Twenty Questions

It has been about a month since I updated my blog last.  Fortuantely, my sister tagged me in a game of blog tag, so I have the perfect reason to update.

1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?


I have had pets, but currently we are petless.  I know my position that animals are fun, but don't merit status as family members, will be unpopular.  But I came to this conclusion after our first dog died.  We got another one and the new dog was just as good as the first dog.  People, true family members, are not interchangeable.

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?

I would want all of my children to be happy and to be living the very best life that they possibly can.

3. What is the one thing most hated by you?

I hate spiders, snakes, and rodents.  I know I have listed three things, but they all stand in equal low regard.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?


First,  I would pay my tithing.  Then I would hire a really good financial planner and would spend the interest earned on world travel and a beach house in Malibu, which would be remarkably close to Santa Monica where Andrew lives.  I would keep a pony for him so that we could have something really fun to do together.  Of course, everyone else can come and visit me too.

5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

I think that the last time it took 2 1/2 pounds of Sees Chocolate.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?


I think loving someone is more blessed.  You can't control other's love for you.  You can usually get over it if you are not loved.  But the very act of loving others fills my heart with joy!

7. What is your bedtime routine?

Family prayer, brush my teeth, check my email, check facebook, read blog updates, say my personal prayers,  Watch Jimmy Kimmel until I fall asleep.

8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?


The first time I met Bob I was laying on his bed kissing his toy moose.  My friend Traci Kern and I were helping her boyfriend, Jeff Cline move into his apartment at the beginning of sophomore year at BYU.  Now that I think back on it,  I must have been really working hard if I was laying on  Bob's bed.  Bob walked in and fell in love.  Well, maybe not love.  But he must have been intrigued.  I was pretty surprised a few days later to find him studying in the library the first week of school.  He just didn't come off as the type of person who felt the need to study, so I was intrigued.  You have to know what kind of a nerd I was to find studying to be a turn on.  Bob turned up the heat by buying me a salad at the Cougar-eat.  Our first date was to the movie My Bodyguard.

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

I would watch Shawna Erickson put together a musical production.  She always does the best work.

10. What kinds of books do you read?

I like many different genres of books.  I go through phases.  I think my weirdest phase was Russian tragedies.  I loved The Hunger Games series.  I love a good murder mystery.  I love Steven King, but I keep a sharpie handy to edit out all of his foul language so that if anyone after me reads the book it has been cleaned up. The most recent book I read was The Life Of Pi.  My main problem with reading is that I can't put a book down once I get started.  To me a book is like a bag of chips.  No matter the size I feel compelled to eat the whole bag at one sitting. 

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?

Still blond.  I haven't seen any gray yet so I may be like my Grandma Stockam and never go gray.

12. What’s your fear?

Of course, I am afraid that another one of my children will die.  I don't personally know of anyone with a worse record.

13. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?

Not likely.  Visiting outer space has never been on my must-see list.

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?


Married and poor.   Been there, done that, not too bad.  There is always hope that finances will improve.

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?


I go out and get the paper and read it cover to cover and do the Sudoku.

16. If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?

I already feed him garlic and onions to cut down on his appeal to any outside parties.

17. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?

When I was 13 I really wished my name was Gwen.  I have gotten over it.

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?


I think that almost everything is forgivable with time, no matter how horrible, but darn it , I can't forget anything.  Remembering helps me to be careful to protect myself and those I love.

19. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?

I think I would go for Greek food everyday because it is so garlicky and flavorful.  I love that restaurant Little Greek at Campbell and Coit.

20. Who are you going to tag in this game?

I am tagging Caiti Leataua, Linda Fisher, and John Muir! Just cut and paste the questions and fill in your own answers.  Caiti and John, you need to change question 8 to Describe your perfect first date. and question 16 to If you could change one thing about your mother what would it be?  

Oh, You'd Better Watch Out!

Oh, you'd  better watch out
You'd better not pout,
You'd better not cry, I'm tellin' you why
Momma's got a brand new shot gun,

I put it on my Christmas list,
And told my hubby,
He couldn't be happier,
And so you see,
Momma's got a brand new shot gun.

I got tired of shootin
That dang big old 12 guage.
That kicked just like mule
And sent me into a rage.

Oh you'd better clean your room,
You'd better be well groomed,
You'd better not fudge
Cuz I might hold a grudge.
Momma's got a brand new shot gun.

Me and my new youth sized 20 gauge Remmington.



Thirty Days Straight

I am so glad that I have made it to do thirty days straight of blog posts.  I almost feel caught up on all of the events that I failed to record.  I can't say it has always been easy.  Sometimes I was tired and I wanted to skip it.  But I sat at the computer and started writing.  Something always came up to my mind.  I have to admit I won't be posting everyday, but I hope to post more often than I had been.

I hope I find as much success in my dieting efforts as I have found in my blogging efforts.  Thirty days.  Yes I can do it.  I just wish there was some food out there that was low in fat, sugar, and calories that I want to eat when I get that crazy need to eat something sweet or devilishly rich.  I don't think it helped me to bake 180 cupcakes today for the PTA bake sale.  I know it takes a little while to overcome cravings.  I couldn't think about anything else but food today.  Oh,  it is going to be a long time until January 1.

