How Much Did Mary Know?

I have been thinking a lot this month about the story of the nativity and also the Christmas song, “Mary Did You Know.” It has really caused me to wonder how much Mary knew about what the plan was for her son. Surely she must have known he was something special because of the circumstances surrounding his conception and also from the visits from angels.

I can’t help but remember when my babies were tiny and I would rock them or watch them sleep and how I would wonder what they would be like when they grew up. What would they look like? What would their interests be? What kind of example would they be to others? What kind of choices would they make as they started becoming adults? What callings in the church would they hold? What kind of parents will they make? What will their babies look like?

As a mother, I imagine Mary wondered a lot about the future of her son.  When she looked at his tiny little face, could she fathom the enormity of who her child was? Did she have any idea what her child’s calling on this earth would entail? Did she know that he was destined to die a horrific death? Did she know the example that her child would become for the entire world? Did she understand about the pre-existence and did she know what her child did in the grand council in heaven?

I was always a protective mother. I always wanted to know where my kids were and what they were doing and who they were with. I wonder how Mary found the strength to trust God and let her son do what He needed to do from a very young age, knowing how important he was. I often ponder what it must have been like for her when He was crucified and how hard that must have been for her to know that He was suffering, but that it had to happen like that. What strength she must have possessed to be the mother of Christ!

I often wonder about the personality of Mary and about her tender relationship with her son. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have the responsibility of being the mother of Christ…. And then I remember that God loves all His children equally.

So even though I am not the mother of Christ, I am the mother of four of God’s children whom He loves equally and while that is an enormous responsibility when you think of it, I feel so blessed to know that I have been entrusted with such a tender calling on this earth. I wish I had realized this 24 years ago as I was preparing to become a mother for the first time. There are probably a lot of things I would have done differently. But as I have really thought about this, this Christmas season, I am thrilled to have finally realized what special spirits God has entrusted me with. I don’t look at my children the same now. I look at them more with awe and wonderment and excitement about their potential, knowing that they might be my flesh and blood, but they are so much more than the parts of them that came from me.

Thankful 2013

Thankful 2013

Day 1 Today I am thankful to have a job where I can have the freedom to come and go as I need to in order to accomplish the things that I used to have anxiety over when I couldn't just leave work to go home and take care of them.... like raking leaves in the rain.

Day 2 Today I am thankful for food storage... for the freedom to choose to store extra food, for a place to keep extra food on hand, for the ability to budget to have the means to acquire it, and finally for the knowledge to know how to turn it into something yummy!

Day 3  Day 3 see blog post

Day 4 Today I am thankful for my family... I have sibs and kids/grandkids scattered from Washington to Texas to New Jersey. I am grateful for the technology that allows me to keep in touch with them on a very personal level and keep up with what's going on in their lives...  you ALL so much!!!

Day 5 Today I am thankful for roots.... big, strong, deep roots that keep me grounded and give me a greater sense of belonging on this earth. I am grateful for the legacy that my ancestors have left for me and the struggles they went through to allow me to have the gospel of Christ in my life. I am privileged to have personally known some pretty amazing people during their turn on this earth. I try every day to remember many of the so that I never lose the closeness I feel to those who have passed on.

Day 6 Today I am thankful for friends. I like to think that we had close friends before we came to this life and every now and then we come across these friends here on earth. I feel there are those people who, when we meet up, our spirits immediately recognize the familiarity of each other and you feel such a deep connection. Once you have reunited with one of these friends, not even geography can separate the connection.  I have run across a few of these dear friends in my days and they are such a blessing to me.  I am also grateful for the everyday friends. Those people who attempt to understand me on a daily basis… the ones who tolerate my shortcomings… those people who give me a hug or a smile or a card or tell me that I look nice when we both know that I am having a bad hair day…. the ones who gently try to help me see new perspectives so that I can be a little better today than I was yesterday. Whatever would I do without you!

Day 7 Today I am thankful for storms. Storms can be cleansing... both weather related storms and personal storms. During storms, the dirt and filth can get washed away and afterward, things are fresh and clean. Storms can do damage, like knock down trees and help us to take stock of the weakness in our life so we know in which areas we need to do some pruning and grooming to be able to withstand the next storm that comes along. Storms can also bring darkness into our lives by blocking the sun in the sky and Christ in our lives. Going through the storms helps us to better recognize and appreciate the light. So, yes, I am thankful for stormy weather. It is an opportunity for reflection and growth. It is also right after a storm that we see the rainbow. A promise from God….  it’s comforting to me to have the knowledge that God always keeps His promises!

Day 8 Today I am actually thankful for second chances. I am thankful for the opportunity to connect with people that I didn't have the chance to get to know when I first met them for whatever reason. I am glad that people who may have misjudged me at some point in my life (or whom I may have misjudged) are now a part of my life. I am richer because of your influence and examples! I am also thankful for second chances in the regards that we have the opportunity, through the Atonement to start over and do a little better the next time.... for the opportunity to improve and keep attempting to perfect our imperfections.

Day 9 Today I am thankful for perspectives. I am happy that I have people in my life that I can have deep, thought provoking conversations with…that help me to be able to consider things from a different point of view, but still love me when I don’t get it, or if even if I do get it, but respectfully disagree. I am grateful for the ability to have a conversation with God and have Him help me to understand things in a new light.

Day 10 Today I am thankful for opportunities I have to teach. I am not sure if anyone else gets anything out of my lessons, but I certainly learn so much from the chance to REALLY ponder and pray about the topic. Not just my opportunity to teach the 15 year old SS class, but for all the other opportunities that come along to help me to stretch and grow personally as I try to better understand things that will bring me closer to God.

Day 11 Today I am thankful for all the men and women who put their lives on hold and leave their families to protect our freedoms. I am thankful that I can go to sleep at night without fear of the dangers of war. I am thankful that I can wake up in the morning and dress how I want and go where I want and do what I want. I am thankful that I live in a place where we are free to exercise our free agency in so many ways. I am thankful for the freedom to express myself and to share my thoughts and ideas without fear of retribution (although some of you might wish to censor me a bit..lol). I am thankful that my dad taught me respect for this country and the flag and the men and women who protect it. He taught me what it truly means to be patriotic!

Day 12 Today I am thankful for family… for parents who raised me to know right from wrong. For siblings (and their spouses) who have taught me how important it is to stay close to each other. For a hubs that not only loves me, but tolerates me unconditionally. For kids who are so awesome they make me look like a great mom. For their spouses for putting up with my kids’ quirks.  For my sweet ,sweet grandkids who bring so much joy into my life. For the in-laws (and the outlaws..LOL).  For cousins and aunts and uncles who have taught me that friends may come and go, but family is forever. You ALL complete me in so many ways and are all such great examples to me of unconditional love and kindness and forgiveness and tolerance and patience….. when I grow up I want to be just like YOU!

Day 13 Today I am thankful for a nice hot shower and the fact that I no longer smell like frankincense! I am also thankful for a great friend who shared her frankincense..and white fir... and deep blue.... and her other magic potions last night so I could enjoy an evening with a little less pain in my muscles!

