Tuesday Musings #24

If anyone reads these, maybe you have noticed they have been few and far between. I actually suggested the group take a break (which most of us were doing anyway) until the 1 st of the year, and then, we'll see. This is a picture I sent out as our last topic and I am in a writing mood tonight, so...


..what this makes me think of is riding a horse. Doesn't that look like a lovely place to jump over the fence and ride through the trees, with cool, moist air rushing through your hair?

Is there any other relationship with an animal that is so close as the one you have when you ride a horse? Maybe I just think that because that has been my experience. I have never had a dog or cat, but I have been on a horse all day long rounding up cattle in Wyoming. I have gotten to know a different horse, during a horsebackriding class (PE!) in college. I brought him into the barn every morning we had class, before dawn, brushed him down, saddled him and learned to ride. I got to know Snowshoe well enough to understand his strengths and weaknesses and love him for them.

I am fascinated by the communication you can have with an intelligent animal and the pleasure of accomplishing something together.

Tuesday Musings #23

Post, 1st-a baby picture, 2nd- a junior high or high school picture, 3^rd a picture of you now!

Well, I had these montages already in my photo file, so you get four for the price of one on the first two. The first set is baby to about age four. The second set starts in middle school and goes into high school. The last one is a picture my friend Linda took about 6 years ago - is that close enough to now? As you can see, my goofy smile hasn't changed even though the rest of me has :)

Tuesday Musings #22

We are children of a God of creation and a God of compassion. We are to emulate these traits. What do you create? Or, what would you like to create?

I have always enjoyed creating visually pleasing or interesting things. I especially love working with color. Here is a small gallery of something old (an onion I painted years ago), something new ( a necklace I made last week), something borrowed (I borrowed a picture one of my family members took of my greatest creations) and something blue - hey does that sound familiar?

Tuesday Musings #21

If you were going to live in a third world country for a few years what would you hope to learn or experience?

I would want to learn to cook some local food. Especially bread. I am always fascinated by the huge variety of food people make basically out of ground grain and water (I know that simplifies things, but you get my point).


I would also like to push the boundaries of cuisine by trying something I would never imagine eating at home, but I wonder if I would have the courage?

(Photo from AP)

Tuesday Musings #20

Something nobody* knows about me is…


I wish I could cut my hair in a pixie cut!

This is how I would do it, too, with longish eighties bangs - so cute!!!

At least I think so, but...

Stan would hate it, and I hate growing hair out, so I guess not.

*Sometimes (no comments from siblings on how frequently, please), I am kind of dorky. I thought and thought about something nobody knew about me and finally came up with something and was so excited about the thought that I told a friend Tuesday night at Mutual, so technically, someone knows this, but it is recent knowledge and I have so few secrets (living with six siblings as a child and seven offspring now) that I'm sticking with my semi-secret longing for a pixie cut!

Tuesday Musing #18 and #19

Okay, maybe this is cheesy (chocolatey?), but I am going to combine the last two topics -

What are a few things that you could not live without?

&

Give us your favorite chocolate recipe(s) and tell us why you love it.

Because I really can't live without a few of my favorite chocolate recipes!


First, a recipe from a collection of short stories I checked out of the library once. One of the stories mentioned a cake. Someone (I'm no sure I am remembering the story correctly) asked Ms. Wrede to supply a recipe, which after some trial and error, she did. I don't have the book anymore (that would be some library fine if I did!), but I do have the recipe and it is very good. Here's a link to a copy of her original instructions.

QUICK AFTER-BATTLE TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

1/2 c butter

1/2 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c white sugar

2 eggs

2 t vanilla

2 T blackstrap molasses

2/3 c chocolate milk

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa

1 c flour

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

3/4 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 13" by 9" pan. In a large bowl, cream butter or margarine until fluffy. Add brown sugar and white sugar and mix thoroughly. Add eggs, vanilla and molasses, beating well after each addition. In a different bowl, stir flour, cocoa, salt, and soda together. Beat into butter mixture, alternating with milk. Beat for 1 - 2 minutes, then add choc. chips.

Pour batter into pan, bake 35 - 40 min. Cake should be flat and solid, not light and puffy. Let cool before cutting, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Next, a recipe I adapted from a candy cookbook I have.

HOT FUDGE

1/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk, or for extra richness, cream
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend cocoa and sugar, add milk (or cream) and butter. Boil until thickened. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.

Now, a recipe my college roommate gave me (thanks Karen!).

