"Middle children have remarkable diplomatic skills."

-The Secret Power of Middle Children, by Catherine Salmon

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Lemon Monkey Bread

Normally my motto is: If it isn't chocolate, it isn't dessert. But lately I've been really craving sweets on the tart side. I made these flakey rolls of lemony goodness from a recipe I got off pinterest. They were super easy to make...which makes it a problem. The problem being that we could've/would've eaten the whole pan of them ourselves, they are so good. So we shared with the Elders and they appreciated them much more than my waistline would have!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Now I've seen EVERYTHING! (literally)

So I'm driving home from the grocery store, going on the back roads. School has just let out and there are kids walking home, so I have to be extra careful and go slow - like I don't ALWAYS go slow... 'cause I DO... Anyway, there was a group of 3 or 4 high-schoolish age boys walking ahead of me, and ya know how some ghetto kids think it's cool to wear their pants off their "behinds"? I kid you not, this is literally what I saw one of the kids wearing:
BELOW HIS KNEES! Are ya kiddin' me?? When did this NOT become indecent exposure? I didn't have presence of mind to grab my camera phone and snap a picture, but I did roll down the passenger window and yell out these four words like some old lady:
"ARE YA KIDDIN' ME???"
Maybe the four words I yelled shoulda been
"PUT YER PANTS ON!!!"
I think after my early-bird buffet, I'm coming home to watch Lawrence Welk and settle in with a nice cup of Geritol. G'night.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Book Review 101

Ron and I just finished reading the Prophet's Biography, TO THE RESCUE. Now we are reading MITT ROMNEY - An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics. Here is my book review for each:
= warm and fuzzy
= landing in a blackberry bush bare naked poking your eyes out and losing your favorite earrings ******************************************************************** ...I mean...I love ya Mitt, but R.B.Scott could learn a few things about writing a warm, inviting, I-wanna-know-this-person-in-person kind of biography from Heidi Swinton, is all I'm sayin'. I bought Mitt's book from Deseret Book. Isn't that the only true bookstore in Utah?? It isn't at all what I expected it to be, but we are only about a third of the way thru it, so we'll keep reading through the "briar patch" and hope there is sweet fruit at the end for our effort.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Made it. Ate it. Loved it!

I made Baked S'mores from a recipe I got off pinterest. My picture doesn't look nearly as ooey gooey as theaprongal's, but they sure are yumm-ola!
Yesterday was Activity Day with my Primary girls. I L.O.V.E. this calling. I love these little girls! They are wise beyond their years in many aspects. And they are just plain funny. Yesterday I was on the hunt for some NOWandLATER's for our activity on The Book of Mormon - (Mosiah 2:41- Keeping the commandments blesses you NOW and LATER) I went to three stores to find them, with no luck. Sometimes I have a little dialogue going (in my head when I'm out in public), yesterday's went something like this: "Heavenly Father I've been to three stores. If you think this is a dumb idea, I won't try to find them anywhere else, I'll go home." Then...like the Heavens opened up and golden rays of sunbeams came shining down on this one spot inside Dollar Tree. (cue the Heavenly concourse of Angelic Ahh!)
There they were! I know it sounds kinda goofy, that I would make such a big deal out of finding this one kind of candy just to make a point about a scripture. But that's how I roll. These are my sweet girls.
Camille, Tina, me, Bethany, Ellie and Brooklyn.
At the end of the activity they each got a little tiny chocolate Book of Mormon to take home. Fun day.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Lesson learned...eventually.................. (part 2: Y.D.P.O.M.K.)

...so I got a note left on my car at the grocery store asking me to "try to stay in the lines. Thx!!" At first I was annoyed that someone would take the time to write it, after all, there were other stalls to park in. I figured it was an older person, because a younger person would surely have taken the opportunity to be much more snarky in his note. And I was guessing that it was probably a man, judging by the masculine handwriting...I mean, get a life people! Then as I drove out of the parking lot, still on my quest for the item for my object lesson, it occured to me that I was in the wrong here. I had taken up more than my share of a parking space with my big ol' tuna boat of a vehicle. And this person who left me the note really could have been "snarky" or rude, but instead left it as a little reminder and even wrote Thx (thanks) with the two exclamation points after the thx. No confrontation, just six little words ending in thanks. Wow, I got called out on my lousy parking job, and I deserved it. In retrospect, because I was there to pick up something for my primary girls for our activity on the scriptures, I was a little surprised at my not so righteous reaction to the note. Is this the attitude of a Latter Day Saint? It got me thinking...I wonder how many times Heavenly Father has sent us me little messages asking imploring us me to "stay in the lines". Then I wonder what my attitude has been. Annoyance,(un)righteous indignation, or humility? I'm keeping that little post-it note in my art room right above my computer...just as a reminder to "try to stay in the lines."

Your Karma parked on my dogma!

This morning started out so perfect. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I get to have my Primary girls over this afternoon, what a great day! I'm driving the 'burb', singing a "happy little working song", thinking I sound just like Amy Adams, when in actuality I sound more like Yoko Ono. But I'm all alone so I sound like Amy Adams, and I pull into Fred Meyer's parking lot...Anyone ever try to thread a watermelon through the eye of a needle? THAT's what parking the 'burb' is like in F.M. parking lot. I find a spot, get out of the car and pass a lady who has finished loading her groceries into her car and I ask if she'd like me to take her cart back into the store for her...her response: "Oh thank you, yes. thank you very much!" I'm feelin' appreciated for my "good deed" and I think the Karma gods are going to smile on me and I will find the item I need for my object lesson inside this store. (I'd already been to two other stores with no luck finding it). But a few minutes later, I'm leaving Fred Meyer empty handed and a little frustrated that I can't find this item that I see everywhere except when I want it! Then I get to my car only to find a note that someone has scribbled on a post-it note and left on my drivers side window. Ugh! Did someone back into my car accidentally? Do I have a flat tire that they are warning me about? Umm no. This is what the note read:
ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME?? I get in my car..sit there for a minute..I feel my soul starts to fill with righteous indignation. Doesn't this person know how hard it is to park this bus in this postage stamp sized parking lot? Don't they know I'm here to get stuff for my primary activity? Don't they know I did a good deed by taking someones shopping cart back into the store, saving her five, maybe six steps had she done it herself?? ...Then the ridiculousness of the situation hits me. And I start to giggle at every one of the thoughts I just had. I've got to go and set up for my girls activity. Stay tuned for part two: The Christ-like chapter of this story.