G.C. on the T.V. in the A.M.

I love love love General Conference. It is a time to renew and recommit and re-energize. And with our mission being just weeks away, you can bet that Ron and I were hanging on every word spoken this morning. Great A.M. session!
Announcements made by our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, at Saturday morning session of General Conference: Two new Temples, Tucson Arizona and Peru. But I feel the "biggie" was the change in missionary age. Worthy young men can now serve at age 18. Worthy and desirous young women can now serve at age 19. This is wonderful news for young women especially. I think many young women would love to serve missions, but perhaps feel that coming home at the age of 23+ would narrow down the opportunity to get married. (Ok, that's just what goes on inside my worldly head.) As my friend on another blog said, the current Elders serving in the field are going to come back and wonder where all the girls went! Hope you enjoy the rest of Conference weekend!

Problem solved

We've been having a nasty problem with fruit flies around here. I don't know why, we don't even have fruit lying around. It was just becoming annoying to be sitting at the kitchen table talking to someone and have this nearly invisible little kamikaze bug fly in your face. Yesterday I was reading Dooley's Doodles (blog) and saw that her son made a little trap to capture these tiny pests, read  here . I decided to try it last night. It works! Thanks Kirkham Dooley, for this great solution to a pesky problem!

I like art. I like soup.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol's iconic pop art "32 Campbell's Soup Cans". I saw these cans at Target and thought they would make darling little vases or pencil holders or something...and we like tomato soup here at our house. So as we've been eating it, I take the can and rinse it out and modpodge over the label. I've never been a huge Warhol fan, and I don't really care for silk screened art. I think it is cheesy and cheap and for the most part, not too inspiring. However, I was drawn to these colorful little gems. Which just goes to prove you can find beauty in just about anything. And Campbell's Soup Company, what a great marketing idea, using the anniversary of his art to sell more soup. I bought these four cans when I already had a shelf full of soup in my pantry. Genius I tell ya! 

"What could possibly go wrong?"

I tried to watch the Presidential debates, but honestly, it just makes me crazy. Obama saying "Governor Romney says he's going to lower taxes, but he won't tell us how he's going to do it. Governor Romney says he wants to repeal ObamaCare and have states decide what's best for their own people but he won't tell us what that plan is..." Hello! Yer kinda 'the pot callin' the kettle black', aren't ya Barrack? When YOUR Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi says - speaking of the ObamaCare bill- "We won't know what's in it until it's passed"  like she's a Freshman girl going for a joyride with a Senior boy in a stolen car, just because he showed her a set of keys and told her the car was his. Mr. President I find you deceitful, and everyone of your cohorts either ignorantly just going along for the ride or just as deceitful. It's time to tell the emperor he's got no clothes!
Please enjoy this clip.  If it weren't so true, it wouldn't be so funny.
You're welcome.

Yakima kinda-adventure

We drove up to Yakima to a conference where Ron was speaking on litigation. Normally you'd think that would be a big yawner, right? Nope. Ron could make ice cubes melting sound interesting. He did a great job. On the way up...or over...whatever...they closed the highway for rock blasting. We were like the last ones to be let through before they closed the road. Yeah, we could have stopped the car and laid right down on the road if we'd wanted to. It was a little eery. Nothing but beautiful sunset behind us.

...And nothing but beautiful moonlight in front of us.

...We stopped at Mountain High Hamburgers on the way up. Their hot fudge shakes are beyond wonderful!

After Ron's presentation we drove into town and stopped at this little Italian cafe by the train depot, and dined 'alfresco'. It was really good, but the polar opposite of the Italian restaurant in my last post. This food was HEAVY.

As we drove over the mountains, we stopped at the gigantic fruit stand in Thorp and bought some of the most dee.lish.us. peaches! And boy was it windy!

Remember the TROLL dolls from when you were a kid? Yeah, that's my hair! Ha!

Gotta love pose-able hair!

A must Go-To, Cantinetta

Last weekend some friends of ours took us to this restaurant up in Seattle. Not your typical "Olive Garden" variety Italian food. The Hartman's son, Tim is the Sous Chef...the second in command...the under-chefling...the almost Grand PooBah! Whatever you want to call him, he is an artist. The food was DEE-Licioso! Fresh, creative, a marriage of flavors and textures that would bring the Chopped judges to tears. And every course was plated to aesthetic perfection. Seriously.

This place is in the artsy district of Wallingford. It's actually in what looks like a residential area. You drive down the street and see this incredible view of the Seattle skyline over the water, and there it is on the corner. This little old brick building that looks like it may have at one time been a neighborhood bodega. But don't let this unassuming facade fool you. We got there about 6:00-ish and it was pretty quiet. Although it's small, there were plenty of tables to choose from. We sat directly across from the chef's station ( we had to see Rick & Tracie's son at work! ) By 7:30 the place was hoppin' and there were people waiting outside for a table. Would I go there again? Definitely! Would I suggest it to others? GO!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter

me and shannon

Thirty one years ago today my sweet baby girl was born. The miracle of being a mother is you can remember each little detail of giving birth, but you forget about the physical pain. ~one would have to forget, or no one would have more than one child.~ Shannon was one of the Lord's tender mercies in my life. She came to me when Heavenly Father knew I would need to turn my attention from myself, and the deep sadness I was experiencing with the illness and inevitable passing of my own mother, to the care and attention of one so tiny and innocent. Shannon was then, and continues to be a great source of strength to me. I've watched her grow from a happy little girl to a valiant young woman who made wise choices in her youth, to a beautiful, strong, attentive wife and mother, teaching her own children to "walk uprightly before the Lord."  Could any mother ask for anything more? Happy Birthday Shannon.