Happy Thanksgiving!

As I made food preparations this holiday I had time to think about my blessings. I am thankful for many things, especially my family. I am grateful for Johannah's helpful hands in the kitchen, for Jacob's drive to put up holiday lights, for Kate's never ending energy and Scott's helpful clean up of the kitchen. And those thankful things were just for one day. I have many other reasons to give thanks continually. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that loves and protects my children. I am thankful for the ability to most of the time to see challenges as blessings. I am grateful for the opportunities and blessings that come into my life regularly. I try to keep my eyes open and see the blessings around me. I am surrounded by my family who continually make me stretch to see beyond what I think I know. Most of all I am grateful for my savior who saved me with his own blood.

Nathan and some of his Struggles

I realize I have left out a post about Nathan. This past semester has been very difficult for him. He started the semester and the same week was diagnosed with strep. He was on antibiotics for a week. About a week later he was sick again. We returned back to the doctor and Nathan was again diagnosed with strep. This time a longer strep test was taken to determine the strep strain. Nathan was again placed on antibiotics for 2 weeks. At this point Nate dropped some classes and became a part time student. He got better then about a week after he got off the antibiotics he was sick again. We returned to the doctor. He was tested for the flu in addition to strep. He had strep again. This was Monday. He was given another kind of antibiotic. By Wednesday Nathan was worse, as if the antibiotic didn't help at all. By this time Nate was staying at home. I took Nate to the doctor on Friday. Nate was given a shot of a strong antibiotic, they took blood for testing and he threw up in the office. Poor guy was so sick. The doctor asked that Nate schedule to have his tonsils out. I made an appointment for the following Tuesday with the Ears, Nose & Throat specialist. I insisted that Nate be scheduled right away for surgery. They took him on Thursday. The surgery went well. We came home Nate's friends brought food. Everything was going great. Nate got a call from his doctor and was told that the lab work came back and he has Mono. Poor guy! On Thursday, the day of the surgery, I noticed that I began breaking out in a rash. By Friday night my rash had spread and was worse. I was taking Bendryl to sleep. On Saturday I went to urgent care to find out what it was. I asked them to take a blood test because my son was just diagnosed with Mono. The quick test came back that I have not had Mono in the last 2 weeks. My rash was a virus. They gave me meds to help. Saturday night, Sunday morning Nate began to bleed bright red. We finally called the ENT doctor at about 5:30am. We were instructed to have Nate gargle with salted ice water for 20 minutes. The bleeding stopped. Early Monday morning about 1:30am Nate started bleeding again. He gargled and waited until closer to morning then we called the doctor again. We went to the doctor's office and Nate was given a big shot in the mouth and the doctor cauterized the bleeding. All was well until that night. Monday Nate began bleeding a lot with clots coming out. He tried to gargle the bleeding continued. I called the doctor at about 9:30pm. We ended up going to the hospital ER. The doctor met us there and Nate was preped for surgery. After surgery the doctor said that Nate was bleeding from the side that he had cauterized earlier that morning. He was able to fix it and because it was so late, he told us we could stay until morning. Nate was taken to the 6th floor and he was in so much pain he could not sleep. So we talked for all hours of the night. About 7:30am we left for home. It was now Tuesday and I had to teach in a few hours. Boy was I tired! Everything went well until Wednesday evening. Nate began to bleed again. He gargled with ice water and it slowed or stopped. The bleeding came and went until Friday. In the mean time my blood test results came back to say that I have had Mono but do not currently have it. Who knows maybe I gave it to Nate. Friday I called the doctor again and asked to be seen. Nate was so mad, he did not want to return to the doctor again. We were in the office for about an hour. The doctor removed the blood clots and cauterized the bleeding areas then waited 15 mins and removed the clots and cauterized again. The doctor ordered a clotting factor blood test. He said that in 20 years he has had only 2 patients bleed more than once and both ended up having a clotting factor problem. We took the test. The results came back normal. The end result was that Mono was causing a difficult recovery for Nathan. Monday we had an appointment to follow up at the doctors office. All was well. At this point Nate had missed so much school we asked for a medical note so that Nate could withdraw from school. He had not been to classes for weeks. That was about 2-3 weeks ago. I feel like I am still recovering. Nathan, however is doing better and getting lots of rest.

