40 something

When you're in your 40's things begin to change.  Skin is not as elastic as it was in your 20's and 30's.  Life's experiences begin to show on your face and neck as lines, wrinkles, moles and age spots.  Hair begins to have gray twigs that take over the hair shafts.  When you wake up in the morning it takes some stretching and moaning to work out the kinks that linger in the joints after a night of REST.        

Being in your 40's is a HAPPY time of life.  There is much joy in the 40's.  Some people think you are old some people think you are young because you are in the middle of life somewhere.  And when you are in your 40's and married to your best friend, life is good.

When you are 46, as I am, you may one day wake up and decide that you want to change something.  For me it was my hair color.  I no longer wanted to be any form of blonde.  Or streaked blonde and gray and brunette.  I wanted something DIFFERENT.  I do that from time to time.  In the past when I felt this way I changed my furniture around, bought a new couch, moved, had a baby at 43.  But a few days ago, it was a change in hair color I wanted and since I had the opportunity given to me to do it with no cost to me, I took it.  My husband still loves me, my kids don't seem to care one way or the other and I am no longer a blonde.

So if you are in your 40's or above I'm sure you can relate in some way to what happens in your 40's.  If you haven't made it to that decade yet, just you wait and see.  When I turned 40 the adventure began and I find it very refreshing, most days.  When I am chasing after my two year old I sometimes find myself muttering.."I wish I were still in my 30's....ha, ha"

My husband entered the 40's just this last birthday and I think he is and extremely handsome 40 year old man!!!  I found this picture today, it was saved on the computer and all over again I got that feeling inside that I did when I first saw him, He is such an attractive man!!!  I love him for always encouraging me to be "ME".  I also am very glad that he is now in his 40's so he can experience the pure joy of it all!!   

I'm back!!!

I have been on a bit of a BREAK..Spring break perhaps..or just lull in blogging break.  My picture card is full on the camera and I have just been---doing other things.  While I was taking my "break", Spring made it's entrance.  As I walk my neighborhood I see flowers blooming.  This time of the year it's daffodils and tulips for the most part.  I LOVE TULIPS.  Since moving to Utah I have developed a deep abiding admoration for tulips and I am so grateful to have a few in my front yard.  Mine opened up yesterday! So for my pleasure, I took a few pictures and decided to share them with whomever reads my blog.     

My one and only Yellow tulip.

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My pink tulips

My coral tulip.

Here are a few pictures of Neal, Spencer and Camilla coloring Easter eggs.  Neal enjoyed every messy minute of it!!!!

I have to get back to other tasks, so that's all for today, but I did enjoy spending just a little snippet of time dowloading pictures and typing...hope you enjoy it too! 

Happy Birthday Linde!

Lisa and Linde at May Hall; they both liked SMURFS!!

I met Linde when we were freshmen at BYU.  She lived two doors down from me in May Hall in Helaman Halls.  We quickly became friends and at times we were inseperable.  Linde, Lisa and I became close friends that year and had many experiences together.  Once our freshman year was over, we ventured to living off-campus in apartments; we settled on living in Moon Apartments which is a few blocks south of the BYU campus.  Linde and I became roommates and I learned that Linde liked to hit the snooze button just to have a few more minutes of sleep each day. She learned that I liked to have pictures of men on my wall; like John Travolta and Rick Springfield.  Linde was such a great roommate, she liked guys, chocolate, guys, pizza and making cookies for guys..which I loved joining in on, dancing, guys, having guys over for dinner...oh the memories.  Linde was and is one of the best conversationalist I know; she knows how to begin a conversation with just about anyone and keep it going; she is genuinely interested in people.  We enjoyed similar things, so it was fun having two years to solidify our friendship by being roommates. 

 Mark, Lisa, Linde and Rick

Moon Apartments 1984

Linde, Lisa and I have managed to remain close friends through out out life thus far.  We have had some really wonderful experiences together and I look forward to many more.

