Please, Thank a Police Officer Today!

The first call (incident) Shad had at work today was the fatal shooting of a 9 month-old baby. The baby's father was mad at his girlfriend, the baby's mother, because she was trying to leave him, so he went and killed their child. That's one of the calls Shad was actually willing to talk to me about. There have been much worse ones that he will not discuss with me, because they're so awful he doesn't want me to have to know about them.

I am so grateful for men and women who choose to protect us and shelter us from the horrors that are perpetrated in this crazy world. I wish people would understand how much the police do for all of us. I wish there was more gratitude and respect for police officers. I wish I lived in a city that was police-friendly. Hopefully the new mayor will help, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

So, if you have a minute, send a thank you note to your local police station or to an officer you might know. We can never thank the police enough for all that they do for us. Just remember that the next time you get pulled over for speeding.

Grateful Sunday

I'm grateful for finding a delicious, quick breadsticks recipe over at Chez Moi. It went perfectly with what would otherwise have been a rather boring dinner (leftovers). I'm also grateful because I LOVE Little Caesar's crazy bread and this recipe is as close as you can come to crazy bread without driving across town to Little Caesar's.

Here's the recipe, but do yourself a favor and go to Recipes Chez Moi for some other fabulous recipes.

1 1/4 c. warm water
1 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 - 3 1/2 c. flour (I only used 2  3/4 cups)
1/4 c. melted butter
garlic salt/parmesan cheese

Proof the yeast. Mix sugar, salt, and 2 1/2 c. flour. Add yeast mixture and stir to form dough. Add more flour if needed -- it's better to be on the stickier side. Let dough rest 10 minutes.

Put half of melted butter in a jelly roll pan. Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape and then press into pan. Brush with remaining butter. Cut dough into long strips with a pizza cutter and then, depending on how many breadsticks you need, cut your strips into halves or thirds. Sprinkle with parmesan and garlic salt. Let rest another 10 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Grateful Sunday

I'm grateful that Shad will not have to work graveyard or weekends starting at the end of April!

The sergeants bid for their new shifts last Monday, and Shad was able to snag a swing shift (3:00 p.m. to 11:00  p.m.) with weekends off. Shad has not had weekends off since he was a cadet in the academy -11 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!

Grateful Sunday

I'm grateful that General Conference is this weekend! I love to hear the prophets and apostles speak. Today I challenged my Young Women (and the sisters I visit teach) to choose a question, concern, problem, challenge, etc. that they need an answer to, and then to pray for Heavenly Father to give them an answer in General Conference. I've found that if I listen to Conference with a purpose, I am amazed at how many of the talks seem to have been written just for me!

Grateful Sunday

I am looking at my kitchen counter. It is covered with dishes from tonight's dinner. I am feeling sorry for myself because I have to put those dishes in the dishwasher. How lame am I?!?! At least I have a dishwasher. At least I have plates to put dinner on. At least I have food to put onto those plates. At least I have a healthy body and I am able to feed myself instead of having to be fed by someone else. And so, I should be grateful.

And I am.

Grateful Sunday

Even though it has only been a week since I last blogged, it feels as if it has been a month. Life has been so hectic lately, and it only promises to get worse as the school year races towards a close. In all of the rush and insanity that makes up my life, I am grateful for those who help me to do all the many things that I manage to do.

This Sunday I'm particularly grateful for my two counselors in the Young Women presidency. Our ward was assigned to host a stake youth dance last night. We decided to have a St. Patrick's Day theme for the dance, since it is so close to that holiday. My first counselor, Becky, helped do the legwork to find the best price for a cake to serve as refreshments. The three of us cut out about 100 shamrocks to use as decorations. We decorated the cultural hall for the dance, served cake, and chaperoned. 

While planning this dance, we were also in charge of finding out prices for food to be served at next month's Youth Conference. My second counselor, Leslie, called a myriad of pizza places, trying to find out which restaurant would offer us the best deal on pizza for the conference's first dinner.

