A few years back I took a test on the internet. It showed several lip stain marks on a piece of tissue paper. The reader was supposed to mark their own lips on a piece of tissue and then compare it to the samples. By doing this your lips supposedly show characteristics of the type of person you are.
Upon taking this test my lips told two things about me.
1. Animals like me.
2. Children like me.
Well it's something. O.K. It's a huge something because who better than to like you then animals and children. It really can't get any better, right?
One example happened yesterday in Mrs. Wood's first grade class. Upon seeing me arrive for my weekly reading session one of the little girls got really excited. She smiled widely and waved to me.
I was surprised when she was second on the list to come out and read with me. She was full of things to ask me and to tell me. Here is part of our conversation:
Alecia: " Do you have a lot of snacks at your house?"
Me: "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have lots of snacks at my house."
Alecia: Smiling and tapping her legs up and down. " Oh ,I wish I could come to your house."
Me: "Lots of kids in my neighborhood stop by to get after school snacks." Candy, cookies, popscicles. Fridays we usually pop up some popcorn."
Me: Did Marley tell you I have lots of snacks at my house?
Alecia: No, matter of fact, she didn't.
Me: Hmmmmm either she doesn't have snacks at her house or snacks are a very important part of a six (I mean seven year olds) life. Because she did inform me she is seven now. Maybe it's just expected,if you are grandma status, which I certainly am. In any case it doesn't really matter. What
matters is that she trusts me and likes me enough to ask.
Whether a lip stain test is accurate or not it has given me something to think about whenever a child talks to me or an animal crosses my path. I try to stop and be a little kinder and smile a little wider. Because you never know when you might make a new friend.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
Davin
Have you ever noticed that when you see the world through the eyes of a child that everything seems a little brighter?
The last few days I have had experiences like this as a special boy named Davin has shown up on my front doorstep.
Yesterday he and I were talking like we were old friends. We have a common friend in a guy named Benji. Benji isn't here on earth anymore but his memory still lives on.
Davin and I have never spoken of him before yesterday. Davin told me what he remembered about the day Benji died. He told me that he had been playing with his toy police cars. His mom was in the other room and she started hearing sirens. At first she thought she was hearing Davin playing. The noises were so loud that she realized the sirens were very real and very close. She looked out the window and she saw police cars and ambulances.
Benji owned a dog named Autumn. Autumn was frightened and agitated. Davin's mom Sara ran over and took Autumn into her care. She took him into her home to belong to her family.
Even though Benji didn't make it that day, part of who he is lives on in his dog Autumn. Whenever I have been to see Sara; I am also greeted by Autumn. I cannot see Autumn without remembering my friend Benji.
The other day I was out for a walk and I saw Autumn running around in the backyard of her new home. It made me smile.
Thank goodness the world has people like Sara and her family. A dog named Autumn and a guy named Benji sure think so. So do I.
The last few days I have had experiences like this as a special boy named Davin has shown up on my front doorstep.
Yesterday he and I were talking like we were old friends. We have a common friend in a guy named Benji. Benji isn't here on earth anymore but his memory still lives on.
Davin and I have never spoken of him before yesterday. Davin told me what he remembered about the day Benji died. He told me that he had been playing with his toy police cars. His mom was in the other room and she started hearing sirens. At first she thought she was hearing Davin playing. The noises were so loud that she realized the sirens were very real and very close. She looked out the window and she saw police cars and ambulances.
Benji owned a dog named Autumn. Autumn was frightened and agitated. Davin's mom Sara ran over and took Autumn into her care. She took him into her home to belong to her family.
Even though Benji didn't make it that day, part of who he is lives on in his dog Autumn. Whenever I have been to see Sara; I am also greeted by Autumn. I cannot see Autumn without remembering my friend Benji.
The other day I was out for a walk and I saw Autumn running around in the backyard of her new home. It made me smile.
Thank goodness the world has people like Sara and her family. A dog named Autumn and a guy named Benji sure think so. So do I.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Kara......aka my leaf in Heaven
For my friend Kara:
It has been three years ago today;
That I lost an angel that was sent my way.
