Thursday, May 28, 2009

Powdered Milk

An amazing thing occurred today: I used my powdered milk to actually make something. Now, this may not shock anyone else, but I have observed that many Mormons, me included, purchase some food items-trying to be obedient and have a years' supply of food-but fail to utilize those products. For me, it was powdered milk. Sure, I would put a couple of tablespoons into my bread machine when I was making bread, but nothing of any quantity. Well, today, Nate was bothered that we had no chocolate pudding mixes in the pantry. So, I remembered that, at one time, people used to make their puddings from scratch...so I searched the Internet and found a recipe for homemade chocolate pudding on Cooks.com. And, after I put my chunky powdered milk in the blender with some of the warm water, and then returned it to the bowl, I made pudding! (and, it wasn't burned....sorry Mom! But throughout my childhood, my mom tried and tried to cook chocolate pudding, but never succeeded in not burning it!! I told her she just needed a microwave!) So, I can now make pudding using my food supply. Success!!!!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Recent Menus and Blessings

Even when you are going through a difficult challenge (as we are now in trying to cut our budget) there are great lessons to be learned, and great satisfaction in using your head and your resources, using coupons, and just trying new recipes. Case in point:

My menus:
Tuesday 5/19 - Made Chilaquiles that I saw on Rick Bayless' show while I was exercising: used tomatillo salsa that I had made from food bank purchase, beef leftover from pot roast, and chips I had. Sour cream and cheese had been purchased on sale awhile back.

Wednesday - Cinnamon Chicken - used cut up skinned whole chicken (we bought 3 on sale two months ago, used one, and put two in freezer, cinnamon, canned tomatoes and asparagus(side dish) from food bank purchase, and pasta I had gotten on sale and put in my supply.

Thursday - we had garlic mashed red potatoes, cabbage salad, rolls, and fruit I had from food bank purchase.

Friday-I made homemade egg rolls - wrappers from prior purchase at Asian market, sausage filling from prior sale, cabbage, green onions, and hoisin sauce from food bank purchase.Pineapple chunks were from a fresh pineapple on sale at Sprouts.

Saturday-salad with romaine from food bank purchase and tomatoes from the garden, leftovers from earlier in the week.

Sunday - chorizo from grocery store purchase and eggs from our chickens. Also made homemade salsa from food bank tomatoes, cilantro that Nate had grown in his garden,limes and lemons from our citrus trees, and store purchased jalapenos on sale.

It takes just a bit more time, but I have really learned soooo much! I made French toast this morning...some for Nathan today, and the rest frozen in individual bags for quite a few days...all from food bank bread purchases (bonillo and sub rolls that I sliced on the diagonal) and eggs from our wonderful chickadees! I am going to make sweet potato ravioli this week, and pork and candied sweet potatoes too...from food bank purchases. What stores cannot sell becomes so much help...a challenge at first, because I just don't want to waste anything...but a blessing as I search the internet. Even the old veggie tops don't go to waste...treats for the chickens! It does prove that every cloud has a silver lining!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Best Oatmeal Cookies


I print a ton of recipes, intending to try every one, but they often just get filed away, or put into the trash when I find another. This one, I found the other day, and, since the weather is nice enough that we don't have to run the a/c, the Power Nazi, as we affectionately refer to my sweetheart, during the warmer months, saw no problem with me baking a treat. This one is healthier...than others...too. I found the recipe at www.cookiemadness.net. The title of the recipe is Butterscotch Walnut Wheat Cookies. I did my own tweaking, so they suit us, and Dee loves them!

Butterscotch Walnut Wheat Cookies

1 cup butter, softened (I used unsalted)
1 2/3 cup packed brown sugar (I used the dark brown)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups ground whole wheat flour (I ground a 25 lb. bag and keep the flour in the fridge)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 oz. butterscotch chips (I used 1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips)
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup coconut (I used about 2/3 cup sweetened)

Cream butter, sugan and vanilla until light. Combine and add eggs, beat well. Combine dry ingredients and then add to butter mixture. Do not overmix. Add chips, oats, nuts, wheat germ, and coconut. Drop onto greased cookie sheets (I just used my parchment covered ones...no greasing needed). Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. (They seemed a little underbaked when I took them out of the oven, but I left them on the pan and then set up just fine.)

