Tuesday's Tip

My tip for today is this:

If you ever decide to introduce a bit of specific structure to your blog, say for instance a "Tuesday's Tip" or a "thoughtful Thursday," you must either be much more organized and structured than I am, OR you should NOT introduce it at the beginning of the crazy, busy, days of summer. WAIT until fall, when kids are back in school and life slows down just a teeny tiny bit...

(maybe it doesn't really slow down all that much, but school forces quite a bit of structure into the lives of people like me... and I think that is probably not all bad, if ya know what I mean.)

crazy weekend part 1 - the wedding

Our sweet niece, Jenny, was married in the Salt Lake Temple on Saturday, June 20th. (yes, this is a week late...) It ended up being a bit crazy, since we had lined up someone to watch the kids while we were upstairs for the sealing, and that person had to cancel at the last minute due to sickness. We just went up as planned, and Tim stayed downstairs with the kids and I went up to the sealing.

Jenny looked beautiful. The sealer said some inspiring things that I am hoping will make it into my next "thoughtful Thursday..." It was a beautiful ceremony and we wish Jen and AJ a very happy life together.


Here are some photos:




Tim and the kids took some photos while they were waiting too...

Crazy weekend part 2 - the museum

Since Jenny's wedding (see part 1) was at 12:20, and the reception was at 6pm that evening, we opted to take all the kids up to the temple, then we spent the afternoon at the Discovery Gateway. (the childrens' museum.) Unfortunately, Tim wasn't able to come to the museum with us, since he had to show some houses in the afternoon. The kids and I had a great time. Aaron had been to the museum before, on a class filed trip, plus the fact that he's older - so he kept getting bored and wanting to move along. Bryan and Caleb on the other hand, were NEVER done when we finally made them move to the next area. When Tim was done with this real estate stuff, he picked us back up and he headed out to the reception. It was a garden reception, and the weather DID NOT cooperate. it was raining a cold, but they had set up a bunch of lawn canopies and that allowed people to be outside, until they got too chilly. Here are some pictures:

Father's Day

Father's day was a good day. The primary children did a GREAT job singing their songs during sacrament meeting. They really sang out loud and strong. They were so cute and I was super proud of them. We had a pretty quiet day at home, then after dinner we drove over to visit my grandparents and then on to my parents - to wish great-grandpa and grandpa (respectively) a happy father's day. we got home late and the kids are extra tired and crabby today. Oh well. - it's summer, we can make it work. (This was written last Monday, but I wanted to wait until I had the pictures to post...)

Caleb and Great-Grandpa Fugal.

Bryan and Great-Grandpa Fugal

I am blessed to have many amazing men in my life. I have a wonderfully kind, patient, and loving husband TIM. I have my father, who is always laid-back, mellow, and always willing to pitch in help to get a project done. I have my father-in-law, Bob, who is sweet, kind, and totally accepting of others. I have 4 biological brothers, one adopted brother, and 2 brother in laws, all of whom teach me so many things and are such great examples to me (and my 3 sons) of what REAL men are. I truly am blessed, and I have the greatest Father of all, MY HEAVENLY FATHER - to thank for it all.

Late night Dr.'s visit.

Thursday night provided yet another adventure. It was late - 9:30, and the kids were up past their bedtime. Everyone had been sent off to bed - but Bryan picked Aaron to come in and listen to his "personal prayers." (usually my job, but I was okay with having a break...)
Soon we were hearing playing/chasing sounds instead of praying/bedtime sounds. The sounds of chasing and laughter quickly escalated but before we intervened, it turned into screaming/crying sounds. Tim and I hurried in, to find a bleeding Bryan. He had apparently tripped and fallen, hitting his head on one of the metal bolts on the bunk bed.

We were both uncertain about if I should slap a bandage on and see how it goes, super glue it shut, or if he needed stitches. (If it was MY head, I would have just glued it shut, but when it is my child, I tend to play it a little more safe.)

After talking to the pediatric office that was on call for after hours, I took him in, just to be safe. (Aaron was feeling SUPER guilty - felt like it was his fault and all that, so I let him come along.)