BROWNIES WITH A CRUST

1 1/4 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c cocoa
1/4 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 7 or 8 oz. milk chocolate bar

Mix 1 c of the flour with the sugar and margarine. Press into 13" x 9" pan and bake @ 350 F for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the condensed milk, cocoa, 1/4 c flour, baking powder, egg, and vanilla.

Let crust cool in pan for 3-5 minutes while you break or cut the chocolate bar into chunks. Evenly arrange chocolate chunks on crust. Pour milk mixture over them. Return the pan to the oven for 20 min. or until center has set.

Here's a Hershey's Cocoa recipe from my childhood.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

1 1/4 c butter
2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 c unsifted flour
3/4 c cocoa
1t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Optional: nuts or chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, cream well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Blend dry mixture into creamed mixture.Add options

Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees 8 - 9 minutes.

Yeilds: 4.5 dozens

And finally, that old standby...

NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES

1 1/2 c sugar
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 c milk
1/4 c butter
3 c rolled oats (or sub. coconut for 1/2 cup)
1/2 c peanut butter
1 t vanilla


Combine sugar, cocoa, milk and butter. Bring to boil. Remove from heat, add vanilla and peanut butter, stir until smooth. Add oats and mix well.

Cool before eating. (HA!!!)

Tuesday Musing #17

Are you addicted to anything? And if so what??

I am addicted to sleep and my kids are putting me through a
Twelve Step Program!

Here's their plan, starting with the evening meal (as close as I can figure it out) -

1. Naomi will make a huge mess at dinner.

2.Michael and Kelly will each eat as slowly as tired sloths.

3.Everyone given a job to help clean up the kitchen should moan and each take at least five minutes kicking against the pricks before they get around to doing it.

4.The three oldest girls will get distracted while brushing and flossing by talking about one of the following subjects - boys, weird teachers, clothes, how much homework they have, or boys (did I mention Boys?).

5.Someone will inform me that they need some vital supply for school from Target tonight.

6. Someone else will meet me at the door when I get home to tell me they just drank the last of the milk.

7.Michael will get into a long philosophical discussion about which pjs he wants to wear and why: preferably the ones he "has" to wear will be dirty in the laundry and he can throw a tantrum to drag the whole process out.

8.Heather and Gwen should each find 58 papers for me to read and sign for school tomorrow.

9.Naomi will get her second wind and decide she doesn't want to go to bed until next Wednesday.

10.Three or four people will announce they all need the internet for their homework right now and will need me to make up a schedule of whose turn is when.

11.Everyone will decide it has been so long since dinner (or their sloth like behavior didn't allow enough calories to be ingested) that they need a snack and then they'll ask for drinks.

12.The snack will give a surge of energy to everyone's brain and Summer will think of two questions, Rachel will come up with one, Heather will voice a couple, Gwen will list at least three or four, Kelly will ask five questions of her own and Michael, just wanting to get in on the action, will holler two or three questions that make absolutely no sense whatsoever, just so that he can have a turn!

P.S. Here's my other addiction - checking out the "free" silver jewelry - Silver Jewelry Club

Tuesday Musing #16

Olympics-

There are many different events at the Olympics.

You must create a new event that you would be the best at so that you could take home the GOLD.

What is your event?

Ok, I was reading the email from Kristin and Summer had a suggestion right away, then when I told Stan about it over the phone, he knew what his answer was immediately, so I am letting my family do the work for me this week.

Here are their (sort of) answers -

Naomi ran away when I tried to ask her.

And Michael had just about the same answer. He said, “I don’t want to tell you.”

Kelly said, “Buying things.” Oh, yeah, I'm good at that!

Gwen said, “Dodgeball.” I played in the parent/child game on the last day of her Recreational Games sports class.

Heather said, “I don’t know.”

Rachel said, “Making brownies.” Here is our family's favorite recipe for brownies.

Summer said, “Finding excuses to not let your teenage daughter go to the mall.” I don't know if I would classify my reasons as excuses.

And finally, Stan's answer. He said, “You can’t blog about that!”

So...I guess that means this post is done!

Tuesday Musing #15

This week's topic is - Ghosts.

I can not ever remember being afraid of ghosts. Maybe it was growing up LDS, but the life beyond and those who occupy it hold no fear or even strange fascination for me. Luckily, Rebecca said - no limit, no suggestions, no restrictions and I think I will be straying far from what anyone else will be writing about.

