In my dependable story, the underlying message that I thought was implied (but wasn't ... really), was this: that girl irked me, big time!
When I commented on her 'zen understanding' or whatever I said, I meant it somewhat ironically, since she thought she had the situation figured out, and I just had to laugh at the naivete of a 12 year old. I had to laugh so that I wouldn't cry, since we leaders spend bunches o'time trying to get it right for them.
It annoyed me that one postponement got me slapped with a "not dependable" label.
You've got to be kidding me?!?!?
So anyway ... I'm not upset. (Do I seem upset?) But nor am I saint. Ha ha!
Nov 16, 2008
Dependable
You know how television shows often catch up viewers with a 'In a previous episode ...' montage at the beginning of a new episode?
Okay ... here's the 'previous' part. Our Beehive counselor, Sister Trousdale, has started a really fun tradition in our ward YW program of 'kidnapping' new Beehives & taking them out for ice cream around their 12 birthdays. We've been able to eat chocolate sundaes at several different Bryan, Texas McDonald's this way.
Two weeks ago, we were supposed to 'kidnap' another girl. While Sister McConnell & I were waiting at the church for girls to arrive so we could caravan to the beehive's house, I got a call from Kyle: he and Leighton were at a park playing baseball with the kids, but Annie had just thrown up, felt feverish, and wanted me.
Sister McConnell offered to call folks so we could postpone, and I dashed off to get Annie.
Now here's today's episode - our Young Women lesson today was called "Being Dependable." Sister Mecham, who was teaching our combined group, started off the lesson with a good question, asking for examples of times when we had been let down by someone who wasn't dependable.
This beehive raised her hand to share the time when the YW leaders had promised to take her to McDonald's but weren't dependable.
In my own defense, I raised my hand and said, "In my own defense ... I had to postpone since my daughter was vomiting and possibly contagious.'
She smiled. No hard feelings from her, just acceptance of the way we hadn't been dependable. A zen acceptance of the infallibility of leaders. :)
I was laughing on the inside, actually. And laughing on the outside as several other leaders gave me knowing smiles.
I know the way I saw things at 12 was more innocent and less complicated than the way I see them decades later.
The lesson was still a good one - the one from Sister Mecham, I mean - and the point taken: in our church & life responsibilities, people are counting on us. Being dependable helps everyone around us. I'm certainly glad that I can always count on McDonald's to have creamy ice milk and chocolate fudge sauce when a sundae is desired!
Okay ... here's the 'previous' part. Our Beehive counselor, Sister Trousdale, has started a really fun tradition in our ward YW program of 'kidnapping' new Beehives & taking them out for ice cream around their 12 birthdays. We've been able to eat chocolate sundaes at several different Bryan, Texas McDonald's this way.
Two weeks ago, we were supposed to 'kidnap' another girl. While Sister McConnell & I were waiting at the church for girls to arrive so we could caravan to the beehive's house, I got a call from Kyle: he and Leighton were at a park playing baseball with the kids, but Annie had just thrown up, felt feverish, and wanted me.
Sister McConnell offered to call folks so we could postpone, and I dashed off to get Annie.
Now here's today's episode - our Young Women lesson today was called "Being Dependable." Sister Mecham, who was teaching our combined group, started off the lesson with a good question, asking for examples of times when we had been let down by someone who wasn't dependable.
This beehive raised her hand to share the time when the YW leaders had promised to take her to McDonald's but weren't dependable.
In my own defense, I raised my hand and said, "In my own defense ... I had to postpone since my daughter was vomiting and possibly contagious.'
She smiled. No hard feelings from her, just acceptance of the way we hadn't been dependable. A zen acceptance of the infallibility of leaders. :)
I was laughing on the inside, actually. And laughing on the outside as several other leaders gave me knowing smiles.
I know the way I saw things at 12 was more innocent and less complicated than the way I see them decades later.
The lesson was still a good one - the one from Sister Mecham, I mean - and the point taken: in our church & life responsibilities, people are counting on us. Being dependable helps everyone around us. I'm certainly glad that I can always count on McDonald's to have creamy ice milk and chocolate fudge sauce when a sundae is desired!
Nov 11, 2008
Election night
It was a night of tasty food. We had been invited to have dinner at the Samuelson's house, so expectations were running high. When the final votes were tallied, it was determined that I both contributed to and detracted from our meal, a meal that included Jennifer's pasta bake and Todd's green goddess dip with veggies galore.
My winning 'dish' was some fresh, homemade pesto and Blue Baker bread.
The pesto - made from my basil leaves - owed its success to good cheese. And lots of oil. And lots of garlic, plus pine nuts and basil.
I used a blender because ... because, it's all I have, and now I am asking for a food processor for Christmas.
My losing dish?
Blargh.
