Fri: Family for a Fortnight

I've had guests (long lost cousins) staying with me since Feb 19th. Total time they will be with us is two weeks, maybe longer. This Friday, four more family members arrive from Florida & Arizona. What fun to meet & get to know our relatives (Tony's wife, Ann & children, Courtney, Austin & Tucker) for the first time.

The wedding is March 6th in the Salt Lake Temple for Courtney Wightman (cousin, Tony's daughter) & Kurtis Pullan of Sandy, UT. They met while attending BYU Idaho. Tony is Aunt June (Grandma Crane's sister) son.

They love our floppy air bed with its rolled up blanket supports. Willingly, they eat the wheat muffins, homemade toast, cooked cereal, yogurt & granola offerings for breakfast. Floridians don't have furnaces, so the heat settings don't faze them. Ann & I have alot in common. We actually are kindred spirits when it comes to homemade food & being economical. She has no brothers, I tease & call her, sis.

As a child we traveled through Idaho headed for reunions & would often stop at my dad's long lost cousins to have a meal or stay the night. I wondered how the relatives felt about our surprise visits. To a teenager it was very embarrassing. If they had kids my age to play with, it wasn't so bad.

More than once we've imposed on relatives while vacationing at Disneyland, Nebraska, Colorado & such. What a savings it is in lieu of hotel costs & makes the trip possible. We definitely have a place to stay on our next trip to Florida.

Wed: Where There's A Will, There's a Way

I used to be petrified of escalators, cried while grabbing the moving rubber railing & froze at the entrance afraid my feet would be chewed up. That never happened & gradually I overcame the fear. It's surprising the things we imagine or fear as children. After growing up we even chide ourselves & discover along the way, that 'where there's a will there's a way'.

Many have a fear of speaking in public, heights, falling, snakes & more. Taking a speech class in high school helped me overcome a public speaking anxiety. Staring down a fear with strength & courage is really a great, accomplished feeling.

Putting our faith in the Lord is a major step forward in facing our fears. Ether 12: 27 says, 'And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.'

Mauri & Aaron spoke in Church on Valentine's Day & did a great job. Together they found out how good it feels to face fear, put their trust in the Lord and speak to a congregation. I was proud they talked the entire time. Mauri took 10 minutes & Aaron 30. They told about love, neighbors & the blessings of being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This proves 'our will' is stronger than 'fear' when we find a way.

We can 'Do It!' & it feels good.

Mon: Miracle of the Apple Tree

About a dozen years ago we planted an apple tree that hasn't produced much. The most we've gotten is three bushel of mostly wormy apples in the good years. Apple trees alternate with heavy then light years. If we were diligent about spraying to kill the coddling moth we'd get bugless apples, but we don't. It's common to cut 1/2 of the apple away to insect invasions & not much fun to cut one open full of worms either.

With all the rain we had last spring & cool weather at the right times to discourage the moths our tree produced about eight bushel. Miraculously we still have good firm apples that've lasted all winter long. Usually red delicious meat goes soft or spoils towards Christmastime. This year however, none have spoiled & the box never seems to get empty. We bottled, dried, gave boxes for others to dry, made apple desserts & continue to have an abundance of still more to eat.

Bags of dried apples have been shared with others. They curb our hungry appetites while driving in the car & keep us eating healthy on a daily basis.

Why is this? I call it a miracle & blessing from the Lord as he helps us get through another year of less than normal income. Its His way of helping us out & our need to recognize it, as well as be grateful for His loving care.

Thur: Thriving on Thrifty

My son-in-laws all think (on second thought, they know!) I'm thrifty. I have to agree with them. The current economic crisis forces us to tighten our belts & we respond. That doesn't mean we have to sit home & watch TV. We can still shop, go to lunch & movies, too. What satisfaction we get when we meet these needs for pennies on the dollar. It makes you feeeel so good.

Ikea treated the grandkids to a free lunch on Presidents Day. The $.75 Monday Movies provided Planet 51 laughs. Free ice skating helped Brayle & Hunter decide if they want to prepare for the 2020 Olympics. Yes, Aaron, I'm cheap & smart,too. You could say I saved $35 ($10 on lunch, $15.75 @the movies & $9.25 skating). With that $35 I could get gas, groceries or buy your birthday present.

That's one way I stretch my dollars. Go to One Cheap Chick & find more bargains: http://blogs.sltrib.com/cheap

A stop at the DI netted 10 pieces of Naturewood dishes made by Pfaltzgraff. On the website they sell for $7.99 each. I paid $.50 per item. Yes, I could have spent my money on pop, pork or pretzels, but that's the beauty of freedom. We can buy what we want. I'm giving away my Corelle bowls. Would anyone like them?

Tue: Temple View Was a Bonus Treat

Some dear friends, Trell & Dave Beatty, treated us to dinner at the Garden Restaurant on top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building this week. It's not the Roof but right next door & has terrific views of the Salt Lake Temple for a fraction of the cost, which unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures of.

We couldn't resist a photo by the ice sculpture that greeted guests. Our camera was in the car so Trell's i-phone did the job. Dave is from Kentucky & investigating the Church so we accompanied them on the Conference Center tour and saw the movie, Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration. It's not that hard to help an investigator when there's a prize at the end. We were on our best behavior.

The view of the temple was pretty amazing, too. Anyone can see it. Just go to the tenth floor of the JSM building, walk west to the picture windows & see the view 'from the top.' The airport is only few miles away. You're almost level with the planes as they descend then land. It's a totally different feeling.

