Friday Feast #2

Join me on the Friday Feast. Another week to get fed without the calories.

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged?
Steph - she is one of the girl's in my Young Women's group. Our team won their region playoff basketball game tonight in double overtime! She ran up and gave me a big sweaty hug after! What a game but pretty intense! I think I am going to be hoarse for a while!

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

If you need to wash your hair but just don't have time, you can put talcum powder (or even baby powder) in the places where it is starting to get oily. It absorbs the oils and you can get by for another day. Just be sure to rub it in well, so you don't look like you have spots of grey! Unless of course, you like grey.

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

Happiness. Maybe it's because all those smiley faces are YELLOW!

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

It would have to be children. I LOVE children! They are so unpredictable and that always makes for the best shots.

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

The Fire of the Covenant. I think it is like 800 pages.

Whew... made it! Almost had to re-name this Saturday Smorgasbord!

Stoned Update

It appears all is well and the stones have left the building body. It was an intense few days for the hub, but he is on the mend and thanks you for your concern. Just a tip for you to avoid the same ordeal.........drink plenty of fluids!

Stoned????

Attention!!!

The photo for this post has been MOVED!!!! It is just to the right---------------------->

At least for today. As this post moves on down it will not move with it but that's okay because when I discovered that you can click on these photos and ENLARGE them......I had to remove it! It is a REALLY BAD PHOTO up close! Not too great far away either, BUT I kinda need the photo or I will have to re-write this post. Had I left it on, the "attention" would have been changed to "WARNING- this photo may be hazardous to your health!" A four mile run, no make-up, and of course..........MY AGE made it mandatory to move it! Just hope I got it off in time before someone tried to enlarge it!!! Not sure why you can't enlarge the side-post photos, but may I just say I am SO grateful!

Been one of those days???

Well - actually this is me right after I got back from my run. I was so hot (yeah explain that when it was only 34 degrees outside!) and that snow looked so refreshing! I couldn't resist. It was kind of like wanting to jump in a cold pool when it's a 100 degrees out. And let me tell you, it felt soooo good.

BUT...it has been one of those days too. However,this was taken before I knew that. My hubby wasn't feeling well and so for the first time in 14 years he missed going to work. He has gone in before when he was so sick he had to lay on the little beds in the exam rooms between patients.....but miss work? Oh no, not him. Never!

Well, I knew it was serious when he actually called and told them he wouldn't be there, only he would. Meaning he was on his way to get his blood work and an x-ray done. I have never seen him as sick as he was today. And he was in extreme pain. After waiting for all the blood work results (kinda funny watching a doctor order his own labs!) and the x-rays, his Dad came in (he was filling in for him) and sent him to the hospital for a CT scan. Of course, he had already told his Dad right before, that he was going to need to do that. ☺

At the hospital in the Rad room, I was trying to help him and he informed me he didn't need my help. I flashed back to those days when I was in labor and HE was trying to do whatever he could to try and make ME more comfortable. And I would (not so politely), tell him to leave me alone! I know many of you can relate! Well, when you hurt, you just don't want TO BE TOUCHED! I think we both had some empathy for each other! When we got home and he could hardly make it up the stairs I said something that annoyed him I guess because he told me to not talk to him. Wow, I remember saying those exact words at least FIVE different times to him!!! Yep, while in labor! He asked me if I had wished this on him. Hmm...I will just bet I did at least FIVE different times! In fact, I am positive I did. Good thing I only had five kiddos. ☺

Come to find out, he has a kidney stone. I have heard many people compare that to hard labor. Of course those would be all women. It seems somehow unfair that any women should have to endure a kidney stone if she has already experienced hard labor. Those should just be reserved for the men! Ya know.... JUST so they get a taste of what it's like. Okay, all kidding aside, I feel terrible he is in so much pain and I hope it doesn't last long for his sake. He is not like a lot of men I know, who become major wimps when they are in any kind of pain. He has been tough as a rock....er stone. (pun intended)☺

Hopefully it will all be over soon. I've never had one thankfully! His mom has had a few of these and claims it's just like being in hard labor without any relief. I told him he just needs to birth it and then it will all be over. He won't even have to get up in the middle of night to feed it or anything. ☺

If you haven't already.......enter my give away contest below!!!!