Day 14 Today I am thankful for things that give me physical comfort. In no particular order: soup and homemade rolls, homemade mac and cheese, salted caramel hot chocolate… sweat shirts and yoga pants…  the cold side of the pillow, fluffy down comforters and  memory foam…  massage, heating pads, muscle relaxers, and pain medication.. and most importantly hugs!

Day 15 Today I am thankful for employees so that I don't have to carry the whole load myself! We have been so blessed with two people who have really high integrity and an awesome work ethic. I enjoy coming to work each day and associating with such great people!

Day 16 Today I am thankful for snuggles from my sweet Oakley and her smile that lights up whenever someone talks to her. I am thankful for all our grandbabies and for the sweet spirits that they have. My only regret is that we don't get to have snuggles from our Texas babies more often!

Day 17 Today I am thankful to the knowledge that I have of the Savior and the Atonement and for the peace and comfort that has brought into my life over the years. I am comforted each day when I am able to spend time on my knees asking for forgiveness and for the ability to start fresh each day and know that I don't have to be perfect, and it's ok to strive to do and be just a little better than I was the day before!

Day 18 Today I am thankful for customers! Without them, I would be able to do a job that I love... I wouldn't be able to spend all day with my hubs.. and I wouldn't have met so many awesome people in our community! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for supporting our business!!!

Day 19 Today I am thankful for intelligence.... I was pondering how far I have come in a year in learning what I needed to know to do something that I have never done before and be able to open a business with my husband in an industry that neither of us had any experience in. When I first started taking the classes to get my insurance license, I was really afraid that I would not be able to understand enough to be able to sell it. (I was never good with legal language...LOL) But through a lot of prayer and a priesthood blessing, even this old dog was able to learn something new and be able to apply it in a way that can help and bless other people's lives. I am also thankful for common sense. This is an important aspect of intelligence and I have discovered that it is not so common.

Day 20 Today I am thankful for Karma. While I don't wish ill fortune on anyone (ok, that's a lie....) I guess I should say, while I strive to do better at not wishing bad juju on anyone..... Let me just say that when someone does something intentionally hurtful towards me or someone I care about, and I choose to turn the other cheek and just let it go, it is nice to know that there are forces at work in the universe that will eventually set things right! It makes it easier to let things go when you understand the cosmic power of Karma!

Day 21 Today I am thankful for my body. Feet and legs that take me where I need to go, arms that let me hug people and hands that allow me to serve others, eyes that let me appreciate the beauty of the earth, ears that let me hear Christmas music, a heart that allows me to feel pain... and to feel love, a mind that lets me discern right from wrong and a spirit that allows me to know and feel things that my physical body is not capable of.

Day 22 Today I am thankful for sunshine. It might mean that I can see my breath when I step outside and I may have to be inconvenienced by having to scrape my windows, but it is a most welcome unexpected thing this time of year when it is normally quite dreary around here. It also makes me a little homesick... since it's very much like Idaho weather, but I'll take it!!!

Day23 Today I am thankful for the tradition of pumpkin cheesecake and everything it represents!

Day 24 Today I am thankful for gratitude... I gained some great new perspectives today that I hadn't thought about before. One person mentioned that he would be as rich as Midas if he could just touch gratitude daily! LOVED that idea. I am going to continue doing my daily dose of gratitude long after November is over. (Don't worry, I won't bore you with them beyond this month). Thank you Sherri Hathaway and Michael McGraw for your thoughts today... it was a great meeting!

Day 25 I broke a cardinal rule today of the tradition of pumpkin cheesecake. Someone that we gave a pie to offered me a slice... and I did eat! It was delicious to the taste and very desirable for breakfast. I have now been called to repentance.... thankfully, there are not a lot of things in this world that we can't repent of and try to be a little better tomorrow. So today, I am thankful for the gift of repentance so that on days when I am weak and give in to temptation, I don't have to live forever in my sin!

Day 26 Today I am thankful for an awesome landlord who fixes things quickly when something wears out or breaks down... (and it's kind of nice to be able to call someone ELSE to repair or replace stuff!!!!) YAY! for having a dryer again so my company doesn't have to sleep on dirty sheets!!!

Day 27 Today I am thankful that I don’t have to do anything today except hang out with the fam. ... glad that Em & Coty &Diane were able to get here safely.

Day 28 Today I am thankful for soggy dressing, under cooked rolls, lumpy potatoes, runny gravy, dry turkey and for the hands that helped me prepare it. Because it means that I have more than enough to eat and a family to share it with!

Day 29 We went to see Frozen tonight.... on the way home the kids were quoting every line in the movie and laughing about it. Wayne's mom said: I really like the way they did the colors on the ice. Nana: Grandma, you do realize it was a cartoon, right? HAHAHA.... Today I am thankful for laughter. I love the way our family always finds humor in almost everything. I am thankful for the moments when we laugh so hard we leak!

Day 30 With all the chaos of this week, which included 10 people, 3 dogs and a tv simultaneously making noise, lots of cooking, shopping and wrapping and trying to keep everyone happy, fed and entertained.... tonight, I sit alone in a dark room, listening to the clock tick and a stuffy baby sleeping on my shoulder.... immensely grateful for solitude!

The Reason Behind Christmas Challenge

During the month of November I have been participating in the Facebook trend to post a daily dose of gratitude. I started this last year and since then I have been much more aware of all the things in my life that I have to be thankful for. It has helped me over the past year to not just look for the obvious things but to dig a little deeper and to also recognize WHY I am thankful for certain things.
When November is over, I stop posting them daily on FB, but I do continue to notice them daily and it has made such a difference in my life over the past year.
Today, a friend posted this video on Facebook and I got thinking....

The Reason Behind Christmas

There are some awesome thought provoking ideas in that video and what if I were to take each day in December and focus on one gift that I possess that I could give away? Perhaps one day I could focus on smiling at everyone I come in contact with. One day I could focus on letting someone cut in front of me in every line I am in.. traffic, the grocery store, etc... Or maybe one day I could give a compliment to every person I talk to......Maybe I could go one whole day without sighing or rolling my eyes.... maybe I could take cookies to people I don't know very well....Maybe one day I can focus on being a peacemaker, or at least not cause controversy...LOL.. .Maybe one day, when I ask people how they are doing, I will truly listen...Maybe one day, I could exercise extra patience with each person I come in contact with....

I think you get the picture....

If being more thankful each day for a whole month can have such a positive impact on my life, then I wonder.... really wonder what kind of changes could happen if I gave the gift of myself each day for a whole month?

I extend the invitation to you all to take this challenge with me and share your experiences as we make this journey together!

"May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, taking with us a tender, caring heart as our gift to the Savior" ~President Thomas S Monson

Tradition of the Pumpkin Cheesecake

Many years ago (at least 13) we started a fun tradition in our family.

As the holidays were approaching, I was trying to figure out a way to teach my small children about

sacrifice and being charitable.

It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving and I had just gotten a wonderful recipe from my sister in law for Pumpkin Cheesecake.

I got the idea to make 6 of these cheesecakes.(Ambitious, I know!)

