My Mom's 90th Birthday Anniversary

Although my mom passed away nearly six years ago I still think of her everyday and especially on her birthday. Today I was able to speak to her cute little twin, Joseph, who is still alive and doing fairly well. I saw him last fall year for the first time in 39 years and it was like visiting with our little mom all over again. They looked more and more alike as they got older. I love that my good friend's becoming a grandmother for the first time with twins either today or tomorrow. What a blessing twins can be.

This is the poem I wrote for her memorial service program.

Mom was a tiny little thing and so cute!
Unfortunately I look nothing like her at all.
Bummer!

My mom was so wonderful...truly a best friend to me, especially when I was an adult. We enjoyed doing everything together and I was so blessed to live near her except for about five years when we were first married. Mom was a devoted wife (oh my gosh...a wonderful example of a selfless wife, always doing things for my Dad!) She was a super mom and was always there for me, she never let me down. She was the best at supporting and loving unconditionally.

Mom would love these flowers, her favorite color was always purple!

She suffered so much when my father passed away...she lived 24 years as a widow and never adjusted to it. In 1991 she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. What was supposed to be a fairly routine brain surgery (yeahrite!) turned out rather poorly and she was unable to live alone for the rest of her life. We could not have her at home with us due to her surgically induced disabilities and that was one of the most heart-breaking experiences of my life. She had done absolutely everything for me and I could not take care of her when she needed me.

I guess if there is any lesson in that it is that you should never promise you will never do something that you might just have to end up doing. She lived in a skilled nursing facility for 10 years. And 2 separate board and care facilities for the last two years. Fortunately, it was very near our home and I visited everyday for about two years and then a little less often, like every other day until she died. What I learned from that was that service truly does increase your love. I would never have loved my mom as much as I did had I not had the opportunity to do the basics for her. I also learned that no matter what you do for an ailing parent, it never feels like enough. So you just have to do your best and feel good about it in the end. And you also have to find balance in it so you can carry on a life of your own. In my case that meant, continuing to work, raise kids, have a life with Jim, Church...the whole enchilada.

Anyway, I am missing mom today. I remember one time she and I were spending the night at my brother's and we read that little bedside book Marilyn had, "Love You Forever" together lying in bed in the morning. It was the first time either of us had seen it and we both bawled our eyes out. It was so sweet and it turned out to be our story.

Jo-Jo Bean

"I'll Love You Forever
I'll Like you for Always...."
Happy 90th birthday, Uncle Joe. I know Mom would be happy
to know that we talked together today!

An Afternoon of Recognition and Appreciation

Please indulge me while I brag about my husband! I once wrote a post about being married to a philanthropist. (Double Indulgence, if you are so inclined!)

This afternoon the County Juvenile Justice~Delinquency Prevention Commission held their 20th Annual Awards Program. Jim was nominated and selected to be a recipient of an award. He was given the award for Outstanding Service/Contribution by a Non-Law Enforcement Individual. He was the only person to receive that particular award this year.

Receiving the Award

Jim gives countless numbers of hours of service to the young adults he serves each year. Not only the job he gets paid for, but many, many volunteer and preparatory hours to make sure 'his boys' get the best he can possibly give them. I have always known this, but it is so nice to see others acknowledge and award him for this.

Talking to Ellen and Michelle from The Ranch.
Michelle brought her little girl, Sophie~so good & so cute!

Jane S, the Regional Director for Student Programs over Jim's school, sat next to me at the ceremony. She was so nice and told me how much these awards mean to the Office of Education when they come from an outside agency. That meant a lot to me. It is just great to have your husband recognized and appreciated for all his hard work.

Jim with Jane

The Extra Touches~
A Jazz Ensemble to liven things up

And

The Honorable Lois H.,
Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court
Made her Famous Brownies

And

We discovered the BEST flavored water ever...
This one is Chocolate Mint
Zero Calories

And


I came home with these beautiful orangey-yellow roses
and one happy guy!

Piper's Amazing Art

All of our grandkids in Utah go to a wonderful elementary school. They have the best teachers and great activities for the kids. The enrichment the kids receive is really fantastic. Each year they have a big art show and this is one of Piper's entries:

I wish I had a better photo of this art piece. The teacher the kids have is wonderful and they were studying how to do shadows. We all think Piper did a fabulous job on the shadows in this photo of the little girl in the art gallery. Even the piece of art she is gazing upon has shadows in it.

For my new readers, this is our oldest granddaughter, Piper. She is such a sweetheart and we love her with all of our hearts. She is growing up so fast. She turned 10 in March but she seems much older and is a mature young lady. She is sensitive and sensible~two qualities that make for a very wonderful girl.

Piper enjoys her art work so much and has since she was a tiny girl. I believe she has a definite natural ability. And now after years of practice her work is getting better and better. I guess that is how things work. Ability plus effort and practice equals success. I, for one, am awed by her ability to do the shadows so well. For me it seems like you have to turn your mind upside down and inside out to accomplish this. I find the piece amazing! And I would even if she wasn't our granddaughter!

Something's Fishy Around Here!

I have another blog called Balance Within where I write about trying to get more fit and healthy and this morning I wrote this article for it and decided to publish it here as well.

Buying Fish

I found this article by Dr. Andrew Weil very good although annoying at the same time. I wish I was more of a "foodie" that I loved cooking and thinking about food. But in actuality, I don't. I don't like thinking about food planning, shopping or preparing food much at all. I don't mind the eating part, I just don't have a passion for the process. (I do love pretty dishes, table settings and creating ambiance though, if that counts??)

