I start laughing

every time I think of a little interchange Gary and I had this weekend.  

We went to a conference in Layton, so we spent Thursday and Friday at a motel there.  We went to the workout room on Saturday morning before the conference started.  We were the only ones in there, when a young adult man motioned through the window that he forgot his key, and could we open it for him.

It became obvious after a few minutes that he wasn't really there to workout, but was more likely in need of some social interaction.  He started on the machine next to me, did it for about a minute, and then said, "Did you hear there are terrorists in Egypt?"  I replied, "No, I haven't been watching the news, that doesn't sound good."   He then moved over to another machine for less than a minute, and then came to the treadmill between me and Gary.  Then he said to me, "Did you know that Jesse James is engaged ?"  I replied, "No, didn't he just barely get divorced?"  

At this point, after Gary heard the question and my response, he piped in with, "My wife is hard of hearing so she can't hear what you're saying."   The man just said, "Oh," and moved on. 

When we got back to the room, Gary said that he could tell the guy was a little off, but when he heard him ask me if I knew that Jesse James was engaged, he was convinced of it.   After all, how can an outlaw who died in 1882 just get divorced and get newly engaged?   He was certain I had not heard what he said or I wouldn't have responded like I did. 

It took a bit of convincing, but I was finally able to explain to Gary that there is a Jesse James who recently got divorced from Sandra Bullock and is now engaged to some Kit somebody.   So there was some sense to what the man was saying and some sense in my response.  But, there was also a sense of strangeness about the whole affair. 

Gary jokes that probably the most valuable thing he learned on the conference was that Jesse James is engaged.  And for me, the incongruity of it really struck my funny bone (what is a funny bone anyway?)   I can't think about it without laughing.  When I tried to tell Natalie about it on the phone, I couldn't stop laughing, and Gary had to take over for me.    I'm laughing now as I write this.   I can't explain it.  But I don't think I'll ever be able to hear the name Jesse James and not laugh.   Don't try to understand.  Just know that there is humor in life when there is "disconnect." 

Lemon Cupcakes

and "exciting" new pans.

I've loved my snap together cupcake carriers.  I can carry 1 dozen at a time or 6 dozen at a time, just by snapping them together.   But, they are starting to break.  I think it is because I open and close them after they have been in the freezer.  The other drawback to them is that they have the little trays with the circles in them for each cupcake, but it does not really keep them from falling over if it is juggled.

So I was excited when I saw these cupcake pans that have a deep attachable lid.  With these, the cupcakes are stable in the cups and can be covered and transported or put in the freezer.  If I'm carrying several dozen, I could just put an elastic around them.  It really doesn't take a lot to get me excited does it?

Here's a new Lemon Cupcake recipe I tried and liked.

Lemon Cream Cupcakes

Serving Size: 30

1 cup butter ; softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups ; (16 ounces) sour cream

FROSTING:
3 tablespoons butter ; softened
2 -1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition (batter will be thick).

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350° for (18 minutes works for me)25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, cream butter and confectioners' sugar in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel and milk; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes.



There was a

word that Gary and I were searching for.  It was on the tips of our tongues, but it just wouldn't come.

We were talking about teeth that bother us.  His new filling is still bothering him.  I have a cracked tooth, under a veneer, that is always tender.  I was talking about how, before I knew the reason why my tooth hurt, I was constantly biting down on it, pushing on it, and wiggling it to figure out where the veneer fit wrong..  Finally a dentist found that there was a crack in the tooth underneath.   He said that I should "baby it," bite down on it as little as possible, and that when I couldn't stand it anymore that I would need to get an implant.  

So, that is a long explanation for why we were trying to think of a word.  What is a word that means "making it worse?"  Bothering?  Hurting?  Irritating?  Close, but not quite.  There was a word, that we would know when we heard it, but we couldn't think of it.

 So when we got home,  I googled "irritated and to make worse."  There it was:  AGGRAVATE.  We both said, "Yes, that's the word."   I was aggravating the situation by constantly playing with my tooth.  

Unfortunately, we are having more and more of those type of conversations now days.         

Awesome Ashton

turns 8 tomorrow,

January 26th.

Just to show you how awesome he is, he and his sisters posted this clip on u-tube a couple of days ago.  They did it all on their own.  (You'll like this one, Tom)

Here's the u-tube Link:    Awesome Ashton

Now you can see why he is so special.
We love you, Ashton!
We can't wait to be at your baptism in a couple of weeks.

Flower Pins

must be in the genes

.

As I've been cleaning out, I found a tin that Mom gave me a long time ago.  Mom inherited the tin, with the flower pins inside, when her Mom (Pearl Hall) passed away.  Gran, as we grandchildren called her, passed away in 1964, so they obviously date back further than that. 

I was only 10 when Gran passed away.  My grandfather, Edward Owen Hall, passed away 6 years before I was born. 

