Well Fed -- A Commandment

"Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things."

John Howland came on the Mayflower as a servant. One night at sea when the “winds were so fierce and the seas so high . . . a lusty young man called John Howland was . . . thrown into the sea; but it pleased God that he caught hold of the topsail halyards . . .” The crew rescued him with a boathook. And while many pilgrims died, including John Howland’s master and his master’s wife, John Howland lived to marry and have ten children. H.U. Westermayer said, “The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.”

Abraham Lincoln instituted the Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863 while we were in the middle of a bloody war. There was much to be discouraged about, but he chose to focus on expressing thanks for our blessings. He said America needed to be grateful that no other nations had taken advantage of her in her weakened state while internally fighting. He said America’s prosperity was a “gracious gift of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” He suggested that it was fitting and proper for the American people to solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledge that.
Both John Howland and Abraham Lincoln had much about which to be discouraged. But they chose to be grateful. Now that is thanks giving.

Hundreds of years later, science has proved that practicing gratitude makes us healthier. Robert Emmons, PhD, and professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis conducted a study on the affect of gratitude on people. He used three groups in his study. The first group was assigned to focus on hassles or things wrong in their lives. The second group was asked to focus on things for which they were grateful or enhanced their lives. The third group focused on ordinary life events. It was discovered that those who found something to appreciate every day were less materialistic and less likely to see a connection between happiness and possessions. Those who consciously expressed appreciation were also

• more empathetic

• more helpful

• felt better about their lives

• were more optimistic

• were more energetic

• were more enthusiastic

• were more determined

• were more interested

• were more joyful

• exercised more

• had fewer illnesses

• got more sleep

• were more likely to have helped someone else

• had clearer thinking

• had better resilience during tough times

• had a higher immune response

• were less likely to be plagued by stress

• had longer lives

• enjoyed closer family ties

• had greater religiousness

• experienced more joy


It appears that gratitude pays again and again and again. 

Of course it would be good for us . . .  it's a commandment.

Well Fed -- A New Member of the Family

Joe and Ande

It’s official!  Sometime soon.  Welcome Joe, welcome!

Well Fed -- Snow Day!

Nothing like a snow day.  Nothing.  Unless it's when Daylight Savings ends and you gain that extra hour.  But a snow day gives you 12 extra hours so even Daylight Savings doesn't really compare.  I took full advantage of the extra hours today:

• cleaned the bathroom
• did the laundry and ironing
• made a batch of strawberry jam and a batch of blackberry jam
• made a batch of conglomeration fruit leather (strawberry/blackberry/grape/pear/apple)
• sent a couple of lengthy and overdue e-mails
• vacuumed and dusted
• prepared a lesson
• went on a short drive with Calvin and was surprised at the number of snowdrifts  
• cleaned the rubble out of my snowboots that sit in the garage (no dehydrated frog like I found in Calvin's one year, but there was an extra key or two)
• carried water to the chickens
• walked down to the mailbox (it's only twelve or thirteen degrees this afternoon)

And . . . the whole evening is still ahead!  I'm reading Decision Points by George W. Bush and thoroughly enjoying it.

Oh the things you can do when you have no place to go.  What would you do with a snow day?

Well Fed – Static Control, Memories, Stew, Assigned Friends, and Parenthesis’s

Tis the season for static cling.  Everything sticks to everything and everything itches.  Thank goodness for fabric softener, hairspray, slips, and lotion.  (Have you tried the bodycology lotion at Wal-Mart?  I really like it.  Gardenia is what I brought home today.)

We’re spending Thanksgiving in Idaho with a couple of my sisters. Calvin, who watches the weather forecast, has warned the kids who are driving to expect snow, to leave early, drive slow, and that those who are going hunting should bring wool clothes. I’m glad I’m in Calvin’s car.

Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday. You can imagine how out lucky I felt when I discovered we had ancestors on the Mayflower (my brother-in-law had an ancestor on it, too, but his was soon hanged for being a horse thief).

I was thinking about childhood Thanksgivings today. One year my little brother and sister had the chicken-pox. Talk about a downer year. No cousins came. It was like a regular Sunday dinner. No nut cups. No place cards. Turkey instead of roast, Thursday instead of Sunday, otherwise very, very similar.

Another year Heber, one of my folks’ close friends, died of a heart attack. Mom was in the kitchen early in the morning stuffing the turkey and crying. (Now as I’m typing this I’m wondering if maybe it was onions, but at the time I was certain she was in mourning.) I carefully watched Mom (I didn’t want dinner called off and another chicken-pox Thanksgiving) while I played with my pet pretend mice. (I had three jellybeans that I glued little paper ears to and put them in some cotton in the bottom of a little box. They lived for several days.)