My cake flour had weevils, and I did not discover them until Tuesday morning at 5:30 a.m, my designated baking time. Obviously, I could not leave the children and run to the store.
I should have had more flour on hand, but since we moved, I haven't replenished the flour stores. (Since the cookie debacle, however, I have.)
So I made do, a neo-pioneer. Or 'made don't', as the case may be.
I followed the recipe (1/3 c. lemon zest, lemon oil, sugar, sugar, sugar), but knew something was up when I pulled them out of the oven.
Later, after they had cooled & my children had woken up, I asked for testers.
Me: "Graham, will you taste one of these cookies for me?"
Graham, after taking a bite: "Do they have nuts in them?"
Me: "No. They are the lemon sugar cookies you love."
Graham, after taking another bite: "They taste like sand."
Since I was going straight from Blinn to kid school pick-up to chess club to election night dinner, I didn't have time to make anything else. I did add some fresh raspberries to the plate, and vowed to never again use wheat flour in cookies.
America, that's a promise I intend to keep, not just for the next four years, but for the rest of my life.
My winning 'dish' was some fresh, homemade pesto and Blue Baker bread.
The pesto - made from my basil leaves - owed its success to good cheese. And lots of oil. And lots of garlic, plus pine nuts and basil.
I used a blender because ... because, it's all I have, and now I am asking for a food processor for Christmas.
My losing dish?
Quick apology: I'm sorry, Elizabeth, because I failed to mention this part of the lemon sugar cookie anecdote to you during our Election Night phone conversation, and it taints the memory of the cookie you hold so dear.Whole-wheat lemon sugar cookies.
Blargh.
My cake flour had weevils, and I did not discover them until Tuesday morning at 5:30 a.m, my designated baking time. Obviously, I could not leave the children and run to the store.
I should have had more flour on hand, but since we moved, I haven't replenished the flour stores. (Since the cookie debacle, however, I have.)
So I made do, a neo-pioneer. Or 'made don't', as the case may be.
I followed the recipe (1/3 c. lemon zest, lemon oil, sugar, sugar, sugar), but knew something was up when I pulled them out of the oven.
Later, after they had cooled & my children had woken up, I asked for testers.
Me: "Graham, will you taste one of these cookies for me?"
Graham, after taking a bite: "Do they have nuts in them?"
Me: "No. They are the lemon sugar cookies you love."
Graham, after taking another bite: "They taste like sand."
Since I was going straight from Blinn to kid school pick-up to chess club to election night dinner, I didn't have time to make anything else. I did add some fresh raspberries to the plate, and vowed to never again use wheat flour in cookies.
America, that's a promise I intend to keep, not just for the next four years, but for the rest of my life.
Aunt Sherry's book room
Aunt Sherry has always been a bibliophile, and I have enjoyed seeing her photos and hearing book recommendations!
In keeping with the tradition I've already noted (politics, kids, rooms, rinse & repeat ... or something to that effect), I proudly present ...
Aunt Sherry's book room (ta-dah!)
I love the shelves & the shelf nook, as well as the vertical book print.
In her email to me, she said she thought she would need another shelf where the print is currently leaning. That's my kind of woman - a book nook, though awesome, may not be sufficient for future book needs.
In keeping with the tradition I've already noted (politics, kids, rooms, rinse & repeat ... or something to that effect), I proudly present ...
Aunt Sherry's book room (ta-dah!)
I love the shelves & the shelf nook, as well as the vertical book print.
In her email to me, she said she thought she would need another shelf where the print is currently leaning. That's my kind of woman - a book nook, though awesome, may not be sufficient for future book needs.
DQ FHE
Does my acronym post title sound like a covert operation?
Didn't think so ...
But it was a fun, fun outing. Last week, Gammy sent us DQ gift cards. Oh, the kids were so happy to open that card! (Thanks, Gammy, for sending such great cards & notes in the mail. You are our best pen pal.)
"Gammy's taking us to DQ," squealed Annie.
Since Gammy (a/k/a Elizabeth Higgins) lives in Baytown, we did the next best thing: we had FHE at the DQ here in Bryan.
In between playing on the rinky-dink play structure (I saw 'rinky-dink' with love, since my kids seem to prefer the Little Tykes climber to larger climbing things at other fast-food places) and eating a pumpkin pie blizzard (hello, delicious! They cover the whipped cream with lots of nutmeg) - plus some chicken for protein - we also read several stories from this month's "The Friend" and completed the questions at the end of one of the stories as our lesson.
"Are you making up those questions, Mom?" asked Graham, somewhat puzzled. I don't usually ask a ton of questions when we read from the friend. But it was a proper lesson that night.
Then we enjoyed the rest of our pumpkin pie blizzard before heading home for bed.
