Home Sweet Home....

This is the view from my bed
..... it’s quite a nice view from this angle really....(generally a VERY nice view as I’m still in bed and haven’t given serious thought to getting up yet) but just take a look at it from this view.....






This is the view you get as you’re about to bend forward to make the bed ... notice anything interesting? That’s right look closely and you’ll see there are several little (NO, not the cobwebs silly) .... well shall we call them dents....there in the edge of the beautiful pine that is above my bed.

These dents have come from....my head.....over the past 15 years as we have lived in this home I have become intimately acquainted with it’s various hard surfaces...most notably the one above my headboard. I know, I can hear you now, "well for goodness sake – after 15 years you’d think she’d be careful".....yes, you would think wouldn’t you? Or the more pointed, "Why doesn’t that dimwit move her bed from beneath the dormer window then she wouldn’t hit her head on the beam 6 out of 7 mornings a week?" (Now you sound like that little voice in my head....the one I NEVER listen to).

On a very practical level I realize this would be the easiest solution but on an aesthetic level I simply can’t do it. I love my bed under that window. I like the vast expanse of bedroom it leaves me , I like the window right at my head that I can crack open if I get night sw....I mean if the room is a little hot, I even like the sound of the rain on the window pane that I might not be able to hear as well from any other place. It all comes down to deciding between an aesthetically pleasing experience for 23.75 hours of the day or a less painful experience during the .25 hours of the day I am either getting into, getting out of, or making, my bed. I choose the 23.75 hours of happiness and take a little extra pain medication.

I’m fairly certain I’m a frustrated interior designer anyway and this is one place in my house I’m free to express my inner Christoper Lowell. My home is a log cabin....it was, and still is, our dream home but invariably when guests come I hear something along the lines of "Who did your ummmm.....decorating?" I sweetly reply, "Why my dear husband of course.." ."Ahhhhh that would explain the model airplane (that’s a FLYING TIGER P-40 thank you very much!) hanging from the great room ceiling just over the moose hide and the ....um what IS that?." (I might add here that the model airplane was an easy compromise borne of desperation when HH finished building a beautiful stripper canoe and thought the living room ceiling would be the "perfect" place to display it).

Now I know there’s a very good chance that my dear husband might actually read this blog and I don’t want him to get the wrong impression .... I absolutely adore his decorating, it perfectly showcases his many talents and his MANLINESS....in fact our home practically ooozes manliness which is amazing since he’s the one and only male to ever have inhabited the premises.

Friends of our daughters would often say "Why are there so many dead things in your house?" (They were NOT referring to pets or relatives.....only the deer heads, racoon skins, possum hides, antlers, and other remains adorning various surfaces). Or "Does that hairy thing in the corner ever give you the creeps?" (No, the hairy thing in the corner would be a bear rug and it never gives me the creeps only a live mouse gives me the creeps and I’m diligent in my efforts to keep those little rodents out of my house).

In fairness to my sweet husband though, he gave each of the girls free reign with their own rooms and I have accumulated my own decorating spaces .... "Yes, that would be my influence I proudly exclaim .... looking lovingly at the little cabinet holding the toilet paper", "And yes, that little candle on the vanity was all my idea too, thank you for noticing"

Lest you feel I’m being cynical let me assure you it’s nothing really, at least nothing a good night’s sleep and a morning without a bump on the head can’t cure...

Ahhh Sweet Memory...(I sure do miss it when it's gone!)

When I started my Blog I decided not to write on Saturday and Sunday....to give my fevered brain a break from trying to make something out of my rather routine life and because I felt the need to devote Saturday to my family, and Sunday to my Heavenly Father. Frankly I find myself spending A LOT of time in the blogger world if I’m not very careful...some of you are just so darn interesting!

In addition to that I’m writing myopically (literally) which is more than a little hard on the eyes. I’ve been struggling with an eye problem for over two months which has finally resulted in the doctor telling me I can no longer wear my contact in my left eye (he DID allow me to continue wearing the one in my RIGHT eye)....this poses a number of interesting problems for me but one in particular...does running into walls as I turn corners pose a danger to anyone other than myself, and does this automatically translate into running into cars if I choose to drive?...Hmmmm, I certainly hope not. Actually I’ve been functioning fairly well but second only to reading in terms of difficulty is typing on the computer and that, of course, includes my blog.

