My Cooking Blog

Upon several requests I have started a cooking blog. It was once my gratitude blog but decided that I'm better at cooking then I am at gratitude. Just kidding. I am grateful for my cooking abilities and I'm excited to be sharing my recipes with all those that would like them. If there is anything that I make, or you've heard me talk about let me know and I will be happy to include them in a post. I have titled my blog The Cooking Sorceress. Thanks to Leslie who called me that sometime last year. I thought it would be a fun title. Just click on the title and it will "wisk" you to my new adventure. For now there is just one recipe but I hope to add more on a weekly basis!

Holy Crap, a Temple in Payson!!

Brent came home from work and went to his usual spot, in front of the computer. As I was cutting vegetables he came back downstairs and simply said, " I guess they've announced a Temple to be built in Payson." My first reaction was, "What? Really?" My second reaction was, "That's not as exciting as if I were to hear it announced over the pulpit during General Conference." It wasn't until after those first impressions that I felt excitement. I have been praying and dreaming of a Temple in south Utah County for several years. It seemed unfair that just past the point of the mountain would be 3 Temples within an easy view of each other. I was determined to go to the Temple more often. I would like to think that my efforts helped in the Payson announcement. But that would be vain. I'm sure there are thousands of us who have put forth the same effort and have the same desire as myself. I can't believe a Temple is coming to Payson!!! What a blessing!!!

Sunday Musing

At the dinner table Saturday night I explained to my children that cleanliness is next to godliness. And therefore our simple kitchen chores still need to be done so our home can be closer to the spirit, and I can be closer to sanity. I am happy to report that there was no complaining when asked to clean up after dinner. My only run in was with Isabel, imagine that. She was to unload the dishwasher and therefore didn't have anything to do but to bug her baby sister. I instructed her to pick up everything off of the kitchen floor. She could not do this without complaining the ENTIRE time. I can't quite remember what it was that she was complaining about, I'm pretty pro at tuning whining out.

In Relief Society we talked about Elder Bednar's talk More Diligent and Concerned at home. We mostly touched on how to show more love and to bear our testimonies. Have you ever born your testimony to your spouse? I don't think I've ever just born my testimony to Brent. He's heard me bare it in church and to the children. But He has never been the focus of my testimony bearing. When I think about it it kind of makes me feel a little awkward, which it shouldn't! We also talked about simple ways in which we can bare testimony to our children. Just on simple principles like choosing good friends, and wearing modest clothing.

We talked mostly about how to show more love. This is something that I struggle with. I've been conscientiously making an effort to hug my children more. To physically let them know that I love them. You'd think it would come naturally since I'm a mother and all. But it doesn't.

The one thing that I loved most about this talk was Elder Bednar's encouraging words that we just need to be consistent. The small and simple things that we do with our children are like brush strokes on a painting. They might seem small and insignificant, but in the end those small strokes turn into a masterpiece. Our children will someday be our masterpieces, but before we can see the end result, we have to faithfully work on the mundane and daily chores of life. It's all worth it. Worth suffering through the whining, complaining, basically modern day murmurings from our children. We are the ones that have to be firm and consistent.

Locks of Love

Such long hair!!

Are you sure you want to do this?

From the back!

It's all the way down to her waist!!

Are you sure you want to do this?

Here's the pony

Are yor SURE you want to do this?

Yep, she's sure.

And with several fell swoops of the scissors...



It was gone!
Bye, bye long hair
Locks of love here we come!



After





It really is cute on Hannah
Hannah is short and spunky.
This fits her personality to a T!!!



Annika also getting a cut




Isabel's before.
Can you see why we didn't want to cut her's?
She has the thickest of all the girls' hair.



The short bangs.
I think they look cute.
Isabel was not content with them.

Over the long weekend the kids and I went to Grandma Penny's house. Hannah had been telling me for several months that she wanted to cut her hair for her birthday. And she wanted it short, like to her chin short. I was a little leary due to the fact that she's been growing it out for several years and her hair is so pretty. She asked if Grandma would cut her hair. I took a deep breath and asked her several times if this was really what she wanted to do. Every time she answered with a firm YES!!! So with much heaviness my Mom took the scissors, I put her hair in a pony tail, we made sure we got 12 inches to donate to locks of love, and that was it. It was gone in a few snips of the scissors. Hannah was thrilled, and I was worried due to the funkiness of the cut. My Mom did wonders not being a formerly trained hair stylist. As a result of watching their sister take such a transformation Annika too requested to get her hair cut short. And of course, Isabel too, wanted it short. But we put a stop to that. It was just too hard to cut all of Isabel's hair off. I knew she wanted to keep her long hair she was just so caught up in the excitement that Hannah was excuding for her new dew. Isabel settled for shorter bangs, she insisted she look different. After we got home she was pissed that her bangs were so short. She refused to go to school the next day complaining that everyone would stare at her and make fun of her. At the dinner table Brent asked her how her day went and she indeed told us that she caught people staring at her bangs. I told her that was all in her head. All three girls look marvelous in their new hair cuts!!

Thanks once again to my Mom and her many many talents.

The great thinga about hair, is that it grows. Hannah can grows her again if she wishes, and Isabel's bangs will be swooping to the side in no time!!

That was...

Beckham came running upstairs a bit out of breath. He obviously had something very exciting to tell me.

