Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

Cold, drizzly day. Trying to think warm. No, think tropical. Feel urge to cook (since when do I not feel the urge to cook, I'm a foodie for Heaven's sake!) See overripe bananas on counter. Think how good they will be combined with coconut.....

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

from Cooking Light

CL's notes: The tangy lime glaze cuts the sweetness of the bread. Substitute apple juice for the rum if you prefer.

My notes: I used coconut and rum flavorings instead of rum. Added lime zest to the lime glaze. Ohhhhhh, yum. The same article also did a Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread that is my other favorite banana bread recipe since 2003. But you'll have to wait for me to post that recipe. I'm trying to think warm right now. Hawaii would be nice.....

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

3 tablespoons dark rum

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk to combine.

Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut.

Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool bread completely on wire rack.

Yield: 1 loaf, 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)CALORIES 193 (21% from fat); FAT 4.6g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.3g); IRON 1mg; CHOLESTEROL 35mg; CALCIUM 15mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35g; SODIUM 179mg; PROTEIN 2.9g; FIBER 1.1g Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2003

Proud Mom Moment

Last weekend, Firstborn told me about a lesson in his English class. His teacher asked the class "What is chivalry?"

No one could answer.

No one except Firstborn.

When his teacher asked him how he knew these things, he told her about being taught at home. Opening doors for all women. Letting a woman walk first into a room. Standing up when a woman walks into a room. Offering your chair. Holding a chair for a woman. Helping her with her coat. When walking on the street with a woman, be sure that you are walking between her and traffic. Offering your arm to a woman, especially if the way is slick, so she doesn't fall. In other words, doing everything you can to show respect to women. (In case you are wondering, Firstborn gave me this definition.)

He told her that he watched his dad act that way towards his mom. He also said that his mom took all her sons on dates and made sure they learned how to do the same.

Amazement from English Teacher.

Meanwhile at home, I am thankful that the lessons at home are truly sinking in. I am grateful that he has now seen the validity of such lessons. Not only did it earn him an A that day, he has seen that girls like being treated in this manner.

I am a Proud Mom.

Happy Easter from my house to yours

Be sure to pause the music (scroll down my blog page and look on the right) before you listen to Elder Holland's conference talk. The talk is amazing.

Peace and goodwill (if only for a moment)

Tonight was one of those nights where I wish I could just bottle it up and save it.

I picked up my younger kids after school and took them home to find the two older boys. We had some celebrating to do:

Thirdborn earned 100%on his spelling test.

Secondborn got straight A's on his report card.

Firstborn earned 100% on his health exam today.

All of these are big accomplishments at our house. I took the kids out to dinner at our favorite burger-and-shake place. This is the moment I want to save, the moment we sat down:

Thirdborn was hugging everyone when they expressed admiration over his spelling score. He worked so hard for that this week. First born was high-fiveing everyone over his sports health exam score. Secondborn was proudly telling everyone about his report card and his latest exam on Ancient China. The Love Magnet excitedly told everyone "Good job!" as she scarfed french fries and fry sauce.

Everyone was listening to everyone else.

There was no fighting, teasing, or taunting -

For the entire meal.

My kids are good kids, but they aren't perfect. When these rare moments come along, I want to sit back and watch every second, hoping that I don't lose a single detail to faulty memory. I can't explain why these moments happen. But for one meal, it did happen.

Harmony.

Apparently Heaven is a burger joint with fabulous onion rings and lemon custard shakes, where love abounds between all brothers and sisters. Who knew?

Cub Scouts, Cute Babies, and Heroes (all in one fun filled Pack Meeting)

Yesterday, we had our first pack meeting in our newly formed ward. Thirdborn (finally!) received his Bobcat patch. When asked if he would like to say something, Thirdborn replied "I really love Scouting!"

The Love Magnet was ever so supportive....until she got sidetracked by a Cute Baby Alert.

The Love Magnet loves babies. Especially patient ones who will let her hug and kiss them. This particular baby was incredibly forbearing. Can you blame my daughter? Look at the cheeks on that baby. And the red hair and blue eyes. It's almost an overdose of sweetness.



After the awards were done, there was an Easter Egg hung on the back lawn of the church. Unfortunately, The Love Magnet wasn't fast enough. She didn't get one egg.



When they discovered that The Love Magnet didn't have any Easter Eggs in her sack, Thirdborn and two other Cub Scout Heroes shared their eggs with her. The Love Magnet ended up with more eggs than anyone. I am constantly amazed at the kindness and generosity of 8-10 year old kids. None of them were forced to do this. They even hugged back when The Love Magnet expressed her thanks.

Add one more hero. Nothing is better than the view from the top of a big brother's shoulders.

Food Storage Made Easy is selling these cute food storage organizer binders. The whole purpose of FSME is to show you that EVERYONE can do this. They'll hold your hand and walk you through their list of babysteps. Check it out here. They are also giving away a few of these binders in a promotional contest to advertise the new and shiny gizmo. Pass the word on.

I really ROCK at this food storage thing....

Over the weekend I bought 80 boxes of Post cereals for $51.20. That breaks down to $0.67/box. (Cereal that would normally cost $4.98 a box for a total of $398.40.) I saved $347.20.


Now, I know you are thinking: What on earth is she going to do with EIGHTY boxes of Post cereals?!


I'll have you know that I have four children, two of them teenagers. They eat through one box every morning. (no, I am not kidding). If I let them eat cold cereal every single morning, those boxes wouldn't last three months.

Good thing I don't let them eat cold cereal every single morning. There are also pancakes, muffins, oatmeal (not much success in getting them to like oatmeal but they still have to eat it every now and then), bacon and eggs, and smoothies.

Truly, food storage is a really good thing. It saves money since you stock up on sale items. It saves trips to the grocery store. Click on these links for ideas:

Simply Living Smart
Food Storage Made Easy
Provident Living

Sunday Gratitudes

Sunday Gratitudes on a Sunday! That has become a bit rare around here. My life has been so full of school and kids that I hardly get to do much more. I was holding off a post until I could get the pictures downloaded....but my camera isn't cooperating. You'll just have to imagine the beaming faces:

I'm grateful that Thirdborn was awarded the Star Award for Determination. He was beaming in front of the whole school. I can't think of anyone who deserves that Determination Title more than him. He has worked so hard. I'm currently reading Dr. Levine's A Mind At A Time which has been great at explaining how Thirdborn thinks. I'm eager to get the summer academic program started that will focus exactly on his learning disability.

