Busy Week Ahead

I have so many things to get done this week. We have something going on
every single day, whether it's basketball, activity days, my husbands meetings or Valentines Day. And then, Saturday is Alyssa's birthday. I'm doing her room as part of her gift. And I have tons of work ahead of me with painting and sewing curtains and pillows. Oh, I hope I can get it all done!

Also, I wanted to say Welcome to those who have just started visiting my blog. I gave out my blog address in my Valentine letters with the cards and have had the chance to reconnect with so many and I'm still trying to get back in touch with those of you who left me phone messages, etc... Anyway, I'm so happy we can reconnect!!

Grandma's Funeral

It was a busy weekend. I had 2 doctors appts. on Friday. One for me and Tyler's 2 year well child checkup as well. Then I got to the airport. After Laren dropped me off I had a hard time composing myself. It was hard for me to leave my kids!

I have only left my kids once before (when my Dad was sick 8 years ago) and I only had 2 kids at that time and I took Alyssa, my baby, with me. So I was only leaving Kayla behind. It was hard then too. But it was hard for me to leave my family and board the plane. Plus everytime I board a plane I face my mortality and that is not easy.

I got in late. My brother Mike picked me up at the airport. My sisters, Kallie and Kathy, were already in bed when I got there. It was midnight. I hurried and changed into my pj's and then my sisters and I stayed up talking until 1 or 1:30 am. It was fun to visit and reconnect. I hadn't seen Kathy in over 14 years.

Morning came too soon. I didn't sleep well. We got up ate a nice breakfast at our hotel and headed to Caldwell for the funeral. My Grandma's casket was already in the Relief Society Room. It was a beautiful casket.

My first look at Grandma was not a good one. It didn't look like her, at all. I quickly realized I could not help do her hair or makeup. So Mike encouraged me to go with him to get some flowers. We went to Albertson's and bought 3 dozen roses and a vase. We got back to the church and I arranged the flowers into vases while Kathy did some picture boards and Kallie helped my Mom with the finishing touches on Grandma.

The ward there in Caldwell that helped were so great. They helped in any and everyway we needed it. Grandma looked better after she had some fixing up, but it still was not her.

I introduced myself to many who I had not seen since I was a little girl. Some of them I recognized right away, like my cousin Theresa or Great Uncle George but most of them I didn't recognize. It was a very nice service, though we had some last minute changes to the program.

Grandma's Funeral was beautiful! I think she would have loved it, I think she did love it. The speakers all recounted my Grandma's sweet nature. She was kind and giving to everyone. Who could say anything unkind about her, no one, because there was nothing to say. She lived a wonderful life. She was charitable and compassionate. She touched everyone who knew her for the better.

During the service there were about 10 minutes left open for family members to share their memories of Grandma. There were some great things shared.

We went to the cemetary and it was an overcast foggy day. It had been raining, but the rain held up for her funeral.



We gathered around and Mike dedicated her grave. We greeted my Grandma's children and offered our final condolences and went back to the Church for the luncheon.



The Relief Society did a great job at the luncheon. Kallie and I especially liked the Texas Sheet Cake. But there was also ham, funeral potatoes, green beans, jello salad, green salad and other chocolate cakes.

Me, my sister Kallie, my Mom, my brother Mike and my sister Kathy at the luncheon.

We visited some more and got in touch with some 2 cousins Syd and Sherry who are Uncle George's children. They all live in Pocatello, Idaho.

My Grandma's sister Ruth reminded me SO much of my Grandma. I had to get some pictures of her because it comforted me to realize the similarities.

My Great Aunt Ruth.


After the luncheon we went to my Aunt Maxine's house in Nampa for visiting with my Mom's direct family of origin.

Aunt Maxine.

We visited, had more yummy food and went through some of my Grandma's belongings. Some of them played poker and drank. They asked me at least 4 times if I wanted to play, but nope -- that's not my thing, thank you!
Aunt Maxine was a great hostess, despite the fact that she has breast cancer.

It was fun to reconnect with so many family members, especially my sister, Kathy.

Kathy and Me.

I slept better Saturday night and Kallie, Kathy and I had a nice yummy breakfast that included strawberry belgium waffles and cinnamon french toast. Then we packed our bags and returned the rental car, checked in at the airport and met up with my Mom and Bob (my Mom's husband). Later Kathy left and Kallie and I had lunch with Mom and Bob and we boarded our flight for Denver.