[In answer to your question: yes, Graham can have some of the Blizzard if a) he has enough insulin and b) he eats only part of it. So even though I didn't get a blizzard of my own, there was plenty for all three of us!]
Didn't think so ...
But it was a fun, fun outing. Last week, Gammy sent us DQ gift cards. Oh, the kids were so happy to open that card! (Thanks, Gammy, for sending such great cards & notes in the mail. You are our best pen pal.)
"Gammy's taking us to DQ," squealed Annie.
Since Gammy (a/k/a Elizabeth Higgins) lives in Baytown, we did the next best thing: we had FHE at the DQ here in Bryan.
In between playing on the rinky-dink play structure (I saw 'rinky-dink' with love, since my kids seem to prefer the Little Tykes climber to larger climbing things at other fast-food places) and eating a pumpkin pie blizzard (hello, delicious! They cover the whipped cream with lots of nutmeg) - plus some chicken for protein - we also read several stories from this month's "The Friend" and completed the questions at the end of one of the stories as our lesson.
"Are you making up those questions, Mom?" asked Graham, somewhat puzzled. I don't usually ask a ton of questions when we read from the friend. But it was a proper lesson that night.
Then we enjoyed the rest of our pumpkin pie blizzard before heading home for bed.
[In answer to your question: yes, Graham can have some of the Blizzard if a) he has enough insulin and b) he eats only part of it. So even though I didn't get a blizzard of my own, there was plenty for all three of us!]
Nov 5, 2008
Free to Be You and Me
In a pretty informal poll of people I know, at least around here, very few have heard of "Free to Be You and Me", by Marlo Thomas. But I LOVED it as a child, and when I saw it at the public library, we promptly checked it out. My kids are loving it too!
What is "Free to Be You and Me"? It's an album and also an award-winning television program for children. It came out in 1972, a pivotal year in my life! It's also a heart-tugging snapshot of 1970s in all of its beautiful idealism and cool graphics and sweetness.
Even if I hadn't watched it as a child, it would remind me of my 1970s childhood. Can I just say, I'm glad I grew up in the 70s? What a great decade to be a child. Still innocent in many ways, yet with opportunities opening up. I credit my parents for passing those opportunities - and prairie skirts - onto us.
The songs in "Free to Be You and Me" were obviously meant to fill a void ... or create a new ideal, including a song about a princess who doesn't have to marry the man her king father chooses, the pretty well-known song about boys being able to cry too, and my favorite, "When We Grow Up." The song itself is just lovely, a duet between Roberta Flack and Michael Jackson, but the knowledge that Jackson's life doesn't turn out the way this song hopes for makes me tear up. Call me goofy, but it kind of breaks my heart.
Graham and Annie like this song about parents (because the mother is an umpire - "Is that possible?!?!?!" asked Graham - and because her velvet dress is "beautiful", said Annie.)
What is "Free to Be You and Me"? It's an album and also an award-winning television program for children. It came out in 1972, a pivotal year in my life! It's also a heart-tugging snapshot of 1970s in all of its beautiful idealism and cool graphics and sweetness.
Even if I hadn't watched it as a child, it would remind me of my 1970s childhood. Can I just say, I'm glad I grew up in the 70s? What a great decade to be a child. Still innocent in many ways, yet with opportunities opening up. I credit my parents for passing those opportunities - and prairie skirts - onto us.
The songs in "Free to Be You and Me" were obviously meant to fill a void ... or create a new ideal, including a song about a princess who doesn't have to marry the man her king father chooses, the pretty well-known song about boys being able to cry too, and my favorite, "When We Grow Up." The song itself is just lovely, a duet between Roberta Flack and Michael Jackson, but the knowledge that Jackson's life doesn't turn out the way this song hopes for makes me tear up. Call me goofy, but it kind of breaks my heart.
Graham and Annie like this song about parents (because the mother is an umpire - "Is that possible?!?!?!" asked Graham - and because her velvet dress is "beautiful", said Annie.)
Stake Conference
There was a strong missionary spirit at our stake's Saturday night adult session. My friend Jennifer offered, ahead of time, to watch Graham and Annie so I could attend. It was a blessing!Elder William Walker of the quorum of the seventy was the presiding authority, and he gave a wonderful talk, as did other leaders in our stake.
He quoted J. Reuben Clark - "Never let your faith be difficult to detect."
He also shared information about the church in Mexico where there are 12 temples; at the upcoming rededication of the Mexico City temple, the church has rented an enormous soccer arena, and anticipate thousands - perhaps even a million - Latter-day Saints. He told us it might be the largest gathering of LDS people in the history of the church.
All of us, including church members, live in a time of great turmoil, but also great opportunity. I came away from the session with my resolve strengthened and fear reduced. Life is good. The gospel is even better.
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