The nurse that initially looked at the cut said, "oh yeah, this isn't too bad, the Dr. will just glue this one shut." After she cleaned the cut and looked a little more closely, she changed her mind. "Well, maybe not. The edges aren't really coming together. I think it might need a stitch or two to help it close."

So then the Dr comes in. "Definitely needs stitches," she said. "I think maybe 3 or 4."

After the numbing gel had some time to work, and the Dr. sees about a million other late night patients, she finally came back in. Bryan ended up getting 7 stitches, since the cut had some turns in it - as opposed to a straight line cut. (the hexagon shape of the bolt will do that you know...)

Anyway - at MID-NIGHT - we finally got home! I was exhausted! Now I need to schedule ANOTHER appt to remove the stitches. I can only hope they won't charge me another co-pay. I have paid $75 in co-pays already this month... plus another $150 in other medical charges that aren't covered since we haven't hit out yearly deductible yet. (Not lots of sickness, just regular run of the mill stuff... Caleb had his 18 month well - child checkup, I took Katrina in to have them diagnose some strange growth things on her neck, then had to take her back 2 days later for her "kindergarten' check-up" (they just couldn't do them together - don't ask me why...probably so they could get another co-pay out of me))

CRAZY BOY!!!

MIA - again...

Good Grief! It's been over a week since I've posted. It's not that I haven't been doing anything - rather the opposite. I feel like the past week has been CRAZY! I've actually written out a couple posts that are sitting in my "draft" folder, just waiting for the accompanying pictures... I suppose I really need to learn to upload pictures from the camera myself... Oh well. Tim got them onto the computer downstairs, so tomorrow I'll go down there and get a couple new posts up.

SO... Until tomorrow.

NOT so totally cool

I think it's funny that my last post was all about loving the NATURE in my backyard. Well, today I was up there pulling weeds, and I came across this little bit of nature that I didn't love quite so much.
We caught him, drove across state street, down into the undeveloped area, down a dirt road and across the railroad track, and let this little guy go in a field down there. (I don't know scorpion habits, but just in case they have big homing signals and he thinks MY backyard is HIS home, I wanted lots of deterrents to his returning.) All the way back from dropping him off in his new home, Aaron kept saying, "I miss him already." ( we only had him about 20 minutes... OR LESS) "Is he going to be okay?" "will he have food?" "What if he has a family? he'll never see them again." "I really really miss him already." etc... Funny kid!

I'm just thankful that I'm the one who found him, (not one of the kids bare feet) and that I saw him before I grabbed the weed he was hiding under. It kinda creeped me out a bit, so I was done pulling weeds for the day...

The whole experience today brought back a funny memory - when I was a teenager, my family went camping down in southern Utah. (I don't remember if I actually went with them on that trip or not, it is all a little fuzzy now) Anyway, one morning when they took the tent down, they found a scorpion. They caught it brought it home. We named it Sandy and kept it as "pet" until it died. (purely an observational pet, not holding, snuggling, or petting, in case you are wondering)
I remember being really sad when Sandy died. I buried him/her in the flower bed outside my bedroom window and carved a headstone out of a piece of broken cement from the ditch bed. I used one of my dad's flat head screwdriver and a hammer as my carving tools. Maybe I should be more patient with Aaron and his "pet requests" and his "improper use of tools." Apparently, he may have gotten them from ME!!!!

SO TOTALLY COOL!!!!!

You know how I love nature - especially when it comes right to my backyard. Posts like this one, and this one, are great examples. (I notice that they all have essentially the same titles too. something along the lines of it being really cool.)


Are you ready for what I saw today????



I thought it was SO SO COOL!!!!!! I ran right next door and told my neighbors. the pictures were actually taken by My neighbor Fred. Tim went in to get the camera but they had moved away by the time he came back out.

THANKS FRED!!!


So - are you curious what it was?


Are ya ready?????



(I'm trying to put in lots of spaces so you won't see today's picture right away. Let's hope this is sufficient:)




Here is the un-cropped photo, so you can see the neighbor's fence.


Believe me - it was really really cool! They were just right there in the back yard at the top of the hill! WAHOO!!! I love it!

Tuesday's Tip

MAN OH MAN am I frustrated! I just spent about an hour preparing my post and I was almost done and ready to publish - when suddenly the whole post went POOF and disappeared. No auto saved drafted or anything! What's up with that!!!!! I'm ready to scream.

