Wildlife Camera--There's Just No *End* To The Fun!

We are always seeing wildlife in our backyard, from deer to skunks to bears, so I was excited to get a game camera. I think these type of cameras are generally used by hunters, but I thought it would be really cool to get pics of our wild neighbors with it.

You strap the camera to a tree and it has a sensor that is triggered by motion. It has a flash for night photos too.

So far this is what we've captured

Dog butt--center of picture, tan, curled tail

Dog butt---black and white, possible border collie mix

Dog butt--our dog's. Checking out smells from other dog's butt left in her yard.

But wait, there's more. Here are some shots of me and the girls trying to herd cats. We always make sure all the cats are in at night, but last night two of them were being very "playful" and wouldn't come in. I'd just get within reach, and they'd take off. It was such a fun game to be playing at 10 at night, and then add to that the flash from the game cam going off every time I moved.

The glowing orbs are Princess's eyes, and just to the right you can kind of see a gray Jo-Jo running away from me. I'm pretty sure he's laughing. And because no photo is complete without a butt, we have a picture of mine this time.

Here the girls came out to help me. I like how Sis has glowing eyes in this one, and of course we have the obligatory dog butt again.

I think our next plan is to put the camera up in the forest across the street from the house. Hey, we may even get lucky and get a picture of a deer butt! Wish us luck!

Favorite Wildflowers and Stick Horsie

This is my favorite wildflower

the Leopard Lily.

I'm fortunate to have them growing in my backyard right now.

I have fond memories of seeing these flowers on hikes with my dad. He was big into identifying plants and flowers, and I think this was one of his favorites too.

Dad always called it a Tiger Lily, or "tagger lily" as he would say. I still call it that as well, and was kind of disappointed to know that it had a different name.

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And here is our little Nat. Our friend had this old broom when we were camping and told us just to throw it away when we were done with it. That was all well and good until Nat saw the potential of a stick horse in it.

She gave the broom a bath and then created the face, mane, tail, reins and even a saddle out of paper, and transformed it into Cupcake the stick horse.

I was proud of her ingenuity. What a funny kid!

Camping, Finally!

I swear, with my schedule it is so hard to go anywhere, but we finally were able to make a camping trip.

Such a gorgeous lake!

My friend made Pineapple Upside-down Cake in her Dutch oven. It was fantastic!

And no, my dog isn't dead, she's sunbathing. I'm surprised there weren't buzzards circling! She's such a freak!

Of course we did lots of kayaking. We explored the granite islands, and saw a bald eagle and lots of osprey. The waves and wind challenged our paddling skills which was fun too.

And we went for a hike. What a wonderful few days.

Fellow Bloggers....Help!

I keep getting comments in an Asian language. Possibly Chinese. I am not sure. I think this person is really a devout follower of my blog because they never miss commenting on a post.

Anyone else have this happen? I finally have changed my comments to moderated so I can choose to reject them. It's not that I dislike my Asian admirer, but because this is the internet and my blog is rather mundane, I doubt the commentors intentions are pure.

Does anyone know if this some sort of scam or spam or phishing or whatever else? Does anyone else have such an avid foreign admirer? Help please!

(Oh gosh, what I would give for an interpreter to read the comment I get from them on this post! Although I deeply expect the comments are trying to get my to buy a penis enlargement cream.)

Good News, Bad News

We were at a river on Monday for a picnic, and there was a campground nearby. I took Nat, who has always had a flushing phobia, to the bathroom. It was a pit toilet.

She wasn't that thrilled about that prospect at all, so I told her, "The good news is you don't have to flush!" Which she did really appreciate, and it made her experience more "enjoyable", shall we say.

Then I broke the bad news to her, "The bad news is nobody else had to either." And then I was regaled with lots of "Ewww! Gross mom! Don't say that! Ewww!"

Oh, man, how I love a set-up like that!

Baptized on the Fourth of July

Well, Nat got baptized today. She is such an awesome little kid. When asked just before if she was nervous, her response was, "Nope!" She was just ready to get the show on the road!

Nat in her 4th of July baptism dress

(Here she is in her church-issued jump suit ready to take the plunge!)

When she went a couple weeks ago to see the bishop for her interview before getting baptized, he told her she could choose anyone who was a priesthood holder to baptize her. We made a list of all the men in church that she knew. She looked at the approximately 12 names, and immediately narrowed it down to 2. One was our home teacher, and one was our former bishop.

Since the former bishop's health isn't that good, I suggested our home teacher, and she was very comfortable with that choice. We asked him, and it was a go.

I absolutely love our home teacher and his wife. He's been visiting us now for about 6 months, and he is so diligent about seeing us every month, bringing a lesson, and saying a prayer for our family. It's just wonderful. His wife is very spunky with a dry sense of humor and a sassiness I didn't expect, and we hit it off immediately. I was surprised to find out that he was 81, because he certainly doesn't seem that old.

At any rate, when we were at our ward's 4th of July party I found out from someone else that our home teacher was so excited to be asked to baptize Nat. They said he was just beside himself, and that this was his first ever baptism. That was so cool. I'm so glad Nat chose him and gave him that honor.

I French braided Nat's hair, just like I did with Miss Moo on her big day. That way it eliminates the issue of hair not going fully under the water,which would mean getting dunked again, and it also makes it easy to just dry off and go back for the rest of the baptism ceremony. In fact, she was the first one dressed and back in the chapel. She beat the young boy who was baptized and the two men who did the baptizing. No one's going to wait around for that girl!

Our former bishop was the one who did the Confirmation after her baptism, so she was able to have him participate in an important part of the ceremony as well.

It was a great day and we're proud of our little girl.

Psychic Dreamer

We have been looking forward to going to our ward's 4th of July pancake breakfast and pool party all week, so it wasn't too surprising that I dreamt about it last night. However, it was one of those dreams where I was trying to get somewhere and it just wasn't happening. In my dream I was trying to make it to the breakfast, but I ended up running late and I was driving on dirt roads with lots of forks, and couldn't find the right road to turn on. It was very frustrating.

This morning the girls and I got up and headed for the ward breakfast. I knew ahead of time that part of the highway would be shut down for the town parade, but I figured I would be able to get to the detour and get around just fine. Well, no such luck. I could not get out of my own little neighborhood.

I asked one of the guys at the road block if there was a way around to the detour, and he said, no, you're just going to have to hang out for an hour and a half. Easy for him to say! We had pancakes calling our name!

I did some quick thinking and decided to drive on the back roads up the hill to the next town (some 10 miles) then drop back down into our town, hit the detour and make it to the party.

As I was driving on these DIRT ROADS and RUNNING LATE I remembered my dream. Kinda freaky really. It was pretty darned accurate!

Well, we were only 45 minutes late, there were still pancakes left and we had a great time. I don't ever recall having a dream that close to predicting real life though. Weird.

Fourth of July Baptism

We're planning a Independence Day baptism. I'm really excited for my little Nat. She finally made the big decision to be baptized.

She didn't take this decision lightly at all. We had talked about it as her 8th birthday approached, and she really wasn't sure. I tried to nail down what the issue was. When she was 6 and Miss Moo was baptized she said she didn't want to when she turned 8 because she was afraid of water getting in her nose. I asked if that was still the reason, and she said no.

After much prodding, she finally said, she didn't want to because if she got baptized she would always have to go to church. Smart girl. She knows it's a commitment. (Also there has been a lot of changes in Primary lately, and Nat doesn't always adapt easily to changes. One of the biggest changes is that I'm no longer in Primary with her. So, with all that church isn't as fun anymore.)

I then explained to her, that baptized or not, as long as she was under my roof, she'll be going to church anyway. Then I told her that I didn't go to church for a very, very long time, but because I was baptized I always knew Heavenly Father was with me, and that I was a member of the church, and that got me through some tough times.

