I love Christmas. It's a great time of year. (Maybe not for the flatness of my belly, but it's a good time, nevertheless.) Last week Glen and I didn't have to make/pay for dinner three nights in a row because of it! (and then the fourth night we went out for dinner to celebrate that fact. aaaaand i was being lazy.) One of those nights was my office's holiday dinner, which was pretty interesting considering I don't see these people on a daily basis anymore. Our table was pretty silent because we almost didn't know what to talk about anymore! The next night was our ward Christmas party, for which I made the ever-fantastic strawberry jello/pretzel "salad". We're Mormons; you've got to have some kind of jello at a party, right? Anyway, it was a nice evening with dinner and a couple of musical numbers, and our table that night was MUCH more talkative.
Sunday we had our ward Christmas program in sacrament meeting, in which Glen and I sang in the choir and then played "O Holy Night" together -- me on the piano, Glen on the cello. After discovering this talent of Glen's when he played for the primary program a couple months ago, I think the ward is fast falling in love with the cello. And who could blame them?
And then of course there are cookies: gotta make those. I roped Glen into being my helper a couple of nights, and now those are all done and looking delicious and ready to be delivered to friends and neighbors -- Glen and I alone eating an entire pan of scotch-a-roos would be a BIG mistake. A delicious mistake, but a mistake regardless.
Hard to believe we'll be off in a couple of days to Missouri! The entire Merrell clan under one roof for a week! Gotta keep the holiday spirit alive and kickin', even if we occasionally step on each other's toes.
-Me
"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall." -Larry Wilde
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A Storybook Story
A couple nights ago, I took a stroll through memory lane as I described to Glen things I remembered about Grandma and Grandpa Jensen's house: how furniture was situated, what the garden looked like, chasing basketballs down multiple hills, etc. But one thing especially stuck in my mind after talking to Glen, and that was a book that I would read. Of course, at the time I couldn't remember the title, but searching online helped me out there:
Doctor Squash the Doll Doctor
Written by the same woman who penned the famous Goodnight Moon, I remembered loving this story of the doctor who treated sick toys, pretending to listen to their non-existent hearts because it made them feel better. And when the doctor fell ill, the toys took care of him. Oh, the sweetness.
Okay, maybe it's a little corny, but I don't really care. I also discovered in my search that this book has been updated (the original had a mammy doll, so it wasn't exactly p.c.). I have to be honest; I still prefer the original illustrations. But oh well. It's still a sweet story, and even if I didn't quite remember how persimmons were mentioned, I remembered that they were in it. Amazing the little details that stick with you over twenty years.
Other childhood favorites:
The Monster at the End of this Book
Green Eggs and Ham
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Blueberries for Sal
Anything Berenstain Bears-related
What about your favorite childhood stories?
-Me
"Don't tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish." -Mark Twain
Doctor Squash the Doll Doctor
Written by the same woman who penned the famous Goodnight Moon, I remembered loving this story of the doctor who treated sick toys, pretending to listen to their non-existent hearts because it made them feel better. And when the doctor fell ill, the toys took care of him. Oh, the sweetness.
Okay, maybe it's a little corny, but I don't really care. I also discovered in my search that this book has been updated (the original had a mammy doll, so it wasn't exactly p.c.). I have to be honest; I still prefer the original illustrations. But oh well. It's still a sweet story, and even if I didn't quite remember how persimmons were mentioned, I remembered that they were in it. Amazing the little details that stick with you over twenty years.
Other childhood favorites:
The Monster at the End of this Book
Green Eggs and Ham
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Blueberries for Sal
Anything Berenstain Bears-related
What about your favorite childhood stories?
-Me
"Don't tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish." -Mark Twain
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Thanks - Day Numer Trzydziesci
On this my last day of thankful posting, I'd like to say I thought of something not at all superficial, so that all of you may end this month thinking that I'm a very deep person. But well . . . today I'm mostly thankful for . . .
Nail clippers.
What a pain it would be to have to "clip" your nails with a knife or scissors or something else that just makes me cringe. The first patent for an "improvement" to a fingernail clipper/trimmer in the United States was in 1875, which means something must have existed before then that people could use. But how much longer before 1875 did it exist? Wikipedia may never know.
Either way, I'm glad for a device that keeps my nails trimmed and neat. Because I don't think any of us ever like it when our nails catch on something.
-Me
"Every piece of software written today is likely going to infringe on someone else's patent." -Miguel de Icaza
Nail clippers.
What a pain it would be to have to "clip" your nails with a knife or scissors or something else that just makes me cringe. The first patent for an "improvement" to a fingernail clipper/trimmer in the United States was in 1875, which means something must have existed before then that people could use. But how much longer before 1875 did it exist? Wikipedia may never know.
Either way, I'm glad for a device that keeps my nails trimmed and neat. Because I don't think any of us ever like it when our nails catch on something.
-Me
"Every piece of software written today is likely going to infringe on someone else's patent." -Miguel de Icaza
Thanks - Day Nombre Veintinueve
I guess there was a lot of online traffic yesterday. I tried last night to sign in to write what I was thankful for, and I kept getting errors. So here's what I was thankful for yesterday . . .
Guys are great, too, but I'm just so grateful for the women in my ward right now. We had our Christmas program, "Women at the Well", last night. (yay! now i can stop mentioning it in every single post!) It was pretty crazy, and I was stressed for about three minutes when six people came up to me with the exact same problem. And sure, I was still kind of running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the half-hour preceding the program, but that wasn't stress. That was just me being myself.