I'm glad I went, but I'm SO glad to be back home. I missed my kids terribly and my husband. Though my husband travels periodically for work so I am used to being separated from him every so often.

The "Secret" and Our thoughts...

I know I have heard it said that our thoughts and what we tell ourselves is THE MOST important voice that we listen to. We only internalize and believe what other people say/think about us if our own thoughts internalize it into us and we start to believe it. If we don't let it internalize, our mind will deflect it.

I try to do this. It is very hard but it helps me to control my attitude better. I have tons of self-talk all day telling me various things, but more than anything lately I'm telling myself just to "let it go, and choose not to be offended."

I tell myself this in regards to various circumstances like when my 10 year old daughter (who seems to be hitting puberty way earlier than I did) gets mouthy with the flip of a switch or when someone in my family of origin says something potentially hurtful, etc...

You would not believe how well you really can just let things go when you work on have positive self-talk.

The other thing I'm working on is what I call "compartmentalizing." When I have something stressful happen, like us not getting our deposit money back from the house we recently rented, I try to only allow myself to think about it and dwell on it when I can have productive thoughts about it.

But when I'm in middle of helping some of my kids with homework while wrestling my 2 year old out of papers in the study that is not a time when I can see the circumstance with any productivity. If I allow my thoughts to come out full force I will get depressed and stressed out about it. I will find myself getting short with my kids, etc...

So, I found it interesting that this was what Oprah was about today. Too bad I missed it. But I believe this theory. Here is a quick summary from "Rhonda," Oprahs 'expert' on this topic for the day.

They talked about a "secret" that will help you in any life circumstance. The Secret was described as the law of attraction, which is the principle that "like attracts like." Rhonda calls it "the most powerful law in the universe," and says it is working all the time. "What we do is we attract into our lives the things we want, and that is based on what we're thinking and feeling," Rhonda says.

The principle explains that we create our own circumstances by the choices we make in life. And the choices we make are fueled by our thoughts—which means our thoughts are the most powerful things we have here on earth.

My Country 'Tis of Thee

I have always had very patriotic feelings towards America, this Country in which I was born and raised and have always lived in. Whenever I hear the National Anthem it brings tears to my eyes. I love our flag and all that it represents. I love the colors of red, white and blue.

I not only love our country but I love this wonderful world in which we all live. I am saddened by all the warring throughout the world. I have mixed feelings about our country being in Iraq. But despite how I feel about that, I have feelings of deep respect towards the soldiers and all the troops who serve our Country.

They nobly serve wherever they are assigned. They know their life is on the line and yet they do the brave thing, and that is to serve and protect our country anyway!

Many of them are in Iraq or Afghanistan or other places across the world defending the freedom for all Americans while they are away from their families for extended periods of time. I am so grateful for their service.

I happen to have a good friend who is serving right now in Iraq. She is a single Mom of 3 kids. Amy and I have been lifelong friends.




We grew up together, went to school and church together. For a few years we lived right near each other; I lived behind the school and she lived in front of it. We would get together pretty much daily. We loved to stay the night at each others' house or meet at the school to ice skate or play.

Amy moved away during high school and graduated high school from another town in Montana. We kind of lost touch for awhile. I went away to college and she joined the military and started her family. Then we got back in touch.

Amy is currently serving in an undisclosed location in Iraq. She cannot talk about her daily duties. But I know she is a platoon sargeant and she used to drive a "truck" or humvee, now I think they drive her because of her seniority. She says it's cold in Iraq right now and she wears her long johns underneath her uniform. She gets to talk to her kids about once a week. I know she really misses them and wishes she could be with them and not a half a world away in another country.


She has a close relationship with her soldiers. They can trust her with pretty much anything and it shows by them calling to tell her when they have a new baby or by some of the stories she has told me of how they called her to give them a ride home when they have gotten into troubles in their nightlife.


This is Amy just a few days before she left for Iraq in October of this past year when she came to visit me.

Amy reads this blog (I think) and so I want her to know how much respect I have for her and all of these brave and noble troops who sacrifice all that they do for this "Sweet Land of Liberty."

