O Tannenbaum!

On Tuesday we got 3 inches of snow, which isn't much, but school was canceled due to icy roads. We spent the day at home cleaning house so we could buy a Christmas tree. Call me OCD, but I insist on a clean living room before the tree goes in!

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We've always had a 6 foot Christmas tree before. However, with a slim budget this year we settled for a 4-footer, which we placed on a small table. When Dylan found this one standing alone in a corner, we knew it was the tree for us!

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It was late evening when we bought it, and with so many activities sending us here and there all week, we had to wait to decorate our tree.

Tonight we dragged out the boxes of Christmas decorations and the kids sorted through their ornaments, deciding which ones they most wanted on the tree. With a smaller tree, we used about half as many as usual.

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We had to buy a new string of lights. Our 3 old strands finally gave up the ghost, and you just can't have a Christmas tree without twinkling lights!

While the kids hung ornaments, I put out my favorite decorations. My sister-in-law Dana crocheted the little angel dress to make this angelic visitor from an old-fashioned clothespin.
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Dana made the Nativity from actual peanuts. The little sign says "Christmas in a nutshell!" It's a sweet reminder of the quiet, simple but so very important event we celebrate at Christmas time.

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When I saw the items below in an Avon calalog several years ago, I instantly felt I was 10 years old again, enchanted by "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" on TV.

I knew I had to own Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman, the Abominable Snowman (Bumble), and all the other characters for myself!

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Each year it's a reminder of how magical Christmas is for children and how the memories we make together linger with us always.

Outside, a fierce wind is howling around the eaves. A fairly heavy snow is blowing through the thrashing trees. Several days of snow are predicted, perhaps a few feet worth, and we wonder if we will miss the fun school parties and the final exams this week.

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But inside, all is calm. The twinkling Christmas tree is beautifully dressed, my children are all snuggled warm in their beds (although I can hear Sarah whistling a Christmas tune from her room), and all is peaceful in our little home.

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These are the feelings of Christmas spirit I'd like to carry in my heart all year through.

Thanksgiving, Revisited

It seems we got to December 1st and then the Christmas season hit us HARD! There has been some type of event nearly every day since.

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Tonight I've been blessed with an unexpectedly quiet evening. Sarah is babysitting and Jacob is off on a Scout campout and hike of historic Mormon Battalion Trail in the Phoenix area. Dylan and his friends Weston and Robert are engrossed in a video game, giving me time to reflect.

I never got to share our Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd do that now. The day began with a gentle snowfall, second of the season, which left us with about an inch of snow.

Here are Dylan (blue jacket) and his friend Eric tasting the snow on the fence. Didn't they pay attention to the flagpole scene in A Christmas Story?!

We invited our friend Gwen to join our feast. She had recently been diagnosed with pneumonia, so we decided to have a quiet meal at home to allow her to relax and to limit the number of potential germs she might come in contact with.

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Here she is modeling her lovely fuchsia nails, which Sarah painted for her soon after she arrived.

Jacob baked zucchini bread, pumpkin pies, and a lemon meringue pie. The lemon meringue gave him some fits. First, he didn't realize the pie crust had to be baked before the lemon mixture went into it, so he had to scrape the lemon out. Then the egg white wouldn't beat to a nice, stiff texture, which is why there's no merigue in this photo. Luckily, Gwen helped make another batch, which topped off his pie perfectly!

After a prayer of thanksgiving we shared our thoughts about our many blessings. For the most part, we echoed one another's appreciation for friends, family, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen!

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Then we enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving dinner of turkey (carved by Jacob) and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, corn, candied yams, rolls, and pink lemonade.
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I loved seeing the beautifully set tables and decorated dining rooms featured in other people's blogs, along with their cheerful, well-behaved guests. In return I want to share a picture of our fancy, classy feast.

Okay, so we weren't so classy, crowded around our tiny little farmhouse table! But we enjoyed the delicious meal and we especially enjoyed the wonderful company.

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We are so blessed to have each other, to experience love and kindness here in a land of peace and plenty. I am truly grateful for the abundance we enjoy each and every day!