Makes about 3 dozen good sized yummy cookies.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Writer's Workshop

It was a challenge for me to pick one of MamaKat's Writing Prompts for my first writing efforts (trying many things to find something to be passionate about - midlife crisis goal #1)Here are my choices:

1.) Share a love letter. (I do have a love letter from Dee...somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. He put a love letter in a bottle and threw it off a boat when he was on a business trip in Guaymas, Mexico a few years ago. He even put money in it, to make it easier for the finder to return it to me...so far, I have pics of the bottle, and of him throwing it off the boat, but no response. So, I wait...)

2.) Memorial Day Weekend plans?? Do share! (We are pretty calm people on holiday weekends...Nathan has a stugo party to chaperon at his school, Kayty works, we will try to yard sale, get some yard work done...and then some friends are coming to dinner on Monday night, but pretty calm!)

3.) List ten things you are currently sick of. (APS and their flimsy explanations for how they charge for solar power...I think they are cheating us!, headaches, discord, the present political status--and the results of the last election that just keep getting worse and worse, waiting to be layed off from work, Earl the bunion, teenage boys walking the streets at 4:00 A.M. and ruin my run because they scare me to death as I see their figures down the street and turn around and run home, not seeing Allison and Mike and Adam and Grace - I need grandbaby hugs something fierce,...) I guess that's about it, and I am two shy of the ten.

4.) Put an outfit together using pictures you found online and show us what you'd LIKE to be wearing today. (I am sooo not into this at all!!)

5.) What have you been too busy to pay attention to? (Well, I am a list person, whether mental or physical, and so I just have a kind of natural ability to prioritize...however, my bedroom always gets put off, and it is a dust bowl, with a bathroom with magazines I have yet to read or get to, and, well, it just makes me sad. Note to self: my bedroom gets attention, once school is out and Spring football is over, and Kayty gets her own vehicle so I can walk with Dee instead of pick her up from work, and... well, I guess I will just do my best)

Well, this writing effort is nothing more than answering questions...rather like an interrogation that I give my kids after school or a prom or a date. Hey, maybe this is a kind of payback for my incessant curiosity when they are trying to study for a test on Fahrenheit 454 on the way to school, or trying to take a quick nap while I drive. I promise a better effort, and a better result next time!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Gonna be a Bear



In this life I’m a woman.
In my next life, I’d like to come back as a bear.
When you’re a bear, you get to hibernate.
You do nothing but sleep for 6 months.
I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate,
you’re supposed to eat yourself stupid.
I could deal with that too.
When you’re a girl bear,
you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts)
while you’re sleeping,
and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs.
I could definitely deal with that.
If you’re mama bear everyone knows you mean business.
You swat anyone who bothers your cubs.
If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too.
I could deal with that.
If you’re a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling.
He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.
Yup, gonna be a bear!


Thank you Xazmin!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Friend Makin' Monday

Welcome to another Monday here at All That Is Good! Monday's are always fun here because it means it time to make some bloggin' friends!!!

You can go HERE for the rules and facts about this fun little bloggin' game. I have made some of my favorite friends from FMM. Thanks girls!

Today's task: Copy and paste these questions to your blog and give them your own answers.

You wouldn't be caught dead where?: In a mall! I know I am strange, but I can't stand just shopping. I am a goal oriented person, and shopping...well, just ask Allison...she loved the mall, and I would take her there on her birthday...and that is it. She had to go with friends, etc. if she wanted to do some serious shopping.

Do you have any hidden talents?: I am pretty good at stucco-ing. I can hang drywall, but don't ask me to mud...I am a mom of six, and I put too much on...you know, if a little is good, a lot is better...until you have to sand off the rest!!!

Name two things you consider yourself to be very good at: organizing things, decorative painting

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at: card making (sorry Dorrie, I just can't keep up with you and Danyel...I have tried, but my trash can is full of efforts gone bad!), cooking beans in a pressure cooker (have only tried once...last Saturday...and, well, Dee had to wire wheel the remains out of my cooker, but I am not giving up!.

Have you ever won a trophy?: Yes, when I was eight or nine, I was the TOPS (take off pounds sensibly) Pre-teen Princess! I had to miss my school group going to the Ice Capades that night to go to the ceremony...still wish I had gone to the Ice Capades. I have fought my weight all of my life, so the Pre-teen Princess thing left little impression.