I'm not sure I want to try again. ARRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

Today's tip is a follow up to some comments left on my recent post about using the wheat in your food storage. Harmony asked "what do you consider a good wheat grinder." and Sandra asked for the recipes.

To Harmony I say, ANY wheat grinder is better than NO wheat grinder. Last year for my birthday I received a hand mill grinder. It can grind a variety of grains and can adjust from fine flour to a course grind used to crack wheat and will still work if there is no power. It is not super fast, adn your arm gets a work out , but it works. Aaron (almost 9) can grind the flour, it is still a little too hard for Katrina to do alone. I believe mine came from emergency essentials and cost between $60 - $70. If you are on a SUPER tight budget, and want to start even smaller, buy a coffee grinder. You can get these for $30 or less, and while the cheap ones are not going to grind the wheat into flour, they will crack wheat really well. And there is LOTS you can do with cracked wheat.

Once you have a basic hand grinder, then save up and invest in a nice electric grinder. I have the Wondermill and I really like it. (I got it for Christmas last year)
Again you want to look for a grinder that will do a variety of grains and legumes. I like mine because it is fast, it is self contained and not lots of parts and pieces I have to keep track of or put together. I'm not really an expert on wheat grinders, but here is a link that might help you more in making the choice.


Now for Sandra, here are a few of the recipes we shared that night.

Blender {WHEAT} Pancakes

1 Cup Milk ( 3 T. Dry Powdered Milk + 1 C. Water)
1 Cup Wheat Kernels, whole & uncooked
2 Eggs (2 T. powdered eggs 1/4 C. Water)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbs. Oil
2 Tbs. Honey or Sugar


Cinnamon Oat Pancake Mix

4 cups quick oats
2 cups white flour
2 cups wheat flour
1 cup powdered milk
2 T cinnamon
3 tsp salt
2T baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
***********
2 eggs
1/3 cups oil
1 cup water

Mix dry ingredients together and store in an airtight container in a dry place. When ready to prepare pancake, mix eggs, oil, and water with 2 cups of dry pancake mix.


To prepare cracked wheat:
2/3 cups cracked wheat
1 1/2 cups water

add wheat to cold water. bring to a boil. cover and simmer for 12 - 15 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Sweeten to taste and serve as breakfast cereal. (usually with milk) Use the cooked wheat in any meat recipe to help your meat go farther. For example, at the enrichment we served sloppy joes that were made with 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 cracked wheat. We did the same with spaghetti and tuna salad. Some people go vegetarian by substituting all of the meat with wheat, but I'd start small and work up to whatever amount works best for you.

Cracked Wheat Casserole

1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 tsp salt
white pepper for seasoning
2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup cracked wheat (uncooked)
1 can tomato soup
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2 -3 cups (cooked) macaroni

Saute' onions and green pepper. Except macaroni, mix remaining ingredients thoroughly. PLace in a casserole dish and bake 1 hour at 325* or until wheat is done.
Fold in cooked macaroni. if more moisture is desired, add a small amount of bottled tomatoes. Top with grated cheese. Put back in oven to melt cheese.

(** this is the recipe as I found it, and how I prepared it, (as an experiment) for the enrichment meeting. It was okay. but I didn't love it, so next time I make it I will try some changes. I will try Italian seasoning instead of poultry, and I will add a can of Italian diced tomatoes. It was too dry for my liking...)



Last but not least - The Fun with Food Storage Network is a great resource for buying, storing and using your food storage, as well as other emergency preparedness needs. While the site(s) is (are) huge and it can be challenging to find exactly what you are looking for, I recommend it. This page here is from the using food storage section and is all about using wheat.

Summer hair cuts

Katrina and I had a little girl time on Saturday and both got haircuts. I was only planning to have my eyebrows waxed, but Katrina was SUPER nervous and said she'd feel better if I did it with her. (It was her first "real" hair cut and she was terrified. After she was done, she said, "it wasn't scary at all. it was great!")

I didn't take official "before" pictures, but you've seen plenty of recent photos from the Disney trip - so...

here we are this morning with our new do's:

Daddy's little princess.

