Ryan works today and tomorrow so we haven't decided just how much celebrating we will be doing tonight. We've been invited to join a family playing games and watching movies, not to mention snacking on munchies. We might go for part of the time, then come home so Ryan can go to sleep.
I guess we better decide.
Today I need to run to the store for a green pepper. I'm making our traditional New Year Lentil Soup. Ryan's family started it and we like the soup, so we continue it. Supposedly, eating Lentil Soup at the turn of the year will bring you financial success. Hey, it doesn't hurt to try! :wink:
Here's the recipe:
Lentil Soup
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped green sweet pepper
1 cup sliced carrots (2 medium)
½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 tsp. Chicken bouillon
½ tsp. Dried sage, crushed
1/8 tsp. Ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups water
6 oz fully cooked ham, chopped or smoked sausage links, quartered lengthwise and sliced
In a large pot mix lentils, sweet pepper, carrots, onion, bouillon, sage, red pepper, garlic, and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or till vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in ham or sausage and heat through.
Makes 7 cups (5 main-dish servings)
Enjoy!
Friday, December 31, 2004
Thursday, December 30, 2004
First Presidency Urges Generous Support for Asian Victims
29 December 2004
SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking its 12 million members worldwide to donate generously to support humanitarian aid for disaster victims in southern Asia.
The First Presidency issued the following statement today:
"In association with other relief agencies, the Church is extending substantial humanitarian aid to the stricken people of southern Asia. We have representatives on the ground who are assessing needs and who are administering help.
"This coming Sunday, 2 January 2005, will be our regular fast day. In the present circumstances, we urge our people to remember in their prayers those in the devastated areas and to contribute most generously in fast offerings, which will make it possible for the Church to increase its aid to those whose suffering is so great."
As part of their religious practice, Latter-day Saints regularly fast on the first Sunday of each month. Church members donate the value of the two meals skipped during the fast (or more if their means allow) to their local congregation leader. These "fast offerings" are then used to care for the poor and the needy.
- from the church website.
I can't believe the total count is up to 114,000 now.
Yesterday the Today Show was reviewing other huge natural disasters(earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, etc). There were a few in the last century that had hundreds of thousands of deaths. But this is the most deadly tsunami in recorded history.
It is terribly sad and humbling. Give your loved ones an extra hug today and consider President Hinckley's request in extra offerings this week.
SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking its 12 million members worldwide to donate generously to support humanitarian aid for disaster victims in southern Asia.
The First Presidency issued the following statement today:
"In association with other relief agencies, the Church is extending substantial humanitarian aid to the stricken people of southern Asia. We have representatives on the ground who are assessing needs and who are administering help.
"This coming Sunday, 2 January 2005, will be our regular fast day. In the present circumstances, we urge our people to remember in their prayers those in the devastated areas and to contribute most generously in fast offerings, which will make it possible for the Church to increase its aid to those whose suffering is so great."
As part of their religious practice, Latter-day Saints regularly fast on the first Sunday of each month. Church members donate the value of the two meals skipped during the fast (or more if their means allow) to their local congregation leader. These "fast offerings" are then used to care for the poor and the needy.
- from the church website.
I can't believe the total count is up to 114,000 now.
Yesterday the Today Show was reviewing other huge natural disasters(earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, etc). There were a few in the last century that had hundreds of thousands of deaths. But this is the most deadly tsunami in recorded history.
It is terribly sad and humbling. Give your loved ones an extra hug today and consider President Hinckley's request in extra offerings this week.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Girl Power
Today the Young Women in our ward are going ice skating! Yay! Acadia is excited because she gets to come with me. I hope we are able to pull this off with no injuries!
Afterwards, Acadia has been invited to have a "Girl's Night" with Beckie Williams and a couple other gals. We will both be over at Beckie's for dinner with Sharon Smith and her daughter, Shellie. During dinner we're gonna watch "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement". Then Cadi gets to stay the night! She is thrilled!
Beckie is wonderful and spoils Cadi just a smidge. Acadia used to be a little leery of Jack, Beckie's husband, but has warmed up to him and has a blast playing with him whenever they are together. Beckie and Jack's grandkids call them "Memaw" and "Peepaw". (I think that's spelled right.) And they have been adopted by a few of the kids in the ward as their own "Memaw" and "Peepaw".
Beckie's grandkids are all boys and she would give just about anything to get a granddaughter. So she is trying to surround herself with lots of pink to bring good luck. Well if Cadi is anything, it's pink! It's a win-win-win situation. They love her, she loves them, and Ryan and I really like Beckie and Jack. They have become great friends.
Tonight will be fun. And when Ryan gets home, I'm ditching the girls for a hot date! :blush:
Afterwards, Acadia has been invited to have a "Girl's Night" with Beckie Williams and a couple other gals. We will both be over at Beckie's for dinner with Sharon Smith and her daughter, Shellie. During dinner we're gonna watch "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement". Then Cadi gets to stay the night! She is thrilled!
Beckie is wonderful and spoils Cadi just a smidge. Acadia used to be a little leery of Jack, Beckie's husband, but has warmed up to him and has a blast playing with him whenever they are together. Beckie and Jack's grandkids call them "Memaw" and "Peepaw". (I think that's spelled right.) And they have been adopted by a few of the kids in the ward as their own "Memaw" and "Peepaw".
Beckie's grandkids are all boys and she would give just about anything to get a granddaughter. So she is trying to surround herself with lots of pink to bring good luck. Well if Cadi is anything, it's pink! It's a win-win-win situation. They love her, she loves them, and Ryan and I really like Beckie and Jack. They have become great friends.
Tonight will be fun. And when Ryan gets home, I'm ditching the girls for a hot date! :blush:
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Strengthens my testimony...
While the latest count is over 58,000 people killed by the earthquakes and tsunami that took place Sunday in the Indian Ocean, I was amazed to hear that all of the LDS missionaries are safe and accounted for! Reports are still coming in, however so far there is also no news of any LDS members dying either. I expect that may not stay true as the week continues. I wish it would.
The whole thing is very sad. I hate seeing the numbers rise. What a horrible thing to witness and experience. So many lives lost. Everyone who has been affected is in our prayers. It seems so little to do, but we know that prayers can bring miracles. And the One we pray to can do all things. We trust Him.
If you are interested in reading a little about what the church is doing to help, click here.
The whole thing is very sad. I hate seeing the numbers rise. What a horrible thing to witness and experience. So many lives lost. Everyone who has been affected is in our prayers. It seems so little to do, but we know that prayers can bring miracles. And the One we pray to can do all things. We trust Him.
If you are interested in reading a little about what the church is doing to help, click here.
Was it worth it? You be the judge.
Ryan and I watched some video he took from his 12 mile hike yesterday up Mt. Defiance. He also took some pictures with the digital camera. I took some more pictures from the video, there are some beautiful scenes!
There are 22 pictures total in the "Ryan hikes Mt Defiance" album on our Photobucket account. I am only posting a few here, but I strongly encourage you to visit the link and see the others as well. Many of the pictures are definitely postcard worthy!
Some are not titled yet because I do not remember which mountain it is (As he could see all four of the major surrounding mountains from the top of Mt. Defiance!), I will update them as soon as Ryan can help me identify each of them.
This is one of the pictures untitled, if I had to guess I would say Mt. Adams, but I may be wrong. Terrific shot though, don't you think?
Here is Mt. Hood, which Ryan could only see once he reached the top of Mt. Defiance:
Here is a very cool picture. You must look very close (In fact, it may be best to view it at the Photobucket site where you can pull the picture up and view it larger.), but you can see three mountains here. From left to right, you see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams. Of the three, Mt. Adams is easiest to spot on the right. Mt. St. Helens is trying to hide behind the trees at the left of the picture (right above the smaller snow topped tree in the front of the picture). Mt. Rainier is far off in the distance and is hardest to spot. Look below the branch in the center of the picture, see the dark hills? Just to the right of those hills is a shadow that almost looks to be another cloud, only above not below...that's Rainier.
Here is a beautifully framed picture of Mt. Adams:
And one looking down from the mountain to the Gorge:
As I looked at these pictures and watched the video of Ryan's hike, I felt so grateful that he went. How else would I have seen these wonderful images? It was bitterly cold on top of that mountain and Ryan guesses that the trail may not be open in just another week or so due to the snow which is quickly accumalating there. For those who brave it, like Ryan, what a splendid reward to see the beauty of the earth, and especially the beauty of the NorthWest.
Thank you Ryan!!! :kiss:
There are 22 pictures total in the "Ryan hikes Mt Defiance" album on our Photobucket account. I am only posting a few here, but I strongly encourage you to visit the link and see the others as well. Many of the pictures are definitely postcard worthy!
