Home Musings

2011-12-05T14:54:00.001-07:00

Sadly, my computer is broken and hopefully will be fixed very soon. Until then, enjoy the Season!

Halloween Plate Craft!

2011-10-26T10:12:00.001-06:00

I recently learned at church how to make a decorative plate (this one for Halloween!) that requires only the following items:

A plain glass plate Fabric of your choosing
Mod Podge
sponge
styrofoam bowl
Dark pen
Scissors

1. Start with a plain glass plate...You can get these at the Dollar Store.

And fabric of your choosing...Mine is Halloween themed.

2. Place the plate face down on the fabric, centered over the area you would like to attache to the dish.

3. Use a dark pen or sharpie to draw around the dish, so that you have a circular piece of fabric.

4. Cut the fabric out.

5. Now, with the bowl still face down, use a sponge to apply a good layer of Mod Podge. Do not allow the Modge Podge to dry (here I am using different fabric - I made several of these plates).

6. Immediately apply the circle of fabric, right side down, to the back of the plate, beginning at the center and working outwards.

7. Leave the plate to dry.

Viola!

You can make these plates to celebrate any holiday. Some of my friends did these on Christmas themed fabric... They are fun and don't take much time at all.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Have A Good Scare: Halloween Movie Recommendations

2011-10-22T10:59:00.002-06:00

I love this time of year and I love a good scary movie, but with a footnote..I hate blood & guts, gory, chainsaw murderer type movies. That is no fun. Instead, I am fond of ghostly, atmospheric movies. If you like those, too, here are a few movie recommendations you might like to check out before Halloween.
The Uninvited (1944)
Stylish, well acted and with what was then cutting edge technology for special effects.

The Vampire Bat (1933)
Creepy and very well acted by top actors of the day.

The Innocents (1961)

Is the haunting real or in the mind of the haunted. You must decide. The wonderful Deborah Kerr is marvelous in this!

The Others (2001)
A classic haunting with a twist of an ending. Artfully shot and very well acted.

Poltergeist (1982)
Easy to forget how frightening this movie was when it came out. Still holds up with its wonderful blend of humor and horror.

Burnt Offerings (1976)

I was recently also given a recommendation to see this, but I haven't yet seen it. It is rated PG, which bodes well for my list. :)

All these movies can be rented through Netflix.

What are your favorite Halloween movies?

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

Together, Even in Death

2011-10-20T10:41:00.000-06:00

Following is a touching story from Yahoo News:;

..A devoted Iowa couple married for 72 years died holding hands in the hospital last week, exactly one hour apart.

The passing reflected the nature of their marriage, where, "As a rule, everything was done together," said the couple's daughter Donna Sheets, 71.

Gordon Yeager, 94, and his wife Norma, 90, left their small town of State Center, Iowa, on Wednesday to go into town, but never made it. A car accident sent the couple to the emergency room and intensive care unit with broken bones and other injuries. But, even in the hospital, their concerns were each other.

"She was saying her chest hurt and what's wrong with Dad? Even laying there like that, she was worried about Dad," said the couple's son, Dennis Yeager, 52. "And his back was hurting and he was asking about Mom."

When it became clear that their conditions were not improving, the couple was moved into a room together in beds side-by-side where they could hold hands.

"They joined hands; his right hand, her left hand," Sheets said.

Gordon Yeager died at 3:38 p.m. He was no longer breathing, but the family was surprised by what his monitor showed.

"Someone in there said, 'Why, then, when we look at the monitor is the heart still beating?'" Sheets recalled. "The nurse said Dad was picking up Mom's heartbeat through Mom's hand."

"And we thought, 'Oh my gosh, Mom's heart is beating through him,'" Dennis Yeager said.

Norma Yeager died exactly an hour later.

"Dad used to say that a woman is always worth waiting for," Dennis Yeager said. "Dad waited an hour for her and held the door for her."

The inseparable couple was engaged and married within 12 hours in 1939 on the day Norma Yeager graduated from high school.

"She graduated from high school on May 26, 1939, at about 10 a.m., and at about 10 p.m. that night she was married to my dad at his sister's house," Sheets said.

The vibrant duo had a "very, very full life."

They worked as a team. They traveled together, they were in a bridge club together and they worked in a Chevrolet dealership, creamery and other businesses together.

"They always did everything together," Sheets said. "They weren't apart. They just weren't."

Dennis Yeager described his father as an "outgoing" and "hyper" man who was still working on the roof of his house and sitting cross-legged with no problem at age 90.

"The party didn't start until he showed up," he said. "He was the outgoing one and she supported him by being the giver. She supported Dad in everything. And he would've been lost without her."

Dennis Yeager said it is strange today to go into his parents' home and see the "two chairs side-by-side that they sat in all the time," empty. He said it was in those chairs that his parents cheered on the Arizona sports teams they loved and rarely missed an episode of "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Price Is Right."

According to their obituary, besides their children, the Yeagers are survived by her sister, Virginia Kell, and his brother, Roger Yeager, as well as 14 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Their grandson Randy Yeager said he has been inspired in his own 13-year marriage by his grandparents' loving and lasting marriage.

"Grandpa and I were talking this summer about all of the people getting divorced for this reason or that and he mentioned that nobody stays together anymore," Randy Yeager wrote to ABCNews.com in an email. "I told [him] that my wife Mara and I would never be getting a divorce and he said, 'That's because you're old school, like me!'

"That was one of the greatest compliments I could have ever received and one I will strive to live up to for the rest of my life," Randy Yeager said.

The couple were put in a casket together holding hands for their funeral this week, but are being cremated and will have their ashes mixed before burial.

"All their life has been together," Sheets said. "So, when it came to the funeral home, the family asked, 'Can we have them put in the casket together holding hands?' Because that's the way their life was."

..

Natural Remedies

2011-10-18T22:05:00.000-06:00

This time of year, we are all about stocking the pantry and food storage, harvesting and preserving...However, this year we didn't plant anything, knowing we would be away in California for the balance of the Summer. The only thing we have to harvest and preserve this Fall is our perrenial herb garden..We leads me to re-educate myself on the medicinal properties of herbs. Hope that you enjoy reading the article which I've quoted below:

Purple Sage

Herb Lore: Natural Remedies.
Anise
Romans paid taxes with anise, and it was used in cough drops.

Basil
Precious to lovers in Italy and considered sacred in India. Many years ago, Italian men wore a sprig of basil to indicate their intended marriage. A cup of basil tea after dinner helps digestion. Ease a headache by drinking tomato juice blended with fresh basil.

Borage
The Romans believed the herb to be an antidepressant, and ancient Celtic warriors took it for courage.

Caraway
Caraway was used to scent perfumes and soaps. The Greeks used it for upset stomachs.

Chervil
Eating a whole plant would cure hiccups; chervil was said to warm old and cold stomachs.

Chives
Bunches of chives hung in your home were used to drive away diseases and evil.

Dill
Romans made wreaths and garlands out of dill. Dill keeps witches away.

Fennel
Bunches of fennel were used to drive off witches. It was used in love potions and as an appetite suppressant.

Garlic
It was thought to give strength and courage. Aristotle noted garlic's use as a guard against the fear of water. It's also been widely used against evil powers.

Lovage
Chewing on a piece of the dried root will keep you awake. Lovage warms a cold stomach and help digestion. Added to bathwater, it was believed to relieve skin problems.

Marjoram
The Greeks believed it could revive the spirits of anyone who inhaled it. At weddings wreaths and garlands were made of marjoram.

Mint
It was believed to cure hiccups and counteract sea-serpent stings. The Romans wore peppermint wreaths on their heads. It was added to bathwater for its fragrance.

Oregano
Used for "sour humours" that plagued old farmers. Also used for scorpion and spider bites.

Parsley
Used for wreaths and in funeral ceremonies. Believed to repel head lice and attract rabbits.

Rosemary
Rosemary in your hair will improve your memory. It will protect you from evil spirits if you put a sprig under your pillow.

Sage
Thought to promote strength and longevity and believed to cure warts. American Indians used it as a toothbrush.

Summer Savory
It was believed to be an aphrodisiac. Some thought it was a cure for deafness.

Tarragon
Put in shoes before long walking trips to give strength. It has been used to relieve toothache and as an antifungal.

Thyme
Burning thyme gets rid of insects in your house. A bed of thyme was thought to be a home for fairies.
Anyone who has sage planted in the garden is reputed to do well in business.

~~ The Old Farmers Almanac

The Lord Chasens Those Whom He Loves

2011-10-17T08:28:00.000-06:00

Hello, Friends and Visitors,

Normally I would be posting a weekly menu plan with links for you today. However, my heart is still full from a lesson we had at church yesterday. So much so, that I've decided to share some of it with you here...

Yesterday, I was asked to read a quote for a lesson on the purpose of adversity in our lives. As soon as I read this quote to myself, I knew that the Lord was speaking to me directly. Following is the section that I was asked to read aloud to the class and a few of my own thoughts on the subject:

"God uses another form of chastening or correction to guide us to a future we do not or cannot now envision but which He knows is the better way for us. President Hugh B. Brown, formerly a member of the Twelve and a counselor in the First Presidency, provided a personal experience. He told of purchasing a rundown farm in Canada many years ago. As he went about cleaning up and repairing his property, he came across a currant bush that had grown over six feet (1.8 m) high and was yielding no berries, so he pruned it back drastically, leaving only small stumps. Then he saw a drop like a tear on the top of each of these little stumps, as if the currant bush were crying, and thought he heard it say:

'How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. … And now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. … How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.'

President Brown replied, 'Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’

Years later, President Brown was a field officer in the Canadian Army serving in England. When a superior officer became a battle casualty, President Brown was in line to be promoted to general, and he was summoned to London. But even though he was fully qualified for the promotion, it was denied him because he was a Mormon. The commanding general said in essence, “You deserve the appointment, but I cannot give it to you.” What President Brown had spent 10 years hoping, praying, and preparing for slipped through his fingers in that moment because of blatant discrimination. Continuing his story, President Brown remembered:

'I got on the train and started back … with a broken heart, with bitterness in my soul. … When I got to my tent, … I threw my cap on the cot. I clenched my fists, and I shook them at heaven. I said, ‘How could you do this to me, God? I have done everything I could do to measure up. There is nothing that I could have done—that I should have done—that I haven’t done. How could you do this to me?’ I was as bitter as gall.

'And then I heard a voice, and I recognized the tone of this voice. It was my own voice, and the voice said, ‘I am the gardener here. I know what I want you to do.’ The bitterness went out of my soul, and I fell on my knees by the cot to ask forgiveness for my ungratefulness. …

“… And now, almost 50 years later, I look up to [God] and say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.’”5

God knew what Hugh B. Brown was to become and what was needed for that to happen, and He redirected his course to prepare him for [future church leadership work].
* * *
I don't believe that there is one person on this earth who will not have the experience of watching a dream or well laid plan fall completely apart. This may involve a marriage, children, career, health or, as with Job, everything all at once. These situations bring us to a crisis in faith where we may begin to ask how a loving God could allow these things to happen to us. When we have only sought to do what is right, how could our actions be met with heartbreaking disappointments and crushing defeats? Does He not love us? Are we abandoned? Does He not care how we feel?

I have asked myself all of these questions at one time or another. I realize now that it was because I didn't fully understand a spiritual truth that is of extreme importance - that the Lord's Plan of Happiness (eternal happiness) for His children requires that we suffer in this life. We are tried, tested, and chastened for the sole purpose that we may be humbled, shown our weaknesses, gain compassion and understanding and may come to fully rely on the Lord. We don't have to beat ourselves up because we seem to lack desired blessings. We aren't challenged because we are necessarily unworthy of the Lord's attention, it is because He seeks to build our character to be more like our Savior's and if Christ, being perfect, suffered in this life, how much more do we, being imperfect, require trials to school our souls?

It isn't easy to submit ourselves to the Lord's will in this life, especially when we don't have the answers to all of our questions. Although some problems we face will eventually lead us to understand the greater purpose for those problems in our lives, others will never be completely understood while we are in mortality. These unaswered questions can lead us to rely solely on the Lord and to trust that in the next life, enlightenment and understanding will go hand in hand with relief from our suffering. A childlike trust in our Maker, while not bringing us all the answers we desire, can give us peace to endure.

Peace that surpasseth our understanding.

A true understanding of this principle has greatly eased many of my burdens that I have been asked to shoulder in this life. While doing the best that I can with what I have, I no longer beat myself up or become angry at our Lord. Instead, I ask for His help that I may progress in a way that is pleasing to Him, as I fulfill my responsibilities and seek to overcome my many weaknesses.

I pray for this same peace for you as you go forward along your path in life.

Have a wonderful day!
Elizabeth

Fall Gardening Chores

2011-10-13T10:14:00.001-06:00

The soft wind and the yellow leaves
Are having their last dance together.

–Harriet Eleanor Hamilton-King (1840–1920

Fall Gardening Chores
The Farmer's Almanac

Apples keep well for about six months at temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees F.

A Styrofoam chest or a double cardboard box in a cool mudroom or cellar can approximate root cellar conditions. Remember to give your apples an occasional change of air. Apple cider may be frozen after first pouring off a small amount to allow for expansion.

Store beans in a moisture-proof, airtight container. Beans will stale and toughen over time even when stored properly.

Onions and garlic: mature, dry-skinned bulbs like it cool and dry, so don't store them with apples or potatoes. French-braided onions and garlic are handy and free to get some ventilation as well.

Brush your root crops clean of any soil and store in a cool, dark place. Never refrigerate potatoes and apples together; the apples give off ethylene gas, which will spoil the potatoes. Clipping the tops of parsnips, carrots, beets, and turnips will keep them fresher longer.

Squash don't like to be quite as cool as root crops do. If you have a coolish bedroom, stashing them under the bed works well. They like a temperature of about 50 to 65 degrees F.

Put some parsley plants in a box and place the box in a light cellar or shed.

Put some frozen rhubarb roots in a barrel of dirt in the cellar, where they will produce stalks for winter use.

Dig up and store dahlias, gladioli, and other tender plants.

Plant hardy spring-flowering bulbs.

Clumps of sensitive chrysanthemums can be set in a cold frame for the winter. They will yield many divisions in the spring.

Clean, oil, and store lawn mowers.

Paint any garden structures that need it.

Clean up and burn diseased plants, spread manure, and plow the garden.

Rake up the fallen leaves and use them as mulch for flowers and shrubs. Hardwood leaves such as oak and chestnut contain more plant food than those from softwood trees.

To balance all the harvesting, do a little indoor planting, which will liven up the house later. Calla lilies and begonias can be planted now, and paperwhite narcissi can be started

Candlelight on Cool Autumn Nights

2011-10-06T09:30:00.000-06:00

Photo by Sparkle of Nature

To me, there is nothing more beautiful than candlelight. Any season of the year, it makes an evening more special by bringing a feeling of intimacy to a room. I love candlelight the most on cool Autumn and Winter nights. The light from the tiny fire invites one to speak in more subdued voices. It draws loved ones together and casts a softening light on one's surroundings. It rests the eyes from the glare of artificial lighting and promises warmth and coziness. It sets evening apart from day as a special time, as perhaps the highlight of the day.

We rush around so much from one thing to another that often we just feel happy that we can serve our families any meal at all at night. Rarely do we give a thought to setting the mood. But when we remember that as homemakers, we are responsible for not only nourishing the body, but also the soul, then setting a mood for the sacred time when our family gathers together at table becomes truly important. Candlelit meals can be an integral part of that. It signals to our family that the cares and stresses of the day are to be left behind and we can now relax and enjoy each other's company.

Let's recapture the evening as a special time set apart for the family, even if that feeling only lasts as long as mealtime. To that end, light some beautiful candles table top, turn off the lights and let the magic begin.

Have a great day!

Elizabeth

Autumn at Gardner's Village, Utah

2011-09-27T21:43:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the first Outdoor Wednesday that I have done in ages! My subject is the beautiful, folksy Gardener Village, in Utah.

The are celebrating Fall and the coming of Halloween with pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere!

Gardner Village is a collection of old small homes and cottages which were moved from their original locations to the area around a former grist mill. The mill is now a restaurant and store of charming country furniture; the cottages are now shops filled with wonderful country charm.

Some wonderful items are being displayed outside for a sidewalk sale...

A small, picturesque creek runs through the village and is decorated with pumkins.

If you look close, you will see a witch inside the pump house, below! She opens and closes the shutters there.

My husband spends time with a very handsomely attired witch (if you are a spook!) on one of the many sweet benches to be found in the village.

Love this wagon house.

There are witch rides at night until Halloween, but they won't be riding in this vintage wagon.

Oop! A witch flew into the old grist mill and has stuck there - OUCH!

Hope you enjoyed your mini-visit to Garnder Village in the Fall.

Come back soon~

(For more Outdoor Wednesday posts, please visit A Southern /Daydreamer!

Willow's Pony Party! (Great Party Ideas!)

2011-09-25T21:55:00.001-06:00

Okay, before anymore lyrical (ha) posts about Fall, I have to tell you all about my little grand-niece's birthday party. Willow Kate turned 3 this month and her family threw her a fabulous Rainbow Pony Party at the park. Don't you love how they floated rainbow colored balloons at the entrance to the terrace where they held the party?

