It's the Little Things That Matter the Most

It has been so crazy around here, and the stress! Oi to the vey! I'm so grateful for the things that have made me smile in the last week.

1. Getting to talk to Christopher on Christmas evening! We had been invited to a dinner that night and I called the mission home to give them our cell phone number for Chris to call. Sister Jensen said, "Oh, Elder Faria! I love him so much! I'm going to hang up and call him immediately with the phone number." That's when I cried. I loved hearing his voice, his laugh and his good spirits. He's doing such and awesome job and he is dedicated to working hard.

2. Having time from the craziness of the world and spending time with my husband and kids. Relaxing, playing games, staying up late, napping, wearing our pajamas until all hours of the day, watching movies with popcorn, catching up on books we've been wanting to read and basically milking our Christmas break for all it's worth.



3. Having loving parents who care about us.






4. My sweet sister Marianne e-mailing me photos of my birthday cake from Mom's camera card in UT. I think it turned out pretty cute.








5. Nick and Diana came for a visit! We had the pleasure of them staying the night with us on their way to Nick's parents home in Colorado Springs. Even better they came back and spent Saturday and Sunday with us. Thankfully the Denver Art Museum was here to lure Diana back to the Denver area. They are too fun to have around.

6. Watching family members on the Wii Fit. There was some pretty intense training going on! Nick really made the most of his time with the apparatus and I'm glad he did because it taught me a lot about how to do things.

It's a Wonderful Life.

I'm having a calm moment this afternoon which makes personal reflection much easier. One of my favorite things to collect are nativity sets. It's such an easy reminder to me of what the holiday is all about.

Well, Guitar Hero World Tour just started up again. This time Allison is practicing on the drums. "Beat It," Alli. Em has been having a great time of it and is giving all kinds of pointers, as Alli did for her with the Wii Fit (which I will definitely be setting a PIN on to access my 'personal' information, thank you!). Ah, Michael is on the PS2 in the basement (Star Wars Force Unleashed) and Steve and I are going to make bread sticks for a dinner we're invited to tonight. Life is good.

I've added a few pictures and comments in the side bar to share a bit of our day with you. Love to all!

PS. the gingerbread house is a replica of my Mom's childhood farm house... she recognized it immediately which pleased Allison to no end.

Do You See What I See, Mom?

Here it is, Helen... give me a call.

This Sunday I Celebrate The Candle

Have you heard the object lesson of the candle in the dark? In a lightless room the flame from a single candle takes away the darkness. I'm celebrating the candle.

Stronger than anything I know is the love our Heavenly Father and our Savior have for us. Nothing strengthens or comforts me more.

Blessings in the kindness of others. Our furnace quit working on Tuesday and we found a small part was broken. We had quotes of $200 to repair it and offers to let us "have" the part for $125. A ward member who is in the business called his wholesale warehouse. The part was $25 and Steve installed it for free! A pharmacist at Walgreen's, who greets me by name, noticed our insurance had lapsed and enrolled us in the "W card" program. Our pharmacy bill for the two rx's, a month's supply of each, was originally $120 and it came down to $70, and that was for a 90 supply of one of the scrips.

These are only two examples of seemingly small things that have meant much more than can be expressed.

Our computer BIOS boot program became corrupted (how!?) so I was very grateful for Mom's old computer. We were able to Frankenstein with our computer so Allison could retrieve some final project homework. I'm still trying to find the old picture files (maybe they're still on the 512gb in the sick computer...).

Going a little overboard on Mom's birthday cake was therapeutic. I will definitely never be invited to compete on Food Network "Challenge"! Coming soon will be the picture of the pathetic ode to Mary Engelbreit that was my birthday cake (when the camera card returns from UT). Many moons ago Marianne and I were teaching school while our husbands finished college. We told each other that it would be really cool to have bake ware that had been around long enough to have "character" like the pans room mothers brought in to our classes. Washing up after some holiday baking the other day I realized I had just washed many items that were full of "character."

