Debbie Downer

So, recently Malia has started doing little "Debbie Downer" statements that really make me laugh. Like, for instance I will say, "we're not going to play with your friends right now, they're still eating breakfast/taking a nap/at preschool/taking a bath"---really whatever excuse I can come up with not to require me to make a playdate at that moment, and Malia will say..."I guess I won't play with my friends..." with a very wa-wa-wa (going down in key) sound to it.

So, the other morning she was sitting down to eat her aforementioned pancake breakfast and she goes "I guess I won't eat my pancakes..." (think wa wa wa) I said, "why honey?" and lil' Debbie came back with "because there's a hair on it." The girl cracks me up. I have got to do better at writing these things down.

The passing of a prophet.

It's amazing how differently news travels now days. My little sister, Whitney was at my house tonight. At around 8:00 she got a text from her friend telling her that President Hinckley had passed away. We had a hard time believing it because it wasn't yet on the news or anywhere on the internet. But, apparently her friends dad is in a stake presidency and all stake presidents were notified shortly after he passed. About 30 minutes later we started seeing Breaking News reports.

I can't believe it had been almost 13 years that he led us as our prophet. For my little sister Whitney, he was the only prophet she had ever known. Even though he was 97, it seemed like he would be there forever humoring us, strengthening us, and most importantly leading us.

I have so many warm memories of this man. One that I will never forget and that confirmed my testimony that he was in fact a prophet of God, happened on my mission. He had come to Snowflake (Arizona) to decide on the spot for the temple that he announced would be built there. He was taken around town by the locals to several different locations. Towards the end of the tour they were standing on the golf course surveying the view from where they stood. It is said that he walked away from the group, looked off to the site of a distant hill and said, in affect (pointing with his famous cane), "that is where the temple should be built." They never questioned his decision nor tried to show him any other places. They knew he was a prophet, and the construction started shortly thereafter. Fast-forward a year or so (I don't know the exact timeline) when I was serving in Snowflake... the temple was almost complete and they were getting ready for the open house. A geologist was doing some testing on the earth in the area. He tested the ground in all the surrounding areas of Snowflake and towns nearby. He later told the leaders of the church there that their temple was being built on the only spot of land in the entire area made of pure rock. Everything else in that area was primarily very sandy soil. That was powerful and so beautifully scriptural as well...sing with me, "the wise man built his house upon a rock...the wise man built his house upon a rock." Okay, you can tell I have a 3-year-old, but you get my point.

President Hinckley, we will miss you. Thank you for all the good you have done. My hand simply can't type all that I feel. May you have a happy and sweet reunion with your dear Marjorie. God be with you til we meet again.

Happy Birthday Lisa!

So I was looking through some old journals this past week and my BFF Lisa has contributed to so much fun, happiness, laughter, depth, adventure, and so much more in my life. I found a poem she wrote and gave to me the day I was leaving to live in Russia for the first time. I seriously think there are tear stains on this from reading it on the plane. I was so scared and this made me feel so much peace...

The Traveler

Small billows of dust

Make clouds around her ankles

As she moves silently along the dirt road.

She neither thinks of where she is going

Or where she has been.

There will be time for that

At the end of the trail.

She travels simply-

A small satchel carries provisions

And the other necessities of her journey

Yet she is content.

Her experiences become her greatest treasures-

Too vast to be contained in a bag

And too precious to leave behind

She keeps them carefully preserved

Beyond the locked shadows

Of her eyes.

Like others before,

She walks this path.

Yet each step becomes

A fresh dab of paint

On a canvas

That is uniquely her own.

That's just a glimpse of how thoughtful and creative Lisa is.

We have worked at 4 of the same places over the years--and thus we have numerous inside jokes that can send us into a fit of side splitting laughter if we even say a word. "Ethiopia" Lisa, go ahead...laugh, you know it's funny. (This one involved Auntie, the owner of L&L drive-in, where we worked in Hawaii. Let's just say she was *trying* very hard to learn english. We came into work one day and she was struggling painfully with this one word--"Ethiopia". We tried to tell her the chances of her using that word in her day to day life as the owner of a fast food restaurant in Laie, Hawaii was pretty small, but she was determined to be able to say this word). But, ANYWAYS, my point here is that Lisa and I kind of get each other's humor and we find humor in most of the same things along this road of life.

