Couple of Guys Cooperating

These two guys got the same shirt for Christmas one year. Either our washer is harsher, or Johnny has just worn his more than his dad has worn his?

Travelogue

While they are doing this:
The girls are doing this!

July and August Birthdays!

Okay, I can't stretch this week out anymore without any current pictures of us as a couple. He is biking 200 miles with the scouts. And I wasn't agressive enough taking pre-blogging pictures.

These are half of the children we share in common. Our summer birthday contingent. Shells from St. Croix! Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa missionaries!

Tables Turned

It has been hard for me this last week to think about blogging, picture taking. John is supportive of my original goal project, so this is a picture of him taking the initiative and inserting himself next to me.

Mid-Song

Us singing "Tis Love Brings Us Here" our 2nd verse of Happy Birthday!

United Thoughts

You have to imagine this as a couple photo! John saw me with the camera taking a photo of the brownie pistachio frosting cake for Max, and laughed and said he had just taken a photo of the same thing! Un cropped, un-touched photos, one from each of us, having the same document-our-living history thought!

A Difference of Opinion

Happily married couples do not have to agree about everything. The big things, yes. Values should match. Life goals, yes. But bacon? Nah!


This IS a couple photo, taken Sunday am. The night before we went grocery shopping together, and I suggested we buy bacon so Max could have it for his birthday morning breakfast. We got two packs, and John said we would have to start cooking at 6:30 am to have it done before 8 am. I was bewildered. No way could it take that long! When I cook it, I put the whole pack in the pan and turn it over once and it is done. I like chewy, flexible bacon. John, however, likes it super crispy. That takes patient cooking, only a few in the pan at a time, until all the fat cooks out. He took over the cooking and saved me out a couple of my-kind-of-perfect slices.

How Can We Be Busier?

It must be the season of our life: kids in college, high school, middle school, and elementary school. Working several temporary jobs to make mortgage payment. Hefty church volunteer callings.

Could we be any busier? Is that the right spelling? Busy-er. More busy.

My immediate supervisor resigned yesterday. Makes me more busy suddenly.

John and boys are scouting.

School starts in a month! I am trying to get ready for early morning Bible Study class. And get Stewart packed for college.

And clean the house...

My sister Luanna is coming in 4 days and I think she is going to see the house as is. Lived in, lots of love, and lots of piles of indecision and waiting for project time to complete!

A Tint Better Than a Load?

Do you love black and white photos as much as I do?
Do you like sepia prints? Or straight black and whites?
I prefer the look of this couple photo--you can still see John's blue eyes, and I am not Christmas Red glowing. I used the tint option in Picasa to wash out the over loaded color.

Untouched.

Happy 24th of July! This was my favorite holiday in Utah! There are fireworks tonight at Cal Ripken stadium--not for us, but we can pretend they are celebrating Pioneer Day with us!

I was pregnant 17 years ago and insisted the doctor wait another day before inducing me so baby Maxwell would be born after the family reunion fish fry, after the parade, after the fireworks. He was big. I don't remember how big. I'll talk more about him tomorrow on his day.

Cropping Experiments, Continued

Variety of textures, visual and actual.

Grey flannel John's pilow. Silk pink mine. Nubby tie dye rice bag. 1940's print quilt on wall. Black powder-coated Ikea bed. T-shirts. Hair. Glowing dewy (sweaty blushing)skin. Metal buttons. Beard stubble. Freckles.

Playing With Composition

I like the black vertical lines, trying to decide how much to crop out or leave in...

You can see the tie-dyed hand towel (over John's head on my real side of the bed) turned rice bag creation Emma made for Christmas presents. I use this every night! Best. Gift. Ever! We bought super good quality hotel towels from NPS in SLC for $1 each. Emma used Rit dyes. Personalized colors, sewn up into two long vertical channels and filled with 4 cups of white rice. Put in microwave (our wimpy one takes 3:40 minutes for perfect back-soothing relief) to desired temperature. Can also be frozen.

Opposite Poses

Recent picture taken Sunday.


