes entranced by the TV. I got what I needed and ran the other small errands and headed home to greet the school bus. Thankfully I didn't have to actually can the stuff I bought at the Cannery, that would have been impossible with 2 toddlers. Our ward had a canner so I could just use that. And as luck would have it I was working with the Achievement Day Girls at Church and the activity on Thursday was going to be using the Drypack canner where each girl would then get to take home a can of oatmeal.

I will never forget watching the sky above for a week after that and seeing it void of airplanes that were typically a common site overhead. Anyway, so that is where I was on September 11, 2001. Where were you?

My heart goes out to all who lost friends, family or loved ones in this attack and for all of those who have family serving our Country because of the War on Terror.

I actually knew one person who was killed in the attack on the Pentagon. His name is Brady Howell. I worked with him at Arctic Circle in Rexburg, Idaho when I was attending Ricks College. Brady was just a Junior in High School at that time, I believe. He was only an acquaintance, but I do remember him being a hard worker and that he was one that would take his job seriously when some of the other guys were still horsing around in the kitchen.

We knew that Brady could reign in those other guys and get them on task so we could get an order out quick. As it so happens, though I did not know my husband at the time, it was Brady's Dad who was serving as Laren's Stake President in Sugar City where Laren spent most of his childhood years. My heart goes out to Brady's wife Liz and the entire Howell family.

What I've been busy with

Enrichment Super Saturday Projects



We actually are calling it "Hearth and Home" but I figured most of you would not know what that meant so, I didn't entitle it that. This all takes so much planning and a lot of communicating. I am actually not teaching a class but "overseeing" 4 of them.



Laren was at Home Depot in a town an hour away after a late business trip Friday night to buy Glass Block because most Home Depot's and Lowe's around here don't stock it, it is a Special Order item. After he got home we were drilling holes in them and it took about 30 min. for each hole (and a special drill bit) and we got these glass blocks delivered to the Gal who is teaching the class at 11pm Friday night.



Unfortunately we did not realize until more than half way through the week that you could not just walk into any Home Improvement store and buy those darned blocks. When I was first made aware of the problem I was in middle of my recovery from surgery and couldn't do anything about it. But as soon as I could, I did.



I think they actually turned out very nice and so far we have more people interested in those than any other project. Thank goodness I talked them out of cancelling the class!



Anyway, so here are the pictures of some of the stuff:

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>">" Holiday Plates made by Modge Podging Tissue Paper or Fabric to the bottom of a clear glass Platter.>">

Sunday Bags, that were purchased at a craft store and embellished with paint and ribbon.>">"
Temple Pictures and "BE Tile".

Sorry my camera had a smudge on the lens when I took these pics and I didn't realize it until I went to share them. These pictures are just some nice ones of the Denver Temple that I had a Photographer friend take. We are just offering these at the cost of what they were to have enlarged and printed so that those who would like, can have a nice picture of the Temple in their homes. They will mat and frame them theirselves.

Parade of Homes

Parade of Homes

For our date night Friday night we went to the Parade of Homes. This was only our second time of ever going to one of these but we have found it to be an interesting and enjoyable experience. I, of course, like to get decorating ideas and Laren likes to get landscaping ideas. We figured the timing was perfect since we are presently designing our backyard landscaping.

You would not believe all the features that they put into these homes.

Something that every single home had was a Home Theatre Room in the basement.

A wine storage room in the basement is a common feature to these upscale homes. The woodwork in this one sure was intricate.

Of course there is special emphasis put on the Master Suite, the Master Bath and the Kitchen.

A Shower off one of the Master Bedrooms. That is a waterfall between a double paned glass, it gives it a nice serene feeling.
I always like to see what they do in other rooms too, like the Home Office and the secondary bedrooms since they are more like what you would find in the "normal" house anyway.

A secondary bedroom.

I found some cute curtain designs that I may try my hand at imitating. See below.


One thing I really love is that the flat screen TV's they had in these homes could have a regular digital type picture on the screen when the TV is not being used, rather than just having a big black blank rectangle. I've always been anxious to have the TV be "prettier" than it is. Of course it doesn't help that the TV's in our home are the old ones with the huge backs (no flat screens) and our biggest is only a 27". But we are not big TV watchers though. I just like my space to look good!

Another thing I would love is a home exercise room. That would be nice!
A room like this would be super great! I love how they covered an entire wall with mirror, it makes the room seem bigger than it is.

One of the homes was called the "Boat House" and everything about it had a nautical theme to it, even the underlying architecture in the bar in the basement was shaped like a boat. The backyard had an awesome swimming pool and up above it by way of a spiral staircase was a hot tub that is also accessed from the master suite.

A view of the pool and hottub at the Boat House.

One of the many balconies.

The homes really play up the outdoor space with outdoor kitchens, and sitting areas.

I would love to do a little "hidout" for my kids underneath our basement stairs.

It is amazing all the many different things one could have as part of their house, if one had the money for it!!!!

Recovery

Recovery Mode

I am home and in recovery mode, but kind of doped up on pain meds. I will be around soon. We were able to get 2 of my 3 stones blasted we think. We will not know for sure until I meet with my Urologist in a couple of weeks. The kidney was too swollen after the Lithotripsy to get detail shots at this point to know for sure.

IN the meantime my good husband is taking care of the things around here and a friend brought us dinner tonight. I am very grateful.

Busy Day

Busy

Today will be a busy one. At least I'm hoping for that because I have so much that needs to be done. I'm posting my to do list here today.

*Morning Walk
*Get Tyler Dressed
*Get all the kids up and fed breakfast.
*Wipe down kitchen counters
*Sweep Kitchen
*Get kids to clean rooms, make beds and unload dishwasher (in morning).
*Take kids to school.
*Get bloodwork done.
*Pick up Tyler's toys and Misc. papers in the house.
*Laura coming over to make the Tissue Paper Plates for Enrichment Table.
*Get Vinyl to Kay for Glass Block Enrichment project.
*Make some Enrichment phone calls.
*Look over Primary lesson for Sunday.
*Get Rilyn from school.
*Feed Rilyn and Tyler lunch.
*Go back to school and get Kayla, Alyssa, and Kyle.
*Look over school papers, get backpacks and lunchboxes put away.
*Mop kitchen, entryway, dining room and walkway through Family Room.
*Fold laundry and put away with kids.
*Read Twilight
*Make Dinner
*Hopefully a date with Laren

So...let's hope I'm able to accomplish all of that today. Sometimes making a list makes all the difference in me being able to get done what I need to or not. Sometimes it doesn't matter what I plan on doing, my day takes a life of it's own.