My wish is that, like my cookie sheet, I can show a strength of "character" as time goes by.

I'M BACK... Good Things/Bad Things

I've never felt so out of control with my time in my entire 46 years on this earth! My kids LOVED "Animaniacs" (we even have the soundtrack... to a cartoon series on TV) and there was a segment called "good idea, bad idea." I'm attempting to sum up all the time I've missed sharing anything with this concept.

Good Thing: Mom and I both had happy birthdays and I had a really good time decorating the cakes.
Bad Thing: My camera batteries died and I couldn't get pictures.
Good Thing: Mom's camera was very helpful and we got some good shots.
Bad Thing: Her camera went with her to UT for Christmas so I can't show you how cute they turned out.

Good Thing: Michael, Emiy and Allison all survived the Fall semester.
Bad Thing: There was much stress in the house over finals and such.
Good Thing: It's over! and today is the first official day of the Christmas vacation.
Bad Thing: Allison is going to be gone all day performing with her choir group.
Good Thing: Allison's group was terrific on the radio this morning and will have three more performances they've been invited to. To finish her day she'll have a party with them.
Bad Thing: We'll miss her.

Good Thing: Chris sounds happy and had a baptism last week.
Bad Thing: He was without power for a few days due to the horrible ice storm that hit New England last week.
Good Thing: He survived and the power came back on.
Bad Thing: I hope he gets his Christmas package on time since the storm messed up so many deliveries.
Good Thing: We get to talk to him after 5:00 MST on Christmas Day!

Good Thing: My husband and I are still happily married and feel incredibly blessed we have each other and our family.
Bad Thing: We're still unemployed.
Good Thing: Several people are interested in him and he received a really wonderful blessing from our Bishop that comforted us a lot.
Bad Thing: No one wants to do anything about new employment until after the first of the year.

Good Thing: I've felt blessed to have as many substitute jobs as I have to help out.
Bad Thing: I'd love to teach full time again since subbing isn't a constant thing.
Good Thing: One of my cub scouts gave me a great gift of pistachios and a beautiful card last night. And really surprising I had a 2nd grade teacher I sub for call me this morning telling me she has gifts for me from some of her students.
Bad Thing: Now I have to remember to write notes to them... maybe I should do that now...

I love you all!!! and I love reading your comments. They're a big boost and I hope I'm clever enough that I share a boost with you!

Where Is My Time Going?

Dear Family and Friends... I am having a horribly hard time getting anything done these days. It seems I'm a chicken stuck on the "have to" side of the road knowing why I want to cross to the "want to" side of the road. I have lots of ideas for posts and hope to get to a few of them soon. Don't give up on me! Hopefully I will have the presence of mind and, most of all TIME, to get to these things.

So, off to the stores I go to help Mom get some things done before she leaves for UT next week. I'm subbing tomorrow so maybe Wednesday will be my day...?

I'll Have a Blue Christmas?

Thanksgiving is over and with Steve's parents here it was cozy and fun. They've left us this morning and now Christmas is upon us. I've spent hours trying different backgrounds for the blog and coming up with something I was happy with (a very OCD/ADD morning!). I felt accomplished and then remembered I'd forgotten to post anything new! What a day.

The Christmas decorations are up and it's beginning to feel festive. I had an emotional time with the decorating. I looked over old ornaments I've been given from my Mother and little things the kids have made us over the years. I started feeling very blue and missed my family so much my throat ached. I guess it's a good thing we have so many good memories of Christmas past but it's hard not getting to see those we love so dearly and miss so much.

I appreciate SO much reading all your posts; it helps chase the blues away. So let's keep it up and keep Christmas red and green, not blue! Steve's in the kitchen making peanut butter cookies so I think my blues will alleviate when that dough is ready for quality inspection!

Love you all!

p.s. you'll all be relieved to know the cookie dough has passed inspection

Happy Birthday Marianne!