Anyway, it turns out that Saturday wouldn’t have been a good day to blog anyway as our home was blessed with an additional portion of children in the form of my six nephews and nieces. I, of course, love them dearly but in my advanced age have become accustomed to certain things in my life, chief among them being peace and quiet. I suppose due to sheer number, six of anything imposed upon a small household such as mine, is going to be anything but peaceful and it certainly isn’t going to be quiet. I have survived but I must admit I’m grateful for 23 acres of woods and their endless energy. We spent the day taking walks through the woods, emptying the sap buckets from the maple trees (which they found a wonderful chore once they realized that sap is sweet, sticky, and easy to splash on one another), sitting (not REALLY sitting....much more jumping, falling, and diving) in the hot tub, and helping grandpa split firewood.

It’s interesting being in the presence of lots of small children when you’re not used to it. I found myself reliving moments of my own children’s lives when they were small. In fact yesterday "Nutella" and I reminisced on the phone about those precious moments of babyhood......like being awake every two hours because that’s how long the baby sleeps at a stretch (I actually called a nurse about that "abnormality" which I was assured "is totally normal in some children"), the creative ways to get a house cleaned when a baby is involved (strap them to your back and get moving), and chores that can serve double duty such as showering them when you shower yourself, letting them "ride" the vacuum (never tried this with an upright but the canister model was a big hit with two year olds), and giving them a "bath" in one sink while doing dishes in the other (obviously for babies old enough to do the rinsing).... (just kidding!)

Anyway, it was fun reliving some old memories and it brought up some of my favorites:

Daughter #3 was endlessly spiritual and told me quite seriously that "she could feel the spirit whenever she drank Sprite" (I eventually learned when she was old enough to explain herself that it was because her eyes filled with tears and her "heart was warm" from all the carbonation!)





Daughter #2 was the self-proclaimed beauty of the family and wouldn’t leave the house without 1. A dress complete with ruffles and matching socks, 2. A stylish shawl (actually the blankie that went everywhere, worn casually yet with elegance over one shoulder), and 3. Her "tappy" shoes (black patent leather with hard soles that made LOTS of noise and perfectly announced her arrival at any function).








And Daughter #1 (aka "Nutella") who, being my first, was the guinea pig in all my maternal experiments. She got to try out..... Mozart at night to make her smarter than other babies...., Nursing for 12 FULL MONTHS (no additional food added!) to make her healthy and immune to all forms of cancer, social disfunction, and deformities (way too much Mother Earth News back then), potty training by the numbers (don’t ask....it was popular in the 80's), and being the center of a mother’s attention morning till night for the first five years of her life. Amazingly enough she survived it, was a total extrovert, champion of the underdog, friend to all-- stranger to none, giver of advice and opinions... (she’s just the same today).


Being a mom isn’t easy and my hat is off to all of you out there doing it with flair, poise and panache....I read your blogs, I feel your pain, and your pleasure and no matter the difficulties I know we’d all do it again in a minute!

Give me inspiration....

I could add please!!!! to the above statement. Writing a blog is harder than I thought, or my life really is as dull and boring as I feared. Somehow I manage to keep busy all day, but at what? My day generally consists of answering the phone (we have a home office), doing the laundry (I have a teenager, need I say more...), planning and/or cooking dinner (or dessert! my favorite because, as we all know, it requires frequent tasting), general cleaning up, and whatever paperwork needs to be done for our business and/or my church calling.... what is my church calling you say? Thanks for asking....

I'm the librarian,...... that's right, a 50 year old librarian named Helen what could be more quaint! (Sometimes I could just kill mom for naming me Helen!)

When I worked outside my home (23+ years for the Federal Government....THAT should explain some things) I would sometimes "meet" people only by phone. After talking to me for years (I mean over a span of years....not for YEARS!) they'd have occasion to meet me face to face and invariably the response would be the same "Oh, my goodness....I thought you'd be a little gray haired old lady with a bun!" "NO, I'm a Medium Sized, BROWN haired lady, who's ONLY 40!!!!!" AAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!.....It's the name ......., have you ever met a young, attractive, even Sexy (sorry kids) Helen....HA! I didn't think so! And why not go by my middle name you ask?.....because it's LOUISE!!!!

