Danger

This is our 2nd year having an artificial Christmas tree.  (Or as my family calls it:  FAKE.  Say that with contempt and disdain and all things negative.)

I have loved it.  Not worrying about the water, the falling needles, having to take it down Christmas night or the day after because of safety.

Now I have discovered the danger of having an artificial tree:  keeping it up!  All of Christmas is down now except the tree.  I just don't want to gear up to tackle the job.  I tell myself everyday that today is the day.  And then I get into something else and talk myself out of it. 

I am still enjoying it's 'glow' of minilights.  I'm a sucker for those.

Mom's Birthday

Today is my mom's birthday.

She is 74.

WE LOVE YOU, MUTTI!

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU--

(Lisa hosted a party for her.  She requested chocolate sheet cake from Costco--which is out of character for her because she always want cream puffs--fried chicken with mashed potatoes and cream gravy, baked beans, veges and salad. )

Not Everything On A Blog Is Good And Happy

This is Taylor, my cousin Jenn's son.

He is in the hospital today having some major surgery on his neck.

Look at his left side.  He has masses going from his cheekbone down to his shoulder.

They have appeared and grown very quickly.

The doctors are removing the masses and trying to figure out what they are.

The two preliminary diagnoses are:  lymphoma or ALPS disease, neither of which is very good.

Tay is 16. He and Chrissy Miss are just 2 months apart and close cousins.

She is having a very hard time with this.

She understands the possibility of loss since another cousin left us last year.  We had 4 family members pass a little over a year ago.

Not everything on a blog is good and happy.

But it is life.

We're praying hard Taylor!

(Talked to a friend for a long time this morning.  She is struggling.  She is so wonderful and has lost faith in herself and her own goodness.  The phone call ended well.  Then went over to Josh and Mere's to meet Miguel.  He is helping them landscape their patio area in the back of the townhouse.  Meredith has a nice plan and Miguel gave her his suggestions and I think it will be quite nice.  Off to do the carpool and then home.  Dinner was 'clean out the fridge' so I had a ham and cheese grilled sandwich with some leftover soup.)

Our Newest Graduate

SHAUN GRADUATED!

From BYU on December 15th, 2010.

His major was Psychology.

They don't 'walk' in December, so we will go back in April for the ceremony.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You worked hard and it paid off.

Quite an accomplishment.

We love you and are proud of you.

Albertson's Stickers For Pots

Does anyone have any extra stickers for the pots and pans from Albertsons?  I need 20 more.
If not, then I have 5 extra to give to someone who might need them.

Let me know!

'1'nce In A Lifetime

Today is 1/11/11.

At 1:11am.

Then it will be 11:11am.

And 1:11pm.

And just as it is ending it will pass

11:11pm.

This will happen only '1'nce in a lifetime!

and I'm here to see it.

Christine says you are supposed to make a wish whenever it is 11:11, so here goes!

Holy Crap

I say this from time to time and each time I do, I think to myself:  crap can't be holy, Cindy!  You shouldn't say that anymore.

This morning I said it to my cousin.  Her son is really sick and it's not good and they get some test results back this afternoon that don't sound encouraging.  As in, the doctor won't give them over the phone only in person kind of scary.

So I've been thinking about Holy Crap.  And have decided that indeed, crap can be holy.

Crap is bad stuff.  Crap is the stuff we don't want. Crap is made of events and/or experiences we would simply not invite into our lives that come anyway.  BUT Crap is the things that cause us to have soul enlarging experiences to grow from. Crap is what refines us.  Crap helps mold us into what God knows we can become in order to return to Him.  Isn't that becoming Holy? 

So today I say Crap can be Holy.

And please call us asap after the appointment. (And I still should find a more refined way to say it. But today it fits.)

Wedding Bells

We went to a wedding and reception today in Murrieta at Monteleone Meadows.

It was a beautiful garden setting.

Lisa is probably my longest friend.  We've know each other since we were about 3 years old.

Her daughter was the bride.

 Jenelle and Richard, Lisa's parents.

 Son, Nathan, escorting the Mother of the Bride, Lisa.

 Holding hands, and now ready for the grand entrance.

 Here comes the Bride.

Becky with her dad, Ron.

 See how happy the groom, Brent is?  Look at his face when he saw her!

 It was a very nice ceremony by the Bishop.

 And now it's time to par-tay!

We had hors d'oeuvres while the wedding party did the pictures and then quite a delicious dinner of beef tenderloin, chicken, fresh vegetables, salad, parmesan bread, and augratin potatoes.  It was some of the best wedding food I have had.