The three of us try to get together as often as we can. 

We turned 40 in 2004 and the three of us spent a few days in California together and we all planned that we'd spend our 50th together doing something fun like Hawaii!!!

Linde found her "true love", Jason Wong and they were married in February of 2006. Linde became a mome when her cute little Jacob was born in 2008.  We felt we were aging gracefully until we both had babies at the age of 43/44.  Now we have days that we feel VERY OLD or VERY YOUNG as we join in running around with our little toddlers.  It is wonderful to know I have a friend, who understands exactly what being a mother to a little one at this point in our lives, feels like.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Linde; it sums up who she is to me.  A beautiful, vivacious, fun, happy, amazing, kind, intelligent, hard working, inspirational, patient, spiritual woman!

I love you Linde!! Happy Birthday you Sexy Woman!   

Stuff

Two more cans created for Lisa for her birthday.

Camilla wearing a flower clip created by her fancy and fabulous first grade teacher, who is retired at the moment, Paige Archer.

Camilla with four of her classmates at the second grade field trip.  We attended together yesterday!  This was at the Earth Science museum at BYU.  We also went to a play at the Scera theater in Orem, "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie".  We all had lots of fun!

Happy MARCH!!!   

Happy Birthday to Lisa and Me too!!!

I met Lisa when we were freshmen at BYU.  We spent lots of fun times together that year and were able to begin a friendship and sisterhood that has continued to this day.  Lisa and I attended a few concerts together that year, some religious devotionals and firesides, skied, laughed, talked and tried to get a tan laying on the roof of May Hall along with Linde and maybe a few other friends.  We have spent all the years since then building upon the friendship we began as college friends.

Lisa is physically beautiful; and when we would walk anywhere together guys would crank their heads so far around you'd think they were owls, just to take a longer look at her.  Infact, just the other day when we were walking on the indoor track at the high school, a young man turned around and ran backwards just so he could have a good look at Lisa!  (hee, hee)   I appreciate her beauty and quickly learned that her personality is even more beautiful and bright than her beautiful face.  Lisa was always fun to be with in college and I have found that to be true every single moment I get to spend with her.  I always come away from time spent with Lisa feeling better about myself and happier for having spent time with her.

Since we moved to Utah, Lisa and I, have been able to spend more time with each other.  We only live about 20 minutes apart and it's been so wonderful having more time to share moments of our lives together.  Lisa is the kind of friend that simply makes life better for me.  When Lisa was called and informed that I'd be taken to Timpanogas Regional Medical Center by ambulance because of complications with my pregnancy; she showed up.  She was there and even though I do not remember seeing her, the last thing I heard before everything went black for me, was Lisa whispering in my ear to let me know she was there.  I've heard her and Eric speak of that moment in time and how thankful I am that Lisa was there for Eric at a scarey time.

Last year when I had to have hernia surgery, she would come in the mornings and take care of Neal.  It was so much fun to hear her cooing to him and giving him a bath and I could rest knowing that she was playing with him and taking such good care of him.  I have admired Lisa's love for children the entire time I have known her and now she get's to begin showering that love on grandchildren, yes, Lisa is going to be a grandma!!!  She is so EXCITED!  I am excited for her and for her family.  She will be a fantastic grandma.

Lisa has done several things for me over the years I've known her, and there is no way I could put down on paper what all of that has meant to me, but I count her as one of my greatest blessings and am thankful to be one of her friends. 

Lisa was born on February 28th and I was born the day after, the 29th in 1964.  She was born in Wyoming and I was born in Nevada.  Is is possible that we may have  known each other in the Spirit World that we lived in before coming here to Earth??...it will be fun to find out someday.  All I know is that I am so thankful and it brings me so much happiness to know that we will go on building our friendship eternally.  To have a friend that I can call sister is so precious and the best kind of gift.

I love you Lisa Dew.  Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!  (and me too!!) 

Crafts and me....