Good Grief, why on earth did they ask my mom to name me when she was obviously still under the effects of the ether (really....they used that back then....."Okay doc, go ahead put her to sleep, we'll just grab the thing and yank it out without her help!") Actually mom "said" I was named after one of my dad's old girlfriends (WHAT!? Now I feel SO much better...), and she named me Helen because she was in labor and all she could think about was her.....(Do you suppose she was wishing dad had married HER and it was SHE who would now be going through labor?......hmmmm I wonder if that Helen was a gray haired old lady with a bun?.... I digress...) At any rate mom assures me that she loves me, really, and that the name is just a name after all. Anyway, what am I complaining about, she named my sister "Mitzi", (after our Horse! Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, can't help it......THAT is something I find really funny! Oh, yeah! Sorry Mitz!)

I guess I could note here that my mom was 15 when she married my dad in the Idaho Falls Temple, she was only 16 when she had me ... I remember the names I picked out for babies when I was 16....(Insert silly 16 year old voice of wisdom here) "If it's a girl I'll name her 'Fresca' (Oh MY GOSH!!)" and "If it's a boy .... I'll........I'll give it up for adoption"......see what I mean? 16 year olds shouldn't be allowed to think up names for babies!!!

Anyway back to being the Librarian (no gray hair, no bun), THAT seemed like an easy enough calling when I got it nearly 4 years ago (they keep joking that it's a " lifetime of learning" in there) ....what could be hard about making copies and handing materials over the counter to people ....

Wellllllll it seeeeeeems easy, until you understand they will be asking for (read: demanding) said "materials" at 8:55 a.m. (church at 9:00) Sunday morning, and there will be no LESS THAN 45 OF THEM, AND THEY'LL ALL NEED 15 COPIES OF A 20 PAGE DOUBLE SIDED DOCUMENT, collated please....(smiling sweetly) , and they'll need pictures of ......let's see now, "I think I want that one of Moroni, you know the one? That one where he has that look on his face.....", No, No, not THAT one, maybe it's Elijah....., Do you have any pictures of the Pre-existence? (What....?????!!!!) , How about one of Satan....I'd like one with him looking really...you know "Lucifer like....", or if you don't have that could you come in and role play for us?...... Puhleeezzz!!!! (I'll have to write another blog about this....entitled "Strange but true requests")

How DID I get on that subject? Who knows....anyway....something reminds me it's about time to call that hairdresser .... I said no gray bun....I said nothing about gray roots!

Life is Good....

This morning while misting my sheets (with linen spray I buy at K-mart) I thought how much little things like smell make me happy. It sure doesn't take much money to enjoy life you know? I mean of course I want to have enough to pay my bills and not have to worry about whether we can afford to go out to dinner now and then but I really, (honestly) have no desire to be tremendously wealthy. I started thinking about all the pleasure I get just from simple things and thought I'd make a list....I hope you'll share your favorites with me, maybe I can add some.... You can never be TOO happy!

1. The smell of a "real wood" fire.
2. Hot chocolate with homemade bread and creamed honey.
3. A sunny day in February which means it's time to make maple syrup!
4. A phone call from my daughters to share something special with me.
5. An unexpected hug from a teenager who I'd think would be too old for that "mushy stuff"
6. (Said it before but I'll say it again) Linen Spray! for your sheets when it's too cold or wet, or humid, or hot, or whatever to hang them outside.
7. Freshly baked Chocolate Chip Cookies (if there's any left).
8. A quiet morning to read my scriptures and think.
9. The first song from spring birds....I'm so happy when they're happy!
10. "Peepers" the little frogs that come out in the Midwest whenever they think it's spring (which is sometimes a really warm day in December! Gotta love them peepers).
11. Walking in the woods with my husband....we don't do this often enough!
12. Playing Dance Dance Revolution with my teenage daughter.
13. Christmas music.
14. Hearing my children bear their testimony.
15. Spending time with family.
16. A log cabin in the woods (my home!)



On the other side of the coin that is my personality, is the list of indulgences...the things that DO cost money, but I love enough to splurge on..

1. Really good perfume
2. Airplane trips (as opposed to long car rides!)
3. Vacations
4. Acrylic nails (now and then)
5. Pedicures (even less often)
6. Professional Massages (so rare I've only had TWO in my life but I loved them both)

There are most certainly a lot of other things that bring me pleasure but this morning these things came to mind.

Life is great!

This is my life.....Ha!

It really just comes down to a question of dignity you know? I hear women every day complaining that they're not fully appreciated for all that they do at home, at work, at church, wherever.

Well I'm here to tell you I only have one complaint in that department. My husband is wonderful at complimenting me, helping without being asked, and generally showing enough appreciation for my daily tasks that I keep doing them. Even daughter #3, the teenager, is wise enough to thank me profusely for hanging up her clothes for the 100th time, or refilling the ever empty toilet paper roll in her bathroom.