Well, last week we were offered to participate in a double baptism with our former Bishop's grandson, and that's when Nat decided to "take the plunge" as it were.

I'm proud of her for thinking this through, and not taking it lightly. I think her baptism after church on our Nation's Independence Day will be a wonderful day for lots of reasons.

Their Compasses Work

We've always had a health club with a pool in our town, but at the end of summer last year it closed due to financial reasons.

No one was happier than my kids to see that it recently aquired new owners and was once again going to open to the public.

They advertised everywhere with a flyer that read, "Grand opening pool party, everyone welcome". It then listed the membership prices. Well, to me, it read like there would be free swimming, so we showed up on Saturday ready to swim. We soon found out that it was not free at all but $9 for the first person, and $5 for every person thereafter in our group.

I told them I wasn't interested, but took a minute to go say hi to a friend I saw sitting poolside. She said she read the flyer and thought the same way I did, that swimming was free, but since she already told her kids they could go, she paid $24 to swim for the afternoon. She said she was even charged for her infant.

The girls were pretty disappointed. We left and headed for the car and to go swimming at the pool where I work, which is free for us, when the owner came out and said, "Hey, what's it worth for you guys to swim today? Five bucks?" I thanked him, but told him no, I misinterpreted the flyer and we were just going to go somewhere else. Then he said we could just go in for free. Again, I thanked him, but at this point was feeling a bit awkward.

He finally left, and I asked the girls what they wanted to do. They had really wanted to go to this pool with it's fun slide and everything, but to my surprise they said no, they didn't want to go in for free because it wasn't fair. They said how could we got sit next to our friends and use the pool for free after they had to pay so much money?

I was pretty proud of them all. Their moral compasses are working.

I've Finally Graduated!

I went to church for the first 11 years of my life, then I was inactive for the next 27. About 8 years ago I started going again, and because the girls were little, I hung out in Primary with them, and was soon called as a teacher and then a counselor in Primary. I only got a chance to go to Relief Society a handfull of times, so when I was released from my Primary calling, I was pretty excited about getting to go to Relief Society and hang out with the rest of the ladies.



That first Sunday, as I enjoyed the freedom of going to Relief Society with the women and not having to teach in Primary, I left the room and was immediately motioned over by one of the Bishop's counselors who wanted to "meet" with me. Well, he of course had a calling for me. Dang, those Relief Society women act fast! They just snatched me up before I knew what was going on.



I only have to teach every third Sunday, so it's not as demanding as my Primary calling, but it IS so much more intimidating to teach my peers. Actual GROWN-UPS. Yikes. This past Sunday was my first time to teach, and I was quite nervous. I told the ladies that if they messed with the person sitting next to them, or asked me if they could go potty, it would definitely make me feel more comfortable!



I always felt like my calling in Primary was perfect for me, because after having been inactive for so long, I really needed to start over from the beginning, and teaching the very basic lessons to the kids was perfect. Now that I've got that down, I guess Heavenly Father felt it was finally time for me to "graduate" to Relief Society!

Nuthin' to See Here...

But there's new stuff at my other blog.

A Heart That Was Heavy And Full At The Same Time

We live in a small community in a small county. Our county has somewhere along the lines of 50,000 residents, so we're kind of a close-knit bunch. The small towns often come together to support families through cancer or loss of a home through fire or any number of other hardships.

Recently in our little town, we lost one of our young men who grew up here. He was a Marine, killed in action in Afganistan.

Our town puts up flags all along the few miles of highway that serve as our main street, during Memorial Day, Veteran's Day and Independence Day, and as soon as word got around that this young man lost his life, the flags appeared.

Soon thereafter storefront signs changed to show their support of this Marine and his family and we heard that everyone planned on gathering on the highway on Sunday afternoon when the family returned to town to show their support.

After church on Sunday we gathered the girls and headed down to the designated area on the highway. It was overwhelming to see the show of support from our small town. There was an estimated time of arrival, but we were soon told that it would be delayed. The county sheriffs met the family at the county line to give them an escort, and it seems that not only was our town out on the highway, but every town from the county line on in, was out in force, lining the highway, flying flags and showing their support.

Many of us stood in the sun on the side of the road for a good hour and a half to two hours to honor this family and the sacrifice their son made for our country. It only took a few seconds for them to drive by, but it was the most worthwhile afternoon I've spent in a very long time. To see this young man's mom put her hand against the car window as she passed by as if to reach out and touch all those who were there for her was worth it.

My heart was heavy and full at the same time.

A sign in town said it best, "Let us insure that our future was worth all his tomorrows".

It Sure Beats Being T.P.ed

I had a conversation today about having campaign signs stolen that reminded me of an incident from my teen years.

It happened in the early 1980's. It was election time and there was a candidate running for supervisor who's last name happened to be the same as my first name. All around town were signs proclaiming, "MOODY" in big bold letters and under that, "supervisor".

Well very early one morning, round about 2am, My dad is awakened by someone knocking on our front door. He gets up to answer it, opens the door, and is astonished to see at least a hundred of Mr. Moody's campaign signs in our front lawn, along with a few of his 4'x8' plywood signs propped against the tree and cars.

Dad woke us all up to see this amazing display. I must say I was quite flattered to see my name all over our lawn. It was quite the tribute. However, my dad was FREAKING OUT. He knew we'd get in big trouble if anyone saw all these stolen signs, so unfortunately he plucked them all up out of the grass and stashed them in the garage before anyone else woke up and saw them.

I'm pretty sure my dad surreptitiously got rid of the signs, but thinking back I don't know why we didn't just call this candidate's office and tell him what happened.

None of my friends would ever admit to the mischief, but I pretty much knew who had done it.

At any rate, the gentleman in question went on to be elected and is now a senator, so I guess all those missing signs didn't hurt his campaign too badly. It did however, make a very shy, awkward teenager feel very special.

A New Blog

So, I decided to start a new blog on kayaking, because I'm such an expert and all now. It's called The Unlikely Kayaker. It has a total of two posts right now, the one featured here yesterday, and a kind of introductory post. Go on over and check it out if ya want...

Being a Dork Pays Off (Finally!)

(Being nagged by my teenager to update my blog also motivates me, so here I go.)

Back in August when I started my job at the school district, I received my first paycheck and immediately knew they had made an error and paid me WAY too much for just a few days work. So I called the office and told them that they made a big "whoopsie" on my paycheck, but they shouldn't feel bad, because nobody's perfect. The kind office lady told me no, it wasn't a mistake, that they spread my pay out over 11 months and that my check reflected that. Alrighty then!

Well, a couple weeks ago, someone from the office called to talk to me to let me know that when they upped my hours in November that that wasn't included in my regular pay, and I should've been sending in time sheets each month. By the way, she wasn't near so kind and understanding and I got the distinct impression that she couldn't believe someone who worked at a school could be so dumb. (In my defense, I work at the preschool level, so we don't do the higher math!)

Ya see, after the first paycheck incident, I figured the district office knew what they were doing, and so I never worried about my extra hours, because the nice office lady was going to make it all work out, being that she's so smart and all.

Well...luckily I log in every day in the class room, so I had a record of all my hours and I proceeded to fill out time sheets for the last 6 months and turn them in.

Anyhoo...this all coincided with spring weather, and my own case of kayak fever, and a pretty new tandem kayak that I'd been looking at, but couldn't figure out where the money to buy it was going to come from...and that's how being a dork paid off for me! The girls and I brought our new kayak home yesterday thanks to my inadvertent "kayak savings plan".

All weekend the weather had been spectacular (and I of course had been working double shifts at the restaurant so I couldn't enjoy it), but yesterday (heretofore known as "Kayak Day, Woo!"), was cloudy. It was still warm though, so I had no worries that when we got back from our kayak retrieving errand we could still go out for a paddle.