Some are not titled yet because I do not remember which mountain it is (As he could see all four of the major surrounding mountains from the top of Mt. Defiance!), I will update them as soon as Ryan can help me identify each of them.
This is one of the pictures untitled, if I had to guess I would say Mt. Adams, but I may be wrong. Terrific shot though, don't you think?
Here is Mt. Hood, which Ryan could only see once he reached the top of Mt. Defiance:
Here is a very cool picture. You must look very close (In fact, it may be best to view it at the Photobucket site where you can pull the picture up and view it larger.), but you can see three mountains here. From left to right, you see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams. Of the three, Mt. Adams is easiest to spot on the right. Mt. St. Helens is trying to hide behind the trees at the left of the picture (right above the smaller snow topped tree in the front of the picture). Mt. Rainier is far off in the distance and is hardest to spot. Look below the branch in the center of the picture, see the dark hills? Just to the right of those hills is a shadow that almost looks to be another cloud, only above not below...that's Rainier.
Here is a beautifully framed picture of Mt. Adams:
And one looking down from the mountain to the Gorge:
As I looked at these pictures and watched the video of Ryan's hike, I felt so grateful that he went. How else would I have seen these wonderful images? It was bitterly cold on top of that mountain and Ryan guesses that the trail may not be open in just another week or so due to the snow which is quickly accumalating there. For those who brave it, like Ryan, what a splendid reward to see the beauty of the earth, and especially the beauty of the NorthWest.
Thank you Ryan!!! :kiss:
Monday, December 27, 2004
Mount Defiance
The name alone would intimidate me. But Ryan took it as a challenge. So this morning he headed out to conquer it.
I just heard from him and he is safely back to his car and on his way home. It wasn't supposed to take quite this long, but at least he's done now.
Ryan loves hiking. He wants to do some really big, long hikes. Ones that will take him a few days, which scares me. But so far he has survived and he does love it so much. At least today's hike will satisfy him for a couple weeks. :lol:
I just heard from him and he is safely back to his car and on his way home. It wasn't supposed to take quite this long, but at least he's done now.
Ryan loves hiking. He wants to do some really big, long hikes. Ones that will take him a few days, which scares me. But so far he has survived and he does love it so much. At least today's hike will satisfy him for a couple weeks. :lol:
Sunday, December 26, 2004
We had a very nice Christmas.
Christmas Eve, Ryan ended up working most the day. :sad: The original plan was for him NOT to work, but he got called in with some problem with a tool. At least it was Christmas Eve and not Christmas day!
He made it home in time for us to have our traditional "First Christmas" dinner. That was good. We shared our testimonies and talked about the first Christmas and why its important to us.
Christmas morning Cadi woke up at about 7:45...not bad. We got lots of good stuff from Santa. :grin: Cadi got plenty of movies, a new Princess calendar for her room, a Barbie doll in a Barbie convertable car, lots of books, a couple puzzles, and fun stuff in her stocking. One of her stocking stuffers was a "I am a Child of God" necklace with her birthstone on it. She loved it and wore it all day.
Of course, Santa also brought Ryan and I "The Return of the King"!!! YAY! And a few other things.:thumb:
We had breakfast then opened gifts. Acadia loved all her presents, especially a Love-A-Lot CareBear and a Cabbage Patch Kid. Ryan and I collectively got many "Lord of the Rings" things. A couple of games, music CD's, and...I got the piano music to all three movies!!! I am so happy! I love the music from those movies!
We did get some things that weren't "Lord of the Rings" related. Everything was very nice.
After watching "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement", we went over to the Flakes for the rest of the day. We had fun visiting with everyone. We had a gift exchange there, where they gave us too much! Acadia got some really cute things. She got a Hello Kitty nail polish kit, a Safari toy set and some puzzle books. Ryan got a laser level tool thing. (I don't remember what it was called, but he played with the laser alot last night!:lol:) I got a candle/fountain and a cookbook from Kris's ward. We also got a game and some smoked cheese. I told you they gave us too much!
After exchanging gifts we ate dinner. It was delicious! And then we watched a movie, "Napoleon Dynamite" which was...ok. It had a couple funny parts. It was clean. It just was not exciting. We were glad to see it though, because we were wanting to rent it. Now we won't! :lol:
Last of all was dessert time! :lick: Red raspberry pie, pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Did I mention :lick:?
We got home a little later than I planned, but thats okay.
Now it's Sunday morning. Ryan is already at the church building. He didn't know when his meetings would start so he took headed over early. He is substitute teaching in Elders Quorum today and he'll just prepare the lesson until his meetings with the Bishopric start.
In the meantime, I need to get things ready here. Tonight is dinner with the missionaries and Williams. We still haven't put all our gifts away. And I need to cook up some pasta to add to the sauce I made Friday night. Spaghetti Diablo! :lick:
Then I get to get myself and Cadi ready for church by myself...better get used to it. So what am I doing here, I gotta go!
He made it home in time for us to have our traditional "First Christmas" dinner. That was good. We shared our testimonies and talked about the first Christmas and why its important to us.
Christmas morning Cadi woke up at about 7:45...not bad. We got lots of good stuff from Santa. :grin: Cadi got plenty of movies, a new Princess calendar for her room, a Barbie doll in a Barbie convertable car, lots of books, a couple puzzles, and fun stuff in her stocking. One of her stocking stuffers was a "I am a Child of God" necklace with her birthstone on it. She loved it and wore it all day.
Of course, Santa also brought Ryan and I "The Return of the King"!!! YAY! And a few other things.:thumb:
We had breakfast then opened gifts. Acadia loved all her presents, especially a Love-A-Lot CareBear and a Cabbage Patch Kid. Ryan and I collectively got many "Lord of the Rings" things. A couple of games, music CD's, and...I got the piano music to all three movies!!! I am so happy! I love the music from those movies!
We did get some things that weren't "Lord of the Rings" related. Everything was very nice.
After watching "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement", we went over to the Flakes for the rest of the day. We had fun visiting with everyone. We had a gift exchange there, where they gave us too much! Acadia got some really cute things. She got a Hello Kitty nail polish kit, a Safari toy set and some puzzle books. Ryan got a laser level tool thing. (I don't remember what it was called, but he played with the laser alot last night!:lol:) I got a candle/fountain and a cookbook from Kris's ward. We also got a game and some smoked cheese. I told you they gave us too much!
After exchanging gifts we ate dinner. It was delicious! And then we watched a movie, "Napoleon Dynamite" which was...ok. It had a couple funny parts. It was clean. It just was not exciting. We were glad to see it though, because we were wanting to rent it. Now we won't! :lol:
Last of all was dessert time! :lick: Red raspberry pie, pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Did I mention :lick:?
We got home a little later than I planned, but thats okay.
Now it's Sunday morning. Ryan is already at the church building. He didn't know when his meetings would start so he took headed over early. He is substitute teaching in Elders Quorum today and he'll just prepare the lesson until his meetings with the Bishopric start.
In the meantime, I need to get things ready here. Tonight is dinner with the missionaries and Williams. We still haven't put all our gifts away. And I need to cook up some pasta to add to the sauce I made Friday night. Spaghetti Diablo! :lick:
Then I get to get myself and Cadi ready for church by myself...better get used to it. So what am I doing here, I gotta go!
Friday, December 24, 2004
When I think of Christ
I wasn't there in Bethlehem
To see the Baby fair.
I wasn't with the Wise Men
So I didn't travel there.
But I can tell you when I think of Christ
I know that He is there,
Watching me and hoping I'll return to Him someday.
I wasn't with the shepherds
When they found the Baby dear.
I didn't hear the angels sing,
"Rejoice, be of good cheer."
But I can tell you when I think of Christ
I know that He is there,
Watching me and hoping I'll return to Him someday.
-Martha H. Rallison, age 11
Salt Lake City, Utah
*Found in the December 2004 "Friend", p. 32
To see the Baby fair.
I wasn't with the Wise Men
So I didn't travel there.
But I can tell you when I think of Christ
I know that He is there,
Watching me and hoping I'll return to Him someday.
I wasn't with the shepherds
When they found the Baby dear.
I didn't hear the angels sing,
"Rejoice, be of good cheer."
But I can tell you when I think of Christ
I know that He is there,
Watching me and hoping I'll return to Him someday.
-Martha H. Rallison, age 11
Salt Lake City, Utah
*Found in the December 2004 "Friend", p. 32
It's Christmas Eve!
YAY!!!