Food, glorious food!

Feast or Famine

It is official.  Join me if you dare!  I started my annual Feast or Famine Holiday Diet today and will go until Jan 1, 2011.  I do this diet so that I might loose about ten pounds during the holiday season instead of gaining ten pounds.  I have to decide which days are my feast days, one a week, and the other days I eat low carb,low fat, and low cal.

And I am hungry right now. 

Just one question.  If chocolate, butter and sugar make me feel so good, why do they make my rear grow so much?  Just seems so unfair.

State Capitols and Lincoln's Home

Over the course of the summer of 2010 our family put a lot of miles on the car.  As long as we were traveling across the country we decided to help Joe with his Citizenship in the Nation Merit badge for Boyscouts by visiting state capitols and historic sites along the way.

Michigan State capitol rotunda.

I loved the flowers at the Michigan State Capitol.

Lincoln's home town Springfield, Illinois.  Don't you love Joe's Union cap?  We got it for him so that he could wear it for hat day at school.  How cool is that!

Lincoln's writing desk.

Lincoln's bed with one of Mary Lincoln's dresses.  The dresses were made with Arsenic back in the day.  Unfortunately they were toxic to the upper class women who wore them.  Many of the women experienced severe mental problems, probably as a result from the toxicity of their clothing.

When we got outside of Lincoln's house we asked the gardeners if we could pick one of the apples from the tree in the yard.  Joe got the apple.  We tried eating it but it was mealy.  It smelled great though.

View of Lincoln's house.

State Capitol of Illinois.

Illinois Rotunda.

Joe and I welcoming the World on behalf of Illinois.

State Capitol of Texas in Austin.

Joe and LBJ.

Rotunda of Texas

Joe and Sam Houston.

Me and Andrew

The theme of today's post is me and Andrew.  Any other people in the pictures are purely coincidental.

This is Andrew when he was only one day old.

Me and Andrew at Mowich Lake.

 Me and Andrew on our way up to Paradise at Mount Rainier. 

Me and Andrew by the big rock at Heart o' The Hills Campground in the Olympics.

Me and Andrew At Sol Duc Hot Springs in the Olympics. 

Megan, Andrew and me on Andrew's Blessing Day.

Me and Andrew on his Blessing Day.

Me and Andrew at the RHS football game.

In case anyone is wondering, I love spending time with my favorite little guy!

Every Last Bit

It is the Sunday night after Thanksgiving and I know that this is the last night I can break out the Thanksgiving leftovers and pass them off as a meal without some really crazy inventive work.  I am talking Turkey enchiladas, Turkey artichoke bake, Turkey tortilla soup...  You get it, lots of cooking is involved to disguise the same old thing.  I bought a small enough turkey that we really don't have that much leftover turkey this year.  I have come up with a muffin recipe to use up what might otherwise be thrown out tonight.  I use up that last bit of sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pecan pie.  I could also use up the pumpkin pie but we never have any left. I usually pass the muffins out to a few friends who left town for Thanksgiving and are not burdened with any leftovers.

After Thanksgiving Muffins

1 package of white or yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter or veg oil
2/3 C water

Mix these together with an electric mixer for a few minutes.
Then mix in the following:  (These amounts are suggestions, use what you have.)

1 1/2 cups leftover mashed sweet potatoes
1 or 2 pieces of pecan pie, chopped up
1/2 to 3/4 C cranberry sauce or cranberry relish

Divide the batter into 18 cupcakes.  Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes in a regular oven or 325 for 28 minutes in a convection oven.

I just ate one and I have to admit it was so deliciously good!  Not that anyone needs any more to eat after Thanksgiving, but if you decide to make these you will not be sorry.

Six New Eagles

Tonight I went to the Boy Scouts of America Museum in Irving for an Eagle Court of honor for six young men.  It was a beautiful meeting.  I loved the setting and the wonderful stories about the boys.  It was a great way to honor the boys who have worked so hard for so many years.  Most of the boys had been Cub Scouts while I was Pack Committee chairman years ago.  I remember going to the Scout Museum with that group as part of our D-4 Cub Day camp.  The museum was only partially completed at the time.  It is totally completed tonight.  After the Eagle ceremony we went back in the museum.  Everyone had fun tonight at the electronic Bee Bee range and at the pinewood derby track, along with other activities.  During that Summer camp we also went to the zoo, to Fair Park, to REI for cliff climbing, and out to Grapevine for horseback riding.  I remember that the cost per boy was about $65.  We also had a big picnic celebration at the end of camp and each boy got a framed picture of himself on a horse.  Wow!  These boys have grown up so much.

Some people wondered why I would be so involved in Cubs at that time when I didn't even have a cub of my own in the pack.  I should have had a cub in the group.  I wanted the cub experience to be the very best it could for the boys who would have been Matthew's friends. It was kind of a bitter-sweet night watching the boys getting their Eagle Awards.  I didn't think about it until I was sitting there tonight, but Matthew probably would be getting his Eagle tonight too.  I try not to let my mind wander in that direction too much.  What might have been...