Cougars Cookbook

I saw this cookbook on the Good Things Utah show yesterday morning.  There is also one for the University of Utah and they were having a rivalry recipe cooking segment.  It was funny.  So when we were walking the BYU bookstore I noticed it on one of the ends in the book section.  Ah, why not?  It has some nice recipes in it with catchy titles all about tailgating and school-themed parties.

Fun find. 

Happy Bday, Leslie Girl

Love You, 'baby' cousin!

I hope you have a fantastic day.

I so remember the day you were born...

Afternoon in Provo

Cool, cool night last night.  If the nights stay this cool we will start seeing the color change here in the mountains before weeks end.  Our Maples are already losing their deep green.

We headed out for Provo today.  Got Shaun all squared away.  This is the 3rd apartment he's been in in this complex and I like this layout the best.  His fall internship is almost finalized and that is a HUGE load off his mind so he can stay on track for graduation.  Someone put a really nice queen-sized bed in his room.  Management won't take it out, so I had to go buy linen for it since he only had twin bedding, which is usually what is in all apartments.

Sarah R. has only been to Utah one other time in her life, so we took her around the campus and to the bookstore.  I love the feeling of the first week of school here.  It is full of excitement, fresh hopes and dreams, and aproaching autumn.  You could notice how everyone was tired on their walk home with sore feet no doubt from all the walking and new shoes.

Since we had a big lunch at El Azteca, no one was really hungry and the ride up the canyon was quiet. 
Good Day.

Lots of Late Nights

The late nights are catching up with me.
Lately, Christine and I have been staying up late.  The other night we watched the movie Sense and Sensibility.  We had never seen it before and didn't finish it until 12:30am.  It was very much worth it.  But I do have to say we had to keep reminding ourselves which movie it was because so many of the actors have been in other movies we love and we clearly associate them with their characters in those other movies!

For example:
--The hero, The Colonel, is Snape in Harry Potter.  In S&S, he is blond and a really nice, normal person!
--Hugh Grant is the other male lead and he is no one but George Wade to us in Two Weeks Notice.
--Miss Madeline is Rose in Titanic who ends up marrying The Colonel Brandon.  Can  you just see it?  Titanic's Rose with Harry Potter's Snape????!!!!
--Miss D. is Nanny McPhee (!) who ends up marrying Hugh Grant.
--Hugh Laurie, House,  is a henpecked husband.
--Professor Umbridge, from Harry Potter, is the henpecked hubby's wife.
But in the end:  All Is Well.

Then I have been laying down and cuddling with her when she goes to bed.  She comes in and asks and I am thrilled for the invitation.  We end up talking for long periods of time until she'll gently say to me, "Mom.  You can go to your own bed now.  You're starting to snore...."  It's usually between 1 and 2am.  I have enjoyed these late nights more than I can ever describe.  She is my youngest and even though I cut a few more apron strings each year, I know I won't ever get this back so I cherish the moments.

It is no wonder then that I slept off and on most of the drive to Utah yesterday.  And then slept like a rock last night too.  But today it is hitting full force.  I am wiped out.  Dinner is in the crock pot and I'm headed for a nap!  Duff and Shaun took Chris and her friend Sarah R. to get his truck from Jan's.  He goes to Provo tonight because school starts tomorrow for him.  This should be his last semester of undergrad.  Yay for him.  He has worked hard to accomplish this goal.  There is a problem with his capstone class, but hopefully he can get that all worked out this week.

Our church meetings were great.  We walked out after to the most delicious breeze.  It was comfortably cool and you could feel, taste, and smell the coming autumn in it.  Duff and I both turned to each other and commented about it.

I--tunes and pod

I finally finished a project that I took on yesterday.  I hadn't really planned on doing it right now, but it kept calling to me and so I dove in.  I have been wanting to clean up my itunes for a long time.  When I inherited Natalie's undergrad laptop I also inherited all her itunes.  Then I put mine on there too.  Only problem was, once she transferred all of hers over to her new computer they were still left on mine.  So I've had a mish-mosh on itunes and my ipod.  I called Natalie to make sure she had everything she wanted on her current comp, and then I started deleting.  One song at a time.  Alphabetically by album.  I told myself that I would do 2 letters a day.  So yesterday was supposed to be the A's and B's.  That was a joke.  I made myself stop at the G's so I could do dinner.  Then I got to the M's.  I finally stopped there.  I figured I was half way through the alphabet, right?  I was surprised at how much I got done in-between loads of laundry.

