What's Grosser than Gross?

Remember that game we would play in elementary school that went something like this... "What's grosser than gross?....... Sliding down a razor blade into a vat of lemon juice!" this followed by peals of laughter and fake gagging sounds? Remember that? Anyway, I think I have discovered the ultimate "grosser than gross"...... taking four kids to eat at a smorgasbord!

My mom and I wanted to do something fun with the kids. Out of desperation (everything else we thought of didn't pan out) we decided to take them to eat at Sweet Tomatoes. Oh boy, the kids saw the gazillions of eating choices and thought they'd died and gone to food heaven. My mom and I spent lunch with our faces twisted into expressions of disgust.

The food at your typical smorgasbord is kid tested, but not necessarily mother approved. They serve mac n'cheese from a box, chocolate mousse squeezed from a giant pouch, and soup from a can, heated up in huge vats for your slurpping enjoyment.

When given free reign and a tray, Jeffrey chose chocolate. He loaded up his tray with chocolate muffins, chocolate mousse, and chocolate milk. To cut the sweetness, he finished off his meal with a bowl of vanilla ice cream, not a vegetable or piece of fruit in sight. Typical. At least he got a little protein in the form of a bowl of shredded cheese.


I love how his shirt is even chocolate colored

Jonathan fared a little better. He actually had some salad and grapes, but he filled the empty spaces in his stomach with several bowls of soft serve. It's so fun to watch that ice cream swirling out of the dispenser. Then you have all those sprinkles and toppings to choose from.


See! Gross!



Have you ever noticed how everything you eat at a smorgasbord taste the same? The salad taste like the bread sticks and the noodles taste like the jello, even the ice cream tastes like the soup. I managed to get down most of my salad, but when I took a sip of my water and it tasted like corn muffins, I had to stop.

So...... after a fun filled lunch hour, which included many tears after Mary Kate dropped her loaded tray while filling up her cup with Hawaiian Punch, I made a vow to myself that I intend to keep for life.... never eat at a smorgasbord again, especially not with several children in tow. Jeffrey might miss having a lunch made up entirely of chocolate, but that's o.k., maybe he'll learn to like vegetables? I somehow doubt it.

I Love Blogs!

Why didn't you people, who have been blogging for so long, tell me how great it is? Oh wait, you tried to, I just didn't listen.

Shamelessly, I admit that I love reading blogs and blogging!

The other day, I'm enjoying Cami's blog and up pops a picture of this beautiful, mouthwatering raspberry pie she's made. It looked delicious and I wanted some for myself. Oh, but wait, Cami lives in Boston! Fortunately, she posted the recipe, and the next day I had myself a raspberry pie just like hers. Thanks Cami!

Other than getting the recipe for a great dessert, here are other reasons I love reading blogs:

I want to know what it's like to live life in Paris France. I read Emilie's blog.

I want to find out what a person can learn from studying in India. I read Marc's blog.

I'm dying to see a new nephew that was just born in Denver. I read Karen's blog.

I desire to keep up with an old and dear friend who lives in Mississippi. I read Kim's blog.

I'm looking to see a totally different perspective on life in interesting and bazaar detail. I read Meredith's blog.

I want to keep up with friends and family who live far away or even a very busy neighbor who's just around the corner. I read blogs.

Just the other day, an old bosom friend from way back when, found me on Facebook. I stumbled onto her blog. We are now reading each other's blogs faithfully and it's so great to catch up! If it wasn't for all this modern technology I probably would never have connected with her again.

I know... they say everyone has a blog these days, and it's so presumptuous us to assume people care about what we have to say. I don't know if people care about what I have to say or not, but I care immensely about what others have to say, it's educational, human and lovely. One of the things I'm glad I posted was my "Scream Free Parenting" post because I loved all the replies. Your ideas and thoughts helped me think more deeply about my own. I learned much more than I would have otherwise.

Another criticism I've heard recently is that blogs encourage people to put on a facade, presenting only what they want other's to see and not what their lives are really like. I think the reason people say this is because blogs do help us focus on the positive. We end up documenting and sharing what is best in our lives, the little things that make life interesting, exciting and worth living.

Thanks everyone for posting. I love reading about your thoughts and happenings. Some say that technology is keeping us disconnected by limiting person to person contact. I agree that this is true to some extent, but I like to think of technology in a better light. If it weren't for blogging, would I know much about Emilie's life so far away in Paris? Phone calls to and from Paris are expensive and she's in a totally different time zone. Person to person contact is not so possible with Emilie, but I want badly to stay connected with her, enter: her blog...my blog, problem solved!