Just about the time we pull up to the house with our pretty new kayak strapped to the top of my car, it's starts to rain. Sigh. I was surprised though, that Miss Moo and Nat still wanted to go out. We put the seats, life jackets and a towel in a plastic bag to keep them dry, put the kayak on it's little cart and took off for the lake (about 2 blocks away).

We only got a couple weird looks for taking our kayak for a walk through the neighborhood. You can tell that Miss Moo is so thrilled to be helping me.

Here is my hearty "crew". As "captain" I sit in the stern of the boat (looking stern, of course) and the crew has to launch us, so I never get wet (hee, hee!). Also of note: this boat has a center seat area in case one wishes to paddle it solo, but I found out that if I strap the seat from my other kayak there, all three of us can fit. It was really a treat to all be in the same boat (cuts down immensely on the whine factor!)

You can see the rain on the lake. It never really amounted to much, or got us very wet, and we had so much fun!

Now don't you wish you were a dork like me?

(Side note: Sis, who was home on her lunch hour from work, had to help me unload the kayak from the top of my car because the little girls wouldn't be able to, and that's why we ended up walking through the neighborhood with the kayak, rather than driving it down to the lake, which made us look like DORKS, but since being dorky is working for me now, I didn't care!)

Best Quotes from My Mother's Day Cards/I Love My Mom Because Cards From School

"I love u more than my horse collection."

"She is 5'3" but most of it is her heart"

"She loves to go to Walmart to buy hoodies"

"I want u to stay with me all my life."

"Thank you so much for loving me as one of your own" from my son's girlfriend, Cass

3 Things for Mother's Day

Three things I learned from my mom:

1. Be a good homemaker.

Mom had a saying, "Keep your dishes done and your beds made and everyone will think you're a good housekeeper." There's definitely some truth in that. If your kitchen is clean, and your bedroom tidy, the rest of the house can be a disaster, but it doesn't look as bad somehow.

My mom was an exceptional housekeeper. We always had a picture-perfect, well organized, tidy home, but mom was more than a housekeeper, she was truly a homemaker. From delicious food, to wonderful holidays, she made our house a warm, comforting, fun place to be.

2. Value friendships.

My mom kept in touch with all her friends, from newly found friends to childhood and high school chums, she always made phone calls, sent cards, and took time to visit her friends.

She and her best friend from childhood kept up a monthly family dinner night for as long as I can remember. They would take turns as to who's house we would go to, but once a month I could count on us having dinner with Pattie Anne and her family.

3. Enjoy your children.

Mom truly enjoyed being with us. From regaling us with stories of our babyhood, to cheering and supporting us through each awkward stage of growing up, she was our rock, and she let us know that we were her greatest gifts.

Now for three things I've learned from my kids:

1. Lighten up and be goofy.

Don't worry so much of what people are thinking, just have fun!

2. Don't make assumptions about genetics or gender.

Everyone's unique and full of surprises! That little boy wasn't a handfull, but that little girl sure was! And just because two people look very much alike, their personalities will each develop differently.

3. Always put people before things.

Nothing (no thing) can replace time spent together.

Which brings me to my all time favorite mommy-baby poem:

Rock A Bye by Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep,
I'm rocking my babies, and babies don't keep!

Even though my babies aren't babies anymore, this poem still reminds me to treasure the time I have with them, and that other things can wait. I wouldn't be a mother without them, and that's the greatest gift I've ever been given!

This Was My Week...

...as a special education aide.

We have an autistic boy in our classroom who's mom was frustrated because it was torture to give him a haircut. She and the boy's dad would usually get the clippers out and while one would physically restrain him, the other would shave his head. It was traumatic for everyone involved, but taking him to a barber didn't work either for the same reasons.

My teacher knows that I used to cut hair, so she asked if I would be willing to attempt cutting this young boy's hair. We figured we could get in a snip here and there during school, and if it took a week, so be it.

Well, Monday was the day, and I began by showing the boy my scissors and combing his hair a bit. He complained a little, but I was actually able to get a few snips in. Then we took him to the computer and while he was watching his favorite little video, I began cutting. If he fussed, we would pause the video, If he was quiet and let me cut, he could watch it. I got the whole right side of his hair done this way.

After lunch the other aide (aka my partner in crime), suggested we take him to play in the sink and see if that would work. He loves making faces in the mirror, so this seemed like a good idea. It turned out to be a success, and I was able to finish his hair. Our teacher called his dad, and told him about the hair cut, and when she got off the phone she said, "You just made that man's day!" Which in turn made my day as well!

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We have another little boy who was a tiny preemie, and one of the things we have to work with him on is his muscle tightness. He walks on his tip toes because he's just strung so tightly. Our teacher has asked me to sit with him and "stretch him" during morning circle, so he's my little buddy now. I sit behind him and we go through our stretches each morning. He has taken to fiddling with the digital watch on my wrist, and the other day he managed to put it on military time AND set the alarm to go off every hour! I couldn't even figure out how to fix it, but it made me laugh. What a little stinker!

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At snack time on Thursday the boys were enjoying peanut butter on graham crackers, and one little guy had got it all over his nose. Another little boy comes up to me and says real quiet, "His 'smell' is dirty." I thought that was just so cute! These little kids just really charm me.

Harbinger of Spring

Spring has been taking it's own sweet time getting here this year, so any small sign that it might be here to stay is most welcome.

I have gotten into the habit of not shaving my legs in the winter. You know, the added warmth of a "winter coat" and all. (Or laziness...)

For some reason the 25-year-old woman that I work with at the school thinks that this practice is disturbing. Because of that, I felt it my duty to desensitize her by showing her my hairy legs at every opportunity. You can imagine how much she enjoyed that.

Well, the other day I came in and asked her if she knew what a "harbinger of spring" was. She didn't. So I flashed this at her:

She was thrilled to know that I had shed my winter coat and spring had finally arrived at last!

And in a related story:
In our classroom we use "icons" to communicate with the kids who are non-verbal, and they come in everything from foods, to colors, to actions (no spitting!). Well my very thoughtful 25-year-old friend surprised me with this icon today:

Okay, I get the hint already!

So If You See Chocolate In Between My Teeth, You'll Know Why

I went to the dentist today to get a tooth filled. I'm a new patient of his, and I was feeling pretty comfortable with going to him (well at least as comfortable as I get). I got settled in the chair, was given the tv clicker and was enjoying watching Rachel Ray cook in HD, when the dentist came in.

He asks how I'm feeling, etc.

"Can I get you anything?" He asks?

I say, "No, I'm fine.", but what I'm really thinking is "Yeah, I would kill for some chocolate right now!"

Then he says, "Are you hungry? It's going to be a while before you can eat again."

I tell him yeah, I'm always hungry, but I'll be ok.

"I have some chocolate cookies that my wife made. Would you like a couple?"

[cue sound of needle skidding across record] What the what? Chocolate cookies?!

Gee, let me think... "Um, sure that would be nice."

So, yes, I ate chocolate cookies right before my filling today. My dentist is now my hero, and I am SO his patient for life!

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And off topic, but how ironic is it that while I'm researching how to rid one's home of carpenter ants, one of the dirty buggers waltzes across my computer screen? Yes, irony at it's finest, my little 6 legged friend! [cue crazy evil laughter]

I'm Updating My Blog. I Hope You're Happy Now

I guess I'm being a bad blogger, because last night I hear a call from the livingroom from my eldest daughter, "Mom! You need to update your blog!"

So, I'll just start with that. The eldest daughter has moved back home, after living with her dad for the last 9 months. And it's good. And she has a LOT of stuff. But it's still good.