ICAPGen Conference

This past weekend was the ICAPGen Conference that we have been planning for the last year. The theme was "Becoming An Excellent Genealogist" and was held at the BYU Wilkinson Center. We offered 50 classes in 5 different tracks. The attendance was just at 170. The conference was a lot of work but very rewarding.

ICAPGen stands for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. This is a non profit organization which offers credientials after rigorious testing in a geographic area of choice. I am accreditated in U.S. Midwest. I am working towards another credential in U.S. Mid Atlantic. I hope to be ready to submit my application in January or Feburary of next year. I am also working towards a Spanish credential, but not quite ready with my project yet.

Josh went to Sadies this weekend too. This is a girls choice dance and he has been excited about it for a while.

October General Conference

Here I am in another month. Time is flying by me. So much is happening I rarely take time to post. I must say that I really enjoyed General Conference last weekend. We listened and played. On Sunday we had a couple of students over and later had dinner with friends. The friends were mostly friends of Nathan and Johannah. After dinner we played games. What fun it is to be together!

Monday night Johannah invited her family home evening group to come over for a BBQ and games. Another night filled with fun. I really love having a large family! I feel very blessed.

Wilma Bernice Akins Youngman Shelton

My grandmother died yesterday afternoon at 4:30pm pacific time. She has suffered from a variety of aliments and about 4 weeks ago signed up for hospice. My father tells me that this time she was ready and wanting to move on. My grandmother has been close to death before, but she was frightened and not wanting to die. After my family planned her funeral several years ago she recovered and enjoyed a few more years of life. My grandmother died at the age of 88 years and 13 days old. Grandmother wanted to be buried by her parents in King City Cemetery, Gentry County, Missouri. There are no longer plots available nearby so she will be cremated and her ashes buried with her parents. The memorial service will probably be a week from Saturday in northern California. I am planning to attend.

Yesterday, I took Andrew to the temple for the first time. He turned 12 years old in May and we have planned to go all summer but never got there. Yesterday was a beautiful day and the two of us took family names and did baptisms. It was very peaceful in the Provo Temple Baptistry, almost too peaceful. We got right in and there were very few participating in baptisms. Andrew received lots of personal attention. What a great experience!

Education Week & School Begins for the Kids

I am teaching 3 classes everyday at Education Week. Andrew & Kate went back to school yesterday and James, Jacob & Josh went back today. Summer flew by so fast! Johannah and I will begin again at BYU in about a week. We've had to make some changes with our new schedule, like go to bed and wake up early. Life is great!

Tyra is Married!

We had a beautiful wedding on Friday! Tyra married Caleb in the Draper Temple. What a great day! We were surrounded by family and friends that made the experience special. Tyra was beautiful! Tyra and Caleb will be gone for about a week. We miss them but know they are having a great time.

Tyra is Beautiful!

Friday morning Tyra had bridal photos taken. We went to Memory Grove up in Salt Lake. The photographer was fabulous. Tyra was absolutely beautiful. Her dress is a simple design with an organza layer. She wore a bolero with an upturned collar and a pearl necklace. Pictures will follow shortly. I guess I should Mention that I sewed the dress and was up until 4:00am completing the final touches.

Tyra is Engaged

So much has happened in the last couple of weeks. Tyra got engaged to Caleb Hustedt. They will be married on August 14 in the Draper Utah Temple. They have been dating for more than a year and are so cute together. Wedding preparations are well underway. Engagement photos were taken last week and announcements will go out this week. We have shopped for a dress and concluded that wedding dresses cost alot. So, I am making Tyra's wedding dress. ;)

Tyra and Caleb found a basement apartment earlier this week. They will live very close to campus on the west side. Excitement abounds at every turn as we help them make plans. Tyra's reception will be held in a neighbor's back yard and parking will be at the church.