The decorations were adorable, but the piece de resistance was definitely this cake, made by an aunt. Inside this cake (my camera broke right before they cut the cake - aaargh~), were five layers, each a brilliant color of the rainbow! I am saying, this cake was too beautiful to eat (alright, I ate some of it).

The decorations were beautifully prepared by all the family, according to my niece's instructions.

Here is a cute, goodie basket with pictures of the birthday girl.

Okay, here is my beautiful niece, Emily, marathon-runner, wonderful wife and mother and creator of incredible birthday parties.

Here is the precious Willow, so adorable and getting really big (I meant to whisper in her ear that she musn't get any bigger :) )

My niece's father-in-law rented this pony for the party. He was very sweet natured, from what I could tell, and was a fun ride for Willow and her friends.

Here Aunt Kellie and two of Willow's friends, Jane and Cosette (with mom) make lovely bracelets at the craft table.

It is amazing what some colorful beads, some pipe cleaners...

and little hands can do!

Lunch was a buffet bar, contributed to by all the members of the family (what a great idea). Great-grandmother is on the left and Grandma Gibson (can she really be a grandmother? You look too young) is on the right.

After lunch were all of the games. You can't have a Pony Party without a pony race!

(Girl in pink: what the heck, just run!)

Willow wins!

A pony pinata ...

..dumps many wonderful treats (with a little help from mom)!

Yum, yum!

Looks who scavenges for the leftovers :)

There are treat bags for all.

And a beautiful birthday girl, with lovely manners, who said thank you when handed gifts.

This was a wonderful day of family, fun, food, all brought together by the love for one very special young lady - Happy Birthday Willow!

We love you!

Ten Things I Love about Early Autumn!

2011-09-22T09:58:00.001-06:00

Picture by Oana M.

Ten Things I Love About Early Autumn

1. It is warm, but not hot; cool but not cold. Perfect weather.

2. I look up towards the mountains, searching, and finally see autumn rusts here and there.

3. Cornstalks and Pumpkins for sale, everywhere

4. Re-aquainting myself with my recipes for soups, stews and chilis.

5. Leaving the windows open and airing out the house with cool breezes.

6. Fall cleaning and decorating.

7. Sunflowers brightening up roadsides.

8. Corn Mazes and hayrides

9. Fresh apple cider from local farms.

10. Bringing out the quilts and blankets, we will need them soon!

Stop and savor the season, my friends. It is fleeting!

Elizabeth

Beef Stew for Fall Evenings

2011-09-14T08:36:00.001-06:00

This picture does not do it justice! I made stew last night, making up my own recipe as I went along and it was the best stew that I've ever made. It all began with a Sunday roast which I slow cooked in my crockpot after adding a can of Mushroon soup and some pepper - that was it! After Sunday dinner much of the roast was left over so I stored it in the fridge. Last evening, I got it out and cut it into cubes, then I made the following recipe...

BEEF STEW

1 lb. cubed cooked beef roast
2 large carrots, sliced
4 medium potatoes, cubed
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can of green beans
1 c. leftover sauce from crock pot roast
1 c. water
1 heaping Tablespoon of Better Than Boullion Beef Base.
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

That's it! The secret ingredient in this whole recipe is wonderful Better Than Boullion Beef Base.

I get this at Costco (there is a chicken base, too). It is a little pricey, but it doesn't have all the chemicals and artificial ingredients of most boullions and it tastes MUCH better.

Anyway, with busy Fall evenings ahead, how wonderful it is to sit down to a steaming bowl of stew which only took minutes to makes. Truly, make your Sunday roast and then, chop the leftovers to use later in the week. If you do that, then come stew night, food prep will literally take a few minutes.

And check out Better than Boullion. It is scrumptious!
Have a great one!
Elizabeth

Utah Healing Field 9/11 Memorial

2011-09-11T22:01:00.002-06:00

"This nation will remain the land of the free as long as it is the home of the brave."

~~ Elmer Davis

Every September 11th since 2011, my town erects a Healing Field where flags are displayed, representing every person who lost their life in the terrorist attacks. Walking through row after row of these flags, one gains a keener perspective of just how many people died that day.

Today, marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Yesterday, my town held a huge memorial service to mark the day.

Thousands turned out at City Hall, across from the Healing Field, for this commemoration.

Patriotism was greatly on display.

Fire Departments and Law Enforcement personnel turned out in large numbers.

Two huge bubbles filled with hundreds of balloons were anchored to the ground just north of the flag field, to be released during the service.

Two fire trucks had backed up towards each other with ladders raised, to hold up an American Flag. In front was the obscured commemorative statue that was to be unveiled during the ceremony.

People quietly wandered through the flag field, full of contemplation.

These T Shirts were worn by 2,000 bikers who made the trek together to the Healing Fields.

During the service, there were many wonderful talks. Senator Matheson read a letter from President Bush, reminiscing about the day of the attacks when people rose to their finest hour.

A local policeman sang the National Anthem.

A severly injured war hero, wounded in Afghanistan, shared his feelings about our country.

Then, we all turned to see the ballons released, the same number as the souls lost that day.

The family member of a lost loved one silently watched as the balloons made their ascent into the sky.

Major General Busch, from nearby Hill Air Force Base, said a few words about bravery and sacrifice.

Then came the unveiling of the statue...

a herioc-size bronze sculpture of...

...the three fire fighters who raised the American Flag over the WTC rubble.

"Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “

- President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001

Wit & Determination: The Story of Johnny Compton

2011-09-08T10:39:00.001-06:00

One of the funnest evenings we spent while in California was our visit with my late father-in-law's cousin, Johnny Compton. He entertained us with many stories about his youth, a few of which I am going to share with you today.
* * *
Johnny Compton was a country boy from a small town in Tennessee. In 1937, he hitchhiked across the country to come to Hollywood, California. He was determined that he was going to become a famous actor. As soon as he made it to his destination, he had to find a job, so went around asking shopkeepers if they needed extra help, all to no avail. Then he came to one shop and saw that in the back of this place there were some terribly dirty trash cans. He asked the shop owner if he had any openings for help and was once again turned down. Then he mentioned the dirty trash cans in back on the store and offered to wash them. They were disgusting. The shop owner said,

"You would do that?"

To which Johnny replied that he would and that is how he ended up getting his first job.

The first Sunday that he had off from work, he decided he was going to meet some movie stars to try and get into the movie business. So, he went down on Hollywood Blvd, where even then they were selling maps to stars homes. He bought a map, looked down the list and saw Shirley Temple's name. He told himself, "I am going to introduce myself to Shirley Temple today."

So, he took a trolley or bus down to Beverly Hills and found Shirley Temple's home. Frustrated, he saw that the Temple's home was surrounded by a high wrought iron fence with a massive gate in front. He was too intimiated to ring the buzzer and wasn't sure what to do.

Right about this time, a lady came out of the house next door to go over to her mailbox. Johnny saw an opening and went over speak to this lady. He introduced himself as Johnny Compton from Tennessee and asked about Shirley Temple. The lady said her name was Lillian Gish, the silent movie era star.

She went on and on about what a lovely person Shirley Temple was, which bolstered Johnny Compton's confidence about meeting her. So after he said good-bye to Miss Gish, he went back over to the Temple's, rang the buzzer and said,

"I am Johnny Compton of Tennessee. My friend, Miss Gish, said that I should come over and introduce myself."

At this, the big iron gate swung open and Johnny was admitted to the Temple's home, where he spent a lovely afternoon visiting with Shirley and her mother.

This is a picture of Shirley Temple taken the same year she met Johnny. They were around the same age and enjoyed talking to each other, so she began inviting him to spend Sundays with her and her friends. One such Sunday, another neighbor stopped by,

Joan Crawford. Of course, Johnny was quite enamored with this famous star, but that didn't stop him

from introducing himself to her and proclaiming that he was going to be a movie star. Miss Crawford said that he was a very good looking young man and could do well in the movies. Then she mentioned that her studio was in the process of casting a new movie for her, called Mildred Pierce. She said he would do nicely playing her son. It wasn't a large speaking role, but he would be on-camera a lot. So...

The next day, Johnny got himself to Warner Brothers studios. He buzzed the gate and said,

"I am Johnny Compton from Tennessee. I was talking to my friend, Joan Crawford, yesterday and she suggested I audition for the role of her son in Mildred Pierce."

The gate swung open and he was admitted for a screen test. Eventually, he was given the role of the son in Mildred Pierce and a seven year contract with Warner Brothers.

Johnny did not go on to have a big movie career. As it turned out and as he now concedes, he wasn't that good of an actor. But that didn't stop his resolve to make something great out of himself.

Back in those days, what is now known as the Hollywood Hills was undeveloped land for sale for $1/acre. Thrifty Johnny had saved up his money that the studio had paid him and, along with a partner, began to buy up land in the Hollywood Hills. That land was eventually developed into homes...Johnny now owns 40 (!) properties in the Hollywood Hills and is a wealthy landowner.

Johnny Compton from Tennesse now lives on one of his properties. He is 88 years old and kept in touch with Shirley Temple for many years.

How do you like that, for a story of wit, determination and a fair share of pluck!

Thanks, Johnny and Angela for a wonderful evening.

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

The Hour of the Sunflower

2011-09-06T09:33:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess I don't know if these are sunflowers or not, but they are springing up everywhere as they always do during late August/September. Their stems can grow as much as 6 feet high (Some tall ones are in in my vegetable plot) and one stalk can grow several of these sunny faces. Their appearance in vacant lots, along roadsides and at the edge of the Nature Preserve reminds me that Summer is drawing to a close and that soon beautiful Fall colors will begin on the mountains.

The end to this Summer is bittersweet. So much of our vacation days were spent in California which greatly shortened what we have come to know and love about Summer here in Utah. But then again, we have many memories of sand and waves to look back on...Sunsets on the beach, watching my son body surf and play in the waves, exciting times in the city, poignant moments of packing away family valuables...longing to go back home. Coming back home to a re-modeling MESS, which still has not been resolved. But home is home, right?

Soon I will be decorating for Fall!

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T10:01:00.002-06:00

For those of you who are stopping here for Menu Planning Monday, you will find my menu below.

But first, a few words about Labor Day.

According to Wikipedia, Labor Day was instituted as a celebration of "the economic and social contributions of workers." Labor is something that we all partake of throughout our lives and many of us think of it in a negative light - that which is hard or difficult. I use to look at it that way. Instead, I prefer to now think of it as the opportunity of working with our hands and the sacrifice of our time for the greater good. I know that is very idealistic thinking, but labor is not a burdon, it can be for the betterment of our lives, our family, our communities and even all of mankind. It is a blessing.

Partaking of meaningful work is a challenge, because sometimes all we are able to obtain for ourselves is a job of questionable benefit and we do it to earn a paycheck. The goal, though, should be to find something to do that is really useful to others which can bless and help. That makes all of our hard work fulfilling and "worth it".

Work can be through a professional vocation, a volunteer position and at home with our families. In fact, I think that the truly difficult and most rewarding work of all is within the walls of our homes.

Whatever our circumstances, even if we have a professional job that leaves a lot to be desired, we should look for and find ways to contribute in a way where we feel our efforts have mattered to someone. Making a real difference is what allows us to go to bed at night and to rest in peace, even as our bodies and minds are fatigued from the challenges of the day.

In fact, I think that using our God-given gifts and talents to uplift and help others is the crowning achievement of this life, in whatever way we find to do that. This should be the goal of every single one of us.

It is my prayer that the Lord will bless our efforts and help us to be focused on the blessings of our labors and help us to always consecrate our time, efforts and energies to blessing his children and furthering His purposes.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Elizabeth

Menus for This Week:

Monday - Grilled Hot Doggies, Potato Salad, Fruit

Tuesday - Chicken Lo Mein, Steamed Broccoli

Wednesday - Salmon Cakes, Zippy Rice Pilaf and Thai Cucumber Salad

Thursday - Brown Rice and Lentil Salad, Tossed Salad, Bread & Butter

Friday - Homemade Pizza and Fruit Salad

Saturday - Tacos and Crudities

Sunday - Grilled Steak, Potato Salad, Tossed Salad & Fruit Pizza

For more Menu Planning Monday posts, Please visit I Am An Organizing Junkie!

Enjoy!

Snapshot of My Day

2011-08-24T09:51:00.003-06:00

Coming back from California was such a relief - at least until we got inside the front door! The contractor hired by our landlord to do re-modeling work had begun a big project and then left the place in shambles. Plus, our kitties had been bad while we were away. So, our homecoming was a shock to our systems. Our house felt unliveable. It has taken quite awhile to get back on track, but I think we are there now (the contractor hasn't been back to finish the project...).

So, it was the first day of school Monday in our area. My firstborn began High School. My son began his first day with Utah Virtual Academy, an online charter school alternative to regular public school. It is an excellent program but requires many hours of work on my part. So, my Monday went something like this...

Early rising.
Stretching and weight training
Breakfast preparation for husband and daughter.
Kitchen clean up.
Get dressed.
Curry the kitties.
Clean the litterbox.
First load of laundry.
Wake the son.
Breakfast preparation.
Kitchen Clean up.
Start the son on UTVA, Welcome Assembly online
What the heck?! Computer problems, audio not working!
Troubleshoot with Tech Department, takes 1 1/2 hours!
Calm the troubled son.
Problem finally resolved.
Start the son on Orientation videos.
Put on make-up, fix hair.
Watch rest of Orientation videos myself.
Balance mentoring my son with family business phone calls.
Hang 1st load of laundry out to dry.
Begin 2nd load of laundry.
More schooling of son.
More phonecalls.
Before we know it, it is 2 p.m.
Husband comes home for short interim to conduct personal business on phone.
Prepare lunch
Eat lunch.
Clean Kitchen.
Put chicken in oven to roast.
More schooling with son.
Calm his troubled nerves about missing Assembly.
More troubleshooting with Tech/can't log attendance.
More important phone calls.
School is over for the day.
Bring in 1st load of laundry, folded.
Hang out 2nd load.
Begin 3rd.
More running up and downstairs.
Sarah comes home. Tells me all about High School.
Son's friend comes over.
Run an errand.
More important phone calls.
Sit down for first time and do nothing for 15 minutes.
Watch news while preparing supper.
Bring in 2nd load of laundry/hang 3rd.
Hand scrub kitchen floor/scour counters.
Eat supper/family scriptures
Make and pour brownies with daughter/two kinds, one gluten free
Try to convince son to take a walk for PE
Crying session/doesn't like how he looks
Finally leave for walk by myself
Talk to the Lord.
Return home for brownies with children.
Stretch.
Husband comes home.
Feed husband and discuss day.
Take quiet bath.
Pray.
Bed (10:30).
Forgot to read the scriptures on my own..

Whew! Hope I can keep up the pace today!

What does your day look like?

Make it a good one!
Elizabeth

Our Day in Hollywood

2011-08-16T10:08:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Visitors,

Hello! and Whew!! We are finally more back to normal after returning from our trip to California to a contractor nightmare. It was awful. I would give you the details about that fiasco, but I am tired of talking about it. So, on to fun stuf...

Before we left for our trip, our family decided to take the motto: "Stay close to the Lord and open to the day," meaning that we would put aside our preconcieved notions about what we thought should happen on the trip and just go with the flo, believing the Lord would bring good things to us. Of course, this was to be a working trip, with us packing up much of my mother-in-law's house and preparing it for sale. But we did take some afternoons for fun.

One of the first places we took the children to visit was Hollywood Blvd, in downtown Hollywood.

This was one of my favorite stomping grounds when I was living out there as a single adult. I love history and in those days I loved the history of Hollywood during the Golden Era of the studio system. However, by the time I got there in the 80's, Hollywood Blvd had deteriorated to a kind of seedy place. I prepared the children for this before we got there. However...

There has been much revitalization done there now that the Oscars are held at the new Kodak Theater right next to the famous Grauman's Chinese. It is jam-packed with tourists, food carts, tour busses, street musicians...

and something else new to me, ordinary citizens all dressed up like famous characters from movies or famous stars (both old and new), there to have you take pictures with them...all for a nice tip of a dollar or more.

This interesting character sidled up to Robert...

Sarah also had her picture taken with this little cutie...

And this little cutie...

While we were on Hollywood Blvd, we saw a man handing out free tickets to the taping of a game show, Family Game Night. Hey, it was free, my favorite price! So, we accepted the tickets, which were for the very next day.

The next day, we arrived for the game show and I kept having this funny feeling that my Sarah was going to sing on it. I know that this makes no sense at all, because why would my Sarah sing on this game show that we had never heard of before, especially because we were to only be audience members, not contestants. However, half-way through the taping, which turned out to be loooooong and boring, the dear MC (God bless that man for having to keep the audience up and happy for 5 hours) opened up the stage, during a set change, for audience members to showcase their talents. Two cute little kids came up to sing funny songs and to dance and everyone clapped. Then, my Sarah raised her hand. She was called up to the stage and sang this song a cappella...

She brought down the entire house! I couldn't believe it.

After the show, the head of sound for the studio, gave us his phone number to call him about her. We haven't done that yet. Life got more complicated in California as we took care of our responsibilities there. But he was interested and Sarah still sings and we will see...

Love,
Elizabeth

Hello!!! Again!!!

2011-08-04T13:33:00.000-06:00

Hello, Friends and Visitors!

