Tuesday, January 29, 2019

A Quote, a Play, and a Dinner

The funny thing with blogging again after taking a long hiatus from it, is that sometimes I even forget that I'm doing it again.  So I don't know why it surprised me so much when I recently mentioned a blogpost and Glen asked in an incredulous tone,  "What? You're  blogging again?" 

Yes, yes, I am.   And apparently I forgot to mention that fact to him. 

Fact of the matter is...I missed it.    I missed the opportunity to capture the little moments in our lives in a way they won't be forgotten.  I missed the not-in-people's faces platform (i.e. non-social media)  for sharing our stories. And mostly I missed the outlet it was for me to put my thoughts into writing. 

I know that our lives aren't exciting and my writing is average at best, but something in me needs this.    Needs a place that allows me to gather and process the goings-on in our lives. And needs a way to remember the beauty and the joy that can be found in the everyday.    

So what have our days looked like lately?   Here's a glimpse...

Our church recently switched from three-hours long to two-hours long.   
I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, but it's quickly growing on me.   I am not one who likes sitting still, so one hour less of sitting is nice on its own.   But what I really like is the opportunity it gives us to participate in the "Come, Follow Me" curriculum together at home.  We read a couple of chapters from the New Testament together each week, discuss how it applies to our lives, and let it  percolate in our hearts through the week.   Here's a quote I hung up in our house this week while we studied John 1.   
It seemed apt (besides it being MLK Day on Monday) to go along with the discussion of Christ being the one true Light and that Christ we is the beacon of light and hope that can bring us out of the darkness.  

Next up in our lives...a trip to National Theatre.  

 A week or two ago, a friend mentioned seeing, "School of Rock" and really enjoying it.   She also told us about an app where we could get discount tickets.   It's been a while since we've been to the theatre, so I did a little research, cleared a spot on our calendar, and took the plunge!     

And what a delightful show it was.   It's a musical (our favorite type of show) written by Andrew Lloyd Weber and it was fun, fun, fun, although it was a little edgy for it being billed as a family show!   The kids in it are uber talented and we thoroughly enjoyed the high energy performance.   
It was also fun that AnnaLisa could join us for it! 

Also, we had the missionaries over for dinner on Saturday.  We made them keto lasagna, roasted brussels sprouts, a green salad, and some keto peanut butter bars (that I couldn't stop eating) for dessert.   The food was tasty and it was fun to get to know them a little better. 
{Sister Withers and Sister Neria}
Speaking of missionaries....we love having them in our home and try to have them over at least once a month!    We got especially close with Sister Wood, who was just transferred this past week.  We will miss her. 



So there you are.   It's a blogpost.  And I wrote it. 

Come back soon for some more blogposts that I wrote.




Saturday, January 26, 2019

My Burning Problem

I have a problem.  A sort of burning problem.  

In the scheme of things, it's not the worst kind of problem to have, but it does cause me stress...and extra money...and a good deal of lost sleep.   

What is my problem, you ask?    I will tell you...

Wait!   How did this picture get in here?   

I may have a problem with using goofy filters when I FaceTime my nieces and nephews, but that definitely is NOT the problem that I am blogging about tonight.  

The problem I'm blogging about is that I'm pretty sure that I have a certifiable anxiety when it comes to house decisions.  Pretty much I live with ugly, outdated things I hate until things get so desperate (usually because they're falling apart) that I either cover it up or pay someone else to fix it.  But even then, I anguish...yes, I know that's a strong word for such a first world problem, but it's apt...over the decisions for months and ofttimes years before I make up my mind about what we want to do.   

Ever since we bought this house almost 18-years-ago, I've hated this fireplace.   Hated the brick, the brass doors, and most of all hated that hideous tile hearth.   But we always had way more pressing problems (like ones that involve things that we actually use) to worry about.   So we've put it on the back burner again and again and again and again.   
Until now.   

I made up my mind....several months ago...that I was going to finally do something about this hideous eyesore that ruins what is otherwise a very fine living room area.   

It took me months of asking people, poring over options on the internet, watching youtube videos, and about 20 trips to Home Depot before I finally felt ready to conquer the beast.  

