Smokin' Hot Momma

Last week my niece sent out a challenge via Facebook and e-mail to the female family members to join her in a challenge she calls "Smokin' Hot Mommas." In her e-mail she wrote: "Feel free to join Karen, Shauna, Grandma, Jennifer, and Jacob (not so much a momma, but Jennifer thinks he is smokin hot!) in our competition, starting Monday!" How could I resist such an offer?

I opened up the two documents to find the official rules and point tracker. It's quite simple really. You earn points for all the tasks that you complete in a day. There are healthy habit tasks such as eating breakfast, drinking 64 oz. of water, scripture reading, no desserts, and cleaning your house.

There is also the fabulous fitness challenge where you get 1 point for every 30 minutes of cardio exercise you perform and another point for doing 20 minutes of strength training.

You may earn 2 points if you exercise with a buddy, 3 points for holding family home evening, and you can either earn two points (or lose two points) depending on if you lose or gain weight.

BRING IT ON!

For three days I have been keeping careful track of how much water I drink, how many servings of fruits and vegetables I consume, and how many hours of sleep I get.

For three days I have been watching the clock faithfully to make sure I get the minimum amount of time exercising.

For the past three days I have watched the clock to make sure that not a bite of food passes through my lips after 7:30 pm. What will I DO when it's Sew What's New? Or Book club? Or Relief Society Meeting Night? Or ward socials when they don't start until after 7:00 pm even though the time is advertised for 6:30 pm? Because clearly, we all know how s-l- o -w- l -y I eat. I rarely complete a meal in under 30 minutes! I guess I won't get a point in that category that day.

For the past three days I have managed not to eat one sweet thing--not even a teeny, tiny chocolate chip. NOT EVEN A CHOCOLATE CHIP! (Do you think I'm getting a wee bit cranky with my lack of chocolate consumption?)

But, there are some things about this Smokin' Hot Momma challenge I really, really like! Did you know that I can get a point for 30 minutes of reading? Imagine, being REWARDED to read 30 minutes a day! And I won't even have to feel guilty about it because, HEY, I'm becoming one Smokin' Hot Momma.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Emily had the opportunity to make a little money for Young Women Camp. A good friend asked if she would bake 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies so her husband could give them to his home teaching families. She was happy to do it.

Tonight, during dinner Emily randomly said, "We can never get rid of our oven."

"What?" I said, thinking I somehow missed something important she said earlier.

"We can never get rid of our oven. Our cookies are 'famous' because we have such a good oven. They won't be the same if we got rid of our oven."

"What if we move? What would we do then?"

"Why, we'd take the oven with us, of course."

"What if it doesn't fit in the opening of the new house?"

"We would MAKE it fit."

She was quiet for a couple of minutes. "Maybe it's the pans we use. Maybe the pans are the secret to our cookies."

"Maybe," I replied.

"We should do an experiment. We should make our cookies and then take our pans over to another house and bake them. If they turn out like always, we know it's our pans. If they don't, we know it's our oven."

I reminded her that her sisters have the same pans that we do. All we need to do is ask them if their cookies turn out the same way.

"But, are their pans EXACTLY the same?"

"I think so."

"Are they the SAME age?"

"Of course not. We gave them their pans when they left home."

"Then, we still won't know if it's the pans or the oven."

Sigh.

OK, darling daughters, if you are reading this let me know if your cookies are as good as the ones you remember from living at home. Maybe it IS the oven. Or maybe it IS the pans. Or maybe its both. We may have to pray that our oven never breaks!

Comfort

This month's issue of the Ensign is filled with great articles dealing with trials and adversity. We all go through them. Today, I thought it would be fun to share things that bring me comfort--whether I'm having a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day, or whether my world feels like it's spinning out of control.

[Listen] What is the most comforting album that you have?

I would have to say that I have two albums that bring me great comfort. I absolutely love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's CD Consider the Lilies of the Field. The music brings me peace and helps me remember the great love my Heavenly Father has for me.

The CD that literally got me through Ron's unemployment last summer is Hilary Weeks If I Only Had Today. Her song "The Tender Behind the Mercy" is one of our family's favorites as she sings of our Savior and His atoning sacrifice. "When You Least Expect It" was one of my personal favorites because it brought so much hope that someday the bad days would end. I also really like the song, "Just Let Me Cry." Sometimes, that is what you HAVE to do, and I don't think we should feel guilty that we can't always control our emotions. I recommend this CD to anyone going through a challenging time.

[Watch] Which movies gives you the best kind of warm fuzzies inside?

