What I learned this week...

We determined as a family this week that my husband is a borderline AFOL with horophile tendencies. Please help me if you can!

One of my favorite things..

I'm a little late getting this post up, but I just learned about it last night. Last year, we went to this really great live nativity. We were so hoping they would do it again this year. Just yesterday, I finally found information about it, and it's this weekend. They'll do it tonight (Friday), tomorrow, and Monday.

It's in Alpine. You drive to a church parking lot, then they shuttle you to the beginning of the path to the nativity. You'll see Roman soldiers on horseback, you'll get to walk through the streets of Bethlehem complete with vendors and lots of animals (including camels). Then you'll see the live nativity itself. It's free of charge though they do have collection jars for donations that go to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

We went last year, and it was truly moving. It was an awesome way to welcome in the Christmas season. And my kids loved it!

If you are in the area and have the chance to go, I recommend it! You can find a few more details here.

Merry Christmas!

Why I have a bruise on my knee...

Why do I have a bruise? Because I was hit in the knee by a 12 pound flying projectile in the form of a frozen turkey! How did that happen, you may ask. While turkey bowling in our basement, of course! And why was I turkey bowling in my basement? For a contest, of course!

The Simply Mac stores are having a contest - a Thanksgiving scavenger hunt to be exact. They are awarding a $500 in-store credit, and you receive entries for the contest by submitting various Thanksgiving-themed photos. You can read all about it here.

They frequently have good contests, so it may be worth your time to check out their blog occasionally. Until then, you can just enjoy the photos of me when I was bowling followed by me when Daniel was bowling! Maybe tomorrow I'll post the bruise!

There's a hole in my blog

Wow, it's amazing how quickly life can happen with no blog entry to document that it happened! I was shocked to see tonight how long it's been since I last blogged. Arghh! I may try to throw in some back blogging, but I'll for sure try to move forward. I've been tagged by my sister, so I'll need to add that entry. I've had some fun and some stressful times too. I'll have to throw in a few of those entries too. Several of my friends/family blogged a lot in November as they recorded all the things for which they are thankful. Maybe December will be my month. We'll see, right?

For now, trust that my life has been going on, there's just a big hole in my written documentation of that life.

My Old Birthday

Hello, everyone, look at your birthday, now back at mine, now back at yours, now back to mine. Sadly, your birthday isn’t mine, but if it were and you switched to a Conference weekend birthday like mine, you could enjoy an awesome breakfast of a beautiful parfait and sourdough pancakes. Look down, back up, where am I? I'm on a boat on Utah Lake with tunes playing on an ipod while Cheyenne drove (thanks Allen and Noreen) with my family and my neighbors that smell like Utah Lake. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s cupcakes at Cathy's and ice cream at home. Look again, you're eating those treats with your sisters, nieces, nephew, and family. Look again, the cake has turned into a cute new generation ipod Nano. Anything is possible when your man makes the day special. I’m on a couch.

Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes, all the fun (really, how often have I gotten to ride on a boat on a hot day for my October birthday??), and all the fabulous food!!! I was struggling a bit with this midlife birthday but you made it an awesome one. And so the birth season continues into this next week. Anything is possible!!

What I did tonight

What a fun date with my daughter - a small concert with David Archuleta (her first love)!

Shock and awe when we told her. Anticipation. Giddiness. Satisfaction that he was so nice. Giddiness. Happy dreams when she came home and went to bed. All kinds of joy when telling all her friends tomorrow!

*Thanks to my friend Bil for an amazing favor for my daughter!!

It finally happened

Have you ever had something happen that you've long feared or worried about? Well, I have. It happened yesterday, and I survived.

As many of you may know, I've always feared earwigs. I didn't like them as a little girl, then I saw "The Wrath of Khan" and it sealed the deal. (Note: I know that bug probably wasn't really a giant earwig, but it sure seemed that way! And I've always been afraid of them crawling in my ear. Why else would they call them EAR wigs?????)

Anyway, every time I do vegetables from the garden, I am on high earwig alert. Somehow today I was distracted by the chard. Next thing you know, I felt a pinch on my hand. When I looked, there was the offending earwig securely attached to my palm. They really do pinch and hang on!!!!! Knowing I had to exert some self-discipline so as not to encourage phobias in my sensitive children, I contained all screaming in my head. I did shake my hand a little freakishly, though, till I got him to release. Then I killed him!