'Tis the Season

December has arrived and the Christmas season has begun. (Although in stores it seems to have begun the day after Halloween!)

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I have typed up and printed a test copy of my annual Christmas newsletter and purchased this year's Christmas cards. My children have completed most of their Christmas shopping and I haven't even started. We hope to have a Christmas tree soon to place their gifts under.

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This scene featuring Joseph and Mary is found on the grounds of the Mesa AZ Temple at Christmas time. It looks so real to me.
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On Tuesday was the Relief Society Christmas Fiesta. They fed us a traditional Mexican dinner of enchiladas, tamales, beans and rice, horchata, and a sweet fruit dessert, after which we enjoyed a short program. Yummy!

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This is me with my friend Wyndie. Now you can see what she looks like without the gun, the computer, and the tacky dress. (tee hee)

Tonight was our ward Christmas party. More yummy stuff! They served more than a dozen homemade soups with homemade rolls, followed by musical entertainment, the Christmas story presented by the children, homemade cookies, and a visit from Santa.

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This is my friend Gwen, who is trying to recover from pneumonia. Gwen is a real southern belle, accent and all.

Here are my boys enjoying their meal with Gwen, whom they've adopted as their "Aunty Gwen." Sarah was unable to join us tonight because she was babysitting and doing her humanities homework.

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I truly love the spirit of Christmas. I cherish our family traditions, the good will of strangers sharing the joy of the season, the hustle and bustle of shopping and plotting surprises, and the desire to stretch a little to help and bless others.

Above all, I love remembering the humble beginning of the greatest life this world has ever known, the quiet birth of Jesus Christ, who came to do what no one else could--simply because He loves us.

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As we enjoy the fun of the holiday season, may we always keep in mind "the reason for the season" and hold His peace in our hearts.

One More Time!

You may have noticed some time has passed since my last post. Just a few days after we had my computer all patched up, it crashed again. Luckily, having learned my lesson, I had backed up all my documents to a flash drive so I was less hysterical and more resigned this time. The only things unsaved were my photographs, too numerous to fit on my only flash drive.

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I still have all my pictures on memory cards, but I didn't relish the thought of downloading, organizing, and editing about 3,000 photos all over again. However, by the time I bought another flash drive, my computer had completely frozen up.
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Then I was blessed with a second miracle. Some may call it a coincidence, but I know I experienced one of God's tender mercies.

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Wyndie was on her way over to fix my computer again, so I turned it on. All day it had frozen within 30 seconds, not allowing me to access anything, but this time the computer kept running long enough for me to plug in the new flash drive and download my pictures, about 20 minutes. Ten seconds after the last picture loaded, the computer froze. It returned to freeze-after-30-seconds mode each time we started it up after that. You see, an unexpected miracle!

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Below is an actual picture of Wyndie as she prepared to work on my computer again.

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Just kidding! She would never wear such a tacky dress!

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Wyndie had to deconstruct my computer, wiping it clean to reformat the drive and rebuild the programs. It went well until she installed a MicroSoft update: service pack 3. My computer immediately crashed again. Guess what I installed just before the original crash? You guessed it: service pack 3!

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We had to deconstruct and reformat all over again, but this time we opted not to install service pack 3. Now my computer is working great, and my documents and pictures downloaded easily from the flash drive.

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If you've downloaded service pack 3 and all is well, be grateful. If not, I would either avoid it altogether or at least be sure you have the latest hardware updates installed. Apparently it put my computer into a loop, constantly running in the background until it took up so much space there was no memory left to run my programs. We found articles online describing how it causes these crashes.

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I hate to admit this, but the one thing I did forget to preserve was my newly recreated contact list. I had collected 23 of my lost email addresses, but now they are gone again.

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So please, please, please send me an email soon so I can rebuild my contacts ONE LAST TIME! I can't wait to hear from you!

Giving Thanks

Before the feasting begins tomorrow, I wanted to reflect on a few of the many blessings in my life that I will be counting quietly on Thanksgiving Day.

