We *almost* have another bathroom!

Todd took this past week off to work on our bathroom downstairs. It took the ENTIRE week (from 7:30 AM 'til 12:00 or 1:00 AM most days) but we are SO close to being finished.

I'm so glad my Mom took these "before" pics when she was visiting last Fall, because we didn't have ANY pictures from before.

When we moved in, there was only a toilet. No walls, no door, and no sink. Here it was:


Todd started framing it last October.

It still needs a major cleaning job, but here it is now:
I do not care if we ever do mudding and taping again. We hired a plumber to fix one leak that we couldn't fix, and an electrician to help us hook up and vent the fan/heater in the ceiling. Other than that, we did EVERYTHING ourselves.

We still have to caulk the shower, put a baseboard below it, and install a heater (it's backordered). We also need to figure out how to get the toilet hooked up, since the bolts are not high enough with the new floor.

We also still need to paint the shelves, and get a part to hook up the sink drain. The mirror came with our house (on the back of a 70's headboard. My dad got the light fixture at DI a few years ago.

I may even look forward to laundry now!

This was our best find. We got this heater/vent/light at DI for $10. It was still in the packaging. We looked it up online and found it for $135.

Happy Birthday, Linda!

My mother-in-law's birthday is this weekend (on Easter), and I made her these "grandchildren blocks". I told her there was some assembly required, so I'm posting this so she can see what they're supposed to look like. Otherwise, she just has a bunch of blocks with random letters on them.

Linda is the best mother-in-law I ever could have hoped for. We talk for hours about nothing and everything. She is a wonderful example to me and I love her dearly. She listens when I cry, gives advice when needed, and most importantly she introduced me to chocolate covered cinnamon bears. I am so blessed to have her in my life.

It's just like The Truman Show...

My friend Cathy, who comments here as "Cowboy Mom", asked me if I could be the crossing guard for her this morning.

It probably helps that it was a sunny morning and it actually looked like Spring, but it was a great reminder of what I love about this town.

It was just like The Truman Show, where every morning starts "on cue".

At 7:43 the crossing guard turns on the blinking lights, and sets out the cones. The town is quiet, but it won't be long before kids start coming to school, and the businesses open for the day.

I sat back and smiled as I watched the flag go up at the Forest Service. Sister Brown and Sister Olsen pulled into the bank, and someone I don't know (yet) came outside to wash the front door windows at Aspen.

I helped a few kids cross the street, and then watched some more. Sister Anderson and Brother Faddis arrived at Aspen, and then my home teacher, Brother Shaw pulled in trying to see through the tiny hole he had scraped in his window (last time I played crossing guard, he had his head out the window) Sorry, Julie, I had to add that part :o) I was doing the same thing, but nobody was out at 7:43 to see it.

I looked to my left in time to see Sister Stevens, who I visit teach, waving at me from her car. I waved back and wondered if that counts for the month?

Then comes Brother Hamilton, walking to the Forest Service with a smile and a wave. I've always liked him. I think he knew my Uncle David when they both lived in North Dakota. It is somehow comforting when you move to a place you've never been, and find someone who knows one of your relatives.

Down the street I see Brother Draney coming in his wheelchair. I think of how he's probably a bit dissappointed that I'm the crossing guard today, because he won't get to have his usual correspondence with Cowboy Mom's son, Chance, who calls him "Mr. Fantastic".

When Sister Brian's van pulls around the corner, I know that the last of the kids have made it to school, and I can take the cones down, and take off the bright orange vest. I wonder to myself how many people are going to check on "cowboy mom" today, since she wasn't in her usual position this morning, and I guarantee people noticed.

Thanks, Cathy, for the opportunity to have watched the town wake up this morning. This little town is quiet, predictable, and everybody knows my name. I love it.

Learning

This is going to be a long post, and it's pretty much just for me. I need to get some thoughts out. My only request is that if you decide to start reading what I'm about to write, you stick with it to the end...otherwise I'm afraid it's going to sound whiny, and nobody needs any extra whining in their life. I just need to get it out so I can move on. It's almost embarrassing to type it, since everything I have to say is so trivial compared to the adversity that some people face.

I've been looking forward to General Conference in a way that I haven't for a LONG time. Almost like a kid waiting for Christmas. I can't wait to be able to download the talks and listen to them while I work around the house. There is too much to take in all at once, and I'll admit that during this morning's session, I had so many thoughts going through my own head, that I struggled to pay attention to what was being said. That is why I'm writing now...to get my thoughts out so I can hopefully hear more of the last session.