After calling Dale for some adult sympathy, I finished the vegetables and knew I was just a little stronger than I thought I was before. (And the truth is that it really didn't hurt that bad or for that long. Just so you know.)

If any of you have had a similar "I've always feared..." experience, please feel free to share it here, or at least call me for heartfelt sympathy!!!

If You Give your Son a Job....

If you give your son a job to sweep the sunroom...

You might feel the need to check on him.

If you go in the sunroom yourself to do the checking...

You might notice that the plants need watering.

If you water the plants and the water all overflows due to rootbound plants...

You might think you should repot the shamrocks.

If you get out the stuff to repot the shamrocks...

You might decide that you might as well repot every single plant in the sunroom (even the gigantic ones!)

If you finish hours later with all the newly potted plants...

You might think you need to clean up the mess.

If you use rags and towels to clean up the mess...

You might decide you should throw a load of rags into the washer.

If you put the rags in the washer...

You might realize how dirty the washer is and start wiping it off (with a rag you want to add to the load.)

If you wash off the washing machine...

You might start wiping off the dryer.

If you wipe it in the right place...

You might see that there is cat pee down the side of it.

If you want to wash off the cat pee...

You might decide you have to pull out the washer and dryer and clean the floor under them while you're at it.

If you pull out the dryer far enough...

You might discover a dead - and decaying - mouse under the dryer.

If you don't gag while cleaning it up...

You might realize you were right that the laundry room has been particularly stinky lately.

If you realize the real source of the house stink...

You might now know the source was not just your stinky teenage son.

If you remember you have a stinky teenage son...

You might just give him a job to sweep.........

Happy 5th of July!!!

Our Favorite Chocolate

(blog hijacking in progress)

Our journey to the dark side (of chocolate) is complete. Way complete. And Amano Artisan Chocolate is Cheryl's and my favorite. Amano is sponsoring a couple of contests wherein the winners receive a year's supply of chocolate. I'd rather have that than an iPad - that's how much I like it. In the Guess the Origin Contest you attempt to guess the country of origin of the cocoa beans that Amano used to make their newest chocolate. In the other contest called, "Promote Amano's Guess the Origin Contest", you just have to blog about the Guess the Origin Contest and fill out an online form. That's what I'm doing and I'm doing it with Cheryl's blog because I don't have one of my own. She'll understand. -- Dale out.

I'm a little sore today

I'm a little sore today from exercising muscles that don't normally get exercised. Thanks to my friend Marsha for introducing me to another fun experience in my life! She is an avid golfer. For years she's said I should learn. I've never had a burning desire to be a killer golfer, but I have often wanted to try for the sake of having the experience - that's what I'm all about, right?

So, to the driving range we went. I have a newfound respect for golfers. It's hard! I somehow had this image that it was a rather leisurely sport. But for a novice like me, there were an awful lot of things to think about:

Which club am I using? Are my feet in the right place? How straight is my arm? Is my elbow too close to my body? Did I follow through?

And who knew about all the science behind the shape and length of the clubs!

Clearly I have some practicing to do before we really hit the course, but I am beginning to see the attraction. I get how enjoyable it could be to walk around outside in the sunshine, enjoying the views and chatting with your friends. I'll see if I can learn to hit the ball well enough to at least give it a try. I'll put my muscles on notice!

Completely Plagiarized Blog

Earlier this week, I got to go on a road trip with my cute niece Jessica to visit my mom in southern Utah as well as do a little business. As is common, I forgot my camera. That was sad 'cause she brought along one very, very cute baby! And, I did a rare craft project then had no way to show it off. Fortunately, Jessica had hers. When she posted her cute blog entry, there was no question about whether or not I should just cut and paste it. Hope you don't mind, Jessica! (Besides, isn't copying a form of flattery???)

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

A trip to see G & G Witzke....

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This week, James, and I ventured down to Southern Utah to visit his great grandparents in their new Casa.

We went on a little shopping spree for a few decorating odds and ends. James probably thinks his second home is the Home Depot. He has spent more time there than in his nursery:) We took a little Applebee's break to get refueled before we braved the feisty crafters at Robert's.

