April

April has proved to be another busy and fun month, filled with plenty of cool weathered days. Amid our normal schedule of school, church, piano, and playing we enjoyed a few events like our neighbor annual crawfish boil, which included all of our good friends from the block. We also enjoyed another "drive in" movie. Since it was pretty cool outside we actually projected the movie on the garage wall instead of garage door. That way the kids could be inside the garage and not get to cold from the night air. The adults of course sat their chairs in the cold night air since the garage was full of kids.

We also enjoyed participating in the annual Cystic Fibrosis walk to support our friends Abby and Kati. That's Daria turning around in the picture.

We have an influx of new birds in our neighborhood. This has been the only positive thing about all the trees being torn down in our city to make way for probably more nail salons, donut shops, and dry cleaners. As if we need more. Still, we are enjoying the new birds, some of which I've not seen before. Dustin had his trusty cardboard folding binoculars out last week while standing on top of a ladder in the driveway to "bird watch". We counted as many birds as we could but not knowing their variety we marked them down as "brown birds, black birds." Well I do know what Mocking birds, Sparrows, and Martins look like but beyond that it's all by color. I wish I had my camera with me the other day as I was stopped at a stop sign. There was a Red Cardinal sitting on top of the red stop sign. That would have been a perfect photo op!

On to household musings. Recently I changed my laundry soap to a more environmentally friendly soap that has no fragrance. HHmmmmm. Well, it cleans well enough but I'm telling you that it's just no fun taking clean laundry out of the washer that has no smell at all!!! Thank goodness for dryer sheets so at least when they come out of the dryer they smell fresh. Speaking of smells, so when I was cleaning the toilets I placed those toilet bowl tabs in each toilet. Ok, crazy! They are supposed to keep the bowl clean for a few months but they smell HORRIBLE! I'm half tempted to put on some gloves and dig those darn things out!

Right now my calling is Enrichment Coordinator. So this month we held one of our quarterly enrichment's, by presenting the program by Kenneth Cope called "Women at the Well". So I must say that this calling has really strengthened my testimony of the willingness of the women to serve one another. When I first came across this program (thanks Selma for mentioning it) I thought it would be easy, music and narration, how hard can that be?. Duh! I really had no idea what it would entail and I stand humbled by the countless women who I asked to do something and they willingly said yes without hesitation. The women were amazing. We had 10 sisters sing solos and some duets (this included 4 young women who sang), Michelle played the piano for every song, one sister was in charge of acquiring 14 costumes and she even made a few as well, two narrators, two sisters spent countless hours planning and putting together the stage which was no small feet in itself. This included Terry making an amazing well, Leah re-creating a garden scene (with her whole front yard!) and enlisting the help of her boys and husband to create a arbor gate, two other ladies to coordinate the practice, one to make the refreshments, and others to decorate the hall and take pictures and film, and Ken even spent time making a few old benches. All combined it was a lot of work, but every sister was thrilled at the opportunity to be a part of it and make it happen. The evening was beautiful and I hope gave the Relief Society sisters a chance to reflect on their relationship with Christ. I know mine was strengthened by the Christlike actions and help of the others who volunteered their time and talents. Here are a few pictures. I did not post any of the ladies singing as that would take to long for me to ask their permission to post their picture on the Internet. As always, privacy is a concern to me.

Book of the Decade

I’ve probably read more books this year than in my whole lifetime. Ok, not really, but I have read some amazing books so far.

Because of this I have to share some thoughts on a most remarkable book that I finished last month.

It’s not often that you come across a book that is life changing, pivotal, riveting, inspiring, and teaches you about history in a way that has never been done before. Well, I found such a book and cannot say enough about it, thus must blog about it. Bear with me!

In 2001 I remember watching an interview on the morning news with the author David McCullough about his new book “John Adams”. I remember the interview being so powerful that I said to myself that I must read that book. True to my form, I put it on my “mental list” of books to read. Fast forward to 2008 when I finally purchased and read the book.

