I'm seeing red...

... in my very own garden ....

.... in my very own freezer.....


....in my little tupperware bowls (in inevitably in my tummy)....


.... and in my sewing room....


Red is the color of summer. Next to plaid, it's my favorite color.
Red always cheers me up. And I've needed some cheering up lately.

The day after we got home from our trip, I got a phone call from my mom telling me that one of my high school friends (someone I've been trying to track down for the past few years), actually passed away in May from an obscure strain of bone cancer. She had been fighting it for two years, and had spent several months in Boston for experimental treatments, which, from what I've gathered from several friends, did nothing to alleviate any pain, but did help in the research of this horrible disease. In other words, she knew it wasn't going to help her, but that it might help someone else in the long run.

From my high school yearbook...

I have so many memories of this girl. She was like human sunshine -- she always had a smile (except for her senior picture, where she was uncharacteristically solemn and which we constantly teased her about) and a laugh, and frankly, together we were a pretty wacky combination. She helped me coin the phrase that helped me pass biology in high school as well as college -- "Keep People Completely Off Free Grass Samples". We named every creature we dissected in that class, and even held a little memorial for their remains after each lab. (Okay, so we were pretty weird, too, but like I said, it got me through that class!) She had the coolest house I've ever seen -- It was literally built around a huge oak tree. It grew through the living room floor and out the wall and onto the balcony, and we used to have countless slumber parties under the branches. If it weren't for her, I would never have gotten a date to prom.

There were very few people that knew about her condition -- she didn't want anyone to grieve for her, and even before she passed away, the few friends that did know gathered around her for one last fling (actually, they sat around her living room and shared a few pitchers of margaritas) and celebrated her life, however short lived. She left behind a five year old daughter and a remarkable husband, and I wish there was something more I could do for them except cry.

It's taken me this whole long week to come to grips with the fact that she's no longer with us.

I've wavered back and forth from shock to disbelief to sorrow to a little bit of anger -- after all, it's just not fair. She was only 38 years old. I've wept, I've raged, and I threw myself into making pints of strawberry jam. Thankfully, I have a very understanding husband who's let me weep and rage and make jam, but even better, he offered to give me a priesthood blessing of comfort, which is better than jam.

And then I could breathe a little.

And then I threw myself into finishing Stephanie's quilt.
Best therapy I could think of, and it worked.

I feel very much at peace that Samara lived the fullest life she could -- she brought a beautiful little girl into this world, and brought a lot of happiness to a lot of people. Her husband was a lucky many, and I feel truly blessed to have been called her friend.

And I can't think of anyone I'd rather dedicate my 200th post to.

Well.

That's a pretty deep subject..... if you're talking about nouns, that is.

I'm talking about adverbs.
As in, "I Am Well."

It's been ten whole days since I've had a chance to actually sit down and catalog the events of the past ten days, so I'm going to sum up as best I can, with as many pictures as I can fit in one post.

First of all, we took off last Thursday for my parents' home in my old stomping ground of Petaluma, California, in order to help them celebrate their 50th reunion. (Of course, I didn't get any current pictures of the congratulated couple -- I left that up to my brother Steve, who is slowing posting pictures a few at a time on his blog. This shot below was actually taken five years ago!)

We gathered together as many family members as we could (considering we have two missionaries out in The Field, and one nephew on the East Coast, and one niece heading to China, and various college students and Utah family members who could not come) and had ourselves a lovely, noisy, fun reunion at the Old Homestead.


But first, we began our weekend at the Oakland Temple, where we put ourselves to work doing a session for some of the names Anne and Sara have been hunting down. It was a special experience, but one that Roy and I both felt sadly lacking, due to the fact that we had driven 7 hours earlier that day. Still, the weather was clear and beautiful and we could see the great Golden Gate across the bay during a gorgeous sunset after the session. Great omen...

You're looking at the lovely downtown metroplis of Oakland in the forefront -- San Francisco is in the left background, and if you squint as you look to the right background, you can see the Golden Gate. It's not really golden -- it's more like a tangerine orange, and sometimes it's even green.