All the preparations lead up to these next two days! (Actually, 3 for us this year. We have the missionaries and our good friends, the Williams coming for dinner after church on Sunday. The dinner isn't fancy - Spaghetti Diablo [they requested it], but we are doing it up all nice with my new holiday dishes and everything!)
I think one of the best things I did this year was to clean the house really well before we left for Idaho. When we got back, there was unpacking, laundry, shopping, wrapping, etc to do and it was nice that the house has been clean during all of it and I have little to clean today.
Of course, Ryan still has to put our bathroom back together! :lol:
So all the little last minute stuff will take place today and then tonight we begin to celebrate! We will continue our holiday tradition of having the "First Christmas" dinner tonight. Ryan's brother and his family sent us some Hickory Farms meats, cheeses, and such which will be perfect!
Tomorrow we plan on going to Flakes (sometime in the afternoon) where we will also see Mike, Debi and Grandpa Johnston. That will be nice. We are hoping to swing by the Williams afterwards to share a little something with them.
Last night in Cadi's prayer, she said "Thank you for letting tomorrow be Christmas Eve. Help us to remember the true meaning of Christmas; that Jesus was born."
She is such a good girl! She has faithfully attended to all our advent calendars/countdowns. And she has thoughtfully chosen gifts for Ryan and I this year. I was very impressed with her ideas, all things that we would be interested in. Of course, I don't know what she got me, but she told me some of the things she thought about that she didn't get. She really thought about things I like and wanted to get something I would enjoy. This is a step up from last years gift! :lol: Not that it was bad, but it was definitely something more on her level! lol
All the preparations lead up to these next two days! (Actually, 3 for us this year. We have the missionaries and our good friends, the Williams coming for dinner after church on Sunday. The dinner isn't fancy - Spaghetti Diablo [they requested it], but we are doing it up all nice with my new holiday dishes and everything!)
I think one of the best things I did this year was to clean the house really well before we left for Idaho. When we got back, there was unpacking, laundry, shopping, wrapping, etc to do and it was nice that the house has been clean during all of it and I have little to clean today.
Of course, Ryan still has to put our bathroom back together! :lol:
So all the little last minute stuff will take place today and then tonight we begin to celebrate! We will continue our holiday tradition of having the "First Christmas" dinner tonight. Ryan's brother and his family sent us some Hickory Farms meats, cheeses, and such which will be perfect!
Tomorrow we plan on going to Flakes (sometime in the afternoon) where we will also see Mike, Debi and Grandpa Johnston. That will be nice. We are hoping to swing by the Williams afterwards to share a little something with them.
Last night in Cadi's prayer, she said "Thank you for letting tomorrow be Christmas Eve. Help us to remember the true meaning of Christmas; that Jesus was born."
She is such a good girl! She has faithfully attended to all our advent calendars/countdowns. And she has thoughtfully chosen gifts for Ryan and I this year. I was very impressed with her ideas, all things that we would be interested in. Of course, I don't know what she got me, but she told me some of the things she thought about that she didn't get. She really thought about things I like and wanted to get something I would enjoy. This is a step up from last years gift! :lol: Not that it was bad, but it was definitely something more on her level! lol
Mary, Did You Know?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Did you know
That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Did you know
That your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know
That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little boy
You've kissed the face of god
Mary, did you know?
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
And the dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the lamb
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy is lord of all creation?
Did you know
That your baby boy will one day rules the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding
Is the great I Am!
Beautiful song!
That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Did you know
That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Did you know
That your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know
That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little boy
You've kissed the face of god
Mary, did you know?
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
And the dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the lamb
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy is lord of all creation?
Did you know
That your baby boy will one day rules the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding
Is the great I Am!
Beautiful song!
Thursday, December 23, 2004
I love outlets!
Today I purchased some beautiful holiday dinnerware for a fraction of the normal price!
They are ivory with holly and berries around the rims with gold trim. I also picked up some serving bowls and platters. They are so pretty and they are going to be perfect for holiday dinners!
All I need to really complete the set are drinking glasses and wine glasses (for Martinelli's of course!). But I'm going to wait because I didn't find any I really liked on sale. They will be easy to find and I have a few that will work for this weekend.
Yay!!! I love a good bargain!
They are ivory with holly and berries around the rims with gold trim. I also picked up some serving bowls and platters. They are so pretty and they are going to be perfect for holiday dinners!
All I need to really complete the set are drinking glasses and wine glasses (for Martinelli's of course!). But I'm going to wait because I didn't find any I really liked on sale. They will be easy to find and I have a few that will work for this weekend.
Yay!!! I love a good bargain!
Kiggins Theater
We just realized a wonderful resource here in Vancouver! The Kiggins movie theater. It is downtown and in a historic theater building.
Earlier this year, Cadi's school was selling tickets to movies there. They have this promotion for the schools. You pay $7.00 per child and they can go to any or all of 10 scheduled movies - plus up to 2 parents come too - for free! Potentially that is 3 of us going to 10 movies for $7.00 total! We hadn't been able to make it to any of the movies until last night. (The movies we wanted to see fell on weeks we had to leave town :sad:) But last night we went to see Shrek 2 together.
Then we saw that they have a deal 20 movies for $20. You can share the punch card between as many people as you want. So we bought one. It expires the end of next year. So now we have some movies paid for in advance. :thumb: Normally the movies cost $3.00 and I think the prices go up to $4.00 in January.
Plus, right now there is a holiday family special. Family movies during the day are free admission with a can of food.
Isn't that cool? Talk about affordable family activities and date nights!
Earlier this year, Cadi's school was selling tickets to movies there. They have this promotion for the schools. You pay $7.00 per child and they can go to any or all of 10 scheduled movies - plus up to 2 parents come too - for free! Potentially that is 3 of us going to 10 movies for $7.00 total! We hadn't been able to make it to any of the movies until last night. (The movies we wanted to see fell on weeks we had to leave town :sad:) But last night we went to see Shrek 2 together.
Then we saw that they have a deal 20 movies for $20. You can share the punch card between as many people as you want. So we bought one. It expires the end of next year. So now we have some movies paid for in advance. :thumb: Normally the movies cost $3.00 and I think the prices go up to $4.00 in January.
Plus, right now there is a holiday family special. Family movies during the day are free admission with a can of food.
Isn't that cool? Talk about affordable family activities and date nights!
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Annual Christmas Party in Idaho
When we lived in Pocatello, we made some very good friends. We were all newlyweds, starting families, going to school and living away from home. Each Christmas we got together to have our "family" Christmas party.
When we moved to Massachusetts we missed that annual party so much! Not to mention the daily interaction with our best friends. Fortunately, when we moved here to Washington we were once again in drivable range to visit Idaho.
Last year we were able to attend the annual party for the first time since moving away from Idaho. This weekend we had a great time as we celebrated together again!
This time we also invited the Thruernagle family to join us. We were good friends with them as well and found ourselves wondering why this was the first year they were invited. Sadly, the Thuernagles will be moving to Ohio for 4 years, so it may be awhile before we get together with them again.
Here are some photos:
Kids coloring as we get dinner ready -
The 3 stooges...ooops, I mean Ryan and his best friends Tom and Steve, making stuffed mushrooms. (Just one of the traditions of our Holiday party. Among others are Steve's cheeseball, Emily's punch and of course, Martinelli's at dinner!)
We had 18 people around the table this year!
Another tradition - The Riley Right gift exchange story. One year, Steve made up a story about "Riley Right" (Riley Davis was the first child born to our group.). We exchanged little gifts as we passed them left and right during the telling of the story. It was so much fun, that Steve makes up a new story each year for the exchange. Now that the kids are old enough to enjoy it, we have two stories. One for the kids to exchange kid-type gifts and one for the grown-ups. This is during the kid's exhange.
The next day we let the kids make crafts.
Here is Cadi showing the bead necklace she was making.
Timmy Davis, striking "his" pose, wearing his necklace. (Timmy's mom says he was trying to look like Rudolf this year:lol:.)
The Thuenagle Family (Sherrie, Andy, Taylor, Rachel, and Brooklyn)
The Davis Family (Laura, Tom, Riley, Nathan, and Timothy)
The Roser Family (I hope you know who we are!)
Disclaimer - We didn't get a picture of the Mascheks, but they promised to e-mail us a picture and when they do, I'll post it!
We had such a wonderful time! We miss our friends so much and it is always like going home when we see them again.
When we moved to Massachusetts we missed that annual party so much! Not to mention the daily interaction with our best friends. Fortunately, when we moved here to Washington we were once again in drivable range to visit Idaho.
Last year we were able to attend the annual party for the first time since moving away from Idaho. This weekend we had a great time as we celebrated together again!