Oquirrh Mountian Temple Open House

We attended the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house today. What an amazing experience! Scott and the 6 kids at home all went. It has been awhile since we have had a family outing all together. We dressed in our Sunday best and drove the 30 minutes to the temple. The temple is situated in the middle of a new neighborhood just west of Jordon. In fact as you stand in front of the Oquirrh Mountain temple you can see the Jordon River Temple just northwest. The tour begin with a short film on the purpose of temples. Missionaries were present to answer questions. We entered the temple through the front doors and began a serpentine path through the baptistry in the basement, the dressing rooms and brides room on the first floor, the chapel and ordinance roomsand celestial room on the second floor and finally the sealing rooms on the third floor. A short presentation about eteranl marriage was given as we sat in the sealing room. The entire temple was gorgous the central chandiler was remarkable in both size and beauty. We conluded the tour and entered a large tent set up outside where refreshments were served and music played softly in the background. I strongly encourage you to visit the Oquirrh Mountian Temple with your family.

More visits to the doctor's office

Josh came home from Youth Conference with an ear infection. He was in so much pain, I took him directly to the doctor. The doctor gave him horse pill antibiotics. The good news is that he is improving.

The next day Andrew injured himself at soccer practice. Jacob called us and told us that Andrew was bleeding and we should come get him. It seems that Andrew tripped while doing a training circuit and cut himself just above his eye. It was lucky we sent Jacob to practice with him. I took Andrew directly to urgent care while he protested loudly that the doctors were just going to torture him and give him stitches. He was right. Andrew got 7 stitches and a black eye.

James & Jacob ran to Krispy Kreme this morning at 6:30am. Their goal was to get a donut for every "A" they received this semester. They ran about 4 miles out and 4 miles back. On the way back they carried the donut box containing 14 donuts.

June

The older boys had Youth Conference this week. Andrew tried out for a soccer team and made it. James & Josh begin ballroom dance camp. Johannah & I signed up for a Photo Shop computer class. Wasn't summer suppose to slow down? It seems that our days are packed with friends and fun.

Last Week of School

Memorial Day, last week of school for the high school kids, soccer games, banquets, parties and graduation. It's only Wednesday and I hope to survive this week. Nate came home Monday and continues to disrupt the smooth school day routine. Nate did work on repairing the boat for a while, until he needed a part. So he invited friends over playing wii for hours, then he planned an outdoor movie party in the backyard. The movie started at about 9pm and the school children wanted to stay up to the end. I rounded up the last group of school children at 10:30pm after thinking they were all asleep in bed. Those of you that know me know that 10:30pm is past my bedtime. If we can just make it to the end of this week all will be fine. The twins keep telling me that class this week is optional and they shouldn't have to go to school at all. Hmmm.

End of the School Year Fun & Two Bithdays

Sunday Johannah spoke in church and also at her seminary graduation. It was so nice to have family there, Scott's parents came to honor her achievement. I also got to see Nate, we had a nice short visit. He looks very scruffy with his beard.

The end of the school year is approaching fast. I just found out yesterday that school is out for Kate & Andrew this week. The other kids will be finished next week. High school graduation is next Friday. Still need to get Johannah's graduation announcements out, she just needs to choose a photo she likes. Along with all of that Josh's birthday was yesterday and Andrew's birthday is today. I have an end of year party for Andrew's class today and Andrew has a long book report and an immigration paper to finish by tomorrow. Lots going on at our house.

I forgot to mention that Senior Ball is this weekend along with the Father and Son Campout, Ballroom social and a race that Scott and kids are timing Saturday morning.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was Sunday. Nathan called me in the morning. It was so nice to hear from him! Scott gave me special foot massage lotion. The kids took turns rubbing my feet. I love to have my feet rubbed. :) The kids gave me a new set of dishes I wanted. Tyra & Caleb came for dinner. The only thing missing was a game night.

I am so happy to be a mother and have eight wonderful children!