A name I had known only on a paper for a year or two;
Would become my friend, she is one of a few.
The kind of people God puts in your life;
To bless you, to love you, to cause you no strife.
The first time I met Kara she was so giving;
It was hard to believe she was among the living.
A person like her who gave with her heart;
I knew I would love her, right from the start.
Her story I learned straight from her;
Although, her life was hard at times, her motives were pure.
Emily, Lindsey and Mike are her joy;
I can't forget Alex; he is her baby boy.
We spent two months by a woman whose stature was small;
Her body wasn't big, but her spirit was so tall.
Charity, compassion, long suffering and pain;
Lessons learned from her, I had so much to gain.
She gave me peaches, fried rice, split pea soup and cake;
Oh what I would give to hear her laugh, smile and bake.
Her time on earth was very brief;
But her influence on me will be like a leaf.
Unique, individual, one of a kind;
On my friendship tree, I don't think she would mind.
Three years ago today, I heard the news;
Even though time heals, I can still get the blues.
Because my angel friend Kara had to leave so soon;
She'll forever be in my heart, like the rising moon!
I love and miss you Kara! Thanks for teaching me the lessons I could learn only from you!
It has been three years ago today;
That I lost an angel that was sent my way.
A name I had known only on a paper for a year or two;
Would become my friend, she is one of a few.
The kind of people God puts in your life;
To bless you, to love you, to cause you no strife.
The first time I met Kara she was so giving;
It was hard to believe she was among the living.
A person like her who gave with her heart;
I knew I would love her, right from the start.
Her story I learned straight from her;
Although, her life was hard at times, her motives were pure.
Emily, Lindsey and Mike are her joy;
I can't forget Alex; he is her baby boy.
We spent two months by a woman whose stature was small;
Her body wasn't big, but her spirit was so tall.
Charity, compassion, long suffering and pain;
Lessons learned from her, I had so much to gain.
She gave me peaches, fried rice, split pea soup and cake;
Oh what I would give to hear her laugh, smile and bake.
Her time on earth was very brief;
But her influence on me will be like a leaf.
Unique, individual, one of a kind;
On my friendship tree, I don't think she would mind.
Three years ago today, I heard the news;
Even though time heals, I can still get the blues.
Because my angel friend Kara had to leave so soon;
She'll forever be in my heart, like the rising moon!
I love and miss you Kara! Thanks for teaching me the lessons I could learn only from you!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Easy Peasy Doughnuts
Today I was getting together with some friends of mine for our monthly craft and chat. I needed to take a snack but I didn't have much time. These doughnuts literally took ten minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients:
1 package Pillsbury Grand Biscuits
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup oil (may need more depending on size of pan)
Heat oil on medium low heat in a medium size frying pan. While oil is heating open can of biscuits. On a cutting board, take a one inch round cookie cutter or I used the lid off of my cinnamon container. It was slightly larger than one inch. Press into the center of the biscuit and remove the piece of dough.
Drop one of the doughnut holes into the oil to test to see if it is hot enough to fry. Fry for one and a half minutes on each side. You can cook three to four doughnuts and three or four doughnut holes at once.
Once they are done frying, drain on a cooling rack. Immediately roll the doughnut in the sugar cinnamon mixture you have mixed together in a bowl. It will make eight doughnuts and eight doughnut holes.
Enjoy this melt in your mouth easy peasy breakfast snack!
1 package Pillsbury Grand Biscuits
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup oil (may need more depending on size of pan)
Heat oil on medium low heat in a medium size frying pan. While oil is heating open can of biscuits. On a cutting board, take a one inch round cookie cutter or I used the lid off of my cinnamon container. It was slightly larger than one inch. Press into the center of the biscuit and remove the piece of dough.
Drop one of the doughnut holes into the oil to test to see if it is hot enough to fry. Fry for one and a half minutes on each side. You can cook three to four doughnuts and three or four doughnut holes at once.
Once they are done frying, drain on a cooling rack. Immediately roll the doughnut in the sugar cinnamon mixture you have mixed together in a bowl. It will make eight doughnuts and eight doughnut holes.
Enjoy this melt in your mouth easy peasy breakfast snack!