I'm grateful for "Grandma P" who visits The Love Magnet's class once a week to work on writing workshops. This sweet woman helped my daughter to write, illustrate, and "publish" a story called The Rootbeer Float (apparently TLM got the idea after having floats for FHE treat). My daughter so so excited to read the book to me at the Authors Party her class hosted. She was even more excited to read the book to her best friend E. (Unfortunately, the great pic I had of this moment is floating somewhere around my camera. This is where you imagine beaming faces). Let me also share how thankful I am for E. E is so patient with The Love Magnet. They play together and work together. I am so grateful that my daughter has good friends in her class.

I'm grateful for General Conference weekend. The talks will be available to read soon. If you can't wait, you can see the video archives here. I will post the links to my favorites: Elder Holland and Sister Thompson. (I would love to have lunch with Sister Barbara Thompson someday. I think she might be a kindred spirit.) I loved the messages of living within your means, trusting in our Heavenly Father, having faith, understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ and exactly what his sacrifice means for us. My spirit has rejoiced today. My batteries are recharged.

I'm thankful that I was able to get the research done and my papers finished this past week. More exams and papers coming up every single week until the end of the semester. This semester has been hard, mainly due to the class times, but I'm making it and the semester is almost done.

I'm grateful that we were able to see my family and Mr. Wonderful's family over Spring Break. It had been awhile. I really got to spend some time with my mom and my twin sis. It was divine to be together.

Where in the world is Scarehaircare?

I had a flu shot in October. Apparently it doesn't count for getting the flu in March.

Drat.

So please excuse the omission of Sunday Gratitudes last Sunday. I was in bed. I made the kids miss the first two days of Spring Break. It wasn't much fun for them. I didn't even make the Chocolate Birthday Cake with sprinkles for World Down Syndrome Day. That will have to happen next Sunday. Pics will be forthcoming.

Now we are in Utah visiting family. The kids are enjoying a Spring Break full of snow. I am spending time with my mom and twin sis at my grandma's house. We're going through things and taking home mementos (I will post pics later). Mom saved me one of Grandma's many pickle crocks so I can make my own crystal pickles. I have a few books (one of my absolute favorites when I was growing up was Brigham Young and Me, Clarissa. I was thrilled to get it.) I also have a beautiful watercolor print of antique dolls that my cousin painted. It will go in The Love Magnet's room. Lastly, I have my grandma's Ableskiver pan. If you don't know what abelskivers are, I will show you in a later post. It requires photos of the finished product.

I hadn't been in Grandma's house in over a year. Longer than that - since she left to go into assisted living. It was bitter-sweet to be there - it's hard to believe that Grandma has been gone for 6 months. I looked into a closet and saw her sweaters. Tears came into my eyes - I wanted to wrap myself in a sweater hug. There was one sweater she wore the most, a white thing. I almost took it with me. I wish I did. I really miss my Grandma. I miss her reading Shel Silverstein to me. I miss making raspberry jam in her kitchen. I miss her showing me how to make holly hock dolls every year. I miss her taking me on a tour through her incredible flower and vegetable gardens (My sis-in-love was right - Grandma ran on solar power.) I know I've stated that I miss Grandma's Sunday suppers with the pickle dishes and "yucky" rolls. I miss being able to call Grandma when I needed to hear an adult voice. I miss hearing the family history stories.

Afterwards, we went to the local ice cream parlor for sundaes (raspberry chocolate brownie for twin sis and me and Almond Joy sundae for mom) and cheese fries. (I KNOW!! My inner health-nut was cringing!) There was a reason for this choice of menu: My twin sis brought Grandma S to the same place about a year ago. Grandma fell in love with cheese fries and sundaes. she had never eaten cheese fries before. Grandma wasn't eating much of anything at the time so when anyone found something she liked, they would encourage her to eat all she could. (There is a photo of that trip here.) So this afternoon we toasted Grandma with ice cream and cheese fries.

I won't be eating supper tonight. Someone will have to roll me to bed. This was worth all the calories I'll have to run off next week.

HAPPY WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY!

The Love Magnet and her family hope you celebrate this day appropriately by:

1. Completely eliminating the words retard, retarded, or 'tard from your vocabulary.

2. Ask everyone you know to eliminate those words.

3. Hug a person who has Down syndrome.

Since this is a day for celebrating, The Love Magnet insists that you also make her favorite dessert: Chocolate Birthday Cake. Be sure to include candles and sprinkles. The Love Magnet believes all cakes should have candles and sprinkles.

Mr. President, I'd like you to meet Sarah...

Obama's joke at the expense of Special Olympics. Oh, yes he did say that. Without blinking an eye. I wonder if he thought anything wrong right after that remark or did his PR group have to point it out?

Mr. President (and world) I'd like you to meet Sarah. Sarah has left me comments on this blog for a few months now. She has incredible wisdom as you will see. Her response to the whole situation is respectful and to the point......absolutely perfect. See it here.

(Mr. President, I really think you should invite Sarah to the White House. She is one smart cookie. I shall count myself very blessed if I ever get to meet her in person.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

picture by Michael Brandy of The Deseret News

These recipes come from a fab Irish pub in Utah (I know, unexpected). I'm making this for supper tonight.

IRISH SODA BREAD
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup raisins
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Sift flour, soda, cream of tartar, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add raisins, mix eggs and buttermilk into flour mixture. Knead lightly for a few minutes. Spread on floured cookie sheet or pizza pan. Bake in 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.