We decided to do a little DIY project for a blank wall in her sewing room. This was the inspiration for our artwork.

We applied scrapbook paper (.60 cents) to craft board ($4 each) with a little Mod Podge.

Cost: about $20.00!

Voila, the finished product.

(P.S. Thanks for teaching me to Mod Podge Aunt Cheryl..you have fulfilled a dream of mine;)

James decked out in a teddy bear ensemble my grandparents gave him.

It was so good to see you Grandma and Grandpa Witzke, we love your new pad! Love you lots!

XOXO,

Jessica and James.

Mature Young Men

I saw an interesting demonstration today on how young men develop. It was a function of our Sacrament meeting at church today.

[Allow me to interrupt for a moment and provide some quick lessons on LDS meetings and practices for my blog readers who are not familiar with them. #1 The Sacrament is administered by teenage young men. The 14/15 year olds prepare it before church, the 16-18 year olds administer the prayers to bless the bread and water, and the 12/13 year olds pass it to the congregation. #2 In lieu of a preacher who delivers a sermon each week, the speakers for each Sunday meeting are members of the congregation. #3 Many young men choose to serve a volunteer mission for the church at the age of 19. They serve in some location away from home and family for a total of 2 years which means they return at the age of 21.]

We had an unusually large congregation at church today. One of the speakers was a young man who's leaving this week to serve a Spanish-speaking mission in Portland. Another speaker was a young man who just returned this last week from a mission in California. They both had a ton of family and friends in attendance. The number of people attending was 1 1/2 to 2 times what we normally see.

It was interesting to sit back and watch the young 12/13 year old boys passing the sacrament. They were clearly facing an unusual situation. They handled it beautifully. There were no adults telling them what to do, they were well prepared, and they managed the large crowds very well. I couldn't help but think how neat it was to see these boys showing leadership and maturity when so often we simply don't expect that kind of maturity from 12 year olds.

The first speaker today was a 15 year old boy who spoke about the importance to each of us to read and study the scriptures. He did an impressive job at public speaking (before a large crowd), and he had solid, interesting information to present. Again, it's not exactly what the rest of the world sees in 15 year olds.

The next speaker was the 19 year old leaving on a mission. He was a little awkward at times, but he was very sincere. He joked a little with his friends who were there to support him. He taught some doctrine by making a reference to a scene from the movie 'Avatar.' But he spoke of his excitement to go help other people for the next 2 years. What an awesome commitment from a 19 year old. I know that's not what many boys his age are thinking of.

The final speaker was the 21 year old young man who just returned from a mission. He was articulate and he spoke with conviction. With all due respect to the 19 year old who had just spoken, he showed how much growth he had experienced in the last 2 years. And he still had all his friends there waiting to welcome him home. They hadn't all gone off and left him while he was gone. He was happy he'd gone and happy to be home.

Essentially, in one hour's time, I was able to see the life cycle of an LDS teenage boy. It was so fun to see. There was a huge difference between the 12 year olds and the 21 year old. And you could see the landmarks with each boy of a different age. But each age group had their strengths, and they showed how much young people are capable of if we just believe in them and give them a chance. When we expect that they can take on responsibilities and that they can be leaders, they respond to that. I see it in those I don't know as well, and I see it in my own son. And yet, they all bring their own age-appropriate awkwardness, quirkiness, and fun to what they are doing as well. It was good to see it all around.

Thanks, boys, for showing me such an awesome display today!

This year's wedding cake

Again, my blog is the site for showing the most recent wedding cake. This one was a fairly simple one with fondant and ribbon. It was for another daughter of Dale's old boss. Her floral designer did the flowers for the top. You may or may not be able to catch it in these pictures, but the flowers had peacock feathers tucked in there. The flowers were really pretty.

In addition to the wedding cake, they asked me to make a groom's cake - a silver cake with the Detroit Lions logo on it. Here was the use for the edible spray paint referred to a few blogs ago! So, here are the pictures. Enjoy!

Another Informative Week

Oh, how I love weeks in which I learn new things! It happens most weeks, but sometimes it's more fun than others to record what I learned.

1. Snowboarding is not a sport I should take up at this advanced stage of my life.



2. If you feed ants Cream of Wheat cereal, they will eat it, go back to their hill, and then they'll blow up! (This came first from one of Daniel's classmates and was 'confirmed' by several internet users so I'm sure it's true.)