I loved the Thanksgivings when our Chadwick cousins came. They loved to play home-made games like Up-Jenkins, The Liars Game, and Cat & Mouse. Chadwick cousins didn’t put age limits on who could play. And then after we’d eaten Thanksgiving dinner, we went down to the basement and sat around the fireplace and piano while Dad and Uncle Duane sang. I remember them laughing more than singing. They accompanied each other – Uncle Duane played the saw, Dad played the spoons, and Aunt Pat played the piano. They sang songs like Down in the Valley, You are My Sunshine, and Home on the Range. But they also sang “Cigereeeeeettes and whiskey and wild, wild women . . . they’ll drive a man wild, they’ll drive him insane.” (Mom and Aunt Pat didn’t think they were funny.)

I also loved the Thanksgivings when my sisters brought home their college roommates.

It’s been snowing all day. I fixed stew and breadsticks for supper. (I put a handful of barley and little cubes of winter squash in the stew and they made a very nice difference.)

I went visiting teaching today.  I explained visiting teaching to one of my friends who is not a member of the same church I am by saying, “It’s kind of like we’re assigned friends.  I’m assigned to be a friend to some women and other women are assigned to be my friend.  And . . . it works.  It works because we all do it.”  (Remember the monster mash? It did make cute pilgrim mix and I took it to “my assigned friends.”

Tis the season for lots of good things.

Well Fed – S’s

Sunday

I do love a good Sunday.  Good meaning not too many mess-ups on the organ, a bag of peanut m&m’s in my church bag, quiet inspiration, reflective thoughts, the Sacrament, a good dinner, a nap, popcorn, and a fine book.  It is as Joseph Addison said, “Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.”  I’m glad God made Sundays.

Snow

Yesterday morning was our first snow.  The flakes were big and bushy.  They didn’t stay long, but they did land.  I’m glad God made snow.  Calvin’s dad always kept track of the weather.  Always.  Calvin does the same thing.  I find it endearing.

Sore and Sweaty

Grace and I jogged three miles Friday.  Now I know it's not that far, but I haven’t jogged that far since college.  I usually walk a mile to warm up, jog two, and then reward myself with a mile walk at the end.  However, when Grace and I jogged together she said, “Let’s push it and do three.”  We were surprised how much we sweat in the cold and that one mile more made us sore the next day.  I’m glad God made Grace and told Adam sweat was good for him.

Supper

Our ward harvest supper was last night.  Grace made a pumpkin roll, I was assigned rolls, and Calvin helped with the meat.  The cultural hall was decorated beautifully, the food was really good (I don’t know who made the rolls at our table, but they were wonderful), and the conversation was fun.  Anytime you sit at a table with Ludeen the conversation is good.  Not too many years ago she and I delivered a cake to a family and she ran to the car afterwards – she’s pushing 85.  I’m glad God made church families.

Squabble

I bit my fingernails off this week and it wasn’t because I was bored.  I’m glad God expects us to make peace. 

Stray

A cat has adopted us. It feels kind of good. Cats, let alone stray cats, don’t adopt us nor do they last long in the land of coyotes and cur dogs. This cat is not only a stray, she’s a smart stray. It took Cali three days to find her kittens.

Awhile ago I saw a mid-sized kitten streak across the parking lot at work. It ran straight for the fence and the bushes; she wanted nothing to do with humanity. I wasn’t sure what the stray’s kittens looked like as I’d only seen them once or twice in the dark, but I was pretty sure that streaking orange kitten was one of the stray's. That night Calvin confirmed it. It must be simply unnerving to ride on some ledge under the hood of a car at 70 miles an hour. I’m sure it’s not as scary as getting caught in a fan belt, but I still can’t help but think it would be the undoing of me as it seemed to be the orange kitten. Within the week all three of the kittens were gone, but the calico stray stays on.  She is content to live on mice and an occasional helping of leftover gravy. I’m glad God loves all strays.

School

I got a letter in the mail this week notifying me that I received a B in my communications class.  A B is OK, but I'm glad God doesn't grade me on power point presentations and sentence structures. 

How would you fill in the sentence, "I'm glad God ________" ?



Well Fed – The Constitution of the United States of America

The Old Man Wept 

by Del Parson

A couple of weeks ago I read The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz. Tonight Grace, Calvin, and I attended a seminar on the Constitution given by Glen Kimber. This is the third lecture we’ve attended by Dr. Kimber. He advocates learning the Constitution and how and why it was created. Then in a kind but pointed way, he helps seminar participants to recognize how our apathy, distraction, and ignorance have contributed to its undermining and suggests ways to correct our behavior.