Let me say that there is a reason it has won so many awards. First, the way McCullough writes is amazing and he has this ability with every sentence to draw you into the actual event. You are probably rolling your eyes as most people just don’t enjoy reading biographies or books on history. Believe me this would be the most incredible history book you’ve ever read. The book is taken from John Adam’s personal journals, writings, letters, as well as writings from other notable people, Yet it reads like a novel. I found it exhilarating, suspenseful, painful, and surprising. Not a page was disappointing, and that is no exaggeration. All 650 pages of it. I found it almost impossible to put down and once I was done I was saddened to not have another glimpse into the life of the Adams’s. John Adams was an incredible journalist, so much so that vivid details of the revolution and its people are stunning. I felt like I knew each person personally, and felt a sense of loss when one died, or anger when one betrayed another. Absolutely amazing.

Not only is the book amazing due to McCullough’s ability to recount history, and John Adam’s journaling, but the amazing character that John Adams was. I came away with an astounding respect for John Adams and Abigail (this lady was amazing and I often thought it would have been a treat to have known her). While we as humans can weave a tale about who we are in our journals, John Adams was in his journals exactly how others who knew him described him. This man was a pure example of integrity, he had a hard time winning friends because he was opinionated but his opinions were because he did what was right for the right reasons. Little did I know that much of America’s success for winning the war against Britain was largely due to John Adams sacrifice. This man built his life on honesty, hard work, and frugality (which caused such strife between him and Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin).

I found that while I love to learn about history, I really NEVER knew what it took to win our independence. In history class you learn names, dates, and places, but the actual personal sacrifice (which is too large to teach in a classroom) is humbling. This book is a necessary gem that I will require my kids to read when they are in Junior High or High School, I felt that it was that important. As I read, page after page I reflected on who I was, what was my impact on society and the realization that these revolutionary men were in fact a type of person that we don’t see often these days. I felt for the first time ever a true feeling of what hallowed ground I live on, the United States of America.

Lastly, what interested me in the book in the first place was the great love story between John and Abigail Adams. It was, in my opinion a true love story that is attainable, not fantasy or superficial, but a real love story that words can hardly describe, but what we would all want out of our marriages. So amazing.

So to explain my title “The Book of the Decade” a friend said that to me regarding this book and I would have to agree. I highly recommend it for reading even if you are not into history. I can promise you will not be disappointed, or bored. You will read about interesting tid-bits of history that are never taught (like the fact that Jefferson and Adams claim that the declaration was not signed on the 4th but the 2nd), or that as John Adams got off the boat (literally) after returning from France was told he was the new Vice President (even George Washington did not run for President, they were requested to hold the position) or the comical remarks from Abigail encouraging John to put something in the declaration about women’s rights and freedom.

Now onto McCullough’s book “1776” which I’m told is amazing as well.

“I believe in God and in his wisdom and benevolence, and I cannot conceive that such a Being could make such a species as the human merely to live and die on this earth. If I did not believe in a future state, I should believe in no God. This universe, this all, this totality, would appear with all its swelling pomp, a boyish firework.” John Adams

Catch up

My goodness how time flies!!!! I'm sitting here with absolutely nothing to do for 10 minutes (that is 10 minutes before the kids get home, which by then I'll be busy again) so I thought I would update my blog. It's all random, not in order, so enjoy.

These pictures are from Easter time. Kat has a family tradition every year to make sugar eggs with her grandmother. This year Dustin and Daria had the great opportunity to be a part of that tradition.

Mixing the sugar

making the molds

this is why these will NOT be edible

finished product

Daria and Dustin on Easter. I'm happy to say that I got 2 years out of the dress I made for Daria last year, or was that the year before??? I can't remember but either way, it's been used often.

Biking with our good friends. No you are not seeing double. We have the same vans and happen to have 4 people in each of our families, thus 4 bikes on each van. We rode up and down hills and through the woods (seriously) and then had a picnic dinner complete with rotisserie chicken, rice, grapes, and chips. It was delicious!

The family

General Conference BINGO. As you can see the kids got a little carried away with the Starburst, but they were listening which was the point.