Women's Conference

Last week my sisters came to visit and we attended Women's Conference. What a fabulous experience! It was so nice to visit with my sisters and eat great food. We enjoyed all the classes and of course the shopping. Oh best of all was the service booths and service projects. Notes and handouts for these can be found online at: http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/sharing_stations.cfm. The weekend ended all too quickly. Thanks to Scott for picking up kids from school and taking them to appointments. I think I will have to make this conference an annual thing. Attending this year was so much more enjoyable because I didn't participate as a speaker.

Hair Cuts

I cut Kate's hair last week. It is now shoulder length and all one length. She really likes it and it looks so cute. She sometimes wears her hair with a headband. So cute!

I cut my hair short. I like it, the kids are getting adjusted to it.

Johannah also got a hair cut yesterday. It's a little longer than shoulder length. It is layered and cute.

I will post photos after finals. ; - /

Josh

Josh has rented a tux for Junior Prom.

Conference Weekend

I always look forward to General Conference. I love hearing the messages and seeing the leaders speak. Unfortunately, not all of my children feel the same. I spend time beforehand preparing snacks and quiet activities for the younger children in hopes of a less disruptive session. This year I bought some hat looms and yarn. We begin the Saturday morning session with a Pop Tart breakfast. This was exciting we have never before had pop tarts for breakfast. Then everyone started a hat and quietly worked on the hat for much of the time. Next I took out the bingo cards and skittles. During the afternoon sessions we had snack food: crackers & dip, jerky, cheese ball and jelly bellies.

Tyra and Caleb came over on Saturday. Nathan and Whitney came on Saturday and Sunday. After the sessions on Sunday we had a turkey dinner. Nate invited over more friends to share dinner and play Swashbuckled (Fun pirate game). It's always nice to have family and friends around.

The messages were inspiring. I can't wait until they come out in print so I can study them. Yesterday, I spent the whole class time reviewing General Conference with the students. I really enjoyed their insight.

Another Week

Last night we went swimming for Family Home Evening. The kids love to go to the BYU indoor pool. The boys like the high dives. They challenge each other to jump off the highest dive (25 feet) that is only open for a few minutes every hour. I noticed a funny thing last night as I watched Andrew and James each ready to jump off the short dive. Their swim trunks were exactly the same color and style except that Andrew's were covering his knees and James' were a little short. They were wearing the wrong suits. I don't know if they ever noticed.

Tonight for Young Women's the laurels will tie a senoir quilt for Johannah. Rather than just sewing 2 pieces of fabric together, I pieced a quilt top together. Her chosen colors were black and white. I really had a tough time sticking to just black and white. I'm not quite finished yet, I will need to spend some time this afternoon finishing the edges and sewing the back on. I'll have to take a picture and post it.

Josh is busy planning his Junior Prom date. He has lots of ideas. He was shocked to find out how much it will cost for just 1 date.

Well, Kate got a hair cut last week. She looks really cute. Her hair is now shoulder length. She has been wearing it to school with a headband. Very cute.

Be Strong in the Lord

Yesterday the high school kids were out of school. They spent most of their time playing video games on the computers. Nathan even came over to play for a while.

As I was thinking about a lesson for family night I thought I could incorporate the idea of video games. At the beginning of family night I asked the boys how they win the game, how they keep strong and powerful. They explained how to get extra men and gold and food and shelter. This was a great lead in to the lesson I had planned. I had read a talk given by Elder M. Russell Ballard, entitled, "Be Strong in the Lord". We began by reading Ephesians 6:10-13 (take unto you the whole armor of God). Elder Ballard says, "I like to think of this spiritual armor not as a solid piece of metal molded to fit the body but more like chain mail. Chain mail consists of tiny pieces of steel fastened together to allow the greater flexibility without losing protection. I say that because it has been my experience that there is not one great and grand thing we can do to arm ourselves spiritually. True spiritual power lies in numerous smaller act woven together in a fabric of spiritual fortification that protects and shields from all evil." Elder Ballard lists 6 things that will help us build our own spiritual chain mail.
1 - Protective Power of Prayer, D & C 10:5
2 - Procective Power of the Scriptures, 1 Nephi 15:24
3 - Draw on the Mericiful Grace of God, Ether 12:27
4 - Watch Yourselves, Mosiah 4:30
5 - Don't Waste the Days of Your Probation, 2 Nephi 9:27
6 - Reverence Invites Revelation, D & C 6:12
Elder Ballard says, "The Lord has given us specific doctrines and principles that show us how to clothe ourselves in the armor of God so we can stand against the powers of evil...As with chain mail, you need simply to add small, individual pieces of armor each day through prayer, scripture study, focusing on things that matter, and acting in a reverent manner."