I wrote previously about how Mike is the temporary night janitor (till the end of the school year) at the girls' school, and how the girls love going there after hours to hang out when I'm at work. Well now, my little Nat won't even come home. Her dad starts work right when school's out but she prefers to stay instead of coming home so that she can help all the teachers. She loves to sharpen pencils, stack books, sort recycling, or anything else that she's asked to do. I would even go so far as to say she a little obsessed. She's such a funny kid.

Oh, and speaking of that, it's kinda funny how kids have adapted electronic-speak for daily stuff. When I ran my daycare I always thought it was funny how the kids would be playing something (not a video game, mind you) and then say, "let's pause the game". The other night a nude Nat comes running in from the bathroom, and I can hear the water in the tub running, so I ask her what's up, and she says that she wanted to hang out with us until the hot water finished "loading".

Ok, now I've officially updated my blog. Yay.

Great Grandaddy's Legacy

I recently started a family tree on Geni.com to share with all my far-flung and long lost relatives. Everyone has been very excited about learning about our ancestors and I'm lucky enough to be in possesion of a lot of old photos and other family history tid-bits.

I've always wanted to find a way to share all this with my extended family and now thanks to the internet I can.

My 3rd great grandfather left behind a jounal entry that was translated from Danish. I've always thought that he wrote it for a reason--that being to leave a legacy to his descendants. Up until now, I have been the only one benefitting from this gift, but I am so happy now to be able to share it.

So, without further ado, here is the translation from Danish of my 3rd great grandfather's journal of his conversion to Mormonism and his subsequent immigration to the U.S. He was a Utah pioneer and later, at the age of 55 returned to his homeland on a mission for the Church.

Journal of Niels Hendrick Borreson
Born August 2, 1826

First some incidents from my childhood. I was born Aug. 2, 1826 in Skovhus, Solve, Ostereojborg, Presto Amt on Sjaelland, Denmark. My father was a school teacher for 20 years and was born 1779 on Moen; his name was Peder Christian Borresen. My mother’s name was Maren Kjestine; she was born on Moen March 7th, 1777. They were good to me. I went to school from my 7th to my 14th year, was confirmed by Pastor Sotoft and had second place in the group of confirmants. Then I was apprenticed to a blacksmith, Hans Rasmussen, who was my father’s neighbor. I was here only three months, as the work was too hard for me. For some time I was with Jens Skoffod, a fiddler, but soon gave that up, and May 1st I started working on a large farm for Hans Person of Baggebolleby. There I learned to plow, harrow, and cultivate the soil. Nov. 1st I went to another farmer, Boe Rasmussen, in Kragenby, and there again I cultivated the soil.
In 1846 I went to Copenhagen; arriving there May 2nd, I started working for Captain From. Later I was with a merchant Goldager. Later again with Sjofer. Finally on April 1st 1848 I joined up with the Danish Army and fought against the Germans, who had attacked Denmark. On May 29th I fought for two hours in one battle and on June 5 I fought for 9 hours at Dybbol Hill. Later I was assigned the job of taking care of sick and wounded horses. During the latter part of the war, from ‘49 until April 1st ’51 I was coachman for Lieutenant Borthty (spelling of this name questionable). I left Augustenborg April 2nd 1851; arrived in Copenhagen April 4th and was married to Hanne Marie Nielsen Nov. 1st ’51.
We started a small retail store and I got a position in the Federal Post Office sorting letters to be sent to all the capitals of the world.
During this time I became convinced that the Lutheran Church was wrong in it’s teachings. On Christmas Day 1852 I was in Holman’s church and in the sermon the minister said that though we lied, stole or killed; still the blood of Jesus atoned for all our sins, and we should be saved as the robber on the cross was forgiven. That was not my belief, and when I heard about Mormonism, I realized that was what I believed. I was baptized (Mormon) April 12th 1853, and my wife had been baptized April 8th 1853 by Ebbesen Jessen on Enikeswern, Copenhagen.
We continued our retail store on Reine Street, #200, and I kept my position in the post office until we left Denmark Dec. 25th, 1853 together with my brother Philip Borresen, my sister Anne Marie Olhus Borresen, my niece Trine Amalie and her husband Peder Christensen and their two girls, Anne and Sofie.
When we arrived at Gluckstadt, we stayed there some time, as the frost was so hard and the ice was so thick that the harbor was ice-bound. The people were so mean to us poor Mormons that we had no peace, night or day. Then our President, Mr. Olsen, proclaimed a day of fasting , and we prayed to God to deliver us, and He heard the prayers of 800 to 900 of his children who had left everything for the faith in the Gospel God had given them. The storm came and it rained and the ice broke. As the ship was ready to sail, we left Gluckstadt, but the sailors were bitter and spiteful and treated us poor Mormons very badly. I was seasick and my sister Marie bought a cup of coffee, which I drank. It only made me more sick, as it was made with salt water. This made Marie feel so bad that she cried.
Finally we reached Hull City safely, and from there we went by train to Liverpool, where we had to wait for passage to America. As far as I remember, 32 children died while there, and among them was my 18 month old daughter Herik Jette Marie Borresen. With hearts full of sorrow, we poor fathers and mothers had to leave them behind.
At last we boarded Benjamin Adams, a large ship, and we set sail. A few days out my niece’s little girl Sofie, 8 years old, took sick and died. She was put into a sack weighted with a stone and dropped overboard to the great sorrow of her father and mother, Peder and Trine Amalie Christensen. After nine weeks we arrived at New Orleans where Peder Chistensen died. Four men took him off the ship and we saw him no more.
Now we were transferred to a steamboat and sailed up the Mississippi River to St. Louis. From there we sailed on another steamboat to Kansas City. Many of our dear brethren contracted cholera and died and were buried there. The rest of us bought open and covered wagons and started on the long trek across the desert which took us 17 weeks. The Indians took some of our cattle, so President Olsen commanded us all to carry our guns on our shoulders. When we came to Fort Laramie (Wyoming) the captain with 32 soldiers promised us compensation for our loss. They pursued the Indians, but were ambushed and killed by the Indians, who then took over the fort.
We finally arrived in Salt Lake City October 5th, 1854 and shortly after that my sister Anne Marie Olhus died. We lived in Salt Lake City till the first of February, then we moved to Little Cottonwood and lived in a cellar, but we could find no water. I prayed to God and one day I took my spade and looked for a place to dig a well. As I walked, the word came to me to dig where I was standing, and I’d find water. I obeyed, and when I had dug about 6 feet, the clear spring water gushed out of the ground about 2 feet. Niels Madsen and Frederik Jessen came and got water too from the same well.
Dec. 11th we went to Lehi and on the 14th we went to Provo. Feb. 1st we went to Spanish Fork and the 16th of March as far as I remember, we went to Sandpete and Mount Pleasant. And the first of April 1861 we moved to Spring City.
I fought all through the Black Hawk War. I was out in the mountains during the winter of 1857 to guard Jorgensen’s Army. We captured a picket guard and he said he saw 100,000 harvesters.


My notes: When he talks about his conversion, and that he didn't believe what he heard in the Lutheran church, I think he meant that he didn't believe that you could sin and then repent on Sundays just to sin again. The way it's written almost sounds like Mormons don't believe in the Atonement, which isn't true. I think a little something was lost in translation there. Some of the other references too are a little vague. Not sure what he means in the last sentence about seeing 100,000 harvesters. He really had a rough life as a pioneer (as they all did), and I can't imagine the courage it took to go back as a missionary to his homeland some years later and repeat the trip across country and the voyage across the sea. He is a great example of faith and obedience.

Sharing the Legacy of Family History

When my mom passed away I inherited all the family history stuff. Among this was a journal from my 3rd great grandfather Niels Hendrick Borreson (pronounced Burson). I've always wanted to somehow share this legacy with others, especially long-lost cousins, so recently I started a family tree website to do just that. I was able to scan the journal entries and a lot of the old photos and upload them to share. I hope that it will inspire my extended family to learn about their ancestors.