I am so grateful that Becky and Leslie support me. They've attended meetings when I couldn't (or when I felt it was more important for me to stay home with my family than to attend yet another meeting). They teach amazing lessons that fill the room with the Holy Ghost. They befriend the young women in our ward and set such a great example for me of willingness to serve. They have the sweetest testimonies. I am so lucky to get to work with them!

I also must mention how grateful I am for my husband's support of my calling as Young Women president. My calling keeps me busy, but he never complains about how much I need to do. He runs the kids here and there when I can't because I need to be with the Young Women. Last night, after only having slept for about 5 hours, he helped me set up for the dance and then stayed with me to chaperone. He spent more time at that dance than he did sleeping yesterday! He even took the first hour off of work so that he could help me until the entire dance was over and the building cleaned up!

I could not function as Young Women's president if it were not for the love and support of my husband and my two counselors. I am truly blessed!

Grateful Sunday

I'm grateful for people who see something good in me!

I substituted for Kris, one of the Family School teachers, Wednesday. My friend Leah called me the next day to pass on a compliment. Her son's teacher had a student author night Wednesday night, and Leah ended up in Kris's room with her son's group. Leah's teacher asked if Kris's room was a disaster when Leah's group arrived, because the teacher knew Kris had had a sub that day. Leah was able to tell her the room was in great shape, because I had been the substitute. Leah's teacher said something to the effect of that since I had been the sub, she was sure the room had been just fine after all.

It was so nice that Leah passed that compliment on to me. Things have been incredibly difficult for me with my kids lately and I haven't heard many nice things said to me lately. It really made my day. Thanks, Leah!

Grateful Sunday

I'm going to try and get back in the habit of blogging every Sunday about something I am grateful for.

Here are a few of the things I'm grateful for this week:

• My stepmom was released from the hospital in Orlando, was able to fly home without incident, and is doing well.
• Peter's and Laura's writing projects are done!
• I don't have any church meetings tonight.

The main thing that I am thankful for today is this: that in an uncertain world I have many things that I am certain of. The most important certainty in my life is that God lives, that His Son Jesus Christ atoned for my sins so that I can be forgiven when I repent, and that Christ's church has been restored to the earth once more. I'm thankful to have the Bible and the Book of Mormon to teach me how to be more like my Savior. And I am grateful that I can give these certainties to my children.

One thing I'm so grateful for...

is a washer and dryer in my own house!

I did 5 loads of laundry today. It took me over an hour and a half to fold everything. What if I'd had to do that at a laundromat?!

Sometimes it's the "little things in life" that I'm the most grateful for.

Grateful Sunday - 4th of July edition

I'm grateful for this great country we live in. 

I love being an American!

To celebrate our country's birthday,

we had a barbecue at Ba and Nana Gail's house. 

Sorry - no pictures - I was too busy stuffing my face with delicious food to stop and use my camera!

After dinner, we went to the Johnson's for some water balloons.

Then it was time for the Mike and Shad Fireworks Extravaganza!

(Laura's showing off her handful of Pop-Its - those little firecrackers you throw on the ground and they make a popping noise.)

Grateful Sunday

I'm grateful that Shad and I were able to go ALONE to an Eagle Court of Honor tonight. My mom was home so we left the kids watching a movie (The Love Bug, in case you were wondering) and we headed out - just the two of us! It was nice because we could pay attention to the speakers and tributes. Collin, the Eagle Scout recipient, awarded Shad his mentor pin - which was a total surprise!

Gratitude Sun -um- Monday

I'm grateful to the United States government for providing me with one of my main parenting philosophies:

We do NOT negotiate with terrorists!

Grateful Sunday

Today I'm grateful that my husband is a great dad!

He gave up his dream job as a sound engineer so that he could be the kind of dad who was there for his kids.

He's always had a way with kids (ha ha)!

(Peter  - just a few months old)

The kids love to be around him. 

"Can we come out and help?"

Teaching them how to make the perfect snowball.

If it weren't for Shad, the kids would have to wear the same Halloween costume every year. In fact, if it weren't for Shad, we'd skip Halloween every year!

All bundled up at Old Town on Christmas Eve.

