MIXED FEELINGS

There is a lot going on in our lives these days.  It has taught me that once a woman is a mother, she will always be one.      I have wondered if it must always hurt to rediscover that you have a mother's heart.  It is far better than feeling numb though, so I suppose I will take it.

INDEXING . . OR . . . "HANGING WITH THE DEARLY DEPARTED"

My goal was to hit the big "3" last night.  Just could not focus my eyes or keep them open so didn't make it, but just did.

Confession:  When I heard that the stake (for those who are not LDS, a stake includes several wards, or congregations.  We have at least 8 in our stake) had set the goal to index one million names by the end of the year I was flabbergasted. All I could think was they have no idea how busy everyone is.

I kept getting "the" nudge,  "You should be doing this".  So grudgingly, I began.  Nearly lost my mind the first week or so.  Finally went and took a short lesson in the closest Family History Center and that helped some.  Since I have listened to those little promptings and gotten faster, more relaxed and more willing, so many little ways to make it more accurate.  I can now do most full census sheets in less than 30 minutes, providing there are no little distractions ;~D  and the hand writing is reasonable.

 It is kind of like paying tithing. By contributing, we can serve so many who are not as fortunate as we are, and it actually is so little from us if we plan wisely.

Today Amanda, a great young friend of mine, called with questions about indexing.  I am so glad she did.  While talking, I realized when the bug had really bitten me and why I am enjoying it so.

One day I decided to see what all the hype was about, long story here, love me anyway please.  I got on the https://new.familysearch.org which our church has on the internet for those who are trying to locate their ancestors.  I found two good leads that might help locate more information about my infamous Grandpa Joe.  So many of us have searched for his real roots and not found much.   Aunt Carmen and Uncle John even went over to Germany and looked.  Now I have to wonder how many miracles will happen due to the efforts of those who can make time to get this information more easily available.

This life is all about families, the single most important unit in the eternities.  I am so blessed to be bitten by this little bug and what it is bringing into my life. I am praying that there are others doing the same thing in Germany so that I can find the links to Grandpa's family.  All of us are a product of where we came from and who we came from. I am truly blessed.

Growing, Better and Better

Just tucked in two of the most rumpled, snotty nosed, very well fed little boys.  Tucked them in, with the requested blankets, not the requested bed (Nanny really needs some sleep tonight) and watched 4 gorgeous dark brown eyes close as two little heads sank into the pillows.  Now really, does it get any better than that?  I think not.

When I used to look at Jon and wonder how loving someone so much could ALMOST hurt . . and then held each of my children in my arms and experience the same feeling . . . I just never knew how it gets better and better.  

Didn't a loving Heavenly Father give us such a wonderful plan and world full of opportunities  to live, grow, love and experience?  We were not promised that it would be easy when we were sent here to receive our bodies and experience mortality.  He did promise it would be worth it.  He has never and will never break a promise to us, His children.  I am so thankful for His gospel in these last days when we can enjoy it in its fullness, for the priesthood my good husband holds and blesses our lives with.  I am thankful Jon & I were able to go to His house (Temple) and be sealed for eternity.  that these sweet precocious children are part of my posterity that I share with Jon.

This is after I got to go see Arianna and Tati to see how all were after Arianna's eye surgery.  It was looking really well.  Excited for her.  She sure has the most "melt your heart" brown eyes, even after surgery.  Tati was happy to see her costume all ready for her recital on Valentine's Day.  She is such a good little cuddler!

Now with my heart full of gratitude and appreciation, I will go and relax, read and get a good night's sleep.  this is how I need to go to bed more often . . .  just might be good for my health!!

OBSERVATIONS OF THE DAY

• This is still the "celebrity" that I most resemble.
• My grandsons are so darned cute when they are building those Lowe's kiddie clinic kits.
• Lincoln can "build" when he has a one on one adult helping him.
• Mariah made me proud when she plopped down on the floor in Lowe's and helped Linc build his dinosaur this morning.
• Gabriel is such a sweet little nerd.  he just had to wear his safety goggles while we ran errands after the clinic.  Everyone needs to think of safety first after all . . . especially at a fabric store.
• I can still take a 5 minute shower.  I can not however shampoo my hair and shave my legs in that time.
• Six hours of straight sleep made me a new woman today.  It almost didn't last through the evening though.
• When I get to work, I have the hardest time changing gears from little kid to how to work the techie register, what would you do, and how can I do such & such? 
• The customers seem to find it very funny when I take a short "power nap" (go blank) at work.  Mean old ladies . .  oops that would include me, wouldn't it?
• I seem to have become the one that has strange, sometimes wonderful but usually weird questions get sent to.  Just to entertain everyone in the store.
• Drat!  I spent some money on bargains at the soon closing Bernina "Store" that is in Hancock's.
• I LOVE to shop at the local $ .99 Only Store.  Definitely one of the better dollar stores, and they really have nothing over $ .99.
• I must be tired.  I parked in a handicapped spot tonight, without a tag hanging on my mirror.  Live with it people!  I am wearing a boot going on 2 weeks now.
• "Keeping Up Appearances"(PBS) is still funny as all get out.
• Sitting to veg and put the tired old feet up is definitely a daily requirement.  If you need to, get a doctor's note.
• Jon is still SO nice to hug and nuzzle.
• Jon is still cute when he dozes off . .  here, there, every where . . .  until he gets to snoring very LOUDLY.  Poor Jon.
• We have a new strange, busy life.  Not sure how I feel about it yet.  I'll work on it . .  tomorrow.
• Saturday night TV still stinks.
• I have lots to do . . . I would rather do some indexing, sigh!  That really relaxes me and helps me go right to sleep at night.  That's a good thing, right?