My mom's side of the family is rich in Utah pioneering/Mormon history. I knew the maternal side (the Borreson side) was, but with a little searching last night, I am coming to find out the paternal side was as well.

It's exciting, but at the same time humbling to be recording the names and dates of my ancestors. Often there were 8, 9, 10 or more children but several of those little ones were lost in the first few years. As a parent, it really touches me to think about how difficult life was back then.

I found a picture last night of Niels Borreson's house in Spring City Utah:


along with this short description:
"This house, one of the oldest stone houses in Spring City, was constructed of two-foot thick random rubble stone. Borresen, a miller and horticulturalist, was born in Denmark in 1826. He converted to the LDS church in Denmark and came to Utah in the late 1850s. He moved to Spring City in 1860 and had three wives. He was a veteran of the Black Hawk War and was imprisoned twice at the Territorial Prison in Sugarhouse for practicing polygamy. In 1994 a wood frame wing was added and the original house restored by Peter and Inge-Lise Goss."

I knew that this ancestor was a polygamist from my family history research. I didn't know that he went to prison for it however. He married two widows; one who's husband's death was listed as "died at sea - on way from Norway to United States". These women both had 3-4 children and then went on to have 3-4 more with Niels. He fathered his last child at the age of 62!

At any rate, I plan on publishing his journal entry here over the next few days. It's interesting, and someone may just be looking for information on this prolific Utah pioneer and I would love to share what I can.

Pinch Me

Nat: "Do people have to wear green to bed so they don't get pinched in the morning?"

Mom: "Only if they have a brother. Since yours is in San Francisco I think you're safe."

A Kid's Dream

So imagine you're somewhere between the ages of 10 and 7, and you get to go to your school after hours and have the place all to yourself to do whatever you want.

You go into the top secret teacher's lounge, where students are strictly prohibited. Then you sit in the secretary's chair and pretend that you're in charge of handing out tardy slips.

You go up on stage and put on an improptu show with your sister that involves hula hoops, dribbling balls and being insanely goofy. You set up the microphone stands and take turns manning the stage curtains.

Then you go to the library to chill out. Do a little browsing among the books, lounge a little on the bean bag chairs, and cuddle with the stuffed animals.

Later you play hide and seek with your sister. So many classrooms to choose from. You find all the secret nooks and crannies, and doors that connect to other classrooms. You run and chase and laugh till you can't breathe.

The best part may be having the entire gym to yourself. You find the stash of balls, jump ropes, and scooter boards and use every one. You put on your Heelie shoes and run and skate with reckless abandon. It doesn't get much better than this!

Imagine how fun it is to explore your school with no rules, no teachers, no time limits.

Yep, that's what Nat and Miss Moo got to do tonight while I worked. Mike has been the substitute night custodian at their school this week, so this evening they got to go hang out with Daddy at their school. I came to pick them up 5 hours later and they STILL weren't ready to leave! They had just WAY too much fun!

I Am A Complete Dork At 2 In The Morning - Consider Yourself Warned

I'm sure you've all seen this video:



Well, that's what happened to me at about 2:30am this morning, but with the added twist that it was completely dark---the power had gone out, the curtains were drawn and there was no light at all. I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. I drew the short straw, and had to go feed the cat so we could get some sleep, but of course there was no flashlight to be found on either nightstand. I knew I had one in my purse...in the dining room. That would mean running the gauntlet blind through three rooms to retrieve it.

I felt around with my feet on the floor until I found my slippers...as I start to get up I realize they're on the wrong feet. Oh well. The first few feet are easy, I just have to keep my hand on the edge of the bed... but with dread, I know that I'll have to let go of this comforting anchor and navigate No Man's Land across the bedroom unassisted to get to the door of the bathroom.

No Man's Land involved waving my arms in front of my face while sweeping the floor ahead with my foot to avoid tumbling over the dreaded Ancient Sleeping Labrador. I was so worried about this happening that I completely overshot my goal, and ended up in the corner of the bedroom. As my flailing arms start hitting the clothes on top of my dresser I realize how far off I am, and because this so surprises me I start to giggle.

Mike can't tell if I'm laughing or crying at this point, and I'm really starting to lose it, so I can't form a coherent answer to his queries. This makes me laugh even more, and then I think how ridiculous I am flailing around, lost in my own bedroom, with a bad case of the giggles, and well, that really DID IT, and I started to snort!

Oh, gosh once the snorting started I just broke out in hysterical, crazy woman laughing (while I'm still making my way through the house with arms waving and feet darting out feeling for obstacles). I am just delirious and having a good old time by now. I'm giggling, snorting, and tripping over random stuff, which of course wakes up the girls...and the dogs...and the rest of the cats, who are all wondering what in the flip is happening.

I finally find my purse, fumble through it, find the flashlight, feed the *bleeping* cat, and make my way back to bed. The girls are fully awake now, as is Mike, and because the girls are afraid of the dark, I have to go find them a flashlight so that they can go back to sleep.

I woke up this morning and was still chuckling a little about what a spectacle I was in the middle of the night, all because of a pestering, hungry cat!

I Went to a Board Meeting

I went to my first school board meeting ever tonight. I've always been an involved parent, just not THAT involved.

Our district like many others, is facing a serious budget deficit. On the proposal to be cut are things like the ski program, music, the school nurse among other things and/or jobs. It is scary times, especially in California.

The good news is that we have an awesome school board, a bunch of committed and active parents, and our district gets funding mostly from property taxes and NOT from the state like other districts, which means that we are sitting in a much better position than most.

There were rumors that our small school up here was going to be shut down. Thankfully that is just a rumor and things would have to get really bad before they did that.

It was an eye opening experience, and though I arrived feeling anxious and full of dread, I left feeling hopeful and thankful for our little school district and our close knit small community.

Dental Phobia

Yesterday I went to the dentist. Big Whoop, you say? It's been 12 years and I'm a dentalphobe, I say!

My main excuse for not going for so long was my lack of insurance. I didn't want to go to find out I needed work only to not be able to afford it. My other excuse was that since as far back as I remember I've had to have dental work, and I never, ever had a time when I went and was told "no cavities". I was happy if I could count how many cavities I had on ONE hand, not two!

But yesterday wasn't so bad. And it was actually the first time I've had "no cavities"! I do have a couple fillings that need to be replaced, but remarkably, nothing urgent, no root canals, no gum disease (my fears) and it will be affordable thanks to my insurance. Huzzah!!!

Today I took my girls to finish up their dental treatment (all my kids have unfortunately inherited my crappy teeth). And in stark contrast to my experiences as a child, they actually look forward to going to the dentist. What's not to love about a safari themed office where you can play video games while you're waiting, bring a dvd to watch while you're getting your work done and nitrous oxide is standard? The dentist demonstrates each tool on their finger (Mr. Thirsty, Mr. Tickle, etc.), and puts a smiley face on their fingernail to show how the sealants work. Afterward they go "shopping" in the toy box and get a balloon.

Yes, dentists have come a long way, and I'm glad for my younger kids that it has. As for me, I'm proud that I finally had the courage to go, and that 12 years of neglecting the dentist wasn't as bad as I imagined.

From the 7-Year-Old:

Conversing with her 10yo sister, "So you know how cops like sushi?"

WHAT!? Cops like SUSHI? I thought it was donuts or something! Of course her sister goes along with it like this is common knowledge. (And I'm sorry I can't remember what the rest of the conversation was actually about.)

Then later, "I love-slash-hate Tuesdays."

What 7yo says "love-slash-hate"? Where the heck did that come from? And it sounded like it was mostly a hate thing due to what school work is required on Tuesdays anyway. Too funnny.

This Was My Week And It Was Good (not feeling the title today...)

This week in review...