Hello! Hello!! I am finally back to blogging after months away and a loooong trip to California to prepare the home of my late mother-in-law for sale. It was at times fun, often difficult, and a huge experience for our family. I learned much, which I hope I can carry with me from this point forward. I will be sharing a lot of the lessons, thoughts and feelings in coming weeks.

One of the our favorite places to go to either cool off or de-stress after a busy day of packing was, of course, the beach. We went to several that between Mark and I were favorite spots for us during our single days, years ago. The first beach we visited was in Ventura.

We came to California during the days of "June Gloom". It was not very hot and mornings often began with fog or overcast skies, which would then clear by afternoon.

My husband was living near Ventura when we met at a church sponsored dance in the area. So, Ventura Beach has a lot of memories for us.

Our children loved wading in the surf, even on chillier days.

We loved picking up shells and sea-smoothed rocks.

Generally, we remained until sunset. As soon as the sun sank beyond the sea, we would pack up our belongings and head back to the house.

I am so looking forward to visiting your blogs and sharing more of our trip with you in coming days.

Hello! Hello!! I am so glad to be back.
Love,
Elizabeth

Taking a Break...:(

2011-05-31T11:53:00.000-06:00

Hello!

I have been absent from the Blog world for awhile, trying to figure out whether to actually take a long break while we are in California or to continue on while we are away...We will have zero Internet in the home where we will be staying and I will only be able to access my blog or to visit others if I go to the neighborhood Starbucks. For those of you who know me well, you know how much time I spend in Starbucks (ZERO - as I do not drink coffee). So, I think that the answer to this dilemna is obvious...I need to take a large blogging break.

I hate to do it, especially to stop visiting my sweet friends on the Internet. I have grown so accustomed to keeping up with everyone's lives. But I really don't see any way for me to continue on.

So....I will begin my blogging break this week and continue to the first of August. I hope that those of you who follow me will come back then. I am sure I will go around visiting when I first get back so that I can catch up on your news and to let you know that I am blogging again.

I may surprise you with a visit now and then while I am gone, if I can plug in to some Internet somewhere.

Otherwise, dear friends and visitors, I wish you an awesome Summer filled with many wonderful adventures. I will see you August 1st and we will all catch up!

Ta ta until then!

Love,
Elizabeth

A Few Thoughts

2011-05-24T09:47:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Visitors,

I haven't blogged in awhile because I've been thinking a lot about Life and trying to follow the Lord's direction for our family on a number of issues and while I am sorting through things it is difficult for me to sit down and write a post about some homemaking subject. Are any of you like that, too?

As many of you know, my mother-in-law passed away last October and so her beautiful house now stands empty, not of furniture but of people to live in it. We are currently paying for some small upgrades to be made to prepare the house for being put up on the market (a sad day). My husband and I have been considering the idea of taking our family to California as soon as school is out and living in my mother-in-law's house for at least part of the Summer and help with whatever needs doing before the house is sold. It would be an open-ended vacation and a chance to spend a last stay in the home that has been a center post for my husband's family since the early 70's.

After much discussion and prayer, my husband and I feel strongly that this is what the Lord wants for our us this Summer. So, we are in the midst of planning out this trip.

I have to admit that it feels strange not to be planting this Spring. At this point, we would be in the process of tilling and putting in the veggies, etc. My little preparedness-centered heart is more than just a little concerned with recent devastation in our country due to severe weather, which feels like a warning to get our house in order and have plenty of food, clothing, water and fuel on hand in case of long term emergencies. Also, the rising cost of food due to flooding in farmlands is another point of concern. So, normally I would really be planting like crazy. But when I take these concerns to the Lord, He stills my soul and tells me we need to be with the family in California. So, I am putting my trust in Him...and also buying rice and soy beans and other food that should rise in price over the next while.

(For those of you who have never considered food storage of emergency preparedness, check out Food Storage Made Easy)

What are your plans for the Summer? Are you prepared for emergencies?

I will be around to visit blogs today. Looking forward to "seeing" everyone.