This time we also invited the Thruernagle family to join us. We were good friends with them as well and found ourselves wondering why this was the first year they were invited. Sadly, the Thuernagles will be moving to Ohio for 4 years, so it may be awhile before we get together with them again.
Here are some photos:
Kids coloring as we get dinner ready -
The 3 stooges...ooops, I mean Ryan and his best friends Tom and Steve, making stuffed mushrooms. (Just one of the traditions of our Holiday party. Among others are Steve's cheeseball, Emily's punch and of course, Martinelli's at dinner!)
We had 18 people around the table this year!
Another tradition - The Riley Right gift exchange story. One year, Steve made up a story about "Riley Right" (Riley Davis was the first child born to our group.). We exchanged little gifts as we passed them left and right during the telling of the story. It was so much fun, that Steve makes up a new story each year for the exchange. Now that the kids are old enough to enjoy it, we have two stories. One for the kids to exchange kid-type gifts and one for the grown-ups. This is during the kid's exhange.
The next day we let the kids make crafts.
Here is Cadi showing the bead necklace she was making.
Timmy Davis, striking "his" pose, wearing his necklace. (Timmy's mom says he was trying to look like Rudolf this year:lol:.)
The Thuenagle Family (Sherrie, Andy, Taylor, Rachel, and Brooklyn)
The Davis Family (Laura, Tom, Riley, Nathan, and Timothy)
The Roser Family (I hope you know who we are!)
Disclaimer - We didn't get a picture of the Mascheks, but they promised to e-mail us a picture and when they do, I'll post it!
We had such a wonderful time! We miss our friends so much and it is always like going home when we see them again.
Don't touch the raspberries!
I had an interesting dream last night:
I had stopped by some type of medical center to drop off something for a friend (?). Apparently I parked in 10 minute parking. Ater about 15 minutes, I went out to my car to get something and it was gone!
I got what I thought was a police officer and told him I thought my car had been towed and asked where to find it. He and some other people (?) went with me all over the parking lot. Finally, just on the other side of some bushes we found a bunch of cars with writing on the windows, parked in a row.
We found mine. It was unlocked and completely emptied! I started to panic! For some reason, all the stuff from our trip this weekend was supposed to be in it, including camcorder, gifts, and my purse (!). Then we realized that right next to the car was a huge box full of all my items. I went through it and everything was there. (Whew!)
Then I realized the bill on the windowshield. I think it had about 3 different charges. The first was for parking in a 10 minute parking for longer than 10 minutes, for about a $50 fee. That's fair. The next charge was for coming out to get something out of the car, for about $20. ...uh...okay. Then the last charge... Written sloppily so I don't quite know exactly what it was for. All I could read was "red raspberries"...$9999.00!!! My total was over $10,000!
WHAT!?!
I didn't even touch the raspberries...I never even saw them!!! I parked perfectly between the lines so I couldn't have parked in or on them either!
I was very upset and started to complain to the police officer. At that point, I realized that the police officers were regular people who were just helping me. Oh well.
I cannot tell you how relieved I was when I woke up and realized it was all just a dream!
I had stopped by some type of medical center to drop off something for a friend (?). Apparently I parked in 10 minute parking. Ater about 15 minutes, I went out to my car to get something and it was gone!
I got what I thought was a police officer and told him I thought my car had been towed and asked where to find it. He and some other people (?) went with me all over the parking lot. Finally, just on the other side of some bushes we found a bunch of cars with writing on the windows, parked in a row.
We found mine. It was unlocked and completely emptied! I started to panic! For some reason, all the stuff from our trip this weekend was supposed to be in it, including camcorder, gifts, and my purse (!). Then we realized that right next to the car was a huge box full of all my items. I went through it and everything was there. (Whew!)
Then I realized the bill on the windowshield. I think it had about 3 different charges. The first was for parking in a 10 minute parking for longer than 10 minutes, for about a $50 fee. That's fair. The next charge was for coming out to get something out of the car, for about $20. ...uh...okay. Then the last charge... Written sloppily so I don't quite know exactly what it was for. All I could read was "red raspberries"...$9999.00!!! My total was over $10,000!
WHAT!?!
I didn't even touch the raspberries...I never even saw them!!! I parked perfectly between the lines so I couldn't have parked in or on them either!
I was very upset and started to complain to the police officer. At that point, I realized that the police officers were regular people who were just helping me. Oh well.
I cannot tell you how relieved I was when I woke up and realized it was all just a dream!
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Busy
Tonight is our ward Christmas party, which should be fun. As soon as its over, we are heading out to Idaho to visit with our good friends for our annual Christmas party. We are really looking forward to it.
I've still got alot of work to do, just stopped for a minute to finally eat something. Back to work...
I've still got alot of work to do, just stopped for a minute to finally eat something. Back to work...
Friday, December 17, 2004
No Room
by Kathryn Slasor
"No room for Him",the keeper said
That night so long ago.
"My inn is crowded, don't you see,
The rooms now overflow."
"It's just a Child," he must have thought,
"A family, poor and plain;
My inn is filled with paying guests,
How could I dare explain?"
And thus, he turned aside from One
Who chose a humble birth
To enter into human form
And save all men on earth.
But lo, the shepherds in the hills
Were called, the Babe to greet;
They followed then the brilliant star
And worshipped at His feet!
"No room for Him," cry men today
As through the world they plod;
"My life is crowded, don't you see?
I have no room for God.
How could I dare explain to all
My friends who question me,
That Jesus came to save my soul,
From sin, to set me free?"
O God, forbid that we become
As keeper of the inn,
And have our life so crowded
That we have no room for Him.
But now may we, Thy children dear
Unworthy though we are,
Become as shepherds long ago
And follow now his star!
"No room for Him",the keeper said
That night so long ago.
"My inn is crowded, don't you see,
The rooms now overflow."
"It's just a Child," he must have thought,
"A family, poor and plain;
My inn is filled with paying guests,
How could I dare explain?"
And thus, he turned aside from One
Who chose a humble birth
To enter into human form
And save all men on earth.
But lo, the shepherds in the hills
Were called, the Babe to greet;
They followed then the brilliant star
And worshipped at His feet!
"No room for Him," cry men today
As through the world they plod;
"My life is crowded, don't you see?
I have no room for God.
How could I dare explain to all
My friends who question me,
That Jesus came to save my soul,
From sin, to set me free?"
O God, forbid that we become
As keeper of the inn,
And have our life so crowded
That we have no room for Him.
But now may we, Thy children dear
Unworthy though we are,
Become as shepherds long ago
And follow now his star!
The Journey
Gently, calmly, faithfully,
Traveling onward carefully,
Floppy ears and droopy tail,
Steady feet on mountain trail--
Uncomplaining dignity,
Burden borne most patiently.
On it went, though days were long,
Nights were cold, and winds were strong.
Stars were brighter than before
As the travelers waited at the door.
There was not room for them to stay.
They found a manger filled with hay.
The Baby slept while angels high
Guided humble shepherds nigh.
And by that manger filled with hay
A tired little donkey lay.
Traveling onward carefully,
Floppy ears and droopy tail,
Steady feet on mountain trail--
Uncomplaining dignity,
Burden borne most patiently.
On it went, though days were long,
Nights were cold, and winds were strong.
Stars were brighter than before
As the travelers waited at the door.
There was not room for them to stay.
They found a manger filled with hay.
The Baby slept while angels high
Guided humble shepherds nigh.
And by that manger filled with hay
A tired little donkey lay.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
"I know you're good in there... somewhere."
This was a conversation Acadia and I had today:
Cadi - "Hello Ma'am. Are you Sariah Roser, with no middle name?"
Me - "Yes, I am."
Cadi - "Good, I want you to babysit my baby for me." I am handed a small killer whale stuffed animal.
Me - "But I don't do day care."
Cadi - "What?"
Me - "I don't babysit."
Cadi - "But I need you to watch my kid."
Me - "But you don't even know me."
Cadi - "I got your name on the internet."
Me - "You really shouldn't leave your kid with someone you don't know. I could be a bad person and all you know is what I said on the internet. How do you know I didn't just post my name on the internet so people would bring me their kids so I could be mean to them?"
Cadi - "I know you're good in there... somewhere. You've got some good in you."
Cadi - "Hello Ma'am. Are you Sariah Roser, with no middle name?"
Me - "Yes, I am."
Cadi - "Good, I want you to babysit my baby for me." I am handed a small killer whale stuffed animal.
Me - "But I don't do day care."
Cadi - "What?"
Me - "I don't babysit."
Cadi - "But I need you to watch my kid."
Me - "But you don't even know me."
Cadi - "I got your name on the internet."