This is what I thought of when I saw the topic (this is the condensed version) -

Ghosts=dead people=thoughts of death=some of my funeral pet peeves

Yep, are you ready? Here comes my rant and rave about funerals.

First, I DO NOT want to be embalmed! I read recently what they do to you and it really upset me. And really, why is it necessary? Just to give people one more chance to see my face? That is what photographs are for. I think embalming is just temporary taxidermy. Don't you think it would be disrespectful to take your loved one and have them stuffed to keep in your living room for a few years so that you can have "closure"? What is the difference between that and having them embalmed (stuffed for a few days)? I feel that what they do to bodies to embalm them is disrespectful. If people really what to see me they can come visit me before I die.

Which bring me to my next pet peeve. When I die I would like to have it admitted that I DIED, not PASSED, thank you very much. Death is supposed to be painful. My mother went through a lot of pain to bring me into this world, why do we deny the pain the dead person and their loved ones go through? Jesus Christ overcame the pains of death. I think when we minimize with our euphemisms the reality of death, we minimize His sacrifice and triumph. Maybe I am wrong in my take on this. I would love to hear what you think.

Tuesday Musing #14

Rewrite the following classic nursery rhyme as it applies to your life -

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

For example -

For want of a wipe the diaper was lost.
For want of a diaper the errand was lost.
For want of an errand the groceries were lost.
Etc., etc., etc.



Library Animal Show - reality

For want of the keys, we left late.
Because we left late, parking was tight.
For want of a space, we drove and drove.
Because we drove far, we had far to walk.
For want of proximity, we were more late!
For want of punctuality, we missed half the show.
For want of the show, we missed baby hedgehogs : (
And all for the want of the keys!



Almost Everyone is Gone - almost total fiction

For want of a paycheck, the dad left for work.
Because of a big kiss, he was distracted.
Because of distraction, the door was unlocked.
For want of a lock, the door swung open.
For want of a door, the baby was lost.
For want of a baby, the mother went looking.
For want of a mother, the breakfast was lost.
For want of some breakfast, the toddler was hungry.
Because of his hunger, the sisters were cooking.
While they were cooking, a fire was started.
For want of an extinguisher, the kitchen was lost.
For want of a kitchen, the kids were still hungry.
Because of their hunger, they went to buy donuts.
Because of the donuts the kids were all hyper.
Because they were hyper, the tied up the toddler.
While he was tied up, a hot air balloon was fired up.
For want of an sandbag, the toddler was lost.
For want of a toddler, the sisters were crying.
For want of a tissue, mascara was running.
For want of some makeup, the police were not summoned.
For want of police, the family was scattered.
For want of the family, the house got too messy.
For want of some neatness, Kelly was lost.
For want of the Kelly, the Gwen went looking.
While she was looking, the laundry collapsed.
Because of collapse, Gwenie was buried.
For want of a Gwen, Heather went searching.
For want of some root beer, she was distracted.
For want of some pizza, Rachel left walking.
For want of her siblings, Summer was lonely.
And all for the want of the money for donuts!

Tuesday Musing #13

List five things that drive you crazy and make you want to go live in a cabin on a mountainside and never see another human being. Then, list five things that make you smile even on the rainiest of days.

Here's the icky stuff...

People who are manipulative

Ergh!! For example, my health plan insists that I give them my FULL address and phone number EVERY time I call for ANYTHING, "for the security and protection of my account". Ha! They just want to make sure they have my current address. Why can't they just tell the truth about why they ask for it?!? If they REALLY cared about the security of my account, they would ask me the password I had put on the account after my purse was stolen. They remember to do this about 3 % of the times I call.

Women who expose themselves

I am so tired of seeing women's breasts falling out of their shirts (can those really be called articles of clothing?) when I go anywhere! Esp. the mall - I've seen women wearing less to the mall than I wear to the beach - much less. Sometimes I'm tempted to take post-it notes wherever I go and help them out.

People who disregard the flow of traffic

Just yesterday, I almost collided with someone trying to cross my lane, coming out from behind a semi where I couldn't possible see them when they didn't have the right of way. I sympathize with the frustration of having to wait your turn, but it is part of life - adjust!

Authors who write nasty books and market them to children

I spend much more time reading children's books to see if they are OK for my darlings to consume than anything else. You'd be surprised at how many we return to the library unread.