Love,
Elizabeth

Apple Blossom Days

2011-05-19T09:20:00.003-06:00

Well, I had to go to the Internet for lovely Springtime pictures. It is raining on the foothills here and snowing a lot up in the mountains. It just looks like warmer weather will never come and stay, although of course it will. I counted the number of months we can have snow here, from Halloween through May (and June, if you count the mountains). That is a lot of cold weather and few really warm months. A little tough for a person whose mood is deeply affected by a lack of light. But I am thankful that light will return and flowers await.

~~~~~~~~~~

Several years ago, our landlord tried to chop down the apple tree, a much beloved part of our backyard. I guess he didn't want to pay to have it pruned and even though it was also much loved by his late wife, he took a chain saw to it and cut off all the branches, leaving nubs on a naked trunk. It broke my heart and I shed many tears over it. The children stopped playing in the backyard because they hated to be reminded that the apple tree was gone. However, the following year, shoots began to grow from the nubs at the top of the stump. Over the next few years these shoots grew and strengthened into branches. Last Spring, a few of these branches held blossoms. Our landlord, somehow softened by the regeneration in our backyard, actually hired someone to prune the tree. This Spring blossoms abound in magnificent profusion. Our lovely tree is back.

Who would have known that heartbreaking Spring when "our" tree seemed gone forever, that in a few short years it would be better than ever? Watching this miracle unfold, I couldn't help but relate it to life. I have lived long enough now to have experienced several severe periods when life was bleak, when I could barely envision a better future. However, with much prayer, perseverance, and as much faith as I could summon, the healing power of Christ took what seemed like the nubs of my life and brought forth beauty that I could never have imagined. Sometimes we hold on so tightly to what we have and we don't want it to change; we don't want to let go. The apple tree reminds me that when all seems lost, Time in the hands of the Master can bless us beyond what we would had before all of the wreck and ruin. After all of the cutting, comes the blossoms.

I may have written about this before and if I have, I apologize for the redundancy. But our apple blossoms always set me to thinking, even under gray skies and incessant rain. :)
Love,
Elizabeth

Wake Up Call for Mothers!

2011-05-17T13:51:00.000-06:00

Well, it just stopped sleeting outside...Yes, it is May 17th and it has been sleeting. An outdoor thermometer I passed on the way to do errands today registered 36 degrees. There is white stuff all over the blossoms of new flowers I planted in the backyard. I am feeling equally weighed down by cold.

Utah, is a very beautiful place, especially Northern Utah, where we live. The mountains are very beautiful and the farther north one goes it becomes greener, which is what I like. I am definitely not a high desert girl. But the winters in Northern Utah are very long; the summers are short. This can be difficult on someone who is easily affected by a lack of sunlight. It slows me down and makes me want to hibernate until the warmth returns. We were on our way to Spring recently and I am sure that this is just a small step backwards, but it feels like forever to me.

On a lighter note, it is looking increasingly like our family will be leaving for California at the end of school and may be staying there for much of the summer. Now that both of my in-laws are passed away (what a huge hole they have left behind), their home in Southern California is being prepared for sale and this may be the last time we can spend any time in it.
*******************************
Here is a video that really woke me up today! Hope it is meaningful for you, too!

Love,
Elizabeth

Bathroom Organization Solutions - Shoe Organizer!

2011-05-09T12:00:00.000-06:00

Hello, Sweet Friends and Neighbors -

I am always looking for creative ways to control clutter in my home and I just found one that I absolutely LOVE...We have a tiny master bathroom, with no place to store the lotions and potions that are used tub-side. Then, I read a post on Home Made Simple in which a shoe organizer on the inside of a bathroom door is used to hold bathing supplies...

For more creative ideas, please click on the above link.

How about you? Do you have any creative ways of keeping bathroom supplies handy but organized?

Have a lovely day!
Elizabeth

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-08T08:36:00.002-06:00

"How thankful I am, how thankful we all must be, for the women in our lives.
God bless them.
May His great love distill upon them and crown them with luster and beauty, grace and faith."
—President Gordon B. Hinckley

Happy Mothers Day to one and all!

Love,
Elizabeth

And Then It's Winter...

2011-05-05T08:47:00.004-06:00

Hello, Friends and Visitors!

One of my dear friends sent me this lovely thought which I have copied for you below. I don't know the author, but the sentiments are true....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And Then It's Winter...

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all... and I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise.

How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go? I remember well.... seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is... my age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things. But, at least I know, that though the winter has come and I'm not sure how long it will last, this I know, that when it's over... its over!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done and things I should have done. But indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. Its all in a lifetime...

So, if you're not in your winter yet ... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly!

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so, live for God today, and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember.

Life is God's gift to you. The way you live your life determines where you will spend eternity.

So Live It Well. !!!!!

Grapefruit Bird Feeder

2011-05-04T11:10:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I saw this cute grapefruit bird feeder online and have decided to give it a try, especially because Costco has HUGE grapefruits for sale. We have been going through those like crazy because they are delicious! So, I have saved 4 halves...

..scraped them out, poke equi-distant holes, strung them up and filled with sunflower seeds and birdseeds.

How is that for a nifty, thrifty new feeder?

Have you used any unique or interesting objects for bird feeders? If so, please share!

Love,
Elizabeth

Relief and Apprehension

2011-05-02T09:52:00.000-06:00

Last night, my husband and I were watching a little TV and as I flipped through the channels to get to PBS I noticed that one station was showing pictures of Osama Bin Laden. Oh well, I thought. I gave up hope of his capture long ago. As we settled on our program, my son came running up the stairs to tell us that one of his friends had just called to tell him that Osama Bin Laden is dead.

WHAT?!?!?

With haste, we switched to a network station. They were all carrying the story at this point and watched for hours the replay of this incredible turn of events. How was it possible after all these years?

I admit to mixed feelings. I am thankful this man and a few of his associates are no longer able to hatch plans to hurt our country. But I am also a little apprehensive about the possibility of reprisals. I can only pray that the good Lord will bless and protect this country. I am aware that our society has to some degree gone astray in sin, but I am just as equally aware that many good men and women live lives of service to others and try to the best of their abilities to honor Him.

For those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our nation, beginning with those who fought back on Flight 93 to the present day, all I can say is I am deeply humbled by their willingness to give their lives so that we might have an opportunity to make a better future for our children.

Please pray for our safety, but also we must try our best to live our lives in such a way that we are worthy of the Lord's protection. We must be vigilant - watchful of our enemies, but also careful in how we live. In this way, we honor the fallen. By this, their sacrifice is not in vain.

Happy May Day

2011-05-01T10:09:00.000-06:00

Photo from skiptomylou.wordpress.com

"The world's favorite season is the spring.
All things seem possible in May."
- Edwin Way Teale

Happy May Day, One and All!

Yesterday, we awoke to 8 inches of snow on the ground, a disheartening sight for one who desperately craves warm weather and some hope for Springtime. This morning, we awoke to a bright sky and green grass everywhere and absolutely no sign of SNOW. What a wonderful treat for May Day.

As many of you probably know, a fun May Day tradition is to leave posies by the doors of friends and neighbors. However, there are no flowers growing around here yet ((sigh)), so our posies will have to wait until another day. But, oh what a beautiful Sabbath day.

Rejoice and be thankful!
Elizabeth

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-30T11:51:00.000-06:00

Okay, alright...I admit it. I woke up at 2 a.m. Friday morning to watch the royal wedding. I was exhausted, but I had to see Kate's (now Catherine) beautiful wedding dress. So, I got up and nothing was happening. Guests were just beginning to arrive at Westminster Abbey and, frankly, I wasn't much interested. So, set the alarm and went back to sleep until 3:30, at which time I was able to see the wedding party begin to arrive. Then came the marvelous Kate in a dress that reminds me of the one worn by Grace Kelly when she married the Prince of Monaco (was that on purpose, or coincidental?). I watched until the couple exchanged vows and then sleep overtook me. Yesterday, I was exhausted and spent much of the day watching replays of the wedding celebrations. It was such great fun. I was quite taken by the way Prince William looks at and behaves towards his now wife, so differently from how his father behaved towards Diana, Princess of Wales. After all the coverage that I have watched both before and after the wedding, I have come to the conclusion that this one is a love match and I sure hope it all stays that way.

Anyone else out there watch the festivities? How about my friends across the pond?

Love,
Elizabeth

Sweet Memories of a Time Gone By

2011-04-27T10:07:00.000-06:00

All the current news coverage of the upcoming marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton this week must bring back to many people who are old enough to remember the incredible fervor surrounding the marriage of The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. I was in college at the time, attending Brigham Young University, and living in the basement apartment in the home of a sweet older couple. One of my closest friends, Ruth, lived with her family around the corner from my house and we were all huge Anglophiles. The afternoon before the big day, a handwritten invitation appeared at my door, penned by Ruth's mother, inviting me to attend the royal wedding at their home that night. Such fun! I remember going to bed extremely early and then awakening around 2 a.m., getting dressed and then running full speed to Ruthie's house, where we lay on the floor in front of the TV for hours, watching the pageantry unfold. It was such a sweet time, because of course, like most people, we believed this was a love match and I adored Lady Diana and how virtuous she was when she married. These are lovely memories of so long ago...

Of course, over the ensuing years the whole thing fell apart, but I still loved to peruse pictures of The Princess of Wales, admiring her fashions and the warm way she had with people.

Fast forward to another memory.

It was 12:30 a.m. on August 31st, 1997. I was lying in bed, timing contractions I had been having for the past hour with my second pregnancy, which were with my son, Robert. My husband, Mark, was watching TV in the living room. The contractions had gotten to be close enough apart that I went out to tell Mark that the baby was coming and that he needed to take me to the hospital. As I came into the room, Mark turned around, having just heard the news report and told me that Diana was dead. Utter shock and disbelief. After waking our close friends and neighbors, the Langstaffs, to come over and watch our daughter, Sarah, who was 2 years old at the time, we got in the car and drove to the hospital. Once in our hospital room, we turned on the television and watched news coverage until my labor became so acute that it was time to turn it off. To this day, I remember so well the incredible jumble of emotions I was feeling at the time and whenever I see pictures of the crashed car in the Paris tunnel, it brings it all back - horror, disbelief and also the incredible awe and joy of having a child, all of that all at once.

One week later, I watched the funeral with my newborn baby in my arms.

Now, this week, the nuptials of Diana's son, William, and Kate Middleton. It is great fun for many, I am sure, but I do wish the news media would refrain from referring to their relationship as a "fairy tale", which of course it is not. I hope it all goes off without a hitch and that the son will be luckier in love than his mother.

But I cannot help remembering an earlier time, when my body was full of youthful vigor and my heart and mind were full of romance and I went running to a friend's house in the middle of the night to celebrate what I thought would be the wedding of the Century.

Love,
Elizabeth

Menu Planning Monday

2011-04-25T08:33:00.001-06:00

Hello!

I haven't posted a menu plan in quite awhile. I've been flying by the seat of my pants, which is a crazy way to go. It is always better to plan. I get more bang for my buck that way and I don't have to flounder one hour before mealtime, wondering what in the heck to have!

Monday -Hawaiian Pizza (with leftover ham), Tossed Salad

Tuesday - Chicken with Olives, Mashed Potato Casserole, Asparagus

Wednesday - Black-Eye Peas and Brown Rice, cooked with leftover ham, Okra and Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday - Chicken with Sesame Noodles, Steamed Broccoli

Friday - Taco Salad

Saturday -Fettuccine with Sausage and Kale

Sunday - Roast, Butternut Squash and Salad

Well, that is it for this week's menus. I am excited to do more meals that are planned around Springtime veggies. For more Menu Planning Monday posts, please visit Laura's blog, I'm An Organizing Junkie!

You may be surprised to learn that we have begun having our big meal right after the children return home from school. They always come home starving and eat so much that it was ruining their supper, so we have started having family time/supper as soon as they get home. We read scripture and sit around the table talking about the day and filling all the empty tummies. At night, before bed, we have a snack. This is working really well for us. It also is helpful to me because kitchen clean-up happens before I start feeling really tired and am tempted to let it go until morning.

What time is your supper? Who does the clean up?

have a wonderful day!
Elizabeth

All for the Best

2011-04-21T09:43:00.002-06:00

My family was suppose to use this week's vacation from school to go to California for a visit with family and a much needed break. We had been looking forward to this trip for a long time. However, over the past few months, my husband's back problems have grown increasingly severe, making it very painful for him to sit or stand for long periods of time. A couple of week's ago, we realized that my husband would not be able to make the 12 hour car trip to Southern California. We were all very disappointed, but didn't want him to be miserable or to further debilitate him. So we called off the trip.

Fast forward to yesterday. My husband awakened me early in the morning with news that our hot water heater was leaking all over the laundry room floor. Very shortly, the leak progressed to about one gallon of water a minute. We called the landlord, who called a plumber. We bailed water until 1:30 pm., when the plumber finally was able to make it over. He replaced the water heater and secured the situation.

Now, here is the miracle that is motivating me to write about this mishap. The plumber told us that we had narrowly escaped a catastrophe. If we hadn't been home to catch the leak when we did, we would have come home to a basement that was under water. There would have been no place for the water to go, but up. We would have lost a lot of our possessions and our poor landlord would have had an enormous amount of damage to repair.

None of us are mourning our California trip anymore. Our being forced to stay at home averted a disaster. I see the hand of the Lord all through this whole situation. Sometimes when things don't seemingly go our way, we can be very upset and angry. However, perhaps we are being protected in ways we cannot see by a kind and loving God who is watching over us.

We can go to California another time. For now, we are happy and blessed to be at home.

Love,
Elizabeth

A Special Story for Palm Sunday

2011-04-17T10:46:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends and Visitors,

The following story was sent to me by my cousin, Val, whose father is a Methodist Minister. I feel that it perfectly illustrates the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus Christ and that it is a wonderful way to begin Holy Week on my blog. I hope that you enjoy it.

Love,
Elizabeth

Don’t Leave It On The Desk –

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course their freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. “How many push-ups can you do?”

Steve said, “I do about 200 every night.”

“200? That's pretty good, Steve,” Dr. Christianson said. “Do you think you could do 300?”

Steve replied, “I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time.”

“Do you think you could?” again asked Dr. Christianson.

“Well, I can try,” said Steve.

“Can you do 300 in sets of 10?   I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work.   Can you do it?   I need you to tell me you can do it,” said the professor.

Steve said, “Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it.”

Dr. Christianson said, “Good! I need you to do this on Friday.   Let me explain what I have in mind.”

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room.   When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts.   These weren't the normal kinds of donuts. They were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?”

Cynthia said, “Yes.”

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?”

“Sure!” Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, “Joe, do you want a donut?”

Joe said, “Yes.”

Dr. Christianson asked, “Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?”

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. The professor asked, “Scott do you want a donut?”

Scott's reply was, “Well, can I do my own push-ups?”

Dr. Christianson said, “No, Steve has to do them.”

Then Scott said, “Well, I don't want one then.”

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?”

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups.

Scott said, “HEY! I said I didn't want one!”

Dr. Christianson said, “Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it.” And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

By this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, “Jenny, do you want a donut?”

Sternly, Jenny said, “No.”

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?”

Steve did ten. Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, “No!” and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row.   During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room.   When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next.   Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time.   He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, “Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?”

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, “Well, they're your push-ups.   You can do them any way that you want.”   And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, “NO! Don't come in! Stay out!”

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, “No, let him come.”

Dr. Christianson said, “You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?”

Steve said, “Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut.”

Dr. Christianson said, “Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now.   Jason, do you want a donut?”

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on.   “Yes,” he said, “give me a donut.”

“Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?”

Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort.   Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Dr Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters.   Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity.   By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing. There was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders and very popular.   Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, “Linda, do you want a doughnut?”

Linda said, very sadly, “No, thank you.”

Professor Christianson quietly asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?”

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan and said, “'Susan, do you want a donut?”

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. “Dr. Christianson, can I help him?”

Dr Christianson, with tears of his own, said, “No, Steve has to do it alone. I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.”

“Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?”

As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, “And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, said to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ With the understanding that Jesus had done everything that was required of him, he yielded up his life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.”

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. “Well done, good and faithful servant,” said the professor, adding, “Not all sermons are preached in words.”

Turning to his class, the professor said, “My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God spared not his only begotten son, but gave him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept God’s gift to us, the price has been paid.”

Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only

Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have

eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world

to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16-17

Bird Bath or Feeder Craft

2011-04-15T09:05:00.001-06:00

Hello, Friends and Visitors!

The snow has ((hopefully)) stopped for good and the sun is out! Birds are singing!! It feels like Springtime. And, best of all, the children are home for a week long Spring Break as soon as school is out today. What more could I want??

I'm so excited about being outside again after a l.o.n.g. Winter. I have been cleaning out the bird feeder and re-stocking birdseed. That has inspired me to re-post my how-to on building an easy birdfeeder. I first posted it last year. Enjoy!!

* * * * *
I thought I'd show you a fun craft I've recently had time for in between working in the garden. It's a bird bath or feeder idea that I found in the May 2009 Family Fun Magazine.

All you need to get started is
3/8" manilla rope
15" grapevine wreath (used two old wreaths I found at a yard sale last year)
two 10" terra cotta saucers (again, I used what I had and fortunately it worked!)
Artificial leaves and flowers, if you want to spruce it up (I didn't)

It's easy! Just fit the clay saucers in the center of your wreaths, like this...
Cut your rope into three, 5' long lengths, then knot them together at each end, like this...
Fit the wreath feeder inside the three ropes and hang, like this...

See how simple and pretty it is? I made three - two feeders and one "bath". The birds love them all!

Have a great day!
Elizabeth

Easiest Bread Recipe Ever!

2011-04-11T08:44:00.001-06:00

I wonderful couple in my neighborhood recently held a class on breadmaking, using the method/recipe they got from Pantry Secrets. That is where I learned about using the ingredient soy lecithin (more about that below). This is the easiest, quickest and so far the yummiest bread recipe I have ever made.

Pantry Secrets Bread Recipe
10 1/2 cups white unbleached bread flour (You can do 1/2 wheat flour if you prefer.)
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
3 rounded Tablespoons instant yeast
3 Tablespoons liquid lecithin* (see note below!!!)
4 cups hot tap water

Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add more water. If dough is too moist, add more flour. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add water or flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Spray counter and pans with cooking spray. Shape loaves and cover with a dish towel. Let rise 25 minutes. Bake at 350* for 25 minutes.

Recipe makes 4 loaves.

Unraised loaves can be frozen for later use. My mixer only allows me to mix 2 loaves at a time, so I half the recipe when I make it.

*Squeeze or pour approximately 3 tablespoons (size of quarters to a half dollar) of lecithin directly into the bowl. Do not measure. It won't come off the spoon!

You can buy your lecithin from Pantry Secrets!

Late Spring Snows

2011-04-09T09:46:00.001-06:00

First a howling blizzard woke us,
Then the rain came down to soak us,
Now .. Before the eye can focus —
Crocus !
~Lilja Rogers