This last one is not a good picture of either me or Katrina, but you can see the length of my hair best in this one, plus if you click on the picture to see the close up, you can see my beautiful purple Clematis (that I love and am very proud of) that is in full bloom in the background.)

A good day

Today I am especially thankful for:

* good friends, good food, good times. (we had friends over for dinner and played games after we ate. It was very nice, even though the soup didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I think my herbs are too old. time for some fresh ones I suppose.)

* a re-arranged storage room. I am done - and I'm loving it! (After Bob left, I even dragged Aaron and Holly down to admire it)

* the rain. I love the smell of rain, the sound of rain, and the free watering of my lawn and garden. I also love that all the rain is making the weeds so much easier to pull.

* a great day in primary. things went so well today. Sharing time and singing time blended so well together, and the kids were really attentive and the spirit was strongly present.

* a great week comes to a close. I worked harder (more consistently at any rate) this past week than I have worked in a long time. and it actually felt really good. It feels good to be able to see the results of my work, instead of working hard and having NOTHING to show for it. It was a really good week

* a new week ahead. I have high hopes that this week is going to be another great week!

I've died and gone to ......

Did you say heaven? you're WRONG. (although that was my first thought) The correct answer is

WORK.

Let me explain. We got some new tenants in one of our duplexes. The majority of the rent is being paid by housing, as the husband is currently unemployed. The wife cleans houses. They asked Tim if they could work off their portion of the rent rather than having to come up with the cash. Tim agreed, so they will be maintaining the yard at the duplex, and the wife will be coming to our home twice a month to clean. She (and her daughter) came for the first time on Wednesday. Now as nice as that may sound, I have to tell you, I told Tim on Monday that I wanted him to call it all off. "The house is too messy. I will be mortified to let them come into this chaos." Tim said firmly, "They need to work and you need the help. They are coming."

Wednesday came, and I WAS mortified when I let them in, but I soon felt like I may have died and gone to heaven. I worked along with them, mostly trying to put stuff away as they cleaned, so you figure we had 3 people working hard for 3 1/2 hours. (Tim was working from home that day, so I sent the kids with him out to lunch - so for that whole hour I was even able to work un-distracted...) It was great! By the time they left, the upstairs was looking great! (I told them not to worry about the downstairs this week, since the hall was full of wheat and storage bins that need new homes) Anyway, the upstairs bathrooms got clean, kids rooms clean, everything vacuumed, walls, windows, blinds, and doors washed. closets straightened out, carpets vacuumed, kitchen counters all wiped down and floors cleaned. IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!

I woke up Thursday and loved walking through a clean house. Since the upstairs was under control, I could finally tackle some others things that have been needing to be done. Remember the wheat we arranged to buy through our self-reliance group? I bought 14 buckets. (630 lbs) It all got lined up in the downstairs hall, since I needed to rearrange the storage room to make room for it. It's been waiting there for me to find the time...
So yesterday I spent most of the day in the storage room. and it looks great! It was hard work, having to empty shelves, them rearranging everything, the reloading all the shelves. I was EXHAUSTED by dinner time - but the wheat is in it's new home and it feels so good to have that out of the way. (I'm not quite done, but less than an hours worth of work left, I'd say.)
Last night before I went to bed, I spend 45 minutes picking up the random things lying around and cleaning up the kitchen dinner mess (took in dinner to a friend who is sick right now). It was just as great waking up (on day 2) to a clean house. Since the kitchen was mostly clean (a few breakfast spills) I went out to pull weeds. I planned to pull weeds for 30 minutes, which turned into and hour and 15 minutes. (The back yard has been severely neglected of late, and the weeds are loving it) I filled up 4 large trash bags, and then started making piles of pulled weeds when I had filled all the bags. (didn't want to stop to come in for more bags) That one section looks a thousand times better now. Only a gazillion more weeds to go!

SO - now you know, I've died and gone to work. I think I may have found the cure to the "one-day-wonder-itis." It has been easier to work (3 whole days in a row) because I'm not doing the SAME stuff everyday- with no lasting obvious results; instead I'm actually able to enjoy the results and I'm able to tackle new projects. It has been a great couple of days. I think I might really like this housecleaning help thing. I highly recommend it.