Car manufacturers

OK, so we have a car that seats eight and gets 28 mpg. Why can't they make more like it? Everything has to be so BIG! I dread the wagon dying and having to buy some monstrosity. Ergh and ugh, again!!!


...and now for the good stuff.

My boyfriend

He calls me from work, buys me jewelry and flowers, looks good on the beach, kisses well (that's probably more information than my kids wanted to know) and has put up with being hitched to me for almost 16 years -amazing!

Nature

I would probably get a lot more of this if I lived on that mountainside, but a trip to the beach in Feb. on a weekday morning when it is almost empty or to the desert in the spring to look at flowers or to the mountains in the fall to pick apples always make everything look brighter.

Our seven kids

They are so much fun, from Summer's stories to Michael's jokes, from Gwen's hugs to Naomi's kisses, from Rachel's curiosity to Heather's kindness and Kelly's giggles to top it all off, they make my life so much more rich and wonderful.

Modern conveniences

Not much gives me such a sense of satisfaction as having the dishwasher going full of dishes that I didn't have to scrub by hand simultaneously as the washing machine full of clothes I didn't have to wring by hand. I am so glad I live in the age of microwave popcorn, electric toothbrushes, drive up atms and freezers (love having that ice cream handy).

Our chickens

Sometimes they drive me crazy when they go hormonal, but I love having them in the back yard, laying eggs and clucking expectantly when they see me coming.

Tuesday Musing #10, Part B

I'm not 40 (yet!) and the laundry isn't done...

...but I am admitting it probably never will be until we join a nudist colony, so here I go, trying again...

Do you collect anything? If so, what? If not then, why…or what would you collect if you had to start a collection?

Here is one problem with procrastinating my Tuesday Musing - I have much more time to think of what to say and it is more work to say it. At first, I thought," I don't collect anything" but I've thought of so many odds and ends I collect, I'm starting to wonder if I need to go to Pack Rats Anonymous. Either that or move across the country without a U-haul...

I have my large collection of unfiled, left over from last school year, papers and books.

I have an always growing collection of nail polish which I mostly use on my toes and then blog about. (Speaking of blogs, I have a small collection of them.)

I have a collection of unfinished sewing and beading projects. Another name for these is "unrealized dreams".

I also have plenty of beads that I didn't buy for a specific project, but that I've acquired for the same reason females throughout the ages gathered stuff - because they are shiny and pretty.

Speaking of pretty, I like vases and whenever someone is going somewhere exotic and kindly asks what they can bring me, I'll say "a vase". These are from India, The Philippines and China. Thanks Lorna, Richard and Dad.

Finally, what I wish I could collect an entire collection of first edition books by and about P.G. Wodehouse. I reconcile myself to collecting reprints. On the bright side, I still laugh as hard when I read my copies, and I let myself read them a lot more often than I would if they were actually valuable.

Tuesday Musing #12

If there is anything in your lifetime that you regret and could take back and if so what?

I am sure there are lots of things I could have/should have done differently and better, but one in particular comes to mind. Usually, I am a basically nice person (I hear my siblings raising a hue and cry) and the mistakes I make are usually at least well intentioned, if not well judged. The sad, sad story I am going to tell, however, is one time I was blatantly selfish and knowingly uncaring about someone else's feelings. That is why I would want to take it back, not just because I was caught! Although, I have to admit that being caught definitely seared the experience more deeply into my consciousness.

So, here I was at college, or the Happy Hunting Ground, as some called it. I was young and (I now this just sounds like a lame excuse) immature. I met a young man at a friend's party named Andy, let's call him Andy "A". Can you see where this is heading? He thought I was cute, asked my friend for my phone # and called to ask me out for Friday. He seemed nice enough in a sort of nondescript way (I'm immature, remember?) and I had no plans, so I agreed. Friday came along and the guy in my apartment complex that I had a huge crush on, Andy "B", finally got around to asking me out, FOR THAT NIGHT, to a dance on campus. Ugh!! I am embarrassed to say I hardly hesitated before I said, "Yes" and rushed home to plan my outfit.

Once I got that done, I called Andy "A" and told him "something came up" and I couldn't make it to our date, much to the disgust of my smarter, more mature, kinder, and all around better roommates.

Why did I do it? Andy "A" was probably a fascinating person, but I didn't even give him a chance. I was so selfish. I wish I could go back and do it over again. I wish I could listen to Andy "A" tell me about his hometown, or his major, or anything, but, no, I threw it all away in pursuit of Andy "B", who was nice enough, but definitely a flitter. I was just the flavor of the week to him, and I hurt someone else's feelings for that?!? Dumb, dumb, dumb!