So this morning, I told myself again, I would only do a couple of letters.  I could finish it this weekend.  Nope.  Something inside me just kept pressing forward.  I couldn't stop until I finally finished it, and sync'd it up.  (Christine supervised me to make sure I did it right.)  Does that ever happen to you when you get so involved in a project?

Did you know that it takes anywhere from 30-60 seconds to get past the introduction of a song and make it to the chorus/part you really recognize?  FYI:  I didn't listen to entire songs.  That would have taken forever!  I deleted just about 1000 songs.  Can you believe that?!  I fixed the titles and artists and albums sections.  I took care of all the 'unknowns'.  I researched all the titles of 'track 1,2,3's' etc.

So now I can add about 20 albums that I found last week when I was cleaning up all those cd's from when we gave our old stereo away.  Yay!  Now my ipod is ready for our Swiss Days and the first BYU gameof the season trip.

It is really late--or early--depending on how you look at it, but I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd catch up since I have the computer to myself.  Keep scrolling.....

CD Boxes

We got rid of our stereo.  It is 18 years old and we haven't used it for the last 5 years since ipods and docking stations have come out.  One day I took a fresh look at our bedroom and thought, 'why do we have that sitting in the corner?  It is a catch-all and gathers dust.'

So out it went to Rosie and Lourdes who were thrilled.

That left me with a dilemna:  what do I do with all our cd's now that the storage shelf and drawer went out with the stereo case?

With Adrianne's help, I searched on google for storage solutions.

I found this great cd storage boxes from Staples.

They hold 60 cd's in regular jewel cases.

I got 4 of them.

Yeah.  I have one whole box just for Christmas music.

It's in the dna in my family. :)

All alphabetized by artist, labeled, and on a shelf in my closet.

Ahhh.  It looks and feels so good...

(and yes.  I saw you roll your eyes you two.  Lisa and Kristin...)

T.C. No. 4

This article is from a local Utah newspaper, The Deseret News.  It came to us via the online rather than traditional paper version.  I add it to my blog mostly for journaling purposes so that when I print this out into my yearly book it will be included because I think the point is quite poignant and someday when my posterity reads through it I want them to know that I agree with it's perspective.  With all the fuss about colleges changing conferences these days and the sports, financial, and whatever else reasons there are for doing it (and there are a million for and against it from all sides), it is a good reminder for us to keep important things in perspective.


Living where we do, keeping the Sabbath is one of the major markers that sets us apart publically and privately (in our hearts) even from other devout Christians in other denominations.  Whether it be work, sports, shopping, banquets, and the like.  We have already run into some of that and are gearing up for more as Christine progresses in high school with lacrosse, especially as the only goalkeeper so far.


An example:  A few years ago, there was a girl in our stake who BYU recruited heavily for their women's volleyball team.  They weren't the only college.  She had so much correspondence from so many colleges and scholarship offers that it filled a large dufflebag.  I saw the dufflebag.  It was mind-boggeling.  At one point the Y had come down for another in-person meeting and took she and her parents to dinner.  Everything had been negotiated except for her playing on a club team.  They insisted that during her senior year she had to play on a club team in order for them to give her the scholarship and a position on the team.  That had to be on her resume.  Well, any and all club teams play on Sunday here.  So there it was:  The Sabbath or The Club Team.  Her father, who was serving in the Stake Presidency at the time, looked over the table at the recruiters and explained again that she was committed to keeping the sabbath holy and would not be playing on a club team.  They explained that they had no choice then but to take back the offer because a club team experience had to be on the resume the way it was set up.  But they did see the dilemna.  There was a 'cultural' gap because of 'geography'.  It had never been taken into consideration that to meet the qualifications it might affect the keeping of a commandment for those living in other parts of the world.  She stuck to her commitment and after several letters between she and her parents, the school, and the board of directors, it got worked out so that she joined the team without compromising the sabbath. 