Oops!!!

have you even heard the saying that it doesn't pay to be nice? I always thought that was really dumb - of course it pays to be nice...

So - here's what happened to me today.

This morning I was driving to the grocery store, and there was a line of cars stopped at the red light ahead. I noticed that on the right side of the road, a vehicle was waiting to make a left turn out of the gas station. I really do try to be a considerate driver, so when I stopped for the light, I left plenty of space in front of me for the car to pass through.

The driver seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, and he started out across the 2 lanes of traffic. (I was in the right lane). The driver was looking to the right and he drove out. As he did, I saw that another car was coming up (pretty quickly) in the lane next to me. (the road is a 4 lane highway, 2 lanes going each direction with a turn lane in the center) I started waving my arms at the driver crossing in front of me, to warn him to stop, but he never looked my direction. He never did check to the left to see if anything was coming in 2nd lane, and hence he never saw me flailing my arms at him. He rammed right into the oncoming car.

I guess I should have honked at him, but my reflexes didn't work that quickly. (to be honest, it all happened really fast and I don't know that it would have helped anyway.) I know it's not my fault, (he SHOULD have proceeded slowly to the point in front of me, and checked for cars coming in the next lane,) but I still felt really bad. I expect that if I had not left the space, he would have been annoyed at me for blocking him in. However, that would have been better than him crashing.

So - to the man in the red jeep like vehicle, and to the driver of the other car he crashed into - I am SO sorry. I'm not sorry that I left you the space, but I AM sorry you had an accident. I wish I had been able to think fast enough of a way to prevent it....

I'm glad no one got hurt...

Thoughtful Thursday

I was reading scriptures with the kids a couple days ago and I had a brief flash of "insight." We were reading Matthew 5, the beatitudes. Verse 8 reads,

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

I have read this verse many, many times in my life, and have always read it as - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for (when they die) they shall see God.

This time when I read it, it occurred to me that those who are truly pure in heart, see God everyday - for they are able to see God, and the power of God in everything around them. The pure in heart love freely, for they can see the divine in every person they meet. They live in a state of gratitude for they continually recognize the hand of God in all things.


As a follow up to this thought, I spent a little time reading about being "pure in heart." In the November 1988 Ensign, Elder Marvin J Ashton has a fantastic talk titled "The Measure of our Hearts." In it, he suggests 4 questions to ask ourselves to determine how we (our hearts) are "measuring up." I quote from the talk:

"First Question: How honest in heart am I?

What does it mean to be honest in heart? It describes an individual who is open to truth, who will evaluate information or people without prejudice. Honest-hearted persons are individuals without pretense, without hypocrisy. They are reliable in word and action. They have no “hidden agendas” to deceive others or to misrepresent facts.

Second Question: Do I have a willing heart?

A willing heart describes one who desires to please the Lord and to serve His cause first. He serves the Lord on the Lord’s terms, not his own. There are no restrictions to where or how he will serve.

Third Question: Do I have an understanding, loving heart?

An understanding, loving heart is the pinnacle of all human emotions. We come closest to becoming Christlike when we are charitable and understanding of others.

One may have many talents and knowledge but never acquire wisdom because he does not learn to be compassionate with his fellow man.

We will never approach godliness until we learn to love and lift. Indifference to others and their plight denies us life’s sweetest moments of joy and service.

Last Question (this taken directly from the Book of Mormon): “If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, … can ye feel so now?” (Alma 5:26; italics added).

Having a “change of heart” at one time in our lives is insufficient to give us an understanding heart today. Helping and understanding a person years ago do not fill us with the love of God today.

Christlike love must be continuous and contemporary.

One night a young idealist had a dream. He dreamed there was a new store in a nearby shopping mall. He went in and saw an angel behind a counter. Nervously, he asked what the shop sold.

“Everything your heart desires,” replied the angel.

“Then I want peace on earth,” exclaimed the idealist. “I want an end to famine, sorrow, and disease.”

“Just a moment,” replied the angel. “You haven’t understood. We don’t sell fruit here—only seeds.”