Me - "You really shouldn't leave your kid with someone you don't know. I could be a bad person and all you know is what I said on the internet. How do you know I didn't just post my name on the internet so people would bring me their kids so I could be mean to them?"
Cadi - "I know you're good in there... somewhere. You've got some good in you."
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
My feet are killing me!!!
Today was busy!
I put Cadi on the bus, then headed over to a Relief Society midweek activity. We choose items for babies and wrapped them for a shelter. The items had all been donated. It was at the same place that we went last week with the youth.
Then I picked Acadia up from school and took her to dance. Ryan came home early and we were able to get all the rest of the shelves up in the pantry. I've started putting food in it. YAY!!!
Made a quick batch of cookies and sent one dozen with Acadia to Girl Scouts. They took the cookies and went Christmas caroling. I'm not sure where, I couldn't come with them because it was going to take too long. I needed to be at the church building.
But first, Ryan and I headed to the mall to do some shopping. We got done just in time for me to go to church. I needed to help set up for the activity tonight since my class was one of the ones in charge this time.
We had a good time. We ate pizza for dinner, then got to work! We made food boxes. Donations had been collected for the past few weeks. There were stations where they could make things that we added to the boxes. They made wood ornaments, cany ornaments and "warm bags".
Warm bags are basically fabric pillows filled with rice. You can stick it in the microwave and it will be nice and warm to put on sore muscles. The bags are long and are perfect to put around you neck.
We finished early so the home teachers could deliver the boxes we made. So now I'm home, my shoes are off, and I think I'm ready for a foot spa!
I put Cadi on the bus, then headed over to a Relief Society midweek activity. We choose items for babies and wrapped them for a shelter. The items had all been donated. It was at the same place that we went last week with the youth.
Then I picked Acadia up from school and took her to dance. Ryan came home early and we were able to get all the rest of the shelves up in the pantry. I've started putting food in it. YAY!!!
Made a quick batch of cookies and sent one dozen with Acadia to Girl Scouts. They took the cookies and went Christmas caroling. I'm not sure where, I couldn't come with them because it was going to take too long. I needed to be at the church building.
But first, Ryan and I headed to the mall to do some shopping. We got done just in time for me to go to church. I needed to help set up for the activity tonight since my class was one of the ones in charge this time.
We had a good time. We ate pizza for dinner, then got to work! We made food boxes. Donations had been collected for the past few weeks. There were stations where they could make things that we added to the boxes. They made wood ornaments, cany ornaments and "warm bags".
Warm bags are basically fabric pillows filled with rice. You can stick it in the microwave and it will be nice and warm to put on sore muscles. The bags are long and are perfect to put around you neck.
We finished early so the home teachers could deliver the boxes we made. So now I'm home, my shoes are off, and I think I'm ready for a foot spa!
Are we really considering this?
Just as we near the end of the current home-improvement projects we begin to consider more ways to make it drag out longer, cost more, and inevitably stress us out more!
We are thinking about taking the "Popcorn" ceiling down, respraying with texture to match the walls, and don't forget painting it! It would look nice when it's done and would solve some of our overhead light problems. We have a light off-centered now that we've built the pantry in our living room. And we have a discolored ring around the light above the computer from the previous light which we removed. But...that's alot of work - not to mention messy!
I'm leaning towards just doing the living room. I have an idea for the discolored area over the computer. But the living room light is a real issue.
What are we thinking? Do we enjoy punishing ourselves? And here I was so excited that I would be painting soon and have this part all done!
We are thinking about taking the "Popcorn" ceiling down, respraying with texture to match the walls, and don't forget painting it! It would look nice when it's done and would solve some of our overhead light problems. We have a light off-centered now that we've built the pantry in our living room. And we have a discolored ring around the light above the computer from the previous light which we removed. But...that's alot of work - not to mention messy!
I'm leaning towards just doing the living room. I have an idea for the discolored area over the computer. But the living room light is a real issue.
What are we thinking? Do we enjoy punishing ourselves? And here I was so excited that I would be painting soon and have this part all done!
Monday, December 13, 2004
We're almost there!
Ryan and Farl just finished texturing all the walls. They did the pantry, inside and out, the entry wall that was replaced with the bathroom remodel, the bathroom, and some other walls where it had been patched poorly by the previous owners. Yay!!!
I think I'll paint the pantry later this week, just to get the food and everything accessible again. The rest, we're going to wait until after Christmas. It's best to let the texture cure for a week, that puts it at the week of Christmas and I do not want to be painting that week! But I've waited this long, I can wait two more weeks! I can't wait to have it all done! It's going to look so good! Then we can do the floor in the living room and we'll be as done as we're going to be for awhile.
There are always little things we want to do. For instance, we want to put crown molding up in my room and we'll eventually put it up in the living room too. And I hope we can redo much of the kitchen someday. Not to mention, we want to put in central heat and an air conditioner. Then there's the outside! New roof, siding, and landscaping all on the list!
But for now, my goal is to just paint the entire inside. And it looks like that will be soon! :thumb:
I think I'll paint the pantry later this week, just to get the food and everything accessible again. The rest, we're going to wait until after Christmas. It's best to let the texture cure for a week, that puts it at the week of Christmas and I do not want to be painting that week! But I've waited this long, I can wait two more weeks! I can't wait to have it all done! It's going to look so good! Then we can do the floor in the living room and we'll be as done as we're going to be for awhile.
There are always little things we want to do. For instance, we want to put crown molding up in my room and we'll eventually put it up in the living room too. And I hope we can redo much of the kitchen someday. Not to mention, we want to put in central heat and an air conditioner. Then there's the outside! New roof, siding, and landscaping all on the list!
But for now, my goal is to just paint the entire inside. And it looks like that will be soon! :thumb:
Celebrating the Season
Last night Ryan, Cadi and I went to a Christmas Concert at Ryan's boss' church. We met at Greg's house (Debi, try not to be too jealous!) then caravaned over to the church. They had a 120 member choir that sang many Christmas songs and medley's. My favorite was an acapella number "A Merry Carol of the Bells". There was also a youth choir, bells and chimes, and a couple solo/duets. It was all very nice, very joyful. Then afterwards we enjoyed pie :lick: and visited for awhile.
We had invited Farl, but he decided to stay home and relax. He's been working so hard this week!
We had invited Farl, but he decided to stay home and relax. He's been working so hard this week!
Sunday, December 12, 2004
May I have a drum roll please...
Ryan was sustained as Executive Secretary in the Ward Bishopric today. So, we will never see him on Sundays again! :lol: No, it won't be quite that bad. We have a terrific Bishopric, he is excited to serve with them and get to know them better.
Farl is sleeping here in the family room and it's time for him to go to bed because they (he and Ryan) are getting up early to make it to the hardware store first thing. So...I need to go. Tomorrow I will post about what we did tonight. :thumb:
Farl is sleeping here in the family room and it's time for him to go to bed because they (he and Ryan) are getting up early to make it to the hardware store first thing. So...I need to go. Tomorrow I will post about what we did tonight. :thumb:
Midnight Caller
Last night, Ryan went back to work since he had lots to do but was home alot during the day to work on Cadi's room. I expected him to be back around 1 or 2 in the morning. When I woke up at 3:30 and he still wasn't home, I paged him. I figured if he had JUST gotten in his car and was on his way home, he had until 4:15 until I would worry. He got home at 4 am.
:sleep:
5:15 ish a.m. - THE PHONE RINGS!!!
Well, Ryan is so tired, he thinks it is his alarm going off. (His alarm is on the phone. It sings a tune to wake him up every morning.) He reaches over, picks up the phone, and drops the receiver back down. I told him it wasn't his alarm, but an actual phone call! Oops.
We *69'd the call (in case it was family trying to reach us in an emergency) and it was from a 206 area code. We don't know anyone from that area code. We figure it must have been a wrong number because they never called back. Whatever.
So, Ryan is a tired boy! And he can't even skip church because today he will be called to his new calling. Yeah, I bet you all forgot about that, didn't you? He's sleeping right now and I think I'll let him sleep until he has to get up to get ready for church.
Tune in later, I'll post his new calling when we get home.
:sleep:
5:15 ish a.m. - THE PHONE RINGS!!!
Well, Ryan is so tired, he thinks it is his alarm going off. (His alarm is on the phone. It sings a tune to wake him up every morning.) He reaches over, picks up the phone, and drops the receiver back down. I told him it wasn't his alarm, but an actual phone call! Oops.
We *69'd the call (in case it was family trying to reach us in an emergency) and it was from a 206 area code. We don't know anyone from that area code. We figure it must have been a wrong number because they never called back. Whatever.