When my sister was born our brother, Richard, asked our mother what they were going to name her. Helen responded, "Mona Lisa," explaining it was one of her favorite songs. Richard came back with, "I like the song 'Marianne' better." (All day, all night, Marianne, Down by the seaside sifting sand,...). Marianne has been thankful to him ever since. I searched the web and couldn't find a recording to share of "her" song (neither The Brothers Four or Harry Belafonte) but I thought "Mona Lisa" was appropriate too.

I'm really glad we didn't kill each other when we were younger because I don't think I could do without her in my life. Do you have someone you've looked up to and wished you were more like them? Marianne is that person for me. I've always wanted to be a sweet, gentle, non-swearing woman who has ankles. You are a steady presence and a loving listening ear. I'm so glad you are my big sister!

I love you, Marianne. Happy Birthday!

Happy Anniversary Steven!!!

It's been 24 years to the day since Steven took me to the Provo Temple and married me for time and all eternity. I can't believe he's put up with me for so long! He can still look at me and tell me I'm beautiful which I'm very thankful for. I'm looking forward to growing old(er) with such a sweet, loving husband. So, to Steve who rarely looks here but I'll make him this time, Happy Anniversary Baby!!


November 23, 1984









Please excuse me as we're going to celebrate with Michael, Alli and Em and a heart shaped Red Velvet Cake with a Diet Caffienated Beverage... I didn't have the fortitude to get out the cake decorating tips so sprinkles it is!

p.s. Does anyone want to share the secret of adding a simple collage of pictures in a post without having to go to slideshow.com? I've seen it on many a blog and want to know how to do it!

It's Almost Here

I've been teaching so often lately that the weeks have slipped past me. Next week is Thanksgiving! I need to get a turkey! As I was doing dishes and wondering what to put on my list my eyes glanced over at my Mary Engelbreit calendar (I love her). The title of this years calendar is "Celebrate! It's a Good Life!!" Above you'll find one of my favorite "months" illustrations. It put my worries about shopping lists and baking into perspective!

Sunday Six on Monday

1. Brittany's Suprise Visit! What a huge, wonderful, happy Saturday morning! My only regrets are not taking lots of pictures and that she didn't wake me up on Friday night so I could have more time to play.

2. Our freakish Indian summer (snow last Thurs., 75 today and tomorrow). It's giving us one last shot at fixing a few more things outdoors in pleasant weather.

3. Having parents who love us! Helen, Bette, Tony, you rock!

4. Getting to keep up with and get to know everyone better because of their blogs.

5. Still getting lots of sub calls. I got to be a librarian last week... kind of fun.

6. As always, my husband and kids. It helps to love and be loved.

and

7. Gasoline... $1.87 a gallon! Yippee!

Veteran's Day and Mom's Memories Music

I had planned a posting for Veteran's Day and then noticed my sister, Marianne, had placed most of the same pictures I had put aside. I'd like to thank her for that. I started searching for other photos and it turned into a project with Mom bringing me about 100 photos that I've just finished scanning into my files.

Daddy didn't like to talk about the war much. He was asked once in my presence if he'd been in any combat. He was. I've seen awards for his shooting skills and the practice book where he passed off all his marksmanship qualifications in less than a page for each skill. He really wanted to forget that part of his life. He shared with me the people he knew. Even two years before he died he could name all the men in the pictures he had of them. He was even threatened with demotion by General MacArthur once for not allowing the General's plane to land before a plane carrying much needed supplies that was on final approach.

He arrived in Africa by way of South America. He was in Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Iraq, Burma, India and China. He saw many places and things that people pay thousands of dollars to see. He saw them because he believed in good over evil and that the right should prevail. Never did he say he resented having to go. He only ever said he worried he'd never see Mom or Sharon again.

We have many members of our family who have served in the military. I'm grateful for each of them. Thank you.

P.S. Daddy is in the photo above on the far left with his chin in his hand. He's in Kano, Nigeria and he's the only one in the bunch not "soused." They were celebrating VE Day, May 8, 1945.

This Week's Sunday Six

In random order, how my mind has been working lately.