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Operation Make a Difference in the World......For Stacy
I have a special friend named Stacy. I first met Stacy eight years ago when she moved into my neighborhood. She is a great person. When I met her she was in the work force. She has a degree and she had a great job.
She also has a family. A husband, a son, and two daughters. She also has a cat and a dog. She has had more than one dog since I have known her. She is one of those big hearted people who loves animals and she has rescued more than one animal in her day.
The thing that I really loved about Stacy when I first met her was her love for life. She was always happy and positive whenever I was around her. She wanted to share her talent for photography with others. She always had a smile on her face. She loved her job and the people she worked with.
She was raised in Utah up North by Bear Lake. She told me a story once that occurred after her first year of college. She was driving up by Bear Lake with a group of friends in her car. She lost control of the car and knew she was in a dangerous situation. She wasn't sure what she should do but she had the distinct impression to let go of the steering wheel. As she did this the car was able to straighten itself out and she was able to avoid an impending car accident.
She related how she had always wanted to control everything in her life. It was a difficult choice for her to let go of the steering wheel but it was the choice that saved her life.
Little did Stacy or any of us know at the time, but three years later she would develop brain cancer.
Stacy has struggled with cancer for over five years now. She has had chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and numerous complications over the past few years. She has been on the brink of death time after time but she has a remarkable will to live. I have seen her physically and emotionally fight with all the strength she has to live.
I have had many opportunities to be with Stacy. She has given me many opportunities to serve her and her family. She has been a wonderful example to me. I know she has felt alone many times. I know she has felt helpless many times. I know she has wondered in the past why she has lived while others have died.
Recently, Stacy shared another story with me and several others. She thanked the people in our neighborhood and said she knows it is because of the great people who surround her that she has had the help she has needed. She also told us she knows that Heavenly Father has spared her life so she can accomplish what she needed to as a wife and a mother.
Stacy and I do live in a great neighborhood. Several of her friends started raising money for her. In the past few years they have put on several 5k races and yard sales for Stacy. This year instead of a race they have decided to have a booth at The Art Festival in Kaysville next Saturday, June 14th.
These are a few of the things I have made ForStacyWithLove:
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Operation Make a Difference In the World
I have been thinking for quite some time how I can make my Summer different this year then in past years.
I love to make friends, learn something new from someone, and help people in some small way every day.
I don't have all the means to clothe people or to make sure every person has a full belly, but I do have a willing heart and a desire to make a difference in the world even if it is only one persons world.
Six years ago, as I have mentioned before, I was going through a difficult period in my life. One of the people I loved was going through the dying process. It was my dad. As I have mentioned in previous blogs my parents divorced when I was 19. My mother stayed in Bountiful and my father moved to Oregon.
I mentioned that one of my biggest regrets was that I never went to see my dad in the twenty five years he lived in Oregon. The first time I saw him in Oregon was when we learned he had six weeks to six months to live. The reason I never went to Oregon was because he never invited me. I spoke to him periodically. I sent birthday cards, Father Day cards and Christmas cards. Some years he sent Christmas cards. Towards the end of his life he started sending a check to me that was meant for all of his kids and grandkids to get together and have dinner. We did this for about five years and it was really nice. The entire time my dad lived in Oregon he never sent me a birthday card or called me to wish me a Happy Birthday. I still don't understand why. I wish I could talk to him some times and ask why he didn't do that.
The closest my dad ever came to inviting me to Oregon was when he would tell me about his favorite seafood restaurant. He would tell me how much I would love the shrimp. I have always wondered if that was supposed to be an invitation to come see him and go to his favorite restaurant. I really don't know. Sometimes I tell myself that is what he was trying to do.
When we went to see my dad my true self came out. It is the self that cares very deeply about people. It is the self who can forgive and who can still try to get everyone to like her. I didn't know what to do for my dad. It was a shock to see the man who could climb to the top of a mountain to hunt for deer or the man who could fish all day long and never grow tired hooked up to an oxygen machine and be to weak to make it to the bathroom and back without having to stop and rest.