My Favorite Things ~ GIVE AWAY!

my favorite things....GIVE AWAY!!! Ok, I am following the slew of all the MY FAVORITE THINGS posts, (which btw, I have only seen one other that was a contest - yeah I'm new at this!), but that is okay. I just want to give some stuff away, so that's what I am going to do! Oprah eat your heart out! It's much more fun this way! Here's the rub: I am going to list a few of my favorite things and let you leave a comment. You then specify in your comment which of my favorite things you would like if you win. In a week or so, I will put all the comments in a hat and draw the winning name. I will contact you if you win and then you can tell me where you want it shipped etc. etc. HOW EASY IS THAT???? Now don't think you YOU CAN'T POST A COMMENT because you don't deserve a prize (everyone deserves a prize!) OR because you don't know me. Someone is going to WIN!!! Either you or some random dude sitting at his keyboard chewing on his toenails will. It might as well be YOU!!!! So decide which one you'd like best...and if you are the one chewing on your toenails....well.....then stop!

☺

my favorite things!!!

(drum roll please......)

Pampered Chef Mini Whipper
This little whiz is so handy! I love it. I use it for everything from stirring hot chocolate to beating eggs. It beats the heck out of any regular whisk. It is the best little gadget and I wouldn't be without one in my kitchen. I prefer to use it (for everything) over my large wire whisks.

Violet Crumble

This candy bar is imported from Australia and is pretty darn hard to find. It is a chocolate covered honeycomb candy bar. You know the kind of airy, light, honeycomb that just melts in your mouth? My Grandma used to buy me something similar at the ZCMI candy counter when I was a little girl. Oh.......soooooooooo heavenly! This includes four candy bars.

Wallflower

If you don't know about these, you must not be living on planet earth. This little wall plug-in will scent your room with the aroma of Moonlight Path. It is a very subtle, yet romantic scent. Great for the ♥bedroom♥. From Bath & Body Works. Mmmm......

Cox Creamy White Honey
This is thee best honey. Made only in Utah. It is so yummy on toast or anything else that you put regular honey on. Watch out though, it is addicting!

Miracle Hand Repair
This is so great for dry hands. I use it on my face as a moisturizer too. It is a thick cream that just feels so healing when applied. One of those great little secrets.

Cadbury and Dove Chocolate Eggs
It would just not be Easter without these! I wait all year for a bag of these. Both kinds are the most delicious chocolate in the world. Oh man!

Some Dude's Fry Sauce

Mmmm.....Mmmm....Mmmm

It should be a crime to eat French Fries without this amazing sauce. Another Utah only product!

Recipe Book by American Mother's Inc.
I personally put together this cookbook and it is the first one I always reach for. I have heard that little endorsement from pretty much everyone who owns one. How could it not be great? It is a compilation of the very best tried and true recipes of a large group of moms.

Mary Engelbreit Journals
Who doesn't love anything with Mary Engelbreit on it? This little journal will inspire you to want to write in your journal or just keep it with you to write down thoughts or daily inspirations.

Okay......there you have it! Now get busy! This should be fun! You can tell your friends about it too. Enter only once.......although if you suck up a bit I just might put your name in twice ☺ I am really curious to see what you choose! And for those of you that keep telling me you have tried to leave a comment but can't.......just click on the comment link (NOT the envelope, but the word COMMENT) right here at the bottom. Go into the page and write your comment. You can just click on name if you want and leave it that way. Pretty easy......... If I can figure it out, so can YOU! ☺GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Enjoy Your Hot Chocolate

Enjoy Your Hot Chocolate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups- porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite -- telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: 'Notice that all the nice looking; expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each others cups. Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have. The happiest people don't have the best of everything.They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Thank the Lord for our blessings. And...