1. Gas prices are down to $2.10 a gallon!

2. No further signs of mice around my house! I, like my nieces, hate and despise clowns but mice are way scarier to me; if I hear or see one I cannot uncurl my toes or put my feet on the floor. I have been known to scream. It provides no end of entertainment for my family so I guess I can be glad to make them happy too!?



3. These shoes have saved my life a few times. They allowed me to survive working on the cement floors of Home Depot and my week of hiking up and down a mountainous campground at 10,000 feet last summer. This week for a sub job I spent an entire day walking with K-6 graders in a American Diabetes of America Walk For The Cure. All day. In wind gusts of up to 40 mph and wind chill of 30. Through gravel around a fifth of a mile track surrounding playground equipment. Other than a blister on a pinky toe I did fine. Oh, by the way, earrings really conduct cold through the lobes.




4. These two women, Deb Mouselite and Pam Portie, have been the guardian angels who got me into elementary schools. Pam, a member of our church, heard of me from Steve and asked me to teach her class. Deb, her teammate, has hired me several times too. They have spread the word to everyone they know and I am so grateful for them giving me a chance and believing in me.



5. I love my children so very much. I feel often that I'm not the mother I should be. It's gratifying to see what great adults they are becoming in spite of my mistakes. They love each other, do things together and have close relationships that I can see carrying into their adulthood which fulfills one of my fondest hopes for them.



6. I'm so happy to have my Mom with me. Here I am a 45 year old woman and I don't think I've ever needed her more. Here she is an 85 year old woman and she still wants to be here for me. I know this is hard for you all to believe but I'm not always the most stable person and she is always there for me. Thanks, Momma.

p.s. I feel like I always talk about my great husband so I thought I'd give it a break for the week.

The Amazing Techincolor DreamCouch

Once upon a time there was a woman named Gena who was moving into a new home. There were some simple furniture needs for the new home, a few end tables and some seating for the children's gaming area, so off to her favorite consignment store she went. Happily Gena's husband wanted to join her. Quickly they found some pretty little tables for the living room and started browsing for something for their little darlings to sit on as they zoned out on video gaming. As she turned a corner Gena saw a sofa. A hideous striped thing in greens and plum. She thought, "who would buy such a disturbing couch?" Around another corner Gena and her husband found something they knew their children would love... a reclining sofa that would be hidden in the basement and let them game their brains to mush in comfort. As Gena turned to find a salesman her husband, his eyes aglow, told her he'd found the perfect sofa for their new sun room. Yes, it was the striped green and plum sofa. Their sun room had about 30 feet of 80's bright peach horizontal blinds and the walls were painted an ever so pale pink. Gena's husband just knew that the slight rusty peach stripes in the upholstery would go well with the blinds until they could be replaced. And the plum... why, there are hints of plum flowers in the Waverly kitchen valances, so, another plus! What was she to do? Gena has free reign in the decorating of her home and only once in a while did her husband have an opinion about any of it. In light of her husband's enthusiasm she relented.

On to the present... it's four years later, the sun room is used more than the family room and living room combined and here "it" sits. At times Gena is still disturbed by "its" presence as in the picture of Emily and Charlie above where the pattern threatens to nauseate her. But she sighs, smiles and remembers how much she loves her husband and how happy the sofa made him that day. "It's" not an uncomfortable piece of furniture just unfortunate in the choice of fabric. So she vacuums "it," cleans "it," fluffs "its" pillows and dreams of a day "it" can be donated to someone who will appreciate and love "it" much more than she can.

Anybody want a couch, free, in great condition?

Halloween 2008

Halloween is officially over and I present to you a synopsis of our week:

I substituted the day before and on Halloween in 2nd grade and Middle School ESL classes respectively. I frazzled but was glad to be in the Middle School and not the Elementary school on "the" day.

Allison worked the high school "Trick or Treat Street" in a "Wizard of Oz" themed room. Obviously she was the Scarecrow.