End of Semester

Yesterday was the end of the semester for the younger kids. Kate & Andrew got out of school early yesterday and we went to see "Bedtime Stories" at the dollar theater. Johannah, Josh, James & Jacob have Monday off.

Thursday we went to a ballroom fundraiser. We ate luau food and watched a Polynesian dance program. Nathan, Tyra and Caleb came.

Josh asked a girl to Junior Prom. This is Josh's description. Andrew dressed up in dark clothes and was placed in a box that looks like a giant sized crayon box. He walked of to the door with a frozen cube of butter with a "J" taped to it. Then he walks away. 15 minutes later he comes back with microwave popcorn package that has a note that says, "Now that I've buttered you up, I'd explode if you would go to Junior Prom with me." Also the letter "O" was attached to the popcorn. Then he walks away. 15 minutes late he comes back with the reset of the letters of Josh's name and he walks away.

St. Patrick's Day

We began the day with cinnamon rolls and sent the kids off to school. I had planned to make a green dinner with "monster soup" (split pea soup), but some of the kids made a fuss. I suppose this is expected when there are teenagers around. A leprechaun brought gold coins for the kids at dinnertime.

The weather has been so beautiful. I hope it lasts! On Sunday I was released from the Young Woman's as Laurel Advisor and given the calling of Visiting Teaching Supervisor. There is about a month left of school and I am looking forward to completing the semester. I have a list of projects I would like to work on during the summer.

In the last few weeks I have read the Eragon series. The series begins with the book Eragon which is about a boy who by an odd chain of events hatches a dragons egg and becomes a dragon rider. There is a movie about this book, but as always there is much more to the book than the movie. The second book in the series is Eldest. This book is filled with magical creatures and battles. The third book in the series is Brisinger. The journey continues and the confrontation of good and evil takes place. These books are written by Christopher Paolini and each is about 500 to 700+ pages long. I enjoyed the story but now have to wait for the fourth and final book in the series to be published.

Wacky Dinner

Last night we had a wacky dinner. We do this about once a year but the kids would prefer to have one more often. We invited our neighbor friends over, they also have 8 children. We served lasagna, french bread, salad, jello, corn, broccoli, carrots, brownies and strawberries. Each item is placed on a list with cup, fork, knife, spoon and napkin. The word for each item is disguised and everyone chooses 5 items to be served to them, per course. We had many goofy combinations the meal was fun!

Tyra and Nathan are at it again. I wish they would stop playing tricks on each other.

Spanish Women & Textiles in the 1700's

I went to Spain 2 years ago for a field study to research in the Archives. One of my purposes for going to Spain was to examine the records and figure out what textiles were being described in the marriage inventories, death inventories and wills. Besides genealogy, I have an expertise in working with linen and weaving. I needed to learn about the materials and stitches used in the needle work listed in these old inventories. I asked the older women in Spain to show me examples of the stitches and items that I had seen mentioned in the records. I also went to many ethnographic museums that held household items from history. I discovered many things, but one of the most exciting things to me was that the women used a stitch on linen called Desilado. This is similar to Hardanger where linen thread is removed leaving open boxes and the remaining threads are woven together in a pattern. I think Hardanger is my favorite kind of linen work.

I am now working with a history professor to write an artile about these women in historic Spain. Two weeks ago I was invited to give a one hour presentation to a BYU History class about my findings. The presentaion went well and another history professor was in attendance and had many other research ideas that could stem from what I have done so far. In June I will spend 2 weeks working on the final draft of my article. This history professor is writing a book about different aspects of culture in Spain in the 1700's and has asked me to write a chapter about the textiles. I am very excited about the many opportunities before me, especially working with things I love.