Pear Averett Hall    21 Nov 1889 - 19 Nov 1964
Eward Owen Hall     17 July 1885 - 7 Jan 1947

  

It was so cute

on Gary's Birthday.

The kids all gathered around to watch him open his present from them.

It was a box of food,

along with some very original recipes.

"Recipes for Grandpa

from the kitchens of

Jackson, Lydia, Hyrum, Harrison, Marshall

Eliza, Ashton, Annie, and Lucienne

Recipes inspired by and for Grandpa Ashton"

Here are a pictures of a some of them:

I don't want to reveal all of them.
I'm sure we'll make a lot of money when our grandchildren are famous
and we publish these original, one-of-a-kind recipes in a cookbook.

 

Enough, Enough

Enough.

Chocolate-cream cheese cupcakes, that is.

I made them a little smaller to experiment for the Stake Luncheon.  But, I forgot the baking soda.  The recipe calls for baking powder, too, so they came out more like a brownie-cheesecake.  They still tasted good, but were not what I wanted.  So then I made them again.  They worked better the next time.  The problem is, I've been eating them for two days (both kinds).  And here I am wanting to take off the five or so pounds I put on after the holidays.  Yes, after the holidays.  That's when the food was still here, but I wasn't being active or burning any calories or having any fun.

So, Enough!

Stop the Insanity!

(Does anyone else remember that phrase from the 70's or 80's?)

Well, it is as applicable today as it was back then.

Really, Really, Really,

ENOUGH! 

Christmas

is down.

But the house is not quite back to normal.

It will be by tomorrow night, though, because I have

a meeting here at the house.

Nothing like a guests coming to get me going.

As I'm sitting here comfy in my pajamas, I thought I'd post our

Christmas pajama pictures.

 Can you tell how excited Jackson (the oldest) is to have matching pajamas with the younger boys?  He started making a fuss the minute he realized we were all getting pajamas.  He was complaining that there was no way he was going to wear matchy cartoon character pajamas.   He THINKS he's old enough to be with the men now.    

We've got the girls all cute as cupcakes. 

Somehow we missed getting them all in one setting.

 We women all kind of blend into one in our pajamas.

They are the most comfy pajamas ever
and they obviously make us look like wild animals. 

Almost

there. 

Major progress. 

Tomorrow for sure.

It's Saturday

morning. 

Gary is at a conference all day.

TODAY is the day.

TODAY really is the day.

I got up, put on a sweat suit and tennis shoes.

I ate breakfast, and read something to inspire me from the Ensign.

I'm geared up.

Today is the day that I am going to get all the decorations down.

Not only get ALL the decorations down,

but get rid of anything that does not give me joy.

Anything that clutters my life so I can't enjoy
and focus on what really matters.

Which today feels like my whole house,

since it is in such a disarray with the taking down of decorations.

I'll focus on the things that I just keep moving around
from one place to another

 because I don't think I can do without them.

Or because it has some sentimental meaning to me. 

Which is just about my whole house.

An intuitive mind might ask,

"If today is the day, why are you wasting your time

writing this silly blog instead of doing it."

Well, I think the answer to that is pretty obvious.

In fact, maybe I'll write tomorrows blog entry right now, too.

Ok, I think

i must be feeling extra emotional today.  My brother, Richard, sent me this u-tube link.  I have seen it before, but I watched it again.  He said he watches it a couple of times a week.  

For whatever reason, when I watched it this morning I found myself sobbing.  I've always loved the song, "Hallelujah," so maybe it is that.  Maybe it's because I'm going to yet another funeral this morning.   This is the 4th neighbor and friend in the last month.  Maybe it's because I need a hug.  Maybe it's because it makes me realize that everyone needs a hug.  Richard, this hug is for you!

So watch this, and give someone a hug today!  HALLELUJA

It's time to close

the candy store.

It makes me sad, because I love it.

But if I don't dismantle it, I will weigh 50 pounds more next year.

Even though the inventory is way down,

there has been enough left to be dangerous for me.

When I've been wanted something sweet,

or even when just passing by,

I stop, open a jar (always one with chocolate in it),

and pop it in my mouth.

The funnest thing about the candy store, when the kids were here, was being the candy store clerk.  Each token was worth 2 ounces of candy.  Do you know how much candy you can get for 2 ounces?  Way more than I figured.  Especially since they were given 6 tokens a day.  I think that due to inflation, next year each token will just buy 1 oz worth.  

The whole process was fun.  The kids would make their choices, we would weigh it, bag it, and tie it with a ribbon.  I loved it, because all of them from the youngest (2) to the oldest (14) always wanted to go through the whole process, ribbon and all.  We took tokens for payment, but the other payment the grand kids had to give was a hug.   Great dividends on our money. 

So, as of today, the

G &G Country Store is closed

until next Christmas. 