By the Numbers

$1.90 - the amount per gallon I paid to gas up my minivan yesterday. LOVING that price! That's the lowest it's been in YEARS! Anything under $2.00 per gallon is GOOD!!

$26.40 - was my total amount. (If you're into math you can calculate how many gallons I got!!)

55 - the speed limit on the major street that connects to my neighborhood about 3/4 of a mile from my house. But on my neighborhood streets, the speed limit is 25.

3 - the number of canker sores in my mouth right now. I get canker sores fairly often and am allergic to citrus but I love oranges too much to quit eating them.

2 - the number of Dr.'s Appts. I have this week.

8 - the number of loads of laundry for me today.

108.2 - what the scale said this morning when I stepped on.

53 - our high temperature in Denver today! Yay!! It's about time! But it didn't feel that warm because most of the warm energy went to melting some of the couple feet of snow that we've had on the ground.




4 - the number of diapers I usually change in a day.

34 - my age.

14 - my favorite number and the number of hits I have had so far on my blog since I started counting about an hour and a half ago.


5 - the number of kids I have.


1280 - the number of miles I will travel when I fly to my Grandma's funeral this weekend.

6 Unusual things about me...

I have been tagged by Krista to tell you 6 unusual things about me. Hmmm...


1.) I used to swim in Flower Creek behind my house almost daily as a child, in the summer months.



2.) My birthday is in November and I have always hated my birthstone (the Topaz) until recently. I like the Citrine much better than the topaz.


3.) I spend way too much time procrastinating laundry as it is my least favorite chore!!



4.) I help out in my kids' school 1 day a week.


5.) I have my Associates Degree and my Bachelors Degree, and I'm the only one in my family to have my Bachelors, aside from my Mom who went back to school a few years ago and got hers.


6.) I always wanted 4 children or 6 children. I only like even numbers. I ended up with 5 children and I am very content with that number!!


I'm tagging Victoria, Jenne, and Kris to tell us 6 things about themselves.

Here is one of the most beautiful and influential women in my life:

Her name is Grandma.
She is a great lady. She had 6 kids. She survived cervical cancer in her thirties and a heart attack in her 50's. She had other health problems.

She is a woman of faith, even though she was a convert to the LDS church. Grandma is easy going and kind. She is patient.


She is very loving. I always have a comforting feeling around her, similar to how I feel around my Mom.

Grandma spent almost every summer at my house with Grandpa when I was a child growing up. They would come to where we lived in Montana and bring their travel trailer along. One of my favorite things was having lunch with Grandma in her "trailer." Grandma was a GREAT cook and she and I both share a love for pie. And she was the best pie maker there ever was!! Her Rhubard Custard Pie was my favorite followed by her Gooseberry Pie. When I make pie dough, I always use her recipe which has the flakiest crust of any other pie crust around.

Grandma's Pie Crust
2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup water

Mix with pastry blender or fork. Roll out to desired size and place in pie pan.



Grandma has alot of grandkids and great-grandchildren. She loves them all, even when they do things that disappoint her. Grandma is always happy. Grandma liked to travel and collected miniature spoons everywhere she went. She hung her spoons on the walls of her house and her travel trailer. Grandma liked to read, craft with plastic canvas, camp and play cards with Grandpa and her friends and family. One of her favorite card games was "Hand and Foot."

Grandpa passed away almost 7 years ago. Grandma missed Grandpa. She told me this many times. Grandma and Grandpa had many friends and they socialized and travelled with them often. I remember my Grandma bringing me things back that she bought in Mexico when they traveled there (almost every year). She brought me a cute embroidered blouse, some moccasins and a little coin purse and other things as well.

Grandma was poor. She never had a lot of money but she was generous with what she did have. Grandma is nonjudgemental. Grandma was left-handed and she had really unique handwriting. She liked to write letters and send cards. I liked to sit and watch her write. She wrote upside down. It was pretty cool to watch. Now I have a daughter of my own who is left-handed like Grandma (and my husband is a lefty also).

Grandma was best friends with my Mom. Grandma really was the glue that held her family together.

Grandma passed away on Saturday at the age of 84. She is loved and missed already. But I am sure she is happy where she is at right now. She is now ridden of the aches and pains of her mortal body. She is with family and loved ones even though she has passed on.

Grandma, I love you!!!