BJ Dude volunteered at the Kite Festival today as a service. Paul came home and asked him about his day.
MP: How was the kite festival? This was the first one you’ve been to right?
BJ Dude: It was like Ghetto Disneyland.
Nothing more to say, I’m still laughing.
BJ Dude: Mom, Did you remember to buy my Slim Jim?
Me: No, son, I forgot.
BJ Dude: How could you forget? I reminded you over and over! You let me down!
Me: Well, get in line and take a number!
BJ Dude: *looks at Shotgun* My number’s 1!
So yesterday BJ Dude comes home from school and gets on my laptop. A few minutes later, he comes over to me and says, “Hi MaMa! MaMa is how you say ‘Mom’ in Greek. I really like Greek. I memorized the Greek alphpabet and I want to learn Greek.”
Then he goes back to the computer and starts memorizing more words. Pretty good for a 12 year old, I guess.
So I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time for him and I to start learning a language together. I really think this kid could have a few languages under his belt by the time he graduates from high school. Pretty amazing!
I was thinking in the shower. I always think in the shower. I wish I could plug something in to my brain to record all the great ideas and thoughts I have while in there. I suppose it is because it is quiet, no one is bugging me, and I am relaxed enough to LISTEN. Yeah, that’s probably it. So I should have a category called “shower ideas.” But then you’d think we’d all be playing games and eating food– baby showers, wedding showers, etc.
All that being said, I had this really great thought today. I was freezing. I couldn’t get warm. I had all this hot water dripping on me and I was still cold. I realized that it was because I had just eaten a cup of ice. (Don’t ask me why I eat ice in the winter when it is freezing outside. I just love it.) Anyway, this thought occurred to me that I couldn’t even use the outside forces of warmth to warm me up when I had created the cold from the inside. It’s probably one of the reasons I stay cool during our hot summers. There is nothing I love more that sitting by the pool with a huge cup of ice in my hand. My body gets warmed up by the sun, so I don’t get so cold. But I found it interesting that even though I wasn’t currently eating ice, I was still cold in the shower. I took me quite a while to finally warm up.
Then this analogy came to me. If I am taking something into my mind/body on a consistent basis, no force from the outside beating against me can change it. I would have to stop what I am taking in and then keep myself in the “outside” situation long enough for it to change.
As soon as I became aware of that, into my mind popped the thoughts about what I am taking into my mind/body to preserve my character, integrity, and spirituality. I realized that if I take daily doses of scriptures, prayer, kindness, service, positive thinking, and correct choices; no force outside of me can change me or sway me. I realized that no matter what Satan threw at me– movies, books, internet, criticism from others, tough choices or any of his fiery darts, they would not change me without me quitting what I was doing and lingering in that negative presence.
What is on the inside really does count. Or better yet, what we PUT on the inside on a regular basis really does count. Do you want a change in your life? A habit or struggle you are trying to overcome? Take in those good things and build and strengthen them, then you, too, will be protected from all the forces around you and stand calm and serene in the “mists of darkness” and confusion.
This is probably my kids favorite breakfast. They love it. I love it, too. It is easy to prepare and tastes yummmy! Here’s what you’ll need:
Cresent rolls, sausage, eggs, milk, cheese, & pepper. (I threw salt in the picture, but you don’t need it.)
First, preheat your oven to 400 so it’s heating up while you get it all ready.
Then brown your sausage. If you heat your pan first, it goes a little faster.
While the sausage is browning, unroll the cresent rolls into a 9×13 pan. You don’t neccessarily have to spray the pan but can if it makes you feel better.
Then push the seams together and push it up the side a little bit.
Keep stirring your sausage, then put the 4 eggs into a bowl and add a little milk– about 2 T, and sprinkle in a little pepper.
When your sausge is browned, then pour it into your pan.
And spread it around even, like so.
Then pour the eggs over the top and make sure they spread evenly through the sausage and around the pan.
Then sprinkle it with cheese. I think the recipe says 1 cup, but we like a lot of cheese, so I just cover it all.
Then put it in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
Taa Daa! There it is!! It smells yummy while it’s cooking and is even yummier to eat!! This is nice for the kids throw on a napkin and eat while running out the door. (Not that we’ve ever done that before.)
Here’s the full recipe. Hope you love it like we do!
Breakfast Pizza
1 lb. Pork Sausage, cook and drain
1 tube (8oz) refrigerated cresent rolls
4 Eggs
2 T. Milk
1/8 t. pepper
3/4 C. Shredded cheese
Unroll cresent rolls into a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Press dough ½ in up sides and seal seams. Sprinkle with browned sausage. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk and pepper pour over sausage. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered at 400 for 15 min. or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Yield: 8 servings or more. It does feed 8 of us unless some are really hungry.