B: You know that door that is in the toy room?

Me: You mean the closet door?

B: Yes. Grace was behind it when it shut and I was just going to leave her there but then she opened it all by herself and it was shut all the way. It was..(he pauses a minute) Magical!!!

Sometimes it does feel magical when our kids do things for the very first time. Their first words, their first steps, first time the reason and understand a command. It is a bit magical.

Sunday Musings

As I've said before, I love and hate Sunday's. I love going to church and being uplifted and to feel of the spirit. I hate fighting with my children during Sacrament meeting and feeling like I'm being watched from all sides. That has gotten better since I bring nothing with me to church for the kids.
I think I must be the only one in all of Mormondom that can't keep a clean house on Sundays! No matter how much cleaning I do on Saturday or how much preparation I make my house still manages to become complete disaster! I try to keep up on simple daily tasks, but to no avail. Yesterday, Sunday, I asked Isabel if she would please do her chore, which was to load the dishwasher. She was quick to respond, " But Mom, I learned in church that Sunday is a day of rest and we aren't suppose to do any work!" In her mind that includes chores. I agree with that to an extent. But if we don't lift a single finger on Sundays then that leaves a boat load of crap to be done on Mondays and then I'm left playing catch-up for the rest of the week. Oh the agony of it all. So I end up being the one to pick up after everyone, clean up, tidy up, and simply get fed up! I'm pretty sure the Lord didn't have in mind for me to get my undies all in a wad on Sunday's either!!! And the worst part of it all, I'm the only one bothered by the mess!!! Ugh!! What's a mother to do? Shrug it off, and keep on keeping on with a smile. Right? If I'm the only that is bothered by the mess then I guess I'll just keep tidying up all my lonesome, and do it with a smile. Yeah, right. There needs to be a happy medium. And so I'll keep on searching for that happy place.

On a lighter note:

Sunday was Ward Conference. Sacrament meeting went well, although it went long. Isabel was quick to notice the time and quick to vocalize her agony of having to sit there for an additional 10 minutes. She's always been the one not afraid to say what everyone else is thinking. We need to work on that.
My favorite meeting was Relief Society. Mindy Hammer did an amazing job with the lesson. Seriously, I need to take notes from that woman. She's a pro at teaching. But what struck me the most were a few of the Testimonies born by a few of the Stake Relief Society Presidency. I'm sorry I can't remember their names, but what they said was most important.
I think it must have been the first counselor that said the first profound thing for me. She remembers sitting with the Stake President and asking him what it is that he would like them to convey to the sisters in the Stake. He simply told them to tell us that what we are doing is Enough. As she said that a tingling feeling came over my whole being as confirmation to me, that indeed, what I am doing is enough. As women in our Mormon society we have a tendency to compare ourselves to those around us. We constantly are putting ourselves down for not doing as much as another sister, or not being like someone else. We aren't intended to be like someone else. We have completely different talents from each other, and that's how it's suppose to be. So we can bless each others lives instead of torment each other. Which leads into I think it must have been the Secretary. Her message to us was to love ourselves for who we are now, today. Which I LOVED!!! When we are confident and happy people are drawn to that. I want to be confident, and truly happy. And that reminded me of a scripture that I read the other morning found in Alma 29:3 ... for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hat allotted unto me. This can have reference to so many different aspects of our lives. For me, it's being happy in my current state. Who I am now, and that is a mother, a wife, a daughter of God who is striving to progress down the pathway of Happiness. I'm not required to be perfect, I just need to progress. To learn, to grow, to experience hardship and to triumph over them.

It was a good Sunday. Despite the messy house.

Me vs. Texting

I realize that it is the 21st century. There is some amazing technology that I just couldn't live without. I.E. the computer which is a vehicle for blogging and e-mail. Cell phones so my children can get a hold of me in case of emergency. I'm sure some day in the future I will be just as attached to my cell phone as I find my husband or friends. For now, it's just there. I jump almost any time it rings since it rings hardly ever. I just don't get this whole texting thing. Yes, I realize it's very convenient. But it's also disruptive, time consuming, distracting, and is taking away from simple communication skills. I find that because I don't have texting I miss out on a lot of communication that happens between my family. Which plain sucks. But I guess the phone goes both ways. I've just never been much of a phone person. To keep in touch I guess I'll just have to make a greater effort to phone my brothers, my mom and my Dad.

Here and now as a mother I am taking a stand against texting. I don't want my children to become immune to the feelings of having to say difficult things to people. And difficult has many different faces. "No I can't come to your party." " You know, what you said really hurt my feelings." " You did a great job!" Texting takes away fear, anticipation, excitment, worry, and a whole bunch of other adjectives! Which leads to saying things would never dream of saying in person. I want my children to know what it feels like to actually verbalize their feelings and emotions. I know that this will be a huge fight. At some point my children will have cell phones, but I'm going to prolong that as much as possible. And when they do get cell phones they wont be able to text. Their friends will actually have to call and talk to them.

Remember the days before caller i.d.? When the phone would ring and your hands would sweat and your heart would race wondering if it was that certain boy. For some reason the phone would take on a whole new ring. Sometimes you could just feel it. And then when you heard that voice, the heart would race even more almost pounding right out of your chest and maybe you'd forget how to even say the simplest of sentences. Oh, those were the days. It's sad that my kids will never experience that.