This article was written no doubt because of all the debate over college sports conference changes recently.  There is quite a bit of history research in it that is fascinating.  My reason for posting it is not about the recent changes, but about keeping the sabbath holy and what I want my family to take away regarding that commandment and to see how easy it is to rationalize and let our guard down.  How quickly it can all change without realizing it.  It can happen with all of the commandments.  None of us is perfect and we need to be ever vigilant.

BYU is lone holdout for not playing on Sundays
Published: Tuesday, July 6, 2010 10:26 p.m. MDT

In the current realignment of college sports leagues, a lot has been made of BYU's policy of not allowing its sports teams to play on Sunday, citing, specifically, No. 4 of the Ten Commandments — or what ESPN's SportsCenter would call the top 10 do-good gems — which states: "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy."
I find this remarkable.
Not that BYU doesn't play sports on Sunday.
But that everyone else does.
They all do when it comes to the NCAA Division 1 level, at any rate. Apparently, no other major athletic program in America has a policy that prohibits its teams to participate on Sunday.

This includes any number of private institutions run by Christian churches — Southern Methodist, Texas Christian, St. Joseph's, Notre Dame, etc.

I'm not suggesting what churches, or anyone else, should preach. Holy writ is open to interpretation, and heaven knows there are plenty of ways to interpret "to keep it holy." To some, what could be holier than an afternoon at the ballpark?
But, still, to have the "Never On Sunday" faction reduced to just one major sports-playing university in America reflects quite a defection.

There were years — thousands of them, actually — when conventional wisdom leaned decidedly in the other direction. Whole epochs of time passed when the people who played on Sunday were way in the minority — and sometimes in jail.

If you were to chart a rough timeline of the whole sports on Sunday chronicle, it would go something like this:

•  1441 B.C.: Moses receives the Ten Commandments, including No. 4.
•  After that, the followers of Moses, i.e. The House of Israel, became so enthusiastic/obsessed about what they CANNOT do on the Sabbath Day that when Jesus came along, he managed to look downright liberal by comparison (e.g. "ox in the mire").
•  After Jesus came his followers, the Christians. Early Christian history — due to political harassment, being fed to the lions, etc. — is spotty about pretty much everything, but we do know that when the Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian, one of the first things he did, in 321 A.D., was clamp down on Sunday activities.

"Let all judges, and all city people, and all tradesmen, rest upon the venerable day of the sun," he wrote.

He also completely killed off — for 15 centuries — the Olympic Games because they worshipped pagan gods, but that's another topic.
Thus with Constantine was ushered in Sunday sports taboos that persisted until about the time your grandfather was born.

The Sunday sports debate was mostly a non-issue during the Dark Ages, when people were busy 24/7 lighting torches, looking out for the Huns and staying alive, but included as part of the Great Renaissance (especially, for some reason, in England and thereabouts) was the invention of games such as golf, cricket, rugby, football and so forth.

By 1600 and the time of the first King James, long before LeBron, the fuss over whether these new sports were evil and should be allowed on the Holy Sabbath had progressed to the point that royal edicts were issued allowing some sports — archery and running were two — to be participated in on Sunday, but only "after services."

Members of the burgeoning no-nonsense sect known as Puritans were appalled at this, and when they made their way to America, they vowed not to allow such backsliding in their new land.
For 300 years, from 1600 through 1900, it was against the law in most of America to legally participate in organized sports on Sunday. These laws were called blue laws.

There were heated debates over blue laws long before there were heated debates over civil rights.

About 1900, things started to change. In 1902 the first professional baseball teams, in St. Louis and Cincinnati, were allowed to play on Sunday.
But it wouldn't be until 1934 that the last of baseball's blue laws, in Pennsylvania, would be called out.