This is hard! I would say in December the movie that gives me warm fuzzies inside is It's A Wonderful Life. I mean, who cannot love this movie starring Jimmy Stewart who is taught that his life is valuable and that he truly made a great difference to many, many lives. Sometimes when I wonder if my own contributions to this world are very worthwhile, I remember this movie and think "Well, at least I made a difference in some small way."

Another movie that brings me warm fuzzies is The Sound of Music. Who cannot love Julie Andrews and those adorable children? Just about any good musical gives me warm fuzzies, but this one in particular is my favorite.

(Taste) What are your "comfort foods?"

OK, I have to admit that my comfort foods are probably mashed potatoes with my mom's homemade gravy. I can't think of a food that brings me greater comfort and reminds me of childhood.

If I were to choose a food that I cook myself, it would be homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade bread. There is something extremely soothing about that combination--although an easier version would be grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell' s tomato soup. Especially on a cold, rainy day.

For easy (and fattening) comfort food, I would have to say Sudweeks' Chocolate Chip cookies or just about any form of chocolate. Why does chocolate scream comfort to my soul? :)

[Read] Which books have given you a sense of comfort while reading them?

I love all the scriptures, but The Book of Mormon brings me the greatest comfort while I'm reading it. I always find it uplifting and it brings me not only great comfort, but also great insights about the kind of life I should be living.

So, which CD, movie, food, and book brings you comfort? I would really like to know.

Dandelions and Daughters

I am not a very good gardener. My home is filled with plants--of the fake variety. I feel very good about keeping them dusted and once or twice a year, give them a good washing.

I have been pretty successful with a few flowers, though. Impatiens--I can grow them easily. I have one rose bush in my backyard which also does well. However, my most plentiful flower crop has to be the lowly dandelion.

When my daughters were young and they wanted to pick me some pretty flowers, sometimes I would get a little flower from the "real garden." But usually they would come into the house with a small bundle of dandelions. I had the perfect little crystal vase that would hold them. I would "oooh" and "aaaaah" over each little flower. I would fill my little vase with water and yellow flowers and place it carefully on the kitchen windowsill. Even though they were humble flowers and might be considered a weed by many, it was a sign of my daughters thoughtfulness for me.

Tonight, after dinner, Emily said, "Do you remember when I used to pick dandelions for you?"

"Yes," I said. "I thought it was very sweet."

Emily finished cleaning up the kitchen and then took some trash to the garbage can. A few minutes later, she was back in the house with a small bouquet of bright yellow dandelions.

I feel loved.

Touch of the Irish or Experiments in Food Coloring Gone Very Wrong

Today is St. Patrick's Day. I don't recall if we have any Irish blood in our family tree. It seems like we are predominantly English with a touch of Welsh and German added to the mix. But, like everyone else, we all like to be Irish at least one day of the year.

Traditionally, I have made a fun St. Patrick's Day dinner. One year I actually made corned beef and cabbage. It was so salty that I never repeated that particular meal. Usually I take a somewhat normal menu and Irish-ize it a bit. For example, if I'm making something that is conducive to serving with mashed potatoes or rice, I'll add a few drops of green food coloring to turn a normally white food into a lovely shade of green. I also ALWAYS make green Jell-O. It's tradition.

Well, I got up this morning and planned on making delicious green Jell-O. As I rummaged through the pantry for the appropriate lime flavored gelatin, I was disappointed to find that we had absolutely no green Jell-O! I could remedy that with a quick trip to the grocery store, but with all the things going on today, I never made it out the door until after lunch. I knew that making Jell-O at that point in the day was pretty pointless. It would not be set by dinner.

I then planned on making some St. Patrick Day Squares. These are a delicious chocolate bar cookie with a green peppermint filling. Semi-sweet chocolate--check. Coconut--check. Cocoa--check. Powdered Sugar--check. Graham Crackers......Graham Crackers......Graham Crackers.....No check. I looked in not only the kitchen cupboards, but the back-up pantries where I keep extra food stuffs. No graham crackers anywhere. Well, there goes that idea.

Our refrigerator was full of leftovers. The thought of making stir-fried chicken with asparagus and green rice just didn't seem practical when I could barely fit what was already in the refrigerator. It didn't seem wise to add to the plenty. So, I decided we would have leftovers tonight. There went our St. Patrick's Day dinner.