So MP and I are on vacation in Hawaii. It’s early morning and I decide to check facebook. For some reason a video my son’s friend made just seemed to call out to me, so I clicked on it. Imagine my surprise when I saw the opening credits to include my two youngest boys, then my #4 son roll across the screen. Now I was definitely watching because I wanted to see what really happens when we are on vacation. Turned out to be the funniest thing I have seen….. Enjoy
I should follow up with the fact that when we did return home, the kids (mostly Doodle Bug & Scout) had washed all the sheets in the house, washed all the blankets and organized that closet, changed all the bulbs in the chandelier, the kitchen was spotless, the laundry was done. It was amazing! I looked at MP and said, “where should we go next week?”
I truly truly have the BEST kids in the WHOLE world! They are amazing and kind and wonderful! How blessed I am!!
I’m finally taking a few minutes to share our “arm experience” with BJ Dude. It was just a nice evening for some football. BJ Dude loves football and was having a good time. The team was lined up just short of the goal line, and BJ Dude was given the ball (he’s #40). He is powering through determined to get in the end zone when he got tripped up. He put his arm down to catch him and it wasn’t so good. Here’s the video clip. Warning: Although you can’t see his arm at all, it is still somewhat graphic knowing the outcome.
Now as I was watching the play live, I saw him place his arm and saw him twist and immediately thought, “uh oh. I hope that’s just a stinger.” Couldn’t have been more wrong. I sat and watched him lay there not moving. I knew it had to be pretty sore since he’s a tough kid who can’t stand not playing. He kept laying there. I waited for the coaches to go make an assessment. As the coaches and some others ran over to him, one of the coaches immediately turned to the stands and said, “Webster’s come here.” I knew then it was an “obvious” injury. Thinking it must be a break , MP and I hurried down on the field. A paramedic had just come over and was able to roll him over on his back just as I got there. I didn’t get to see the ugly arm twisted off the side look going on. Probably a good thing.
Here’s what we were looking at when I got there.
The paramedic guy was trying to support his arm and try to keep him out of pain while we decided what to do. Although I felt very calm, it was clear my mind wasn’t working and it was hard to think. I told MP to call Dr. Parry, who is a friend in our ward. MP realized it was Tuesday and surgery day. I told him to at least text him or he would be mad at us. In the meantime, the pre-diagnosis was a dislocation but possibly a break. I thought that if it was a dislocation, I’d just call our friend who is a chiropractor and have him come and put it in. I sent my Doodle Bug (who had wandered down on the field) to get the number from his neighbor in the stand. Then my brain kicked in and I realized that he wouldn’t touch it without an xray, so wouldn’t do any good to call him. So then we tried to call our friend that works on the ambulance crew. I tried his wife’s cell but didn’t get her.
The paramedic there said, that we really had no choice but to have him transported by ambulance because of the severity of the injury. So I called 911.
As soon as I had given 911 all the info and the ambulance was dispatched, our friend on the Ambulance crew showed up. Someone in the stands had gotten a hold of him. He came with his bag, assessed the situation and told us that we really did need to transport him by ambulance, which was comforting to us. He then began to splint his arm to stabilize it.
No sooner had he finished, then the ambulance showed up. They wouldn’t even consider moving him until they had given him an IV for pain.
They wouldn’t even lift him onto a stretcher. (Which reminds me, someone had gone into the school to get a table to move him off the field and they wouldn’t even do that.) So they got a stretcher that split in half, slid it under him, then clamped it together to lift him onto the bed to transport him. Here is everyone clapping for him as they lifted him onto the bed. I don’t know if they were just happy to be moving on, as we had started the game 45 minutes late and then laid on the 1 yard line for another 30 minutes after he got hurt. Yes, the 1 yard line. That made him as sad as his arm being hurt.
Here is our first ever ride in an ambulance. Hopefully, it is our last. This is my view from the front. For some reason, I hit a button that made the picture black and white. I didn’t even know that feature existed. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to get it off, as you will see.
At the hospital unloading and heading to ER.
Figured out how to get the black and white off….
Notice the stretcher…
Story continues….
Here is what becoming joyful is all about! Pretty sure I have the cutest grandkids on the planet! ;o)
This is a cute Jazz Bear, too. He’s my baby and will be taller than me in a year or less.
This is one of my favorite meals my mom made. Very simple, but good. I’ve shortened down the time spent by using my bottled beans, but you can still soak them overnight and throw them in your crockpot the next morning, or you can simply by some cans. The flavor is much better when you use your own bottled or soaked ones.