It would still be a while after that before colleges and universities would begin to occasionally play sports on Sunday. But each decade found a few more schools joining in. At first it was mainly just tournaments. Later, television contracts seized on lucrative Sunday audiences.
That brings us to the present day, when BYU is the exception, not the rule. The Cougars have a ton of history on their side, and the 20th chapter of Exodus, but not much else.

Sunday used to be out. Now it's in and it's BYU that's out.

And alone.

It's amazing how relatively quickly that all happened.

It is so dang hot and humid.  Today I am sooooo very grateful for air conditioning.  In the house, in the car, in the stores.  Yay! 

It was 101* at 4:30pm when I pulled up to Josh and Meredith's.  Usually by this time, it has started to cool down some.  But not today.  And then Josh let me know tomorrow is supposed to be worse.  Aye carumba!  I had been to Costco and was dropping off some goodies to get them through the next few days while Mere is getting her strength back.  (All went well.)    Their new place is really nice.  It is warm and inviting.  It has a good feeling.  Mere is good at that.

Enchiladas for dinner.  Since I was gone most of the day, Christine took over the house duties.  What a good job she did!  Thank you, Chrissy girl.  The summer is practically over and I'm not ready this year.  Can I have another month or so?????

Butcher Paper and Locked Door

You know that feeling of humiliation, dread, when the shock of realizing something stupid that you did hits you in a nano-second?

Yeah.

We are having a heat wave this week.

So I hadn't exactly gotten dressed yet.

I was alone in the house.

It was quiet and I was relishing the time to do just what I wanted.

I was tidying up the kitchen and went to put some containers in the small garage in the food storage cupboard.  All was well until I turned the door handle to go back in the house. 

IT WAS LOCKED!

I had accidentally hit the tiny lock button when I opened it to go in the garage.

That button has been sensitive and tricky the whole time we have lived here.

There I was in my 'unmentionables' with the door to the inside locked.  There was no choice but to go outside to find an unlocked entry back into the house.

It quickly registered that the front door was locked, the other garage was closed and locked, the bathroom door to the outside was locked, but the kitchen slider wasn't!  Now how to get there with hopefully a smidge of dignity.

My eyes landed on a roll of butcher paper that I keep for making signs and covering tables.  I wrapped it around me, ripped it off the bolt and darted through the backyard to the slider and privacy!

I got dressed.

Christmas In August

We've always heard about gearing up for Christmas in July, right?

Today I got a hint of that very thing, even though it is August.

Mike and Adrianne walked into the family room this evening with this cute holiday gift bag.

I had forgotten that on Christmas morning last year, she told me my gift wasn't finished yet.  It intrigued and excited me and then it slipped from my memory.

Ta-Da!

Look how cute this is!  This sampler message is done on the tiniest linen cloth.  And then she shows me that this is the 2nd one she has done.  The original one she did on a speckled aida cloth and didn't like how it turned out, so she started all over again on this linen.  It was really cute, but I agreed with her on the linen choice.  Truth is, I would have been thrilled with the first one because 1) she made it and she does immaculate handwork, and 2) I would have never known!  I was really touched that she wanted it to be just right as her gift for me.  We are going to frame it together in this frame they picked out.

Adrianne, you are special.  I love you.

Sunday 8-22-10

We had Josh and Meredith for the day.  So we celebrated birthday again.  I always give the family a Sunday dinner of their choice for their birthday.  She picked:  roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, salad, and rolls with honey.  Oreo ice cream dessert for her cake.  I made a pie shaped one with mint oreo for her (her fave) and vanilla in a 9 X 13.  Adrianne and Shaun love the mint oreo, so they got to share!

We read and napped and watched some tv.

Christine was released as the MiaMaid president today.  She did a great job and led the girls well.  She learned a lot also.  Especially how it feels to be released and pass the torch to the next one called.  In the church we all stand up and move to the left or the right--figuratively speaking--as others have an opportunity to serve and we learn to be directed and give our support.  I love that.

Happy Birthday Meredith

Happy Birthday to our very own Meredith!

It's been kind of a hard week around here and she didn't know if she would feel like celebrating, but by yesterday decided that Original Pancake House would be just the thing.  Mere is definitely more of a breakfast person than a dinner person so this was perfect.