Friday morning, I met with my newly-engaged niece and got to play Dress-Up for a few hours -- as in, let's try on the Dress of Your Previous Engagement and see if we can turn it into the Dress of Your Dreams. I wish I had taken "before" pictures, but it was a very simple, plain-front dress with no waistline at all. Unfortunately for Allie, the torso was about four inches too long, and when there's no waist in a dress, the only way to shorten a torso is to cut it in half, cut out the excess bodice, and re-attach the skirt with an empire waistline. I don't know if that makes any sense to anybody, but there's nothing I love more to do than to take a dress that doesn't fit, take it apart, and make it fit. And make someone very, VERY happy in the process.

By the way, this is not the happy bride. This is my other niece, Kristie, who obliged as my human pincushion since Allie had to go to work after our initial fitting. My sister-in-law, Sonya, helped me tear the dress apart that morning, and Kristie was more than happy to model the dress so I could fit the organza on the bodice. Blah, blah, blah. Shop talk, I know -- can't help myself. But Kristie looks MAHvelous, don't you think? And Glen, I hope you're not peeking!

Friday night we had a gargantuan family pasta feed, courtesy of Melissa the Magnificant Chef Extraordinaire, complete with THE MOST AMAZING BLACKBERRY-APPLE COBBLER I'VE EVER TASTED. We fought over every last crumb. I would have given my right arm to lick the pan. And I will share the recipe as soon as I can pry it out of my sister's iron grip!

Saturday was the perfect day to take our traditional Wasden Family Hike out to Point Reyes, one of Northern California's many wonderful coastal highlights. Anne took over the camera for a while, and took pictures of every leaf, twig, and pastoral scenic view she could find. Even from twenty feet in the air, up a fallen tree!


I thought the whole hike would be a nice, leisurely stroll through the coastal wilderness, but three and a half miles later (and half an hour before we were supposed to be home), my brothers said, "Just fifteen minutes more!" and we found ourselves hoofing it up one last hill and ....

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, THE PACIFIC OCEAN!

It never ceases to amaze me. The sheer power of the surf, the salty spray from the waves crashing on the shore (a hundred feet below us!), the rocky cliffs, the cry of the seagulls and curlews, the thick, soupy fog.... aahhhh, paradise!

And then, we hiked the four and a half miles back to the parking lot (I was really proud of Emma -- nine miles in one day is not too shabby for a little squirt like her!). We collapsed into various vehicles and came crawling home, two hours late for my dad's gourmet barbecue. (Check out Steve's blog for the pictures of that! YUMM-O!) Later that evening, we went and saw "Up" in 3-D (there really is no other way to see it!), visited the most amazing candy shop Petaluma has to offer (I love Powell's!), and polished off the evening with yet another round of Melissa's amazing cobblers. She made three this time, and we still snarfed it all!

We attended church on Sunday (and took over a third of the chapel!), and it was wonderful to catch up with friends and ward family members that I haven't seen in forever. Kids I used to change diapers on are now having babies of their own, as if I didn't feel old already! Still, it was great to see and be seen.

I didn't want to leave Petaluma without catching up with several of my high school buddies as well, so Sunday afternoon I spent on the phone trying to track them down. I only got a hold of one of my friends, and we had a marvelous hour of jawing on the phone. We caught up on the last twenty years (gulp!!) since high school, and swapped life stories and 'have you seen so-and-so's?' until we had to call it a night. Talking to Ken was like a step back into yesteryear -- he didn't sound a day older, and it was just like old days.

And now I'm going to get my walker and hobble off to bed. I'll finish the rest of my story tomorrow.

Quack Shack Boot Camp

Or otherwise entitled,
My Qualifications for Meanest Mom of the Year Award.

I have a thing for organization. I like to plan schedules, and chore charts, and sticker posters, and all that jazz. Summer vacation is my Military Mom Mode, and I run our little ship like we're in the navy.

We have a daily schedule, a weekly schedule, a color-coordinated chore calendar corresponding to the weekly chore teams, and progress sticker charts, whereupon they are awarded stickers according to attitude, work ethic, workmanship, and general cooperation and teamwork.

Sounds brutal, doesn't it?

Only one problem....

My kids actually LIKE IT!

The whole purpose for this kind of battle plan was to give me a break so I could put my feet up all summer and eat bon-bons

...uhhhh....

.....to give my kids a sense of responsibility and ownership and pride in their efforts to create a happy, harmonious household.