So, Ryan is a tired boy! And he can't even skip church because today he will be called to his new calling. Yeah, I bet you all forgot about that, didn't you? He's sleeping right now and I think I'll let him sleep until he has to get up to get ready for church.
Tune in later, I'll post his new calling when we get home.
A whole new room!
Wow! I cannot believe the difference in Acadia's bedroom!!! Not only did we change the flooring, we added beautiful molding around the baseboard and changed the layout of her things. It feels like there is alot more space! Here are some pictures:
Before:
Removing Carpet:
Laying the Underlaying:
Laying the Laminate flooring:
Attaching the last of the molding:
Acadia in her new Princess room:
I had been thinking of getting rid of her old dresser and getting a white one to match the room better. But now that the floor has a cherry tint, the dresser looks great!
Before:
Removing Carpet:
Laying the Underlaying:
Laying the Laminate flooring:
Attaching the last of the molding:
Acadia in her new Princess room:
I had been thinking of getting rid of her old dresser and getting a white one to match the room better. But now that the floor has a cherry tint, the dresser looks great!
Friday, December 10, 2004
Remodeling Update
Tonight we were hoping to borrow an air compressor to start texturing. Since we didn't get it yet, we decided to not waste time and instead we're going to replace Acadia's flooring.
We just pulled the carpet, padding, carpet strips and tons of staples. And I only sat on one:blush:- Ouch!
We found some laminate flooring (like Pergo, but different brand) on sale at Lowes. It isn't a perfect match (it has a cherry tint, the rest of the house is more of a honey oak), but it doesn't really matter. It's a completely seperate room from the rest of the house.
Cadi will sleep in her playroom tonight while Farl, Ryan and I work. When she wakes up, she'll have a new bedroom. I had purchased a little Princess rug to put at her bed, so when she gets up her feet won't be cold. :thumb:
I will post pictures when we're done.
We just pulled the carpet, padding, carpet strips and tons of staples. And I only sat on one:blush:- Ouch!
We found some laminate flooring (like Pergo, but different brand) on sale at Lowes. It isn't a perfect match (it has a cherry tint, the rest of the house is more of a honey oak), but it doesn't really matter. It's a completely seperate room from the rest of the house.
Cadi will sleep in her playroom tonight while Farl, Ryan and I work. When she wakes up, she'll have a new bedroom. I had purchased a little Princess rug to put at her bed, so when she gets up her feet won't be cold. :thumb:
I will post pictures when we're done.
M-U-G spells mug.
I am taking Acadia shopping today. Among other things, she is going to buy her gift for Ryan for Christmas. I am having her think of ideas of what she could give him. And she is writing them down to take with her to refer to.
She is sounding the words all out herself, so they aren't actually spelled correctly. But that is normal and it is good for her to do it by herself, even making mistakes because it is how she learns. But one of the items on her list is mug. After sounding it out, she wrote her word. She got it right! Yeah Cadi!
I know it isn't that big of a deal, but to me it is exciting to see her learning. She has learned great skills to help her read and write on her own. Everyday she is able to do and understand more.
She has also grasped the concept of dates. She said to me a couple days ago, "Today is the 8th, tomorrow is the 9th, the day after that will be the 10th...". She can actually look at a calendar and understand which day it is and visually see ahead.
Learning can be so fun! And watching your child learn is even more fun!
She is sounding the words all out herself, so they aren't actually spelled correctly. But that is normal and it is good for her to do it by herself, even making mistakes because it is how she learns. But one of the items on her list is mug. After sounding it out, she wrote her word. She got it right! Yeah Cadi!
I know it isn't that big of a deal, but to me it is exciting to see her learning. She has learned great skills to help her read and write on her own. Everyday she is able to do and understand more.
She has also grasped the concept of dates. She said to me a couple days ago, "Today is the 8th, tomorrow is the 9th, the day after that will be the 10th...". She can actually look at a calendar and understand which day it is and visually see ahead.
Learning can be so fun! And watching your child learn is even more fun!
Thursday, December 9, 2004
I think they might actually like me.
Last night was my first YW activity in over 11 years! (Man, I'm getting old!:lol:)
We met at the church at 6:30. What I did not realize is that the whole YW and YM have opening exercises together. Cool. The bishopric was there too. I'm told they usually are. I think it's great how much support the youth get from our ward.
So, we had opening exercises then carpooled over to ShareHouse to wrap gifts. I was able to take almost all of my girls there last night. It was great because it gave us time to talk and get to know eachother better.
We talked about favorite colors, school, things they want to do. Emilie wants to be a writer. Her favorite color is red. Kalynn had a hard time choosing a favorite color. She said blue, green, purple...maybe another color or two. This led to singing rainbow and color songs from primary. Lyndel likes The Lord of the Rings and is hoping to get the full box set for Christmas. (I like her!:thumb:)
The actual wrapping was fun too. We were divided into smaller groups and assigned to rooms. Then they brought us boxes of gifts, had us describe them on a piece of paper, wrap the gift, tape the description to the package, then place it back in the box it came out of. Next week we are doing the same thing for a Midweek activity for RS. But I think we might be getting to fill orders for families. (Choosing which gift for each person.) We will do whatever they need the most I guess.
I gave a couple of girls a ride home afterwards. They were Laurels but lived really close to me. Half of my Mia Maids had either parents or older siblings there to ride home with. The girls I took home were great! I had the soundtrack to Return of the Kings in the car, so we talked about The Lord of the Rings most of the way home. Then Harry Potter.
I was so worried that I wouldn't know what to talk about with the girls, but I don't think that will be a problem.
1) They like to talk alot! I don't have to start a conversation because they do that all by themselves!
2) They are great kids who have good interests. They have goals and talents that they like to share.
So I think I might actually be able to do this! I really like the girls in my class. They are fun, sweet, friendly. They seem to really get along with eachother well too. Most of my girls are active. We have a couple that are less-active. And we have one who lives between two parents. When she's here, we get her. Plus we have a deaf girl who attends a deaf branch, but will often join us (with Mom to translate) on Wednesdays for activities because they don't have a YW program in that branch.
I am getting more and more excited about this calling!
We met at the church at 6:30. What I did not realize is that the whole YW and YM have opening exercises together. Cool. The bishopric was there too. I'm told they usually are. I think it's great how much support the youth get from our ward.
So, we had opening exercises then carpooled over to ShareHouse to wrap gifts. I was able to take almost all of my girls there last night. It was great because it gave us time to talk and get to know eachother better.
We talked about favorite colors, school, things they want to do. Emilie wants to be a writer. Her favorite color is red. Kalynn had a hard time choosing a favorite color. She said blue, green, purple...maybe another color or two. This led to singing rainbow and color songs from primary. Lyndel likes The Lord of the Rings and is hoping to get the full box set for Christmas. (I like her!:thumb:)
The actual wrapping was fun too. We were divided into smaller groups and assigned to rooms. Then they brought us boxes of gifts, had us describe them on a piece of paper, wrap the gift, tape the description to the package, then place it back in the box it came out of. Next week we are doing the same thing for a Midweek activity for RS. But I think we might be getting to fill orders for families. (Choosing which gift for each person.) We will do whatever they need the most I guess.
I gave a couple of girls a ride home afterwards. They were Laurels but lived really close to me. Half of my Mia Maids had either parents or older siblings there to ride home with. The girls I took home were great! I had the soundtrack to Return of the Kings in the car, so we talked about The Lord of the Rings most of the way home. Then Harry Potter.
I was so worried that I wouldn't know what to talk about with the girls, but I don't think that will be a problem.
1) They like to talk alot! I don't have to start a conversation because they do that all by themselves!
2) They are great kids who have good interests. They have goals and talents that they like to share.
So I think I might actually be able to do this! I really like the girls in my class. They are fun, sweet, friendly. They seem to really get along with eachother well too. Most of my girls are active. We have a couple that are less-active. And we have one who lives between two parents. When she's here, we get her. Plus we have a deaf girl who attends a deaf branch, but will often join us (with Mom to translate) on Wednesdays for activities because they don't have a YW program in that branch.
I am getting more and more excited about this calling!
Wednesday, December 8, 2004
Boy, were we wrong!
I posted yesterday about Ryan getting called into the Stake Presidency's office for a new calling. We thought it would be in the Elder's Quorum presidency because of a recent vacancy...
Uh...we were WRONG!!! But I'm not going to post it here because Ryan says I shouldn't tell anyone until Sunday. However, you are welcome to put in your guesses. The only hint I'll give is that it isn't a HUGE deal, just bigger than we expected.