Enjoy your Hot Chocolate!

It's what's inside the cup that counts...

FRIDAY FEAST!!!!

Join me on the Friday Feast. It is a get to know you thing. It will be nice for me to get to know myself better. (For future reference when I have alzheimers.) <----Jody (with a "y") wrote that.☺ There is a new menu each week.

Appetizer
Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim?

Well that depends on how many April Fool's Day's we've had and how many times I have gone to girl's camp. One year for April Fool's I made chocolate covered cotton balls. They looked so yummy, but left you with a dry taste in your mouth (or so I hear☺!) I get my boys really good every year. BUT...the best was this year at girl's camp. Two of the girls (yes that's YOU Jacquie and Breanne!) put dead baby fish in our (the leader's!) punch at dinner (me and Jen's). This was okay, because now we had a good excuse to get them back. And get them back we did! We put fresh live - yes, crawling live! - night crawlers in their water containers on our hike. They were totally clueless. We were very sneaky. We walked behind them and watched them. We were nearly heaving and dying laughing at the same time. I seriously almost peed my pants! Guess it's one of those things where you had to be there to appreciate it! Oh, but such satisfaction knowing we out did them (since WE never drank our fishy-poo punch!) But the war was on from then on. We had to lock up ALL our belongings in Jen's SUV after that....just in case!!! Way fun though! And great memories! Never mess with YW leaders at camp!!! Never!☺
Soup

What do your salt and pepper shakers look like?

Just boring clear plastic octagon looking ones. BUT, I just bought me some really cute Easter ones that are shaped like eggs in a little basket. Soooooo cute! (from Target!)
Salad

Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)?

Hawaii!!!! Oh, I am so excited! Dave's parents are taking all their kids and spouses. We may go to the cabin in Alpine, WY before that though.
Main Course

What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry?

LOVE all the Bath & Body cream lotion. My favorite right now is Midnight Pomegranate. Heavenly scent!!!

Dessert

Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name.

Okay, that's easy! (And you will get your full veggie quota for the day too!) Measure 1 cup of chocolate and add to 1/2 cup chocolate. Stir in 1 teaspoon of chocolate and add 3 Tbls. chocolate. Mix together with 3 cups of sifted chocolate and 1/2 lb. of chocolate. Stir well. Bake for 1 hour. Die and go happily to heaven!!!!

☺Your turn!☺

Blog Platform Photo

I've been tagged...

I've been "Twosies tagged" by Jody

Two names you go by:
Jo or Jode
Jodi Mae (and of course, Mommmmmmmmm!)
Two things you're wearing right now:
Jeans
Pullover top
Two things you'd want or have in a relationship:
Laughter ♥
Love ♥
Two of your favorite things to do:
Go out to lunch with friends
Read blogs! A new thing for me.
Two things you want very badly right now:
My basement completely finished
SPRING!!!
Two things you did last night:
Had a killer headache and so actually watched TV (The Office and can't remember the other one! But it was good!)
Started writing another "Beacon of Light and Hope" message....it's been a while!
Two things you ate yesterday:
Krispy Kreme creme filled donut w/chocolate icing (probably the reason for the headache! BUT worth it!!!) I was only going to have a bite, but kept going back for more bites until there wasn't any bites left!
Dave's Chili and cornbread
Two things you did today:
Cleaned my fridge ~ inside and out ~ yeah even vacuummed those coil thingy's under it!
Gave my boys haircuts
Two longest car rides:
St.Louis to Utah AND back! (many times)
Utah to Oregon and back
Two favorite Holidays:
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Two favorite beverages:
Water
Lime Rickey's
Two things about me:
I like to organize stuff
I love hanging out with the youth
Two jobs I've had in my life:
Preschool and Dance teacher
Wilton Cake Decorator instructor
Two places I've lived:
Reno, NV
California (lots of different cities there when young)
Two of my favorite foods:
Lasagna
ANYTHING chocolate!
Two places I'd rather be right now:
Right here at home
Somewhere tropical
I now get to tag 2 people to do my twosies tag. I tag Cindi and Tori and anyone else who takes the time to read my blog!