3. There is no bureaucracy quite like the Federal Government. Common sense is not allowed within government entities.


4. Even if the weather outside looks like this:


It is still really smart to wear sunscreen. (This picture doesn't really do it justice, you can get the idea if you look at my hairline!)


5. Chuck Norris turned 70 years old today!! Does he look 70 to you??? He doesn't to me. And who knew he could be the source of so many jokes!

The Family Historian

I read my friend's blog today in which she expressed a debate about whether or not she should include something in her blog. She said that ultimately the family historian in her won out, and she decided to include it. There are no similarities in our stories, but I liked the sentiment. The family historian in me decided I should share.

My entrepreneurial son has continued to operate his Saturdough business, though he does it just once a month during the school year. This week he decided to offer a half wheat/half white sandwich bread. He independently sent out an email out and set up his website. Hours later, I read it. It was quintessential Daniel, if not entirely politically correct. But it made me laugh. I'm glad I have Daniel to make me laugh. And so, for posterity's sake, here's his description of this week's bread. I hope it makes you laugh.

Half-rican American (Integrated) Sandwich Bread.

After a civil war which left the counter barren and covered in dust, and after Martin Luther Yeast Jr. made his historic speech, the white flour and the wheat flour have decided to join together in this loaf of sandwich bread. Just for you. Don't you feel special now?

Food graffiti

Did you know you can buy edible "spray paint" in multiple colors? I guess I'd seen 'air brushed' cakes in grocery store bakeries, but I didn't realize you could just buy an aerosol can of food coloring. I bought some this week. Daniel saw it and said, "Cool! We can vandalize our food now!" I can't wait to display some things we create soon!

This is my life...

A snapshot in time of my last 48 hours:

• Prepared breakfast, lunch, and dinner for family
• Joined my sister-in-law to hear Leigh Ann Tuohy give a speech at UVU (She's the mother portrayed in the movie The Blind Side after she took in a homeless youth who became an NFL star.)
• Hit a cardboard form tube of roughly 24" x 36" doing 70 mph on the interstate - very frightening
  
• Tutored math from 4th grade skills to Algebra II
• Attended horseback riding lessons
• Read a book club book
  
• Emailed back and forth with water users in rural Utah
• Planned details of a wedding cake I'm doing in 3 weeks
  
• Did a standing long jump with 9 year old Cub Scouts
• Planned a fun ski day with my sisters and nieces
  
• Took some ice cream to a friend for her birthday, but was met in the driveway by her husband with a gun - he was searching for a possible intruder

There were lots of other small things to fill in the gaps, but I do love the diversity of my life......

This one takes the cake!

Conversation with Daniel upon returning home from school recently:

Daniel: I don't know why, but I suddenly have this strong desire to make a cake.

Cheryl: Whatever. As your mom, I'm never going to tell you 'no' to making a cake. You figure it out.

An hour or so later he was busily making a yellow cake from scratch while I was tutoring math. "Keep up the good work, son."

Next time I checked, he was in the middle of a masterpiece. It's always grandiose with Daniel - there's not much middle ground. So, here is the final product. And it tasted as good as it looked. As a cake-baking mother I am beaming with pride! As the baker, Daniel says he already knows how to improve it, and he'll be trying again soon. Can't wait!

Have you ever wanted to go to Kanosh? Yes!!

We recently went to my mom's to help her move into her new house (Hooray!). On our way home, traveling north on I-15, Dale said, "Have you ever wanted to just get off the interstate and go see what Kanosh is like?" I replied, "Yes! I think about it every time we drive up and down this same route." I added that I've always wanted to take the Lamb's Canyon exit on the way to Parley's Summit. The point is that we drive the same route over and over, but we rarely get off that route to see what else is out there. With that conversation as the impetus, we've decided to "go see Kanosh" and other places like it throughout this year.

As luck would have it, the next weekend was a three day weekend and the perfect opportunity to begin our quest. So, on a snowy Monday morning, we loaded up the kids and headed west!

The plan was to start our day at Lehi Bakery (home of the legendary square donuts). Obviously we did not know that Lehi Bakery is closed every Monday!

That's okay, Smith's in Saratoga Springs sells donut holes - crisis averted!