So I borrowed my sister-in-law's tile saw, held my breath, and got to work! 
I was surprised at how much I liked the sawing, but everything leading up to it stressed me out immensely.  I wasted more than a couple tiles because I didn't do my figuring correctly (especially on the corner pieces).    Luckily I have an assistant who seems to enjoy doing this stuff a wee bit more than his mom, and he saved me more than a few headaches...
He was my right-hand-man when it came to figuring out the details, and making it all come together.   

And I like to think that his future wife may appreciate the fact that he now knows about measuring, mortaring, and grouting!  

I'm super happy with how it turned out...

and frankly was surprised that it actually looks pretty good close-up as well as across the room... 

Now I just to take care of this hearth of hideousness...and buy a new cover...
How many weeks or months or years will it take until I actually decide what I want to do with it?  

Time will tell, time will tell.  

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Smokin' Hot

I got Glen a smoker for Christmas.  
 

Why?   

Because he's smokin' hot...
and I like good food....

especially food that I didn't cook myself. 

Note to self (and any potential smoker users out there that might be reading this post):   
Electric smokers don't work at temperatures below freezing.  

ALSO...

Electronic thermometers are NOT meant to be placed IN the oven/smoker. 

We learned both things the hard way (yes, that's a melted thermometer that had never been used before)

 The good news is...

 meat slow cooked in the oven is pretty good too... 

and some goat cheese stuffed peppers and a hearty salad on the side will make it a downright delicious meal (some homemade keto friendly brownies will also help)! 

Now here's looking forward to warmer days and some more meat smoking adventures with my smokin' hot man! 

Monday, January 14, 2019

Weekend 1-2-3

Here's the Weekend 1-2-3:

1.  
This girl landed a jump wrong in ballet on Friday and spent the weekend hobbling around on crutches.  Luckily she seems to be doing much better already, so hopefully she'll be back to pliĆ©-ing again in no time!  



2.  
It snowed about 10-inches on Saturday and Sunday...


meaning that all our activities were cancelled...even church!   Glen had a bajillion meetings he was supposed to go to on Sunday, so we didn't complain too much about the bonus day at home together!  

3. 
We worked hard (especially shoveling out from that mess)

but we also played hard...watching movies, playing board games, and enjoying all that white fluffy stuff we haven't seen too much of the past couple of years!  

Sure love this family of mine! 

Thursday, January 10, 2019

2018 in Review

There are a gazillion things that happened this year that deserve a blogpost of their own, but, for the sake of not getting so overwhelmed that I end up not blogging again, I'm going to jam-pack everything all into one big "Year in Review" post.  Then I can blog from where I am again.    

Hold on tight....it was a BIG year!!!    

January--Cami came home from her 18-month mission to France.


February--Cami spent February at home, moved to Utah right at the end, and got officially engaged as soon as she arrived in Utah.


March--Wedding planning and a spring break trip to Savannah, Georgia.









April--Cami and Garrett's wedding in the Salt Lake Temple on April 21.






May--Glen, Cami, Garrett, and me take a trip to France to visit Cami's mission.














 

June--WE plan like crazy  for the Virginia wedding reception and after that's over... YW camp.


















Random trip to the Bible Museum

YW Camp--2018

July--Trip to Utah for Katy's wedding, EFY for Adam, Youth conference trip to Kirtland (Glen, Adam, and Emma), as much fishing as possible.













August--We started eating the keto diet.  Adam and Ellie performed in a local production of "Lion King, Jr".  Emma was the stage director.  We celebrated reaching our summer goals!



 I make bucketloads of sugar- and pectin-free jam...











September--Started 6-week long road trip around the country
Ugh....this could be twenty blogposts all by itself, so here are some highlights:








Carlsbad Caverns: 


Grand Canyon:


 Hoover Dam:
Las Vegas:  


Joshua Tree National Park:


Southern California (K's house):









My sister surprised us and flew Spencer and Cami into town for the weekend!


October--Spent the month on the road and got home right before Halloween/Emma's 18th birthday.




























November--Came home and got back to real life, including Glen starting a job in Philadelphia




December--More real life, getting ready for Christmas, and a full house for Christmas














Ellie's first stake dance...



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