Fri: Five Star Friends

We all find ourselves feeling lonely on occassion & a friend is just the thing to help us out. They sure are nice to have along for a hike, company & to talk to.
Have you noticed how many different levels of friends we have? You could even rate them like hotels. Spouses fit into these rating as well since they are our friends.

1* Friends -Those that pretend to like you, but may talk about you behind your back. Immature, annoying, and even call when they need you but disappear when you need them. These are the co-dependent kind that become a burden not a joy to be around.

2** Friends -Those at church we know superficially, smile, say Hello to, but don't usually know much beyond that.

3*** Friends -High school chums that you email, meet a few times a year to lunch with and have lots of history with. Your lives are too busy now to keep front & center. You still enjoy talking about old times & such.

4**** Friends -Girlfriends that listen, are compassionate, helpful, there when you need them, dependable & come to your rescue often. Telling innermost thoughts & ideas as you babble back & forth about anything and everything. Often kindred spirits without really having to spend alot of time together. Its easy to pick up where you left off.

5***** Friends- These do the same as the four star friends & more when they listen patiently, resist complaining about our faults, do the dumb things we ask them to without complaining & love us for who we are. Compliments & kudos lift us up when we are down.

Thanks, Allan for being a five star friend.

Wed: Waiting for the Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics begin in a few days in Vancouver, BC. It wasn't that long ago they were here in SLC. The city was decorated to the nines with buildings dressed in 40 x 150 foot pictures of the athletes. The calderon burned on the U of U campus & the six Olympic rings shone on the mountain all night. Traffic was terrible everywhere, but excitement trumped our frustrations.

Some family members even attended events such as cross country skiing, skating, the winter festivities & downtown hub bub. The torch was a big thing as people were selected to run with it weeks before the opening ceremonies. 8 oz bottles of Coke, pins & such were given away free as well as other memorabilia.

What does it take to qualify for an Olympian? Faith in yourself, determination to not quit, a supportive family, unbelievable drive and so much more. Who knows perhaps they will allow angel makers, snowshoe slackers & snowman designers to compete one day. We will be there, I know it!

Let the games begin!! Hopefully it will motivate us to do something great.

Mon: Mind Gone to Mush

It's a busy week with classes to teach, appointments to keep, lunch with friends, bills to juggle & more. Why can't I 'Focus'!

Creating simple cards to make at a RS class turned my mind to mush. The class is Tuesday night with 30 ladies signed up. How many to prepare 30,45,60? What will they like I wonder, while musing over designs, colors & paper. I feel like quicksand has seized my mind knowing my time is short, but can't seem to decide anything. It's all free so discontinued papers, bling-bling & such are being called into service for the cause. I try to utilize previous cut papers & such.

Isn't that how it works, when the pressure's on we bog down & can't get anything done? Swimming against the current, snacking at each responsibility, but not accomplishing anything so to speak. Finally in desperation we will ourselves to 'Snap out of it & Do it!'

I'm seeing red, pink & purple after finishing the assorted kits (took all day long, sad to say). Attention to details is important while making sure all the supplies are packed up for the event. Heaven forbid if I should leave something home. Its always the thing you forget they 'have' got to use now.

Thur: Thirty-three Hours to Go

I have a dinner party tomorrow night with three couples coming. There's so much to do before they arrive. The menu's still up in the air & I only have to make the entre. How easy is that? My lofty ideas often get me into these tight situations. It's usually when I'm feeling optimistic these decisions are made & invites sent out. When the event looms overhead, jumping ship is contemplated. Is that a headache coming on?
This is what's done:
Fridge cleaned (What a job!) -check
Why do we never notice how bad it is until guests are coming?
Napkins bought -check
Decorating done -check
Cob webs removed -check

Here's what I still need to do:
Clean kitchen, desk & bathroom
Haul junk to another room (or toss)
Sweep porch
Decide on paper, plastic or china
Set up the table (fancy or plain)
Centerpiece & such
Menu (casual or gourmet)
What to drink
Buy food & supplies

Every unsightly detail of our home seems to pop out when someone is expected. The rest of the time, nothing phases me. Maybe we'll eat in the refrigerator. After the party is over, I'm glad to have been hostess, but the journey can be stressful.
It will be lots of fun & laughter with sentiments to 'do more often', but in the meantime, not feeling it.

Tue: Tongue Tied

My tongue has a canker the size of Mt. McKinley on the very tip. It's done wonders to curb my appetite for candy, nuts, snack type & all acidic foods. Weight loss would be a positive result of having these 'aphthous ulcers'. There annoying painful shallow irritations in the mouth that afflict many Americans each year lasting about five days.

It all started when my mouth was open all night, as I slumbered deeply after taking a sleeping pill. Allan was driven from the bed about 1am while I snored away. The tongue was dryer than the Mohave Desert the next day. Since then I've consumed more water trying to rehydrate than Lake Mead.

This malady has forced me to breathe through my nose more. I'm a chronic mouth inhaler, so its a good thing. Instead of cleaning my teeth & flapping around all day, my tongue's been in a holding pattern to prevent bumping & hurting it more. What else could have caused this ailment? Stress, food, trauma, dental changes & more can cause the sores. Women are more likely to get them (probably because we talk more).

Talking is difficult with my new lisp so I avoid it as much as possible. Allan loves it. Only a few more days of misery, diet & quiet, I hope.

Moral of the story: Keep you mouth shut!