Planting Flowers

This morning our Stake had a service assignment planting flowers at the Mesa Temple. It was a cold (for Arizona), cloudy morning when we started at 7:00 AM. The flowers were dropped, still in their plastic containers, right where they were suppose to be planted. It almost looked like they had fallen from heaven for us to take care of. Lots of people came to help and the planting went quickly, but not quite quick enough to avoid the rain that started sprinkling down. After the planting we added compost. Lots and lots of compost. Some of the compost got blown from the truck and stuck to our wet jackets until we began to resemble mud people. I was wet and I was dirty but I'm still glad I got to make a small contribution to the beauty of the temple. I was home and showered by 8:30 and when my boys got up they questioned whether or not I had really gone. Of Course, I forgot to take my camera so I couldn't prove to them that I had. While I was down in the dirt digging flower holes I was reminded that one of the first "dates" my oldest daughter and my son-in-law went on in the Fall of 2007 was a service project to plant flowers at the temple. Those same flowers looked beautiful the next April when they had there wedding pictures taken with them. Unfortunately I am having a hard time coming up with any pictures with the flowers. Perhaps you can see them if you blow this picture up bigger. The week after the wedding these flowers were all dug up so the summer flowers could be put in. Kind of sad, but necessary in Arizona. Friday, April 17 - Today when I went to the temple I took some pictures of the flowers we planted on Saturday. They have been in for almost a week now, and while they are not quite up to par for temple flowers yet, they are still all alive and the compost is still in the planter where it belongs and off of the sidewalk where it doesn't belong. I wonder what they will look like by mid-summer?

Things we Think we Want

Tonight I actually watched an episode of "The Biggest Loser". I have followed this show for the past few seasons and there are things about it that I really like such as the amazing transformations that occur in these individuals lives. There are also things about it that I really don't like especially the back stabbing strategizing that goes on. I haven't watched much of Season 7 because it seems like I always have somewhere else I need to be on Tuesday night, but I have kept kind of updated on what is going on by checking the weekly recaps on the website. I have been pleasantly surprised that this group of people have seemed to be a kinder, gentler group than the last few. However, things apparently have reached the point where kind and gentle is replaced by mean and nasty. I am sorry to see that happen.

I also think this show teaches me some great life lessons, not necessarily about losing weight, but about making everyday choices and what I am willing to do to get what I want or what I think I want. Tonight the group was given a temptation. They all went into the gym where there were lots and lots of covered trays. Under each cover there were various items - unhealthy food, money tickets, and one special tray with a golden ticket that would give the individual that found it the only elimination vote at that week's weigh in - ultimate power. Each person could choose whether or not they played, but in order to move on once a tray was uncovered, the food had to be eaten. It was amazing to me, but not surprising, how crazy the majority of the players went with this temptation. All the self discipline and rational thinking that they have learned over the past couple of months went out the window when they were tempted with this power. They wanted to be able to say who left this week, as well as protect themselves.

Each player could only be sent home if they had the smallest amount of weight loss, and yet they were willing to put there safety in jeopardy for the chance to determine someone else's fate. I was happy when Kristin realized that no one could have power over her if she stayed above the yellow line this week and just chose to stop eating the junk. The results of this temptation were so sad to me in many ways, and perhaps the saddest was when Laura, who won the golden ticket, realized that she didn't want to have the only say in which of the two individuals who fell below the line went home. She had the power, but when it came right down to it it wasn't nearly as wonderful as she had thought it would be.

How often is this just like my life? I am going along, making good choices and trying to do what I am suppose to do, listening to my leaders who know more than I do, and even making some progress when all of the sudden temptation comes barrelling along. Boom! I see something I think I want and I forget what I have learned and the progress I have made and the counsel I have been given and I succumb to temptation. I am willing to put my ultimate goal, eternal salvation, in jeopardy so quickly, without even thinking the decision through. How long does it take me to realize how foolish I am being? Do I, like Kristin, recognize the error of my ways right away and stop or do I continue on until the thing I want is out of my reach and the guilt begins to set in or until I actually get what I wanted and only then realize that it was just a sparkly distraction that I don't even really want at all?

How important is it for me to think through my decisions? To pray when I am faced with temptation or to refer back to the counsel of my leaders? To remember what it is that I really want and the road that will get me there? To not be sidetracked by the path that might look smoother or easier, and if I am, which will probably happen, to stop and turn around as soon as I realize my mistake, before I get so lost that I end up at a totally different destination? I think it's of eternal importance. Much more important than the choices made on some reality TV show.