Her chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and the birthday candle as everyone sang the birthday song.

49er Flapjacks.

It's hard to describe them, but they are just about the best pancakes ever.

A bit thicker than a crepe, kind of that same 'chewy-ish' texture, but fluffy and light like a pancake.

Some whipped butter, a smidge of powdered sugar, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

I think out of the nine of us there, 5 of us order these just about every time!

Tasty home potatoes and the lignon berries.

Meredith, me, and Christine all stopped for a pedicure treat on the way home.

Meredith is:

darling.sweet, fun, strong physically, emotionally and spiritually, hard worker, creative, spontaneous, good spirited, good sense of humor, a great daughter-in-law!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEREDITH

WE LOVE YOU!

Duff and Mike to work.  Did the marketing for the next week, and surprised Duff by getting his very dirty car washed and gassed.  Picked him up and met the kids at Wasabi for some teppanyaki dinner.  It's Meredith's birthday, but Josh treated her to what he wanted for dinner.  She is such a good sport.  Of course, none of us can resist a good teppanyaki dinner.  Everytime I try and watch closely to figure out how to do it at home, but can never get it quite the same.

Should I Switch?

I'm not happy with Christine's orthodontist.  He has a very condescending inappropriate bedside manner.  I think I'm going to make some calls and see if we can switch to someone else.  We started with one doctor and he sold his practice and we just stayed with the new one.  It's not working.

And that is the mild version of what happened this morning at her appointment.  It kind of hampered the rest of our day.

The HOT weather continues.  But my tomato plants are loving it!  I think it's time to pull out the zuchinni plants.  They are done.  I'm entertaining planting some more since our weather is warm throughout the fall?????

Roll Them Babies

Tonight was our annual summer Relief Society night with our daughters.  We play games and have desserts and just visit and have a grand old time!  We played Bunco this year.  OH!  Did we laugh, yell, laugh some more, and do a lot of visiting.  The YW girls loved it and we all got to mingle adults and girls.  I think things like this are good for their transitioning.  The treats tonight were all about popcorn.  Just about every and any kind of it.  My fave:  the gooey caramel kind.  But--someone brought gooey peanut butter batch and it was pretty amazing!

Christine registered today for her sophomore year.  Her ID picture turned out soooo pretty.  You know those usually never turn out well.  So that was a plus and her favorite news was that she DID get into the photography class she was hoping to for her elective.  She is so excited and I'm looking forward to gleaning some tips from her!

Our summer has finally arrived as far as the heat is concerned.  HOT! 

We are very sad right now.
Things didn't go well at Meredith's doctor appointment.
They'll be okay and try again.  But we've had lots of prayers and tears today.

Sure love you two!

It's Dang Quiet Around Here

The house is so quiet.  It's nice and it isn't.  I've been washing and washing and making beds back up and ironing and folding and picking up and vacuuming.

Worked in the garden today too and got it all good and fertilized along with the rose bushes and beds.  Cleaned the glass in the pilaster outdoor lights.  Wow.  Didn't realize how dirty they really were until they were clean.

Greg Steele got married today.  Their backyard is all set up for the reception.  They have hooked into our power for part of the lights so it doesn't blow out everything at their house.  The kids are quite layed back so it was a Hawaiin theme with dessert and dancing.  Even the desserts had a polynesian flair:  white cupcakes with mango cream filling with blackberry frosting and a berry on top, etc.  fresh fruit everywhere.  Cute couple and they are on their way back to Hawaii to live.  They love it there.  I remember when we all first moved here and he came over to our house for the first time, and now he is all grown up and married.

It was a lovely evening.

Bye-Bye :(

They're off.  Our Arizona kiddos are on their way home.  It was a great two weeks.  No trips to Dland or any of those things.  Duff and Mike are too busy with work these days.  Rob took the MPRE while they were here so all the first week was spent studying.  But we helped Josh and Meredith move, crafted, shopped, went to the pool, and played with the baby.  He'll be walking shortly.