Name one thing not many people know about you: I don't have too many secrets...Maiden Name is really Suzzy Kew (Q), march in the Fiesta Bowl Parade every year in the Play It Again Band playing piccolo.

Name your earliest memory: My mom having to take me to a babysitter who made me take a nap on her bed with a lamp built into the headboard, and she fed me split pea soup for lunch...yuck!

What was your favorite musical group in jr. high?: I loved John Denver and Barry Manilow...I don't remember a group, though.

What was something the worst roommate you ever had did?: Never really did have a roommate, other than at a Youth Conference once at BYU, and Amy King was my best friend, so we had no troubles. Only roommate I have had is Dee...no probs with him. He is pretty much perfect! (I am the only thing keeping him from being translated!)

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?: A doctor.

What was your worst dating experience?: I wanted to go to see "Debbie, Diary Of A Mormon Girl" and this nice guy at Institute had tickets and asked me. It wasn't his fault, but he neglected to let me know we were going to dinner. I had already eaten and couldn't eat a bite at dinner. I guess he was mad, and rightly so, so it kind of put a damper on the evening, but the play was great.

If you were about to die what would your last meal be?: Oh, boy...Dee's Szhechuan Chicken with bell peppers, Mom's stuffing, Dorrie's Cauliflower and Cheese, Debbie Blake's homemade rolls, Brenda Park's Cinnamon Rolls (or Suzie Lundbergs...I hear they are to die for, too!), Allison's Taco Soup, Cameo's and Danyel's Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, and tons of Chocolate...with all that, I will just pop, not die!

Who is the most important person in you life?: My sweet hubby, and my Savior.

If your house was on fire what 3 things would you grab on your way out?: First, I would make sure my hubby and kids were out, then my photo albums and my Christmas stockings that I have made for everyone.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

On Being Teachable


In Sunday School, we learned about temples, about the early members of the L.D.S Church in Kirtland, Ohio. They were in dire circumstances-most did not have a home built, crops in, or even a livelihood established. They were also ever on the watch due to persecution in the area. And yet they were commanded to build a temple...and build it right away. What an awesome command it must have been to many. How humbled they must have felt. And yet, they were willing, and ready, and obedient. The Lord had promised that He would pour out His Spirit upon them, and would bless them with power from on High. There, they would receive the teachings they would need to guide them.
So, humbling experiences can be an opportunity for learning, for guidance, for listening. Those answers, as I have seen, don't always come right away. We may have to wait, and wait, and pray, and then wait some more. Being humbled can break us, unless we stop, and see that what is happening is not necessarily a pronouncement of our "lot in life", forever, but, rather, our humbling, so that the Lord can build us, and pour out His Spirit upon us, and give us the teachings that we will need to guide us.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Nasty Little Thing

Now, I am all for the wonderful things that the Lord has blessed us with (except for okra). Most of the Lord's creatures have a glorious purpose to help us (though I still lack an understanding of the value of snakes!)and I know that bees are the great pollinators...but what the heck. I was innocently relaxing in my pool when a searing pain, starting near my arm pit, aroused me from my respite. A nasty ol' bee got in my pool...apparantly seeking liquid refreshment...and stung me! Fortunately, I appear to be unallergic...just sore headed...and sore pitted!!!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

How Does Our Garden Grow?


Dee loves to garden. He had a great garden until he returned to college to complete his degree. We kind of fell out of the habit. But, he planted a Winter garden and we grew a bounty of snow peas. We had the best Chinese for dinner each Sunday. Then, we ventured into Spring/Summer gardening. We have tomatoes, strawberries (thanks to Starlene!), zucchini, radishes, yellow squash, basil, cilantro, cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe...I think that is all. We finally got the first fruits of his labors...and tons of water! Yummy tomatoes and a cucumber (we have already gotten radishes, but they were immediately eaten! Hopefully, the green tomatoes will continue on to red, and I will be able to can a years supply of tomatoes!

Remember Imelda Marcos? Watch Out!!