Sophie is the only one that seems to be dragging her feet a little bit, but that's to be expected given her age and general lack of participation thus far in her life. We felt strongly that it was time to nip that little problem in the bud, so Sophie is assigned to work with a different sister each week to complete her chores. The sticker incentive seems to be working so far, with the concept of getting an extra special treat each time she fills up one of the big letters on her poster with stickers.

We'll see how long this lasts.... in the meanwhile, happy summer to you all, and let me know how the battle goes with your kids! What do you to maintain order and discipline and still make time for fun for the next two and a half months?

Obscure Musical Group Spotlight of the Week

You all know how much we love Pandora, right? You type in a song or an artist or even a musical genre, and it compiles a complete playlist based on what it thinks fits in that category. Usually, it's right on the money, but occasionally, it comes up with really obscure songs or artists that we've never heard of. Such as these fine fellows:

Ever heard of these guys? No?

ME NEITHER!!!!

I should have, since they started in 1989. How did I miss them? Unfortunately, they played their last concert in 2000. We were actually listening to our "American Folk Songs" channel on Pandora and Moxy Fruvous popped up. I was instantly intrigued -- aside from the catchy beat that got me bouncing off the walls, the political satire and clever lyric caught my funny bone. I had to investigate..... and unfortunately, I have to say, I was disappointed. Most of their stuff on itunes is labelled [Explicit], and I try and avoid those as much as possible, so thankfully, Youtube can deliver. "King of Spain" is pretty much the only song we liked from this group -- that, and "My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors" (which, incidentally, was written to be performed at a Canadian Author's Convention).



Which brings up an interesting point: why would a Montreal-based musical group be included in Pandora's collection of American Folk Artists? Hmmmm?

Have to say, though, we were quite amused with "King of Spain" when Roy (who served his mission in Quebec) started recognizing all kinds of Canadian references from his glory days. Like the phrase, "I've got poutine all over my face!", which I'm sure none of the rest of you caught. Poutine was a missionary staple, bought on the streets of Montreal, and consisting of a plate of fries covered in cheese curd and then smothered in gravy.



Um..... yummy....... I guess. Actually, it looks like a heart attack on a plate, but Roy has many, many fond memories of bonding with his companions over plates and plates of this stuff.


And, thanks to Youtube, there are dozens of renditions of this song. Because the original video was made of a street performance -- called "busking", by the way -- it's not a very clear picture, so watch this one and enjoy! (This guy is pretty clever, you have to admit!)

THANK YOU, SAVANNAH, FOR THE REMINDER!
No, I haven't been slacking....honest, I just forgot to add my blurb to last few posts, but I have GOOD NEWS!!

I GOT MY VIDEO BACK FROM THE LIBRARY!

If anyone wants to get me an early birthday present, I need to get myself my very own copy of this video. I have found the perfect workout for me, and I can only do it for a week at a time, thanks to those lovely library due dates (and overdue fees!)

Happy June 3rd!

That probably won't mean anything to anybody but these two lovely ladies.

Can you believe TWENTY YEARS has gone by since our first June 3rd? I can hardly believe it! I wish I had actual pictures to post from that night, but sadly, they perished in a pile of scrapbooks that drowned when our first apartment flooded. Do either of you two have any pictures from way back then? And the video -- the one where I kept waving at the camera like a fool -- and the tape of the song we recorded? Is anybody else getting weepy yet?

For those of you who weren't there that night, Carin and Tiffany are my best friends from my high school senior year. The trouble was, we all three went to different high schools. But we served together on the Stake Youth Steering committee (Together Forever youth conference -- remember that balloon mural? And the game show with Kenneth Cope?) for a year, and went to Girls Camp together, and hung out together, and so forth and so on. We decided that we wanted to have our very own Prom together. So we organized it, invited our three best guy friends (can you believe it, that still makes me blush!), and planned out a whole afternoon of activities before we all dressed up and went to the Stake Dance. I remember my black velvet dress, and Tiff wore an ivory satin one, I think, and Carin wore a black and white dress if I remember correctly. We video taped the whole thing, and we were chauffeured by Brother Roner in his super-sweet, fifties' collectible car (were there enough seat belts? I didn't think so.)

I don't remember everything we did, but I do remember going through the mall and making a recording of "That's What Friends Are For" in that little sound booth (I can't believe we got the boys to sing!). We went to Tiff's house for a candlelight KFC dinner. And we ended up at Les' house (did we play spin the bottle? Seems like we did that at the Leese's house a lot!)