I am not a crafty person, I have a really hard time using a glue gun, cutting straight, following directions etc.,

etc.

But, I saw a few things and so I decided to try my hand at it to keep my hand from grabbing food and depositing it in my mouth.  This is what I did this week...

A ladybug barret for Camilla

A ladybug ring for Camilla

Then this is what I worked on today...I burned my finger tips and I cursed in my mind and I was really ready to throw it away..but I finished it.  It's made with an old formula can!  I found the directions on a website, so it's not my original idea at all..I'll have to see how I feel tomorrow to see if I want to make anymore..I have a lot of formula cans that I saved just incase I might want to do something with them.

You don't have to tell me how well I did, but please don't tell my fragile ego how easy these are or how horribly I messed up the ribbon that I glued on TWICE.  Oh and also...I AM FEELING VERY TENSE NOW!!!
Gotta go..time to pick up children.  Oh and by the way...Neal was not happy at all that I spent time crafting...he's is darn tired of taking care of himself....LOL!!!

Really GOOD Chocolate chip/Craisin cookies

Chocolate Chunk and Craisin Cookies
Prep: 15 min Bake 9 to 10 min (electric range) time may vary with gas oven.

1 ½ sticks butter softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. raspberry extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ salt
1 large egg
1 cup craisins
¾ bag nestle chunks

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix flour, baking soda and salt until well blended, set aside.Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Do not over beat. Add egg and extract and beat until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended after each addition. Stir in chocolate chunks andcraisins until well mixed through batter. With clean hands drop dough about the size of a heaping tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or untillightly browned. Bake in center of oven. I usually check cookies at 8 minutes. Cool two minutes, transfer to wire racks. Yields almost 4 dozen cookies.Gooey Butter Cookies1 stick of butter

I thought I'd share this recipe with you, I received it from a friend I made as a young girl living on Mt. Charleston.  Back then she was known as Kim Chaliha; now she's Kim Fisher and she's a gorgeous woman who is a fitness trainer in Phoenix.  I couldn't find raspberry extract here in Payson, so I used raspberry syrup, a little more than 1 tsp. and I added about 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.  I also used chocolate chips, I didn't have chocolate chunks.  I'll be on the look out for raspberry extract.  BTW, a HIT with my kids and their friends after school today!

I want to write a Valentines memory.  I looked and looked back through my journals for some good Valentine stories from the past when I was single.  There was the story of the guy who gave me flowers, candy and stuffed animals in my office..but I didn't write much about it; I guess because I just wasn't that in to the guy.   However, I went to look for a story that surely would include Eric in 1994...the year we got married.  However, I laughed as I read about Valentines Day of that year.  I actually wrote about preparing for a box dinner that our ward was having; girls made the dinners and guys picked them and joined them.  For whatever reason, which I don't understand at the moment, my friend Val and I went to dinner before this event.  I wrote that I was there; things were fun.  I also wrote that I received a Valentines Card from Michael Nelson. Some of you reading this may not realize that Michael Nelson is now my brother in law..Yes, Wanda's husband!!!  I thought he was a pretty great guy and at the time I had some interest as single ladies are allowed to have, and I was pleased and it made my day.  Well, it wasn't long after that, that it became apparent that Michael and Wanda were very interested in each other and soon to be engaged!!! 

I have TWO very amazingly wonderful brother in laws!!!  I had friendships with them both before they began dating my sisters.  Chad's birthday was yesterday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAD!!!  I'm so thankful that my sisters have such great husbands!  So, that brings me to another kind of love...family love....extended family love.  I'm so grateful for my extended family..parents, siblings and their spouses and most of all MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS!!!!   HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIRANDA..my beautiful niece!!!  

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO MY EXTENDED FAMILY!!!!!  I LOVE YOU ALL!!! Make these cookies for each other...they are REALLLLLLYYYY GOOOOD!  I've only had one!!! ;O) I promise..