SMOKED SALMON CHOWDER
3 pounds red potatoes, cut in quarters
3 carrots, roughly chopped
Olive oil
1 head celery, roughly chopped
2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1-2 quarts chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water)
2 quarts heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons roux (butter and flour in equal parts, cooked together)
2 pounds gravlax or smoked salmon (MacCool's cures and cold-smokes its salmon. At the supermarket, look for gravlax or smoked salmon)
2 ounces (about 3 tablespoons) chopped dill

Quarter the potatoes, then boil or steam until slightly tender. Drain and refrigerate.
In a heavy-bottomed sauce pot or braiser, saute carrots in olive oil, then add celery and onion and cook until they become soft. Don't let them turn brown, or it will discolor the chowder.
Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Add the stock to cover the veggies completely, and bring to a boil. Add heavy cream and bring the mixture to a boil again. After the chowder has reduced somewhat, mix in the roux to thicken it slightly, to the consistency of a stew.
Pour the chowder into a plastic container or bucket and place in an ice bath.

While the chowder is cooling, add the salmon, reserving some for the garnish. (The salmon is already cured and/or smoked, so it's cooked.)

Add the potatoes and dill, and stir gently but thoroughly. The chowder is best if made a day or two before serving. It seems to get a more intense, sweeter flavor after sitting in the refrigerator.

To serve, thoroughly reheat, garnish with some cold thinly sliced gravlax on top, and add a nice hunk of Irish soda bread on the side.

and just in case you want to try MacCool's yourself:

MacCool's Public House locations:
1400 S. Foothill Drive in Salt Lake City
855 W. Heritage Park Blvd. in Layton
11610 S. District Main Drive in South Jordan.

Pink Eye

Ugh. And more ugh.

What I thought yesterday was just goopy eyes from blocked tear ducts (it happens sometimes to my darling little girl) was most definitely a full blown case of pink eye this morning. I kept TLM home from school and called the family doctor first thing this morning.

Midmorning I get a call from the elementary school: Thirdborn has pinkeye and will I come and get him? (Why on earth didn't I see it when I looked at him this morning? He looked fine this morning.)

I called Mr. Wonderful to tell him the news and......his eyes are itchy. Oh, lovely. So are mine, come to think of it. The Love Magnet and her brothers spent yesterday afternoon all together in my bed, watching movies.........infecting my pillows........

So it's a round of eye drops for everyone at this house. And my profuse apologies to anyone else who might have picked it up from my kids this weekend. I shall repent from my not-so-nice thoughts of whomever infected my kids.

One smile: the nurse offered my kids a pair of their very own blue medical gloves so they could handle things without infecting everything. The Love Magnet immediately put hers on, turned to me and said "Mom, give me your arm". She proceeded to do a perfect imitation of taking my blood. She wanted to take everyone's blood - and hug them afterwards for being brave patients.

I had always thought that she would be a teacher's aide when she grew up. Now I am wondering of the possibilities of working in a doctors office. Not doing anything technical.....just offering love to teary patients.

Sunday Gratitudes (on a Monday)

I'm grateful for datenight. I put together a group to continue on the tradition of game night here. These people are great fun. The food is fabulous (there has been a small competition going on for bragging rights to the best meal - I think its a three-way tie so far). Last night I made a Blackberry Almond Tort based on a recipe I found here. Since there wasn't flour in the sponge cake ingredients list (I thought it might be an error) I used the sponge cake recipe from America's Test Kitchen Best New Recipes cookbook. The cake turned out divine. I had enough pastry cream left over to make a trifle for Family Home Evening treat tonight.

I started running last week. It will still be uber hard for another week or two but persistence will pay off. I'm so grateful that K got me started on running. I never would have dared try on my own if it weren't for her. My sweet sis-in-love has registered for the Richmond Marathon in November. She told me that they also have a half marathon and suggested I come with her. Hmmm. Seriously considering.....

The weather has been warming up. My tulips are starting to poke out of the ground, including the tulips I planted a year after I bought the bulbs. So here is gratitude that the bulbs are forgiving. I absolutely love spring flowers.

This week past week was harder than most. My boys and Mr. Wonderful were so good at helping out. Or should I say that Mr. Wonderful was great in rallying the troops to help out? In any case the kitchen was clean and the carpets vacuumed. I'm grateful for my family's love and support. Now I am making it up to them by getting the laundry done today.

Running update

After not running in ages, and getting on the scale only to make myself miserable, I dusted off my running shoes and strapped on my Garmin. It was cold outside. But the skies were a combination of blue and white and the sun was shining. It didn't help that I was given a nasty cough from Mr. Wonderful and the kids. Add that to trying to run against a stiff wind......

Yeah, I know I am complaining. I'm a complainer. The only disability is a bad attitude. Chalk it up to being angry with myself for stopping my running habit and gaining weight as a result. I am not happy with myself at the moment. At least I got out. I'm proud that I did run (1 mile non stop at 11:30/mi. and the second mile off and on because I was coughing so much. I didn't get the third mile in at all).

Last night I got online to check out blog and saw that my sweet Sis-in-love had a similar idea and dusted off her running shoes, too. I feel a kinship with that woman. She is one of my heroes.

Sunday Gratitudes

One huge gratitudes for meds. We've had a sick Mr. Wonderful, followed by The Love Magnet, Thirdborn Son and now me. The only things that seem to help are Vicks vapor products and Mucinex. While I am at it, I am grateful for the stores in easy distance and plenty of products stocked.

Gratitude for a wonderfully supportive church family. These people would walk through fire to help. This week our dear Relief Society President has been just incredible in helping me work through a few minor trials and teaching me humor through it all.

I'm incredibly grateful for a doctor who could give us a name for Thirdborn's learning disability. Thirdborn does have a form of dyslexia. We were even referred to a center that will help Thirdborn retrain his brain how to work with this disability. This doctor did all of this in a fun way that made Thirdborn comfortable. My son came home laughing and telling me about the silly things he had to do. He was more excited to show me the prize he picked for doing so well. I'm also grateful that Thirdborn has already started resource services to help him at school. He has had such a great attitude through it all and that is a big result of his wonderful teacher. I wish I could keep her for every grade.

I'm grateful for Mr. Wonderful. He was all set to take me out to dinner and a dance last Friday when he was sick. I told him that we could cancel and he replied that it wouldn't be fair to me that I needed a datenight. Well, yes I did. I convinced him to put on pjs. Then I ran to the store and splurged on three imported cheeses, a few antipasto items, crackers and non-alcoholic sparkling pear juice. I put everything together on a tray along with a high quality chocolate and toffee bar. We watched Cold Comfort Farm at which I laughed uproariously and Mr. Wonderful was baffled. When I told him we did not have to watch it he told me that he was just happy being with me. Isn't Mr. Wonderful wonderful?