The drive took us past Eagle Mountain to Cedar Fort and Fairfield (cool old school building).

Through Faust and on to Vernon. Dale remembered stopping at small convenience store/diner 25 years ago on the way to fight a forest fire. Wow, it's still there!

What a great place -- convenience store snacks and everything to field dress a deer all in one place. But that's not all, there's still a diner there too.

Sadly, we're still full from the donut holes! The nice ladies there let Cheyenne pet the search and rescue dogs, and they direct us to a nearby quarry to collect Vernon wonder stones. The kids loved it.


Next we toured the big towns of Eureka, Genola, and Goshen as we we approached our lunch destination of Santaquin. We'd heard good things about the scones at The Family Tree restaurant. Good things - but we were not aware the scones are about 18" long and 4-5" wide. We'd go again, but we'd probably order half as much food.

For a half day tour, a good time was had by all, and small town Utah is a little less mysterious. We can't wait for our next excursion -- we welcome recommendations!

2010 Already

Thanks for all the comments on that last post. It was a pretty full year. Now, here we are in 2010, and it's already held a lot.

The year began with some new things and there are plenty more to come.

New Jobs!

Dale started a new job on the first Monday of the year. He's now working for LanDesk in South Jordan. He's excited for the job as he hopes to be able to work with user interface issues which he really enjoys. He's working with some people he's worked with before (that happens a lot in this industry) and he has a nice window by his desk! It's been a bummer of a change to give up the excitement, diversity, and flexibility of the Noah's job (aka the dream job), but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. At least it wasn't for a lack of hard work, loyalty, and dedication on his part. Thanks, Dale, for all you did there, for taking the chance and enjoying it. And thanks for going out and being a valuable enough asset to be snatched up quickly for a new job. Your wife and family appreciate it tons!!!

Cheryl also started a new job. As if I weren't busy enough, I agreed to take a small part time job with good friend Syd. In addition to her real job running a business doing Public Information work for major construction projects, she uses her engineering skills to run a non-profit organization to help rural water users in Utah. I'll be helping her do some work to administer grant money she has gotten for the users. I've been involved for about two weeks now, and I already know more about rural water issues than any stay at home mom ever should. I've also participated in enough meetings to know that the Federal Government has issues. If you want an earful just ask me about my meeting last week. It was excruciatingly painful, and there was a running soundtrack in my head saying, "And you want to run health care?????" Arghh! But I digress. I don't plan to spend a ton of time, but it'll be fun to get out a little bit and awesome to work with my good friend Syd!

New House

After a couple of years of working on it, my mom has finally moved into a new house. Thanks to my sister and her husband and their investment, my mom can finally live in a bigger, safer, more comfortable place. Thanks, Cathy, for enduring the process and taking such good care of her. We all had our chance to go down and help move her in. I hope it brings years and years of comfort and joy.

Sad News

The new year has already brought sad news. Those of you who've read my blog for a while will remember me writing about my friend with the brain tumor. After a diagnosis of a second tumor in November of 2009, my friend Evan passed away on January 16, 2010. He was mere 41 years old. I am so happy for him to be able to be free from the bonds of his imperfect body. And I'm equally sad for his sweet wife and children who will miss him terribly. At times like this I am so grateful to know we have a Father in Heaven who loves us and will provide comfort and peace in even the most inexplicable situations. I know He has already done so for this young family. I'm also grateful to know that none of us was sent here to do it alone. I love the acts of kindness I've seen in the last week. I live in an amazing place with awesome neighbors.

Looking Ahead

Of course, I can't accurately predict the future. I've never been good at that, but there are a few things that I'm fairly certain really will happen this year. Daniel will start tenth grade at the high school!!! I'm a little freaked out by that. I'm similarly -- no, more freaked out by the idea of him getting his learner's permit for driving. I'm so afraid he won't notice that there are other people on the road with him.

I'm sure we'll travel somewhere, but it may just be to another small town or two in Utah. I hear Koosharem is beautiful! If I'm really lucky, I'll keep working on my 50 state goal. And for those who are wondering, the six that are left are: Delaware (somehow I missed it while hitting the rest of the east coast), Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the ever-elusive Hawaii. Wish me well.