Anyway, to top it all off, (you have probably guessed) Andy "A" decided since he was stood up that night to go to a dance on campus. Yep, the same dance Andy "B" took me to. It served me right. Part of the reason I feel so bad is the feeling that I was judging both of these men superficially and there were depths to Andy "A" that I didn't take the time to delve into. I got a glimpse of his character when he came and said,"hello" to me and my date. He was so polite when he had every right to be rude or at least confront me. I was stuck timidly introducing Andy to Andy. I was so embarrassed and I certainly deserved to be. I wish I could tell him I am sorry I was a jerk. I don't remember if I ever tried to apologize, or was too embarrassed to face him (more likely), but now I don't even remember his last name.

Are you out there, Andy? I'm sorry!!!

Tuesday Musings #11

Growing up what extra curricular activities did you get to try? Which activity was your favorite and which was your least favorite? If you didn't have an opportunity which do you wish you could of tried?

Hmmm, I went to ballet class for a year or so and took piano lessons for a little bit longer. I don't think I showed much talent in either direction, or maybe it was a lack of practice. Anyway, I don't know why I stopped.

When I was in junior high school , my math teacher invited me to join the math team, which I did. We would compete with two other schools about once a month and we ALWAYS took the bronze. It was fun anyway; the main draw was the ice cream bars they gave us at the end of each meet.

The summer before high school, I went with my sister as moral support to a children's community theater audition and ended up landing the main male lead - the villain. I think mostly because I had watched Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady" the night before and was channeling him as I read the part. All the theater's regular teenage boys were annoyed that I had cut them out. I had a blast doing my first and last gig as an actor (except for roadshows which entailed more giggling than acting). Later in life, I did go and audition at an adult community theater with a friend from church. She and I were both surprised at just how adult it was when the guy playing the the opposite part, kissed each of us rather actively during the reading. We had gone in separately and had no time between being called for the first one of us to warn the second. We were both really grossed out by the whole experience and didn't get parts in the play. Maybe it was the look of revulsion we each gave the casting director.

When I went to high school, I had a one and a half to two hour commute, so after school activities weren't really an option. When I was a freshman, I did ask whether there was a math team, probably hoping for more ice cream. I ended up joining even without frozen confectionery bribery. I really enjoyed it and I was the best person on the team, even doing better than the boys in higher grades than I was. Of course, this was an art school; maybe the mathematicians weren't those with the highest ability.

Speaking of art, even though it was a curricular activity in my case, it felt extracurricular because it was so much fun. I applied for and went to an art high school in New York City. It was fun to go to school with crazy, artsy types. Here's a picture of me during one of my classes.

Tuesday Musings #10

Do you collect anything? If so, what? If not then, why…or what would you collect if you had to start a collection?

Well, today, all I feel like I collect is...

LAUNDRY!!!

With all nine of us wearing clothing everyday, it can get pretty bad. Every once in a while, I threaten the kids with "Naked Week", but I haven't followed through, yet. It is only a matter of time...

Sometimes it is sorted...

...and sometimes, like today (the first day home from vacation) it is just sordid.

So, how about a rain check on my real collecting fun and fantasy? I'll post all about it (with pictures!) when my laundry is caught up or before I turn 40, whichever comes first...

Tuesday Musings #9

Imagine your life is now a book. In 100 words, write the blurb for it.

Now you can travel the globe (only a little bit) with Amy, the beautiful (on a good day, in very forgiving light), daring (seven little dwarves), pampered (by her dh) daughter of gem mining tycoons (not! but I like my parents better anyway) as she solves the mind-numbing mystery of where the lost pacifier went.

Cringe with her as she cleans the boogers off the bedroom wall.

Grip the armrests of your chair while she dodges soggy, flying pancakes.

Most exciting of all, you’ll want to read about how she convinces her teenage daughter to do the dishes before midnight!

Tuesday Musings #8

Who was the last person you prank called? What did you say?

I'm not sure if this was the last prank call I made, but I made a series of calls in high school to my major high school crush. (This is embarrassingly idiotic.) He was kind of a weird kid from an interesting family. He claimed the reason they didn't mow their lawn was because they were all too romantic to like short grass. He told me once that I wasn't Machiavellian enough. He was weird. I was (am?!?) weird. I had an on-again, off-again crush on him for at least two and a half years.