Everyone's favorite place - Disneyland!

Always willing to act as an impromptu pillow 

(especially if it means he gets to take a nap, too)!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, SHAD!

Grateful Sunday

Being at Girls' Camp this week reminded me of some simple things for which I'm grateful.

• a house with indoor plumbing and heating
• my bed (enough said!)
• a washing machine and dryer in MY house (for doing laundry until midnight before and after camp)

I am too tired to take pictures to post with this blog. I think it will take me a week to catch up on my sleep and feel normal. More camp details to come.

Grateful Sunday

It's another one of those days for me! I'm really having to stretch to find something to be grateful for. So, I'm going back to the basics.

I am thankful for food!

I have never gone hungry. 

My cupboards have never been bare.

I've never had to serve cat food as a source of protein.

I've always been able to provide food for my children.

My kids get breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner.

And, above all, I'm thankful for dessert!

Grateful Sunday

Usually I have a hard time coming up with something to be grateful for on Sunday (Sundays are frequently hard with my 2 younger kids), but this morning I woke up already knowing what I wanted to post.

Today I am grateful for friends!

Leah (we've been friends since our first babies were 6 months old - which means we've been friends for 10 years!)

Heidi (a.k.a Wonder Woman - look at her, holding her 5th child while she paints sets for her 2nd and 3rd children's class play. We all wonder how she does it all AND she does do it ALL!)

I have been battling strep this week for the second time this month. This round was much worse than the first and I was pretty miserable. One of my friends took my kids into her home for 2 days so that I could sleep. She also made us a great dinner - gotta get that garlic bread recipe! Another friend brought us dinner the next night. (Crazy question, Heidi - but what kind of cheese was that? It was fabulous!) They didn't need to do that. I could have made mac and cheese for my kids or poured them a bowl of cereal for dinner, but my friends stepped up without even being asked. 

I missed YW Thursday because I was still feeling awful - and couldn't really talk (the doctor said I had "hot potato voice" though he didn't know why it was called that!). My counselors took over and got everything done, even though only 1 girl showed up! I normally don't accept help, but when one of them volunteered to teach my lesson today, I let her. It was nice to be served and I am so grateful for everyone's help. Thanks everybody, and not just for this week, but for all of the times you've been there for me in so many different ways. I am so blessed!

Grateful Sunday

I am grateful that I got to meet my niece this weekend!

My sister Julie, her husband Chris, and their daughter April came out for a quick 48-hour visit. We were all thrilled to meet the newest member of the family - 4  1/2 month-old April!

The kids especially loved their new cousin!

Grateful Sunday

On Mother's Day, it's only fitting that I express my gratitude for my mom.

So here are some tender memories that I have of my mother.

I remember making applesauce with her as a young girl.

I remember her taking us children to Germany to visit her parents - going to parks, walking through the forest down to the harbor, going to the outdoor market a few blocks away to buy fresh vegetables and flowers.

I remember during summer vacation that she would tell us we had to stop reading and go outside in the fresh air and play. I would go sit under our back porch and read!

I remember her putting up with us cutting up raw Oscar Meyer hot dogs to feed to a stray cat who liked to camp out on our back porch. (Now that I know how much those hot dogs cost, I would never have let us do that, if I had been her!)

I remember her staying up late into the night helping me finish the science fair board that was due the next day.

I remember her confessing that the "homemade" fried rice I brought to school to represent the country I'd done a report on (Java) wasn't homemade after all. She didn't know how to make it and so she had gone to a chinese restaurant and bought some so that I could bring it to class.

I remember her working so hard to support us as a single mom while she also tried to go to school - a challenge, to say the least, for someone who had never attended an American school before.

I remember her trusting me with the brand-new car (the first and only brand-new car she had ever owned) so that I could go out with friends or get to my job.

I remember her getting up with me for early morning seminary and making me Pillsbury crescent rolls for breakfast before I left for seminary (and I'd eat them all, all by myself).

I remember my mom taking me to her hairdresser when I needed a haircut - it made me feel so grown-up.