Oh, the Simple Joys

Wearing your softest pajamas to school.

Green eggs and ham.

Watching the movie Horton Hears A Who.

Cuddling with your favorite princess fleece blanket.

Reading The Cat In The Hat.

Blue frosting - your favorite color.

Best. School day. Ever.

I wish I could wear my pajamas to school, eat green eggs, watch movies and read fun books all day, and really truly enjoy blue frosting'd cupcakes with wild abandon. Unfortunately, 40 year old moms in college just don't get to do fun things like that.

Be a Duck- God loves them, too.

Have you ever been offended? Really, really offended? Hurt? Feel a bit bitter about it all?

This rarely happens to me. Most the time I have no idea that someone offended me until they come to apologize and I just blink at them wondering what on earth they are talking about. No harm, no foul. No worries.

But once in a blue moon something happens (like this last week) where someone does offend me. This one happened anonymously. I won't say what it was other than that being anonymous must make them braver. (Please, next time you have a problem with me, come and tell me. I won't get offended. I won't yell or scream. We'll have a great conversation over herbal tea and a sweet. You might even like me, after all.)

In the mean time, you've read my Gratitudes where I learned to Be A Duck. Just let it roll off my back. The thought makes me grin and want to quack. (I know a bit corny, but right now, whatever helps me to lighten up is a good thing.)

Another piece of great advice came from someone whom I unknowingly offended (who held the grudge for two years and then used the situation as an example for a Sunday School lesson. It was the first time I had ever heard about the problem - had I known sooner, I would have apologized profusely. Instead I got to hear the story unfold along with the rest of my ward. They were staring at me out of pity along with some trying to hide smiles, knowing - hoping?- that I would laugh at this later. I had more than a few people come up to me afterwards to ask if I was offended that he publicly humiliated me like that. Oh, good grief. I wish I knew about Be A Duck back then). His words of wisdom that day were a mantra: God loves them, too. That is how he said he finally got over it, by realizing that God loved me, too, no matter how many faults I had. Turn about being fair play, I repeated that mantra about him. It worked. I got over it.

I've been thinking a lot about this today. There has got to be more wisdom like this out there.
If you have it, let me know. I'll start a collection.

Quack

Sunday Gratitudes

I regret having missed my Sunday Gratitudes last week. I had the week from The Vortex of Doom (what I prefer saying rather than you-know-where. Just humor me, okay?) But the week ended much better than it started. I have much for which to be grateful.

I am grateful that Firstborn blessed the Sacrament for the first time today. Firstborn turned 16 at the beginning of February. Since our ward boundaries were reorganized at the same time, his ordination to become a Priest had to wait a few weeks. He was ordained last week and today I was a proud mom as my son reverently blessed the sacrament. I am so grateful that he honors his priesthood. He has a great example in his dad.

I'm grateful for the wise counsel "Be a duck" (meaning 'let it roll off your back'). This week, after a particularly hard trial, I was told this by an amazing woman. You know who you are. Heavenly Father blessed me by putting you in my path. You were his angel when I really needed it.

I'm grateful that we were able to learn the results of the testing for Thirdborn and his learning disability. We weren't given a name for it, but results did qualify him for resource help. I'm happy that he will get this extra help and I pray that it helps him be successful. Thirdborn has an appointment this month with a medical doctor that specializes in diagnosing learning disabilities. I am grateful that we were able to finally get an appointment with him. I want to better understand what Thirdborn is enduring and how best I can help him.

I'm grateful that Secondborn is doing so well in school that he has been asked to tutor other kids before school. He loves helping his classmates. I love that he is giving service.

I'm grateful that Mr. Wonderful is finally on the upswing after catching an awful virus. He has been coughing and feeling 'blah' for over a week now. It's hard for him to keep up the work schedule he has when he doesn't feel 100%. But today he was starting to sound like himself again.

I'm grateful that I aced my math and Child Psych exams last week. That felt great to know nearly all the answers. I didn't ace my stats exam (far from it) but the professor said I can still get a good grade if I keep doing well on my homework and do better on future exams. While I am on that subject, I am grateful that the Statistics TA's are patient. They are going to see a lot of me during the next few weeks before exam #2.

Pick me! Pick me!

Check it out. Fresh Design Studio is hosting a give away to redesign your blog. If you don't have a blog then head to her website and post a comment about how much you think MY blog needs some artistic help. I don't have that decorating talent. I must have missed standing in that talent line.

The Love Magnet is sick today

I brought her home from school. She immediately put on a pair of pjs, ate a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and cuddled up with her favorite doll to watch Disney Channel while I worked on homework........actually I spent more time watching her and thinking.

The other day I read an article called Down Syndrome a Modern Day Death Sentence by Joseph A. Cannon (who also has a daughter with Down syndrome). You can find it here.

So many professional seem to think it a moral imperative that we not allow children with Ds to be born. The professionals quoted offered many reasons: It's too hard on those born with the disability. It's too hard on their families. It's too hard on the world.


I think that everyone should spend time with a person who has an intellectual disability.

They would see that people with disabilities have the same wants and needs. The same emotions. The same need to love and be loved in return that every single one of us have.

They would also see that people with disabilities are teachers of compassion, forgiveness, understanding, empathy, and acceptance.

But then those things can't really be measured in a lab, can they? I feel bad for the professionals in that article. They just don't get it. They have surrounded themselves with textbooks and research. Maybe if they tried field research? Got themselves out of a lab and into a typical home. I wonder if there is anything that could change their opinion?

They certainly haven't changed mine.

On the 14th Day of Valentines, Mr. Wonderful gave to me....

A gorgeous bike

a cool bike

It's girly!

It's comfy.

It has lots of cool things.

I'm sure this means something, too.

With lots of gears that I need to learn how to use.

With cool lace-up handles.

I want to get a basket attached on the back for hauling picnics and books, and bell on front to warn people I am coming. Oh, and a helmet. Something that matches.