The kids watched me labor in the kitchen on Monday and make these cheesecakes and their eyes kept getting bigger with each one I made. I did not talk to them about why I was making them, but I did let them help by licking the spatula so that they could get a small taste of the yummy flavors that I was putting together.

Monday night, I got the whole family together and put a full pie in front of each one. The kids eyes about popped out of their heads as they considered the possibilities of an entire cheesecake being set in front of them. 

I talked to them about sacrifice and about being charitable and how sometimes, we need to give to others even when it means that we may have have to sacrifice and go without something that we REALLY want.

Then I asked them each to pick a family that they knew that they were thankful for  and would like to do something nice for. Each of us wrote down the name of a family and then I explained that we were going to take our cheesecakes and deliver them to the families that we each picked. (Yes, ALL of them.)

They were hesitant at first and felt like they had been tricked and really didn't want to give all the pies away. (Later in the week, I made another one for us to enjoy, but they didn't know of my plans at the time) And so began our longstanding tradition of the Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Every year since then, I have made 6 pies and the Sunday or Monday before Thanksgiving, we pick 6 new families and deliver our pies.

It is no longer a sacrifice for them to choose a name, in fact there is often a race to pick a family before someone else picks that family. They start thinking about it earlier and earlier each year and looking around them to see who will be the recipient of their "sacrifice" that year.

We have maintained a few rules throughout the years....

1. They can't pick someone who will be sharing it with the giver.

2. They can't pick someone who has been picked before. 

(This starts to get challenging after a few years living in the same place)

3. No one outside of family gets to have the secret recipe. ( I have broken tradition a bit this year and shared it with a few people who I consider "family")

So... if you have ever been the recipient of one of the Pumpkin Cheesecakes, you are likely someone who has had a positive impact on someone in our family. 

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your example!

If you have not... fear not....

 even though the family is growing up and moving on, 

the tradition remains strong.

We still do 6 pies every year and everyone who is near, still participates in the delivering of the pies.

Even if you don't get one this year, that doesn't lessen the impact that so many of you have on our family and it doesn't lessen our gratitude for your amazing examples.

YOUR TURN WILL COME!

Pumpkin Yum

I taught a class today on cooking with pumpkin and since I made edible handouts, as promised, here are the instructions of some of the things that I talked about.

Pumpkin Crisp

Follow the recipe on the back of a large can of pumpkin (puree, not pie filling) except cut the milk back to 1 can instead of 2. Mix well and pour into 9x13 baking dish.

Sprinkle dry yellow cake mix on top and drizzle 1 cube of melted butter over dry cake mix.

Bake at 350* for about an hour.  Can be served warm or cold with a dollop of whipped cream. Serves about 20

Pumpkin Pie Spice (I didn't mention this, but here is the recipe if you want to make your own)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Cinnamon                             4 tsp Ground Ginger

2 tsp Ground Cloves                       1 tsp Ground Nutmeg

Directions:

In a small jar, whisk together all spice ingredients. Seal in an air tight container.

2 tsp of spice for one pumpkin pie.

 1 ½ Tbsp of spice per two-pie recipe (such as Libby's 28 oz can of Pumpkin).

Add or subtract more spices for your own custom pumpkin pie spice blend.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gunn Family Tradition)

4 oz softened cream cheese                                      1 cup cold milk

1 tbsp milk                                                             16 oz can of pumpkin                    

1 tbsp sugar                                                            2 (4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding

1 ½ Cup Cool Whip                                                 1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger                                                            ¼ tsp ground clove

1 LARGE graham cracker crust

Mix cream cheese, 1 tbsp milk & sugar with wire whip until smooth. Gently stir in cool whip. Layer in crust.

Beat 1 cup milk, pudding, pumpkin & spices until mixed. Layer on top.

Refrigerate 4 hours and garnish with cool whip.

Make sure to use LARGE pie shells or it won’t all fit.

Our tradition for this recipe is to make one for each person in the family, then we give them all away on the Monday night before Thanksgiving! It started as a lesson for my family about sacrifice and charity and has been an annual tradition now for many years.

Basic Pumpkin Recipe

1 box dry cake mix                                                           1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pie filling)

Mix two ingredients together and add whatever sounds good.

I have added:

White Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Chips, Cinnamon Chips, Oatmeal, Pretzels, 

You can also try other cake mix flavors such as white cake and spice cake… really whatever you have on hand.

You can take this basic recipe and embellish it different ways. Here are a few suggestions:

Cream Cheese Filling for bread  (layer batter in bottom of pan, then layer of filling, then layer of batter on top)

8 oz reduced fat cream cheese (room temperature or softened slightly)

4 tbsp sugar

1 egg

2 tsp flour

1 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Cookie Filling (use as filling spread between two cookies for a cookie sandwich)

1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 - 16 oz. package of powdered sugar

about a capful of vanilla extract

a pinch of cinnamon (to taste)

Apple Glaze for cake: really good served over warm cake!!

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 Tablespoons apple cider

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

For cookies… place on lightly greased cookie sheet bake 350* for about 15 min.

For mini bread loaves… bake 350* for 35 min until knife comes out clean

For Muffins… bake 350* for about 18-20 min until knife comes out clean

For 7x11 cake…grease baking dish and bake 350* for 40 min until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 10-15 min, then glaze. For thinner cake, use 9x13 pan and reduce cooking time slightly.

For instructions on roasting the pumpkin, see Roasted Pumpkins

If I missed anything that I talked about that you wanted more information on, just let me know and I can update the blog.

Thankful Day 3... A Roof Over My Head!

Like so many Facebook users, I totally buy into the Daily Dose of Gratitude that seems to pop up on a daily basis during the month of November. I drank the kool-aid for the first time last year and it was life changing. I did like most other participants and mentioned that I was thankful for my family and all the obvious things, with short but sweet paragraphs each day.

At the end of November, I stopped posting them, but I didn’t stop noticing the things that I was grateful for on a daily basis. After publicly acknowledging my gratitude for 30 consecutive days, it sort of became a habit to notice those things. Just because I stopped posting my daily dose of gratitude, does not mean that I stopped being grateful for something every single day. As a result of being more aware of this over the past year, I have decided to be a little more thoughtful this year in considering what I am thankful for.

I teach a class on Sunday to 15/16 year old kids. An underlying theme that has seemed to be a continuation of my gratitude project from last November, has been to try to encourage the students to look for the hand of God in their life. By continuing to focus on that in my own life, it has raised my awareness for those tender mercies that we see on a daily basis…. I don’t want to go into all of that again, because I have blogged about it already. (See my posting ,http://www.mommagunn.blogspot.com/2013/08/have-i-seen-hand-of-god-in-my-life-today.html  for a great story about this) I do, however,  mention this so that you might better understand the depths of my feelings about what I am thankful for today.

Today, I am thankful for a roof over my head!

Yesterday, the weather was forecast to be very windy and rainy. A typical blustery day in the Pac NW. Mother Nature did not disappoint… at least in the early part of the day.

Some friends of ours who happened to be out of town (tender mercy) had a tree fall on their home and crushed the roof and did a lot of damage to the inside of the home. Wayne got a call to go and help inspect it and see what could be done to secure it for them. Weather was a huge concern.