BUT, and this is definitely at the crux of my discomfort this morning, there is ONE member of our household who is definitely NOT appreciative in the least. She is the pickiest of all the family when it comes to eating and insists on her morning meal promptly prepared and FRESH at 5:45 a.m.! If I'm but a minute late she whines and complains like she's starving to death. If I choose the wrong brand then she turns up her nose and won't eat.....honestly, I'm struggling here. She almost has me trained, I know her favorites and make sure she has them (this only makes my life easier....I know, I know, it's not teaching her anything)...but still she's never quite as satisfied as she'd like to be.

Today as I was cleaning her bathroom, (down on my hand's and knees), she sat there looking at me like the mighty taskmaster over a slovenly servant....no offer of help, just that look of disdain.

I cleaned the floor, shook the rug (endlessly full of dirt), and sprayed and wiped all surfaces to a sparkling clean (I sound like one of those toilet bowl commercials huh?) then turned to her to get an honest opinion of all my hard work .... after all that (she was waiting to USE the bathroom till it was clean)....she sniffed, walked in and gave me the smuggest look I've ever seen ....



Am I wrong? Is she "smiling" at me?.....Creepy!

It took me over 50 years to learn....

Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

You should not confuse your career with your life.

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

Never lick a steak knife.

The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

You should NEVER tell your daughter you're happy she looks like you.

If you go around with a smile on your face you take the risk of actually finding yourself feeling happier than you really are.


The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above-average drivers.

A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)

Your friends love you anyway.

Thought for the day: Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

Wish I could take credit for this but for most of them we'll give credit to "unknown author"

All this blogging's making me ditzy.....

I mean DIZZY!!! The last thing I want to be known as in this world is a ditzy blonde (I'm brunette anyway...this month)...alas it seems to have happened to me anyway. I think I'm fairly intelligent, capable and organized but the outcome of my actions seems to testify the opposite. I haven't got a clue how it happened....

Not long ago I got a call from my middle daughter, (attending college at BYU-Idaho), she was crying, a little hysterical and very, very hard to understand on the phone! Anyway the gist of the conversation went something like this..... "I don't know what's the matter, I'm so busy, I have so much to do and I keep losing things, I've lost my Jamba Juice card (Oh, No, not That!), my student I.D. and the keys to my apartment"..."The other day I lost them and found them in my freezer....I thought to myself ... 'Oh, my gosh, I'm turning into MOM!!!' "Keep in mind she's talking to "mom" at the time. I would have been terribly hurt if it weren't occasionally true. When I find the pop-tarts in the fridge I can generally expect to find the milk in the pantry.....I keep telling myself it's because I have WAY to many important things on my mind but that niggling little voice in the back of my head is saying "You're a ding-dong, you're a ding-dong..." (it goes on much longer but my fingers are tired of typing it out... and frankly, it looks much worse in print!)

Yesterday at church (where we're all supposed to be equal and if not equal at least sweet, kind and tolerant of one another) daughter number 3's teacher told her she got lost in the neighboring town over the weekend and immediately thought of me! Good Grief! I think that stems from ONE lone instance where I got lost going to the temple in Chicago....it's Chicago for heaven's sake! Anyone could get lost there (okay so maybe I HAVE been there several hundred times but I was distracted.....you know how the sisters can be when you're trying to drive!)

I remember one Family Home Evening lesson about Family Traditions...it was a great lesson (I think) but somhow the "activity"became a lively episode of "remember when mom ......" (This has become a tradition in itself). I just don't understand it....it's a darned good thing I have such a good sense of humor.While I'm on the subject of humor I have to mention the Share the Love Blog awards (my daughter Nutella is nominated in the Humor category....go cast a vote for her .... she's NOT the one who is worried about turning out like me....she's normal and capable in every way ... (so far)....but I couldn't help but notice that when I looked through all the categories I couldn't find the one for "Makes me want to be a 50 year old neurotic woman....." If you have the link please send it to me (I'd like to nominate someone).

Also at church yesterday we talked about setting goals. I've been feeling a little, well, inadequate lately (too many episodes of Dr. Phil I think). The goal setting talk didn't help me feel any better. Don't get me wrong, I set goals, like today I set a goal of two loads of wash before I could play Dance Dance Revolution again (come on THAT IS TOO a goal), I also made myself drink two whole glasses of water (yuck) before I could have my caffiene free diet coke for breakfast.....who says I can't set goals. Okay, just kidding, I know you're supposed to set long range goals. I have some of those too....get thin before I die, get grandkids before I'm 50 (hurry up NUTELLA!!!!), and get a set of matching luggage before I go to Hawaii again. See ... and you probably thought I wasn't very ambitious.