A case in point..the other day we were standing in our nearly completed remodeled kitchen and Jim said, "Wow, it makes me want to cook!" I love the new kitchen for how it makes me feel when I am in it...but the thought that I WANTED to cook there never entered my mind. Here I have to add that I love to cook for people because I like to be a nurturing person, not for the joy of the act of cooking itself. Does that make any sense at all? Anyway...sorry for that little diversion from the point of this post.

What annoys me about the article quoted below is all the things we have to think about in addition to the fact that fish is good for you...you then have to think about the bad things about fish and make thought provoking choices continually at the market. It just makes me tired. Everything has to be muddled up by man's desire to make the almighty dollar. Lean meat is good, fish is good, fruit and vegetables are good, whole grains are excellent but the human component always adds that little twist...the added hormones, pesticides, the processing, preservatives, etc.



Sometimes the added knowledge is so angst-producing that it makes me crazy. I cannot eat a strawberry anymore without wondering how much pesticide is left sitting in the little seed pockets after washing it. I cannot eat a tuna sandwich without wondering how much mercury I am consuming. Or eat a steak without wondering if the poor creature was tortured thoughtlessly in the slaughtering house. There is too much information afloat sometimes.

You cannot just eat salmon and feel good about it~you have to think about how and where it was raised. And now we have to be concerned about tilipia.


The evils and designs of conspiring men really bother me. But being informed and listening to the voices of people that are respected and trustworthy in their field of expertise is important. I do trust Dr. Weil and have found him to be right on for several years. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say. So here is what he has to say on the fish dilemma...

"I have long recommended fish as part of a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet. Last Thursday's Daily Tip covered my first choices for healthy fish - those rich in omega-3 fatty acids. However, not all fish provide the same benefits, and some species should be limited or avoided altogether. I suggest minimizing your consumption of the following:

1. Large predatory fish. Shark, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, and white (albacore) tuna may have high levels of mercury. Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of contaminants, and should avoid these species. (Small-catch tuna is OK, as it has high levels of omega-3s.)
2. Omega-6 rich fish. Farm-raised tilapia is one of the most highly consumed fish in America, yet it has very low levels of beneficial omega-3s and very high levels of potentially detrimental omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory, and inflammation is known to cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, lung and joint tissues, skin, and the digestive tract.
3. Farmed salmon. Avoid farmed salmon (also called Atlantic salmon), which is what you typically find in supermarkets, restaurants and fish markets. While less expensive than wild salmon, farmed salmon is lower in omega-3s and may contain residues of antibiotics and other drugs used to treat diseases in fish farming pens. What's more, levels of PCBs and other contaminants in some farmed salmon have been found to be much higher than those found in wild salmon."

God must just look down from heaven and shake his head. He must be eager for the millennium to come as much as we are, if not more so. He must long for the day when all things will be made right and Satan will be bound.


In the meantime, I think I'll just keep praying with real intent each time I eat something that I did not grow myself, or make myself from scratch with pure motivation. Maybe it is time for us to think about praying that our food will not only strengthen and nourish our bodies but that our bodies will also be protected from any unknown danger that may come to us by eating it.

Just food for thought anyway...the best kind of food...no calories, chemicals, or cash involved.

Fun With Photos

Through Faye's blog I have discovered a new and very fun site that I wanted to share. Picnik is a free photo editing sight that is very easy to navigate and I can see all kinds of creative possibilities. I just fooled around with it for a couple of minutes and embellished these photos just for the learning. Aren't they cute? Now I know I really will not be doing any real life scrapbooking~too time consuming and expensive!




Loving the Internet,

The Worst Household Chore is....

We got black this time!

Without a doubt the worst job around house has to be cleaning the refrigerator. Ick! Today I cleaned three of them. We got our new frig and so I wiped that one down~easy as can be. I love it, by the way! :-)


I also cleaned out our outside frig, not too bad. But the one we took out of the kitchen that we sold on Craig's List for $100.00~disgusting. I am pretty good about cleaning out the frig weekly before I go shopping, etc. But I rarely take it all apart and that is what I had to do washing under and behind the bins, and racks and walls and the freezer. I am shuddering. It is amazing what can fall down between the back wall and the racks and bins and into the never never land below.

I made a vow to take the whole thing apart several times a year from now on. I would have been so embarrassed if I had died before I got to this old one and someone had to come in and do it. But since I did $150.00 worth of work on it it now looks like new again. I certainly did not make any money on the deal but I decided to think of it as being green by recycling it and my aerobics for the day.

Do you have a certain thing you just really do not like doing around the house? The only thing that kept me at it was the delivery man was coming at 11:00 am. The thought of that brand new bigger refrigerator was my carrot. (But not the petrified mini ones I found stuck to the bottom of the refrigerator in some unrecognizable, syrupy stuff. Yikes!!) All I can say is if it smells like something died in your frig look in those invisible hiding places behind and underneath the veggies bins. You will be amazed....and appalled. I was anyway.

But now, voila! Our frig smell as clean and fresh as a daisy! And it is sitting in the driveway along with all the other remodeling "stuff." Our neighbors are very patient right now. Soon things will be back to normal around here again....but for now, one day at a time ...we are getting there. It is a good thing we have a long, rather secluded driveway.

Wedded Bliss

Remember This?

Check out picnik.com to do this with your photos

The Cutest Thing I Have Ever Seen!
The wedding party
Zach and Chloe~the lovely couple...
Piper, Aynslee, and Julia~Bridemaids
Connor, the Priest (?) performed the ceremony!

All the Utah grandkids were playing together at Jen's today. The big kids decided to have a wedding for Zach and Chloe. Jen sent these over~can't wait to see the whole album of photos! Jen's personal favorite is the sock for Zach's tie but I think the off the shoulder bridal gown worn by Chloe is pretty cute too~not to mention the nosegay bouquet of wildflowers to complete the ensemble. And like a good little LDS girl she is being modest too!