I am the oldest of seven kids and there was a very distinctive background noise at our house, so I had to be extra devious when I made prank calls (see I made enough of them to figure this out). Do any of you remember the old rotary dial desk phones?


Well, you could unscrew the plastic covering over the mouthpiece and take out a metal thingamajig. Then, you could screw the plastic part back on and the phone would look normal to curious passing siblings, but the person on the other end couldn't hear a thing. So, to answer the second part of the question, I didn't say a thing. I used to call this kid's house and just listen. The fascinating (at least to me at the time) thing was, they would talk. To "no one". Yep, more than once (I said it was a series), for up to twenty minutes at a time, someone, either my weird crush or his older brother would just talk about who knows what. I can't remember what either of them said, probably because my sensible side (there, now you know I have one) has tried to forget how absolutely ridiculous I have been in my checkered past.

Tuesday Musings #7

If you woke up tomorrow morning and were someone else, who would you hope to be?

Okay, here it is my turn to choose the topic and I am the last one to post! If you look at the date above and the time below, you can see when I put the topic in, saved the first draft, and started trying to figure out who I'd be. Kind of like Rebecca, I kept thinking of downsides to each person I considered.

Here are some of the people I thought about choosing -

Benjamin Franklin - how cool to be both a silversmith and a founding father

Calamity Jane - pros - a great nickname and got to ride horses a lot
cons - hung around with a bunch of smelly guys and prostitutes

Joan of Arc - didn't she ride horses, too?

Artemisia Gentieschi - but would I really want to suffer that much just to paint with emotion?

and another artist - Sudcliff Maudsley

Carole Lombard - I think she was so funny, but that's where my admiration stops

Julia Child - hey, I'd just want to eat like her for a day

Neil Armstrong - he is still tempting, but I found someone more well rounded -

and the winner is -

Marie Marvingt

because she did everything I don't have time to do. She climbed mountains, wrote books, canoed, flew planes and balloons (that is my favorite), fenced, played tennis, rode horses (that is my second favorite) and even spoke five languages (including Esperanto)!

Woo hoo - wouldn't that be fun?

Tuesday Musings #6

Here's Claire's first blog topic. I think she likes to keep things interesting and challenging, which is one of the reasons I like her so much. That being said, I groaned inwardly when I first read it. She even altered it a bit when I complained (alright, so all my groaning did not remain inward). It took a little more preparation than Tuesday Musings has in the past. I researched on the internet, I agonized, I learned what iambic pentameter is. All in all, to quote P.G. Wodehouse, I could identify with Bertie Wooster when he said, about a writing assignment, "A deuce of a job it had been, taxing the physique to the utmost. I don't wonder now that all these author blokes have bald heads and faces like birds who have suffered."

Welcome to blog boot camp! No more of this free verse. This week I want a sonnet about one of the worst messes one or all of your children made.

So, here we go -

Michael is my darling son, and is three.
He loves to play with dirty, messy things.
He wants to play in mud and run scot-free.
When to a bath his feet I try to bring.

He likes his play dough, so maybe I'll sing,
Of fewer baths, less mess and cleaner rooms.
But life is not so good; it kind of stinks.
Play dough, indeed, is made to foster gloom.

He takes it out and thinks it might go, "Vroom!"
If thrown at baby, door or painted wall.
It's smeared on tables, chairs and very soon,
It's stuck to shoes, a chicken and a doll.

Whereas, before, my dirt was hard to find,
Dough stuff shows up for now and for all time.

P. S. I can hear some of you already complaining about how that is not a gross enough, bad enough mess, and all of you who were thinking that are invited over to clean it up off of everything next time Stan and I try to get something done and stop paying attention to Mr. Play Dough! You know who you are.

Tuesday Musings #5

What were your feeling or thoughts when you held your child/children for the first time?

All my labors were different. I was induced once, had oxygen once, had an epidural once, went without painkillers lots of times, almost gave birth in an elevator, used a birthing ball, impressed my doctor, annoyed another doctor, went ahead without any doctor, argued with lots of nurses and cooperated with even more, had stitches, didn't need stitches, got bored, cried with pain, cried with love and made it through the whole thing seven times.

On the other hand, right after giving birth was always the same - I had a big cheesy smile on my face and couldn't wait to hold the baby. Even more than looking at them (although that was fun, too) I wanted to hold them in my arms.