The girl's (and boy) are back in town........

This is my nephew Davis....aka "Davie" with McKay. He came with his sisters to spend the night with us.

They wanted waffles for breakfast and so I asked them what color (guess I haven't got out of the food coloring mode from Valentine's Day!) ☺ Madi wanted purple (good girl....still in the purple club!) and Paigely wanted blue (still NOT in the purple club!). So to keep the peace, I polled the entire household. It came out: 2 purple......Madi (and ME of course!), 4 blue, and 1 normal. With all the boys in the house, it was no surprise. But, being the diplomatic person that I am, I made them blue...even though it went against every fiber of my being. I did however color the butter purple. Blue waffles with purple butter and brown syrup (or just plain old white sugar in the girl's case)....sounds appetizing don't ya think? Mmmmm........ Notice all the Batman toys on the counter Davis is playing with while his breakfast is untouched. Man, have I gone soft! My boys were never allowed to have toys at the table! Guess I am just getting ready to be a Grandma! What? Did I really say that? Nooooooo......... I am definitely not THAT old!

Everything tastes better when it's purple! You go girl!

The first thing Paigely asked me when they got to my house, was what craft were we going to do. I thought it would be fun to make their mom a get well candy bouquet (since she wasn't feeling well), so we made homemade suckers. The first batch got burnt! Really burnt! Ridiculously burnt! I was a little side-tracked because I have never seen the movie 'Cars' and they insisited I watch it. Of course, as the rest of you moms out there will attest, you can't just sit down and watch a movie. Not during the middle of the day! Not unless it's really late and you are too pooped to do anything else. Sooooooo, I was making suckers and wiping counters and giving directions on how to paint a little ceramic thingy-ma-jig, all while still trying to watch the movie. Well, in the two minutes that I did walk away to actually watch it, the sucker mixture suddenly went brown. VERY brown! Okay, black! Part of the problem was my candy thermometer wasn't working! Do they ever? Has anyone ever found one that does? If so, let me know!

Here we are trying to take a photo of the candy bouquet. The photographer (yes that would be McKay because he did NOT want to pose for another picture!) didn't give us any warning before he shot it.

Okay...........we are ready now.

CHEESE!!!!!!

The suckers really are in there (the new batch) down at the base. Hard to see, but they are there!

Hurray for Hormones!

This is me with my cute-cute nieces Madi and Paigely at my son's hockey game. They are my brother's girls. He has three. How did I get all the boys and he get all the girls? Not sure, but somehow he also got one son! I love my boys to pieces, but there's nothing like having another female around so I don't feel quite so out-numbered! Hormones should be spread around equally don't ya think? Right now at my house it's usually 5 to 1! We had all gone out to dinner for my Dad's birthday and little Madi wanted to come to "Aunt Jodi's" house after. But since it was school the next day, we (she ☺) planned to come over the next day, which was Friday. She said, "Call me tomorrow when I get home from school and when someone answers say, 'Is Madi there?'" Well, I forgot she had early out that day. My Mom called to let me know that my brother mentioned to her that Madi had been sitting by the phone since she walked in the door from school! Boy did I feel bad! I immediately called her and when she answered, I said, "Is Madi there?" She giggled and said, "Yes, this is her." What a cutie! We decided we would pick them up on our way to my son's hockey game and then bring them back to my house for a sleep-over. She called back about five minutes later wondering if her mom could drive her up right NOW! I, of course, said yes! Paigely wanted to come along too. We had a great time. Although, I don't think they were expecting such a long ride to the hockey game! They were pretty bushed when we got back about 10:30 p.m. but still stayed up real late watching Shrek 3 with McKay.