Some Favorite Institute Lunch Ideas

Posse Stew             (for groups down below)


#401 Can of Pinto Beans
# 401 can of Hominy (I like to use yellow but the whole country seems to have gone white)
#401 can of Diced tomatoes
1 Dice onion
1 # ground beef, cooked
1 can of diced green chiles ( I use 1/2 can of green chiles that I dice myself)
Red chile powder or taco seasonings to taste.

**Equal amounts of beans, hominy and diced tomatoes.  I usually use beans I have cooked myself.

Dump (dumping is an important part of the technique here) all of the canned ingredients into a big pot; add seasonings and simmer while you brown the ground beef and onion until they are softened.  Add to pot and check your seasonings.  Simmer a while until the flavors are blended nicely and serve with corn bread, crackers or whatever sounds good to you.  This has always gone like hotcakes when I have served it!

When you have a big crowd, there will always be some that want it hot as hades.  I put a bottle of Tabasco or Frank's Hot Sauce where they can add it to their bowls.  Yesterday we also had a bowl of HOT diced green chiles that had been given to us that we knew we would never eat (wimps here).  The kids liked both.

Tonight I will post the amounts I used for about 75 people and the chicken soup as well.

Posse Stew for a Crowd---


This should make about 14 quarts of Posse Stew and serve about 28 - 30 people.
 
I just realized that this would be a little hard since I was using left-over beans and beef from our stake BBQ in November.  So I will figure it as well as I can.

# Ten cans hold 3 1/2 quarts of food.  Did you know that?  We always call them gallon . .  NOT!  So to fill young people, we get the big paper bowls that hold "20 oz." .  That will give you a little head room with a good sized bowl of soup or chile.  Keeping that in mind, here is how I start out the Posse Stew:

1 - #10 can of pinto beans
1 - #10 can of hominy
1 - #10 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 - # 10 can of diced green chiles  (at home I often chop up a #401 can of "Hatch whole chiles" that come
         in pairs at Costco)
2 # ground beef
1-2 diced large onions

Serve with cornbread, biscuits, grated cheese crackers . .  it's all good.

This should make about 14 quarts of Posse Stew and serve about 28 - 30 people.

Nanny's Little Helpers

 Kiddie Gates. . . . . 

        plus Kiddie toys. . . 

everywhere . . .

equals . . .  this!




Lincoln, being the ever faithful little helper, has offered to be my  easy open gate kiddie gate, so I won't get hurt again.






Watching Nanny picking up and putting away toys is exhausting! (Lynneah is sound asleep right where she was laying)


On Tuesday morning, I was stepping over a gate with my hands full.  My left toe got caught on the gate . . . yet again, and down I went.   I must have the toughest bones.  All my weight fell in my right knee and boy does that hurt!

Ever since I did this in December, my foot has hurt and I have to bind it up very tightly in shoes with an arch support in it.  Since the strain never healed, I kind of demanded a boot so I can get over this, once and for all.  It is hard to turn that foot sideways when the soft tissue has been strained or torn.

The Little Things That Count

I was chopping some nuts today with the food chopper and it took me down a funny little sequence of little memories.

When I moved up to Provo in January of 1973, my room mate, Darlene saw me making cookies and kind of doing my version "chopping" nuts by crushing and twisting them between my fingers.  She chuckled at me and showed me how to chop them with a knife.  I was 23 at the time.  Not sure how my mom had done it, can't remember.

Years later, my MIL gave me a set of knives and had to show me how to used a chef's knife, I found that to be a wonderful improvement and I now own 2 long ones and at least 3 of the shorter Japanese versions. Could NOT live without them . .  OK, slight exaggeration.  I still had nuts go flying all over when I chopped them.

Fast forward to last summer.  I was at my big brother and sister-in-law's house and she got her food chopper out, went chop, chop, chop and had the nicest, neatest little pile of nuts ready to use.  I  had her show me what she did and now that is how I chop mine.  Those little cups they sell with those choppers to hold the food being chopped just get in the way.  Clean the counter if needed and put the food right there.  Whack, turn slightly and whack again until it is just right.  So simple . ..  and I might add, just a little obvious  ;= ?

So many knives, 3 choppers, three teachers and 50 years later, I don't dread chopping nuts.   It is the little things in life that count!  Thanks girls!