So, tonight we partook of leftover chicken linguine casserole--a little more Italian in roots than Irish. I told Emily she could add a few drops of green food coloring to turn the dish a beautiful shade of green. She declined. We also had garlic bread. No green in sight, but it was delicious and oh so yummy. We also had a green salad. Hurray! Finally a green food--although a pretty traditional one. We also enjoyed applesauce and milk. Emily decided for traditions sake that she needed to at least color her milk green. It turned a lovely shade of green. She offered to doctor my drink up as well. I told her "no thanks." I can't drink green milk any longer. It TASTES different to me and makes me slightly ill. I then suggested that she add some blue food coloring to her yellow applesauce. She added one drop, but it wasn't green enough. She added a little yellow. I cannot even begin to describe the awful color. It was pretty horrific. I then suggested that she add some green food coloring to hopefully even things out.

It was repulsive! It made me sick looking at her ghastly applesauce on her plate. It was a neon, hazardous waste green. It was like every green baby food combined together. It hurt my eyes looking at it. It was putrid and I told her, "You d0n't have to eat it."

"But, Mooooooom, I'll feel wasteful if I don't eat it. She ate a tiny bite. Her tongue turned green and Emily was turning a greenish color just looking at her applesauce.

"Emily, you really don't have to eat it. Just dump it down the disposal."

"But, Mooooooooom, I'll feel guilty if I throw it away."

She took another bite. Her tongue was even an even more noxious shade of green.

"Please, Emily! Throw it away. It makes me ill watching you eat this."

It didn't take much convincing. She threw the rest of the applesauce away.

Oh, well. Next year we'll have a proper St. Patrick's Day dinner. I see sweet and sour chicken served over a bed of mint colored rice, a light green homemade bread, green Jell-O (Must stock up on that precious commodity), green salad, steamed asparagus, and shamrock shaped sugar cookies. Next year the tradition will continue.

Tender Mercies

A couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of a powerful talk given by Elder Bednar about the tender mercies of the Lord. A few days ago I recalled another powerful talk by Pres. Eyering where he shares with us how he looks each day for evidences of the Lord's love for him. As I have thought about these talks, I have recalled how I too, have seen the love my Heavenly Father has for my family and I.

Wednesday's are my errand running days. Last Wednesday I ran to Target, the post office, and then the grocery store. I had lists and coupons in my daily planner. When I opened my planner at the grocery store, I realized that my plastic page marker was missing. Somewhere it had fallen out. It could have happened at Target, it could be in the car, or it could be in a couple of different parking lots. I said a quick prayer that I might find it and then continued shopping.

As I left the grocery store, I said another quick prayer that I might find my page marker. I scanned the concrete parking lot, trying to retrace my steps. As I was halfway to the car, I saw something reflect the sunlight. It was the plastic page marker! I know this is a tiny thing and not terribly important, but it was a reminder to me of the Lord's great love for me.

As I drove home, my mind wandered back several months. I was under a great deal of stress. It was another Wednesday--another errand day. My first errand was to Costco. After quickly loading those items into my car, I drove off to the grocery store. When I arrived, I realized my planner was missing! It wasn't in the car or the trunk. With a sinking feeling I realized I probably left it in the Costco shopping cart.

This planner is my life! Not only do I record my daily tasks, but also list my monthly and yearly goals. It also holds library book receipts, menu planning ideas, books and movies I want to read and watch someday, gift ideas, and even Kaiser, bank, and Social Security information. I was already feeling greatly stressed and the thought of losing this planner was almost more than I could take. I remember praying that I would find it. As I drove back to Costco a few miles away, a peaceful feeling came over me. I knew it would be OK.

Sure enough, I drove into the parking lot and approached where I left the shopping cart. There was my planner--totally intact and untouched. How grateful I was for the tender mercies I experienced that day!

A few weeks ago, Ron's sleep apnea machine broke. It broke on a night when he was home. He called Kaiser the next morning and he was told that they would not pay for the cost of replacing his machine. He called the medical supply company next to see if it was still under warranty. The person who would know was not at work yet. It wasn't until we arrived at the Sacramento Temple an hour later that Ron received his answer. The warranty had just expired--10 days earlier. We were sick. But the woman did a little more research and realized that the warranty on this particular machine had actually been lengthened. The medical supply company would replace it for free! We could see again the love of our Heavenly Father has for us.

I think as we begin to really pay attention, that we will notice many seemingly small events--a friend or relative who calls when you really need to talk, a particular hymn that is sung in Sacrament meeting that has a message that touches your heart, or a beautiful sunset that reminds us that there is a greater power than all the confusion that is going on in the world--and we may come to know and appreciate that Heavenly Father truly loves us and blesses us with many tender mercies.

Hallelujah

Here is my new favorite song for your viewing pleasure.



LOVE IT! I find myself humming this haunting melody all the time now. I have even considered downloading it from I-tunes. That is saying something for me.