Beach Bummed

Well, the decision was made today that there aren't enough women available and able to go to the beach this year for "our annual break from reality" to make it financially feasible, so our reservation has been cancelled and there will be no Beach Trip 2009. I am truly bummed, but life goes on. Even though I am sad about the end of a fun thing, I am even happier that I got to be included in this awesome activity for the past two years and that I got to share it with each of my daughters. We all have some wonderful memories of our time at the beach together.

Baptism

Tonight the sons, my youngest daughter and I attended the baptism of one of our friends. This young man started out as a friend with my youngest son when they were in middle school together. He enjoys playing basketball and he and my son connected on the basketball court. The son and I also enjoyed sitting in the stands with his dad and his uncle watching him play on the middle school basketball team. Then he started playing on the church basketball team (Deacon) that my older son coached several years ago. He has continued to play church ball each year and played on the team the youngest son was on recently.

He is #14 in this picture. (Unfortunately I didn't take my camera with me to the baptism.) He lives in the ward that we share our building with and he has attended many of their Wednesday night activities over the years and became close friends with many of the boys in that ward, especially one young man, who was also his neighbor and whose family have always welcomed him into their home.
Not too long ago the boy who was baptized tonight lost his dad unexpectedly. His mom has never been a part of his life, at least not for as long as we have known him. After his father's death he ended up moving in with his much older brother, but that ended up being a less than positive situation and a change needed to be made. The neighbor family invited him to live with them just after the start of the year. Since then he has attended church every Sunday and recently decided he wanted to take the missionary discussions and things progressed from there.
Whenever someone I know decides to be baptized I stop and ponder what kind of an impact I personally had on this decision. Did my interactions with this person give him a desire to know more about the gospel or did he decide to join the church in spite of my example? I think it's good to have opportunities where we really stop and think about the influence we can have in other people's lives and the difference we can make. We really never know who is watching us.
In this situation I don't really believe that anything my children or I did made a huge difference in how things transpired. Perhaps we were all cast in the supporting roles in this life story, not as one of the main characters. I am happy to say though that I can't think of too many moments when our choices might have actually stood in his way of joining the church, except perhaps those few times when my youngest son or I got a little too emotionally involved in the drama of an exciting basketball game. Could we have done better? Most definitely. Are we glad we did what we did? You better believe it.
This young man is such a great kid, who has faced a lot of challenges in his life. It was a very sweet experience to see him enter the waters of baptism this evening, surrounded by his new church family. I love baptisms and the spirit I felt during this one tonight.

Tonight I am thankful for

the Holy Ghost.
individuals who open their hearts and their homes to others.
my oldest daughter who rescued her father when his car died on the way home from work and none of the rest of us would answer our cell phones because we were at the baptism

Today I am thankful for

church on my couch.
a living prophet.
the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today I am grateful for

no ward bulletin to prepare for tomorrow.
a husband who goes to the General Priesthood Session of conference even though he'd rather watch basketball on TV
and sons who go with him.

Today I am thankful that

my boys weren't home when I cleaned behind, inside and under the family room couches so I couldn't beat them when I felt like it.
it was the hubby's night to wash all the dishes that I found hidden in the family room.
tomorrow I get to watch General Conference.

Cherry Chip Cake with Cherry Frosting

My oldest son was very sad that he didn't have a birthday cake yesterday with candles to blow out. Since I am a nice mother I decided to make him one today. Better late than never I always say. This son's favorite kind of cake is Betty Crocker Cherry Chip cake with Cherry Frosting and it is what he has requested at least his last 10 birthdays. I am also a fan of this combination, but every time I make his birthday cake I think "this cake certainly doesn't look very masculine." I have attempted coloring the frosting a different color on occasion, but then it just usually ends up looking gross, not masculine. Today I decided to just go with the pink look and not care. However, I thought a 9 x 13 cake was kind of boring. When the girls and I took the cake decorating class I'm pretty sure I bought 2 round cake pans, but of course I couldn't find them today. I did find some small round pans that my friend had given us for Christmas one year to make individual pizza cookies though. I decided I could make a tall, small round cake. The cake ended up being 5 layers tall. It would have been fine, but I didn't have enough frosting to put it together so I decided to put some pudding in between the layers. I didn't feel like leveling the layers since that seems like a waste of good cake to me, so the cake was a little precarious. The pudding was too slick to hold the layers in place and ran out the sides and mixed with the frosting and that made the frosting too runny to stay on the cake as well. The cake ended up resembling a pink volcano in a pool of lava.
The oldest son, however, was happy that he had candles to blow out and the cake tasted a lot better than it looked.