Home at Last

I love sleeping in my own bed! Last night Scott, Kate, Andrew and I arrived back to Provo about 1am. We made a trip to Anaheim last week. On our way back we stopped in Las Vegas to see my sister and her kids. We headed north to Provo about 4pm. As you can tell it was a long drive. We hit a snow storm and traveled slowly.

Today I will play catch up on everything. This morning I went to unload the dishwasher and it had the clean load of dishes I put in on Wednesday. No one bothered to empty it and wash dishes while I was gone. Silly high school kids!

I'm Alive, I Think

Well its been over a week and I have been so sick. I have now finished my antibiotics and can now talk. I still have a cough but I feel much better. It's about time too! I have too much to do I can't slow down.

This week I will teach my students about census records. I also have a research presentation to give on Wednesday. I will be speaking about the women of Garganta la Olla in Spain. I have extracted information from marriage and death inventories and I have an interesting collection of the belongings of these women. Oh, did I mention that I'm working in the early 1700's. My focus is on the textiles these women made and passed on to their loved ones.

The kids are doing great and the older children are preparing to compete in the Dance Sport competition in couple weeks.

Sick

I've been so sick the last four days. It's been years since I've felt this sick. Today is my first day back and I am surprised at how weak I feel. I am scheduled to teach class this afternoon. I have high hopes, but I've lost my voice. Maybe I will be able to talk by 2pm today. I feel so behind on everything and today is Monday. Monday is always a day I start running. There are so many things to do at the beginning of the week. After school Andrew will get his staples out and Kate will see the doctor about a skin rash.

Congratulations Johannah!

Johannah just found out she has been admitted into BYU! Wooo! Whoo! We are so excited for her!

Staples Are Better Than Stitches

Scott took many of the children snow boarding over the long weekend. They arrived home yesterday evening. Andrew came in first and went straight to the shower. Nate came in next and said, "Okay Mom, don't freak out or anything, but Andrew got cut up with the snow board. Oh, and there was blood everywhere, but he's fine now." How am I suppose to react to that. I don't think I over react in injury cases. I'm a trained EMT.

After Andrew exited the shower I asked to see his injury. He had a about a two inch gash on the left side of his head. It was not bleeding but it was gaping. Andrew said he felt all right and did not want stitches. Well what is a mother to do? I took him to Urgent Care. On the way there Andrew began to hyperventilate. He did not want stitches under any circumstances. Fortunately we had a very nice nurse and she helped us take a photo of the injury. She explained what would happen and told Andrew he probably would get staples instead of stitches. As soon as she left Andrew let me know that he did not want any staple stuck in his head. After the numbing gel and shots of a local anesthetic Andrew received 9 staples. He was surprised that he did not feel any of them. Of course we took another photo of the staples before we left. On the ride home Andrew told me that it was not as bad as he had imagined it would be.

I'm just glad that Andrew was wearing a hat or the cut would have been worse. I'm also grateful he was not cut on his face or other unprotected area. The injury could have been a lot worse. I am grateful for life's little blessings.

Heart Messages

I thought I would include a few of the heart messages that are posted on the wall in our house.

Kate likes making cookies for me. - Josh
I love James just because. - Andrew
I love Nate because he is not like Jacob & Andrew. - James
I love James because he lets me win. - Jacob
I love Andrew because he smells like butterflies. - James
I love Johannah because she lets me hang out with her friends. -Josh
I love Mom because she solves problems. - Kate

Its fun to remember that we really do have a lot to be thankful for especially the people in our family.

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's is on its way! We have a tradition of cutting out hearts and writing nice things on them. Some years I buy gel pens and glitter so we can decorate them and post them on the wall in the dinning room. That is how it is suppose to work. To encourage nice thoughts and actions I fill a jar with candy and offer one piece for every nice note. I soon had to limit the notes to 10 a day, per person. That makes it so you can write one for each family member per day. If everybody does that its 100 notes. Some how we always run out of candy before we run out of heart notes to write on.

Since Valentine's Day arrives on a Saturday this year I am planning a fun breakfast. Better than the Denny's breakfast some of us had earlier in the month. I will serve cinnamon rolls, eggs and sausage and maybe pancakes. Fun, fun!