I pray that God will give each of us the courage and desire to strive for a pure heart, a willing heart, an understanding and loving heart. May we take the seeds offered to all of us, plant them, and nourish them that we may help harvest the matured fruit of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If we can do this, when the final judgment is made and our hearts are measured by the Lord, our measurements will not be found deficient."

What else is there to say to that, except maybe - AMEN.

Tuesday's Tip (after a long explanation)

I recently received my June copy of the Ensign and was impressed by the article "Our Refined Heavenly Home" by Elder Douglas L Callister. He speaks of preparing ourselves to return to live in our Heavenly home by working to develop the attributes of people who would live in such a glorious place. This quote near the beginning of the article and helps set the stage.

"The nearer we get to God, the more easily our spirits are touched by refined and beautiful things."

He goes on to discuss in particular language, literature, music, and art, appearance, and attitude. While many things he pointed out struck a chord in me, I was most .... um.... I'm not certain the right word to use here .... maybe - impressed??? struck by??? inspired by???? knocked upside the head with a two by four????.... I don't know...

Anyway, regardless of the right word to use, one thing he said has been stuck in my mind since I read it. It was in the section about language, and this is what he said,
"Refinement in speech is reflected not only in our choice of words but also in the things we talk about. There are those who always speak of themselves; they are either insecure or proud. There are those who always speak of others; they are usually boring. There are those who speak of stirring ideas, compelling books, and inspiring doctrine; these are the few who make their mark in this world. The subjects discussed in heaven are not trifling or mundane; they are sublime beyond our most extended imagination. We will feel at home there if we are rehearsed on this earth in conversing about the refined and noble, clothing our expressions in well-measured words."

I read that and immediately thought of this blog. Ya - you see where this is going huh? Since this entire blog is about ME or OTHERS (my family), I must be boring with a huge dose of insecurity and pride mixed in.
Now don't fret - I defended myself right away by the fact that this blog was never meant to be an intelligent, inspiring, noble place to visit. It has always been a place for me to keep my journal (that which is not too personal to be in such a public forum), and a way to keep my friends and family informed and involved in the little happenings of my life and the life of my little family. That is why I started blogging and why I continue to blog. Along the way I have met new friends! BONUS.

So - Why has the quote continued with me? I don't believe it's because my blog is a "journal" blog - I am okay with that. It is what it is. I think the reason I am unsettled is because when it comes right down to it, I don't add the "stirring ideas, compelling books, and inspiring doctrine" to this blog because I don't really have any in my brain to share. My brain seems to be completely sucked dry in the daily living. I want to work on changing that. (Odds are that it won't last, but I'm going to give it a shot.) I am going to start small. IF I happen to post on Tuesdays. I am going to try to do a "Tuesday Tip" of some sort. (pretty broad huh? More likely to be able to think of something that way.) It may still fall into the category of "mundane," but the goal is to get my brain thinking just a tad bit more. I'm hoping also to turn up the brain juices at least once a week and post something THOUGHTFUL on Thursdays. (another broad category eh? I've got this down to a science)

SO - after all that - are you ready for the Tuesday Tip? I hate to even say it now, because it really is MUNDANE - but, if you have kids that stain things and you hate paying for expensive sprays or stain sticks to try to get the stain out - have I got the TIP for you.

I am not kidding. This stuff is fantastic. You can find it in the laundry aisle and it usually costs about a dollar. I love this stuff. It takes out baby messes. (the ones out of both ends) I have seen it take out grass stains, blood stains, chocolate, red punch, blue non-washable crayola marker (I know this last one from today's laundry - took that blue marker right out of my pink Disneyland shirt) and muchy much more. I just unwrap half the bar, using the unwrapped portion to hold it by. (actually , my current bar is 1/2 gone, so I just hold the soap now, in case you really wanted to know) When I'm ready to do the laundry, I get the stained item of clothing wet, rub the bar on the stain, then throw it in the wash. Easy as pie! I have even had this stuff take out stains that I missed and sent through the dryer. Not everything, but several... I love it! and I love the price. I would guess that for me, a bar lasts 6 - 9 months, maybe more.

So - there is your tip for the day. not stirring or inspiring really, but it might help with your stains and your budget. And you can always chose to be inspired by the quotes from Elder Callister's talk - even if you don't need the stain fighting tip. Ya'll have a great day now!