Uh...we were WRONG!!! But I'm not going to post it here because Ryan says I shouldn't tell anyone until Sunday. However, you are welcome to put in your guesses. The only hint I'll give is that it isn't a HUGE deal, just bigger than we expected.
Who is up at this hour of the morning?
ME!
I swear, whenever Acadia gets up in the middle of the night I should just get up for the day and not bother trying to get back to sleep! She didn't even wake me up originally. This time she got Ryan and was getting ice water. But when she was on her way back to bed, I woke up and well...here I am almost an hour later...and in case you couldn't tell, I'm not asleep.
So, I checked e-mail, deleted 21 attempted spam posts, answered a question from an e-bay bidder, ordered a couple of books from Scholastic Books for Cadi (Actually, this time one is for me! :smile:), and after this I think I will read from the Ensign. I'm still trying to finish November's Conference addres issue! I need to hurry, then move onto this months.
But get this! Ryan got a call from the Stake Presidency asking to meet with us tonight! Uh-oh. Well, it can't be me...that leaves him. I said I make it a habit to only change callings once in a week, thank you! We have deep suspicions on what it will be. And its not as scary as any other calling coming from a Stake Presidency would be.
As it turns out, I cannot make it to the meeting because I am scheduled to attend my first YW activity tonight! We are going downtown to wrap gifts for a shelter. They will give us a family list that includes ages of each person and a little wish list. Then we go through the warehouse and select the gifts for each person. Then we wrap them. It sounds fun because you get to actually do the shopping for them. I'm looking forward to it. I hope the girls are.
Well, I'm off to read some good stuff from some good men (and women). Then hopefully I'll fall asleep in time to get an hour or two of sleep before I wake Acadia. I can't just go back to bed after that though - today's a full day! 1st work in the classroom, then dance, then girl scouts and finally YW. Any other sleep will have to wait until tonight.:sleep:
I swear, whenever Acadia gets up in the middle of the night I should just get up for the day and not bother trying to get back to sleep! She didn't even wake me up originally. This time she got Ryan and was getting ice water. But when she was on her way back to bed, I woke up and well...here I am almost an hour later...and in case you couldn't tell, I'm not asleep.
So, I checked e-mail, deleted 21 attempted spam posts, answered a question from an e-bay bidder, ordered a couple of books from Scholastic Books for Cadi (Actually, this time one is for me! :smile:), and after this I think I will read from the Ensign. I'm still trying to finish November's Conference addres issue! I need to hurry, then move onto this months.
But get this! Ryan got a call from the Stake Presidency asking to meet with us tonight! Uh-oh. Well, it can't be me...that leaves him. I said I make it a habit to only change callings once in a week, thank you! We have deep suspicions on what it will be. And its not as scary as any other calling coming from a Stake Presidency would be.
As it turns out, I cannot make it to the meeting because I am scheduled to attend my first YW activity tonight! We are going downtown to wrap gifts for a shelter. They will give us a family list that includes ages of each person and a little wish list. Then we go through the warehouse and select the gifts for each person. Then we wrap them. It sounds fun because you get to actually do the shopping for them. I'm looking forward to it. I hope the girls are.
Well, I'm off to read some good stuff from some good men (and women). Then hopefully I'll fall asleep in time to get an hour or two of sleep before I wake Acadia. I can't just go back to bed after that though - today's a full day! 1st work in the classroom, then dance, then girl scouts and finally YW. Any other sleep will have to wait until tonight.:sleep:
Tuesday, December 7, 2004
We've brought in the recruit!
Monday morning Ryan's step-father, Farl flew up to help us with our remodeling projects. We are so happy to have him here! This is what they've gotten done so far.
Before:
The framework:
And with the drywall up:
Before:
The framework:
And with the drywall up:
Monday, December 6, 2004
There really IS a Santa Claus!!!
GREAT NEWS!!!
The extended version of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will be out on December 14th! Yeah! We don't have to wait until January after all!!!
To see an awesome 6 minute sneak preview of the extended scenes, click here. It shows tons of great scenes. I am so glad at the scenes that will be included. Great stuff that I was sad didn't make the theater edition. Including Sam and Frodo dressed as Orcs in Mordor, Faramir and Eowen meeting and falling in love in Gondor, Gandalf facing the witch king, the Captain of Mordor at the Black Gate and best of all...Aragorn revealing himself to Sauron!!!
Great stuff!!! I'm happy! :grin:
The extended version of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will be out on December 14th! Yeah! We don't have to wait until January after all!!!
To see an awesome 6 minute sneak preview of the extended scenes, click here. It shows tons of great scenes. I am so glad at the scenes that will be included. Great stuff that I was sad didn't make the theater edition. Including Sam and Frodo dressed as Orcs in Mordor, Faramir and Eowen meeting and falling in love in Gondor, Gandalf facing the witch king, the Captain of Mordor at the Black Gate and best of all...Aragorn revealing himself to Sauron!!!
Great stuff!!! I'm happy! :grin:
I know a secret!
I know who is replacing me!
Last night she stopped by and the moment I opened the door and saw her, I knew. (She must have had "the look":lol:) She said she had just come from the Bishop's office and that they had asked her. We went over everything. She is scared, which is totally understandable. But I am so excited - for her and for Enrichments. She is going to be a great Enrichment Counselor!
Last night she stopped by and the moment I opened the door and saw her, I knew. (She must have had "the look":lol:) She said she had just come from the Bishop's office and that they had asked her. We went over everything. She is scared, which is totally understandable. But I am so excited - for her and for Enrichments. She is going to be a great Enrichment Counselor!
Sunday, December 5, 2004
Wall Heater Bliss
Acadia often likes to lay right in front of the heater in the family room. And sometimes, she falls asleep there:
Comfy much?
Comfy much?
So, it's done.
Today I was released (with a vote of thanks :thumb:) from my calling as Relief Society Enrichment Counselor. And was sustained as the 1st Counselor in the Young Women's Presidency. I was immediately welcomed into YW. The girls were first loosing a leader that they had grown to love, they were sad about that. But they were so friendly toward me. They were very sweet, and I felt so welcomed. And that made me feel really good about it all.
I enjoyed being in YW today. Sister Tendler is the teacher for the Mia Maids (I am their advisor), she is great! I appreciated the lesson on talents, cultural arts, and how they work together. Tomorrow Sister Davies, the YW Pres, will go over stuff with me right before our presidency meeting.
I did cry a little as I was released, I was dreading that moment when it would officially be over. And then of course when I bore my testimony - though I did really good! I didn't cry very much at all. I cried more when Beckie bore her testimony. I LOVE working with her! She is one of my closest friends here. I guess I will need to get better at inviting her and Jack over to visit and stuff.
But I think I'm ready for this. I was telling someone that I just needed to change hats. Its just that change that's hard. But once its done, its done. And it is done. My hat has been changed and I'm excited about what lies ahead.
I enjoyed being in YW today. Sister Tendler is the teacher for the Mia Maids (I am their advisor), she is great! I appreciated the lesson on talents, cultural arts, and how they work together. Tomorrow Sister Davies, the YW Pres, will go over stuff with me right before our presidency meeting.
I did cry a little as I was released, I was dreading that moment when it would officially be over. And then of course when I bore my testimony - though I did really good! I didn't cry very much at all. I cried more when Beckie bore her testimony. I LOVE working with her! She is one of my closest friends here. I guess I will need to get better at inviting her and Jack over to visit and stuff.
But I think I'm ready for this. I was telling someone that I just needed to change hats. Its just that change that's hard. But once its done, its done. And it is done. My hat has been changed and I'm excited about what lies ahead.
Friday, December 3, 2004
How helpful!
The Post Office is helping ensure all letters written to Santa will reach him! They even offer advice on how parents can make sure Santa writes back! I think it's really cute. Check it out.
We won't be asking Acadia to write to Santa, but if she decides to on her own I don't mind.
We've been trying to emphasize the true meaning of Christmas and celebrating that the most. Santa will come and it will be fun, but he gets enough advertising on TV, in stores, in movies, etc. We don't need to push him here too.
Tonight Acadia and I went to the Festival of Nativities again. Our ward choir sang and she was very patient as she waited for us to practice then perform before she could go look around with me. When I was finally done, we saw all the nativities, I pointed out the ones we had contributed and she pointed at the ones she really liked. Then we ended in the children's room where she showed me the ornament she made for the tree this year (every year each ward has a tree to decorate and the primary children all make an ornament then get to keep it later), made another ornament, dressed up as Mary and looked around a bit. They had felt nativities and other hands-on type of things for the kids. We will be going back tomorrow at least once, maybe twice. Some of the girls in our ward will be singing in the afternoon and a Sister I know will be singing in the evening. Plus, as soon as it's over I want to collect my nativities and lamps to take home. Ryan hasn't been yet (!), so hopefully he will get to come too.