Contact Lenses

Today I took Tyra, Johannah & Josh to have eye exams. They all had changes to their past prescriptions. All have complained of blurred vision in one eye or another. We had to update our contact supply and of course every eye had a different prescription. Tyra is the winner at the strongest correction, then we have Johannah who now has one eye worse than the other. Finally we have Josh. Have you ever watched him looking out of his glasses? He naturally moves his eyes to avoid all the scratches. Today Josh received his first set of contacts. He did better than Johannah the first time. His eyes watered but he got them in. With Johannah , Tyra & I spent hours trying to help her put the contacts in her eyes. Finally we left the office with only one contact in.

Next time you see Josh notice his beautiful eyes, no longer hidden behind his scratched glasses. ;)

25 Random Things About Me

1. I love being a mom, but sometimes it's exhausting.
2. I hate scary movies.
3. I've been to Rome twice.
4. I was a taxi driver in Alaska.
5. I have 8 children between the ages of 10 - 21 years.
6. I was born on Halloween.
7. I like old photographs.
8. I was a Librarian for 2 years, therefore I love Children's Literature.
9. I love family gatherings.
10. I love Asphalt Pie with double the caramel.
11. I don't like to ride roller costers.
12. I love the smell of lavender.
13. I love listening to my children laugh.
14. I love to teach, especially family history & genealogy.
15. I ran the St. George marathon.
16. I like mysteries like: Sherlock Holmes, Cadfael, Hercule Poirot & Monk
17. I love to learn, I am taking 3 college computer classes this semester for fun.
18. I like to sew costumes.
19. I was certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
20. I like to write but I am not very good at it.
21. I love doing cross stitch and drawn thread work on linen.
22. I'm a terrible housekeeper, but a great mother.
23. I have the most awesome children!
24. I read a book a week.
25. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for my good life.

Great Books I have Read this Month

I have read Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. This book was good and then it was great. The story is about a boy who is in prision for stealing the Kings own seal. He brags that he can steal anything. The adventure begins as a man of power wishes the services of the thief. There is a twist at the finish which is unpredictable. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good tale. The second book in the series is The Queen of Attolia. In the first book we learn that the Queen of Attolia is a hard, cold and calucalting person. In the second book we learn that she is ruthless. This story also has an unforseen twist which keeps you anticipating the further happenings of Attolia. The third book in the series is the King of Attolia. Through a twist of happenings the reader is intesnly interested in future of the King of Attolia.

The next book I am reading is Twice Upon A Marigold by Jean Ferris. This is the second book in the series. The first book Once Upon A Marigold is an entertaining fairytale with comedy and tragedy. I read this one to both Kate & Andrew. The main character is Christain, a boy who lives with a troll and serveral large fun loving dogs. Christian begins p-mail (Pigeon mail) with a girl that lives far across the valley. Lots of fun action. The second book begins where the fisrt leaves off. So far its good.

Chinese New Year

Yesterday, we celebrated Chinese New Year. Jacob and I prepared orange chicken, beef & broccoli, egg rolls, stir fry veggies, rice and panda express sauce. Pillows were set in the living room and the coffee table was covered in a red table cloth with chopsticks at every place. Nate, Tyra & Caleb came to eat with us. We couldn't just begin because kids were arguing over who got to sit where. Specifically, Andrew (11) and Nate (21) were fighting over the same spot. Nate wouldn't move. Andrew told him he had to move because Andrew had already licked his plate. Who licks their plate before there is any food on it? Well, I guess Andrew does. Dinner was great! We ate so much food.

Moms and Doctors

In the last 12 days I have been to oral surgeon with Tyra to have her wisdom teeth removed. She only had 2 but it was very difficult. In the mean time she had a well check doctor appointment with a new doctor. I returned with Tyra to the oral surgeon after 5 days because she had an infection. In the mean time I took Nate to the emergency room for a painful episode which turned out to be another kind of infection. And again yesterday I took Tyra to the doctor and she was diagnosed with a skin infection. Now also during that time I have been to the orthodondist twice and the pharmacy more times than I can count. Oh, and lets not forget that Andrew woke up at 4am on Monday with the flu. Poor kid threw up again on Tuesday night after a wild ride with his scout leaders. Isn't being a Mom fun? Really, all Moms want their kids to be health and happy. If there is something wrong they worry and try to fix it. That's just what Mom's do.