Thanks, Mr. Wonderful! I can't wait to use it.

Sunday Gratitudes

This Sunday I am so grateful for my Mr. Wonderful. He works so hard for us. He is my love, my sounding board, my best friend, my rock (call me a rock! - private joke for Mr. W), my math and stats tutor, my reason for my "million little reasons". Yesterday I made him a gourmet dinner to thanks him for the things he does for me every day,

Halibut Oscar and Fingerling potatoes (and me wishing I would have sucked in my stomach before the picture was taken. Look at the food. Please, look at the food....)

Mr. Wonderful brought me roses. He also set the table.

Usually, Mr. W ducks when he sees a camera, but he couldn't this time or he'd spill the nonalcoholic peach sparkly he was pouring. I have to be sneaky with a camera.

Halibut Oscar and lobster bisque (I didn't make the lobster bisque. Bought it as Costco.)

I did, however, make the most fabulous blackberry creme brulee for dessert. It is a dangerous thing, this knowledge that making creme brulee is insanely easy. Oh, but it makes a grand impression. Mmmmmmm.

Happy 14 Day's of Valentines to my Mr. Darcy, my own private Michelangelo statue, my honey, my Sweetheart of the first order. You deserve every single day of effort that went into it. God blessed me the day he brought you into my life.

Check out this new blog

Extraordinary Mothers

I can't get their link button to work so just click on "Extraordinary Mothers" up there and you'll find your way to it.

Think they could use a writer who is all about Family, Special Needs, education, the importance of the family dinner table, music, and Loving your Mr. Wonderful?

On the 12th Day of Valentines

I printed out 11 poems/sonnets/lyrics/love notes. Instead of making scrolls as planned, I put them all in a binder. The final 12th page is an original poem by me. Not a cheesy poem, a serious one.

Did I ever mention that I am GREAT at cheesy poetry?


Not so great at serious attempts of poetry.



I trust Mr. Wonderful will get the gist of my intent and forgive me my many and varied faults. He has enjoyed the 14 Days of Valentines this year. The kids have loved pointing out the days he received treats. They wanted to be there when he opened them. They are all about the sharing.

I think I will share my stats homework with Mr. Wonderful tonight........

On the 11th Day of Valentine's

On the 11th Day of Valentines
I used to give you candles of red
To tell you about our dinner date.
(And give hints for what lies ahead.)

This year I leave it to you
To bring candles on your own.
And pick a bottle of sparkling-something.
(If you want, you could write your own poem).

I will be uber consumed
With planning our special night.
There is a lot to be considered.
(And I want to make it right.)

We’ll start with Lobster Bisque
And a Hot Crab Dip for two.
With pita chips and crackers
(it’s the least the I could do).

Then I will attempt to make
Your most favorite dish
From my most favorite restaurant
(hint: it will be fish).

Dessert will be our favorite recipe
I’ve attempted once before -
Also from my most favorite restaurant.
(I will be tempted to eat more.)

That is all I’m going to tell you
For the rest you will have to wait.
Dinner will be at 7 sharp.
I trust you won’t be late.


(this will be printed on a scroll and waiting for Mr. Wonderful on his nightstand.)

On the 10th Day of Valentines

Ten Reasons I Love Mr. Wonderful:

His arms wrap completely around me.

He makes me feel safe and protected.

He understands my sense of humor.

He thanks me for every single meal - he has never forgotten in 17 1/2 years of our marriage.

He is one amazing kisser.

He listens to me when I talk my head off, knowing that I need someone to hear me.

He encourages me in everything I do.

He works hard for our family.

I love the way he looks at me when we are sharing a private joke.

He honors his priesthood.

I taped this list on his bathroom mirror to find when he comes home tonight.

Sunday Gratitudes

This past week was incredible. We hosted an athlete, his unified partner in Floor Hockey, and the team doctor from Kazakhstan. Dimitri, Rustam and Yevgeni were charming, wonderful guests. They loved our American streets. "Just like in the movies", Yevgeni said. When I asked him if they were very much different from Kazakhstan, he started to laugh. Apparently they are.

Our guests were amazed at American grocery stores, especially Costco. They couldn't believe the availability of items and the fact that they cost less here. They took pictures of everything: Mustang cars (everyone had pose around one they saw in the high school parking lot), buildings, birds, school buses.

The loved the high school, with its available computers, library, culinary school, exercise equipment, weight room, and cafeteria. The boys stopped to stare at every single American girl. They loved American food. They thought the hoedown was a riot. Rustam tried every line dance taught. They rode the "mechanical" bull. They stuffed themselves with hamburgers, potato salad, and Idaho ice cream potatoes. (remind me to tell you about that Idaho tradition sometime).

I am so grateful for these three opening my eyes to blessings I might have taken for granted. Our homes are huge compared to theirs. We elect the President of the United States every four years while they have a president who has been in power much longer than any president should in a democracy. Our schools make so much available to our children. Our buildings each have their own individuality and beauty.

Yevgeni invited us to stay with him if we ever make it to Kazakhstan. We told him we would be honored. I would love to meet his sweet wife and adorable baby. In the meantime, we are making plans to attend some Special Olympic events. Particularly floor hockey.

I need to learn Russian for "GO TEAM!"

Today I received an official letter from my university

I MADE THE DEAN'S LIST!

()()()(\\\\\/////()()()()()

(doing the happy dance)

Sunday Gratitudes

I know, I know. I missed last week. It was crazy here with me getting ready for the first week of my new Semester at school. My classes will prove interesting enough for a few blog posts. But I saved up one big gratitude from a two week study:

I had a lightbulb moment. I've wondered for a while why The Love Magnet appears to be the most popular girl at her school. Everyone says "hi" to her. She stops to hug them all (a few get a kiss on the cheek. I really should get her to stop that - she needs to learn personal boundaries. But it's just so darn cute!)

TLM even has a reputation at the middle school. Secondborn reports that the kids who previously attended our elementary school still talk about her enough to the point where their friends come up to him and ask if he is TLM's brother. It's been funny to listen to the stories from Secondborn and his friends.