Christine decided to drive back with them and spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie and Uncle Craig.  She'll fly back on Tuesday just in time to register for fall classes at school.  I'm really not ready for summer to end this year.  Can we have another month?

Tub and Toys

The baby loves his bath in my big tub.

He loves all his tub toys and likes them in or out of the bath, especially if they are lined up on the ledge.

And this was a fun discovery.

Even Christine didn't know about it, which I didn't realize.

It seems that through the years I've saved quite a few toys from McDonald's Happy Meals and built a stash in the bottom drawer of our dresser.

It brought back lots of memories for Christine and lots of fun for Johnny-boy.

Double Take

Jack-Jack or Johnny?

Provident Living for August

Hi Family:

Well along with our two Sunday family dinners and family home evenings we've already had this month, and the soft launch of Family IQ, and Natalie, Robert and John here for 2 weeks, and Shaun back and forth from school, and Josh and Meredith's move, we've had lots of fun and good times.

So now for some practical-ness:  Emergency Preparedness.  Yes, the 'dreaded' EP.  But we've just got to do it.  Even though it is practically the middle of the month today, I did change over the sidebar on Provident Living.  Scroll down and take a look.        

<----<----<----<----<----<----<----<----<----<----<----<

Right now Wal-Mart and Target are having some good specials on laundry and soap products.  I think the charcoal at Costco is the best buy for the money currently, and if you haven't given it much thought or don't have a charcoal chimney to start it then opt for the match light.  You don't need to get or store lighter fluid then.

I really feel strongly about this.  I think the time we will need to draw on our reserves is closer than we realize.

Love, MOM

Belated Anniversary

Deidre and Brad celebrated their 5th anniversary on the 6th!

Wow.  Those were a fast 5 years!

Let us know how the move is coming along.  The end of dental school will be here before you blink!

Squeeze the boys for their California cousins.

Belated Birthday

Well, since I'm catching up...Bethany had a birthday On August 2nd while I was m.i.a. from the blogging world.

SO--

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BETHANY!

Glad TJ is here safe and sound.

Hope you are doing well.

Bethany is:

cute, a good mom, a good teacher, has a fun-loving personality, and meets challenges with strong determination to overcome.

We hope you had a really nice day!

Camera

I still can't find my camera. 

My Nikon S360, that I LOVE.

So, on Saturday I just had to go and get another one.

Meredith went with me.

I need support when I make these kinds of purchases.  I don't do them well.

Thank you Best Buy for sales.

No more S360's, so I got an S8000. 

A few little new features than the other one had for the same price.

Shucky-darn (snap fingers), guess I'll take 'em!

Now, if I find that other camera I'll be a bit upset!

Patriarchal Blessing

Tonight was a very special one.  Christine received her Patriarchal Blessing.  She has been impressed to have it for the last 8 months and today was the day.

She and Patriarch Lindahl have a special bond already.  They have a ranch in Heber and she goes riding with him when we are there and they are also in town.

We had a lovely conversation in their living room for about an hour all about the purpose, history, and meaning of this kind of blessing through the Priesthood.  Then he met with her for a bit on her own in his office before inviting Duff and I in.  His office is so beautiful.  Warm wood with interior glass walls and doors.  He asked me to offer a prayer.  Then he proceeded with the Blessing.

It was quite a sacred experience.  The spirit was very strong and powerful.

Afterwards, Joy came downstairs and she and I talked sewing.  She is quite the seamstress with her specialty being machine embroidery on silk.  We are going to exchange some patterns and she showed me her latest project.  It is a Christmas panorama.  Amazing.  She'd like to make several so that each of the girls in her family can have one when she 'goes'.  I hope I still have goals like that when I am 80!  Blaine and Duff talked horses and BYU and teased us about sewing machines...Can we be like them when we grow up? Haha!

Stitches for Darla

Darla had to get 4 stitches in her head today.

This morning, I noticed her lavendar bow on the family room carpet.  Picked it up and put it on the kitchen island.  I didn't think much of it because after 2 weeks out from the groomer, it usually comes out.  She's been getting bows for 11 years.