I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan of happiness for us, His children. I'm grateful for His Son, Jesus Christ, who did His Father's will and atoned for my sins, suffering all my individual trials and afflictions, and dying so I can live forever in His light. I'm grateful that He knows me and is patient with me, that He does not expect me to be perfect today, but asks only that I keep following in His paths the best I can.

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Most pictures depict the Savior as solemn, sad, or even tormented. I imagine that throughout most of His life He had a joyful, warm, welcoming smile to share when He served His Father and ministered to His followers. He loves us!

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I am thankful that families are an important part of the Father's divine plan and that He has prepared a way for us to be together for eternity. I cannot believe that the bonds of love we cherish in this life will not exist in the next. I'm grateful for the love I've experienced and I'm grateful that one day all the people of earth will see past our perceived differences and recognize that we are all brothers and sisters in the family of God.

I am SO thankful for my 3 children, Sarah, Jacob, and Dylan. I can't even imagine what my life would be like without them. It is such a privilege to be a mother, one of the greatest blessings of my life.

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This was taken just after sunset on New Years Day 2004. My kids were playing in the waves at Oceanside, CA. I am also grateful for the breathtaking beauty of this amazing planet the Lord has given us to dwell upon.

I am thankful for the family I grew up in: my talented, hard-working dad, Myron; my mom, Jane, who loved being a homemaker; my 3 brothers, LeRoy, Jeff, and Darryl, who always make life so entertaining; and my sister Karla, who has become one of my truest friends. I'm also grateful for my step-mom, Kathy, who keeps my dad on his toes!
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Photo, left to right: Jeff, Darryl, me, Dad, and LeRoy on Memorial Day 2004.

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I am thankful for my brother-in-law Brian, with whom I've had so many interesting discussions, and my 3 wonderful sisters-in-law, Lori, Dana, and Tamera, who have become like sisters to me.

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At left are Lori and Dana on my dad's back porch on Labor Day 2005. Below is Tamera and a couple of her granddaughters on Memorial Day 2004.

I am thankful for my many nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 26 years t0 21 months old. They were "Aunt Mary's kids," bringing joy to my life long before I had my own children. I am grateful to be able to watch all 32 of them as they grow up and begin families of their own.

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I am grateful for the power of faith and prayer that brought miracles of healing to my nephew Josh and, most recently, my niece Callie. I'm grateful for the many people who extended their love to an entire family, many of them strangers to us, to join us in prayer and to offer service. I'm also thankful for the miracles of comfort and peace when we lose those we love, like our sweet Rhionna.

I am thankful for a lifetime of good friends who have been there for me through every sort of crisis as well as the good times.

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At left is me with my best friend, Peggi (visiting from California) and my sister Karla at the Mesa Temple in July 2005. Below is me with another best friend, Gwen, at Sarah's violin performance in February 2008.

These wonderful friends include Peggi, who I've known since 7th grade, with whom I stalked the Osmond Brothers in 1972-74; Jill, who I've known since 4th grade, who helped get me through early morning seminary; Joan, whose children I babysat for many years, from whom she's now been blessed with 3 beautiful grandchildren; Gwen, who I met just 2 years ago but I know has been my sister-friend since the spirit-world; Wyndie, with whom I share the ups and downs of teaching high schoolers and running the Primary; Vicky, who taught me about strength and grace under pressure, and Vicki, who still teaches me about living by faith; Julie, who suffered through the single years with me; Rhona, who introduced me to Japanese culture by getting me a job in a Japanese factory 1978-1980;

Linda, whose sense of humor saw me through my years as an instructional aide; and Sue, that wild and crazy gal who showed me how to laugh at myself. That's just to name a few!

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My apologies if I inadvertently left anyone unnamed. Please know that every friend is beautiful and precious to me, and I will forever treasure the memories we've made together.

And there are so many more blessings to express my gratitude for. The general safety and overall health of my family and friends; our cozy home; our beloved pets; a never-a-dull-moment job that not only provides for my family but allows me to be home when my kids are at home; and the opportunities brought on by the challenges of life.

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There is no way to name every good thing in my life, but for each blessing I give thanks!

Fireworks and Twilight

I experienced my own little miracle this week: my computer has recovered! My amazing superfriend Wyndie not only got me back online, but she also located all my documents and photographs!

