One Pink Poppy

This morning the youngest son had to be to school at 6:00 AM to go to his state band festival. I wasn't that excited to be his designated driver, but I am definitely more of a morning person than he is. He prefers that I keep my mouth closed and my comments to myself during our early morning trips to the school, and heaven forbid if I happen to feel like singing along with the CD. His attitude seems to take some of the joy out of my mornings, but it's hard for me to be grumpy when it's actually still cool outside. I love the morning, once I manage to extricate myself from my bed.

When I got back home after I dropped him off I noticed that there was a new flower in my planter. One beautiful pale pink poppy. It made me smile.

I have always loved poppies. Every Spring the side of the road in front of my Grandma's house in Santaquin, Utah would be full of lots and lots of tall orange poppies.

They always looked so happy to me. Every year after they would die my mom would collect some seed pods and try to plant poppies at our house. They never seemed to grow even though they flourished, without any assistance, at Grandma's.

It was a good thing I got up early today. By lunchtime the heat had pretty much destroyed my pretty poppy. Perhaps I'll collect the seed pod and try to plant some more next year. This time I'll try to remember to sow the seeds in the fall and then maybe the flowers will bloom earlier in the season,when it is still under 100 degrees, and last more than 2 or 3 hours. Regardless, this pink poppy was a bright spot in my day.

Mother Goose Popcorn

Sunday Evenings during my childhood often included watching the Wonderful World of Disney. This was before the age of videos or DVDs and if you wanted to see a Disney movie you had to either go to the movie theater or watch The Wonderful World or Disney on TV. The movies were usually 2 hours long and we had to wait a whole week to see the second hour.

Our Sunday Disney viewing often included a delicious bowl of homemade Mother Goose Popcorn.

I have very fond memories of helping make this favorite treat. Mother Goose popcorn is made by combining 2 cups of sugar and 1/2 a cup of canned milk in a saucepan and then cooking it until it reaches the soft ball stage. It's readiness was always tested by filling a small measuring cup with cold water and then dropping a blob of the syrup off the spoon and into the water. The blob was then pushed with the finger and if it formed into a ball it was done. If it just disintegrated it had to cook longer. I didn't like it when that happened. Licking the tiny drop off my finger, after it was tested, was one of my favorite parts of the cooking process. It was also exciting when I was chosen to select the color of the popcorn for the evening and I loved to add the food coloring a drop at a time and watch my chosen hue appear.


When my kids were young we use to make Mother Goose Popcorn every now and then, but it has probably been years since I have made it. Recently the youngest son has been asking me to make him some and today while I was grocery shopping I received a text request from him with a please attached. Since I was at the store and could buy some popcorn and canned milk I was a nice mom and said OK.

He popped the popcorn and entertained while I made the syrup.


I even let him choose the color.


Which was supposed to be purple, but ended up more pink.

Unfortunately, after he watched me make it he deemed the stuff unhealthy and severely limited his intake. Unhealthy or not I thoroughly enjoyed my tasty trip down memory lane today.

Green Thumb

Back in the fall my Lantana bushes were taking over my planter and desperately needed a trim. I pulled out my handy clippers and went at them. When I finished, all that was left were 2 bare, woody stem clumps. How could this compassionate service go so terribly wrong?
For several months, every time I would walk out my front door I would look at those sad, sad stumps and feel bad all over again. I was just trying to help and I killed those poor plants.
In January I threw some 25 cent wildflower seeds into my planter and started watering them with hopes that they would grow and hide the poor Lantana. After a few days of water, I was surprised and ecstatic to see new leaves on my Lantana bushes.


Perhaps they weren't dead after all. Another month and some more water and sunshine and my Lantana was thriving.


And now I'm right back where I started. The Lantana is once again taking over the planter.


I wonder if I should get the clippers out?
Oh, and notice the pink flowers that managed to grow from the seeds I planted. They had to grow some TALL stems to get out from under that giant Lantana but they're trying their best to hide it.