This past week showed me why kids keep talking about her and why kids want to be around her. The Love Magnet was playing Wii tennis with my sons and their friends. I was on the computer (doing homework) when I heard noise that indicated one of the visiting boys beat TLM at tennis. Right when the shouts died down, my daughter piped up "You WIN! You AWESOME!" I peek over the 2nd floor balcony to watch my daughter congratulate the winner with a hug and a big grin.I have never seen this happen before. Kids that age are usually sore losers. They don't like to lose. But my daughter was thrilled for her opponent. Her reaction connected the dots for me:

• The Love Magnet makes everyone around her feel loved and accepted. She doesn't worry about looks, or capabilities, or popularity. She will spread her kind of love around to everyone who will receive it.
• This past week when one of her classmates fell out of her chair, TLM, ran over to see if she was okay and would only sit down after she saw for herself that her friend wasn't hurt.
• She cheered for those picked to participate in music class last week (and she was picked twice by fellow classmates.)
• She says Hi or Good Morning to every single child and school staff on her way to class. No one gets overlooked.
• And this week I watched her be as excited for her opponents win as she would for her own win.

So this week I am grateful for my pint-sized teacher and her lesson of Unconditional Love and Acceptance. I hope I've learned it well. One down, sweetie, possibly a whole school. Now you've got the world left to go.

Marmalade Chicken

Marmalade Chicken
Adapted from Eating Well Jan./Feb. ‘09
Makes 4 servings

My notes: Easy weeknight pantry meal. I subbed coarse ground mustard for regular Dijon, b/s chicken breasts for the tenders, and more than doubled the orange zest. The flavor is not overwhelming, surprisingly mild even with my changes. Big thumbs up even from my picky eater. This will go into regular rotation. I served this with brown rice (to soak up sauce) and steamed broccoli.

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 teaspoon coarse ground Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 pound chicken breasts sliced into strips
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large shallots, minced
1 Tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

1. Whisk broth, vinegar, marmalade, mustard and cornstarch in a medium bowl.2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 4 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. 3. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and shallots to the pan and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 30 seconds. Whisk the broth mixture and add it to the pan. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; cook until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Add the chicken; return to a simmer. Cook, turning once, until the chicken is heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in orange zest.

Per serving: 213 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 68 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 27 g protein; 0 g fiber; 246 mg sodium; 55 mg potassium.

Even More 14 Days of Valentines Ideas

The following is from my fellow Cookie, Carol (Carol is the Cookie who knitted The Love Magnet a Red Riding Hood hat before TLM had her open-heart surgery). Carol copied a few of mine and had some great ideas of her own:

1 sweet baby boy - blowup of Levi
2 lunch for two at his favorite local dive
3 movie nights - we watch whatever he picks, no whining
4 love poems - various places around the house
5 heart-shaped red velvet cupcakes (his favorite dessert)
6 years together
7 x 70 that he's forgiven me (note; how much I appreciate his patience and good nature)
8 eternity - commitment to each other
9 ways he is the best dad ever
10 ways to say I love you (languages)
11 taper candles with printed menu
12 ways he is the best guy for me
13 love songs loaded on a special playlist on his iPod
14 Valentine's Day Dinner

For Valentine's Day dinner, I am ripping off an idea from a restaurant I went to in Toronto a long time ago. They were called Mezzetta - they had a mezza menu where you ordered small portions of a whole bunch of stuff. It was great fun. I don't have everything finalized for that yet, but there will be cheese fondue, asparagus BBB, artichoke/spinach dip with homemade bread, chicken rangoon, more stuff I haven't decided on, and for dessert, another favorite of his: meringue nests with vanilla ice cream and berry sauce. I am doing a silly thing with cards - we have an old deck of playing cards that is needing to be retired. I am throwing out everything but the hearts and one joker. Each day, he gets the corresponding number (or face) card with a hint (written in Sharpie) about where to look for his surprise that day. On the 14th, I'll use the joker.


I am going to rip off idea #7 for next year. thanks, Carol! You can find more of Carol (including cool knitting projects here.)

More 14 Days of Valentines Ideas

These come from my fellow Cookie Sally. She has some great ideas this year:

1. One apple – you are the apple of my eye
2. You are two sweet – two candy kisses
3. Picture perfect kids - Pictures of kids in heart frames
4. You are four me – give 4 love sayings on heart shaped post-its
5. I am not full of hot air – 5 heart shaped balloons
6. you are my sweetie pie - Pie sliced in six pieces –
7. You are stuck with me – 7 heart magnets
8. – Eggactly what I want - Eight items on breakfast plate – three eggs, two pieces toast, three pieces of sausage or bacon
9. Nine reasons I can’t say no to you – nine is no in german.
10 Say “I love you in 10 languages 11 You hold the ticket to my heart – 11 tickets with love sayings
12. You are my muffin man (inside joke) – give a dozen heart shaped blueberry muffins
13. Sugar and spice – sugar packet and 12 spice candies
14 Fourteen opera cream candies – with a personal saying -

A Great Big Thank You

(The Love Magnet received a package in the mail today.)

What is it, Mom?

It's a..................

scarf!


But not just any scarf..........

IT'S A SPECIAL OLYMPICS SCARF!!!

Who sent this to me? Let me read it myself, Mom.

Thank you Auntie Cookies from TTOOL.

I love you very much.

Running Update

I haven't been running in six weeks. Yes, I am ashamed to admit it. My weight has creeped up from all the holiday noshing. I have started to have dreams of what I would be like if I let myself go worse than now. (Now I know that dreams aren't accurate, that I won't grow 18" chin hairs, have my triceps sag down past my elbows, or that my teeth will fall out. But you know how dreams are. It shook me up, as illogical as it seemed).

So last night I made a goal which I emailed to all my Relief Society sisters to help keep me focused. I committed to running M/W/F and most Saturdays at a specific time each day. I asked if anyone wanted to join me (no one did, yet).

This morning I dressed in running gear to take the kids to school. I know I looked ridiculous driving to school while wearing running gear, but The Love Magnet is slow. Getting her to move in the right direction and at a regular speed is like herding cats. It isn't going to happen.