Well, it's a beautiful day I think I'll go wash a good novel and take the car back to the library. : )

Beauty inside or out?

I've been growing old all my life but I didn't know it! Had I realized, I would have taken certain measures before now. My approach to beauty has pretty much been "Get beautiful from the outside in" but after all these years I've come to realize that you have to do it from the inside out! Bummer....I hope it's not too late.

I remember telling my girls as they were growing up that it was what is on the inside that counts....of course I was talking mostly about character and values....it's amazing how those things show up in a person's face. If you're happy, doing things you love, doing what's right it just shows in your face.

I forgot about things like nutrition and hydration! Those things show up in your face too and guess what? Once you've got wrinkles you're pretty much stuck with them for the rest of your life (unless you're willing to be skinned like a rabbit and re-stretched to fit!). I remember when the crows feet first showed up....I actually thought they were pretty charming...kind of make me look respectable, older, more mature....(things only a 27 year old would find the least bit desirable). Right then I should have gone to the kitchen poured myself a gallon glass of water, drank it down and refilled it daily for the rest of my life!

When I moved to the Midwest I thought the humidity in the air would help (no more dry winds from the western plains states)....once again I was thinking from the outside in....Makeup has always been my Best Friend.....I'm totally superficial in that way....for the first 4 years of our marriage HH never, really NEVER saw me without it. (I was afraid if he saw the "real" me he'd be terribly frightened). I've developed a modicum of good sense since then and he does occasionally see me "au naturale" as it were and to his credit he still loves me. BUT, I'm still attached to my makeup bag in the most intimate way and to this day it's the only thing I consider absolutely NECESSARY to carry-on the airplane with me. (I can live in three day old underwear but not if my face isn't on!)

Anyway, aside from needing some serious counseling over this issue I'm really trying to remember what's really important to me. I want to go through this life looking like I feel, and I really want to feel great. I want to be happy, kind, loving, thoughtful, giving, faithful, and patient (okay so maybe I need to work on some of those a little more) and I want it to show in my face....is that too much to ask at 50? (I'm technically not 50 till next month but I try to start saying the new age a few months before so it's not such a shock when it gets here).

So .... today's another day, I'm happy, I'm healthy and I feel terrific! A big thank you to Heavenly Father for all my blessings and to the people I love for waiting for me to perfect myself!

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart ~ Kahlil Gibran~

I hope I don't forget to remember....

I'm turning 50 this year and a lot of things have been weighing on my mind, this seems as good a place as any to....well...unload. I know that someday I'm going to be one of those "old" people that I've been fond of, feared, revered, loved,respected, etc. I've often wondered what kind of sweet old lady I'll make. I'd love to think I'll sink quietly into my elder years with hardly a bump in the road, you know, just grow old gracefully as they say. I suspect though, that the road will be winding, full of blind curves, with puddles, potholes and an occasional "kiss-me-quick (a term coined by my grandmother, meant to describe that second where you are suspended in mid-air with your stomach in your throat as you come over an unexpected hill).

We were at the nursing home visiting HH's (That's my husband, I asked him for an acronym to describe him in my blog and he though HH for Handsome Hunk would do nicely)....grandmother a couple of weeks ago, one of her dining companions had the same lovely name as me! I listened to her talk about herself to other women around her and then commented that all the Helen's I know in life are lovely, sweet and kind .... she turned, stared at me for a second and then let loose with the longest string of swear words I'd ever heard in my life. Our 13 year old daughter was with us and I nearly covered her ears, needless to say we both blushed. Now I know that Alzheimer's can do funny things to you (my girlfriend Cindy used to call it "Old Timer's"), and that's precisely what I'm worried about.

I've not been one to swear but it certainly wasn't due to genteel breeding. My mother came from a lovely Mormon family who were sweet and dear in every way but have, shall we say, the most colorful speech you have ever heard. What I'm getting at here is that although I don't use the swear words myself they are moste definitely implanted somewhere deep within my little brain. One of my worst fears is that when I get old all these lovely adjectives will flow freely from my lips.....if so I'm begging your forgiveness now.