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When those documents suddenly reappeared, it was like fireworks began exploding joyfully in the air around me (cue the inspiring music)!

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There are still issues to be worked out, like accessing some of the music we'd downloaded, but I'll happily deal with those minor details!

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I did lose emails I had saved as well as all my email contacts, so I hope you'll each send me an email soon so I can get your addresses back into my contact list. I feel so cut off from the world!

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A word to the wise: NEVER click on "PC Restore (F10)". It is NOT the same thing as the ever useful "System Restore"! And remember, a flash drive can be your best friend. Back it up!

Moving on... Last night Sarah, Jacob, Dylan, and I went to the opening night of the movie Twilight, based on the first book of the series by Stephanie Meyer. There were more than a dozen people in our party, including a slew of nieces and nephews. The theater was packed, mostly with female fans of the book's romance between teen Bella and her vampire love, Edward.

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After hearing the buzz, I bought the first book a few months ago to check it out. It quickly disappeared into Sarah's room, where she devoured it before I even cracked the first page. By the time I finished the first book, she had read all 4 books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. She thought it was terribly romantic.

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I read the entire series, and as a fan of fantasy and science fiction tales I found the books to be enjoyable. However, I have issues that will surely make me unpopular with twi-hard fans.

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The media has gone on about how Bella and Edward's romance is a return to old-fashioned values, and how LDS concepts are found in the books, but I just can't ascribe these attributes to the story. In fact, if I hadn't already known, I would never have guessed the author was LDS--and that's not a criticism!

It seems to me that Bella's feelings for Edward are more like an unhealthy obsession than true love. He's a drug she can't live without, an addiction.

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Her friendship with Jacob is open and equal, a better basis for real love. Okay, so he becomes a werewolf, but that doesn't change the fact that he encourages her to be herself. She feels good about herself when they're together.

In the first books, I was also disturbed by how controlling Edward was in the relationship. He controlled Bella physically and emotionally, a bad thing to link with love in the minds of young girls. As a high school teacher, I see this dynamic in too many teen couples, this belief that control is a way to demonstrate love.

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Thankfully, by the end of book 3 Edward learns to respect Bella's right to choose for herself and take her own risks.

As for Edward and Bella's sexual restraint, Edward's willpower was inspired by fear of losing control and killing Bella, not respect for her honor. Bella herself had no qualms about consumating their love; only Edward's stronger will stopped her. The omnipresent sensuality was a bit too direct for a series targeting young girls.

Like the book, the movie contains melodramatic scenes of smoldering glances, stuttering declarations, and the torrid emotionality of forbidden love. Yet I feel the romance is not too heavy-handed, the sensuality is downplayed, and Edward actually takes pains to refrain from controlling Bella. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the movie version of Twilight.

The movie remains faithful to the spirit of the book while presenting a more balanced tale. Bella's obsession with Edward is still central to the story, but there is plenty of humor and action for non-fans who want to see a good vampire flick.

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In fact, both my sons enjoyed the film more than my daughter! She liked it, but the boys loved it. They insisted, "Mom, we have to buy it when it comes out on DVD!"

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And hey, ladies, let's just face the facts: Jacob Black is way hotter than Edward Cullen! Pure animal magnetism!

Computer Holiday

One of my Top 10 nightmares has come true. Thanks to my lack of computer savvy, I somehow made all my computer files go away. No more pictures, no more documents, no more Internet connection. To say I was slightly hysterical when I realized what I had done would be a gross understatement--from the way I was carrying on, I'm sure my sons thought that someone I dearly loved had died.

Thousands of hours of work gone, gone, gone . . . (sob, sniffle). All gone with the foolish touch of one wrong button. So it may be awhile before I'm able to post more blogs. I'll be setting up my computer again and desperately trying to retrieve the data that passed on too soon...it was still so young...such a waste...