I have struggled lately with living in my small town. Struggled is probably not a strong enough word. At times I have been almost bitter. Do not get me wrong. I LOVE small town living, and I LOVE the good people here. But I also came from a small town with good people, and I left behind a lot more.

I left my family, and moved further away from Todd's. I always wanted my kids to grow up knowing their cousins, like I did. I miss 5th Monday FHE's with the whole-fam-damily, and Sunday dinners at Grandma Great's house. Since moving here, two of Todd's siblings have moved to Cache Valley, which only makes it harder to be away.

I left a vast group of wonderful OB/GYN's, including my own who "keeps up with the latest" and helps write textbooks. I left his PA who specializes in women's moods and hormones, which I struggled so much with after my miscarriage in '07. I miss being able to have an ultrasound done in the doctor's office, and getting blood test results in an hour.

I do have to say that I am very happy with the doctors at our local clinic. They are good men, and they truly care. What they lack is the facility to give the kind of medical care I was used to in Logan. Don't even get me started on the x-ray machine at our clinic. The hospital an hour away has to get authorization just to perform an appendectomy. I shudder to think what would have happened with me if I had lived here when I had to have my appendix out while I was 20 weeks pregnant with Dillon. I worry about what will happen if I have trouble with my gall bladder again during a future pregnancy. I wonder if, when I get pregnant again, I will be able to convince the technicians at our hospital to do a vaginal ultrasound in order to get a better picture.

My only options for an OB/GYN are in Utah County (2 1/2 hours away). But a friend of mine did some research and found that the only hospital in that area, that is covered by our insurance, is NOT a hospital that these OB's deliver at. So because of my insurance, I can choose a doctor, or a hospital, but not both. Again, I am "stuck" with a family doctor at a hospital that would have to life-flight me if anything out of the ordinary happened.

I left a temple that was so close. We used to have a "date group babysitting exchange" every Friday night. It was only three hours long, but we were able to get to the temple, do a session, and return home in that 3 hours. Here, three hours will only cover the travel time, not the session.

And for that matter, I miss dates with my husband. I can only think of one date (where we left the house without kids) since we moved here. I can't afford to pay a babysitter very often, and we just haven't found the right option for a "trade". We had one worked out with some friends who also had three kids, and then they moved away. I am grateful to my mom, who always watches our kids when we visit, so that Todd and I can go to the temple and out to dinner.

I left behind USU. I truly never realized how much of an impact a college has on a community until I moved to a place without one. We have the USU extension, and I have felt the effects of Snow College, but it is not the same. I miss the Small Business Development Center and all their FREE services. I miss all the resources that USU provides for children with disabilites. The FREE testing, the programs available, the accredited preschool, and the music lessons at the conservatory.

I left behind two quilt guilds. One for longarm machine quilters where we met to discuss our machines, customer quilts, and find solutions to problems. It was like continuing education in my field. I also left a group of 80 women who paraded the most amazing quilts before my eyes every month. I was constantly inspired, and excited. I left behind two great quilt shops to come to a place with none. And the closest shop here is failing. There is a large group of quilters here, but many of them are very against machine quilting. They only "approve" of hand-quilted quilts, which doesn't make my job any easier.

I left behind stores. I like to shop...and hunt for bargains. I love being inspired by what's out there. I don't even have to buy anything...I just like to see it all. I get frustrated when I read tips online about saving money. Everything requires coupons, rebates, or shopping around. My choices are so limited that I often feel stuck. I get upset when I find out that the caselot sale in my Dad's grocery store is selling twice as much tuna for the same price as my store here. Or when they have access to boneless skinless chicken that is half the price I pay. I left Michaels, Jo-Ann's, (and now Hobby Lobby), and the biggest D.I. in the state, where I find the stuff that helps me use my creativity. Don't get me wrong. I learned a long time ago that "stuff" doesn't bring happiness. I know that having an endless supply of crafts won't bring happiness...but using my creativity and talents will. I just get frustrated when I'm working on a project and I picture something in my mind that I want, and I know I could get it in Logan and not here. It happens to me at least weekly. Sometimes I envy the people who grew up here and truly have NO IDEA what they are missing out on.

The other day, I found out that there is a violin teacher who comes down from Utah county to the town an hour away from us. I seriously started to cry, just knowing that I had that option for Brayden if we decided it was right for him. I truly don't think we can afford it, nor do I even know if it's what we want. It was just the fact that the option was there. That is how "stuck" I have felt here.