The thing I found that I could do was to serve him in a very small way. One night we went out to dinner and I sat across from my dad. We were eating at a buffet restaurant. He was to weak to get his own food. He didn't even have much of an appetite. He did like the cake that they served and so I sat across from him and when he felt like he could eat I would go and get his food for him.
One other night we were at the condominium having a steak cook-out. My dad was to weak to go with us to the grocery store. He rested at home and we went to the store for the food. We got him the cut of steak he wanted and we cooked it to his liking. I sat across the table from him again and asked him questions and tried to get him to talk and tell us things that we would never have the opportunity to have him tell us again.
When it was time for my dad and his wife Suzie to leave we all went out to the parking lot to say good-bye. Of course, I started crying and could not stop. I knew this would be my last time to see my dad alive in this life. I later found out that he asked Suzie what was wrong? We were acting like he was going to die or something. I don't think my dad realized how sick he really was. He fought it till the end when the doctors told him there was nothing more they could do for him. He said o.k. and he died a short time later.
I only tell this experience because it shows how I want to live my life. I want to let go of past grievances and to love people even if they don't love me or don't have the capacity to show it. I believe that is what the Savior would want me to do.
I have started today by taking the time to make a difference in a six year old's life. My cute neighbor boy Zander was outside playing. I asked him if he wanted a popscicle. I took one outside for myself too. He asked me what the red popscicle was for. I said "I'm going to sit outside under the shade with you and hear about life as seen through the eyes of a six year old. " A six year old who will be seven in one week and seven days! It doesn't take much. Sometimes it just takes a popsicle and a listening ear.
I'm going to post my experiences once a week. I have asked for them and I can't wait to see what will happen each day. I hope everyone has a wonderful Summer.
I also want to thank all the veterans who have so unselfishly served our country. I especially want to thank my son Shawn and his friends Roy and Taylor who went to Iraq most recently. I know the sacrifice you made and it makes a difference to me.
I love to make friends, learn something new from someone, and help people in some small way every day.
I don't have all the means to clothe people or to make sure every person has a full belly, but I do have a willing heart and a desire to make a difference in the world even if it is only one persons world.
Six years ago, as I have mentioned before, I was going through a difficult period in my life. One of the people I loved was going through the dying process. It was my dad. As I have mentioned in previous blogs my parents divorced when I was 19. My mother stayed in Bountiful and my father moved to Oregon.
I mentioned that one of my biggest regrets was that I never went to see my dad in the twenty five years he lived in Oregon. The first time I saw him in Oregon was when we learned he had six weeks to six months to live. The reason I never went to Oregon was because he never invited me. I spoke to him periodically. I sent birthday cards, Father Day cards and Christmas cards. Some years he sent Christmas cards. Towards the end of his life he started sending a check to me that was meant for all of his kids and grandkids to get together and have dinner. We did this for about five years and it was really nice. The entire time my dad lived in Oregon he never sent me a birthday card or called me to wish me a Happy Birthday. I still don't understand why. I wish I could talk to him some times and ask why he didn't do that.
The closest my dad ever came to inviting me to Oregon was when he would tell me about his favorite seafood restaurant. He would tell me how much I would love the shrimp. I have always wondered if that was supposed to be an invitation to come see him and go to his favorite restaurant. I really don't know. Sometimes I tell myself that is what he was trying to do.
When we went to see my dad my true self came out. It is the self that cares very deeply about people. It is the self who can forgive and who can still try to get everyone to like her. I didn't know what to do for my dad. It was a shock to see the man who could climb to the top of a mountain to hunt for deer or the man who could fish all day long and never grow tired hooked up to an oxygen machine and be to weak to make it to the bathroom and back without having to stop and rest.
The thing I found that I could do was to serve him in a very small way. One night we went out to dinner and I sat across from my dad. We were eating at a buffet restaurant. He was to weak to get his own food. He didn't even have much of an appetite. He did like the cake that they served and so I sat across from him and when he felt like he could eat I would go and get his food for him.
One other night we were at the condominium having a steak cook-out. My dad was to weak to go with us to the grocery store. He rested at home and we went to the store for the food. We got him the cut of steak he wanted and we cooked it to his liking. I sat across the table from him again and asked him questions and tried to get him to talk and tell us things that we would never have the opportunity to have him tell us again.