Yes, it is true. We have been having snow, snow, snow. Welcome to Springtime in the Rocky Mountains. We can have snow up here against the mountains into May and there have been not a few Summers when a freak storm could put so on the mountains in June! However, the bulbs in our garden plots of irises, crocuses and tulips are sending up green shoots. So, despite all of this white, Spring is on its way here.

These longish Winters make me antsy and greatly desirous of warm weather. It inspires me to really get into Spring cleaning and to get my house ready for Easter and a new season. I know this will sound very late to those of you in warmer climates.

What will you be doing to make your Easter Week, Holy Week special? Please write me and share your ideas with me. We love to watch the movie, Jesus of Nazareth over several evenings. How about you?

Have a wonderful weekend. I look forward to hearing from you!
Elizabeth

Anyone for a Kitty-in-the-Box?

2011-04-05T10:06:00.001-06:00

Isn't it funny how children, like pussycats, often thrive best with fun of their own making, instead of the expensive gifts we sometimes want to shower on them? This kitty has comfier looking places to sleep, so whats does he choose? An empty box by a window. He lives in this thing. It reminds me of times when my children were young and I brought home a box of toys for them and they ended up just playing with the box more than the toys -- Important lessons on the blessings of simple things, brought to us by children and pussycats.

For more Cats of Tuesday, please visit Gattina HERE.

Make it a great one - Elizabeth

Unthrilled About Food

2011-04-04T11:50:00.000-06:00

Hello, One and All...
Usually this is the day of the week that I print my menu plan. Trouble is that I am not thrilled about food. I'm not hungry for it (?!), don't want to see it and have no idea what to cook of it. I've been perusing other people's menu plans that are posted on I'm An Organizing Junkie! I've been looking at cooking videos, looking through cookbooks. There are lots of great recipes out there, but they all have one problem - they are all about food. Ugh.

I could probably get myself to eat a grapefruit.

If I see another pieced of chicken I am going to scream...

How about you? Are you ever unmotivated about the whole conversion of food into edible meals thing? Ever completely unhungry? Un-everything? (un-utilizing proper grammar?) What do you do?

Any ideas?
Love,
Elizabeth

ABOUT ME

2011-04-01T11:10:00.000-06:00

My friend, Lisa, a fun and wonderful writer in Blogland, published a fun post about herself HERE. I enjoyed reading it so much that I have decided to write an About Me post, too.

I am: A great big jumble of contradictions. I am shy, but I love to do public speaking if I feel that I have something worthwhile to share. I adore solitude, but in my middle years can often feel lonely. I love to find different ways to refine myself and my behavior but also love to talk country and be goofy. Speaking of "country", I go in and out of a strong Southern accent all of the time. I learned to drop my accent as a child when we moved out West and I didn't like being teased, however my Southern accent makes me feel like I am not so far away from "home" and reminds me of my dear mother, so it comes and goes and I don't care. I am sensitive to criticism but I also don't give a hoot what people think about my idiosyncrasies. I dearly love God, but I have a very hard time sitting still in prayer. I care deeply about others but cannot be surrounded by people for long periods of time. I am a Nature Girl. I am a history buff and lover of old things. I am a Homebody, but I also love to travel.

I like: Trying new things. Talking to myself when I am alone (or think that I am alone - ha ha). I like/need to have light-hearted fun. I love to cook, especially something new that I haven't tried before. Love to read, read, read. I love to write, write, write. I adore babies and children. Sushi and avacados (sorry, Lisa, we can still be friends!). I love church. I adore attending Christmas and Easter programs anywhere, anytime. I like to share a love of Christ with anyone who feels likewise. Riding a bike downhill! Laughter. Kindness. Learning something new. My CHILDREN! Beauty (as in Keats" "Beauty is Truth; Truth, beauty. That is all ye know in Life and all ye need to know"). Peaceful, restful sleep. Sunshine. Music. Furry animals. Birds. Pretty dresses. Hugs and kisses.. Pussycats. So many things.

I am good at: Waiting for what I truly want. Saying I'm sorry. Forgiving. Loving. Perceiving others. Making do. Enjoying food. Feeling grateful. Taking the long view on life. Organizing drawers and cupboards. Loving people forever.

I am bad at: Repetition. Reading boring textbooks. Higher math! Impressing people. Organizing rooms. Letting go of friendships that have run their course. Consistency in household chores. Moving.

I dislike: Doing things the same way all of the time. Sitting still. Joining political parties and thinking people are jerks if they disagree. Incivility. Noisy crowds. Junk food. Refusal to think outside the box. Passing judgment (though I have caught myself doing that at times) or judging by appearances. Close-mindedness. Dreary weather. Loud rock music. People who are unkind to animals. Plastic. Individual packaging of everything. Refusal to forgive or try and understand why. Arguing. Wasting time on things that don't matter in the long run. Canned asparagus. Vinyl siding and fences. Pollution and over development. Fixation with celebrities. Ridiculing other people's beliefs. Betrayal of someone's trust. Being too busy to enjoy life. Cleaning the kitchen after cooking. Not feeling rooted somewhere.

If you decide to write an About Me post, please let me know so I can come visit.

Love,
Elizabeth

And the Giveaway Winner Is...

2011-03-31T10:18:00.000-06:00

...Jamie from What I Did Today.

She will receive the Victorian Apron. For the rest of you who entered the Giveaway, I will be having another one soon. Thank you so much for all who posted.

Have a great day!
Elizabeth

Oven Fries and Utah Fry Sauce

2011-03-30T13:30:00.002-06:00

Alright, to those of you who may think that my present chubbiness is due to the following recipe, you are mistaken. I rarely indulge. However, when I am in the mood for "junk" food, these Oven Fries are a lower calorie version.

OVEN FRIES

2 russet potatoes, cut in 1/2 lengthwise, halves cut lengthwise into fourths to make 16 big, fat wedges
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon dried parsley
3-4 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat a baking sheet in the hot oven for at least 5 minutes.
While the baking sheet is heating, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, garlic, dried parsely and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Then dump the potatoes out onto a baking sheet, spreading to a single layer. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then, until the potatoes are cooked through, brown and crispy.

Now for the finishing touch, a truly Utahn condiment: Fry Sauce.

Picture courtesy of Desert News

FRY SAUCE

1/4 cup barbeque sauce of your choice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
cayenne pepper to taste

Mix all the above ingredients together and you are done. Now, dip your oven fries into the fry sauce and see if you never want to use just ketchup again!

If you haven't entered my GIVEAWAY yet, you have until midnight tonight to do it. The instructions are HERE.

Have a great day!
Elizabeth

The Door Is Always Open

2011-03-28T15:32:00.000-06:00

The Door Is Always Open
Nancy Byrd Turner

If you come cheerily,
Here shall be jest for you;
If you come wearily,
Here shall be rest for you.

If you come borrowing,
Gladly we'll loan to you.
If you come sorrowing,
Love shall be shown to you.

Under our thatch, friend,
Place shall abide for you,
Touch but the latch, friend,
The door shall swing wide for you!

I came upon the above poem in an old issue (and I do mean old) of Ideals magazine. It reminded me of an experience that I had last week...

I was busily cleaning my house when there was a knock on my door. I looked out my side window and saw that two nicely dressed young men were standing there. Normally, if I see two young men standing at my front door, I assume they are missionaries from the LDS Church, as missionaries and members are plentiful here in the state of Utah. However there was enough difference in dress that I knew they were members of another church. I hastily opened the door (CAUTION: I follow the Spirit and my own intuition about opening my door to people whom I do not know, especially when I am home alone). These were missionaries from the Jehovah's Witness church. We stood and chatted for a few minutes. They asked if I would read their magazine if they gave it to me and I said that I would. They asked if they could visit and chat with me some other day...

FLASHBACK...

Some ten years ago, while I was at home working on the house, my doorbell rang. When I opened my door, I found two lovely young women standing there. I knew they were probably Jehovah's Witnesses, so after a few pleasantries, I was prepared to dismiss them with the information that I was devout in my faith (LDS) and go on about my busy day. But God had other plans. I distinctly heard Him say in my heart,

"What do you have to do that is more important than talking about Me?"

Ahhh, nothing.

So, I let them in.

There transpired one of the sweetest hours of conversation that I have ever had. In short, we shared together what we held in common - a love of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ. We shared a lot about what if feels like to be judged on appearances instead of being valued for who we really are inside.

I learned a lot that day. I learned that conveying God's love to all, whether we share the exact same beliefs or not, is all important, that taking time to listen and look in a person's eyes gives them a wonderful gift, even if we shall never see each other again, and that there is nothing more important than conversing about God, especially when it is done in love.

When I closed the door on these two sweet young women that day, I felt the Peace of God in my heart. I may not have gotten my laundry and ironing completed, but God taught me to take care of the most important thing, loving others as I would want to be loved.

FLASH FORWARD...

As the two young men from the Jehovah's Witness church stood waiting for my answer at the door last week, I remembered my experience with those two young women years ago. I felt safe in this situation to say...

"Yes, when my husband is home, you may come another time. We are devout in our faith, but our door is always open to others who love God".

Sometimes we believe we have to agree and if we don't, it is more comfortable to keep to our own. God has taught me that loving and sharing a mutual reverence for God should come first before all other things. In this way, the door of our hearts is always stands open.
Love,
Elizabeth

Show and Tell Friday, March 25th - Romantic Purses from Days Gone By

2011-03-24T22:32:00.002-06:00

Cindy, from My Romantic Home, is hosting another Show and Tell Friday. I decided to participate with a post that was first published almost two years ago. I thought it would be fun to share for so many of you who never read it before.

(Don't forget to check out my GIVEAWAY HERE)

Today, I share my antique purses..
I got this one 30 years ago at a thrift store in Provo, Utah. I routinely found antique items back then at this one particular store (not so much anymore).
The bead work is very lovely.
This purse was given to me by my sister, Jeanie, who knows my affinity for very feminine things and for pastel colors.
The beadwork on this bag is much more intricate.

I love to wonder about the ladies who carried these bags before me. Were they in the bloom of youth or were they older ladies like I am now? Did they make a special memory, meet a special someone while holding them? Did they pack them for travel and visit some far-away place where they took them out and used them? Did these purses ever hold handkerchiefs that dried a tear or were given to someone as a remembrance?

I, myself, carried both of these purses in the bloom of my young womanhood. I held the flowered one in my lap when I went to the ballet to see the Bolshoi and another time, the Kirov. They went on special dates with me when I felt young and beautiful. Now that I am older and rarely dress up the way I use to, they grace my bedroom wall. Someday, I will pass them down to my daughter while she is a young woman. Hopefully, they will help her to feel feminine and pretty, because beautiful things affect the way we feel about ourselves.

For more Show and Tell Fridays, please visit Cindy HERE.

Love,
Elizabeth

Happy Spring!

2011-03-23T09:29:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends and Visitors,

A happy and glorious Spring to you! Today it is sunny and warmer and I swear that the little birds outside began chirping on Monday. They are thrilled with the slight warming, just like I am.

What is it like where you are? Is it Spring or Winter?

In honor of this wonderful time of year and also my love of pretty aprons, I am announcing a GIVEAWAY!

This lovely apron can be yours! I just bought a new one for this purpose. All you have to do is to follows the directions below! You have until March 30th at midnight. Then the Giveaway will close and I will announce the winner.

GIVEAWAY DIRECTIONS:

1) Leave a comment on this post

2) Announce the Giveaway on your blog and then link back to this post

3) Let me know in your comment here that you have advertised on your blog and you will get 2 entries.

Good luck to you!

Love,
Elizabeth

Why?

2011-03-21T15:51:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Visitors,

I intended to write a Happy Spring post today, but my heart is a little heavy after attending a funeral this morning for the daughter of my husband's close friend. She was murdered last week (The story is HERE). She was only 24 years old and the mother of two small children. She was seeking a divorce from her husband. He was very angry and so when she went to pick up the children from him one day last week, he shot her during an argument. Today, as I stood looking at the body of this young woman in her casket, I just kept asking, "Why?!"

Why?

A death from an accident or illness for one so young is sad, but understandable.

The murder of a beautiful young girl at the hands of someone who once promised to love and protect her is incomprehensible but becoming all too common.

Fortunately, my husband's friends have a strong faith in God and that faith is sustaining them in a way that is very inspiring to others. They will be raising the two grandchildren. Their youngest son, who is still at home, is now calling them his brother and sister.

Why is it that increasingly people are settling their differences with violent acts? How could this young man honestly feel that murdering his wife, the mother of his young children, would solve anything? We cannot ask him any of these questions, because he is dead, too. After killing his wife, he turned the gun on himself.

Two families are now grieving two deaths and two children have lost their parents.

Why?

Love,
Elizabeth

A Simple Woman's Daybook, March 15th, 2011

2011-03-16T10:44:00.001-06:00

FOR TODAY March 16th, 20100...

Outside My Window...Cloudy and overcast. There is a lot of snow on the mountains, but it is warmer in the valley and on the foothills (benches). We are expecting rain.

I am thinking... I add my prayers to all those from around the world for the poor people who are being directly affected by the tragedy in Japan. Help to those in need, comfort for the grieving, food and shelter for the homeless, purpose for those who can give aide, hope where there is none...all blessings for which I pray

I am thankful for...everything in my life. The more news coverage that I watch about the unfolding events in Japan, the more that I am grateful for a warm home, plenty of food to eat, and o, so many other things. We live amongst so much abundane that we don't fully realize how fortunate we are. We are no longer aware of how much we have because we are surrounded by it all the time. We live in the most abundant time in history and we have lost perspective on how rare in the overall scheme of history this is.

From the learning rooms...(if this applies)

From the kitchen...Amish Friendship Bread...Salmon Patties...Fried Okra...Lima Beans for tonight

I am wearing...

A lovely apron that I was able to pick up for a song on ebay. Makes me feel very feminine!

I am creating...A softly decorated home Spring ...only 4 more days...
I am reading...The Backyard Homestead...lots of ideas!

I am hoping...for warmer weather...:)

I am hearing...soft instrumentals which help calm me and focus my efforts throughout the day.

Around the house...it is very quiet..but a little disordered. I need to get up and get going!

One of my favorite things...creating a beautiful table setting for supper, so that my little family can feel that this time together every evening is set apart and special.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

St. Paddy's Day dinner tomorrow night with music provided by the Irish Tenors Dublin Concert. More decorating and Spring Cleaning. Some time alone with hubby at the end of the week.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Wish hats would come back in style.

For more daybooks, please visit HERE.

Have a great day!
Elizabeth

Menu Planning Monday, March 14th

2011-03-14T09:46:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Visitors,

I have been trying to compose a post for the last few days, but the horrors of Japan's current catastrophe are vivid in my mind and I am finding it difficult to think of anything else. I add my prayers to all those from around the world for the poor people who are being directly affected by this tragedy. Help to those in need, comfort for the grieving, food and shelter for the homeless, purpose for those who can give aide, hope where there is none...all blessings for which I pray.

This week's menus are as follows:

Monday - Lemon Cream Pasta with Chicken,Tossed Salad

Tuesday - Lentil Loaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Lemony Green Beans

Wednesday - Shredded Chicken Tacos, Grapefruit and Avacado Salad

Thursday - Mustard Glazed Corned Beef, Scalloped Cabbage, Red Potatoes, Artisan Bread

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Homemade Pepperoni Pizza, Tossed Salad

Sunday - Asian Stir fry

For more Menu Planning Monday, please visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Try and make it a good one!
Elizabeth

Feminine Pleasures

2011-03-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hello, Sweet Visitors -

I am back online after another episode of Life that required my full attention. Thank you for not giving up on me when my blog grows silent. Your friendship and visits mean so much!

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I have recently been thinking a lot about what it means to be feminine. Oh sure, we hear a lot about being sexy these days, but scant little about femininity. When I think of this quality, my thoughts turn to my earliest memories. There, my mother stands supreme as my first impressions of what it means to be a woman.

My earliest memories are of my mother's dressing table upon which stood a tray of lovely perfume bottles...
...Some were very old, others were hand-painted. Each one seemed to tell a story of its own. I lovingly admired these bottles, would sample their scents and wish to heavens that they were mine.

My mother's hair was always beautifully coifed and she was never without jewelry. She never wore anything austentatious, but was always tastefully adorned. Oh, how I loved her jewelry box full of different colored, beaded necklaces, especially her tiered pearls. Many woman wore pearls back then.

Homemakers did not dress in jeans and T Shirts, or any old shirt, as I have put on. They always took pride in their appearance. Not the pride that "goeth before the Fall", as the Bible says, but in always putting one's best foot forward. It showed a respect for themselves, for their surroundings and for others.

From the top of the head down to the toes...

..every item worn was cherished and cared for. Articles of clothing were scrubbed, ironed, polished, mended and always in good repair.

There was no frivolity in how one dressed, mind you, this was the generation that withstood the Great Depression and war. But people cared what example they reflected to others.

Men and women seemed to relish and celebrate the difference between the sexes. I have been thinking much about this recently. My church teaches that God created the sexes as separate and distinct in wonderful ways. How separate and distinct am I when I grab old pants and tops all of the time?

When I was young I relished my womanhood. I wore mostly skirts and dresses, even on non-work days. I loved the way they made me feel and look. But over the years as a married woman, I have somehow let go of all of that for what was quick and "practical". My feelings about myself as a woman have slid along with my appearance. Recently, I have begun to think again of my mother and what a wonderful example she set for me of womanhood and I have begun to ask myself, am I setting a similar example of femininity for my daughter? H.m.m. I am a little ashamed of the answer.

So, when it came time to get some clothes for myself recently, I focused my thrifty mindset on obtaining more feminine tops and skirts which bring out my femininity. I still shop thrift and outlet stores (as well as ebay), but I have opted for more ladylike attire than before.

The affect that this has had on my behavior is remarkable. I find that I behave in a softer more refined manner when dressed a little less casually. I feel better about myself and my family has noticed a change.

I know that I am walking against the wind of societal opinion that would have us be seductive, but not soft and refined. We are equal to men so we are the same, right? Well, I don't believe so. I want to be different in wholesome and lovely ways.

My mothers example created in me the belief that womanhood was a mysterious and glorious thing. She taught me that one can be industrious and also careful about one's appearance. With her netted petticoats and modest pearls, she exemplified that being refined and lovely was wholesome and something to be desired.

If we are truly daughters of our Heavenly Father, as I believe us to be, then shouldn't our appearance and demeanor reflect such a heritage?

Food for thought.

...And a fond remembrance of a generation of women who believed in putting their best foot forward.

Have a great day!

Elizabeth

Sleepin' Kitties

2011-03-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Cuddling up with a kitty is the coziest thing that I know. They are so soft and comfy. I have to confess that when I awaken in the morning and find two snoring pussycats by my side I have a really hard time getting up.

Who can resist the opportunity to rest beside a furry friend? Not I.

I want to burrow under my covers with one arm outside to cradle my two little friends, to pet a nose or to gently smooth their fur.

I watch them as they dream. They twitch here and there and occasionally mew as they respond to some danger in their dreamland.

Ultimately, I have to leave the cats to their slumber, because they do not have a house full of chores as I do. But my heart is happy and peaceful after sharing some love with Timmy and Sunny. The world feels like a better place because it has in it two gentle spirits covered by warm, orange fur!

Have a great one!

Elizabeth

Sabbath Prayer

2011-02-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

Helping Hands by Marilyn Hunt

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.
- Samuel F. Pugh

Beautiful Bedrooms

2011-02-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hello, Friends and Visitors!

My computer is finally back and healthy, fingers crossed! I am able now to visit everyone and post again. Whew!
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Oh, how I love to snuggle up in a beautiful bedroom. There is something so cozy and inspiring when one's room is artfully decored (notice, that I said "artfully" and not "expensively". There is a difference!). It sets this room apart from the rest of the home as a sanctuary and special place. It isn't a Family Room where children romp; nor is it the kitchen, where one eats, or the office where one works. It is a place to dream, to love, to relax, to pray and to feed one's soul.

One doesn't have to spend lots of money, but it does take time, effort and a creative eye.

Blue is a soft, peaceful color for sleeping. I love it in bedrooms. Our master bedroom is blue.

Image from Country Living

Lots of linens, hand-me-downs, family heirlooms, thrift store and estate sale finds can turn one's room into a lovely place to ponder and dream.

Image from Country Living

How I love a beautiful bedroom!

Bedrooms are places for beloved objects and items of sentiment. Books and lovely music. Candlelight. Scented potpourri or incense. Quiet voices. Stilled thoughts. A place of rest and renewal for body and soul.

O, how I love a beautiful bedroom!

How about you? What do you think is essential in one's room?

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Will Somebody Please Turn on the Light?!

2011-02-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well, we are into Day 7 of having no computer. It turned out to be more than a new charger cord that was needed. The whole darn hard drive crashed as well. Fortunately, the information is able to be saved, but we are paying through the nose for this back up, as our Mozy subscription was paid for, but not working (Aaargh!). Great.