Until the 1950’s Americans were taught the Constitution in school classrooms and taught about our Four Founding Fathers. Can you match them?

Benjamin Franklin

George Washington

James Madison

Samuel Adams

         The Father of the Revolution                 

              The Father of our Country                       

             The Father of the Constitution                        

                      The Father of Morality                                  

 Luckily I had recently studied about them and could match them, but that was about all the farther my ignorance took me.

The Father of the Revolution: Samuel Adams

The Father of our Country: George Washington

The Father of the Constitution: James Madison

The Father of Morality: Benjamin Franklin






Mr. Kimber reports that by Congress’ calculation over a billion dollars have been spent defaming the Founding Fathers. By denigrating the creator, you can devalue the created. (I thought it telling that the most money was spent on vilifying Benjamin Franklin, The Father of Morality.) Sweeping curriculum changes fifty years ago stopped the teaching of the Constitution and of American History in our public classrooms, and I am certainly a product of those changes. I’m trying to correct that.  It's so easy to take for granted something that didn't cost me anything in time, talents, energy, or resources.

Calvin, Grace, and I went to Baskin Robbins afterwards and discussed what we can do to correct our ignorance. Improving our reading was one thing we decided to do, and taking this FREE BYU on-line class: An American Citizen’s Guide to Government and Politics was another. Things are much easier to commit to if you have a world-class-chocolate ice cream cone in hand.

Several years ago I went to Israel with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and two cousins. Cleon Skousen was our tour guide. Not long ago, I discovered that Glen Kimber and his wife, Julianne, were also on that trip. (Julianne is Cleon Skousen’s daughter.) Small world. It’s not every day that you run into a fellow camel riding travel-mate. Mr. Kimber had just returned from the Middle-East two days ago (he’s made over fifty trips since our trip thirty years ago) and it was fun to hear some of his recent experiences in relation to the Constitution.  It reminded me of our trip so long ago.

Do you wish you knew the Constitution better?

Well Fed – Shortcuts

Deb and I divvy up assignments for the retreats. She’s the heart behind them; I’m the check book register. One of my jobs this year was to make sugar cookies. I’ve tried several sugar cookie recipes through the years, and like them, but none of them are very soft three days later. I was in a crunch and decided to buy cookies at the grocery bakery. I told Deb my plan and she said, “You can’t do that! They have to be homemade.” I gave her a resigned look and said, “Deb, you can’t even eat the cookies.” She laughed (Deb always laughs, it's one of the things I most appreciate about her) and said her vote still counted.

Time passed and duties mounted. Making 80+ sugar cookies seemed less and less feasible. I went the Safeway route and didn’t tell Deb.

I frosted them with homemade cream cheese frosting and decorated them with royal icing Raggedy Ann’s and Andy’s. They were really cute.

Especially after they were tied with gingham ribbon in a cellophane bag with a tag. 

After Alyson, Deb’s daughter, had eaten her cookies she came to my table and whispered, “Can I please get the recipe.” Tiffany echoed, “Me, too. Can I get it?”

I laughed and whispered back, “Tell your mom she’s very funny.”

They both looked a bit confused and Alyson said, “What?”

I said, “Tell your mom I get it. She got me.”

Alyson said, “Why would I say that?”

I said, “Didn’t she tell you to come and ask me for the recipe so I’d have to fess up that I bought the cookies after all?”

Alyson said, “Nooooo. All I know is those cookies are good and I want the recipe.”

Sugar cookies with homemade frosting and royal icing toppers – it’s my Safeway shortcut secret and Alyson promised she wouldn't tell. 

Though life could certainly go on without shortcuts, I do appreciate when something comes together easy.

(The royal icing Ann and Andy’s come from The Peppermint Place in Alpine, Utah. They sell seconds there and my sister buys them and gives them to me regularly as a surprise.  She gave me a box of 200 or so and said it cost her less than $5.)

(I took the picture of the Raggedy Ann that sits on my sister’s bed then added cartoon effects, text, and a frame at Photobucket.com, then printed them on cardstock to make the cookie tag.)

Well Fed – Retreats

“I think this was the best year yet.” We’ve heard it before and even said it ourselves, but this time we really mean it. We had a great scrapbooking retreat last weekend.

image from www.suncadia.com

These were our rooms. They truly are this beautiful. Each bathtub has shutters around it and each shower has real leaves encased in the tile. Fancy.