I can't wait til she lives in Utah again. She is now in Boston doing yet more schooling with her hubby.

So Happy Birthday Lisa and thanks to Bob and Ellen for bringing you into the world! Luv ya!!

She's a dancin' machine!

So, Malia's dance class started again this month. She would LOVE if this were a daily class, everyday she asks if it's Monday yet. I had to put these on here because my friend took them with her *nice* camera and I thought they were cute....
Especially this one...

Pancake Addiction

I have a confession to make. I wake up every morning and talk my daughter into having oatmeal pancakes with me. The poor girl just wants oatmeal, but I talk her into having pancakes every. single. day. Today I got her to cooperate by letting her cut it into a fun gingerbread man shape and put blueberries and bananas on to decorate it. I HAVE to have her eat them too so I don't sit in shame at making pancakes just for my little old self. I could get up before my dear husband goes to work and make them for him too. But um, no, if the kids aren't up I'm not moving my head from the pillow, for I know it will be a long time before my head hits that pillow again, unless I'm possibly screaming into that pillow so the neighbors won't hear me, but I digress. Back to pancakes. I make a batch of the mix about once a week and separate them into ziplock bags and store them in the fridge. I wish I could say I got sick of them. I never have. They seriously make me look forward to getting out of bed in the morning. I feel bad that I have not shared with Malia the joys of syrup on the pancakes. I make her eat hers with unsweetened applesauce or yogurt--plain. Aren't I horrible? Not only do I not tell her about syrup, I actually hide my plate while I put my butter and syrup on. What is wrong with me? It's like I don't want her to get into the "hard" pancake life I have created for myself. I give myself some solace by knowing that it's made with whole wheat flour and oatmeal (okay and a little bit of white thrown in for taste). But truthfully, my secret butter/syrup distribution pretty much cancels out any health benefits I'm sure. Anyways, I needed to admit my problem to someone. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far. Here's the recipe, don't say I didn't warn you.

Cinnamon-Oatmeal Pancake Mix (make mix ahead)

Ingredients:

4 cups quick cooking oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup non-fat dry milk

2 Tb cinnamon

1 1/2 Tb salt

3 Tb baking powder

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and stir to mix well. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 8 cups.

Mixing Directions: In a medium mixing bowl, beat 2 eggs.

Beat in 1/3 cup of vegetable oil gradually.

Alternately beat in 2 cups pancake mix and 1 cup of water or milk. Pour in large spoonfuls into a lightly greased skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook until the tops show broken bubbles (2-3 minutes).

Turn and cok about 2 to 3 minutes more, until golden brown.

Makes 12 5-inch pancakes.

Oh, and p.s. I make half of the recipe (only 1 cup of mix, 1/2 cup water/milk, 1 egg, half of 1/3) when it's just me and Malia. And they're great frozen too--just warm em up in the micro.

It's been a year?!!

This time last year I was enjoying my babymoon with my little Tess.

She's gotten deeper into my heart each and every day. Here's the top 5 reasons I love my Tessa:

5. She LOVES to be kissed...she'll just lay there and let you kiss her like a million times...smiling the whole time.

4. She was born without making a peep--calm as can be, just looking around, and that's pretty much been her temperment ever since. Especially if she's being held, she's happy as a clam (what a strange saying...I mean how happy are clams really?)

3. She loves to rearrange my toilet paper--I mean why on earth do they pack them on the roll so tight? She makes sure to loosen it daily by unrolling it and occasionally rolling it back up for me, so helpful!

2. If she's tired she'll just lay her head down on my shoulder, or Darrin's, or Grandma's and go to sleep.

1. And the #1 reason is deffinitely because she is such a great sister to Malia. She loves to crawl over and wake Malia up in the morning (they sleep on two twin mattresses pushed together). Her face just lights up when she sees her big sis. It brings me to tears to think (and hope) what good friends they will be throughout their life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TESSA!!

My little makeup girls.

Here's my Malia and Tessa expirementing with mommy's makeup. I wish you could see Tessa's nose better, that's the whole reason I wanted to record it. She had put some eyeshadow on her nose. Maybe she'll start a new trend in her preschool in a few years...nose shadow. It could happen.