Since I had girls around, I had to have some kind of fun craft project for us to do! I mean really, how often do I get to do that!!! Not much since I have been out of cub scouts. As you can see, McKay wasn't too sold on the idea of doing a "craft"...he is all boy!

When I told him he could paint his the colors of the Carolina Panthers (his favorite football team) he chippered up some! By the way, those are plastic garbage sacks they are wearing to protect their clothes. Worked like a charm!

The finished products! They are gumball machines that you can fill with candy or gumballs or whatever you want. They are made out of terra-cotta pots and lids. I was impressed with how well such little hands could paint!

Paigely made hers to match her room.......purple and lime green. (Guess I will let her back in the purple club! Your fav color has to be purple or you are out! Her's was blue. Imagine!!!) Madi did hers to match her ladybug room. Aren't they the cutest?

Here's McKay's. Of course he didn't want any ribbon or raffia on his! The other one is mine. A very fun and easy project. I am getting excited because they are coming to spend the night again tomorrow since there is no school on Monday! Hurray for hormones!!!

Fam Newsletter page 2

♥click to enlarge♥

♥Family Newsletter ~ 2007-08♥

♥click to enlarge♥

If page 2 won't enlarge click here

♥Happy Valentines Day♥

Dinner by candlelight on Valentine's Day is mandatory at our house. The boy's love it probably because it's an opportunity to play with matches! Staying with our traditional red and heart shaped meal.....our Valentine's dinner menu included meatloaf baked in a heart shaped pan lovingly decorated with catsup, heart shaped bread sticks with pink butter (of course), pink jello salad, baked potatoes topped with none other than purple sour cream (NOTHING says I love you like purple sour cream!!!), and red spiked punch....(totally JK!) And of course a beautiful heart shaped red devil's food cake. I can say beautiful because there isn't a photo of it on here. ☺ I got purple roses (my fav!) and Idle Isle chocolate covered almonds and nutballs. Mmmmmmmm................. Thanks hon. Then we did some Valentine "phantoms" (as we call them) ~ leaving treats on doorsteps and running. I got to do one since my two usual runners couldn't. One had to be to his game early and the other wasn't feeling real great. I made him do the last one though (no other way to drive and do the ditching because of the way the house sits) and sure enough we got caught! I am SO glad I made him do it! That would have been the last time if it had been me trying to run on the ice as they pulled in the driveway! That has never happened before in all our years of doing this! Fun, fun! It was all short lived however as we had to run off to a basketball game by 9 p.m., then come home to three sick kids instead of just one. Nooooooo.....it wasn't my cooking! They have been coming down with it for a few days! At least that's my story!

♥♥♥HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!♥♥♥

This was taken at our ward Sweetheart's Dinner and auction on Saturday. We won a lot of our bids including Stephanie's English Toffee! Yea!!! It's the best! It's for a great cause too. The money goes to fund our youth camps in the summer. I am already getting excited for girl's camp! What a blast it is!!! Here's wishing you all a very happy and romantic VD!!!

♥ HUG THE ONES YOU LOVE!!! ♥

Alaska Cabin

Adventures in Alaska! Hungry anyone????

Yep... that's a bear!

That's a load of fish!

Not bad for one day fishing and NO sleep!

Our cabin in Alaska. Good thing we rent it out or I think the guys would always be there!

Cheese!

Me, my Mom, and my Aunt Dixie who lives in California. Eating at Maddox......yum!

Easter in Arizona

At the Mesa Easter Pageant. It was awesome! I'm holding my darling niece Mackenzie (Mickey).

Eating at Houstons. THEE best restaurant in Phoenix!

This photo was taken last Easter in Arizona when we were visiting Dave's sister and her family. McKay is right in the middle of a.......a.....a.....a.......a.....A SNEEZE!!!!!!!

This is my husband's sister and her darling family. We stayed with them in their home in Chandler, Arizona.