***And now to finally share what I have learned from conference so far***

For the past couple years, I think I thought deep down that if I really wanted to be happy here, I would have to change who I am, or what I want out of life. I thought I would have to suddenly like the fact that I have to pay a higher price for some things, or the fact that there are fewer opportunities for Brayden with his diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, or enjoy missing out on extended family activities.

The talks I have listened to have helped me to come to the realization that I am who I am. I will always love to shop for bargains. I will always miss my family, and long for the resources from a bigger city. I do not have to like my situation...I just have to endure, and trust Heavenly Father. I have to spend my time concentrating on the good (and there's plenty of it here) and make the best of the things I can't have right now.

When we first moved here, we thought we'd stay for five years. I never dreamed that half way through our "time" the bottom would fall out of the economy and jobs would be so scarce. I think the feeling of being stuck here is what has made it so difficult for me. There is plenty of good here, but when the option of leaving suddenly started to fade away I got scared. I worry about what would happen if any of the three Aspen programs in our town had to shut down. There wouldn't be anyone coming in to buy our house if we wanted to move. I don't want to be stuck with a house in a place where I don't want to live forever.

That is where faith comes in. I know that we are where Heavenly Father wants us to be right now, and I know we were supposed to buy our house. Those are the things I can lean on. From now on, I am not going to focus so much on changing my feelings or goals, but learning to be happy despite my circumstances by focusing on the good that there is. Things could certainly be much worse (I wouldn't even say they are bad...just frustrating), and I will just hold on to hope that someday, I might get to have more of these opportunities again.

I just did a google search to find the scripture about charity enduring all things, and was surprised to find an article about one of my ancestors that sums up what I want to say:

"Drusilla Dorris Hendricks was among the Saints who were living in Missouri in 1838 when mob violence broke out. Drusilla’s husband was shot and paralyzed from the neck down. She drove back the mobs and nursed him, but his condition grew worse.
During this time, she wrote,“The conflict began in my mind: ‘Your folks told you your husband would be killed [if you joined the Mormons] and are you not sorry you did not listen to them?’ I said, ‘No I am not’. … After that a third person spoke. It was a still,small voice this time, saying, ‘Hold on, for the Lord will provide.’ I said I would [hold on] for I would trust in Him and not grumble.”
(Ensign, Apr. 1979, p. 55.)

Though the trials we face may not be the same as Drusilla’s, we will all experience some hardship and suffering. “Satan is increasingly striving to overcome the Saints with despair, discouragement, despondency, and depression,” President Ezra Taft Benson has said. (Ensign, Oct. 1986, p. 2.)
Our trials need not overcome us. In fact, they can teach us humility, faith, courage, and compassion, and can ultimately help us develop charity, the pure love of Christ, which “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, [and] endureth all things."

I feel a closeness to Drusilla. I am not sure how we are related (Aunt Hollie will be able to tell me) but I think she's my 4th great grandmother. I remember reading a portion of her life history a few years ago, and I wish I could find it in my files to get it right, but she wrote about her husband finding her crying, because she was afraid that she wasn't up to the task of crossing the plains. Any time since then, when I feel like I can't do something, I remember that one line from her history.

Though my trials are nothing compared to hers, our feelings were the same, and I find inspiration in the fact that she made it when she thought she couldn't. In the last paragraph of her life history, she writes:

"The restored gospel is true. I have rejoiced in it through all my trials, for the spirit of the Lord has buoyed me up, or I should have failed."

She is buried in Richmond, Utah, near the school I attended in 8th and 9th grade. How grateful I am for her example.

I owe it to her to "trust Him and not grumble". We have been very blessed here. There is a LOT to be grateful for, and I am setting a goal to focus on the good. It is not going to be easy, but I have to do it.

My brothers used to say I was magic, because I could turn bread into stone...

Whenever I make Navajo Taco's, I make my mom's bread recipe for 3 loaves. I use 1/3 of the dough for the scones, and then use the rest to make bread or pizza crust.


I know you're dying for this particular recipe, so here it goes:

2 loaves worth of leftover dough
1 Tired mom who has been in the kitchen for too long.
1 husband who worked way too many hours this week
3 kids with a sugar high and new toys (make sure one of these has a snotty nose and cough)
1 tsp. mucinex (for the snot-nosed kid). Add this every 4-6 hours.
1 birthday party mess to clean up
1 medical bill requesting $551.02 for six stitches
1 borrowed movie
1 broken timer

Mix all ingredients on a snowy, windy SPRING day. Let the dough rise 9 or 10 times and punch it down every time you think about how much it costs to go to the emergency room at a hospital 3 hours away that doesn't take your insurance, vs. the local clinic with a sliding scale fee.