I went along, not because I thought I was capable of helping remove a tree from someone’s home, but I thought I could be useful in small ways like fetching things and tossing them onto the roof so the men didn’t have to keep going up and down… and holding the flashlight while they tried to navigate the debris with a chainsaw in the dark…. I am so lucky to have been able to witness so many small miracles during the hours it took to secure this home.

First off… remember that rainy, windy, blustery day that was forecast? Well the clouds parted and the wind stopped…. at least for the few hours needed to complete this act of service. It would have been so much more dangerous for the guys to be up on that roof if it had been raining and the wind continuing the gust. (Tender mercy)

There were many holes in the roof from the tree branches that pokes down like spears through much of the roof. The men were able to know (even in the dark) where it would be safe to stand and walk without falling through the weakened roof. (Tender mercy)

The guys who showed up were blessed with the exact knowledge of how to remove this huge tree without doing any further damage to the home or hurting each other. If you have never witnessed trees being knocked down with a chainsaw, then you might not understand how precise you need to be on how you hack up a tree. There is actually a lot of physics involved, especially when the tree is resting precariously at an angle in the middle of someone’s roof. You don’t want any part of the tree to fall inside the home, you don’t want part of the tree to fall down and go through the side of the house and you don’t want the weight to shift at the top of the tree and knock someone off the roof. (Tender mercy)

As I was on the ground holding the flashlight, and the tree was finally removed to reveal a gaping hole in the roof, someone mentioned that just stretching plastic sheeting over the hole might not work because if it rains, it will just pool on the plastic and eventually give way and flood the home.  At that moment they noticed a pile of new 2x4’s stacked up next to the home… almost like they were just there waiting for a purpose… now they had one! (Tender mercy)

With the lumber building a bridge across the hole and the plastic stretched over it, they decided they needed a way to secure the edges of the plastic since the staples where going all the way through it. Someone just happened to have a bunch of molding trim pieces that he had removed from his own home… EXACTLY what they needed to secure the edges of the plastic to keep it in place! The molding even still had the nails in it! (Tender mercy)

One guy who showed up to help happened to have a compressor and all the right air tools they needed in his van. (Tender mercy)

The antique furniture in the bedroom was not affected and was able to be removed safely. (Tender mercy)

A neighbor was able to witness the people from my friend’s church all coming together to help him, (the neighbor who was left to oversee the home in their absence), secure the home and fulfill the responsibility he felt to look after his neighbors home as promised. Perhaps a missionary opportunity? (Tender mercy)

My heart breaks for this family to have to go through this tragedy, but it was such an amazing opportunity to see the hand of God working in their life. It really is nearly impossible to tally the tender mercies that took place last night and I am certain there will be more as this event unfolds for them.

So today… I am grateful for a roof over my head… something that up until last night, I sort of took for granted! I am grateful that, as I sit in my cozy home and feel secure, I can look out any window and see gorgeous landscape and scenery and in every direction I can see amazing neighbors that I can count among my friends. As I look under my roof, I see the love of the beautiful family that I have been blessed with. (But that is a whole new level of gratitude that I shall save for another day!)

Roasted Pumpkins? Yes please!

If you are one of those people who carves up the old pumpkin just for the decoration, then I am here to tell you, that you are missing out on some serious delish!

I have talked about doing this a lot, but never actually taken the time to take document the steps I take to use the best parts of a pumpkin. I am here to tell you that roasted pumpkin puree is SOOOO much better than canned pumpkin. And have I mentioned how yummy the seeds are?

So before I get to the how to, I have to share a story….

I have been asked to teach a class to a group of women on cooking with pumpkin. So of course, I wanted to showcase a recipe on cooking with ACTUAL pumpkin that I roasted myself. I brought home a couple of sugar pumps and stuck them in the oven. I was in the kitchen cleaning the seeds when my daughter came in the room and asked what I was doing… I told her I was cleaning the seeds so I could roast them. She sort of bounced off to her room for a bit… fast forward an hour….

She came back into the kitchen as I was pulling the roasted pumps out of the oven. She asked what I had done. I explained to her that I roasted the pumpkins. She stood there with a dumbfounded look on her face and asked how I did that… I said that I put them in the oven and turned it on. She then proceeded to ask me what happened to the seeds…..  Apparently she thought I put the seeds in the oven and somehow turned them into pumpkins!

Now I am not talented enough to turn seeds into pumps just by sticking them in the oven… in fact, I am not even talented enough to turn seeds into pumpkins by sticking them in the GROUND… But I do have a bit of a talent into turning a pump into yummy puree and the seeds into a yummy healthy snack!

You will want to start with a 2-4 lb sugar pumpkin (they work best for roasting because they are smaller than carving pumps, but really, any old pumpkin will do!)

Cut it in half (if it has a stem, cut the stem off first so you don’t have to cut through it)

Then scoop all the seeds and stringy stuff out and lay them face down on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  (I try to separate the seeds from the stringy stuff as I pull it all out of the center).  Set seeds aside.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven at 350-375. Depending on the size of the pumps, it will take 45-60 min to roast. You will know when they are done because the skin of the pump will get wrinkly. If you can easily stick a fork in it, then it’s probably done. You want it to be soft, but not gooey.

Set aside until it’s cool enough to handle, then peel the skin off the pumpkin and put the cooked flesh in the blender to puree. This works the blender pretty hard, so it’s not for a wimpy blender. It works best if you start it on a slower speed until the bottom part starts to puree, then gradually increase the speed until you get to the puree setting. Let it run until it is really smooth. At this point, you can use it for your favorite recipe or save it for later. I usually pack 2 cups (most of my recipes call for a large can, which is pretty much 2 cups) in a pint size mason jar and freeze it. You could actually can it yourself, but I use mine up before the holidays are over, so I don’t go to that much trouble. It will keep for a few days in the fridge, but if you need it to last longer than that, just pop it in an airtight container or freezer bags and stick it in the freezer for a few months.

While your pump is roasting, rinse the seeds until there is no more pumpkin goo on them, pat them dry and set on a cookie sheet overnight to dry. They roast better if they are dry when you stick them in the oven. When ready to roast, toss them with a tablespoon of olive oil and some garlic salt, spread them back on the cookie sheet, as thin as possible and roast for about 15 min at 350*. Don’t over-cook them or they will taste like burnt popcorn. They are done when they START to turn brown. Break one open to check. You don’t want the centers to be brown because they are a little too done at that point.

From 4 3lb sugar pumpkins, I got a sandwich bag full of seeds and 10 pints of puree and paid about $10. That is equivalent to 5 small cans of pumpkin. 

Enjoy!

Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Getting ready for an upcoming wedding, I am trying to do as much as possible ahead of time so I am not stressed out when we get close to the big day....hahahahaha... I know right?

We are going to have a house full of peeps (well.. actually only 4, but it will be crazy so it will FEEL like a house full). Anyway, I decided since I had an extra day off this week and it is raining so I can't do yard work (I think I subconsciously procrastinated it yesterday, KNOWING it was supposed to rain today), I decided to clean a few things that I don't normally clean, like the light fixtures. This way, I don't have to do it in a few weeks and I don't have to worry about my mother seeing an inch of dust bunnies on them (we won't even talk about what is under the couch... I almost lost an arm to them last night!!!) 