I remember my mom telling me that she would stop giving me an allowance if I bought any more Nancy Drew Files books with it.

My mom lives with us right now and sometimes it's a little bit hard (I know she'll agree). Someone told me that two grown women should never have to live under the same roof. It's such a blessing, though, for my kids to get to be around their grandmother. To have them be "mothered" by someone else besides me.

So thanks, Mom, for all you've done and for all you do! And forgive me for being hard to live with.



And here's my personal wish for Mother's Day - I hope my children will wear rose-colored glasses when they look back on their childhood with me as their mother! They are REALLY great kids, and they deserve a better mother than me, but God must have thought I could learn something from them because they're mine. I hope He'll make up the difference for all of the things I put my kids through!

Grateful Sunday

I'm having a hard time truly feeling grateful for anything today. It's been one of those days! I was going to post something sarcastic, like:

I'm grateful days like this don't last forever - OR -

I'm grateful I'm not in prison because I killed my family today.

But then I got to thinking that even though today wasn't a great day, I still have many blessings. So I thought and thought and thought and here's one thing I am grateful for:

I'm grateful I don't live here.

I'm grateful that I live in a house that has indoor plumbing, heating and cooling (hooray for air conditioning!), an indoor kitchen with a gas stove, a refrigerator, and a dishwasher. I don't have to cook over an open fire. I don't have to carry water from the stream to wash my dishes, my clothes, or myself. When I'm hot, I turn on the air conditioner or ceiling fans. When I'm cold, I turn on the heater. 

I think most of us have a tendency to take our comfortable homes for granted. We complain about how small they are, but most of us have a separate room for sleeping, another one for cooking, yet another one for eating, and almost everyone I know has at least 2 bathrooms in their house. I wonder how many other people in the world can say that? I'd venture the guess that less than 50% of the world's population enjoys the comforts most of us have.

I'm glad that I put forth the effort to find something I could really feel grateful for today. That's the whole point of this exercise, but sometimes I completely miss it. It's helped me feel better - or am I just feeling better now because the kids are all in bed?!

Grateful Sunday

This week I am thankful for:

HEALTH INSURANCE!

Just this week:

Shad went to the doctor for more tests. He's slightly anemic, which is rare for a man, and so they want to rule out internal bleeding. More tests in about 10 days.

I went to the dentist because I had a cavity under an old filling. They removed the old filling and put in a new one. It's sort of bothering me - I hope this doesn't end in a root canal!

Emily went to her first session of Physical Therapy Wednesday. She's been having a lot of pain in her rectus femurus muscle (at least that's what the physical therapist called it - it runs from the hip down over the upper thigh to the knee) and it is interfering with her ballet. She has exercises to do at home and a weekly appointment for at least a month. 

At that appointment we discovered that she has flexible flat feet. When you look at the arch of her foot, it appears normal, but when she puts weight on it the arch collapses - not good. So no more flimsy shoes for her. And definitely no more flip-flops - which leads us to another doctor's visit.

Thursday night, while I was at a meeting and therefore unable to enforce the No Flip-Flops Rule, Emily decided to skip around the backyard in - you guessed it! - flip-flops. She fell and twisted her ankle. Shad checked it out because she was in a lot of pain and couldn't put any weight on that ankle. It didn't look too swollen or bruised so he iced it and sent her to bed. 

The next morning it was swollen and she couldn't walk. Thankfully we were actually able to get an appointment to see a doctor that very morning (a rare occurrence, I assure you)! The doctor agreed with us that the ankle probably wasn't broken, just sprained, but ordered x-rays just to be on the safe side. Apparently, ankle breaks don't show up on x-rays until 3-4 days after the break, once the swelling has gone down. 

In the mean time, they are treating Emily's ankle as if it were broken - she has to wear an aircast, ice it several times a day, take 3 rounds of Advil a day, and elevate her ankle as often as physically possible (she's fighting that one all the way). So we'll be visiting a podiatrist Tuesday for more x-rays and some follow-up care.

I don't even want to think what this week would have cost me if we didn't have health insurance. It cost me $100 just for the co-pays!