Anyway, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want to do, what I should do, what I musn't ever forget to do, etc. when I eventually reach "old age" which still looks a way off to me but will sneak up on me just like sugar spots on bananas! SO, I've made a little list, (I'm going to make copies, seal them in the safe and have my family mail them to me whenever they feel I've forgotten to remember....

1. Old people smell, but only because they are SURE they showered already....shower every time you think of it Helen, even if you think you already did. If someone tells you you "might enjoy" a nice bath GO TAKE ONE!!

2. Blue hair is something hairdressers invented to keep sweet little old ladies coming after their hair turns that beautiful silver color and they dont NEED a hairdresser anymore!

3. Buy new clothes! Just because something still fits doesn't mean it still "fits" if you know what I mean. Take your daughter with you and have her help you so you don't look like an idiot!

4. Don't stop cutting your toenails just because "they don't look that bad to you"....this is the time in your life when you should have a pedicure once a week just because. It doesn't hurt to be a little spoiled.

5. If people say you're getting too skinny don't think it's a compliment...EAT...anorexic old ladies are pitiful not to mention fragile!

6. Walk somewhere every day (besides the bathroom!), in complete workout gear (getting into the "gear" may be all the "workout" you need!)

7. If you can't drive anymore don't whine! Let someone else do the driving .... take a taxi (that's what little old ladies do), take a bus, take a friend (who can drive), but TAKE something. This world is to be explored, don't just stay at home watching "The Price is Right" (my grandma loved this show but to her credit she DID still leave the house).

8. Don't just send a card to your kids or grandkids on their birthday....send MONEY....You know you've got it, go find it! (Never give a teenager less than the price of a dozen roses at Valentine's day.....good rule of thumb!)

9. For heaven's sake don't stop baking just because it's easier to buy cookies at the store! If a grandchild comes over and has to eat storebought cookies at your house you deserve a good slap! (Yes, I'm talking to you Helen!)...Furthermore, if you KNOW they're coming over then ask them to help you make cookies and let them eat as much of the cookie dough as they want (they WONT get worms!)

10. If all else fails ask your daughters how you're doing....then TAKE their advice, let them be honest, and do what they tell you! (Except if they say "Please come live with us, really, it's no bother"....then just smile and say "Not in this lifetime honey!")

P.S. Helen you don't know any of the people in these pictures so don't keep asking people who they are!) Oh, and have a HAPPY day!

I'd Like to Thank....

A great big THANK YOU to my wonderful daughter aka the happiest blogger "nutella" for giving my my VERY OWN blog (that I hope I can learn to use) for Valentine's Day.

I'd also like to thank her for the beautiful first post she wrote for me (yes, I'm the one who can't think of anything to say about myself in the family Christmas letter : ) ) I'm too unaware, shy, humble to say any of the things she said about me but it made my day, made me think and made me love her all the more.

As she mentioned I am an "almost" empty nester and it has it's pains and pangs but it also allows me time to do things I've never had time to do before (like Blog...who knew?!) which I am learning to enjoy.

Oh, and one more thanks, to the truly "nutty and sweet" Nutella....Thanks for your blog which is creatively inspiring. My only written word posted in public recently has been on the message boards of Weight Watchers where my wit and wisdom has yet to be appreciated (or noticed!) so I am grateful to be able to draw some creative juices from reading Ciao Bella
as well as some of the wonderful Blogs she links to...

Thank you,Thank you, Thank you....

This blog will be about

ME! I am a woman, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend. Last year I didn't write anything about myself in my family Christmas letter. When my family asked me about it, I said it was because I didn't have anything to say about myself. But my family knows better. They know that I have lived a life fuller than most. I have built a dream house, I have driven a tractor, I have been to Disneyworld more times than I can count, I have taught young women and old women, I have mourned, I have exercised, I have laughed so hard my cheeks pushed the button on the phone and hung up on my daughter, I have read, I have danced, I have nurtured, I have loved, I have worked, I have baked, I have written poems, I have started novels, I have encouraged, I have scolded, I have listened, I have sewn temple dresses, I have watched soccer games and plays, I have shipped my rolls and cookies overnight to homesick children, I have driven across the country, I have been married 20+ years, I have driven to seminary every morning at 5:15 listening to oldies, I have prayed, I have mailed care packages, I have said "I won't be bossed!", I've done it all and much more.

I have done things. I have accomplished things. And here is where I will remind myself and anyone else who wants to know...This is me! And don't you forget it!