I'll never forget a friend telling me how after she had a stillborn baby (that they never gave her to hold), her arms hurt. They hurt badly enough that she went to see a doctor about it. The pain finally went away after she had her next baby. I could understand where she was coming from because I love to hold my babies from the moment they get here and it always drove me crazy when the nurses whisked them away. So, my first thought was always, "Gimme, gimme, gimme!"

Tuesday Musings #2, Part B

I was so excited to get a response to my letter, but I was disappointed when I read it. I was a bit consoled when I noticed that it came from a whole different state than I mailed it to, but it is still a form letter, even if someone had to send it up the east coast for someone else to send a response.


The problem with form letters is that they don't answer any questions, so in addition to my original search for a crocheted hammock pattern, now I have more questions running through my head and keeping me awake at night. Who do you think the "appropriate management" would be? Do you think their specialists would really be happy to serve me if I called between 8 AM and 5 PM EST? Could they help me or would it just be an exercise in futility to call and listen to muzak on hold? I'm pretty sure I'll never know...

Tuesday Musings #4

Where did you grow up/live up until the present?

I was born in Colorado and lived in New York (Long Island), Connecticut, New Hampshire (Manchester and then Bedford), New York again (Staten Island), Utah (college), California (Upland), Virginia, Utah again, and California again. I guess you could say I've moved a lot (which I enjoy), but done so with little creativity, as there are multiple repeats on the list. It is also sadly lacking in a place like Borneo, Mozambique or Lapland.

What is your earliest memory and how old were you?

I don't know how old I was, but I think it was in Connecticut (see, you move around a lot as a kid and you remember your life as places rather than ages) and I remember jumping on the foam pads that my brother and I slept on, throwing stuffed animals at each other.

Did you play piano or musical instrument at all or sports in high school or were you the studious type?

None of the above. I guess I took piano lessons for a few years, which I will be forever grateful for because of the basic knowledge of music I gleaned from them, but I don't know if I was ever proficient enough to say I played.

No, I went to ART school. The only sport available was basketball because the school was in midtown Manhattan - no track for us, although it is a shame. When I remember how fast we all were at dodging taxis, I think there was some unrealized talent lurking in the student body.

I was actually so anti-P.E. that I volunteered in the library all four years of H.S. just so that I didn't need to go play basketball in the basement of the school. Somehow I don't think it is as easy to get out of these days.

I was on the math team and was the best student in the entire school, even doing better than the boys a year or two older than I was, but before you get too impressed, remember, this was an ART school, so the math ability was not the cream of the crop.

Is there anything that you did that you think your parents didn't know about?

When I didn't want to go to school, I sometimes put the thermometer in the toaster to try and convince my mom I had a fever. I had to be really careful to let it cool down a bit first, or she'd think I was dead with a temperature of 118 degrees F.

In honor of Mother's Day...tell us something that you learned from your mother that you practice today and/or something that they did that you wish that you had started to do with your family or life.

It's funny, I was just thinking about this last week. My mom used to read aloud to all of us seven kids at bedtime. Even though I was old enough to read to myself (by more than a couple years), I enjoyed listening to her reading to us. It was a different experience than reading alone.

So, I was thinking maybe I'd try to read aloud at night to the kids this summer, while things are a bit less intense (one can hope). Do any of you readers of impeccable taste who visit our blog (you know those two things go together) have suggestions for a book to read aloud to children ranging in age from soon-to be-fifteen to three and a half?

Remember wishes can come true!

Tuesday Musings #3

It has been said by many that there are specific and profound moments/decisions in your life that change you. They leave deep and indelible impressions and you are never the same again, whether for better or worse. Write about one of these moments in your life, how it changed you, and whether you consider yourself a better or worse person for it.

I think one of the blessings of trials are the lessons we can learn from them.

After Stan and I got married, we wanted to have a baby soon, and having Summer less than a year later was really good for us and our relationship. I was content with one child, at least for the time being, but as the months past, I felt it was my duty to have another baby. I had a strong testimony of bringing children into the world, but that was the extent of my motivation. Out of duty, we were expecting another baby twenty two months after Summer was born. I wasn't excited or content. In my mind, we were doing the right thing, but heart wasn't in the right place; I was resentful and grumpy.

Well, I miscarried. I was surprised at how sad I was. Something I had resented and felt burdened by was taken from me and all of a sudden I wanted that possibility of a child back. My second question for the doctor after, "Why?" was, "When can we try again?"