Bake at 375 degrees for 9 1/2 hours.

Here are some helpful hints:

After the dough has been sitting in your Bosch for a good 3-4 hours and has risen so many times that you're starting to smell alcohol from the fermenting yeast, decide you'd better make bread. You might be tempted to throw the dough away...but that would be wasting it.

Preheat the oven, grease your pans, shape your loaves, and place a towel over them while you run to your friend's house to return FRIENDS seasons 2,8,9, & 10, and borrow "the vampire movie".

Come home, decide not to wait for the bread to rise again, and put it in the oven. Set the oven timer for 19 minutes, because the kids have broken your favorite timer. Remind yourself that the oven timer only beeps once, so if you leave the room to start the movie before the bread is done, you'll need to set the nap-timer on your alarm clock.

Check on the kids, who are happily building Darth Vader's something or other out of legos. Check on hubby, who is passed out on the couch from exhaustion. Check your e-mail, and then go start the movie in your bedroom. YOU MUST FORGET TO SET YOUR NAP TIMER or this recipe will never work.

Watch the movie, but fall asleep before it's over because you're just that tired, and you saw the movie in the theater anyway. Don't worry, your husband will eventually come to bed and turn the TV and all the lights in the house off.

Wake up at 7:00 AM with a JOLT, and a murm'ring word when you remember you're still baking bread.

I don't do cakes.

Today is Caleb's birthday. I can't believe he is seven years old, and I can't believe how out-of-touch I already am. He wanted a Star Wars birthday, and it has stretched me to my limits.

I am not a science fiction fan. At all. I seriously tried to watch Star Wars for my dear hubby who puts up with way too many chic-flicks for his own good...but I just couldn't do it. There were all these weird creatures flying around...

I got online to search for idea's for his party, and found thousands. The only problem? I didn't have a clue in the world what they were saying. I kept reading these foreign words like Qui-Goon, Padawan, and Sith. In the midst of my confusion, I asked Todd who Tatooine was, and he informed me it was a place. No wonder I was lost.

I did find a few idea's that made sense to me (I can totally print out a mask online...) and I'll show those in my next post, but my biggest problem today? The cake.

I do not do cakes. Part of the problem is just natural INability, and the other part of the problem is that I am not willing to sacrifice so much time on something that will just be eaten. I did a google image search of Star Wars cakes (with Caleb by my side) and this is what we found:

Caleb really liked this thingy, whatever it is.

I'm looking at it thinking, "Is that a cake, or a countertop?"

I tried to talk him into this version instead, but he wasn't having it.

So we moved on and found this nice Yoda cake that he liked...

But this one was more my speed.

He'd settle for this one...

And I told him if I worked all day I might be able to come up with this...

Finally! A cake that I know I can do

as long as Wal-Mart carries the little guys on top...

But he liked this one better.

Todd felt confident in my abilities to do this one...

but we couldn't figure out what it was.

Then we found the millenium falcon. C'mon, if you made a cake that looked like this, you'd have professional pictures taken too.

Sorry, Caleb. No can do.

But don't worry, 'cause I KNOW I can do this one...

But, the store here doesn't carry any gray or black icing.

So, here I am. It's 3:52 PM and my kid doesn't have a cake. And I just remembered that I forgot to make the "Jabba Jell-O". (Todd tells me it's a green guy that looks like a slug...how gross).

I have exactly one hour before I need to start the Tatooine Taco's.

I can't wait to see what I come up with.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Caleb's party started at 6 AM since we needed it to be dark. We put black light bulbs in our dining room fixture, and glow sticks on the table during breakfast.

Here's the birthday boy with all his loot.
I found some printable Star Wars masks online...


For after-school snack we had lightsaber pretzels.
I had a few Star Wars crafts in mind, but Caleb had a friend over
and they spent the afternoon playing Lego Star Wars (the video game)
and passed all the levels for the first time ever.
That was just fine with me.

And here's my "one hour Star Wars cake" which

we enjoyed with "Yoda Soda" (lime sherbet and sprite)

It says, "have a happy birthday you must". I know that Yoda talks like that, because I saw it earlier this season on "The Office".