My Mother's Daughter

Every once in a while I see my mother in me.
I hear her voice in my head when I bake
and when I sew.
"All it needs now is a bow."
"Everything tastes better with a few nuts."
I see her influence in my finished projects.
Although I have no where near the skill
that she has for making quilts
when it was time to bind our Spring Break Quilt
I couldn't bring myself
to just fold the fabric over and sew it.
"It would look so much cuter with a nice binding."
That's how I ended up folding and sewing
lots of little white, pink and green points
around the edge.


In my defense, I already had most of the squares cut.
I do think it turned out cute.
Now we just have to wait
and see if the baby-to-be is a girl
or if the quilt gets put away again for a while
even though it's finally truly and completely DONE!

Today I am thankful for

sons (one leader, one participant) who happily go to their young men activities.
a daughter who gave her brother a ride home from school for me.
only one 100+ degree day this week.

HOT!

Today was our first 100 degree day of 2009.

Only 109 more to go!

Today I am thankful for

an e-mail from my mom.

polite drivers.

the air-conditioner in my son's truck.

Today I am grateful for

a visiting teacher with less than perfect eyesight and an almost perfect heart.
a husband who tried to fix my van.
a son who let me borrow his truck.
a son who went walking with me.

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Susan Boyle.

You can watch her here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

Need I say more?

And yes, I cry every time I watch it.

Before and After

My youngest son decided a few months ago that he wanted to get in better shape and also lose some weight. He has become a lot more conscious of what he puts in his mouth. He has also worked really hard to step up his exercise. I think church basketball season helped out as well. The scale tells him he has lost weight and he does look thinner, but we didn't realize how much he has changed until we were going through some pictures today.

This is him on July 4, 2008.

This is him on April 12, 2009.


Now that basketball season is over he needs to find a new physical endeavor to keep him motivated. Any good ideas?? He says if 100 people sign a petition he'll try out for the football team.

How about motivation for his mother? She is NOT going to try out for the football team.

Today I am thankful for

a husband that puts gas in my van for me.
coupons.
a cool day in April.

Cadbury Creme Eggs

While serving my mission in England I discovered the delectable delicacy - the Cadbury Creme Egg. I fell in love at first bite. I remember when the Easter season ended and I realized I would be in Utah when it was Easter again - Utah where they didn't sell Cadbury anything - I was very sad. I paid 13 pence apiece (why do I vividly remember this random detail) and purchased a few after Easter leftover eggs, hid them on the top shelf of my wardrobe and vowed I would take them home and enjoy them next Easter. Needless to say, I didn't have to worry about packing them when June rolled around and I returned to the states.

It was a happy day for me when one Easter, there on the store shelves in Utah (or was it Arizona by then?), I once again discovered Cadbury Creme Eggs. Even though American Cadbury Creme Eggs taste different than English Cadbury Creme Eggs, each year I have to buy at least one for old time sake, usually at the after Easter sales because I'm too cheap to pay full price. Today I bought my 2009 Cadbury Creme Egg, but I'm hoarding it away for a special occasion or a desperate moment when I need a sickeningly sweet chocolate fix.

I hadn't really looked at my egg closely when I watched this video on someone else's blog. I looked at my egg again. Yes, it is smaller, but then perhaps I have just gotten bigger. I don't know why I find this so entertaining, but I do.

Flower Dusting

Saturday it was flower planting at the Mesa Temple, today it was flower dusting. I always enjoy getting to go inside the temple while it is closed for cleaning and just soak in the quiet, or not so quiet, peace that is always present there. Today rather than going off to my own private spot there were four or five women that gathered in the cafeteria and dusted arrangements that were brought in to us. It was fun to work as a group and get to visit and catch up on each others lives.
Every time I participate in this service I am reminded of how much effort goes into making the temple the special place that it is. I appreciate the temple even more after I have made my small contribution to this huge endeavor.