Since I am vertically challenged, I needed to stand on a stool to reach the fixture that is hanging in the dining room/library. I have a not-so-trusty stool that I frequently use to reach things in the tops of the kitchen cupboards. This stool has let me down before and today I was reminded of the time when I vowed that this stool and I were done... FOREVER....

Almost a year ago we moved into the house we are now calling home. You know how it is when you are moving into a new home... you are tired and cranky and you just want to get things put away so you sometimes do things that you know in your mind you shouldn't do....

I had some sleeping bags and pillows that I was trying to convince that the top shelf of my closet was going to be their new place of residence... they were being uncooperative as I tried to just toss them up on the shelf... so I thought to myself, "I'll show you"... ok, maybe I said that out loud... 

I grabbed my not-so trusty stool just to give me a little elevation and hopefully a little leverage to FORCE the bags up on to the tippy top shelf in the closet. I got the sleeping bags up there ok and thought there was just enough daylight above them to force the pillow on top of the bags so that I could free up the shelf space for something else that I would probably never use, but wasn't quite ready to part with....

This stool is simply a board with two legs on each side, so it is good for elevation, but as I found out, not so good for leverage... I was on my tip toes trying to be tall enough to force the pillow into a tiny space on TOP of the bags. As I leaned back slightly to get a swing as it, the stool rolled forward, readjusting my center of gravity. (I have enough problems with gravity when my feet are firmly planted on  solid ground) I fell backwards, landing IN the shoe rack that I had just unloaded my high heels on, banging my head on the wall, which then propelled me forward into the clothing hanging on the hangers. I reached up to catch myself, only to get my hands tangles in clothing and hangers and drag them all down with me. 

I am now laying on the floor of the closet with all the shoes, parts of the show rack, clothes, hangers and to add insult to injury, the dang pillow... sitting there on top of me, mocking me! 

My 14 year old son heard the racket and comes running into my bedroom, takes one look at me and yells... "Dad.... Mom down" and walks back into his bedroom. I'm pretty sure he left me laying there, alone in my shame, so he could go into his room and laugh is butt off in private instead of further bruising my ego by doing it in front of me...... he's such a good boy  :)

Nothing like this happened today with my not-so-trusty stool, but I did have a near miss, which reminded me of why I should just get rid of it before we have another "Mom Down" incident and something fatal happens!

What Constitutes An Increase?

In preparing to teach a lesson to 15 and 16 year old kids about finances, I have discovered that there are lots of ways to present this topic. I have really been pondering it a lot this week and feel strongly that I need to focus on teaching them about the principle of tithing.

Although we have some general guidelines, it seems to still have a lot of gray area and be open for interpretation.  There are always questions such as:

Do I pay my monetary tithe based on net or gross pay?

Do I pay tithing on money that was a gift?

What constitutes an “increase” in my life?

 I feel this is a topic that can be deeply personal and what you base your offering on is ultimately between you and the Lord. I am in no way implying that I have received special revelation and claim to be an expert on this topic. This is just me sharing my new outlook based on some ideas that came to me while prayerfully preparing a lesson.

We participate in an annual interview to declare our tithe status to our church leader, but we are not required to provide financial information to prove whether we are truly a full tithe payer. So it is up to us an individuals and families to decide what our status is. That is where the gray area comes in. Each individual has the opportunity to decide for themselves where they stand with the Lord and what they feel is the right way to calculate what constitutes a full tithe.

So in preparing this lesson, I am anticipating some hard questions, because this class is very thoughtful and they like to keep me on my toes with the thought provoking questions that they come up with. With that said, no matter how much I prepare, I am not likely to be fully equipped to give them a black and white answer since it is so personal and between them and the Lord (and perhaps their religious leader).

In pondering, however, I have had some time to reflect on this and take stock of my own personal attitudes toward paying tithing and have had some new ideas come to me that I had never considered before, that relate to this idea. I want to share a few thoughts that have come to mind as I have prayerfully considered this upcoming lesson. I do not mean to imply that my thoughts here are the hard fast rules to paying tithes. This is only meant to be thought provoking in a way perhaps you, like me, had never thought about before.

As this thought was starting to form in my head, it was like trying to blow a gum bubble with gum that I had just put in my mouth. I had to chew on this for a bit before I understood what the bubble was going to look like.

Let’s base this on the idea that every increase in our life is a gift from God, and we are asked to give back 10% of that.

The question I have been pondering is…. What constitutes an increase? Is it solely a monetary increase? Or is there a way to somehow calculate  ALL the Lord has blessed us with? Are there other increases in our lives that we should be including in our tithes?  Confused? Me too!!

My train of thought is somewhat in line with the “pay it forward” concept. How much are our lives enriched by acts of service and kindness?  How many times in a day does someone cross your path and in some small way uplift you? Those tender mercies that I believe come from a loving Father in Heaven prompting someone to take action on our behalf….You know what I am talking about… a smile, a compliment, a hug, a dandelion picked from the yard by a child, a gift, a visit from a friend, a plate of cookies.. right when you needed it most…. The list could go on and on….

So how do I quantify THAT increase in my life? It’s nearly impossible I think, to put a price on those other increases in our lives that we often take for granted or even more shamefully have a sense of entitlement about. This exercise has helped me to be more cognizant of those types of increases in my life and when I am called upon to “be the good” in someone else’s life, I will now consider it an opportunity to tithe my time, talents, and anything else I have been blessed with, to increase the richness of someone else’s life.

Rotate Your Food Storage (Without Your Family Knowing They Are Eating It)

Recently I taught a class on how to rotate your food storage without your family knowing they are eating it. Manipulative, you say? Absolutely! It's a mother's right to trick her children into doing what's in their best interest. You know that game that we play as adults.... "Guess what we did when you were gone, mom?" (admit it... you totally know this game because if your children aren't old enough to play it, you have done it to YOUR mom)... Well now I give to you the ability to come right back at them and say "Guess what i put in your meatloaf when you were growing up"   Two can play those games...LOL
I had lots of people, who couldn't attend the class, ask me if I could do a handout or something to share the information.
It's never quite the same in print as it is in person because you miss all the conversation on the topic, (and all the admissions of experiments gone wrong) but here are a few of the highlights of what we discussed at the class:

Store what you eat and eat what you store.
It in no way benefits you or your family to stockpile food that you don’t know how to cook or that your family won’t eat. If you are going to store it, have a plan on how you intend to cook it. Keep in mind that you might not be able to simply use the stove or oven like you normally would, so I encourage you to experiment with other ways to cook your food such as a crock pot, dutch oven, BBQ grill, etc...
It can also potentially be a negative experience for your family if your bodies aren’t used to some of the food, so you need to have it be part of your diet on a regular basis. Our bodies need time to adjust to certain foods and by introducing it in your diet now, you will know if any family member has any allergies or unpleasant reactions.