Also, in the dark you can't even tell the cake is pink. I'd say it was a success!

Today I am grateful

that I don't have to make a living selling cakes.
that my oldest son is easily pleased.
for birds that collect spiderwebs from my window sills to pad their nests. It makes me feel like I am helping a fellow mother rather than just feel lazy for not cleaning the windows.
for a surprise phone call from my mom and sister.

To Drive Thru or Not to Drive Thru

I was very excited to receive a refund check from the oral surgeon in the mail a couple of days ago. Apparently if you get a dry socket they feel bad for you and give you some of your money back. Actually, the insurance paid a lot more than they had predicted it would and so we got two thirds of our payment returned. Hooray! It was a pretty fair amount of money, which the youngest son insisted should be signed over to him since he was the one who suffered the pain. Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for us, the check was made out to his father and therefore the money went back into our checking account.
This morning I took the check to the bank to deposit it. I considered whether I should get out of the car and take it inside or just do it at the drive thru ATM. I think it is pretty cool now when you deposit a check in the ATM you put your card in and then you just slide the check into the machine and it prints you out a pretty little picture of the check and credits your account. It's super easy. However, this morning I decided that the good Lord blessed me with two legs so I could walk into the bank and not just sit on my backside. I filled out the deposit slip, walked in and got in line. There were about 4 people ahead of me. Quickly the roving employee approached me and asked what had brought me in to the bank today. I wanted to say the two legs that the good Lord blessed me with, but I refrained. Remember we are working on our sarcasm in our household at the moment. Anyway, I told her I was making a deposit and she invited me to the front counter to assist me. While she was helping me she asked, "Have you ever used the drive thru ATM to deposit a check"? I replied, "Yes." "It's so much quicker for you, and so easy. I don't know why everyone doesn't do it." Here I had made the "better" choice to actually get out of my car and walk inside and I felt I was being reprimanded. I responded with "but then I wouldn't have gotten to see your happy, smiling face." I'm not sure she was looking that happy after my remark. I guess next time I need to make a deposit I'll probably just drive thru.
On the way home I decided to stop at McDonalds and buy me a McDouble for lunch. Now, I do have legs, but I pretty much always choose to use fast food drive thrus. Going inside is a hassle. I ordered my hamburger, plain of course since that is the way I like it. I got to the second window, gave the employee my money and waited and waited and waited. Finally the employee tried to give me a drink, but I hadn't ordered a drink. I told her what I was waiting for and she looked in about four bags, decided on one and handed it to me. As I was driving away I decided to double check that she had actually given me what I ordered. It was indeed a McDouble, but not plain. I parked my car and went inside. I waited in the line where a gentleman was taking orders. Finally a woman came to a different register and asked if she could help me. I told her I had ordered my sandwich plain, but it wasn't. She turned to the male employee and told him my problem and he responded, "I know." "I know?" He walked to the warmer, picked up my special order sandwich, put it in a bag and handed it to me. "Mistake." Personally I think he just wanted me to see his happy, smiling face.

Birthday Boy

Today was the oldest boy's 23rd birthday. I don't know how my kids can be getting so old. He had planned to go out to Cafe Laguna for Indian Tacos to celebrate, but since his Auntie made those last night he decided he would rather eat at his old favorite "Mi Amigos". We were sure to tell them that it was his birthday so he could wear the sombero and be serenaded.

It was a fun meal with our "family", but our family is getting too big to go out to eat together very often.

This son was my only child to be born before his due date. He wasn't suppose to arrive until April 4th, but for some reason he really wanted to celebrate his birthday every year on April Fool's Day and hurried to get out. I was glad he came when he did since he was also my largest baby, weighing in at an even 9 pounds.

After dinner we came back to the house and opened gifts. I had bought him some new Jeans online and decided to even pay the extra money to have them hemmed. When he opened the package to check them out he found the extra material from the legs stuck in one of the pockets. He decided it would work as a headband and modeled for us.


Looking at how even that strip of fabric is cut, I could have probably done as good a job of hemming the pants as they did.

Today I am thankful for

a son who sets aside 15 minutes to talk to me every morning.
family and friends to celebrate with.
money.