On Halloween the girls went to school as each other; they both have distinctive styles. It sounds a little lame unless you've experienced it. When you know what clothes they wear it can really give you a start to realize the twin you're talking to and looking at is not the twin you thought she was. Everyone at school, teachers included, told them that what they did was creepier than most costumes roaming the halls. It even messed with The Old Woman's head a bit.

We had colored pancakes for dinner; jack o' lanterns, cat's heads and Jackson Pollock designs (I got really tired of designing and cooking). Our ward's Elders were over for a dinner, a huge dessert of Caramel Corn snacking and playing "The Great Dalmuti." I didn't feel like playing the game but Michael told me he'd let me begin the game in the prime role as Great Dalmuti. To have a little fun with it I decreed the Great Dalmuti shall wear the tiara, chunky earrings (non pierced in deference to any men that may win the title for a round) and ropes of Brighton pearls and crystals. The Lesser Dalmuti was granted the privilege of a regal opal brooch and ring ensemble. I didn't have to relinquish my crown the entire evening, much to Elder Caillier's dismay. At the conclusion of the game I allowed him to wear the crown jewels for one brief shining moment, and promised to send a picture to his mother.

Only THREE sets of doorbell ring for Trick or Treat. The my family is really sad we have so much candy left over.

We love you all... I'm going to put away decorations while Steven is, without any prompting, taking advantage of the warm day to wash some windows. Love him!

What Do You Say On a Monday?

Michael was asked by his best friend, David, to take a trip to Provo. David, just home from a mission in Mexico, wanted to do a few things before returning to school in January. Michael was excited to go because it was a free trip and it was a good chance to see Marianne's family. In calls he's said what a terrific time he's had. But what was a four day trip is now in its sixth day and I could hear the frustration in his voice as he just called. Marianne, if he has to stay another night could you please take care of him?


Emily became sad over the weekend because Michael wasn't here to play Monopoly with her. Steve and I sucked it up, and sucked Allison in, and we are still in the middle of a game that started yesterday. The things we do for our kids!



My wonderful missionary Chris who takes time to photograph the important things in life such as road kill.



A daughter who wants to go to Homecoming with a young man looking at her dressed like this...



... and NOT like this!


Sometimes actually being able to feel this is true.



Having a little granny to take care of.


Making yummy cupcakes with Nutella webs for the Ward Halloween Party.



Looking kind of cute while working on cupcakes.


Mom made Whole Wheat Bread. Steve made French Toast with it. I made Berry Blend Syrup. A good breakfast can make any day seem okay.

THE OLD WOMAN SPEAKS!!!

Well, she kind of speaks. She's telling me that she doesn't want to make a fool of herself by saying dumb things that may not be interesting to other people. (does she think we care... don't we all make fools of ourselves?)((now she's abusing me)).

There are many things she'd like to share. She'd like to post pictures of Daddy and let people know some the the memories she has. I've told her many times that I'd help her create her own blog and that I'd do the pictures and all that for her. So... Cast your vote! Let her know if you'd like this or not!

My vote: Yes, the world needs another blogging Granny, especially one who has so many good memories.

Warning: Mother Talking About Her Children

I like blogging about my children. I love them so much and I'm pleased and surprised at how they have developed their talents and it's awe inspiring to me to see the good choices they make for themselves. I get to tell you all and don't have to "brag" face to face. I think you all love my kids and some of you don't get to see them as often as we'd like. This is my way of sharing them with you.

That being said I'm so proud of my girls. Allison is in "Shades of Blue" and Emily is in "Women's Chamber Choir." Both are audition groups. Both had solos last night. Both performed wonderfully, and Emily was even playing drums when she sang! Sadly not everyone can stay in tune but our family does really well with pitch. It's not just my opinion, the choir director claims all four of our kids are amazing... good genes I'm sure.