Then she was sitting on Christine's lap and she turned to me and said, "Mom.  I think the bow rubberband is tangled up in Darla's hair."  I got up and went over to check it out, but it sure didn't look like or feel like a rubberband.  I went over and got the bow.  Nope--little pony tail still in tact on the lavender ribbon.  Hmmm.

Took her to the sink and let the warm water gently run over it while I finger-combed around it. I almost fainted.  She had a 1/2 inch slit cut across the top of her head.  Like if you were slicing the top off of an onion but you stop just short of cutting all the way through the slice and can peel it back.  Or like if you butterfly a chicken breast.  I knew immediately that we were going to the vet.

At first he thought it might be 'bow' related.  He said vets hate, hate, hate when groomers put bows in small dogs.  They cause all kinds of problems.  But after he stitched her up he said it was definitely a 'trauma' injury.  Does she like to get under things.  Well, yes.  The couches, the beds, bushes.  He thinks she got under something, decided to back out and sliced her head on the way out.

They had to trim all the hair away, scrub it out (shiver with chills...), and stitch it up. She has 3 different meds, and a steroid cream.  They told me to go run errands while they worked on her.  I got the car washed and went to Lowe's.  My roses need some 'food', and I got a new owl to put up in the garden so the birds stay out of picking on the tomatoes.  She was one happy puppy when I got back.  And now she is home and being pampered.

Poor baby.

Water Boy

John loves the water.  In a pool, from the hose, in a puddle, in the bath, from a glass, you name it he loves the water.

Love the drool.  He had just put the hose to his mouth and took a big, choking drink.

I think this is my favorite.

I think I can.  I know I can.  See I told you I could crawl with the hose!

Gramma!  Please turn it back on!

Hmmm.  The grass thing is still up for debate.

New Baby, Taylor J.

Bethany and Aaron had their new baby today.  She is a 6 lb. 14 oz. bundle of cutie!  Taylor Julie is her name (with the Julie after her grandma), and they will call her TJ.  Lots of dark hair.  No denying she belongs to the fam--she reminds me of when Bethany and the girls were babies.

Welcome to the world, little one!

Pool Time

We took John to the pool today.  He loved it!  He floated around in the baby floatie.  It took a little while for him to adjust to the weightless feeling, but after that he would let his feet float up and he instinctively kicked his little legs around.  Then we went over to the spa.  He did love the warmer water and all the bubbles.  We played motor-boat, motor-boat and he liked jumping up and down.  He is a little water boy.  He was so relaxed when we got home.  Well, we all were.  Hey, I think I want a spa in my own yard now!

Yoes and Woes

**I can't find my camera.
**I've been so frustrated.
**I've looked everywhere.
**Shaun says it's not at the cabin.
**I've been so busy I can't remember when I used it last, if indeed it was here at home. Bad, I know.
**I'm missing so many picture opportunities because John is here. cry, cry...
**My parents came into town unexpectedly Wednesday afternoon.  Great last minute surprise, and now my house is overflowingly full.  Just about every place a body can lay down is taken.
**This means so much fun and energy, but Duff said I was so dead tired last night that I was snoring and he had to leave the bedroom.  Yikes!
**Duff is picking Shaun up from the airport. Add several more bodies, because when he is home, it is the gathering place for the 'group'. (which we do love btw)
**Josh left his dress shoes here on Sunday, so now I have to drive them to his office 30 minutes away for a big attorney meeting he has at noon that he must wear a suit for.
**And this happened because 1--he forgets and leaves things here often, and 2--I make everyone take their shoes off in the house now since the carpet's been cleaned.
**I think I'm really liking the no-shoe thing.  Any good thoughts out there on how to make it work all the time and have the entry way not look like a shoe garage????
**And all our hard work got over-turned by an 'adversary sponsored' judge two days ago.  I'm sick and feel like just throwing in the towel.  But we can't do that, so here we G O  A G A I N!!!  For those of you who don't live here and haven't gone through the persecution and work of it all you have NO freakin' idea!  (I think I'm really overtired and need a nap.) Just get ready: because one day you will and I hope you are up to it, truly.  Getting your cars and yards vandalized by neighbors and strangers, having things thrown at you and on you, the vulgaritites, the sadness of once strong associates in the gospel no longer a part of you because they have chosen the opposite cause to support......
**BUT--the good, great, bestest new news is:  oh, I can't tell it yet.  But stay tuned!