Months ago and ready for cross stitch or a quilt...hee hee! If you can't see it, walk away from the computer screen until you can see us.

You've Got to Be Kidding!

John came in to the bedroom where I was working, saw me in my bright yellow top, black sweats and laughed. He was wearing a yellow top he had grabbed to answer the door and his black work pants. Roxie took our matching picture.

New Texters

Sheepish Sunday

No batteries in camera-reason for late post. Relying on John's phone camera. Here we are, almost real time. XO

Movie Date Night!

I've worked so much this week, that even starting Tuesday afternoon I did 40 hours for the week before noon today.

So last night I took a break and went on a date with John. Watched a movie in a theatre-first time in a long, LONG time! "Inception." I won't tell you my favorite part until you tell me you have seen it. Visually fascinating. Less you know about it, more you will like it. Photo taken in the theatre, as we watched the film credits--and saw, MICHAEL BABCOCK as one of the mixers! We always stay until the end, to see if we know anyone--see where it is filmed, check out the soundtrack, see how many stunt guys required (long list on this one!).

Do you notice our matching green? I think I got dressed first, and John says this was just the shirt on top.

Friday Rescue

I called him when the car died. After I pushed it out of the road as far as I could up a driveway on a country road. I went ahead and did my job (three houses up the road) and came back as John pulled up to help me. He rescued me. And then took our picture on his new phone! And then I went back to work, but kept the car running so it wouldn't die on me again.

Looking forward to a date with my gallant knight.

Word Picture-Sorry So Late in the Day

Sometimes I call John on his cell phone, even when we are in the house together. This morning I got a text from him--first one! Our phone plan is changing, since Stewart is going off to school and needed one...so we will be texters.

I thought about first messages-and wished for solemn words to mark the occasion. But the first text I got was from my boss, first one I sent back to her.

We are hoping to get good at it.

John asked for a texting date, so I can practice and figure this new phone out! Nice to upgrade with rebates that make it "free" but it takes me awhile to get used to new technology.

So think of us, side by side, phones in hand, talking/texting. That is your picture of us for the day.

Sigh. I showed up for the RS clothing exchange (love the love bags) and found stuff for Em and Suzu and Roxie and new pj pants for me...Stayed for 15 minutes of the how-to-save-money lesson and then left to go back to work. Saw some beautiful, beautiful homes today. My scripture study for the morning was a challenge to put off worldly things (not covet). Timely.

Wednesday Without Make Up

This is us, looking on as Roxie opened presents Monday night. Same pose from yesterday. Didn't have time to do my hair or face before guests arrived.

John was impressed that she asked for crepes for her birthday dinner. I had to struggle with the time-consuming labor of it, reminiscent of labor 9 years ago? Shouldn't mom's have the day off on their children's birth celebrations?

Stewart took over flipping crepes after I was cooking for 2 hours. We had plenty of crepes, with left-overs! I made 3 big batches of batter. My EASY-very forgiving recipe:

break 3-7 eggs into an osterizer. (Throw in yolks from white cake you made earlier)

open one can of food storage milk, evaporated, the one for pies, not the make-fudge

pour in above milk and fill milk can with tap water and hold ready

start machine, low, then slowly higher with LID OFF so you can add...

add half a cup of sugar, powdered or granulated, your choice (this is the place to add cocoa powder mixed with sugar, if desired. Equal parts sugar/cocoa.)

add flour until osterizer can no longer absorb it

add can of milky water until continues to move blades of osterizer

add a little more flour, more water until reach top of osterizer

Cook batter in hot pan with a tiny bit of oil and a touch of butter for flavor. Pour in batter and lift pan and rotate/tilt pan around so batter spreads over entire bottom of pan. If batter is too thick, add more water. Crepes are NOT pancakes, you want a thin batter that coats the bottom of the pan and cooks paper-thin. Do not leave un-attended. Cooks very quickly. Cook just until you can flip it, and barely 30 seconds on the second side. Layer crepes on a plate. It is okay if they get cold. Cook until you have a huge pile!