In the end, it went really well and very smoothly, and all the women there were uplifted and inspired. Because I was the pianist for everybody and Heather told everyone I had been in charge of it, I got a lot of compliments. Compliments are great, and they made me feel good, but heaven knows I wouldn't have been able to do it without all the awesome sisters who agreed to participate. Our narrators were excellent and helped the women savor the messages, and the singers all worked so hard to bring the Spirit in with their beautiful voices. There were tons of holiday desserts brought by talented ladies, and we had a couple of sisters who spent their entire afternoon making the gym look gorgeous with trees, lights, nativities, and other decorations.
Thank you, ladies. You make me look good.
-Me
"People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs." -Unknown
Amazing women.
Guys are great, too, but I'm just so grateful for the women in my ward right now. We had our Christmas program, "Women at the Well", last night. (yay! now i can stop mentioning it in every single post!) It was pretty crazy, and I was stressed for about three minutes when six people came up to me with the exact same problem. And sure, I was still kind of running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the half-hour preceding the program, but that wasn't stress. That was just me being myself.
In the end, it went really well and very smoothly, and all the women there were uplifted and inspired. Because I was the pianist for everybody and Heather told everyone I had been in charge of it, I got a lot of compliments. Compliments are great, and they made me feel good, but heaven knows I wouldn't have been able to do it without all the awesome sisters who agreed to participate. Our narrators were excellent and helped the women savor the messages, and the singers all worked so hard to bring the Spirit in with their beautiful voices. There were tons of holiday desserts brought by talented ladies, and we had a couple of sisters who spent their entire afternoon making the gym look gorgeous with trees, lights, nativities, and other decorations.
Thank you, ladies. You make me look good.
-Me
"People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs." -Unknown
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thanks - Day Vingthuit Nombre
Today I am thankful for . . .
No, not the kind that ogres and onions have.
The kind of layers that I can pile on when I have to be outside. Shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, scarves, coats, gloves, hats, etc. It really hasn't snowed all that much yet (knock on wood), but it's still been plenty chilly. And as I prepare to venture outside again in a few minutes, I'm glad that I won't freeze because of all the layers I will have. (like cake. everybody likes cake. cakes have layers.)
-Me
"Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep." -Carl Sandburg
Layers.
No, not the kind that ogres and onions have.
-Me
"Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep." -Carl Sandburg
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanks - Day Numero Ventisette
Today I am thankful for . . .
There are so many ways we can feel and express love. I'm very lucky that I am surrounded by people who are willing to show love for me. They teach me through love how I can do better and feel better about myself. I know everybody has different ways they show love, but each demonstration, no matter how small, is something special -- even amazing.
The lesson I taught in Sunday School class today was entirely focused on love, and we spent a lot of time talking about God's love and how He has manifested that love to us. He gave us the chance to become like Him, He sent His Son into the world so that we can return to Him, He blessed us with the Spirit so that we may follow the correct path. That's just a few things. There are so many more personal experiences I have had that help me know that God loves me. Now the challenge is to show that love to Him and to others (and even ourselves).
-Me
"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence." -H.L. Mencken
Love.
There are so many ways we can feel and express love. I'm very lucky that I am surrounded by people who are willing to show love for me. They teach me through love how I can do better and feel better about myself. I know everybody has different ways they show love, but each demonstration, no matter how small, is something special -- even amazing.
The lesson I taught in Sunday School class today was entirely focused on love, and we spent a lot of time talking about God's love and how He has manifested that love to us. He gave us the chance to become like Him, He sent His Son into the world so that we can return to Him, He blessed us with the Spirit so that we may follow the correct path. That's just a few things. There are so many more personal experiences I have had that help me know that God loves me. Now the challenge is to show that love to Him and to others (and even ourselves).
-Me
"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence." -H.L. Mencken
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thanks - Day Numero Kaksikymmentakuusi
Today I am thankful for . . .
Glen had to work allllllll day today, leaving me alllllll alone for nine hours. What's a girl to do? For me . . . it's to clean. "Saturday is a special day" was definitely something we learned in my house. There were other days to clean, too, but that was when you cleaned the bathroom and all that extra stuff that takes a little longer. Since we were gone a couple of days this week, I took that phrase very much to heart as I laid out my day this morning.
Besides a 45-minute practice for "Women at the Well" and another 45 minutes or so to prepare my Sunday School lesson, I spent the morning and afternoon cleaning house (and now i can't find it in myself to dirty the kitchen again by making dinner ... but it must be done). I definitely do like things clean, so I'm thankful for soap, that helps us on our way there and helps me complete my checklist.
-Me
"I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean." -G.K. Chesterton
Soap.
Glen had to work allllllll day today, leaving me alllllll alone for nine hours. What's a girl to do? For me . . . it's to clean. "Saturday is a special day" was definitely something we learned in my house. There were other days to clean, too, but that was when you cleaned the bathroom and all that extra stuff that takes a little longer. Since we were gone a couple of days this week, I took that phrase very much to heart as I laid out my day this morning.
Besides a 45-minute practice for "Women at the Well" and another 45 minutes or so to prepare my Sunday School lesson, I spent the morning and afternoon cleaning house (and now i can't find it in myself to dirty the kitchen again by making dinner ... but it must be done). I definitely do like things clean, so I'm thankful for soap, that helps us on our way there and helps me complete my checklist.
-Me
"I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean." -G.K. Chesterton
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