It was heartwarming on Saturday

when 15 of us from our high school club met together to honor our friend, Mary.  We went to Brick Oven for lunch before the graveside and shared memories of our times with Mary.  We truly found strength in each other and felt a renewed desire to appreciate friends, family, and all those in our lives more fully.  We made this pictorial remembrance for the family.

We all went to the graveside and each put a flower and a nut (in honor of our nut tradition) on the casket.  We were standing in 20 degree weather for more than an hour, and our feet were frozen, but our hearts were warm.  

One of Mary's daughters had asked Judy to share a few memories at the graveside. I wish I could portray what an amazing job Judy did in sharing our good and funny memories from childhood to adulthood.  

To be honest, going to the graveside was not something I was looking forward to.  Sometimes denial and avoidance sound much easier. Sometimes we don't know what to do or say, or are afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing.  But I also know how much support is needed for those feeling loss and heartache.  

After the service, Mary's mom (who I think is 90)) thanked Judy for her words.  She basically said,  "During this whole week I have found no peace, my heart has been heavy and I have thought I can't get through this. When I heard your talk representing all of Mary's friends and heard your loving memories of Mary, and I saw all of you here to support our family and your love of Mary, I finally found peace. I can go on and I know Mary was loved my many, especially her beautiful friends. Thank you so much to everyone for being here."    That brought tears to my eyes to know that we had helped ease a mother's heartache.  

It reminds me of a quote by T.S. Elliot that I kept on my fridge for many years:

"What do we live for; if not to make life less difficult for others?"

Cast of Christmas

Characters

On Christmas Eve, we had the kids draw one of their cousin’s names, gave them each 10 dollars, and went to a fun store, Blickenstaffs. The store is entertainment in itself, and the kids had fun picking out a gift for the cousin whose name they got.  We adults had to help the younger ones a little.  Annie had Jackson, and if I hadn't been guiding her a little, it's very likely Jackson would have ended up with a doll or tea set.

   

When we left the store, we stepped outside and saw Santa.  As we were trying to encourage the kids to sit on his lap, I said to Santa, "Do you remember the year this guy (meaning Gary), didn’t get a visit from you?" He replied, “You mean the year he just got a piece of coal?”   We got a kick out of that.  But then Santa said, “I remember when I saw you two at Gary and Lynn’s house a few weeks ago.” That was one of those wide-eyed moments where we all just looked at each other in surprise.   We were surprised that Santa remembered us (or that it was the same Santa’s helper that had dropped by Gary and Lynn’s house when we were there).

I’ll repeat what I’ve always said

when the kids have questioned me about Santa.

“I Believe.”

I do even more so now.

Last night

as I was going to bed, I gave Gary a kiss and said, "I'm sorry for being so dumpy."  He said, "You're not frumpy."  I said, "No, I said dumpy."   He said, "Or did you say, "Grumpy."   I said, "Well, what do you think I am, dumpy, frumpy, or grumpy?"  He thought for just a second and said, "None of them." 

Smart man.

And today I'm not feeling nearly as dumpy or grumpy, and I hope I'm not looking too frumpy.

I'm feeling

"foggy" in mind, body, and spirit right now. 

Yesterday I got the sad news that one of my club friends from high school, Mary, purposely overdosed on prescription medication.  Apparently she had carefully planned it out, written letters to her children,  and gotten her affairs in order.  She took care of our club funds, and even made arrangements to transfer the money to another friend.  

It is so heartbreaking.  It is mind-numbing.  She seemed to enjoy our trip to St. George in October, and we are all so grateful we got to spend that time with her.   She has been very open about her struggles with Bipolar disease, but she always put on a happy front.  She has been single for many years and was a successful attorney in family court matters.  She was always so funny and such a good sport.  I feel so for her children and family.  There is going to be a graveside on Saturday, and we friends are going to go to lunch together to honor her.

You never really know, do you, what is playing out in someones life?  I firmly believe that in situations like this, there is an element that is not in their control.  If it were, it would not happen.

I have so many fun pictures to share from Christmas.  I cannot think of a more perfect holiday week together than we had.  I feel so blessed.  And I feel so grateful that no one was hurt in the Bishop's accident on the way home.  

I just need to get out of this "foggy feeling."  I thought I was feeling well enough to start taking down Christmas, but the effort sapped me pretty quickly.  So I'm still in a mess, but I'm also remembering the joy I felt when we were all together for Christmas.  Pictures next post, I promise.    

I'm still

here, just feeling a little under the weather.

Tiffany and Justin got home safely on Sunday night.

I'm so glad it was smooth sailing for them all the way.

I woke up Sunday with feeling achy and with a sore throat.   

I finally went into the Dr today, and tested positive for strep.

I'm planning on feeling much better tomorrow,

and I'm really hoping no one else gets it.