When it was time for my dad and his wife Suzie to leave we all went out to the parking lot to say good-bye. Of course, I started crying and could not stop. I knew this would be my last time to see my dad alive in this life. I later found out that he asked Suzie what was wrong? We were acting like he was going to die or something. I don't think my dad realized how sick he really was. He fought it till the end when the doctors told him there was nothing more they could do for him. He said o.k. and he died a short time later.
I only tell this experience because it shows how I want to live my life. I want to let go of past grievances and to love people even if they don't love me or don't have the capacity to show it. I believe that is what the Savior would want me to do.
I have started today by taking the time to make a difference in a six year old's life. My cute neighbor boy Zander was outside playing. I asked him if he wanted a popscicle. I took one outside for myself too. He asked me what the red popscicle was for. I said "I'm going to sit outside under the shade with you and hear about life as seen through the eyes of a six year old. " A six year old who will be seven in one week and seven days! It doesn't take much. Sometimes it just takes a popsicle and a listening ear.
I'm going to post my experiences once a week. I have asked for them and I can't wait to see what will happen each day. I hope everyone has a wonderful Summer.
I also want to thank all the veterans who have so unselfishly served our country. I especially want to thank my son Shawn and his friends Roy and Taylor who went to Iraq most recently. I know the sacrifice you made and it makes a difference to me.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Triple Layer Brownies
I've been a little busy this past week. We had a luau at the church Saturday night. My husband and I helped decorate, bake, and emcee the event.
I have been making frames for a friend of mine who has been ill with a brain tumor for five plus years. We are having a fund raiser for her soon.
I have been planting my flower and vegetable gardens.
I decided I better get the house in order. It took the back burner for a couple of weeks.
Today I had time to make a batch of brownies.
I first made these when I was a nanny in New City, New York. The best part of this brownie is the oatmeal bottom. Yum! I used to just make it and eat it back before I had to worry about my figure. After making them today; I decided it is still the best part of the brownie. However, they are pretty delicious as a triple layer too.
Triple Layer Brownie
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. melted butter
For bottom layer, stir together the first 5 ingredients. Stir in 6 Tbsp. melted butter. Pat into an 8x8 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
For middle layer, combine granulated sugar, melted butter, and chocolate; add egg. Beat well. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to chocolate mixture alternately with a mixture of the milk and vanilla, mixing after each addition. Spread over the oatmeal layer. Continue baking at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool. Frost with Fudge Frosting.
1-oz. square unsweetened chocolate
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. milk
In small saucepan melt the chocolate and butter over low heat; stir constantly. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Blend in milk to make almost pourable consistency. Spread over brownies. Cool. Cut into 16 squares. They are really rich so you don't need them very big. Try to eat just one.
Cakes for the luau.
Flower garden.
One of the frames for Stacy.
I have been making frames for a friend of mine who has been ill with a brain tumor for five plus years. We are having a fund raiser for her soon.
I have been planting my flower and vegetable gardens.
I decided I better get the house in order. It took the back burner for a couple of weeks.
Today I had time to make a batch of brownies.
I first made these when I was a nanny in New City, New York. The best part of this brownie is the oatmeal bottom. Yum! I used to just make it and eat it back before I had to worry about my figure. After making them today; I decided it is still the best part of the brownie. However, they are pretty delicious as a triple layer too.
Triple Layer Brownie
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. melted butter
For bottom layer, stir together the first 5 ingredients. Stir in 6 Tbsp. melted butter. Pat into an 8x8 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
For middle layer, combine granulated sugar, melted butter, and chocolate; add egg. Beat well. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to chocolate mixture alternately with a mixture of the milk and vanilla, mixing after each addition. Spread over the oatmeal layer. Continue baking at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool. Frost with Fudge Frosting.
1-oz. square unsweetened chocolate
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. milk
In small saucepan melt the chocolate and butter over low heat; stir constantly. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Blend in milk to make almost pourable consistency. Spread over brownies. Cool. Cut into 16 squares. They are really rich so you don't need them very big. Try to eat just one.
Flower garden.
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