Who ever heard of oiling things?

James - "I think we should oil things so they don't show fingerprints."
Mom - "What do you mean? I've never heard of anybody oiling things to get rid of finger prints."
James - "Mom everybody oils things so they don't have finger prints, like walkie talkies."
Mom - "Don't you mean wipe off finger prints so they don't show?"
James - "No, Mom. They do it all the time in the movies. They oil things."
Mom - "James what are you doing with that napkin?"
James - "I sprayed it with Pam and I'm oiling your cell phone."
Mom - "Ahhh!"
James - "No, really Mom everybody does it."

Calendar Shopping

On a cold and snowy evening I went to buy a new wall size calendar. My shopping companions were James and Jacob (a dangerous combination). I had been to several office supply stores and they no longer carried the size I needed. I went to Staples and asked for directions to the calendar section. The large calendar was not found. I was so sad and frustrated. I really needed the large wall size to fit everybody's schedule and activities on. James and Jacob were running up and down the aisles, or was that exploring? At last they thought they had found something. Up on the highest shelf, laying flat, with only the spine showing looked like a large calendar. There were other items piled on top. I could only barely touch the spine if I jumped. So I went to get help. The sales associate brought a ladder and as we entered the aisle there were James and Jacob, looking guilty. One was on the shoulders of the other trying to reach the hidden item. They succeeded, and yes it was a wall size calendar. I was happy to have this shopping expedition over. I went to purchase the item and was surprised to know that the price was $25.00. That's more than $2.00 a page! Okay, I grumbled. It was snowing outside so she put the calendar into a very large bag and we left. It wasn't until after dinner that I realized that I hadn't checked the year on the calendar. Maybe I bought last year's calendar again. That would explain the reason for the calendar being tucked out of the way. Oh no. Now I must say I believe in miracles. I was so grateful that my calendar was for this year!

It's Cold!

It's cold again. I am so ready for temperatures above freezing in the morning. We still have lots of snow on the ground, but at least the walkways are clear or snow and ice. I can't seem to get my high school kids to even take coats to school in the morning. They wear tee shirts and think they will be fine. I keep telling them that one day they will wish they had a coat. It will be the day they have to walk home after school. Brrr.

Where are my socks?!

Where are my black socks?! Today is freezing and I need to wear a skirt to school. I bought some long black socks just for days like today. I can't even find one! I have searched the laundry room 3 times and the sock bucket and my closet. I've looked on the floor, in my drawers. It's been weeks since I last wore them and I have at least 4 pairs! I've run out of time and I am wearing...black soccer socks with white stripes. I have to teach today! No fair!

New Year and Back to School

Monday, not just any Monday but the first Monday of the new year. It's also the coldest Monday at 7 degrees. Today the kids go back to school, the college kids begin a new semester and Scott & I begin new classes. It is unusual that we all start on the same day. I usually have some quiet time to organize and prepare after the children begin school. I am looking forward to the many exciting adventures this new year will bring. There are so many possibilities. I do know that Johannah will graduate from high school and hopefully begin at BYU. All the children will advance a grade in school. The rest is a mystery to be savored and enjoyed.

New Year's Eve

My family is changing as the children grow older. We usually plan an evening of food and fun before kids leave to late night activities. This year we had the food, set out buffet style downstairs and we sat together watching a movie as kids came and went to their various activities. When the movie was over we only had the two youngest children at home. We could not finish the evening without at least three fun activities. The first was a bubble blowing contest. The second was face shaving with shaving cream and a plastic knife. Kate and Andrew took turns. The third was filmed midget fun. Kate and Andrew combed each others hair, did jumping jacks and sang songs for the camera as midgets. I'm sure I fell asleep long before midnight.