I came home. Posted on Face Book that I was going for a run. Posted on my Kookies WW board that I was going for a run. Psyched myself up. Turned on my Garmin and got it linked up to those mysterious satellites in the heavens. Walked out the door.

oooh. ugh. puff....puffpuff......*gasp*....chug...chug...chug

It was hard. Really hard. I know I am going to have to bite the bullet and get over the fact that it will be hard for the next two weeks.

At least I am proud for getting out. 2 1/2 miles 11:30/mile

Here we go again.

Sunday Gratitudes

Today was the first day (for our family) of new Primary teachers. Normally, its a day that is very traumatic for The Love Magnet. She doesn't handle change well. We found out that her new Primary teacher is the mom of a girl whom TLM loves very much. They came over this week to bring my daughter a treat. Sister F included a picture of herself (a very cool pic - she is a photographer) so The Love Magnet would remember who to look for on Sunday. TLM carried that picture around the rest of the week. I kept finding it on the Love Sac, the couch, her bed.....and would put it on the fridge at her eye-level to find again. Today, The Love Magnet talked about her new teacher all the way to Primary. She entered the room and went straight to her new class. No tears. No trauma. I am so grateful that Sister F came to visit. I'm grateful that this year was much easier to transition. The Love Magnet saw her teacher from last year across the room and waved enthusiastically. Then my love turned to me and said "Mom, go to your class." I couldn't. TLM requires two teachers in her class and a 2nd teacher still needed to be called. TLM wasn't happy that I escorted her everywhere. Oh, well.

I'm grateful for the smell of Sunday dinner cooking when I walked through the door tonight. Baked chicken. "Mashed 'ta-toes an' gwavy", cornbread stuffing, veggies and dip, and the ubiquitous jello (it was even green with pineapple - a rarity at this house). I'm thankful that we have food on our table. We are blessed with Mr. Wonderful's job and his willingness to work hard for his family.

The weather has been warmer. Not warm, just not below freezing. I'm grateful to have the sun out again. My mood needed it.

I'm grateful that Secondborn scored so well on his tests this week. He was so excited to come home and give me a play-by-play of every single test. While I am at it, let me express how thankful I am that he wants to talk to me. It's so much better than receiving monosyllabic answers.

I'm grateful for the teachers that will be testing Thirdborn starting this week. I hope their expertise can give us some answers to help him in reading, spelling, and math. Its getting harder and harder to get him to try. He has just about convinced himself that he can't do it.

Today I received an email from Special Olympics that we have been chosen to help host the delegates from Kazakhstan! I am thankful and thrilled for the opportunity my family will have to learn about these people and their culture. We had such a good experience last year with the athletes from Lebanon.

Honey don't read this either....Valentine Stuff

Here it is: The 14 Days of Valentines 2009 list

1. Giant Valentine Card (bought at the after-Valentine sales last year)

2. Two Feet – Cheesy poem for a foot rub that night
.
3. Movie tix and Red Vines

4. 4 Cute Kids poster hung on garage door

5. Five phone calls (I’ll have 5 people call or send emails to wish him Happy 5th Day of Valentines. People he hasn’t talked to in ages.

6. I can’t tell you this one. He’ll love it.

7. I’m in Heaven (new feather pillow and a certificate to sleep in on Valentine’s Day morning (I’ll take the kids out to bfast so the house is quiet. Might try to keep them gone all morning.)

8. Eternity (picture of the SL Temple and memories of how I felt on our wedding day)

9. Family Night about Dads

10. Ten Things I Love About You (send emails, scatter labels, etc)

11. Two candle sticks to light for Valentine’s dinner. Include printed menu.

12. Twelve Love Notes/sonnets/poems/quotes (11 found, 1 original by me)

13. Thirteen languages to say I Love You (hot pink post-it notes on his truck, in his laptop, wallet, on his sun glasses, bathroom mirror, etc.)

14. Dinner and a movie

Now for the menu (which can be changed, but I doubt this will)

Appetizer: Smoked Salmon and cucumber rounds

Soup: Lobster bisque (Costco)
Main: Halibut Oscar , risotto, rosemary bread from Costco
Dessert: Crème Brulee with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

The recipes for Halibut Oscar and Creme Brulee come from our fave restaurant in Utah, Market Street Grill. In fact, the halibut is his favorite dish. We always would share creme brulee or Raspberry Almond Torte afterwards (which I might make instead of creme brulee). I really miss that place.

Honey don't read this.....Valentine stuff

Last night I worked on the 12th day of Valentines: 12 Love Notes. I had to be sneaky because Mr. Wonderful was home and he thinks I spend too much time on the computer.

I'm rather proud of this. (No, not my reputation for spending too much time on the computer.) I thought the Love Notes research turned out great. Between my computer and my own personal library, I found some doozies. Some of them are:

Trust; perfect confidence, honor, and love
Come from the Perfected Being above—
These make the truest of sweethearts kind—
These, my Jewel, in you I find.
-David O. Mackay, Heart Petals, p.44

"And what is a kiss, specifically? A pledge properly sealed, a promise seasoned to taste, a vow stamped with the immediacy of a lip, a rosy circle drawn around the verb 'to love.' A kiss is a message too intimate for the ear, infinity captured in the bee's brief visit to a flower, secular communication with an aftertaste of heaven, the pulse rising from the heart to utter its name on a lover's lip: 'Forever.'"

- Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Act 3

In all our losses, all our gains,In all our pleasures, all our pains,The life of life is: Love remains.In every change from good to ill,--If love continues still,Let happen then what will.

- Theodore Tilton

"We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet..... I mean, what does any one life mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things..... all of it, all the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness'". –Shall We Dance

There are more. They will all be printed on white paper, rolled up, and tied with a red ribbon. They will be hidden in pockets, in his truck, in shoes. The last one (mine) will be waiting in my hands to greet him as he walks in the door that night.


I absolutely love getting ready for this!

The 14 Days Of Valentines

Its that time of year again! Time to show your Mr. Wonderful (or Mrs./Miss) that he absolutely warms your heart. Take the first 14 days of February and do something for him/her that will be completely unexpected, completely charming, and completely knocks his socks off! See the previous post under the 14 Days of Valentines under blog labels for ideas.