Since Kayty was a baby, she has adored shoes! All kinds. She loved to wear them, to look at them. When she was fussy, I would look at shoes and she would calm right down. Well, that was when she was a baby, but her obsession is now becoming a bit ridiculous! I was just cleaning a little yesterday...she is taking finals, having juries, etc. (and her room is beginning to drive me bonkers...I need order!)so I thought I would just pick up a few things. I looked under her bed...and found these: seven pairs of shoes. Now, mind you, this is just a small portion of her vast collection. These, apparantly, would not fit on her shelf. (I even found one shoe that had "kami-kaziied" off the shelf and into her snack stash box!)
So, I went to my closet, got ALL the shoes I own...
and that includes the nice white athletic shoes I only wear one day a year in the Fiesta Bowl Parade, and the white dress shoes that I wore for Allison's wedding-Earl (the bunion) hates them, but I keep for just in case...All the shoes I own EQUAL the shoes she keeps under her bed!!!
We discussed downsizing her collection...but, she NEEDS them, she assures me. I fear she will have to knock out a wall and add on to her very small closet (Allison will attest to the small closet size!)or maybe add a shoe wing. What will Dee say? While he is being downsized and outsourced, his daughter's shoe collection is doing the opposite. Hey, we were talking in the pool yesterday, wondering what he should do for the rest of his working life, when he is finally laid off soon...maybe shoe sales? He did used to like watching Al Bundy...

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

I Have The Most Perfect Children

My kids know that Mothers' Day is just not my favorite day. It started as a day of missed expectations, too much work for me, just a mess. So, I decided a while ago to just ignore it. It was a day to just get past. I was in a bad mood about other things, and felt like this one, especially, needed to just erase itself from the calendar. I did go to church, and made it through the talks, though I didn't listen to the last one...it might have been good, but when he referred to his wife who is a wonderful mother (really, she is) I plugged my ears, hummed, and read quite a bit of my Book of Mormon. Day was survived...and yet, my perfectly perfect children still didn't ignore, and did all to make it, and the days that followed, Mothers' Day. Kayty was the ahead thinker...she knew Mothers day was despised, so, of Saturday night, she gave me a wonderful card, Jelly Bellies, and a gift certificate for new church shoes that Earl will like (we found them today at WalMart...and he is very happy!) So sweet!! Nathan greeted me with a vase full of white roses. Then, after church, Doran and Danyel brought me my favorite gum, and three more roses to add...the salmon colored ones. And then, later, Ethan came by with more beautiful roses to add to my vase, plus sweet Cameo (who was sleeping after an exhausting night finishing a gift for her mom) sent distilled water, and they got me a gift certificate for my hair to be cut! So sweet!!! And then, on Monday, my sweet Morgan came by and made my computer that had been driving me batty all day - slow as molasses!- and made it faster...some RAM thing, but what a gift. So sweet!!!! and Then today, when I was having an awful day...just everything was wrong...in the mail, I received a cherished book, made by Allison, Mike and my grandbabies. I read each page, expressing thanks, reminding me of things I had long forgotten. I know Allison thought she was late, but nothing could have come at a more perfect time than this did!!!!! So Sweet!!!!! I have never really been a bragger... though I have a lot to brag about. I have nine of the bestest, sweetest, most wonderful most awesome kids on the planet...and the three best grandbabies ever, ever...and no one can tell me different!!!!!


Blossoms from my Blossoms! All put together, they make quite a bouquet! (Though Nathan says that his white ones make him the best kid of all!!!)

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Man, That Girl Can Sing


Kayty's freshman year at college is coming to a close. We were treated to yet another fantastic concert last Thursday, May 7th, complete with show tunes, past and present. It was so fun to sing along (quietly) and watch such talented people!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Tribute To My Daughter: Truly, The Best Mom In The World!


I wanted to make a card, but there was just nothing I could make, or buy, or do that could pay the proper tribute to my daughter, Allison...the mother of my grandbabies, the wife of my favorite son in law, and truly, the Best Mother In The World! So, as I listened to the Tabernacle Choir Broadcast...as they sang, "There is beauty all around, when there's love at home..." I looked at their blog, smiled, laughed, cried... and decided to just pay a small tribute to her here.
Allison truly exemplifies what a Mom is. She wanted to be a mom for a long time. After she and Mike were married, they wanted to start a family. They waited and prayed, endured more than one miscarriage, and, with patience and faith, she, Mike, and all of our family have been blessed with Adam and Grace. She does not ever take for granted these special blessings the Lord has placed in her care.