Here’s the recipe:
Bottled tomatoes, bottled beans, hamburger and onion (sorry forgot to add those to the pic), and chili powder, salt & pepper.
First, brown your hamburger with onion. I didn’t have an onion on hand, so I threw in about a 1/4 c of some dried onion. Add salt and pepper to your hamburger.
Dump your tomatoes in your crock pot.
If you like chunky tomato chili, just leave it. If you want, you can mash your tomatoes with a potato masher, or if you like it smooth and not chunky for those picky eaters, do what I did and stick your immersion blender in and blend them up. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can blend them in your regular blender then dump them in. I recommend getting an immersion blender. I love mine!!
Rinse off your beans. (Sorry about the lighting, the sun was coming through the window by the sink and I don’t have blinds there yet.)
Add your beans to your pot.
Add a couple of tablespoons of chili powder.
Stir it up and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-5. You can start on high, then lower it. If you make it early in the morning, then set it for low and just let it cook until you get home. If you don’t get started until after lunch and want it for dinner, put it on high. That’s my rule of thumb. You can always turn it down on low. This is really my favorite chili. Not too many flavors competing. I love to smash up saltine crackers and put it in. I know, I know, it’s a weird thing I did as a kid, but I still love it!
Easy Homemade Chili
2 qts bottled tomatoes
1 qt bottled pinto beans
1 lb hamburger browned
1/2- 1 onion, diced OR a 1/4 of dried onion
2 T chili powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Brown hamburger with onion. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes to crock pot. Blend if desired. Rinse beans. Add to crock pot. Add browned hamburger to crock pot. Add seasonings and adjust them to taste. Cook on high 2-5 hours or on low 6-8 hours.
If you need to feed more people, add another bottle of beans, increase your hamburger and tomatoes. Quite simple and delicious.
Awaiting the final out of the World Series, the Webster’s finally could have their lesson. It began with mom telling a funny story she heard from the lady she visit taught earlier that day who had been with President Monson in Rome last week.
After the short funny story, Dad took over the lesson. First question Dad asks, “Who was the last known living Nephite?” After the pauses and guesses and Dad helped them derive the answer. Realizing that they needed a little background, he started talking about Coriantumr to which Cinco replied, “Hey! Why did you leave out Ether? Ether’s my favorite book! Don’t you know he spent like 32 years alone with the Grass Plates?”
To which Doodle Bug said, “What plates?”
“GRASS Plates!” He replied. After we clarified they were BRASS plates, the lesson moved on.
As the lesson ends, and Dad is deciding who to call on for prayer, Doodle Bug tells us to wait because she saw headlights. A few minutes later the doorbell rings. In walks Scout and his friend dressed in some great Halloween costumes. As soon as we brief them on the highlights of the lesson, including the Grass Plates, we kneel for prayer.
No sooner is Amen said, than BJ Dude quickly says to Mom, “Name any state. We’ll let Cinco guess first, then Shotgun. If they can’t get it, I’ll answer.”
So I (Mom) said, “Washington.”
“Olympia!” says BJ Dude quickly. To which Mom replies, “I thought you were going to answer last!”
So Mom says, “Nevada?” looking at Cinco.
Cinco quickly replies, “Caroline.”
Caroline? So I turn to Shotgun….”Nevada?”
There’s a pause……”I don’t care!….pause…….Wait, I know this!”
Cinco: “I know it starts with a ‘C’!”
Dad: “What’s the name of that old Western show?….”
BJ Dude whispering in Cinco’s ear: “Carson City.”
Cinco: “CARSON CITY!”
Shotgun: SLAP– he whacks Cinco’s leg. Cinco falls on the ground.
Dad: “That’s uncalled for!”
Doodlebug: “Mississippi?”
Cinco: “Missouri.”
BJ Dude: “New Mexico?”
Dad: “Albuquerque.”
BJ Dude: “Santa Clara?”
With the quickest answer in the West…..Cinco says, “St. George!”
Mom: Why does everyone answer the state capital with another state?”
Doodle Bug: “Yeah. Your family need some help! Look at this. This is what I did for dinner.” (Takes out placemat map of the states where she has filled in the states and capitals during dinner.)
Mom looks at placemat. Doodlebug points to BJ Dude’s work. Mom cracks up. This is a good blog post.
Doodlebug: “You can’t post this. You’ll offend people!”
So here I am posting it. I will first let you know that I love all people. Yet I still get a kick out of random sense of humor. Please do not take offense!