I had a few questions come up last year that require the following clarification.

WHAT THE 14 DAYS OF VALENTINES ARE NOT:

1. This is not a vehicle for you to dump guilt on your Mr. Wonderful if he is not the romantic type. If you are a guilt-dumper, change your ways or your are not allowed to play.

2. This is not a contest. There is no competition to see who comes up with the best ideas. All ideas are free for the taking. In fact, I encourage the sharing and taking of ideas. Your only prize will be a deliriously happy Mr. Wonderful (or Mrs./Miss....you get the idea).

3. This is not a build up for gifts. Do not expect a gift. This is for you to completely shower your Love with pure love. Completely selfless. You do not automatically deserve jewelry for doing this.

Okay now that is all settled. Onto the sharing of ideas! (Oh, and before I forget: Mr. Wonderful, if you are reading this post - its time for you to log off. No peeking. Shoo.)

Truly he won't read this if I tell him not to read this. Isn't he amazing?

This year I will be changing a few things. Day 4 will still be "4 Beautiful Children" with pictures of the kids. But.....this year it will be a candid shot, completely silly, and blown up to poster size. If the weather permits, it will be hung on the garage door. I shall try to capture his reaction for you.

The 1st Day of Valentines will be One Giant Valentines Day Card that I picked up on sale last year after Valentines Day.

The 12th Day of Valentines falls on Family Night which means we shall dedicate it to Mr. Wonderful. This year I shall be more prepared and make sure the kids are prepared BEFORE the big day.

As for the rest, it will be decided in the next week. I like to give myself at least 2 weeks to gather everything.

Don't forget to make dinner on the 14th just for the two of you. Homemade, or pick up something yummy. I'll post my menu as soon as its decided.

Leave a comment. Let me know what your are planning. Spread the love.

There isn't enough selfless love in the world right now.

____________________________________________________________

My ideas from last year:
Feb 1 - You Have My One Heart - heart shaped chocolates (Dove) in cute red/pink/white takeout box. Heart decoration over his mirror. Box and decoration for $1 each at Target.

Feb 2- For just the Two of Us - invitation in calligraphy on nice card stock to my homemade valentine dinner. Include menu and two candles, and bottle of sparkly.

Feb 3 - The Three necessities for our next date night - 2 movie tix and a box of Red Vines.

Feb 4 - Four Beautiful Children (and one cute wife)- head shots of the kids and me taped to the inside of his windshield. I might even write with lipstick on his windshield

Feb 5 - Five (x2) fingers - massage lotion from Bath & Bodyworks

Feb 6 - Six candy bars in a candy gram - things like Big Hunk, Twix, Sugar Daddy etc. No, I am NOT telling you what I am writing!

Feb 7 - Seven freshly made orange or cinnamon rolls. Hide the rest for later.

Feb 8 - I'll love you for Eternity (Eight on its side). This will be a home made Valentine card.

Feb 9 - Nine Items for Breakfast in Bed - 3 egg omelet with spinach, mushrooms and feta (that makes 6), sourdough toast (7), orange juice (8), broiled fresh pineapple (9)

Feb 10 - 10 - Ten Things I Love About You written on beautiful card stock and propped on his pillow to find when he gets home

Feb 11 - Eleven Reasons we are grateful for our dad and husband Family Home Evening. The kids will be involved with this one. I'll let them run with their imaginations and each come up with something.

Feb 12 - Twelve Hugs and Twelve Kisses. Hershey's Hugs and Kisses (12 each!) in another cute little takeout container. DH shares all chocolates with the kids. As long as it isn't dark chocolate, I have no problem abstaining.

Feb 13 - Thirteen Ways To Say I Love You on Post-It Notes. Start researching languages now. Make sure you write down what language it is. If your DH speaks a foreign language, be sure to include that one in the thirteen languages. Be silly and go for pig latin. Be creative with drawings of ASL signs. Write it Korean/Chinese/Japanese if you know the calligraphy.

Feb 14 - A letter expressing how much I love him and a note to remind him to meet me for dinner at a certain time.

Other Ideas from last year: hide red note card around the room with your fave romantic movie quotes, sonnets, Shakespeare, poetry, and sayings for him to find.

Sunday Gratitudes

This past week we were in Utah for the funeral of Mr. Wonderful's grandpa. Grandpa-Great was an amazing man. He built and flew his own airplane (he also built his own boat and his own home.) He ran incredibly successful businesses. He help his grandsons on their missions. Grandpa-Great had suffered many years with Parkinson's disease. At one point, he decided that he would rather have a clear head than be on all the medication, including pain med, that muddled his thinking. He quit all meds a few years ago. When it looked like he was ready to leave us, Mr. Wonderful drove down to be with him in his last hours. I'm grateful that he made it in time. Mr. Wonderful called to tell me that Grandpa-Great passed peacefully and was finally free from pain. When I told my children, Thirdborn said "Mom, I'll bet he is having THE BEST family reunion right now!" I'm sure Grandpa did. His wife died 28 years ago. He also had a daughter wwho died when she was 5 or 6. I would have loved to see that family reunion.

This year instead of making resolutions, I decided to make specific study goals. My study goals for school are set so I am making personal scripture study goals. This month I want to focus on Prayer. Along with scripture references in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine & Covenants, I have been pulling conference talks and Ensign articles: Prayer by Ezra Taft Benson (when he was an apostle), Improving Our Prayers by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, and Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer by Elder Richard G. Scott. Every night that I study I record thoughts and inspiration in a new journal. I am grateful for this goal. I have faith that it will improve my scripture study and answers some questions that are really puzzling me. If you have any suggestions on articles or insights, I would greatly appreciate them. I've yet to decide the upcoming subjects in subsequent months.

I'm grateful for all the prayers said in behalf of my family today as we traveled home. We were safe. The roads were clear and the weather fine.

I'm grateful that school starts up again tomorrow - at least for the kids. The Love Magnet especially does better on a set schedule. she has been begging for the past two weeks to go back to school. I still have two weeks to get things together for my school, thank heavens.

I'm grateful for my house, my bed, my kitchen, my tub, my own computer with my own bookmarks in it......as much as I love being with my family, its nice to come home.