So, still no pictures for my posts and very little blog visiting can be done...:(

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I received some interesting comments on my post about the use of music in our daily lives. One friend asked what artists I listen to while I am working around the house. I listen to Enya, and any type of instrumental that has a simple arrangement and has only a few instruments. More complicated music, like Classical (a big love of mine) distracts me from whatever I am doing and I feel like I need to sit down and truly listen to and appreciate the piece, which is nice, but keeps me from being productive. Lyrics do the same thing, believe it or not. But then I am VERY distracted. If you are more normal, you can probably do all kinds of music and be very effective. :)

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Another thing that really helps me be more energetic and productive is light . In the winter months especially, but also all throughout the year, I really need a lot of light in the house. For some reason, I feel more peppy and energized to work when I am around a lot of it.

I use a Verilux Happy Lite for my kitchen, which was built without a window in it and can be dismal without a lot of help. This coupled with regular kitchen lighting does much to warm up this space and lift my mood.

Throwing open any and all windows is a real plus as natural light has the best positive effects of all on the mind and body. In all seasons other than Winter, I take breaks from my homemaking to work in the garden, sit out on our back deck or our backyard lawn swing to enjoy the sunlight. What a difference it makes to energy and desire to get things done.

How about you? Do you have dark areas in your home that are a little dreary? What do you do the cheer them up a bit?

Well, I am off now to work on my home...The sun is out following an incredible thunder snow storm last night. We went from Springtime weather to heavy winter in just a few short hours. Well, that's life for you on the Wasatch Mountain front!

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

The Role of Music in Our Daily Lives

2011-02-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I am a very distracted thinker. Because of this, it is often very difficult for me to focus on the task at hand. I start out doing one thing and then a thought intrudes about something else and I break away to focus on a completely different task. The most fun about this is that it has gotten worse with age. However, I have found something that has greatly aided in my search for anything that could help me be more effective each day.

Quite simply, it is music.

Not just any kind of music will work. I have experimented with very different types of genres that I love - classical, musicals, blue grass, big band...None of it really worked for me until I happened to try quiet instrumental music, often referred to as "New Age". There is something about the lack of complication in the arrangements, usually just a few or sometimes only one instrument is used, and the beat is slow and melodic. Somehow these simple strains calm my thoughts and help me tune in to what I'm doing.

I can't prove this or even explain why this type of music is able to help me so much. It would be interesting to find out if any studies have been done about the effects that certain types of music have on the mind. I am sure there would be a very measurable effect. For me, the difference in my ability to be calm and stay on task with and then without music is amazing.

I use to fill my quiet hours of homemaking with a low buzz of conversation from the tv. I would use it to keep me "company". But it would often pull me to the screen and cause me to waste time. Plus, I frankly don't like a steady diet of TV programs, as the subject matter is usually some form of a crime show or exploitative sex content. Now, I turn the TV on only to tune to the Soundscape music channel that Comcast offers.

What a difference to my day, such calm and peace and feeling of accomplishment.

So, I pass this along to anyone else who is, as Flylady calls us, a Side-Tracked Home Executive. Try the use of music to stimulate and focus your senses to where you want them to be.

No more scramble thoughts!

How about you? How do you use music during your day?

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

(Computer still in shop...also has a hard drive problem!)

Computer Snafu #1,000

2011-02-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I was having fun, messing around with my blog (as you can tell from the GIGANTIC header picture), when suddenly, snap - the whole computer shut down and would not be turned back on again. What?! The?! Heck?!!!! So, back to the computer doctor we go. Turns out our computer charger cable is bad and my battery ran hopelessly down.

The good news: my warranty will pay for a new one.

The bad news: It has to be shipped from the manufacturer which will take 4-5 business days.

AAAAaaaaaahhhhh!

Meanwhile, my daughter's Honors English Class project was abruptly brought to a grinding halt and the wonderfully understanding teacher gave her a "no excuses" "F", even though my daughter had been writing all week. (Never fear, mother will be calling this lovely lady and giving her a rather LARGE piece of what's left of my mind!)

I cannot the change the big scary Valentine picture on my blog page. I am typing at the library and there can be no modifications here. So, no, I haven't gone out of my mind with my monstrous decorations. I am thwarted in Computerland and can do nothing about it.

I will be visiting blogs on Monday and posting again, albeit without pictures. So, check back and hopefully everything will be normal again soon.

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

A Simple Woman's Daybook, February 8, 2011

2011-02-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...there is cloud cover, but the sky is bright. Several inches of snow lie on the ground and it is cold.

I am thankful for... light. Brightness. My mood is greatly affected by both.

From the kitchen...I must admit the breakfast dishes still need to be washed and put away. The counters are cluttered and await my diligence. Two hungry cats have formed a welcoming commitee for the tiny mouse who somehow got into our house and is hiding under the stove.

I am wearing...jeans and a shirt...ugh, so much for my commitment to greater femininity.

I am creating...a pefect ham sandwich on two slices of the best bread I have ever made (put lecithin in it!).

I am going...to eat my sandwich!

I am reading...a catalog of The Great Courses, lectures on cd from leading intellectuals on various subjects. I want to take the course on Linguistics.

I am hoping...for too many things to list here. I guess it is a blessing to have hopes for without them life would be dreary.

I am hearing...Soundscapes, a channel of peaceful instrumentals from Comcast TV.

Around the house...the kitties continue their vigil, I am writing and eating, music is playing and the washer is going.

One of my favorite things...right now, is my wonderful ham sandwiches. I hope there are ham sandwiches in Heaven, though I don't see how there can be as that would require the death of a heavenly piggie and there is no death in Heaven. SO, I better get my fill down here!

A few plans for the rest of the week: A Woman's get together at church tomorrow night, two trips to the LDS Temple, and a Valentines Dinner this weekend at the house of my beautiful niece, Emily (technically, that's next week - Sunday).

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Here is the Mouse Welcoming Commitee....Timmy, the first one to shake hands with the mousie when he comes out...Sunny, the back up plan in case Timmy should miss their guest when he first comes out. They wouldn't want to be rude.

(Alas, sweet Mouse, I fear you haven't long to live).

For more Daybook posts, please visit HERE.
Have a great day!
Elizabeth

I've Received An Award!

2011-02-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

I received this lovely award from Laura at Our Scented Cottage, which is one of my very favorite blogs ~ thank you, Laura!

To Accept The Award Requirements: Thank and Link Back to the Blogger Who Awarded You With The Award and Share 7 Things About Yourself. Award 15 Recently Discovered Great Bloggers and contact the bloggers, inform them of the award.

Seven things about me:

1) I love sushi! Sushi, sushi, sushi! I love to eat it. I love to make it. And I love to think about it! :)

2) I am a child at heart. I still remember clearly what it felt like to be so young, all the ebullience and imagination. Deep inside, I am still a shirt-tail girl, running through the grass, chasing butterflies and picking daisies.

3) I adore my two children. They have set my life on fire. Everyday is made more special because they are in it. I just wish they could still sit on my lap for a cuddle! :)

4) I wanted depserately to be a dancer, but an inherited, degenerative condition with my feet finally nipped that one in the bud. I look forward to dancing in Paradise one day!

5) I love to read and study different subjects on my own, especially history. I read hundreds of books, really! However, I am lousy in school. It is hard for me to sit all day listening to different people talk me to death. I had a dream a few nights ago that I had gone back to college to complete my degree. First, I couldn't remember where the class was and then when I finally found it I spent the entire class time rolling a pencil off my nose and staring at the ceiling...Sounds like me!

6) I think that a home is far more cozy with a cat in it.

7) I love music. My favorites are Classical, Instrumental New Age Blue Grass, Celtic, Big Band and clean musicals. I'm not much for popular music. Never have been. As a child, while everyone else was listening to the Beatles, I was listening to Beethoven.

Now, the wonderful blogs that I am honoring with this award are...(drum roll, please)

Enjoy! And have a wonderful day -

Elizabeth

Cats on Tuesday

2011-02-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

I opened my empty rag drawer last night and stepped away to get some newly washed clothes to put into it. When I came back there was a decidedly non-rag mound within it.

Timmy, what are you doing in there?
It cracks me up how any time we do something, open up a drawer or lay something on the floor, the cats think that it's for them. Thank you, Mama, they say with their eyes.

Here is Sunny getting his tummy rubbed.
For more Cats on Tuesday, please visit Gattina's blog HERE.

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

Menu Planning Monday, January 31

2011-01-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

Herllo, Friends and Visitors!

A wonderful Monday to you. Hope you are all energized to begin a new week. We have snow on the ground here on this last day of January. However, I am ready and enthusiastic about February beginning.

To start off the week right, below I have listed my Menu. Hope you enjoy it!

MENU PLAN

Monday - Szechwan Beef Stir Fry, sliced oranges, stir fry broccoli

Tuesday - Chicken Flautas with Black Beans, sliced cucumbers and tomato

Wednesday - Orange Chicken and Fried Rice, Salad

Thursday - Chicken Pad Thai

Friday - Left Overs

Saturday - Homemade Pepperoni Pizza, Tossed Salad

Sunday - Healthier Buffalo Wings, vegetables and dip, fruit salad and various and sundry other fun foods.

For more menu plans, please visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

A Simple Woman's Daybook, January 25th

2011-01-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...there is a fresh layer of snow.

I am thinking...of ways to better serve my family and care for my home.

I am thankful for...relative health. It is an amazing thing to be able to stand up and walk. I know that may sound funny, but there have been periods in my life when I could not do that. Being whole of body enough to be useful is a miracle I never fully understood until it was taken from me. It is a joy and a miracle to be able to move around at will.

From the kitchen...it is clean and sparkly! What a wonderful time for you to visit. It is all fresh and ready for some yummy project to begin.

I am wearing...black pants, rose plaid shirt and black boots. I feel relatively attractive today!

I am creating...clean and organized home office where I can work and be creative.

I am going...nowhere today. This is a home day.

I am reading...Hiroshima by John Hershey

Amazon.com Review

When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, few could have anticipated its potential for devastation. Pulitzer prize-winning author John Hersey recorded the stories of Hiroshima residents shortly after the explosion and, in 1946, Hiroshima was published, giving the world first-hand accounts from people who had survived it. The words of Miss Sasaki, Dr. Fujii, Mrs. Nakamara, Father Kleinsorg, Dr. Sasaki, and the Reverend Tanimoto gave a face to the statistics that saturated the media and solicited an overwhelming public response. Whether you believe the bomb made the difference in the war or that it should never have been dropped, "Hiroshima" is a must read for all of us who live in the shadow of armed conflict.

I am hoping...to have the energy that I need to complete everything I'd like to do today. :)

I am hearing...Bernadette Peters singing "No One is Alone" on Pandora Radio.

Around the house...Two sleepin' pussycats...the dishwasher is running... Music on the computer... and me, taking a much needed break from cleaning to visit with you.

One of my favorite things...beautiful music playing in a quiet house, a neatly written list of chores to do, purpose, surety. Oops! That is 4 things. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week: I am going to a Young Women's meeting with my daughter at church tomorrow night. We may catch a movie together as a family Friday night. Also, as a family we will go to the LDS Temple on Thursday night

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...a beautiful country bedroom from Country Living Magazine.

Menu, January 24th and Casserole Recipe

2011-01-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining today. After many December and January Days when the sun was covered by a thick gray sky, sunshine feels like a new and blessed revelation.

Today, is of course, Monday. This is the day that I bless my home with cleaning. I need someone to light a firecracker under my bum so that I get moving. Some days it's hard to get the old caboose going. Anyone else out there like that?

What motivates you to get going on cleaning?

I also have lots of laundry to do. I enjoy ironing while watching a movie or good show. That is a treat for me.

Okay, so here is this weeks' menu for suppers. Click on the links if you would like recipes...

Menu for Week of January 24th

Monday - Tater Tot Casserole*, Tossed Salad and Dessert (Gingerbread Cake)

Tuesday - Tuna Melts, Fruit Salad

Wednesday - Black-Eye Peas, Cornbread and Greens

Thursday - Chicken Fingers, Steak Fries and Salad

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - Stir Fry (to be determined)

Sunday - Ham, limas, mashed taters, squash and pie.

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For more Menu Planning Monday, please visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Here is my personal recipe for Tater Tot Casserole.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb. hamburger, browned and drained
1 cup chopped onion, sauteed
1 can of green beans
1 1/2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 lb. Tater Tot crowns
pinch of parsley flake

Arrange tater tots on a baking sheet and brown at 450°F for 25 minutes. While the Tater Tots are baking, brown the hamburger then add the parsley.

Once browned, use a spatula to break up the hamburger as much as possible. Then add the cream of mushroom soup, sauteed onions and green beans.

Set aside until Tater Tots are done. Layer the hamburger mixture into a 9x13 pan and arrange Tater Tots over the top until covered.

Bake for 10 minutes and ENJOY!

Have a great one -
Elizabeth

Happy Sabbath!

2011-01-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

One of the most important things we do through the gospel of Jesus Christ is to build people.

Properly serving others requires effort to understand them as individuals —their personalities, their strengths, their concerns, their hopes and dreams— so that the correct help and support can be provided. Frankly, it’s much easier to just manage programs than it is to understand and truly serve people.

Brothers and sisters, may we focus on the simple ways we can serve in the kingdom of God, always striving to change lives, including our own. What is most important in our Church responsibilities is not the statistics that are reported or the meetings that are held but whether or not individual people—ministered to one at a time just as the Savior did—have been lifted and encouraged and ultimately changed. Our task is to help others find the peace and the joy that only the gospel can give them.
~M. Russell Ballard
O Be Wise ~ Conference Talk, October 2006

Have a wonderful Sabbath Day!
Elizabeth

What I Love to Read

2011-01-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

I just finished an excellent book (see previous post) and I am feeling a little down. Do any of you get that way after reading something that you loved? This book was a page turner and was beautifully written and the ending was very satisfying. However, now I am at a loss for something to read.

Any suggestions?

I usually read non-fiction, because I love history. However, once in awhile a friend of mine puts me on to a great novel. I love it when there is a bit of a mystery involved.

Having said that, following is a list of some of the favorite books that I've read (this doesn't include scripture, which of course is a fave.

MY FAVORITE BOOKS

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontee
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Day They Bombed Utah (about results of nuclear testing in the West)
For Those I loved by Martin Gray (Holocaust autobiography)
Escape from Sobibor (Holocaust - prisoner escape from Death Camp)
From Mercy Killing to Mass Murder: The Reinhardt Solution (Holocaust)
Against All Hope by Armando Vallardares (unjustly imprisoned in Castro's Cuba)
Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng (autobiography, what happened to one family during China's Cultural Revolution)
Hiroshima by John Hershey
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Sonnets of Shakespeare

Well, that's just a few, but they are the ones I tend to go back to throughout my life.

What are some of your favorite books?

Have a wonderful day!
Elizabeth

A Simple Woman's Daybook, January 19th

2011-01-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...snow is softly falling, the sky is gray and it is cold.

I am thinking...concerns for the day..my husband is in terrible pain with his back and yet he must go to work...he is strong and loves his family and so he does this for us.

I am thankful for...a quiet moment in life..I am always thankful for the quiet moments which give me a chance to reflect and re-group.

From the kitchen...I confess there is cleaning to do, washing of the counters and then, perhaps, pumpkin bread? I bought many cans of pumpkin on sale after Christmas.

I am wearing...my jammies. I am wrapped up in a quilt, still comfortable in my pjs.

I am creating...not as much as I would have liked to by now this month. A nasty flu went through our house and kept me busy with coughing children. I had been working on organizing every area of my home, taking a room at a time. It is easier to be creative from a clean, well-organized home.

I am going...nowhere today. It is a home day, my favorite kind.

I am reading...The Weight of Silence, by Heather Gudenkauf

"Deeply moving and exquisitely lyrical, this is a powerhouse of a debut novel." -Tess Gerritsen

"Beautifully written, compassionately told, and relentlessly suspenseful." -Diane Chamberlain

"Gudenkauf moves the story forward at a fast clip and is adept at building tension." -Publishers Weekly"

You can read more about it and purchase it HERE.

I am hoping...so many largely unspoken things - that everything will work out for our family, what with illness and the timing of our health insurance coverage with Mark's new job.

I am hearing...the ticking of a clock, silence.

Around the house...all is still. One pussycat is huddled up in the living room, looking out the sliding glass door at the falling snow and whatever else interests a kitty. The other puss in curled up next to me, sleeping.

One of my favorite things...hearing from my children during the day with little texts telling me how they are doing or whatever is bothering them. It makes me feel connected and needed.

A few plans for the rest of the week: I would like to get to feeling better (I always catch whatever germ comes home with the children). I want to finish with the laundry, which piled up when we were all sick. I'd like to begin working again on organizational projects. Bake something yummy. Think of some artistic projects I could do, perhaps something for Valentines Day.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

There is nothing more peaceful than sleeping pussycats.

For more daybook posts, please visit HERE.
Blessings,
Elizabeth

Shaking Hands with History

2011-01-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Visitors,

First, I would like to pay homage to the man we are honoring today in the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr.

As I have shared before, my family is from The South, one of the places where Civil Rights was such an explosive issue in the 50's, 60's and early 70's. I was fortunate to have very forward thinking parents who supported integration in a very segregated area of the country. I took this very much for granted while growing up. Now, I know how very fortunate I was to be raised not to judge people by color.

My husband, whose family also has Southern roots, tells a wonderful story that happened to him while his father was stationed with the Air Force in Montgomery, Alabama in the mid-60's. On one Sunday morning, he and a girlfriend were wandering around downtown Montgomery and happened into the Black neighborhoods. There they heard the most incredible Gospel music coming from a particular church nearby. Of course my husband, who is completely color-blind about race, got the idea that he and his friend should go into the church and listen. Now, this was the mid-60's and the area was segregated and I don't know that a white person had ever stepped foot in this black church, but the two of them went in and sat in the back. There they listened to beautiful Gospel music followed by a rousing sermon given by a gifted guest preacher. At the end of the service, the preacher stepped down from the pulpit, exited the sanctuary and stood outside the church doors to greet and shake hands with members of the congregation as they left. Mark was among the first to shake hands, because he was in the back. So into whose hand did Mark put his to thank him for his sermon? Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Next to him stood another famous Civil Rights activist, Reverend Abernathy. Dr. King thanked Mark and his friend for coming. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that it was an exceptional opportunity which means even more to my husband now looking back, than it did when it first happened. He shook hands with History.

Today, I like to remember Dr. King for his remarkable call for peaceful demonstrations against intolerance and for each person to be judged by his or her character than by their color. Much has changed since then and much of that is due to the example of this incredible man.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Show and Tell Friday, January 13

2011-01-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Visitors!

I haven't done a Show and Tell Friday in a while so I thought it would be fun to show some thrift store finds from awhile back (as in several years). Below is the top of my dressing table.

Everything is from a thrift store, except for the kitty bum, which......belongs to a kitty.
This candle stands in a bed of rose petals that come from a bouquet my dear departed mother sent to me 7 years ago. The candle, holder and plate are all thrift finds.
I love the base of this lamp. It is so unusual. It intrigues me because the pineapple was a symbol of hospitality in Colonial times.
Here is the rest of the lamp which is also a thrift find.
The table skirt is a lovely embroidered sheer curtain panel over a pure silk shawl, which I found in mint condition.
The shawl is also embroidered...
As well as the curtain...
The floral garland I picked up for $1 at a rummage sale. It is like new.
So, there you have just a few of my treasures that I have found over the years. Much of my house is decorated from thrift, rummage and estate sales - three of my favorite places to go!

For more Show and Tell Friday posts, please visit Cindy at My Romantic Home.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Winter Decorating Ideas and One Studious Cat

2011-01-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, Friends and Visitors,

I have been listening to weather reports from across the United States and many places that are not that use to snow are snowed in this week. I know this can be very inconvenient, but I want to encourage you to enjoy Winter. Sometimes, as soon as the holidays are over, we want to rush to Spring, but then we miss so much.

To keep you in a Wintery mood, following are some unique decorating ideas I found off the Internet...

Imagine making a window treatment of delicate paper snowflakes.

Here is an inviting front porch that is festive for frosty days.