Food Tips and Trick

Instant  Potatoes – can be used as mashed potatoes, in casseroles, add to potato salad as a filler so you don’t have to use so many potatoes, use as a base and ladle soup over it in a bowl to make the soup a little more hearty. Can also be made very runny and added to soup or gravy to thicken. Make the potatoes a little on the thick side and add cheese, pepper, ham, and form patties for fried mashed potatoes (this is how we use our left over mashed potatoes and they are a big hit at our house) Make sure you keep an eye on the expiration date for potatoes that have butter flavor added as they will go rancid over time.

Oatmeal – Oatmeal, add to favorite cookie recipe, add to favorite meatloaf recipe to make meat go farther, also soaks up some of grease, add to taco meat to go further (put dry oatmeal in blender to disguise it when using it in other recipes). I have added this to my meatloaf for over 25 years and my oldest child (nearly 24 yrs old), just recently found out, only because I told his wife my trick and she said something about it at a meal when we were eating it.

Beans – put a few cups of dry beans in a crock pot and fill crock with water. .(I am a working mom, so I need the beans to be ready in the morning so I can toss them in soups) Cook on low over night.  Rinse well in a colander before using in recipes The juice from certain beans cooking can become toxic, so I just rinse them all as a rule of thumb. You can use these cooked beans for any recipe that calls for canned beans such as soups/chili or you can mash them for re-fried beans … I also add re-fried beans to my taco meat to make the hamburger go farther, you can mix re-fried beans and rice and even some oatmeal for great burrito filling. It’s so much easier to use them if you have them ready, so I always cook twice as much as I need and freeze the extra. Put them in an airtight container or a freezer bag.

Rice – Rice with gravy, fried rice, casseroles, add a handful to any soup recipe, burrito filling. You can also use rice as a base for recipes that call for being served over noodles, such as Stroganoff. We had quite the discussion about rice and it did come up that certain kinds of rice will still be a little crunchy even when fully cookes. Experiment with different varieties to find out what your family likes the best.

Dry onions – any recipe that calls for chopped onion or any recipe you need to add a little flavor to, it's quicker and easier than peeling and chopping onions. It is chopped super small so most of the time you don't even know there are onions in the dish.

Powdered Milk – Hot Choco mix much better than store bought. If you can't do chocolate, you can still make the recipe with the cocoa and use other things to flavor such as flavored syrups, crushed up mint candy, caramel, etc.. You can substitute as milk in most recipes (not pudding, or gravy) 2 Tbps/1C water = cup of milk in recipe. I have a quart jar next to my stove so it's handy to add it to most recipes. If using in soups, add some flour or instant mashed potatoes to thicken. If using as actual milk, you can add a little vanilla to it for better flavor.

72 hour kits – Rotate food in them by using them as snacks to cut back on some meals during conference weekend. That way you always know the food is fresh and no bugs or rodents have gotten into packs. Rotate batteries in flashlights (I store mine in flashlight backwards so they don’t get bumped in the on position and run the batteries dead.) Rotate water if you store in 2L bottles at conference time so you always know how old your water is.


Other Storage Tips:

Use your empty canning jars to store food/water.  Oven canning (Google how to) works well to preserve dry foods in canning jars. Just don’t put in anything that has moisture content or it won’t last. You can also “can” water, so that you have safe drinking water or clean water for first aid. Don’t store empty bottles, put SOMETHING in them! It takes up the same amount of space and most people have empty bottles hanging around already.

Don’t store plastic buckets/ water bottles directly on concrete. Chemicals will leach into plastic and contaminate food/water. Put boards, pallets, or cardboard under them to create a barrier from the concrete.

Refill empty liquid laundry detergent containers with water (don’t let the suds run out) and you have soapy water ready to go in case of emergency. You can wash dishes, laundry, or people with the water. (Not for drinking, but it frees up your other water for drinking/cooking if you don’t have to use that water for hygiene/cleaning)

Use soda can dispensers to rotate canned foods or write DOP on lids with sharpie to help keep canned foods rotated. Most exp dates are only when the manufacturer guarantees nutritional value. Generally, canned foods, that are in undamaged cans, can be used long past exp dates.

Chicken and Homemade Noodle Something Something.

Several people have recently asked me for my recipe for Homemade Chicken & Noodle something something. I say it like that because it is quite a versatile recipe.  Those who know me, know that I like things simple. This is such a simple recipe that can be used in many different ways. It saves me having to have several chicken noodle this or that recipes... I just use the same recipe and modify it slightly for different dishes.

I usually like things simple but I take the time to make the homemade noodles.. it's totally worth the effort, but if you are in a hurry, you can just toss in some egg noodles. In my opinion, the noodles totally make or break the yumminess of the recipe.

My family doesn't like celery, so I skip that ingredient and add frozen peas about 15 minutes before I serve it.

For the dough for dumplings, you can make regular biscuit dough, or you can mix some pancake mix up to a thick dough or for even quicker dumplings, you can break up Pillsbury biscuit dough and drop on top about 15 minutes before you want to serve it..

for a pot pie, you can make homemade pie crust for the bottom and top crust, or you can get the pre-made crust from the grocery store. If you are doing it as a pot pie, use a lot less water and more flour to thicken it up.

My family prefers to have it over mashed potatoes. You can do real mashed potatoes or instant mashed. If you do instant mashed, make them thick so they will withstand all the juice in the soup.

It all depends on how much time you have and what you are in the mood for.

Another tip to make it easier,... I put the chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with water and cook them overnight. Then I pull them out of the water and can shred them with a fork while they are warm.  Save some of the water to use in the soup.

So here's the basic recipe:

Chicken Noodles over Potatoes

Put 3-4 inches of water in large pan. Dice ½ onion, 1 ½ cup carrots & celery (each.. more if you want). 1 can chicken broth + 1 can water. Boil 2 chicken breasts – strain water and add water to rest of soup.

Boil til veg are tender, add chicken and noodles. Salt & pepper to taste along the way. 

(you can make in stock pot and then move to crock pot to keep warm until ready to serve.)

Noodles:

3 eggs + 2 half shells of water, a sprinkle of garlic salt, 1 ½ cup flour. You can add more until you can roll out to ¼ “ thick. Flour the top a little and fold over both edges to the middle. Be sure to flour wherever the dough touches so it won’t stick, especially under the dough. Cut into thick strips ¼” or so (I use a pizza cutter to cut the noodles). Unfold them and let sit while veggies are cooking. In a hurry, you can also use egg noodles from the store.

It's All About the Frosting

Stick with this one… the point is not what you are expecting…

I enjoy the pleasure I get from eating, I love the taste of food, the texture of food, the way some foods squish between your teeth….but there are certain foods that, while I love the taste of them, I just don’t like eating because they are complicated or messy. Like fried chicken and ribs… there is just not a delicate way to eat them without getting your fingers or face messy….

My doctor has recently advised me to add more citrus fruits to my diet to help with some problems I have been experiencing. Most citrus fruits rank high on my list of messy food. I love grapefruit, but I feel like I need a shower after I eat it… and I love oranges, but they are just so messy to peel. I don’t like getting my hands dirty. So my typical self would rather suffer with my medical issues, than deal with the messiness of eating citrus fruit. Today, I was sitting at my desk working away, not eating, because I am a work-a-holic and it just takes too much time to eat. Without me saying a word about it, my main squeeze walks up to my desk and sets down a peeled orange… that’s true love I tell you! LOVE THAT MAN!!!! He might as well have given me roses or chocolate. Peeling my orange spoke volumes to me of how much he loves me!