More For Posterity

The Church issued the following statement today in response to the ruling by Judge Vaughn R. Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Perry et al v. Schwarzenegger et al:


“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regrets today’s decision. California voters have twice been given the opportunity to vote on the definition of marriage in their state and both times have determined that marriage should be recognized as only between a man and a woman. We agree. Marriage between a man and a woman is the bedrock of society.

“We recognize that this decision represents only the opening of a vigorous debate in the courts over the rights of the people to define and protect this most fundamental institution—marriage.

“There is no doubt that today’s ruling will add to the marriage debate in this country, and we urge people on all sides of this issue to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility toward those with a different opinion.”

Here We Go Again

A landmark court ruling came down from Judge Vaughn Walker in California Wednesday. He concluded that Proposition 8—California’s ban on same-sex marriage—is unconstitutional. The proposition was supported by an overwhelming seven million California’s. 52% of voters decided to overturn a decision made by California’s state Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage. Even before Judge Walker ruled, both sides stated that they would appeal and send the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Until the appeals process is complete, it’s likely no change in the law will occur.

Supporters say that Prop 8 protects the traditional form of marriage between a man and a woman, while opponents say gay couples are unfairly discriminated against under the law.

Religious and conservative groups, which sponsored Proposition 8, have asked the court to stay Walker's decision so that gay couples could not legally marry while the case is in the appeals process.

The case is historic because it marks the first time a federal court will decide whether a state can constitutionally bar same-sex couples from getting married.

The suit, which kicked off this January, pitted Proposition 8 against the U.S. Constitution. Homosexual activists, led by powerhouse attorneys like Ted Olson and David Boies, claim that the state's marriage amendment violates the "civil rights" of same-sex couples under the U.S. Constitution. The National Organization for Marriage has stated that, “It's important for Americans to recognize that with this decision, it ceases to be a California case. Since supporters of the law have promised an appeal, it means that this will become a national issue.”

Again, “Although the media keeps referring to it as "the Prop 8" case, this lawsuit has the ability to affect every marriage law in America because Judge Walker ruled that defining marriage as the union of a man and woman violates the federal Constitution--and if that ruling is upheld all the way through the Supreme Court--it would mean that same-sex "marriage" would be legal in all 50 states. This would serve to overrule the will of the people all in states that have passed laws stating that marriage is only between one man and one woman; essentially every federal statute and state amendment. Only five states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage. That makes this case, quite literally, the Roe v. Wade of marriage.”

Just like the recent ruling from a judge in Boston who ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, we are seeing judicial arrogance yet again with Judge Walker. This judicial oligarchy disrupts the voice of the people in over majority of states that have struck down gay marriage.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. The appeal of this case will go to the liberal 9th Circuit court of appeals, which will likely support Judge Walker’s ruling, but would then be appealed to the Supreme Court. With the current makeup of the court, there is a good chance that Proposition 8 would be upheld and perhaps a more ironclad ruling will be made in support of traditional marriage.

In a bit of irony, the supporters of gay marriage may have shot themselves in the foot by bringing this suit against Prop 8 now given the timing and natural process of the appeal process. In fact, there were many gay activists who resisted this lawsuit against Prop 8 at this time for this very reason. Regardless, this current ruling is a striking example of judicial activism that needs to be dealt with by appointing judges who do not legislate from the bench.

Unfortunately, we are likely going to see more rulings like this in the future, which is why a federal marriage amendment may be a necessary next step.

Busy, busy

Nats and Rob, and John are here and we are completely busy.  So busy I haven't even snapped one picture yet.  And now we are off to help Josh and Mere move into their new place.  A darling 3 bedroom town house just 10 minutes away!  Yay for them.

Be back later.......