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Now, for those of you here for Cats on Tuesday, here is a warm feline I caught in a moment of study and reflection. He was reading the scriptures when I surprised him.
For more Cats on Tuesday, please visit Gattina's blog HERE.
Have a wonderful Wintry day and remember to enjoy the here and now.
Cheers!
Elizabeth

Menu Planning Monday, January 10th

2011-01-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello, Sweet Friends and Visitors,

We finally took down all of our Christmas decorations and tree. Now, we are set to enjoy this wonderful January with snow and cold. Ha, ha. Perhaps that doesn't sound like fun, but I love it.

Anyone else out there in love with Winter?

I haven't posted a weekly menu in awhile. I am happily doing so below. As you will see, I am really into Asian Cooking. I would have something Asian every night if I could, but I don't want to tire my family.

Enjoy the menu and recipes. For more Menu Planning Monday entries, please visit Laura, at Organizing Junkie.

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Monday - Vegetable Lasagna * , Tossed Salad and Garlic Bread

Tuesday - Pork and Ginger Pot Stickers, Sauteed Green Beans, Pineapple/Apple Salad

Wednesday - Salmon Patties, Mashed Potatoes, Sliced Tomatoes

Thursday - California Rolls, Onigiri and Stir Fried Sesame Spinach

Friday - Homemade Pizza, Tossed Salad

Saturday - Tacos, Fruit

Sunday - Any Suggestions?

* I add shredded carrots to this

Marinara Sauce for Lasagna, using frozen last Summer's tomatoes from garden

What yummy recipes will you be serving this week?

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

Twelth Night

2011-01-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Hello, Friends and Visitors,

If it is the custom where you live to count down the Twelve Days of Christmas then you will know that tonight is known as Twelth Night (yes, Shakespeare titled a play after the custom). Following is a small description from the Farmers Almanac about it:

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night, the eve of January 5, is in English folk custom the end of Christmas merrymaking and in ancient Celtic tradition the end of the 12-day winter solstice celebration.

On this night, it was customary for the assembled company to toast one another from the wassail bowl. In Old English, wassail means “Be in good health,” but the term also was applied to the drink itself (usually spiced ale).

When I was a little girl, my mother use to tell me about the tradition of "Old Christmas", which was on January 6th. She would tell me about the old tradition of St. Nicholas or Santa Claus coming on Christmas Eve, but the opening of at least some of the family presents would be on January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany, or the day that was celcbrated as the visit of the Wise Men and the bestowing of their gifts on the baby Jesus.

There are many different Christmas Traditions throughout the Christian world. How one celcbrates this season depends to a great extent on where one's ancestors lived. Mine all come from the British Isles, mostly from Scotland and this idea of "Old Christmas" hearkens back to the old ways and celebrations of our ancestors.

So, tonight my family will do a little toast (a very mild one, as we do not imbibe any alcohol in this very LDS house) to the end of a wonderful Christmas season. If we were a little richer, then we would open a gift, but that will have to wait until next Twelth Night. Tomorrow, I take down our tree.

Why the heck do we do this, now that our family is very American? It allows for the very special Spirit which accompanies the holidays to linger a little longer in our hearts and in our home. That Spirit transforms us just a little, refreshes us and sets us on a better course for the New Year.

Cheers!
Elizabeth

Twenty Things I love Most About Winter

2011-01-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

1) When it is gray and cold outside, dimly lit and warm inside

2) An undisturbed, fresh coating of pure white snow, upon which no foot has trod, no tire has tread, no bird has lighted.

3) Hot chocolate with marshmallows

4) Reading by candlelight on a dark night

5) A long Winter's nap

6) Winter squash recipes

7) Soups and stews accompanied by warm, homemade bread

8) Quiet thoughts which come more readily on Winter evenings

9) Going sledding with children whose glee at the downward rush is irrepressible

10) The silence that follows a heavy snowfall

11) Baking in an oven that warms the whole house and sends delicious aromas throughout every room

12) The excitement and promise of a new calendar upon which nothing has yet been written, it is all up to me

13) The re-evaluation of a life, the setting of some honest, do-able goals

14) Hot Cider

15) Roasted meats, thick mashed potatoes, warm vegetables

16) Blank pages of a new journal

17) Nag Campa incense, the Winter essence for my home

18) Another year older, another year wiser, another year more thankful

19) Plans, hopes and dream

20) Underneath the frozen ground, the hope and promise of a Spring one day to be re-awakened.

What do you love most about the Winter months? Please tell me!
God bless,
Elizabeth

Organizing for The New Year

2010-12-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Visitors,

With the New Year fast approaching and many hearts and minds focused towards goals and plans for 2011, I would like to share some helpful links that I am currently using to help me achieve a more organized life.

Donna Young Printables

Need a new planner for 2011, but hate the prices? Customize a homemade planner with print outs from Donna Young. She has many options for work, homemaking and home schooling. And the best part is that, except for the price of the paper, this options is f.r.e.e.

I actually own a Day Runner, but hate to spend the money to update and customize this book every year. Donna Young has many sized planner page options and even one that will fit my 8" x 11" size notebook.

I'm An Organizing Junkie

Some of my regular readers may recognize this link, because it is Laura, at Organizing Junkie, who hosts the Menu Planning Monday that I often join. However, her site offers so much more that this. There are downloads for printed charts, umpteen posts on various organizing solutions. However, my favorite resource at this link is HERE, where Laura explains what she calls the Process, which is her method for organizing anything. She even has a section that tells how to organize for one's own personality type. How great is that?

Organizing Mind Over Matter

Vicky Winterton's incredible resource for home, office, home office, any and everything. Check this out! It is a fabulous site.

FlyLady

So who hasn't heard of FlyLady? This site is responsible for thousands of "Side-Tracked Home Executives" becoming much more effective and diligent in all of their many roles in life. This site offers printables, suggestions, methods, and even MENTORING for free! If you have never visited FlyLady, click on the link today. It could change your life!

Check out these sites and see what tools you can use to begin your most organized and exceptional New Years ever!

God Bless,
Elizabeth

A Simple Woman's Daybook, December 29th, 2010

2010-12-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...is gray and rainy. Temperatures are cooling and soon we will have snow - the snow that eluded us during Christmas will blanket everything by New Years.

I am thinking...about how to bring to spirit of Christmas - the attention to the Savior and the kindness and sharing - into the New Years.

I am thankful for... a warm home and plenty of food to eat, for loved ones both far and near. It is a blessing to be loved.

From the kitchen...we have plumbers, working to stop a leak. Later, there will be cupcakes baking for the new children I will be teaching this Sunday.

I am wearing...A warm, cotton sweater, nice jeans and the new fabulously comfy slippers my dauther gave me for Christmas.

I am creating...a new schedule and some do-able goals for the New Year which will help me be more productive with my time and allow for greater creativity in my life.

I am going...to do some cleaning and nesting later today. For now, I am enjoying quiet and stillness in my morning.

I am reading...Confessions of an Organized Homemaker, but Deniece Schofield.

I am hoping... for so many things in the future...to publish a book I am currently writing, to get my act together a little more, to be diligent and more effective in life.

I am hearing... sweet silence. How I love quiet. It fills up my heart and soul with prayerful feelings.

Around the house... the plumbers are finished and I need to begin my chores.

One of my favorite things... a cold, gray day without, a warm, softly lit house within.

A few plans for the rest of the week: blessing my home (cleaning), baking for my Sunday School (Primary) children, preparing finger foods for New Years Eve, more planning for 2011.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
The picture of the madonna and child, above, is from The Cathedral of the Madaleine in Salt Lake City, where I attended a Christmas Eve concert with my family...The vaulted ceilings are adorned with beautiful murals of angels...

The concert was performed by children from their choir school...Such clear and innocent voices.
I hope that you are still savoring the joys of this holiday season.

God Bless,
Elizabeth

2010-12-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

But When He Knocks

If I had been a shepherd
In far-off Bethlehem,
Would I have seen that glorious light,
Brighter than diadem?

If I had been the keeper
Of Bethlehem's crowded inn,
Woudl I have known my manger housed
The One Who saves from sin?

Or had I been a wise man,
Across the desert far,
Would I have brought my richest gifts
And followed that bright star?

No sheep have I, no manger bed,
No costly gift, nor rare,
But when He knocks at my heart's door,
I'll bid Him welcome there.
~ Grace Robinson

Wishing each and every one of you a happy, thoughtful, wonderful Christmas.
Love,
Elizabeth

Crazy Christmas Dream

2010-12-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

So, last night, while I was innocently sleeping, I dreamed that I was lying in bed using my computer, as I have done many times. I was visiting blogs and happened upon one of my favorite ones, Dawn's blog The Feathered Nest. I dreamed while I was visiting this blog and enjoying the posts somehow I was instantly transferred to Dawn's home. Right in the middle of her Christmas festivities I appeared in my crazy pink, Nick & Nora Christmas Monkey jammies. All her guests turned to look at me and I, faltering at this strange turn of events, could find nothing else to say than, "Ah...hi."

Dawn was gracious as I always imagined her to be, but I was just a little mortified and was running around her house looking for my laptop so that I could somehow be transported back to my bed and get the heck out there!

Fortunately, I did finally find the thing, hooked myself up to the Internet and was back in my bed before any of Dawn's stunned guests, or Dawn for that matter, could guess the identity of this loony, pajama clad party crasher. That's when I woke up and realized that...
SOMEBODY IS DOING ENTIRELY TOO MUCH BLOG SURFING!

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

Advent, Week 4

2010-12-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

One Blinding Moment

by Max Ellerbusch

I was in my instrument repair shop, working feverishly so that I could have all the Christmas holiday at home with my family. Then the phone rang and a voice was saying that our five-year-old Craig had been hit by a car.

There was a crowd standing around him by the time I got there, but they stepped back for me. Craig was lying in the middle of the road; his curly blond hair was not even rumpled.

He died at Children's Hospital that afternoon.

There were many witnesses. It had happened at the school-crossing. They told us that Craig had waited on the curb until the safety-patrol boy signaled him to cross. Craig, how well you remembered. How often your mother called after you as you started off for kindergarten, "Don't cross till you get the signal." You didn't forget.

The signal came, Craig stepped into the street. The car came so fast no one had seen it. The patrol boy shouted, waved, had to jump for his own life. The car never stopped.

Grace and I drove home from the hospital through the Christmas-lighted streets, not believing what had happened to us. It wasn't until night, passing the unused bed, that I knew. Suddenly I was crying, not just for that empty bed but for the emptiness, the senselessness of life itself. All night long, with Grace awake beside me, I searched what I knew of life for some hint of a loving God at work in it, and found none.

As a child I certainly had been led to expect none. My father used to say that in all his childhood he did not experience one act of charity or Christian kindness. Father was an orphan, growing up in 19th century Germany, a supposedly Christian land. Orphans were rented out to farmers as machines are rented today, and treated with far less consideration. He grew into a stern, brooding man who looked upon life as an unassisted journey to the grave.

He married another orphan and, as their own children started to come, they decided to emigrate to America. Father got a job aboard a ship; in New York harbor he went ashore and simply kept going. He stopped in Cincinnati where so many Germans were then settling. He took every job he could find, and in a year and a half had saved enough money to send for his family.

On the boat coming over, two of my sisters contracted scarlet fever; they died on Ellis Island. Something in Mother died with them, for from that day on she showed no affection for any living being. I grew up in a silent house, without laughter, without faith.

Later, in my own married life. I was determined not to allow those grim shadows to fall on our own children. Grace and I had four: Diane, Michael, Craig and Ruth Carol. It was Craig, even more than the others, who seemed to lay low my childhood pessimism to tell me that the world was a wonderful and purposeful place.

As a baby he would smile so delightedly at everyone he was with that there was always a little group around his carriage. When we went visiting it was Craig, three years old, who would run to the hostess and say, "You have a lovely house." If he received a gift he was touched to tears, and then gave it away to the first child who envied it. Sunday morning when Grace dressed to sing in the choir, it was Craig who never forgot to say, "You're beautiful."

And if such a child can die, I thought as I fought my bed that Friday night, if such a life can be snuffed out in a minute, then life is meaningless and faith in God is self-delusion. By morning my hopelessness and helplessness had found a target, a blinding hatred for the person who had done this to us. That morning police picked him up in Tennessee: George Williams. Fifteen years old.

He came from a broken home, police learned. His mother worked a night shift and slept during the day. Friday he had skipped school, taken her car keys while she was asleep, sped down a street....All my rage at a senseless universe seemed to focus on the name George Williams. I phoned our lawyer and begged him to prosecute Williams to the limit. "Get him tried as an adult, juvenile court is not tough enough."

So this was my frame of mind when the thing occurred which changed my life. I cannot explain it, I can only describe it.

It happened in the space of time that it takes to walk two steps. It was late Saturday night. I was pacing the hall outside our bedroom, my head in my hands. I felt sick and dizzy, and tired, so tired. "Oh God," I prayed, "Show me why."

Right then, between that step and the next, my life was changed. The breath went out of me in a great sigh--and with it all the sickness. In its place was a feeling of love and joy so strong it was almost pain.

Other men have called it "the presence of Christ." I'd known the phrase, of course, but I'd thought it was some abstract, theological idea. I never dreamed it was someone, an actual Person, filling that narrow hall with love.

It was the suddenness of it that dazed me. It was like a lightning stroke that turned out to be the dawn. I stood blinking in an unfamiliar light. Vengeance, grief, hate, anger--it was not that I struggled to be ride of them--like goblins imagined in the dark, in morning's light they simply were not there.

And all the while I had the extraordinary feeling that I was two people. I had another self, a self that was millions of miles from that hall, learning things men don't yet have words to express. I have tried so often to remember the things I knew then, but the learning seemed to take place in a mind apart from the one I ordinarily think with, as though the answer to my question was too vast for my small intellect.

But, in that mind beyond logic, that question was answered. In that instant I knew why Craig had to leave us. Though I had no visual sensation, I knew afterward that I had met him, and he was wiser than I, so that I was the little boy and he the man. And he was so busy. Craig had so much to do, unimaginable important things into which I must not inquire. My concerns were still on earth.

In the clarity of that moment it came to me: this life is a simple thing. I remember the very words in which the thought came. "Life is a grade in school' in this grade we must learn only one lesson: we must establish relationships of love."

"Oh, Craig," I thought. "Little Craig, in your five short years how fast you learned, how quickly you progressed, how soon you graduated."

I don't know how long I stood there in the hall. Perhaps it was no time at all as we ordinarily measure things. Grace was sitting up in bed when I reached the door of our room...Not reading, not doing anything, just looking straight ahead of her as she had much of the time since Friday afternoon.

Even my appearance must have changed because as she turned her eyes slowly to me she gave a little gasp and sat up straighter. I started to talk, words tumbling over each other, laughing, eager, trying to say that the world was not an accident, that life meant something, that earthly tragedy was not the end, that all around our incompleteness was a universe of purpose, that the purpose was good beyond our furthest hopes.

"Tonight," I told her, "Craig is beyond needing us. Someone else needs us; George Williams. It's almost Christmas. Maybe at the Juvenile Detention Home, there will be no Christmas gift for him unless we send it."

Grace listened, silent, unmoving, staring at me. Suddenly she burst into tears. "Yes," she said, "That's right, that's right. It's the first thing that's been right since Craig died."

And it has been right. George turned out to be an intelligent, confused, desperately lonely boy, needing a father as much as I needed a son. He got his gift, Christmas Day, and his mother got a box of Grace's good Christmas cookies. We asked for and got his release a few days later, and this house became his second home. He works with me in the shop after school, joins for meals around the kitchen table, is a big brother for Diane and Michael and Ruth Carol.

But more was changed, in that moment when I met Christ then just my feeling about George. That meeting has affected every phase of my life, my approach to business, to friends, to strangers. I don't mean I've been able to sustain the ecstasy of that moment; I doubt that the human body could contain such joy for every many days.

But I now know with infinite sureness that no matter what life does to us in the future, I will never again touch the rock bottom of despair. No matter how ultimate the blow seems, I glimpsed an even more ultimate joy that blinding moment when the door swung wide.

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I am a little late posting this story for the fourth Sunday of Advent. Hope it is as meaningful for you as it is for me.

Have a wonderful day!
Elizabeth

Show and Tell Friday, December 17th

2010-12-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello, Friends and Visitors -

I haven't done a Show and Tell for awhile and today I'd like to show you and wonderful thrift store find that I discovered several years ago.

A wonderful Snow Man painting that I display this time of the year...

This original painting has been done on an old cabinet door.

Aren't the individual snowmen precious?

Very festive fellows!

This painting, which covers much of my dining room wall, was $5!

For more Show and Tell Friday Posts, please visit Cindy at My Romantic Home!

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Fabulous Give Away!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't miss this fabulous Give Away! Cottage Hill is giving away these beautiful Christmas Stockings. Click HERE and go to the bottom of the post for all of the Give Away information.
Have a wonderful day!
Elizabeth

Cinnamon Ornaments, A Great Holiday Craft

2010-12-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

The first time I ever heard of cinnamon ornaments was through Laura at Our Scented Cottage (thank you for picture!). Ever since then I have wanted to make them.

I went searching around on the Internet and found a fabulously aromatic recipe which is as follows:

Applesauce/Cinnamon Ornaments

1 c. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. applesauce

Mix dry ingredients. Add applesauce a little at a time. Mixture should have consistency of playdough. If too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons applesauce. Roll 1/4 inch thick on ungreased surface. If too sticky, sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on level surface to dry 4-5 days. Insert fine wire at top of ornament before drying. Tie with ribbon. Yield 2 dozen.

I made these today and they are still drying...So, I will show them to you in few days when they are all dry.

Hope they are finished by the time we have our G Family Dinner, Sunday night! :)

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

A Tender Christmas Eve

2010-12-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well, Sweet Friends and Visitors,

I have had nothing but trouble with my computer recently. A few days ago, a huge virus hit and I cannot access the Internet. So...another trip to the Geek Squad. I am now using the library computer for my posts, but it means few links and no pictures. This is seriously de-railing my plans for the Christmas countdown.

Therefore, I am having to rely more heavily on stories to bring a Christmas Spirit to this blog.

Today, I would like to share a personal story, which I hope will be uplifting for you.

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When I was single and living on my own in Los Angeles, most of my Christmases were spent by myself. My friends would leave for home and hearth, but my family was across the U.S. My vacations home, when I could get there, were usually in the Springtime. So, I was generally on my own for the holidays. I didn't feel alone at all. I had celebrations at work and with some friends who were local, but I loved having Christmas to myself, because I could really focus on the Savior and feel communion with Him. It also gave me wonderful opportunities to go out into the community to serve.

My most precious Christmas memory in Los Angeles, though, happened with a sweet friend, who I will refer to as M.

I first met M. and her mother, L., through my church. I was assigned with my roommate, C., to visit them monthly to see to their needs and to bring a spiritual message. L. was an elderly single parent, caring for her daughter, M., who was wheelchair bound. Years before I met them, M. had suffered through a terrible attack, where she was raped and beaten about the head so badly that she began to have epileptic seisures and lost the use of her legs. She and her mother were both ailing, destitute and had lived for a time on the streets. Now, they were in a tiny house, windows nailed shut by the landlord (is that legal?), living amidst refuse, stacks of horded materials of various kinds, and their beloved pets.

The first time I walked through their door, I was hit with a stench that is difficult to describe. They were doing the best they could, but the mother was decrepit and unable to keep the place clean. Sometimes trips to the bathroom weren't made in time and so there was some excrement on the floors that L. could not see to clean up. They had no family support and, frankly, so many people were put off by the filth in the house, that even church members had a hard time coming to visit or help. This is the world that we stepped into when C. and I first went to visit.

During the first visit, I found that after awhile my senses became habituated to the environment and didn't bother me so much. Then, I could focus on this sweet woman and her daughter. They were so grateful for any little kindness sent their way and would adopt into their family anyone at all who showed caring for them. Their circumstances frankly both broke my heart and humbled my spirit, because I had so much more in health and resources than did these two and yet they refused to give up, to hold grudges or to lose faith that life would get better.

Over the first few years that I knew them, C. and I made big plans on how to change their lives and help M. and L. live better. Most of these plans, required L. and M. to change in certain ways that they could not find the strength or understanding to do. This was the point at which many of their friends in the past left them in frustration. I arrived at that point one Sunday as I sat outside their home visiting with them. It was then that I felt the voice of the Lord in my heart asking me if I could just love them. I realized that it is easier to come in and try to resolve problems than it is to just accept someone as they are and then LOVE. But that day, I felt the Lord ask me if I could do just that and I found myself answering that I would, that I could.