Anyway… back to my thought…

There are a few edible creations, however, that I will make an exception for, because it’s just worth the effort. Such as licking the beaters when there is frosting on them. There is no way to do that without getting frosting on your nose or cheeks, but it is worth the mess and the effort it takes to get the frosting off the beaters. I will say though, that I have recently discovered that it is not nearly as messy if you turn the mixer off before you try to lick them! Unbelievable how much better that works!

As I have pondered this today, I have thought about how it relates to the relationships in our lives. I can think of several people whom I have avoided having a relationship with because I perceive that it might be messy. You all have these people in your life. The ones where  you might have to put forth the effort to peel away what’s on the outside to get to the deliciousness on the inside. Those people who you keep at arm’s length because enjoying their friendship might be complicated and difficult and uncomfortable and yes, you might have to get your hands dirty once in a while.

Those people whom I have let into my life are like the frosting… most are still messy, but in a very rewarding kind of way and it’s worth the effort to enjoy them… sometimes it can even be an adventure  if you forget to turn off the mixer first... LOL!

Thinking about this today has made me determined to try to enjoy more “fried chicken and grapefruit” in my life, even if it means getting my hands dirty. We all need the variety because, as with our diet, I believe that more variety in our circle of friends will help us be more mentally and spiritually healthy and well balanced. We all need  expand our comfort zones and move past what we see on the surface and plow through the complicated and messy parts of relationships by “getting our hands dirty” to find what’s hiding beneath the surface of the people that we keep at arm’s length. I know that there is beauty there and that we are only denying ourselves the privilege of being able to enjoy the strengths of those around us.

 I want more frosting in my life… chocolate frosting… pink frosting… butter cream frosting… cream cheese frosting…with sprinkles on top!!

Improvise

I love spending time in the kitchen. I think that is my favorite part of the holidays… having people over and spending all day cooking for them. On more than one occasion I have found myself needing to come up with an emergency substitute for a recipe because I frequently experience mental pause… and because more than once, my children have decided to consume something from the pantry or freezer that was meant to be used as an ingredient at a future date.

For example, one year I stocked up on Cool Whip because I knew I would need a lot of it to make our traditional pumpkin cheesecakes at Thanksgiving time (see post from last November for more details on that tradition) I went to the freezer to get them out on the SUNDAY that I was going to make them and discovered that my son, D, who lived in the basement where the freezer was, had decided to eat the frozen cool whip like ice cream…. That also explains where all my spoons went…. You guessed it… UNDER THE BED!

My daughter, E, has also been known to alter a recipe or two. When she was in middle school, she decided to make no bake cookies after school one day to surprise me… since it was a “surprise”, she didn’t want to call me and ask where the oatmeal might be. Instead, she opted to just eliminate that ingredient…. SURPRISE!!! It doesn’t really work when you  eliminate the most important ingredient.

So back to my latest improv…

If you know me, you know that as soon as the “Ber” months arrive, it is pumpkin everything at our house… pumpkin hand soap, pumpkin air freshener, pumpkin dessert almost every day.  So yesterday I dug out the flannel sheets and dreamed about pumpkin cookies ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!

I woke up all excited about making cookies and by 8 am on a Saturday, I was up and showered and in the kitchen. Several weeks ago, I busted out the pumpkin a little early and tried a new recipe for a pumpkin cake with apple cider glaze. If you have been on FB in the past several weeks, you know the one I am talking about. (If I knew who started that I would totally give them props for the idea!!!)When I made it, I thought it might be an easy way to make pumpkin cookies as well, so I was way excited this morning to try it out. I mixed up a double batch which consisted of two cake mixes (pick whatever flavors you happen to have in the pantry… and a large can of pumpkin (not the pie filling). It is tradition at my house to add chocolate chips to the pumpkin cookies so I went back to the pantry…. WHAT???? I was fresh out of the 10 lbs of chocolate chips I bought at cash and carry not too long ago…. After cussing the kids under my breath, I went back to the pantry to improvise… Necessity is the mother of all great recipes!!!! I found half a bag of white chocolate chips and half a bag of butterscotch….

Can I just say that pumpkin cookies will never be the same at my house again… these are TO DIE FOR!!!! And how easy is it to mix a dry cake mix, a can of pumpkin and a bag of chocolate chips? I could make these in my sleep!!! Trust me… you will want to bust out the cookie sheets and make some RIGHT NOW!!!

So here's the recipe:

You can use any kind of cake mix that you have in the pantry... I'm kind of excited to try spice cake next time! If you use a small can of pumpkin, use only one cake mix...

Mix these ingreds, drop onto greased cookie sheet, bake at 350* for about 14 min and this is what you get:

MMM...MMMM...MMMM!!!!!

Have I Seen The Hand of God in My Life Today?

In the October 2007 General Conference President Eyring gave a talk that really stuck with me. Recently, in teaching a 15/16 year old Sunday school class, an excerpt of this video resurfaced as part of the lesson I was trying to teach. The topic of the lesson was how keeping a journal can bless our families.

https://www.lds.org/youth/learn/ss/marriage-and-family/journal?lang=eng#video=o-remember-remember

I have attached the clip so you can understand where this blog is coming from…

Let me just preface this by saying I am a horrible journal keeper… which is one of the reasons why I have started blogging… it seemed like a fun way to do some journaling. I need to do a better job at writing things down that are more private that I can’t share in a public way so that my family will have a record of my thoughts someday.

Since I heard this talk back in 2007, I have tried to be more cognizant of God’s hand in my life. It’s amazing to me that the more I look for it, the more I notice evidence of it.

About 13 years ago, I was in a car accident. We had driven nearly 600 miles that day from Montana back to Boise and just a few blocks from home, a driver was talking on his cell phone and ran a stop sign and t-boned my car. It triggered a neurological disorder that has been a big trial for me since I deal with chronic pain now, every day of my life. I have often pondered the circumstances that caused me to be in that exact place at that exact moment in time. What if I had tarried a few extra minutes at a gas station along the way or what if I had driven a few mph slower for even just a few miles of that trip? I wouldn’t have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Ever since then, whenever I am in a car and something causes me to be delayed… another vehicle driving more slowly than I, a light turning red and causing me to stop, a pedestrian crossing a road… I smile and think that it might be God preventing me from being in the wrong place and helping me to avoid another trial in my life.