Saw Cam and Cass' play last Sunday. I had to play hookey from church because Sunday's my ONLY DAY OFF! and I don't even get that off this week...wah! and I have to work 13 days in a row, between both my jobs...wah!, wah!, until March 7th when I get a day off FINALLY!....

...okay, now that I have my whining done...back to topic...

Sis and I drove down to "The City" (ya know, code for San Fran), and saw the play that Cam and Cass have been working so hard on the last couple months. It was at SFSU and they did High Fidelity. It was fantastic, but would have been NOTHING without the fabulous assistant director (Cass) and the drummer in the band (Cam). I was impressed by the talent and it was nice to have a day to hang out with my big kids.

Thanks to Sis for driving all the way home when I got a migraine and had to take my heavy duty prescription medicine. I felt great, but since I was having a hard time putting together a coherent sentence, I figured I shouldn't be operating heavy machinery, even if said machinery is only a Honda Civic.

Another highlight this week was getting my order of Girl Scout cookies. Along with Lemonades and Shortbreads we got a box of the Holy Grail of Girl Scout cookies: THIN MINTS, and I decided, why should we torture ourselves with doling them out one at a time, making them last, rationing, all that hooey...let's just eat the dang things and enjoy the heck out of them. So we did. We ate the whole box in one evening. And it was Gooooooooood!

Then Miss Moo wrote an essay for school featuring ME (of all people!) and how I should get a Best Parent Award:

My mom has two jobs and is not appreciated! I want her to be. Every day she works really hard. My mom absolutely must win an award for being the greatest mom ever.
One reason is she makes me laugh and is very funny. My mom acts really funny around the house. Around the house, she dances even when there isn’t any music on. Sometimes she makes jokes even off topic.
Another reason is she takes me shopping. She takes me shopping for toys, clothes, bikes, and, books. She takes me to a lot of different stores like, Wal-Mart, J.C.Penney, Ross, and T.J.Max. When we go school shopping we go all over the place.
The final reason my mom should win an award is for taking care of me. When I am sick she stays home with me and helps me get better. She cooks delicious food when my dad is not home. When I am having teeth problems she calls the dentist and makes an appointment for me.
My mom should be given an award for being a great mom. My mom helps little kids with autism. You have to give my mom an award for helping people, taking care of me, making me laugh and taking me shopping. You might not know my mom and you might not think she is great but, she is to me.

And this pretty much made my week, 'cause I was feeling like a pretty crappy, neglectful mom. Plus I like the part about me not being appreciated (hee,hee!), and making jokes "off topic". Just to explain the reference to me cooking: luckily Mike does almost all the cooking, but should he be absent, I make an attempt to heat something on the stove, which may or may not be mac and cheese.

And then Sis came up and spent the afternoon with me yesterday, which helped my demeanor immensely, even if she couldn't tell, and I still seemed sullen and whiney.

All in all, a good week!

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Funny how I came to work with special needs kids. I mean really. The only experience I had with people who had mental disabilities was from my childhood, and it was extremely negative.

I had a distant cousin who had Down Syndrome. I saw her only occasionally at big family get-togethers, usually at Easter. She was quite a bit older than I was, and I was WARNED about her. Due to an incident involving another cousin of mine, I was specifically warned not to wear necklaces when she was around because she would try to grab it, and would choke me in the process. I was further led to believe that she was abnormally strong, and if she were to latch on to me, I would be lucky to survive.

I was so afraid of this sweet girl. It made me so nervous to be anywhere near her. I really didn't even want to go to any events that she might possibly attend.

I think that this girl probably did touch my cousin's necklace, and I imagine that my cousin over-reacted and her drama queen of a mother embellished the horror (or lack thereof) for her own enjoyment (my aunt was actually the mentally unstable one, as we would all find out much, much later). The story of the necklace grabbing and my cousin's narrow escape from death at the clutches of this girl soon became a family legend of sorts.

Because of this, the mentally handicapped always made me nervous and uneasy. Just by chance I ended up subbing in special ed when I signed on with the school district as an aide. As soon as I met the precious little ones afflicted with Down's, autism and other disorders, all my old fears and predjudices flew right out the window, and I fell in love, especially with the Down Syndrome kids, whom I've come to find out, are the sweetest and gentlest souls on the planet.

Just last week I came across this post which touched my heart. It's encouraging to see that people with special needs are more readily accepted and understood now, and I regret that I lived a good deal of my life with a bias against them.

Milkshakes are Special Ed Approved

The kids in our class get these little containers of strawberries with their school breakfasts, and being that they're preschoolers, they usually share a container and we put the others in the fridge for another time.

Well, we ended up with a bunch of these little containers and the teacher had an awesome idea...we needed to make strawberry milkshakes!

She went and got some vanilla ice cream then we put some in a cup for each kid, added a little strawberries, a little milk, and had them stir (sequencing and fine motor skills) then they had to suck it through a straw (oral skills), plus they were sitting at the table practicing their social skills. See, it was all in the name of education! (And of course we grown-ups had one too...role modeling, you see...yeah, that's the ticket!)

Trying to Catch Up on This Whole Blogging Thing

I was just starting to get back into the blogging mode and then hit another one of those "meh" kinda moods. I know my sister appreciates reading my blog, so in honor of her, here is what's been going on in my uber-exciting life.

Well, with the president's holiday weekend, we were very busy at the restaurant and I made good tips both Friday and Saturday. On Friday we were visited by a family that has come before...and we remember them...and especially their children, VERY WELL, if you get my drift...what's a nice way of saying that they were hellions? Well I can't think of a nice way of saying that so there ya go.

This group of people consisted of a couple sets of parents and about 6 kids aged 8-11ish. The hostess and I were literally babysitting these kids as they roamed the restaurant unrestricted by their parents.

Let's see, I had to take salt and pepper shakers away from 2 of the boys who had ventured near the fireplace with them and planned who-knows-what kind of science experiment involving fire, salt and pepper, then I had to run them out of the bar because they decided it would be fun to rearrange all the barstools, tables and chairs in there; after that I shooed them away from the hostess station/cash register area where they were trying to sneak behind the "employees only" gate and steal from the bowl of after-dinner mints that the hostess had to finally hide from them. Later, after they had left and I was bussing their table I found one of our spoons broken in half and another nicely bent. They obviously did that right under their parents' noses. Sheesh! What kind of parent lets their children act like that in public?

The good thing is that since our restaurant is a private, they will be hearing from the general manager, and won't be allowed to come again and let their children behave that way.

We had a huge crab feed at the restaurant on Sunday, which I renamed "Happy Crabentine's Day". We again worked our fannies off, but we all went home with a big bag of fresh crabby leftovers. Yum!

Yesterday Miss Moo went downhill skiing with the school -her very first time at downhill- and ended up falling and hurting her wrist. Nothing broken just a slight sprain.

About an hour before I had to go pick Miss Moo up from the school, I was trying to close one of our old-timey wooden sash windows which was being stubborn because of the wet weather, and ended up slamming the tip of my middle finger in it. Oh, ouch! Surprisingly enough I refrained from using any hard-core curse words and instead muttered "mother of pearl!" and "dammy sammy!" numerous times to spare little Nat's innocent ears. I did have to go lay down for a bit. Holy heck, fingertips are sensitive!

Speaking of curse words, tonight I ran to the store, and playing over the loudspeakers was the song that goes, "Haven't you people ever heard of closing the G-D door?". On the radio they edit out the G-D, but not at our store, apparently. In fact, this was the first time I'd heard that song in it's full curse-word glory. And mind you the G-D part is 80% of the lyrics to the song, so it's not like you could miss it.

I was kind of walking around, thinking, "Seriously? Do they not realize what they're playing? Did some kid say, 'Hey can I play my cd?' and they didn't question it?" I will definitely let them know about it. I'm sure they will hear from a lot of other folks too.