We were served

grilled chicken breast
steamed vegetables
garlic mashed potatoes
a very, very rare sirloin steak (but no one even complained)
chocolate mousse
cheesecake
fresh fruit tarts
chicken teriyaki
hot rolls
pretty little butter balls with a twig of herb
and lots and lots and lots and lots of candy and homemade treats as well

with cloth napkins.

We’re missing a few who ran to the scrapbook store

There were forty of us,

and a ton of stuff.

Two of the forty were Debbie and Janet.  Debbie worked on wedding albums and came with her daughter-in-law.  Janet worked on her son’s football album (he plays for Penn State) and came with her two twin daughters.

Susan finally won a prize.  She’s come to over a dozen retreats, but this was her first time ever to win. 

Haley, Rachel, Ande, me, Grace, Jamie, Cali

The swimming team. The fitness center had hot tubs, a sauna, two water slides, and a warm water pool. It was wonderful and the slides were fun. After we’d played and swam, the seven of us sat outside in the hot tub amongst the pine trees, evening star, and a ¾ moon. It was as perfect an evening as could be.

Cali cutting a quilt top, Rachel sewing paper banners

Our group total was 824 pages, 485 cards, 61 projects, 1 king-sized quilt top, and a few blogs . . . plus Deb and I felt like we’d accomplished the portion of our mission statement which states, “provide women with a safe, amiable atmosphere where they can use their creative talents to preserve family legacies, and an experience where women can laugh, create, visit, and form unique camaraderie with women of similar interests."

Jane and Deb –D.J.’s Scrapbooking Retreats

These retreats have been a juicy apple under my tree.  I have appreciated getting my family history in order, building friendships, and working with Deb.  I especially enjoyed having Ande, Cali, Grace, my niece Haley, and my sister Rachel at this last retreat.

Well Fed – Footprints

Sometimes I think I took my children’s literature teacher too seriously.  She said, “A good mother has one blind eye and one deaf ear.”

This past weekend while we were gone to the scrapbooking retreat, Calvin added a storage room onto the house.  Just. like. that.  Everyone in the family knew it was coming; everyone that is but the one with the blind eye and the deaf ear.  When we pulled into the dark yard Saturday night, I saw a set of lights on the grass and thought with a Grandpa Hoops’ humph, “Huh.  I didn’t think Calvin was going to grill supper tonight so that’s why he suggested I bring pizzas home.  He must have changed his mind.”  It took a few moments for me to see that those lights were shining on a whole new addition to the house.  When I got out of the car everyone called, “Did Dad keep the surprise?!  Did you see it coming?!”

Trevor and Calvin

Oh indeed.  Calvin did surprise me.  He had Trevor come and help him build the food storage room while we were away.  Trevor came the day before we left for the retreat, but I didn’t notice the extra dog in the pen or the car behind the house.  Calvin stockpiled supplies and money for the project, but I hadn’t noticed that either.  Ray even slipped once, but since it was in code I missed that too.  All I know is that this was one grand surprise.  Calvin and Trevor are meticulous builders and now we will have a cool, dark place that will store our food much better.  Calvin is a great one and I appreciate the way he provides for us.   

Last night as I was crawling into bed, Calvin came back into the bedroom in this paint suit.  The goggles over his glasses especially made me laugh and I said, “I’ve gotta show you to Rachel and Grace.”  Even though they were already in bed I turned on their light.  They laughed and Rachel pegged it: “You look like an Oompa-Loompa in Willy Wonka’s factory.” 

I hope his giant oompa-loompa, white footprints that are all over the sidewalk don't wash away for a little while.  The storage room will always remind me of him, but the footprints remind me of his funny personality.

Well Fed -- Veterans

Now where would I be without veterans?  Certainly not well fed, that's for certain.  Without veterans I'd be in some spot that nobody else wanted or thought worth defending.  Somewhere without water, sun, or soil.

Somewhere with thorns.  Somewhere with no freedom.

Above our piano we have a matted picture frame with six openings in it.  In the first spot is a picture of Calvin's grandfather in his World War I uniform.  In the second spot is a picture of Calvin's dad in his World War II uniform.  In the third opening is a picture of Calvin in his Viet Nam uniform.  In the fourth opening is a picture of Abe in his Army uniform, and in the fifth opening a picture of Ty in his Air Force uniform.  In the final spot is a quote about preserving freedom for the next generation.  During the Viet Nam war, Calvin's dad sat Calvin down one day and told him he had a responsibility to protect our freedoms.  He explained he had done it, his father before him had done it, and it didn't matter that the cause the country was in at the time wasn't popular, Calvin had a responsibility to serve. Calvin served.   