Soften cream cheese, beat in mixer and slowly add cup of sugar, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream for the perfect filling spread.

Blueberry sauce: 4 pints of fresh and washed blueberries (Aldi's, for $1 a pint!) and 1 cup of sugar. Cook until boiling and then add 1/2 cup corn starch mixed with juice from one can of chunk pineapple. Thickens nicely as it boils and is a perfect blueberry sauce for crepes!

Party

We party with food: Roxie requested crepes, and I made vanilla and chocolate batches-wonderful with cream cheese/whipping cream and blueberries and nutella, strawberry jam, peaches. No room for cake after that kind of dinner!

Happy Birthday to My Baby!

I know we baby her--because she is our baby!

This is Roxie cuddling her new Lone Wolfe (named for her love of "Julie of the Wolves" books NOT Twilight!) build-a-bear choice, her birthday adventure with Grandma Sandy, pre-accident.This is Roxie swallowing Motrin for the pain. Those are her crutches. She fell on the slick garage floor and hit her ankle. (Emma broke her ankle at Grandpa's house, when she was a year older than Roxie).
Swollen, tender, and the x-ray was hard to read through the growth plates and many foot/ankle bones-we are waiting on a call tonight from the doctor to see if she gets a permanent cast...which puts summer swimming off the list. She is brave and patient and very matter-of-fact about this.

I remember how easy her birth was compared to her siblings. She was the first baby that I didn't have my water broken by the OB or midwife. She was a couple of days late, but it was nice having the labor move along on its own, no pitocin. Roxie's birth was the first time I used the huge exercise ball to ease through transition--I gently rocked back and forth on it with my arms on the bed and leaning over and I didn't want to get off, even when she started to descend. My personal theory is that it helped speed things up, opening up my pelvis, helping me relax and dilate. I remember John being there. Holding my hand, telling me it was okay to push.

It is good to be parents. It is good to have all my kids here. It is good that baby Hazel comes over to play so I can still love babies and Roxie can have the experience of having a baby in the house.

Babies are blessings. Being a parent is a blessing.

Watching our babies grow up and get ready to be parents is sobering.

Why the 4th?

Not why the 4th of July. I am talking about the 4th generation of passing on a family name. When I first met John and learned that he was a third--I had never met anyone with a generational name. (I knew about Joseph Smith, Jr, from Church. I had heard of Thurston Howell III from Gilligan's Island.) I thought it meant John was rich, with a name legacy like that!

When I met John Junior, and then the Senior, the name made more sense. It grew on me. By the time we were married and expecting our second baby and found out he was a boy, his name fit. I knew that was a good name for him, and it created a connection with his grandpas that is hard to describe. I have never regretted passing on that great name to our son, even in the confusion of whose mail is it?

We've called him by his middle name (one school year in 3rd grade he went by John to try it out). Whether or not he passes that on depends on his wife. No pressure. I will tell her my story and make very clear name passing is not an obligation.

Today Stewart will be ordained an Elder at Church. This is a bigger deal to me than his getting his Eagle, or graduation from high school, or being old enough to vote. This is a big step on the pathway of getting ready to go to the temple, serve a mission for two years. He will be leaving for college in 4 and a half weeks.

We will miss him, and the table will shrink, more leftovers will remain uneaten, but I know he will be in a good place, and a little more like his daddy, a good man!

Saturday Situation

Not really a couple photo, but we were together--I was in the car with John when I took this photo of a sign in Baltimore near the Boychoir center that he thinks is hilarious. The exactness, specific warning. Further along this road there are more signs with strange increments of feet warning. And the speed bumps really are high and horrendous. Maybe the unique signs make people pay closer attention? If they weren't warned, or ignored the caution, they would lose under-parts of their cars!

Wouldn't it be nice if we had such specific signs posted to warn us of impending problems and trials?

"Prepare for HEAT Discomfort!"

"Be Ready to pick up and move!"