2009 in Review

It's nearly the end of January, 2010. I'm pretty sure I've just blinked since the end of 2009. Can time really be passing that quickly????? I remember as a kid calculating how old I would be at the turn of the century. I would be 35! That seemed absolutely ancient. Is it even possible that it's now ten years beyond that mark, and I'll be 45 this year? Say it isn't so!

So, since my brain cells are now dying at a more rapid rate, I feel the need to do a brief recap of 2009, for myself and my posterity! You can read along if you'd like as I make a short record of what turned out to be a banner year.

I got in some serious entertainment: We went sledding at my sister's cabin, I went cross country skiing all over the Wasatch Front, and I hiked to the 'Y' in Provo with my kids. I saw my kids perform in music performances, band performances, and horseback riding. I saw plays (including 'Wicked' in San Francisco), movies, and improv comedians (one of my new favorite entertainment forms).

I spent some awesome time with family: We had fun times at Colleen's cabin. We had Easter in Beaver Dam with Dale's mom. We had multiple extended visits from my cousin Mike and his family. We had the first annual Non-funeral, Non-wedding, Female Family Reunion with all the women on my dad's side of the family. We spent a week in Alaska with Angie and family. We celebrated the 24th of July in Kamas with sisters and friends at a barbecue and the demolition derby. We celebrated the births of babies to my my nieces Meagan and Jessica. We saw Mom and Lucky every couple of months for some family event or another. We spent Thanksgiving in Vernal with Wendy. We had another Wilde Christmas party where LuDean was the queen of all Wallyball at age 74! We got invited to Cathy's annual fondue dinner (wow!). And we ended the year with my nephew Dallin's wedding. In the course of the year I saw nearly every relative I have. That's awesome!

I had a healthy dose of good, clean, Wilde family fun: We got way too much enjoyment from the "evil" doll and her varied appearances. (Can't wait to see what this year brings.) We blew up a chocolate bunny and a cake with firecrackers. We loved Daniel's fireworks spectacular. We used our microscope. We tested the flammability of snack foods. I enjoyed inventions ranging from a go-cart made from a handtruck to swords made from pool noodles and duct tape. My life is awesome that way!

Parties were had: We had our second annual Harvest celebration with bread galore! I celebrated my 44th at Noah's with friends as we pretended we weren't in our 40's, and we jammed on Rock Band (I was really bad at it, but I enjoyed the company). Cheyenne had a Lady and the Tramp party for her 10th. The whole family partied it up at the Harry Potter Halloween party (a potential repeat event awaits us in 2010).

I hit numbers 43 and 44 in my quest to visit the 50 states: Our family visited Alaska (#43) in July for the trip of a lifetime. Dale and I visited Texas (#44) for the BYU-Oklahoma football season opener (super fun). Just 6 more to go!

California made some money off us: Our family took an awesome trip to Disneyland in February how I wish we could do it again right about now! Dale and Daniel spent a week on Catalina Island in June at a super fun scout camp. Cheryl spent 3 days in San Francisco in November enjoying the city, the food, her friend's company, and the play "Wicked."

Daniel made some money: Daniel started and ran a successful bread-baking business now known as Saturdough. We look forward to a successful year two of business.

2009 held a lot. Here's looking to 2010 for more travel, more fun, more bread, more friends, more family, more blogging!!

I am a binge blogger

I've decided I am a binge blogger. It seems that I go for days or weeks just busily living my life, then all of the sudden I realize I haven't blogged in a very long time and I set out to catch up. I'm feeling a bit like that right now. My head is full of all the unwritten blogs, the experiences I want to share, and the memories I want to record in some small way. I hope I can do them all justice over the next few days.

I thank the rest of you who are much more consistent bloggers for keeping me updated regularly. I enjoy knowing what's up with my family and friends. You inspire me, you make me smile, you help me stay in touch. Thanks!

And, finally, for this brief blog entry, let me share a thought that was shared with me today. I was introduced to a website called despair.com. Their business is to sell demotivational products. They saw a market for anti-motivational posters, and they jumped on it. Some of them were kind of harsh, but several of them really made me laugh. But one of them said this:

Blogging: Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few

It made me laugh, but fortunately, I don't quite feel that way. I just wanted to share it in case it made you laugh too! I'll be seeing you soon in my little corner of the blogosphere.