I like living in America.  I'm grateful that so many have made it possible for me.    

Well Fed -- Together

me, Grace, Ande, Haley (my niece), Rachel (my sister), Cali

It's begun:  our annual scrapbooking retreat that Deb and I host.  This year it is at Suncadia Resort (resort as in a place that gives you a fireplace in your room, scented salts for your bath, and a golf course out your door).

Just now I couldn't remember how many years we've been doing retreats so I went and asked Cynthia Small, "Cynthia, how old is your little boy now?" because that is how I keep track.  I remember that first retreat when Cynthia's husband and little kids dropped her off and watching Cynthia kiss her baby good-bye for three days.  Her husband has taken care of them every year and even donates caramel popcorn for us.  (He bags them in cellophane bags with a little scrapbooking gadget in the bottom and labels them Scrapper Jacks.  Yes, they are cute.)

One of the things I like about the scrapbooking retreats is the energy which morphs into synergy.  Another thing is seeing the mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends laugh and share and get misty eyed.  This picture below makes me laugh.  Rachel is showing Deb, Alyson (Deb's daughter) and Cali a picture.  The look on Cali reveals it all.  It's a night picture that Rachel took of her kids at an old cemetery near their home.  There are eight kids in the picture.  Or are there?  There is a shadow of a little boy in overalls beside the eight kids . . . none of the eight are in overalls . . . and none of the eight are the size of the little boy in overalls either.  So I guess you could say there are nine kids in the picture.  Or are there?  I was taken in a cemetery after all.  

This is one great place to be for the next three days.

Well Fed— Things That Tickle My Fancy Today, Not Necessarily Tomorrow, nor Next Week, nor a Year Ago, nor a Year from Now

I’ve mentioned circle journals before – that project where we all start a scrapbook/journal and then pass it around until everyone in the group has added their page. Our fall scrapbook retreat is coming up in two days and those of us who did circle journals will swap them for the last time. I just finished, “Things That Tickle My Fancy.” I had to think about that theme for long while. Pink feathery boas and frittatas were the first two fancy things I thought of and neither one tickles mine. I found my list of things much more pragmatic:

children’s picture books
baskets
miniatures
audio books
farm stands
kids’ lemonade stands
rag dolls
old friends together
hot fudge milkshakes
fry sauce
fresh vegetables
full moons


What are five things that tickle your fancy today?

Well Fed – Everyday Life

Tonight we had chicken-broccoli-rice casserole for supper. Grace made chocolate cake for family night. Any guess what the common everyday ingredient (besides salt) was in both? I have a little surprise for the first one to guess it.

When Calvin saw me taking a picture of supper he said, “Don’t tell me you’d put a picture of a casserole on the blog before the jeep.” Ohhhhh . . . (here it comes, wait for it) jeepers, his jeep. Calvin’s hobbies have always been money-makers, but this jeep broke the mold; although it is as he says, “I just swapped one piece of junk for another piece of junk.” Someone on Craig’s list made a trade with him – an old four-wheeler for an old jeep – and they both seem pleased. I'm thinking this jeep, when it runs again, will be little more than a geriatric four wheeler, so I guess it was a fair trade.

I told Calvin, “But I don’t know what to say about the jeep.”

The jeep is part of everyday life so I guess that says it all. Behold the jeep:

We got Ty’s senior picture proofs in the mail today. It’s hard to believe that by next summer all of the kids will have graduated from college. I remember being on the other end of these years and wondering how many miracles it would take to make a good college education possible for each of them.  I'm here to say miracles happen . . . everyday even.

I never noticed until today that Ty has a crooked smile. He’s been smiling at me for 24 years and I don’t know how I missed it all that time, but every single picture has it and they all look just like him. Which reminds me of the first time Ty smiled at me, I even recorded it in my journal adding that some would argue it wasn’t real. He was barely 24 hours old. I was holding him against my heart when he lifted up his head and with those little gray eyes looked straight at me and smiled—strong and sure. Then his head bobbled and rested back against me. There was such a warm and special feeling that passed between us that I knew it was no accident. That smile said, “Thank you for getting me here,” and mine said, “Your welcome. Welcome to the family.”

Smiles, pictures, and Ty: a part of everyday life.

 

Last weekend my niece Rachel wrote a great post about a Norman Rockwell art exhibit she attended.  Immediately after reading it, Cali went and got her Norman Rockwell book and we looked at it together.  Nobody caught the essence of everyday life like Norman Rockwell.

Reading, especially with someone, is a wonderful part of everyday life.