I don't want to live pessimistically and EXPECT hard things. I know everyone has trials and difficulties (and the trial of being rich would be a nice one for awhile...) but the physical HEAT of this last one was hard. I don't know why anyone ever settled here off the boats before air conditioning!

We've been living in my gracious-2 blocks away in-law's basement all week due to 96+ degree weather IN-side our home. Broken A/C. Long week. It is fixed now. Cooling off, and the long-waited for rain is helping.

It is good to be home, but Roxie twisted her ankle and she is on ice until we can figure out how bad it is.

And my house smells weird. Maybe it smells this way all the time, and I've gotten used to it? Makes me want to mop and scrub.

I guess that a warning wouldn't have really helped me handle the week better.

May you be ready to survive all your trials this week.

Friday Favorite

This strange, urban background is across the street from Rita's-gelati-Italian ice and custard shop, family outing. If I hadn't been in the middle of saying something, this would have been a real smile. John looks good!

This was really dark, no flash, fill light increased, so fuzzy, out of focus.

Max photo credit.

Thursday Thinking

Original untouched photo.
Black and white, highlights increased. I really like this one!

Experimenting.

Wednesday Weirdness

Having too much fun with a funny photo, Maxwell took of us.

Tuesday Trust

I came up behind him in the middle of his breakfast, but he is willing to take a minute to smile, after swallowing.

Monday Memories

John took the kids to Great Grandma's condo by the stadium to watch the fireworks. Emma and Stewart are at the DC mall. I am home reading a book and close to my bathroom.

We Crohn's Disease patients have our own ways of dealing with stress. I went to a support group for awhile but it was too depressing to go and listen to people dealing with the same struggles, some worse off, some better. If you don't think you know someone with this particular challenge, you probably do, but they haven't told you that they are dealing with it. Too common, too awful, too life-consuming.

But we all have some struggle, some trial we are dealing with. I have mostly made peace with this part of my life. John buys me super-soft tp, his way of showing understanding and support.

I can hear the "gunshot" war sounds from here (we are 3 miles from the stadium).

Will my kids grow up wondering why I bail out of some activities? Will they remember Dad was always taking them places, and Mom stayed home to rest?

More Inclusive

My Aim is Off

My favorite people to talk to today were two sisters, identical twins, who lost their husbands and live together again. Cute, funny, great senses of humor. I laughed out loud at their joie de vivre. I want to grow old and be like them!

(Old with John, my good sport couple photo husband.)

Before and After

5 miles, sweaty, fun. I like that we bike early enough in the morning--fewer lycra-skinny bikers on the road. Just us real folks, exercising!

How Do I Help My Kids Get Here?

Tiffany pointed me towards a great blog (I started reading "what about your walls" and then found this well written thoughts about temples).

http://segullah.org/slice-of-life/sometimes-always-at-the-temple/

I want them to know the peace and joy I feel here, the answers to prayers, the blessings that come from serving. Two hours of leaving our lights on, and the car still started. "TEMPLE BLESSING!"

We try to go to the temple at least once a month. There was a cute and serious returned missionary sitting by us that I wanted to give our daughter's phone number to, but held back, felt strongly that it really is her choice who she dates, no arranged Mormon weddings, no matter how convenient or satisfying from a parent's point-of-view that would be...It amazes me that John can know exactly what I am saying. Eye language. I looked significantly at my wedding ring, he shook his head, touched his hand to help me know he knew exactly what I was asking. I like working in tandem with him.
Edited.
The original.

We walked into the office together, and my boss laughed, and asked, "You know this guy?" referring to John. We work different operations, and it has been crazy both having meetings here at our house with overlapping times. I have a week break, or would, but the big, BIG boss asked if I am available Thursday night, Friday and Saturday for another operation. It is good to be known as a good worker, and the money has been a huge blessing for our family this year. Whatever you hear from ANYONE about government wasting money on the count, know that it has been a job that has kept us in our home during a tough time. I know a lot of people it has helped from the employment end.
We have found this great buffet place that has tender, tasty baby octopus. John thinks it is funny that I like them so much.