Another perk: Blogging is somewhat like keeping a journal. We can share some of our life with others, and in the process record it for ourselves. I plan to send my blog to this company periodically and have it made into a book. Maybe someday my family will be glad they have it.

O.K. enough about my advocacy for and ideas about blogging. Just a thanks for all the fun and encouraging comments you all make on my blog. I apologize for always commenting on yours. I find that I just have to respond to all your stories! I love checking the computer everyday for news from people I love. Keep it up folks!

Hobbies and Humor

Ever since Grandpa Johnson passed away this last June, the family has been working to tie up the loose ends of he and Grandma's estate. Part of the estate is a piece of property in Nibley my Grandpa has owned for years and years. He used the land primarily for raising horses and has a stable/riding arena/storage unit/workshop there. The family is now in the process of selling the land and some members of the family have been cleaning out the building, gathering anything that anyone might want before the sale happens.

I decided to take the kids up to Cache Valley Thursday for a last visit to Grandpa's Ranch (as some of us fondly call it). It turned out to be quite the nostalgic day. I walked through the building and around the property snapping pictures of everything that reminded me of Grandpa and listened while Aunt Kathy told hilarious stories about Grandpa and the "stuff" that fills the spaces.

Grandpa had many endearing quirks. One of them was his obsessive drive to find a deal. The building at the ranch is packed to the gills with Grandpa's "deals." Many years ago, Salmon's, an old hardware store in Logan had a "going out of business" sale. Grandpa went in to that store and bought everything, yes everything, including the bins and shelves that the store used for display purposes. He got it all for a song. He brought his purchases to the ranch and painstaking stored and labeled everything, thinking that for sure he would use it all eventually. Most of it is still there. We all got a chuckle opening the bins and laughing about how absolutely delighted Grandpa was with his incredible luck. My cousin Jon Paul loaded up his truck bed with all the hardware and headed off to the scrap metal yard to make some easy cash. He got $65 for all of it. I wonder if that's what Grandpa paid in the first place?



Grandpa was a dentist by trade, but he had many hobbies that he relished. He built houses, did wood work, raised Arabian horses, fiddled with tractors, took computer classes, found deals, traveled everywhere, and made friends with all kinds of people who needed a friend. Grandpa definitely got the most out of his life, something I would like to emulate more.



Someone is buying Grandpa's old, trusty tractor, the one he used to plow the neighborhood driveways after all the Cache Valley snow storms. We took the kids for a last ride. Jeffrey was thrilled to death with this. On our drive home, he exclaimed, "We sure had a long, fun time on the tractor this day, huh mom!" Yep Jeffrey, it was a long, fun day.

What do you do for fun on Grandpa's ranch? Click the video below.

Domestic Goddess

This is me with my neighbor of 9 years and amazing friend Cherish. Cherish is what you would call a "Domestic Goddess." I don't know whether she would appreciate this title or not, but I mean it in the most complimentary way. Cherish can make a loaf of healthy, whole wheat bread that will knock your socks off. If it's raining out, she will most certainly have a mouthwatering pot of homemade chicken noodle soup on the stove, I've never had a cake she made that came from a box and her spaghetti sauce recipe is now our family's favorite. She can sew anything (she made her own wedding dress), paint her entire upstairs (including ceilings) when she is 8 months pregnant, and her storage room shelves are always lined with beautiful rows of canned fruit and yummy, home-bottled salsa.

Before my twins where born and consumed all my free time, I used to go over to Cherish's, sit in her kitchen, and watch her at work, it was like watching art being created. My favorite was when she would stand on a stool to knead bread because she was too short to do the job standing on the floor. Cherish is careful, deliberate and mindful about everything she does. It's beautiful really. It's refreshing to watch someone do the things she does in the way she does them. So many of her skills are becoming lost arts in today's world.

If you go to her house at just the right time, you might be able to try a piece of her bread, hot and fresh from the oven. I hope she doesn't mind that I try to make up reasons to go over when her kids tell me she's home making bread!

The best thing about being friends with Cherish is that she is so willing to share all of her wonderful skills and she's an able teacher. Because of her, I can do things like make a decent loaf of french bread, mix up delicious freezer jam, and make my granola with olive oil instead of butter for a more healthy breakfast. I'm still working on the wheat bread though. I'm not sure I'll ever be up to her speed on that, but knowing Cherish has made me a better housekeeper, cook, mother and wife.