I remember five years ago when the boys were in the same choirs attending a concert and both of them had solos, neither had told us. They were singing doo wop. Chris has a booming bass and really was the backbone on "Duke of Earl." The audience, especially the teenage girls, squealed when he was done. The groups changed on and off stage and when the men sang their final number it was "Earth Angel." All the little guys that sang solos were trying so hard and it made you smile to see their earnestness, off key and all. Michael stepped up to to the mike and as he belted out "earth angel, earth angel, will you be mine...?" the audience collectively dropped their jaws. It was one of those moments where you know they've come into their own.

Modesty Update: Em's choir could choose to order dresses with or without sleeves. She and one other LDS girl had sleeves on and they really looked better. The sleeveless dresses were cut a little tighter and, boy, does someone need to talk to the girls about bright lights on shiny dresses and how it highlights where their underwear is... shudder.

Another Saturday Night

This is what my evening has wound down to... Emily, Chistian and Allison Wii Bowling as I sit here trying to compose a thoughtful post. Crud, bowling's over and they're on to "Super Smash Bros. Brawl," a much louder game.
And there are two returned missionaries, one of them mine, in the basement on the PS2 playing "Kill Zone." Brawl? I know it's kid rated. Kill? They're both over 21 but I still growl a little.

I LOVED the fourth grade on Thursday and, well, I did enjoy the middle school drama classes on Friday. The loudest groups were the seventh graders working on their mime skits, go figure. And when I got home on Friday? There was another fourth grade teacher asking to reserve me for Monday. Wish I earned more... I've seen three teaching positions open, still, for this school year. One in Jeffco (Jefferson County, our school district) and two in Denver. The Denver school jobs are an easy commute and would be in poorer neighborhoods. The Jeffco job is a longer commute but in an area that would have much more community support. I'm not flattering myself that I'll be wanted by all three but I will be pondering greatly and trying to make the right decisions for my family. sigh.

Hey, Denise, look at what you did! Let me explain what Denise did and why it's so great. Allison's choir group ordered performance dresses that were sleeveless. She wasn't happy about it and with Denise's help she now has sleeves. The choir director loves "his Mormon kids" and was all for whatever she wanted to do to be comfortable. BTW, Denise, the other alteration is the dress third from the left. Yeah, you rock.

The kaleidoscope movie montage up top is what we were up to this week. Every evening after homework and dinner the youth of the house would come up with a movie to watch... frightening, spooky movies. It's been fun and little scary. If you take the time to see the titles you can tell which movies were added to the repertoire recently. They would be the ones that I have to watch in the light of day.

Eighth Grade Drama... sigh

The rehearsal mentioned yesterday was feebly structured chaos. Only three actors were involved leaving the other fifteen. Three to act as student directors, five to run back and forth to the prop room, three to play with a classmate's crutches, two to throw bottles of water at each other and cause me to yell for the first time as a substitute. The second time I yelled came two hours later with the 7th grade choir. As I tried to keep about twenty girls quiet enough for the rest of the class to finish watching "The Wizard of Oz" I kept watch on the clock, rocked myself and mumbled, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home..."

p.s. Thank you, Denise. You are my celestial inspiration today! I just couldn't face the sewing machine this week. Diet A&W Cream Sodas, on me. If I need a reciprocating saw sometime can I borrow yours? Can you say "covet"? I want one! With a 'saws all' and a Dremel tool (including a selection of bits) I'd feel my power tool collection would be close to complete! Oh, and the Firocet did the trick. Yea narcotics!

Life Can Be Good From a Certain Point of View

I'd like every day feel as if I'm living the picture...

I'm tired but happy... dreams of what can go wrong haunt me like kids walking out on class or not being able to remember how to turn mixed numerals into improper fractions for division but those dreams haven't materialized and I even was able to teach the weighty mathematical concepts of fractions and decimals to a non English speaking sweetie.

Stressing but focused... I can't worry about things while busy. Fearful yet faithful... have a prayer in your heart always and say "yes" to being a Den Mother. My family says they love me and that's the best.