I can't help but feel a little sentimental about everything. Our high school reunions are coming up, and catching up with everybody that you grew up with, and even people who you thought never knew you existed, sends you back in time. I'm so glad we have kept in touch, and we didn't wait twenty years to find each other again. I wish we could just hop over to each other's houses and hang out like we used to, and borrow cups of sugar and shoulders to cry on now and then (well, Carin and Tiffany can, since they live in the same state, at least). Thank goodness for these blogs so we can at least watch each other's children grow up!

Here's a big hug to both of you......


I LOVE YOU GUYS!

When all else fails, go back to the basics.

And is there anything more basic than
PLAY-DOH?

Sophie is always experimenting with this stuff. What better way to experience your world than to take a glob of hot pink mush and smash it into the wall? Or the telephone? Or any of the hundreds of kitchen and bathroom appliances that you have at your very fingertips?



I think we found a new hobby: pattern collecting! We went around the whole house and found shoes, macrame bags, hairbrushes, and door knobs with really neat designs and shapes, and isn't this just really fun and colorful to look at?



You gotta' try this. It's really therapeutic, I swear! Every red-blooded American household should have Play-doh in their cupboard, so go grab some and do some serious smooshing! It's fun! It's easy! And it makes you feel like you're four years old again!

And..... for about fifteen minutes, it helps you forget all the stress in your life. Okay. I'm good. Back to the grindstone.

All I need now is a horde of locusts

Today is Tuesday, which means yesterday was Monday.

And boy, oh, boy, was it A MONDAY!

We've all had days like this: where everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Everything that could get lost, got lost. Everything that could break, broke. And add a dose of the stomach flu, a couple of lightning storms, flash floods, and a few power outages over the weekend, and you've got yourself one humdinger of a way to start the week. (We tried to capture some of the lightning flashes, but they came on so quickly - seriously, cracking the skies, with dozens of forks! Breathtaking and wet-your-pants-frightening at the same time! And you can't see the roads, but it only took about five minutes for a river to start flowing down the street.)

I literally woke up dizzy this morning. Probably from too many carbon-covered marshmallows we melted over the weekend. (It was all we could do to keep the kids from getting scared of the storm, okay? It was REALLY scary!)

So this morning, I did my deep breathing exercises, fifteen minutes on the elliptical, and stretched away the stress. And I had a chocolate bar with my ham and cheese omelet for breakfast. I feel much better now.

The torrential rain nearly demolished our garden this weekend, not to mention our hard drive when the power went out. Roy fought the beast all day yesterday trying to get everything back to normal -- uploaded, downloaded, restored, refreshed, resumed, and all hooked back up. And it keeps shutting down. The ornery little thing! Now I can truly empathize with Jen (who I miss, by the way!) who has to beg, borrow, or steal time on her friend's or families' computers just to blog! I was starting to have withdrawals!

Anyway -- I still have a few blankies to deliver this weekend. For those of you who are still wondering if you won, I'm not going to make you hunt anymore. Here's the official list of the winners, and if you could all please send me your addresses again since my email got wiped out, I'd be very grateful! (Or send me the address of the person you would like me to send it to, in case you were planning on giving it as a gift. I know of at least one woman who recently announced that she was expecting, and could use a new blankie!)

T, from You Asked For It. She deserves it for the best comment! "I don't do ugly..." (I can't tell you how many times that has flown through my head this weekend!)

Anne, from I Heart Giveaways (appropriate, don't you think? For someone who has devoted a whole blog to sharing all the giveaways online that she can find, it's about time she won something herself!)

SuperAnne (my thirteen year old daughter who begged and pleaded and I really tried hard not to pick her name, but I picked it anyway, and she saw it before I could pick another one. That's okay -- she helped me make them, she should at least get one!)

Pancake, who generously passed her prize on to Kaylynn, from Mike And Kaylynn and their kids. (Wasn't that sweet of her?)

Savannah, from the Foxy Family, (who had her baby last Friday! Talk about your good timing!)

Krystal, from Our Happy Family, (who also holds the record for top commenter.)

And Heidi Ashworth, from Dunhaven Place. (The woman eats chocolate frosting out of a can. She's a woman after my own heart! And I think she could use a little TLC as she is frantically trying to pump out a sequel, for goodness' sake!)