A few weeks ago, I had to take a drive from my town in Bonney Lake to a neighboring town to the northeast, Federal Way. On the way there, I noticed that the freeway was quite backed up due to the lateness of the afternoon. I decided I would take an alternate route home and avoid much of the back-up and then hop on the freeway closer to home. On that alternate route, I discovered that the road I needed to take to the freeway was closed for a few weeks, which meant I had to drive through a LOT of road construction in Edgewood. I chuckled to myself as I thought of my theory about being delayed while driving. I thought no big deal, I would just pop up over the hill through Edgewood, drop down into another little town, Sumner and then get on a different freeway. I got over the hill and as I was just about to get into Sumner, there was a semi jack-knifed on across the road. It was evident that he was REALLY stuck and it was going to be a while….  Again, no big deal, I turned around and went back a different way. By now I was to the point of relying on the GPS for a third route and when the GPS told me to turn left, I reluctantly obeyed. (The GPS and I frequently have trust issues). I followed the road back down the hill only to find myself face to face with the SAME jack-knifed semi.  It was as if God was playing with matchbox cars and every turn I made, he placed an obstacle in my path to prevent me from getting back home. I was surprisingly NOT upset. I was laughing out loud when I called my hubs to tell him that I would NOT be returning to work that day because God didn’t want me to…LOL! I once again turned around thinking, “OK God. I get it. I needed to be delayed for some reason, and since it is too late to return to work, I just need to get home now.” I once again turned to the GPS, this time ignoring the prompt to “turn left” at a particular intersection. I followed the directions into another little town, Milton, only to get stopped by a train! I finally found my way to Puyallup to get on the same freeway I was trying to avoid to begin with only a LOT farther south than where I needed to be! I made it home safe and sound. I have no doubt that God’s hand was at work in my life. I will probably never know what may have happened if I had not encountered all those delays, but I am grateful that I can recognize the hand of God in my life.

In retrospect, perhaps God's hand was in my life the day of my car accident. I believe that we all knew what kind of trials we were going to have to face before we came to earth. I can't help but wonder if my medical challenges were something that I knew I would have to deal with and that indeed God's hand was in my life that day. My car was totalled, my daughter had to be extricated from the car on a back board, but yet our lives were spared. We had no cuts or broken bones and my daughter, who was sitting in the seat where the impact happened, has had no lasting effects from the accident. I doubt she even remembers it. Indeed God's hand was in our life that day as well!

So back to my Sunday school lesson…. I gave each of the kids a notebook and challenged them to start writing down their thoughts and pondering at the end of each day, this question:

“Have I seen the hand of God in my life today?”

I am excited each day to look for the possibilities and I find myself pondering this question several times throughout the day. When I recognize those moments when God is gently interceding in my life, I take a moment to be grateful and to communicate with God that I am well aware of his tender mercies in my life. I dare you to try it… like I said earlier, the more you look for it, the more you notice evidence of it.

Why We Should Shower Regularly

We had a discussion in my 16 yr old Sunday School class that I felt was worth remembering. It was not something that I had planned on discussing, it just sort of "came up" and I wanted to remember it. I thought it might be worthy of blogging about.

We were talking about why we should go to church on a regular basis and partake of the sacrament and renew our baptismal covenants.

It is no secret that we believe that when we are baptized, we are washed clean of our sins up to that point and we are forgiven and have the opportunity to start over. When we come to church on Sunday, we have the opportunity to partake of the sacrament as part of the repentance process and therefore, it is like being baptized all over again, every time we worthily partake of the sacrament. We do this knowing that we are not perfect and therefore, will likely sin again. Partaking of the sacrament may wash away our previous sins, but it doesn't magically make our shortcomings disappear so that we never sin again.

The discussion that we had was actually about bathing. We bathe on a regular basis, even though we know that we will get dirty again and need another bath. We talked about how we feel when we are camping or something and aren't able to really be clean. The consequences of that uncleanliness cause us to smell bad and that causes us to be ashamed of our appearance. It causes us to not want to go out in public because of what other people might think about us because of our lack of hygiene.  If we go long enough without bathing, the bacteria and filth can cause us to have physical irritations and sores that are unhealthy and can need attention from a Dr to get medicine to heal them.
We also talked about how good it feels to take a nice shower and be clean again after a camping trip.

We compared the feelings of being unclean from not bathing on a regular basis to the feelings we might have if we go very many weeks without partaking of the sacrament. The longer we go without either the sacrament or a shower, the more unclean we feel, the more ashamed we feel about the things that are making us unclean and the more desperately we need to do something to remedy that uncleanliness. It is so much better to not let ourselves get to such a state of uncleanliness by doing what we need to do to maintain good hygiene (physically and spiritually) on a regular basis.

Just like having bad hygiene can cause us to need to seek help to heal our wounds, not partaking of the sacrament can lead to a state of unhealthiness that can also cause us to need to seek additional help to heal those wounds.

I am so thankful for the chance that I have to teach these kids and for the things that they teach me in return. I have gained some amazing insights this year!

How to Eat An Elephant ~ Chapter Fifteen: A Letter to My Dad

Dear Daddy,

As we come upon another Father’s Day weekend without you, my heart is full of emotion. In just a few weeks we will remember the 20^th Anniversary of the day you left this earthly life to move on to bigger and better things. It’s so hard to believe that 20 years have gone by in the blink of an eye. I have thought about you every single day for the past 20 years and missing you does not get any easier.

As I am sure you know, I have been writing some memories down about the lessons you have taught me. Mostly so that I can remember and I want my kids to be able to know who you were and what you stood for. I also thought they might help other people get through some of their own struggles so I decided to follow your example and share these stories publicly. It seemed only fitting that I share these lessons in the hopes of helping others, because helping others is what you liked to do.

So today, instead of recalling a lesson, I thought I might just write you a letter for Father’s Day and tell you how much I miss you.  Before you passed away, you wrote me a letter. Do you remember that? You said, “I just want you to know how much I love you and that I hope you will always have just a little spot tucked away in your heart where your daddy can dwell as you go through life. I want to be there to make a difference. Family love is the best thing I could leave you, so remember I’m there in your heart just wanting you to feel that same love all the days of your life.” I no longer remember what your voice sounds like, but I feel you daddy, every day, in that special place in my heart that I saved just for you. I want you to know that you have made a difference. I am inspired by the struggles that you have overcome and every day I strive to live my life in a way, so that your efforts to give our family the opportunity of eternity, were not in vain.

You weren’t rich by the world’s standards and in the end you died without any real financial assets to speak of. But what you left this world was of far more value. You left an impression in people’s hearts and you have inspired many people to change their lives and to be better people because they knew you. What you left was not something the family had to divide up.  Each person who knew you has a little piece of that impression and each person has their own memories of you to hold on to and be inspired by. Every person who knew you could write chapters for this book and while the details would be a little different, the message would be the same. You had a big heart and the rich example that you left on this earth is not something that is limited to immediate family. It was something you shared freely with anyone who was truly paying attention.

You have taught me that not all super heroes wear capes. The real super heroes are the ones who quietly go about doing good in the world without the need for credit or recognition. Real super heroes are the moms and dads who spend time creating a loving family and welcoming in anyone who happens to need some extra love. I am so glad that you and mom raised us kids to be close to each other. You were right when you said that family love is the best thing you could leave us. I am so glad that you got to be my daddy and while there were some really hard struggles and some unpleasant lessons to learn, I am so thankful that I got to have a front row seat and be able to participate in the miracle that was your life.

I know you are probably really busy helping people where you are now. Thank you for taking the time to continue to dwell in that special place in my heart. It gives me comfort to know that you are still out there and that I can continue to feel that closeness to you. Happy Father’s Day daddy. I love you to the moon and back!

Love Bunky