That's about it here in my little part of the world. We've been enjoying our "spring tease" with all the warm weather and sunshine, but we aren't dumb enough to think that spring is actually here. It's nice to pretend for a few days though.

A Nose Like A Bloodhound

Thursday Mike picked up the girls from school and Nat got into his pick-up and said, "Your truck smells funny Dad." He and Miss Moo didn't smell anything unusual, so he didn't think much of it.

He dropped the girls off at home and drove to the market where his truck caught fire. It was an electrical fire and luckily got put out before it became a major disaster, but definitely put his truck out of commission. Well, that explains what Nat smelled.(Mike will now have to get around in his old Land Cruiser that I swear is held together by rust alone).

Nat has always had a sensitive nose. When she was little, she would cry if we drove past a skunk because the smell was so strong to her. And there was also the time driving through the city, when she announced, "I smell French fries." We didn't come across the fast food restaurant until about 1/2 a mile later. She also can't stand the smell of banana bread baking. I guess it's just too sweet. Strange little kid.

From now on if she says she smells something we are going to take heed. If she says she smells smoke we're going to call 9-1-1 and ask questions later. Someday that nose of hers may just pay off...I wonder if she can sniff out truffles...

He Will Be Missed

...and remembered.

My Kind of Movie Star

We have the nicest older gentleman that comes in regularly to our restaurant. He's so kind, and fun to chat with. He likes to side tip the bussers and waitresses rather than add the tip to the bill. He'll call you over real low-key and then slip the money in your hand (and he's quite generous-both with his money and his hugs).

He's been battling cancer, and lost his wife a couple years ago, but his will to live and his love of life are so strong. He never fails to make us all feel grateful and happy when he arrives.

He is a Swiss immigrant and I had heard that there had been a film made about his life. All of us at the restaurant have wanted to see it, but just have never had the chance.

Well, when I started my job at the special-ed preschool, I discovered that one of the other aides was full-blooded Swiss. Being that she was only 24, and obviously not an immigrant, I asked her how that came about in America of all places! She said her parents were both Swiss and happened to meet. Well, I couldn't resist asking if she happened to know our Mr. Ruckli from the restaurant. She said of course she did, he was a distant relative. And I also found out she owned a copy of his film which she was happy to lend to me.

We watched the film the other night. It tells of Fred immigrating to America when he was 19, because he wanted to do better than he could in Switzerland. He wanted the American dream. He ended up working at his uncle's dairy in the SF bay area, but shortly thereafter the Korean War started and he was drafted. If he didn't fight in the war he could not become a citizen, which is what he wanted most of all, so he fought.

Years later he returned to Switzerland and was at a local bar; he told how he was proud of the fact that he could buy everyone there a round of drinks because he was now a successful American citizen. He told them how in America people don't call each other sir, mister or doctor, everyone knows everyone by their first names.

Also in the film, it shows him caring for his elderly wife who suffered a stroke and subsiquently lost her memory. He said now in their later years they could have traveled, but she wouldn't have gotten anything out of it, she was "in her own little world". When Nat heard that she said, "It's just like she's autistic, huh?" Interesting how my girls' understanding of others has expanded by just my working with special needs kids and telling them about them.

A couple days after we had watched his film, Mr Ruckli came into the restaurant with his daughter. I was excited to tell them how I had finally seen the film and how I had enjoyed it. He was surprised when I told him how my 7 and 10 year old watched the whole movie and enjoyed it as well.

It's just a simple little film about a war veteran, a father, a husband, a proud American and a man I know and admire. I would rather recieve a hug from him than any of your "Hollywood types". Mr. Ruckli is my kind of "movie star".

Losing...

a Father-in-law and a grandfather.

It's rough. He has cancer and won't last for more than another couple days. He has his family by his side which is all anyone would want.

I don't really feel like this is blog fodder, so I haven't posted about it. It's too real...hurts...brings up memories of my mom's death.

I do know that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ, and that He lives and because He lives we will all live again as well. Families ARE forever. This I also know is true. And that's what gives me peace right now.

Tea For Three

On the way home from church today, the girls decided we needed to have a tea party. I made tea and bagels with cream cheese, and the girls each made their own specialties: Nat made cinnamon rolls (bread spread with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar then rolled up and cut into small pieces) and Miss Moo made her famous apple crisp which is just apples sliced up with cinnamon, powdered sugar with a little water added. I have no clue why she calls it an apple crisp, but it's good, so who am I to argue? We added some sliced oranges, and some fudge my friend gave me and it was a lovely tea!

One Tough Cookie

Miss Moo slammed her finger in a door about a month ago. It was pretty nasty at the time and she got very white and almost passed out. From then on every day the finger and nail turned different colors.

Finally the finger recovered and she was left with a black nail. She painted all her nails black, so it wasn't very noticable. Then she and Nat were playing rough and her nail almost came off. Ugh...that was about a week ago.

After wearing band-aids and babying it for a week, she decided the nail had to go. I give her credit. I wouldn't have had the stomach for it. While she watched her favorite show she wiggled that nail and got it off. I know. Ugh, again.

She said that it made her tummy feel weird, and Nat and I said it made our tummies feel weird just to think about it!

After she made the big Nail Detachment announcement, I asked her if she threw the nail away (as in "please, please, for the love of Pete, don't let me see that thing sitting on the coffee table"). She said, "No, I saved it so I can show Dad 'cause he'll want to see it." Being that he's a guy and all, he probably WILL want to see it. As for me...Ugh, ugh, ugh! My tummy feels weird.

Back to Basics

We’ve had a week of storm after storm and it took a toll on our little town. Sixty-plus electric outages and over 5000 people affected. This is roughly the population of our town and surrounding Podunk suburbs. I was feeling a bit guilty when our little neighborhood only lost power for a few hours and most of those during the night. All around town folks were talking about trees that had come down and taken out power poles, or how long they’d been suffering without their modern conveniences. Yep, we got off REAL lucky.

Then it happened. Out went our phone line on Sunday. Due to our own economic circumstances we’ve been without cable and cell phones for about a month, so we’ve been toughened up a bit by that deprivation. But no phone line? And in our world that equals no internet! Yikes. No contact with the outside world. No watching tv shows on HULU. No local news or weather. UGH!

The first day wasn’t so bad. I broke out the bread machine, dusted it off (it’s been neglected for years) and made bread. We played some games, read, went to sleep early. And with the tons of snow we got I was feeling very Little House on the Prairie-esque.

The second day not so much, the third, forgettaboutit! And the fourth…finally in the afternoon, contact with the outside world again. How Laura, Mary and Pa every made it through The Long Winter is beyond me!
Wow, getting back to basics. Ain’t it grand?

(Here's a photo of what we found upon opening the front door after the last storm)


"Pa! put down that fiddle and get a shovel! A BIG shovel!"

A January Paddling

This week has been filled with gorgeous, if not unseasonable, weather. On Monday I made a plan to kayak today if the weather held (Fridays being the day I'm off work at noon and don't have to show up at the restaurant till 4:30, so I knew I'd have plenty of daylight and time.)

I came racing home, loaded my boat and took it on the short drive to the lake. Ahhhhh...me time. And I didn't feel guilty.

I really wouldn't have guessed I'd get a chance to take my kayak out until spring, certainly January wasn't on my mind at all. I have to confess it was nice to go out just by myself. I love having the girls go with me but there's always someone who's wet, or tired, or doesn't want to go to that end of the lake, etc. It was just too cool to do what I wanted and get it out of my system so that I can really cater to what the kids want to do next time.

Here's my moment of zen...

and just bliss...

I did have to share the lake with my fellow paddlers though:

It Was a Test!

Remember my post about how I read everything, and the chopped red ants on the order board at the restaurant?