We won't be asking Acadia to write to Santa, but if she decides to on her own I don't mind.
We've been trying to emphasize the true meaning of Christmas and celebrating that the most. Santa will come and it will be fun, but he gets enough advertising on TV, in stores, in movies, etc. We don't need to push him here too.
Tonight Acadia and I went to the Festival of Nativities again. Our ward choir sang and she was very patient as she waited for us to practice then perform before she could go look around with me. When I was finally done, we saw all the nativities, I pointed out the ones we had contributed and she pointed at the ones she really liked. Then we ended in the children's room where she showed me the ornament she made for the tree this year (every year each ward has a tree to decorate and the primary children all make an ornament then get to keep it later), made another ornament, dressed up as Mary and looked around a bit. They had felt nativities and other hands-on type of things for the kids. We will be going back tomorrow at least once, maybe twice. Some of the girls in our ward will be singing in the afternoon and a Sister I know will be singing in the evening. Plus, as soon as it's over I want to collect my nativities and lamps to take home. Ryan hasn't been yet (!), so hopefully he will get to come too.
The Spirit of the Season
We have about 5 countdowns to Christmas going on here.
1) The tying one I made when I was in either Kindergarten or 1st Grade (Mom, do you remember when I made it?).
2) A cute snowman countdown where we change the numbers each day, telling how many days are left til Christmas.
3) A Santa decoration that has 24 small drawers. In our drawers there has been a yummy kiss for Cadi each day.
4) Ryan's brother's family gave us a book with scriptures, poems/stories, and song for each day. Every day it talks about a different part of the Christmas Story. It also comes with a Nativity Scene that we are building piece by piece as we get to it in the story. (We have been doing this in the evenings before bed.)
5) We also have one of the pocket calendars (Mom used to have one just like it, I saw one at a DI a few years ago and bought it.). I think it's supposed to have a little mouse or something that hops from pocket to pocket, mine doesn't have that. We have little papers that tell us something to do that day.
So far we have 1) sung a Primary song, 2) done a service for someone and 3) written a note or letter to someone who lives far away. Some of the things we do together and some individually. Today we are writing our notes seperately. Yesterday Cadi and I worked together to do a service for someone we both love very much. We can't say what we did because they haven't discovered it yet! :tape: heeheehee
What a fun time of year! So many traditions surround us. Last night at the Enrichment night, I basically shared our biggest family tradition with the ladies from two wards - they don't even know it! They just thought they were having a special night, which they were.
One by one, we see more houses with lights and decorations up. Business windows are getting painted. At the dentist's office there was a large decorated tree up.
This weekend Acadia and I will be finding a "Giving Tree" with the name of a 5 year old girl for us to shop for. We use money that would have been spent on Acadia - and she knows it, that way it truly is coming from her. We usually buy an outfit, a toy or two and a coat or blanket.
We will also be going through her toys soon to choose items to be donated to a shelter or thrift store. We are blessed with so much and it feels good to give to others. It's important that we teach Acadia this too. She is in a cushy situation, being an only child. She gets so much stuff! We want her to learn charity and compassion. So far, so good. :thumb:
1) The tying one I made when I was in either Kindergarten or 1st Grade (Mom, do you remember when I made it?).
2) A cute snowman countdown where we change the numbers each day, telling how many days are left til Christmas.
3) A Santa decoration that has 24 small drawers. In our drawers there has been a yummy kiss for Cadi each day.
4) Ryan's brother's family gave us a book with scriptures, poems/stories, and song for each day. Every day it talks about a different part of the Christmas Story. It also comes with a Nativity Scene that we are building piece by piece as we get to it in the story. (We have been doing this in the evenings before bed.)
5) We also have one of the pocket calendars (Mom used to have one just like it, I saw one at a DI a few years ago and bought it.). I think it's supposed to have a little mouse or something that hops from pocket to pocket, mine doesn't have that. We have little papers that tell us something to do that day.
So far we have 1) sung a Primary song, 2) done a service for someone and 3) written a note or letter to someone who lives far away. Some of the things we do together and some individually. Today we are writing our notes seperately. Yesterday Cadi and I worked together to do a service for someone we both love very much. We can't say what we did because they haven't discovered it yet! :tape: heeheehee
What a fun time of year! So many traditions surround us. Last night at the Enrichment night, I basically shared our biggest family tradition with the ladies from two wards - they don't even know it! They just thought they were having a special night, which they were.
One by one, we see more houses with lights and decorations up. Business windows are getting painted. At the dentist's office there was a large decorated tree up.
This weekend Acadia and I will be finding a "Giving Tree" with the name of a 5 year old girl for us to shop for. We use money that would have been spent on Acadia - and she knows it, that way it truly is coming from her. We usually buy an outfit, a toy or two and a coat or blanket.
We will also be going through her toys soon to choose items to be donated to a shelter or thrift store. We are blessed with so much and it feels good to give to others. It's important that we teach Acadia this too. She is in a cushy situation, being an only child. She gets so much stuff! We want her to learn charity and compassion. So far, so good. :thumb:
Thursday, December 2, 2004
I need cheesecake.
We had a very nice Enrichment tonight. We combined with another ward because of building conflicts. I had been worried that our ladies wouldn't make it since it was at a different building. But turnout was great! We filled almost every seat.
Dinner was very simple. We had bread, cheese, summer sausage, grapes, olives, crackers and apple juice. Then while we ate, the nativity scene unfolded before us.
A narrator read the Christmas story from the Bible while the characters came out. In between the verses, each character shared their feelings as they witnessed the event. Of course, Joseph and Mary's thoughts were most touching. Each person who participated came up with their own message to share. It was very touching. We had a few hymns throughout the program.
Each sister received a simple handmade ornament with a picture of Jesus in the manger and the saying "Little baby, sweet and small, Born to be the King of all" on it. (Yes, they were stamped!)
We then carpooled over to our building where The Festival of Nativities is being held. Our stake sponsors it every year, each year it gets bigger and bigger. It is awesome! There are over 400 nativities set up, some from other countries. There is also a children's room with touchable nativities, activities, stories and dress-up (complete with stable and manger scene) for photo-ops.
The cultural hall is FILLED with beautiful nativities while Christmas music plays. The multi-purpose room is filled with nativities also. But these are more cute than elegant. Still, really nice.
Then in the chapel there are performances going on continually. They divide it into 25 minute segments with a short nativity video inbetween each performance. The performers are from all over. Some are ward choirs, some high school choirs, some families, some individuals, etc.
The entire thing is just wonderful. It is always the first week in December, Thurs - Sat from 3-9 p.m.
It was nice to end our Enrichment there. The only problem was that tonight I had to tell Beckie that this was my last one (as counselor). :cry: It put a damper on the evening. When I finally made it home, I was (in Grandma's words) leaking - alot.
So, Ryan just cut me a piece of cheesecake. Everything will be alright.
Dinner was very simple. We had bread, cheese, summer sausage, grapes, olives, crackers and apple juice. Then while we ate, the nativity scene unfolded before us.
A narrator read the Christmas story from the Bible while the characters came out. In between the verses, each character shared their feelings as they witnessed the event. Of course, Joseph and Mary's thoughts were most touching. Each person who participated came up with their own message to share. It was very touching. We had a few hymns throughout the program.
Each sister received a simple handmade ornament with a picture of Jesus in the manger and the saying "Little baby, sweet and small, Born to be the King of all" on it. (Yes, they were stamped!)
We then carpooled over to our building where The Festival of Nativities is being held. Our stake sponsors it every year, each year it gets bigger and bigger. It is awesome! There are over 400 nativities set up, some from other countries. There is also a children's room with touchable nativities, activities, stories and dress-up (complete with stable and manger scene) for photo-ops.
The cultural hall is FILLED with beautiful nativities while Christmas music plays. The multi-purpose room is filled with nativities also. But these are more cute than elegant. Still, really nice.
Then in the chapel there are performances going on continually. They divide it into 25 minute segments with a short nativity video inbetween each performance. The performers are from all over. Some are ward choirs, some high school choirs, some families, some individuals, etc.
The entire thing is just wonderful. It is always the first week in December, Thurs - Sat from 3-9 p.m.
It was nice to end our Enrichment there. The only problem was that tonight I had to tell Beckie that this was my last one (as counselor). :cry: It put a damper on the evening. When I finally made it home, I was (in Grandma's words) leaking - alot.
So, Ryan just cut me a piece of cheesecake. Everything will be alright.
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