It's another story how I came to know this, but I do know that that miscarriage was just a first try at Rachel. I will be forever grateful that she was still able to come to our family (she is such a joy) and for the lessons I learned. One of the most important ones was that children may be hard work and a lot of responsibility, our bodies may go through a lot to get them here and we may lose a lot of sleep between midnight feedings and freshman honors English essays, but the blessings far outweigh the difficulties. Each child is such a miracle and such a blessing.

I don't like to say I am a better person for this experience because I still have so far to go. I need to remember these grateful feelings on afternoons like I had today when dinner burns while I'm changing a stinky diaper and it all goes downhill from there, but even in the thick of it all, I wouldn't change a thing (except that diaper - again!).

Tuesday Musings #2

Thanks to Steph for today's topic (challenge?) -

Compose a...letter...to a large company/public entity.

Scan or copy-paste the letter into your blog.

Mail off the letter.

Post a response when and if you receive one!

April 29, 2008

JNJ.COM
P.O. Box 726
Langhorne, PA 19047-0726

Dear Johnson & Johnson Consumer Relations,

I am writing for a couple of reasons. The first is to tell you I really love Reach Waxed Mint Dental Floss. I love how clean it gets the spaces in between my teeth. I especially love the fresh minty taste.

While I was getting ready for bed last night, I was thinking how strong Reach Waxed Mint Dental Floss is. I have never experienced a floss breakage using your product and the wheels in my mind started spinning. I thought, “Wouldn’t Reach Waxed Mint Dental Floss make a great hammock – strong, smooth, minty. What could be better?” The idea of relaxing in a hammock in my backyard surrounded by a lovely mint scent was so inspiring to me, I thought and thought about how to go about it and decided crocheting a hammock out of floss might work.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a very original thinker and someone else has probably had the idea to crochet a hammock for their backyard out of Reach Waxed Mint Dental Floss, so that brings me to the second reason I am writing. I wondered if anyone in your company has a pattern or instructions for a crocheted floss hammock. I would be thrilled if I could have a copy. I’d hate to go to all that work and not have a functional napping spot when I was done. I would feel so much better with instructions in hand.

Thank you so much for considering my request.

Sincerely,

Amy

Tuesday Musings #1

My sister started writing in a blog group and I thought it was a nifty idea, so I got together a small one myself. Our first topic is a get-to-know-you one - How many different jobs have you had and which one was your favorite? So, I am going to reach into the dusty recesses of my mind and see what I can drag out :)

1 - babysitting siblings
I don't remember getting paid for this, except for one year when my mother bought me THE sweater for school one fall after a summer of lots of kid watching. I'm sure I moaned sometimes about the responsibility, but I liked parts of it, too. One of my favorite memories is holding my brother Tim and singing him to sleep when he was only a few weeks old.

2 - babysitting for money
I always appreciated the cash, but I had some horrid experiences watching unruly kids. Ugh!

3 - delivering newspapers, The Pennysaver and The Staten Island Advance, NY

4 - Saturday cashier help, Island Art Center NY

5 - intern/go-fer, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, NY

6 - waitress at Sizzler (some of the customers were even more unruly than the previously mentioned kids!), NY

7 - accounting clerk, Burson-Marsteller NY

8 - picture framer, Provo Craft, UT

9 - temp, you-name-it, NY
I actually got asked out to lunch by a complete stranger one time working at a bank counting customers. He took me out for sushi, which I got stuck in my teeth, spraying rice all over the restaurant and I was so embarrassed, I wouldn't go out with him again when he asked.

10 - library file clerk, Chadbourne and Parke, NY

11 - waitress, cook and lunchtime manager, Pie Pizzeria, UT
Does that count as more than one job? The best thing about working here was learning to toss pizza dough in the air.

12 - general help, BYU memorabilia store I can't remember the name of, UT

13 - book repairer, Book Repair Unit, Harold B. Lee Library, UT

14 - photo retoucher, Doug Martin Photography, UT
Ask me sometime to tell you about the van...

15 - part time nanny, CA

16 - photographer's helper, CA

17 - substitute teacher's aide, CA

18 - secret shopper, CA

19 - demonstrator evaluator, Nutro, VA and NV

Working at the Book Repair Unit was by far my favorite. I was good at it. It took skill, an artist's eye and even a smattering of math - all of my favorite things. Plus, I worked with fun people, my boss liked me and I didn't have to drive a van! What more could I ask?