Last week, my neighbor gave me a three gallon bucket of tomatoes he didn't want. Being the Mormon girl that I am, I felt compelled to use them. I thought making and bottling salsa sounded good, but I had no idea how to bottle anything, so yep, you guessed it, I went to Cherish's. She lent me all her equipment, and all the instructions/tips I would need and today I bottled 20 pints of homemade salsa. I'm dedicating those pints along with the freezer jam I made this fall to Cherish. Because she is my friend, I'm feeling a bit like a domestic goddess myself. Thanks Cherish for teaching me what you know. It feels good to accomplish some of these things, to have food on my shelves and in my freezer that my family can enjoy. Now I've got skills! Maybe tommorrow I'll practice wheat bread again, and maybe next fall, if the wind shifts just right I might have you teach me how to bottle peaches!

re•treat \ri-'trēt\

Definition:
v.
1. The act or process of withdrawing, especially from something hazardous, formidable or unpleasant (i.e. twins and the phone).

2. The process of going backward or receding from a position or condition gained (i.e. maid and taxi driver).
n.
1. A place affording peace, quiet and security (i.e. Silver King Hotel).

2. A period of seclusion, retirement, or solitude.

3. A period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, or study (i.e. Relief Society retreat)

Used in a sentence:
These last few weekends I was able to retreat to two different retreats, both in the majestic mountains. One destination included shopping and the other, snow, both included great friends.

Yep, sometimes you just have to get away from it all!

My friends Shawna and Belinda were so nice to invite me to go with them on their latest get-away weekend. We started with a session at the Salt Lake temple, lunch at the Garden Room, then on to Park City for a stay at the Silver King hotel. We shopped the outlets for hours (retail therapy), ate yummy food (not including the green smoothies and rice milk), and discussed life until way after the sun went down. We were even able to watch the first session of General Conference in the peace and quiet of our hotel room. It's amazing how much more you can glean from conference when the kids aren't around!



....... and this last weekend, our Relief Society enrichment committee planned a very nice retreat for all the sisters at Mutual Dell Lodge up American Fork Canyon. We had a delicious dinner, a speaker, crafts (Kathy helped me design some fabulous notebooks for everyone to make), games, treats, and girl bonding time. In the morning the High Priests served us a delicious breakfast and we enjoyed zip-lining through a flurry of snow (a little cold but still fun)! It was so peaceful up in the mountains as the first snow of winter fell.

Aah, to get away and relax, clear my mind, enjoy nature and conversation with adults...... Both retreats really recharged my batteries and gave me fresh energy for life at home. Mostly I just loved being with great people. It's splendid to have women around me who are such good friends, women who are like me in so many ways, yet totally different too. From each of them I learn new and important lessons to make my life better. I love connecting with these women and being a part of their lives as they are a part of mine. Thanks girls!

Belinda and Shawna: I'm still astounded by your shopping stamina! I thought I was a die-hard shopper, but you two take the cake!

To Mike, Mom, and Michelle: Thank you so much for watching the kids. My appreciation is deep! Please let me return the favor!

Happy Birthday Dad!

My dad is a total gem of a human being. He has been a calming and ever-steady influence for good in my life and I wanted to express my gratitude and love for him on his 59th birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!

My friend asked me the other day to describe my dad. As I thought about how to respond, words came to mind..... good, calm, steady, faithful, tender hearted, quietly serving, patient, dependable, a little distracted, reliable, handy, hardworking, and artistic. I told my friend that my dad was a perfect one to turn to when a person needed to feel pure love and acceptance or if you wanted to feel like everything was going to be all right.

When I was at college I used to park my car at the east end of campus and walk through the Fine Arts building to my classes. I would purposely walk down the hall where the photography labs were. Everyday I would breathe in the smell of photo developing chemicals. I loved the familiar smell because it reminded me of my dad (being the photography teacher that he is). I always walked through this hall, because then I could start my day with thoughts of Dad. Thanks Dad, for being the kind of person that elicits warm and pleasant memories. I don't think you'll ever know how valuable that is. Thanks for being the kind of man that a daughter can look up to and trust.

Also Dad, thanks for being a loving grandpa to my kids. They adore you because you provide for them the same feelings of love and acceptance that I have grown up enjoying. I love when you wrap my children in that big, gentle hug that you often give to me, because I know how good it feels.

Happy Birthday Dad. I love you.