Diane, Lisa, Jenelle, and Marilyn (Jenelle's sister)

Jenelle used to be one of my YW leaders.  I always loved her lessons on Wednesday nights.  Lisa and I tried to conquer all of life's problems in growing up.  Childhood, adolescence, teenagers, dating, young adults, marriage and children.  She is the best!

And now a little bit of the Martinelli's bubbly to toast the occasion.



Today's Birthdays and Christine's Driving

Today we have 3 birthdays.
Niece, Bekah. Neice, Brooke.  And my cousin, Jeff P.  I can't believe he is 50!
I hope they all have a really good birthday.  I am thinking of each of them and sending our love through the miles.

Christine is doing a lot of driving.  She gets herself pretty much where she needs to be without me now.  Just uses my car!  We are still carpooling for school and seminary because she isn't eligible for a school parking pass until next year.  Bummer.  It is really nice to have her driving, but I'm missing our conversations together in the car and truth be told, cutting this apron string is kind of hard on me.  She is my last driver and I'm feeling a little obsolete.  That's probably not the exact right word, but you know what I mean.  I sent her to the grocery store last week for a few items and she doive there, shopped, called me a couple of times to ask where certain items were, paid, and came home.  I was so excited that she is learning that skill.  She did a great job with the errand.  And was pretty proud of herself.

The Next Step

I started taking down the decorations today.  I have really enjoyed them, but now they are starting to bug me.  The mantle and banisters and front door garlands and carolers are packed away.  Shaun, Kevin, and Eric got down all the bins for me.

I have gone at my own pace this year and not felt pressured to have it all cleaned up right away.  Everyday a little bit more. I just looked on the porch and my poinsettias are dead.  I forgot to water them!  I must have overlooked that detail since I turned off the sprinklers letting the landscaping dry out from all the rain.

(Today is my brother's birthday.  I haven't seen him in about 15 years.  He is a very unhappy person and doesn't know how to fix it.  Some things probably won't be repaired until the eternites. )

Speedy Southwestern Chicken Chili

Here is a GREAT fast recipe that was on Good Things Utah. 

I made it last night for dinner and we decided it was a keeper.

I really do like this show.  It has 'good things', just like the title.

If you can open a can, you can make this speedy chili!

Southwestern Chicken Chili by Penny Worthen

4-6 chicken breasts cooked and shredded or 1 rotisserie chicken boned
2 cans diced tomatoes (garlic and onion)
1 small jar salsa (I used my homemade/canned pint size)
1 can kernal corn (or 2 cups frozen, which is what I used because it was what I had and my family doesn't care for canned corn)
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cans diced green chilies (I used 2)
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. dry Taco seasoning mix
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro (optional)
Chicken broth/stock (optional.  I used it to thin out the chili because we don't like it quite so thick.)

Put it all in a crock pot, stir together, and let simmer until warmed through on low for 4 hours.  If you use raw chicken, double the cooking time and then remove and shred it and add back.

OR:  Add all ingredients to a large pot, stir, and bring to a simmer and warm through.  Maybe 15-20 minutes.

Serve with:  tortilla strips/chips, grated cheese, a lime wedge if you like, and a drizzle of Cafe Rio dressing, which I wouldn't have thought of, but really adds a nice flavor. SERIOUSLY, this is really good!

Hangers

When I am in Utah I like to watch their morning show, Good Things Utah.  My family rolls their eyes and thinks it's the hokiest program and I will agree with that only on the point of their opening dialogues.  Once a segment was about caffeine energy drinks and which one was the best to drink to give you energy in the afternoon.  Those kinds of beverages are not good for anybody anytime and perhaps I am very naive but I really hope people don't drink them. What's the difference between that and a cup of coffee if the reason you are drinking it is for the energy that comes from the caffeine?

Anyway--but I think the show is awesome at showcasing local groups, individuals, events, and their cooking and crafting segments.  One day last week they had a guest giving tips on home organizing.  I'm always interested in new ideas for that.  She covered lots of areas and then came to the closet.  It was all about the hangers.  Did you know:

 You should NEVER have these or the tubular plastic ones in your closet.

As soon as you get something home from the dry cleaners they should come off of these and onto a different one.

 

 You are to only use wooden...

...or flocked.

Did you know any of this?

Am I the only one who has an inappropriate closet?  Am I just out of the loop?

I looked up these hangers online and they are expensive.

So my question is:

What kind of hangers do you use?