I've learned my lesson, and I hope you'll also learn from my mistake. A flash drive can be your best friend. Back up all those files regularly, because you just never know when your computer might step in front of a truck, I mean, when it all may come crashing down.
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In case you're wondering how I'm doing this post, I'm at my work computer right now--after school hours, of course! I can't access my personal photos and such to blog from here, and now I can't do it from home either! (More sobbing, more sniffling...)

I hope to be back online in the next day or two so I can at least check my emails and do other important Internet stuff. However, I may have to hire an expert to search for my documents on the hard drive, I may have to re-upload and re-edit all my photos, I may have to recreate all my documents, I may have to have no life for the next several months!! Please wish me luck--I'll need it!

Honoring Our Veterans

Veteran's Day was an ordinary day at our house. I surprised the kids with biscuits and gravy for breakfast, but we spent the morning cleaning house before I released my self-professed "slaves" to spend time with their friends.
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While I worked, I thought about the men and women this holiday honors. Our veterans are anything but ordinary, and I'm proud to count many among my own family.

Today I'd like to honor my uncles who served our country. I only wish I had pictures for each one.

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This is my dad's older brother, Uncle Ernie. He served in the Marines as a turret gunner on a TBF (Dad says it's a type of warplane) in World War II. Ernie survived to marry Aunt Alma and have 5 children. They still live in California.

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My mom's older brother, Uncle LeRoy, served in the Army during the Korean War. He was stationed in the Orient and sent exotic gifts home to my mother, who was a teen. LeRoy returned to marry Aunt Betty and help raise her son and their 2 daughters. They also live in CA.

This is Uncle Johnny, who married Dad's sister, Aunt LouDene. During World War II Johnny served in the Military Police and then later in the Army's 8th Air Force in England. He and LouDene raised three children in California, then later moved to his home state of Texas. Johnny passed away in the 1990s, but LouDene still lives in Texas at the age of 82. In fact, she surprised me with a call one night last week. I loved talking to her!

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My Uncle Elmer and my Uncle Max also served in the Army during World War II. Uncle Elmer was in the Military Police. He married Aunt Jean, another of Dad's eight older sisters, and they raised three kids. Elmer passed away just a few years ago but Jean still lives in California.

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Uncle Max married Aunt Irene (yep, you guessed it: my dad's sister!) and they raised eight children in Utah. They have both passed on.

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I have many cousins who have served over the years, but I don't dare name them for fear of missing someone. Let's just say I am proud of each and every one for their selfless sacrifices. Our family has been so blessed in the fact that all returned to us safe and sound.

My step-mom's family has also provided many fine servicemen over the years. Here we see Kathy's late husband, Jim Stringer, receiving his lieutenant bars when he transferred from the Air Force to the Army as an officer. The lovely lady at his side is my step-mom, Kathy.

Two of her sons also served. Donald (at left) was in the National Guard. Joel (at right) was a Seaman Recruit.

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Our family expresses our pride in the fine men and women in uniform, wherever they serve, and our prayers for their peace and safety go with them. Thank you all for protecting our freedoms at home and abroad! God bless you!

First Snowfall

Our first snowfall of the season drifted down upon us last night. It fell pretty heavily for a little while around 7 pm, then slowed for the rest of the night. We awoke this morning to about an inch on the ground.

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Not enough to cancel school, but enough to dazzle my eyes!

I know cold weather isn't everyone's cup of hot cocoa, but I do love the snow! Driving to work this morning was like traveling through a landscape sprinkled with powdered sugar.

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The first snow of the season is especially enchanting. I always feel like I've stepped into a life-size, sparkling Christmas card!

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Even the bare limbs of the leafless trees are beautiful after they've been limned with glistening snow. The world just looks fresher, cleaner somehow.

These pictures were taken by Jacob while we got ready for school this morning. Didn't he do a nice job?

The snow provided my first opportunity to try out the all-wheel-drive on my new little red car. I'm happy to report that the traction was great and the heater and defroster were quite efficient!

Heavenly Father has made a spectacular world for us to enjoy, wherever we live. I'm so grateful for the beauty of the earth!

Yet, with all the beauty surrounding us, it's humbling to remember that WE are His greatest masterpieces. This amazing planet is but one of God's great gifts to us, His children.

I stand amazed at His love for us!