Well, when I worked on New Year's Eve, I had to check out the board. Usually I see if the same stuff is up there that I remember from last time or if there's something new for me to read.

This time among the lists of items I saw a circle with a slash and then "of ur bznz".

They're out of some kind of beans?...none of your beans?

Hmm...no, that's not it....

"None of your business!" I shout in victory!

The chefs just start laughing. "Yeah we put that up there for you to see if you'd notice"

I did. Ha!

Savoring the Last of My Christmas and My Chocolate

I really think this was one of our best Christmases. Such fun, such laughs, such great times together. For me the best present is always having all my kiddos under one roof enjoying each other's company. That's always the best gift.

Christmas has wound down, the Christmas decorations have been boxed up. Good old 2009 has wound down as well. This is always a melancholy time: the packing away of the Christmas magic and hoping I did a good job to make it special and memorable for my kids the way my mom always did.

Then the whole new year thing, which makes me look back--well, literally because as I put up my new calendar for the year, I look at all the pages on my old one: appointments, work schedules, play dates, birthday parties, short trips, awards, school performances, and I remember what the first of last year was like and it seems like so long ago but not that long ago all at the same time. Weird.

And now our Christmas break is almost over. Only two more days and it's back to work and school. I have so cherished this time. With my school job, I get the same vacation as the kids, and my restaurant job has only worked me 3 days over the last 2 weeks. I haven't had two days off in a row in a very long time and then I get all this! Wow!

The girls and I have totally gotten off schedule. We are such night-owls and sleeper-inners now. That first week back is going to kick our collective butts!

I am proud of myself for getting a lot accomplished with my time off. I have been going through all the boxes that I have been storing (and moving) for the last, gosh, must be 18 years. I have boxes and boxes filled with the kids' school keepsakes. Entire boxes for one grade and ONE kid. Goodness, every lunch menu, spelling test, doodle, worksheet, you name it. I have weeded through each box and kept the treasures and tossed the rest, and I've been making myself be brutal.

My goal is that each kid will have a plastic storage box of special toys, baby blankets, first outfits, etc, a scrapbook of school artwork, and a binder with awards, special cards, stories they had written and other fun things (not counting their photo scrapbooks, but that's a whole other project!) and over the last 2 weeks I've come very close to achieving this goal. (Hearty pat on the back.)

I'm almost at the end of the box of chocolates that my son had given me for Christmas and it reminds me of this time of year...the days (and chocolates) were plentiful at the beginning of our break, we had everything to anticipate and look forward to and it seemed like we had so much, and now my box is almost empty and my days off with my girls are almost gone too. The chocolates taste just as delicious if not more so...I slowly savor each one, as it is with my days, I try to savor that time that I don't have work and can just be at home with my kids. Sweet, indeed.

Why You Dirty...

The other night we were out looking at Christmas lights and we came upon a house with synchronized lights that was just incredible. I pulled out my camera to take a picture, and wouldn't ya know...the battery was dead.

I kind of muttered, "Why, you dirty baa...Bugger!"

From the back seat of the car I hear Natalie, "Did you hear that? Mom almost said bastard! She was going to say, 'Why, you dirty bastard!'"

How could I NOT laugh after that! I did give a little reminder that if I stop myself from saying a word, chances are it's not appropriate for her to say either!

Be a Reader!

I certainly can't be the only one who reads everything, can I?

At the restaurant I'm always reading the white board that the chef uses for orders from the suppliers. I'm often sneaking up there and making a correction or two (skewrs? no, skewers!) or asking what something means in messy chef short-hand (chopped red ants? really?! no, actually chopped mxd (mixed) nuts) although after pointing that out, a few days later he did write "chopped red ants" on there just to see if I would notice. I did. Immediately.

One of the waitresses who has been there some 15 years said she didn't know anyone's last name. Apparantly she doesn't read the names on everyone's time cards when she clocks in and out.

I've never really thought about it until the chef pointed it out, but am I really that unusual? I'm sure most people read everything too, right? Box labels, scribbled notes, office memos, signs, t-shirts, those mandatory employee rights posters? Please tell me I'm not the only one. I'm starting to get a complex here.

The Santa Beard Question

Ok, so I was asked a very good question: If Mike has a big hairy face already, then why the fake beard when he was playing Santa?

Well, he tried it without the beard and it just didn't look Santa-ish enough. There's just something about the flowing white beard that's more Santa like and to be truthful, I'd rather he wear a fake beard than encourage him to grow his beard any longer than it already is. That's just too much hair for my liking.

Here's a couple photos of the girls in their elf suits. The person who loaned Mike the Santa suit had the elf hats and shoes, I made the little felt tunics, and the girls just wore turtle necks and tights underneath.

Here Comes Santa

Mike got to play Santa today at a local preschool. He has been wanting to do the Santa-thing for years, and I guess if you go gray early and have a big beard, what the heck.

He's been bugging me to be his Mrs. Claus, however I don't think I'm NEAR old enough for that kind of thing! I have a little pride! He did talk Nat and Moo into being his elves though, so the three of them got to ride to the preschool on the fire truck (lights and sirens and everything!) and hand out goodies to all the little ones.

The girls were thrilled. I had kind of coached them the night before about being elfish, talking about the North Pole and such, and having an elf name (Nat was Sparkle, Moo was Ming-Ming). I told them it was like having an acting job. Nat was cute last night studying up on the reindeer names before bedtime. I didn't get to go as I had to work, but one of the helpful firefighters took pictures (I love those guys!)

Christmas Happenings

Miss Moo had her first concert performance where she played the bells and did a fabulous job. The cool thing about the bells is that they're very easy to hear over the rest of the instruments. I love, love, love kids' band performances. This is my third kid who's blessed me with this treat. I think music is SO worthwhile (even though I dropped band in 5th grade when I found out we had to actually PERFORM--IN FRONT OF PEOPLE. I really missed out and regret not pursuing music when I was young.)

We also went to the best church Christmas party ever. It was a Polar Express theme, and let me tell ya, the couple that was recently called as the ward activities directors really go out when they do a party. Fabulous! All the kids participated in a little skit about the true meaning of Christmas, and then got to sit on Santa's lap.

My little angels waiting for their turn to see Santa.

Not only Santa, but Mrs. Claus too!

Sis and I put together homework stations (got the idea here and here) for Moo and Nat for one of their presents. They turned out so cool, and I know those girls will love them considering how much they love to play school. Whether it will actually motivate them to do their homework is debatable!

(They will have markers, pencils and glue sticks in their plastic pockets on the lower left.)

Snow Day! Wooo!

A very cold storm blew through last night and into today, leaving us with 18" of snow and several inches in the towns below us that never get snow. We started out getting a call from the schools that it would be a 2 hour delayed start, but a short time later they called a snow day.

I was up getting ready to go when I got the snow day call, and I promptly returned to bed under my down blanket with dreams of hibernation. Bliss.

I woke up a couple hours later to the sounds of the girls playing and a power outage. The perfect day to put up our tree, drink hot cocoa (thanks to our woodstove), play games, and watch the girls go sledding.

As for decorating the Christmas tree, the cats could not believe their good fortune: we brought a tree INTO the house, and put dangly things all over it! Merry Christmas to them! At least that's what they think! There's no way to keep 3 kittens out of the tree, so we put the unbreakable ornaments at the bottom and we're hoping for the best, with the squirt bottle loaded and ready when they get a little too out of hand.

I had a bad angle on this photo of the girls following a crash, but it's so funny. Miss Moo has snow in her glasses and Nat's laid out flat laughing her bum off.

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Just now the girls and Mike are sitting on the couch watching Monday Night Football. Nat asks Mike, "Are you rooting for the Packages?" What?!? Oh, she meant the Packers!!! Too funny! They'll probably be known as the Packages from now on in our house!