Being appreciated outside of my family is uplifting. Within five days I will have taught choir, drama, algebra, pre-algebra, physical science and fourth grade. I am a Renaissance woman. The best is when the students come in the room and say, "Yea! It's you again!" I like feeling liked. I really don't think too highly of myself I'm just happy that I have a talent I can share.

Opposition in all things. If we were never unhappy we wouldn't fully comprehend the fleeting moments of happiness. More than joy is contentment. I have it good. This will be my mantra as I lead the 8th graders through their rehearsals of "Dracula" tomorrow.

My Twisted Tuesday Six

Long week and it's only Tuesday. Too many details to share so in an attempt to turn my frown upside down I'm looking for the good side of a few of my annoyances.


1. I'm sad I haven't had the time to do the fun baking for Halloween yet. But I am glad I made a cake with dark chocolate frosting and I had orange sprinkles and purple sugar to put on it.


2. I don't like having to take pills! Bleh! But I am grateful to live when there are medical options and that I have pretty, sparkly glitter and gems to make the prospect of taking pills much more fun.



3. Popcorn textured ceilings... what were they thinking? Having scraped a huge room in the basement last summer I think I'll deal with the upstairs later. But, in the meantime, I'm so happy that my honey is willing to patiently paint them.


4. Budget cuts in corporate America. Hate them. Never will be grateful for them.


5. I love rain but not rain that causes little muddy footprints to be cleaned off of the tile, carpet, couches and curtains. But I am grateful for a sweet puppy who loves me and keeps the d#@$ squirrels out of my yard. I'm also grateful for enough moisture this year that we haven't been under water regulations.


6. My ice maker was not working! I love ice especially when it's left in your glass and it's softenend and just the right texture to crunch. There's nothing worse than drinking something your ice has already melted away in. I'm grateful for my sensible farm girl training that drove me to jump in and fix that ice maker! In my opinion I will feel I've made it when I, like Matthew McConaughey, have a Sonic pellet ice maker in my home.

Halloween 1989

Wow, how cute are my boys? We were at the Palos Verdes Ward Halloween Party, I was running the 'Pin the Face on the Jack-O-Lantern' game. Chris wore a Tweety Bird cap with yellow footie pj's. Michael had fallen in love with "Ghostbusters" so he was thrilled with his own 'Slimer catch gun.' They were so much fun! I'm going to put together a slide show later with more Halloween memories from our family.

I Wish It Were Conference Every Day

I LOVE General Conference weekends and look forward to the beginnings of October and April eagerly. No callings to worry about and no worry about whether every one's clothing choices are in ready. There's no rush in the bathrooms or worry about the availability of hot water on a schedule. Getting to listen to testimony affirming talks and beautiful music from the comfort of home is both calming and exhilarating. There is peace and quiet and joy.

There are many happy memories we have of past Conferences. We always have a big family breakfast before the morning sessions. If Friday night permits we'll have cinnamon rolls prepared too. The women do something fun together, usually a chick flick pajama party, while the men dress in Sunday best and attend the Sat. evening Priesthood session. Steve and I held firm to certain rules to help our children learn to appreciate these times. We all stayed in the family room together. No hand held video games or books are allowed because it takes all the concentration away from the meetings. Instead our children developed a tradition of getting out one set of toys to play with. Building with Legos, K'nex, Magnetix and even Jenga (go figure) were the favorites. If irritations arose over the sharing of toys they had to be put away for the rest of the session. Steve would be on the floor with them saying it helped him stay awake but I know he loved being with them. Only in the last few years the toys have stayed under beds in their boxes. Sometimes there are notes being taken, sometimes the nail polish comes out, but mostly they listen, enjoy the Spirit that permeates the house and, like the adults they are becoming, try to be comfortable while staying awake.

I'm always sad when the last session is over on Sunday afternoon and real life creeps in. The phone starts ringing and thoughts turn to homework and the demands of the week to follow. But I always strive try to honor the Spirit I've been touched with and use it in my life, hoping it makes me a better wife, mother, daughter and friend. Love to all!