Over the ensuing years, even after my church assignment to care for them was over, our relationship with M. and L. continued. C. and I would take M. to church with us (the mother had too many accidents to go out of her home much). We took M. to movies and out to dinner. We helped out some with cleaning or giving M. baths. We became a sort of family.

One Christmas Eve, while C. was away in New York for the holidays, I went over to M. and L.'s to spread some Christmas cheer. I offered to take M. to a special neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley which is famous for the Christmas lights. As we drove through the beautiful neigborhood displays, with the radio playing Christmas music, the song "Silent Night" came on. There in the car, M. and I turned to each other and began to sing "Silent Night, Holy Night". Immediately, a very sweet spirit filled the car, a very sacred, holy feeling. I knew that M., due to her circumstances, had probably not sang Christmas songs in years and that this would be her only celebration. My heart literally brimmed over with love and thankfulness. I became acutely aware that moments like these are what make up a true Christmas. They are the whole reason.

Later I took M. home and went home myself. The sweet feeling from the car lasted all that night and into the next day, making that particular Christmas, when I was "alone", one of the most meaningful I have ever had in my life.

Shortly after that evening, M. suffered a grand mal seizure and lost the memory of our Christmas Eve together. It is my hope and prayer that one day in the Resurrection, when M. is restored to a healthy, whole body and mind, her memory of the tender evening we spent together will be restored.

So, my thoughts about this are that often we gauge how good a Christmas is by the amount or type of presents we receive, or are able to give to our children, or by the fun we have. Taken in moderation, these are fine things. But the real feeling of whether or not we have had a "good Christmas" is really by the caring that is shared. Because it is in the spreading of Christ's love among our family, friends, acquaintances and, yes, even strangers, that Christmas becomes a transformative experience and leaves us as better people, with a greater capacity to love.

Have a lovely day!
Elizabeth

Keeping Christmas

2010-12-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you...to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness - are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children, to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who aer growing old, to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough..., to try to understand what those who live in the same house as you really want, without waiting for them to tell you...are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world - stronger than hate, stronger thane vil, stronger than death - and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of Eternal Love? Then you cna keep Christmas.

And if you keep it for a day, why not always?
~~ Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)

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Hello, Friends and Visitors!

I wish that I could add pictures to my posts, but I cannot. My computer became infected with a virus yesterday, so I am doing all my posts on the library computer right now.

For Menu Planning Monday -

Monday - Orange Chicken, rice, Stir-Fry Broccoli and Stir Fry Spinac

It is too hard to provide links to everything for this week, because I can't copy of paste. So, I am using allrecipes.com to look for dinners that use small portions of meat and lots of veggies. Many of these are asian. Shrimp linguine is a definite this week.

Sunday - FAMILY CHRISTMAS DINNER and toooo many recipes to list here :)

For Menu Planning Monday posts, please visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Elizabeth

The Gift of Forgiveness - A Christmas Story

2010-12-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

The Gift of Forgiveness

by John William Smith

The Christmas of 1949 we didn’t have a tree.

My dad had as much pride as anybody, I suppose, so he wouldn’t just say that we couldn’t afford one.

When I mentioned it, my mother said that we weren’t going to have one this year, that we couldn’t afford one, and even if we could – it was stupid to clutter up your house with a dead tree.

I wanted a tree badly though, and I thought – in my naïve way – that if we had one, everybody would feel better.

Taking Matters into my Own Hands
About three days before Christmas, I was out collecting for my paper route.

It was fairly late – long after dark – it was snowing and very cold.

I went to the apartment building to try to catch a customer who hadn’t paid me for nearly two months – she owed me seven dollars.

Much to my surprise, she was home.

She invited me in and not only did she pay me, she gave me a dollar tip!

It was a windfall for me – I now had eight whole dollars.

What happened next was totally unplanned.

On the way home, I walked past a Christmas tree lot and the idea hit me.

The selection wasn’t very good because it was so close to the holiday, but there was this one real nice tree.

It had been a very expensive tree and no one had bought it; now it was so close to Christmas that the man was afraid no one would.

He wanted ten dollars for it, but when I – in my gullible innocence – told him I only had eight, he said he might sell it for that.

I really didn’t want to spend the whole eight dollars on the tree, but it was so pretty that I finally agreed.

I dragged it all the way home – about a mile, I think – and I tried hard not to damage it or break off any limbs.

The snow helped to cushion it, and it was still in pretty good shape when I got home.

You can’t imagine how proud and excited I was.

I propped it up against the railing on our front porch and went in.

My heart was bursting as I announced that I had a surprise.

I got Mom and Dad to come to the front door and then I switched on the porch light.

Surprise!!
"Where did you get that tree?" my mother exclaimed.

But it wasn’t the kind of exclamation that indicates pleasure.

"I bought it up on Main Street. Isn’t it just the most perfect tree you ever saw?" I said, trying to maintain my enthusiasm.

"Where did you get the money?" Her tone was accusing and it began to dawn on me that this wasn’t going to turn out as I had planned.

"From my paper route." I explained about the customer who had paid me.

"And you spent the whole eight dollars on this tree?" she exclaimed.

She went into a tirade about how stupid it was to spend my money on a dumb tree that would be thrown out and burned in a few days.

She told me how irresponsible I was and how I was just like my dad with all those foolish, romantic, noble notions about fairy tales and happy endings and that it was about time I grew up and learned some sense about the realities of life and how to take care of money and spend it on things that were needed and not on silly things.

She said that I was going to end up in the poorhouse because I believe in stupid things like Christmas trees, things that didn’t amount to anything.

I Just Stood There
My mother had never talked to me like that before and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

I felt awful and I began to cry.

Finally, she reached out and snapped off the porch light.

"Leave it there," she said. "Leave that tree there till it rots, so every time we see it, we’ll all be reminded of how stupid the men in this family are."

Then she stormed up the stairs to her bedroom and we didn’t see her until the next day.

Dad and I brought the tree in and we made a stand for it.

He got out the box of ornaments and we decorated it as best as we could; but men aren’t too good at things like that, and besides, it wasn’t the same without mom.

There were a few presents under it by Christmas day – although I can’t remember a single one of them – but Mom wouldn’t have anything to do with it.

It was the worst Christmas I ever had.

Fast Forward to Today
Judi and I married in August of 1963, and dad died on October 10 of that year. Over the next eight years, we lived in many places. Mom sort of divided up the year – either living with my sister Jary or with us.

In 1971 we were living in Wichita, Kansas – Lincoln was about seven, Brendan was three and Kristen was a baby. Mom was staying with us during the holidays. On Christmas Eve I stayed up very late. I was totally alone with my thoughts, alternating between joy and melancholy, and I got to thinking about my paper route, that tree, what my mother had said to me and how Dad had tried to make things better.

I heard a noise in the kitchen and discovered that it was mom. She couldn’t sleep either and had gotten up to make herself a cup of hot tea – which was her remedy for just about everything. As she waited for the water to boil, she walked into the living room and discovered me there. She saw my open Bible and asked me what I was reading. When I told her, she asked if I would read it to her and I did.

The Truth Comes Out
When the kettle began to whistle, she went and made her tea. She came back, and we started to visit. I told her how happy I was that she was with us for Christmas and how I wished that Dad could have lived to see his grandchildren and to enjoy this time because he always loved Christmas so. It got very quiet for a moment and then she said, "Do you remember that time on Twelve Mile Road when you bought that tree with your paper route money?"

"Yes," I said, "I’ve just been thinking about it you know."

She hesitated for a long moment, as though she were on the verge of something that was bottled up so deeply inside her soul that it might take surgery to get it out. Finally, great tears started down her face and she cried, "Oh, son, please forgive me."

"That time and that Christmas have been a burden on my heart for twenty-five years. I wish your dad were here so I could tell him how sorry I am for what I said. Your dad was a good man and it hurts me to know that he went to his grave without ever hearing me say that I was sorry for that night. Nothing will ever make what I said right, but you need to know that your dad never did have any money sense (which was all too true).

We were fighting all the time - though not in front of you - we were two months behind in our house payments, we had no money for groceries, your dad was talking about going back to Arkansas and that tree was the last straw. I took it all out on you. It doesn’t make what I did right, but I hoped that someday, when you were older, you would understand. I’ve wanted to say something for ever so long and I’m so glad it’s finally out."

Well, we both cried a little and held each other and I forgave her – it wasn’t hard, you know.

Then we talked for a long time, and I did understand; I saw what I had never seen and the bitterness and sadness that had gathered up in me for all those years gradually washed away.

It was marvelously simple.

The great gifts of this season – or any season – can’t be put under the tree; you can’t wear them or eat them or drive them or play with them. We spend so much time on the lesser gifts – toys, sweaters, jewelry, the mint, anise and dill of Christmas – and so little on the great gifts – understanding, grace, peace and forgiveness. It’s no wonder that the holiday leaves us empty, because when it’s over, the only reminders we have are the dirty dishes and the January bills.

The Great Gift
The great gifts are like the one gift – the gift that began it all back there in Bethlehem of Judea. You can’t buy them, and they’re not on anybody’s shopping list. They come as He came – quietly, freely, unexpectedly – and if you’re not careful, you’ll miss them entirely.

For more inspirational Christmas Stories, please visit Thoughts About God website.

Have a wonderful day!
Elizabeth

Let Us Never Grow Too Old

2010-12-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

Let Us Never Grow Too Old by Nancy Byrd Turner

Oh, Heart, let's never grow too old
To smile anew, when Christmas comes,
At tassels red and tinsel thread,
And tarlatan bags of sugarplums;

To catch that unforgotten scent,
Spicy and gay, without a name,
Of pungent orange peeling blent
With cedar scorched in candle flame;

To draw a well-beloved delight
From one dear melody unbound
While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
A glory shone around.

Let's never grow too old, my heart,
To thrill before the jaunty grace
Of stockings hung with careful art
Beside the chimney's homely face:

Above one rim, a lady doll;
Above the next, a woolly cat;
Topping the third, a rubber ball;
Each stoking knobby-toed and fat.

Pure stuff of magic in the sight,
And one sweet legend with them wound:
While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
A glory shone around.

Oh, heart, let's never be too old
To feel again the yule log's glow,
To catch the tinkle, keen and cold,
Of silver sleighbells through the snow.

Let's never fail to lean, a space,
Against the frosty window-bar
And mark aloft, in heaven's place,
One solemn, lovely, silent star.

The shadows fall, the dreams take flight,
But every year is Christmas-crowned
When shepherds watch their flocks by night,
And glory shines around!
Last night, was our neighborhood Christmas party. We gathered in a friendly home that was so bedazzled with Christmas fantasy it was a wonder for even the adults. Above you will see the Christmas town, equipped with running train runs half the length of one big wall.
Tiny homes and shops, all alight, as though peopled with tiny elves working late into the evening.
Above a ski-lift for fairy persons and a hill of angel hair for their downward sport.
A Tunnel for the little train that takes it into a hill and back again.
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What to take to these lovely Christmas Get-Togethers that require a covered dish?

Artichoke Dip

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup minced red onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan cheese and onion. Chop up artichoke hearts, then add them, the lemon juice, salt and pepper to mayonnaise/cheese mixture. Transfer mixture to a shallow baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until light brown on top.

That is basic recipe. I also like to add chopped jalapeno (I let some of my peppers ripen to a red color so it is a bright addition to any dish), and pimento.

Have a wonderful day!
Elizabeth

Christmas Give-Away Winner and Menu Planning Monday

2010-12-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, Friends and Visitors!

I hope everyone enjoyed a lovely weekend. We got our Christmas tree on Saturday and got the lights on it last night. Tonight, we have a fun neighborhood Christmas party attend, after which I'm going to coerce my daughter to help me decorate our tree. :)

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Now, for the results of the Give-Away and who will be receiving a copy of "The Other Wise Man" by Henry Van Dyke. Drum roll please, and the winner is...Jamie, from What I Did Today!! Congratulations! I wish everyone could win. However, I will be having another Give Away in January, so keep checking back.

MENU PLANNING MONDAY...

Now for my weekly menu...
Monday -Everything Salad (basic tossed salad with lots of additions to taste) and bread, Artichoke Dip (for neighborhood party)

Tuesday - Brussel Sprout Asian Salad (no link for this, found in "Steamy Kitchen" cookbook)
Shrimp Fried Rice

Wednesday - Chicken Burritos with Chicken Picante, Fruit Salad

Thursday - Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Salad Sandwiches, Chips and Veggies

Friday - Spaghetti (using this Spaghetti Sauce), Salad and Garlic Bread

Saturday - Sesame Beef, Brown Rice and Fruit

Sunday - Pot Roast, Butternut Squash Soup, Creamed Spinach, Carrots and Mashed Potatoes

For more Menu Planning Monday, please visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Have a wonderful day!
Elizabeth

Advent, Week 2

2010-12-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Visitors!

Today is Week 2 of Advent, when we light the Bethlehem candle. Normally, in sharing a Christmas Story to honor the day I would look for one along the theme of the day. However, I stumbled upon one that I would like to share on the true nature of giving. I hope that you like it...

Christmas of 1881

— Author Unknown

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn’t been enough money to buy me the rifle that I’d wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn’t in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn’t get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn’t figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn’t worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. “Come on, Matt,” he said. “Bundle up good, it’s cold out tonight.” I was really upset then. Not only wasn’t I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We’d already done all the chores, and I couldn’t think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one’s feet when he’d told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn’t know what..
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn’t going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn’t happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. “I think we’ll put on the high sideboards,” he said. “Here, help me.” The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood – the wood I’d spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. “Pa,” I asked, “what are you doing?” You been by the Widow Jensen’s lately?” he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I’d been by, but so what?
Yeah,” I said, “Why?”

“I rode by just today,” Pa said. “Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They’re out of wood, Matt.” That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. “What’s in the little sack?” I asked. Shoes, they’re out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a little candy.”

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen’s pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn’t have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn’t have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn’t have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, “Who is it?” “Lucas Miles, Ma’am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?”

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

“We brought you a few things, Ma’am,” Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children – sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn’t come out.
“We brought a load of wood too, Ma’am,” Pa said. He turned to me and said, “Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let’s get that fire up to size and heat this place up.” I wasn’t the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as
much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn’t speak.

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I’d never known before, filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone’s spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn’t crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. “God bless you,” she said. “I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us.”

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I’d never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen’s face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn’t want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.
At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, “The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We’ll be by to get you about eleven. It’ll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn’t been little for quite a spell.” I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, “Thank you, Brother Miles. I don’t have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will.”

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn’t even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, “Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn’t have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand.”

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen’s face and the radiant smiles of her three children.

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

Author Unknown

Don't forget to enter my Give-Away, if you haven't already.

Have a wonderful Sabbath!
Elizabeth

The Nutcracker Ballet, How It All Began

2010-12-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went with my family to The Nutcracker Ballet performed by Utah's top ballet company, Ballet West (thank you to Emily and Isaac - niece and her husband for the tickets!). It was a wonderful, joyful experience.

For many families in America, seeing some version of the Nutcracker Ballet is an annual, Christmas tradition. Have you ever wondered how it all began?

In the late 1800's Marius Petipa, ballet's greatest choreographer, commissioned Tchaikovsky (see photo) to compose music for a ballet based on Hoffman's "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". The ballet had its premier in St. Petersburg in 1892. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that successful.

The Nutcracker Ballet made its way to America in the 1930's. Two decades later, the great George Balanchine re-choreographed the dance (basing it on Petipa's original) and premiered this version with the New York City Ballet in 1954. This version has been performed by the company every year since.

My favorite version of The Nutcracker was the one choreographed by the incomparable Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 1970's for the American Ballet Theater. In this version, the role of Clara, usually performed by a child dancer, is performed by a young woman, crossing the line from child to woman as she falls in love with the Nutcracker in her Christmas Eve dreams. The choreography is inspired and when performed with the supreme athleticism and astonishing sensitivity of the great Baryshnikov, perfectly coupled here with prima ballerina Gelsey Kirkland, the production is blissful.

If you would like to see the 1977 PBS performance of Baryshnikov's The Nutcracker, it can be purchased HERE.

I have seen this version both on stage and on TV and have had the privilege of seeing Baryshnikov live on a number of occasions. He is considered one of the greatest dancers of the last century, right next to Nijinsky and Nureyev. It is rare to find such incredible strength and physical perfection as well as that depth of emotional expression in the same dancer. I wonder if I will ever see anything like him again in my lifetime.

Thank you for stopping by on this wonderful December Saturday. If you haven't entered my Give-Away, Click on the image in the right hand column and do it by Sunday at 11:59 p.m!

Stop back by for more Christmas countdown fun.

God bless,
Elizabeth

Christmas Traditions: Family Reading Time and a GIVE=AWAY!

2010-12-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hello, Friends and Visitors!

I meant to do this post on December 1st, but life got away from me.

During the month of December I will be sharing Christmas stories, poems, traditions and recipes. So be sure to stop by frequently!

Today, I would like to share with you one of our family's favorite Christmas traditions. We love to bundle up together and read Christmas stories, preferably Christ-centered ones. Over the years, I have collected many books as well as some Christmas anthologies and we read from them every night as we count down the days to our favorite holiday. I believe reading to one's children is very important, even when they are older (mine are 13 and 15). Doing so, creates an intimate family atmosphere and wonderful shared experience. During the Christmas holidays, the reading of Christmas stories keeps the celebrations rooted in the True meaning and sweeps away the "give-me's". And if your family won't sit still for stories, ambush them and do it around the dinner table while everyone is eating. You might be pleasantly surprised by the reactions you get!

To kick off the Christmas countdown here at Home Musings, I am having a Give-Away of our favorite Christmas story, The Other Wise Man.

One reviewer wrote of this book:

This is the story of Artaban, a seeker of Truth. He is the other wise man who sought the 'great king foretold in ancient scripture and heralded by the 'star'. On his way to meet the three wise men, he is delayed. This sets him on a quest in search of the King. It leads him to many places and experiences. This book with its beautiful word pictures reminds us once again the importance of seeking Truth wherever we find it. It adds new meaning to the story of Christmas.

Henry Van Dyke wrote the original story. He claims that the idea came to him in a dream. He is a wonderful, gifted writer who brings this story alive with beauty and immediacy to the reader. The picture book which is the subject of the give-away is a slightly abridged version, perfect for all ages. In fact, when we were first married, my husband and I use to go around to families within our neighborhood and church congregation and present this book for special family nights during the Christmas holidays. Everyone loved it!

Okay, now for the Give-Away. To qualify, all you have to enter do is leave a comment on this post by Sunday, December 5th, 11:59 p.m. MST. AND, if you advertise this Give-away on your blog and link back to this post, I will enter your name twice! That's all you need to do.

Envision your family all sitting around the Christmas tree, reading this wonderful story together.

Have a wonderful, happy day!
Elizabeth