Allison is a Magical mom. She makes every holiday an advenure. Leprechauns come to their home. Fireworks light up the night sky. Birthdays start with a special banner on the wall proclaiming the special day...dinner is special, cakes come just as the birthday boy, girl, or man has desired. Halloween is filled with activities, from monster dessert cups to Haunted Gingerbread houses. Christmas is filled with decorations, and spiritual events. THeir Living Nativity is a tradition she has started and it is a treasure.
Allison is an "Other Person" thinker. She is always, with my precious grandbabies, thinking of someone else. They started early in their marriage being the October Phantom, leaving treats on others' doorsteps in secret. Now, they do this for many holidays.She feeds missionaries. She serves her ward tirelessly...she is the "go to" gal for everything from meals to decorations, and she does it all with my grandbabies at her side, learning to be selfless, just as she is.

Allison is a Teacher. She is a voracious reader, and has shared that love of books with her younger sister, and now her children. She takes them to the library...that is their special treat every week. She does color days, science projects, gardens, and even ant farms. She teaches them the Gospel. She is faithful in sharing the Gospel with them, whenever she sees the opportunity
Allison is a Homemaker...a homemaker extrordinaire! She makes the BEST chocolate chip cookies on the planet. She loves to try new things, even if Adam is not so appreciative. (He is not a culinary adventurer) She even makes Priesthood Session of General Conference a treat...When Daddy comes home, they share a special dessert as Mike shares what he learned that night. She is always looking for ways to share healthy recipes with her family. Her home is filled with love. You can feel it when you walk in the door. I believe that, even if they lived in a tent, it would feel like a temple filled with love. She sews, she scrapbooks...she makes memories...treasured ones.
Allison is an Example. She loves the Lord. She loves her husband. She loves her children. She loves her family. She sets the example, lovingly and patiently, for all her family to follow. I never hear anything but good about everyone she encounters. She sees the best in all: all people, all situations. She never lets anything get her down. Mind you, this is not to say she has had it easy. She has faced many, many challenges. However, she does not let anything stand in her way. She does not let discouragement, distress, illness, financial challenges, school, or anything get her down. She has lived on a dime, and smiled, while having two c-sections, while finishing her PR degree. She is amazing!
Allison is a Righteous Mother. She loves her family with all her heart, through all things...orange markers, oreo cookies, car troubles. She lives away from all her family...both sides. She has to do it all, and she often has to do it on her own. She has spent hours in prayer over health challenges, job challenges, and just mom worries. She is close to our Heavenly Father, and knows WHOM to turn to.
I know I could write volumes about her. She is truly a wonderful, wonderful daughter. I miss her so much, but she seems to know just when I need ... a call, a text, a wonderful entry on her blog. She is truly the best...I hope to be like her someday!!!! Thank you, my dear sweet Allison, for loving all of us, and for taking care of my precious Adam and Grace. I am NEVER worried that they are not getting the very, very best of everything, for you, my sweet daughter, are their Mommy!!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

100 Random Things

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? Was new to shaving my legs, and wanted to watch the Miss America Pageant, so did it, with a new razor, in front of t.v. When I was not looking, I took the hair and a ton of skin!

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM? Red paint mixed with old white paint, and a mirror.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP? I snore, so I worry if I get to go to Girls' Camp, etc.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? All except Rap.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? 3:14 P.M.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? For us to just figure out what path we need to be on...What job should Dee pursue? Do I need to get a job?

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS? Being totally happy. It did happen...I saw a pic yesterday and remembered that time...when all just seemed great: Dee's job, family, home

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION(S)? My photo albums and my Christmas Stockings (I have made them for me, Dee, kids, in laws and grandbabies)

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5'6"

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC? Not really

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK? Not inside, but outside, sometimes.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY? Marina (she didn't know she did, and it wasn't her fault...she just asked an innocent question about the Divinity of Motherhood, and I lost it!)

13. WHAT'S YOUR WORST FEAR? Losing Dee

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX? Brown hair, and vivid blue eyes.

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING PROPOSED TO AT? I've already been proposed to!

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK? Yuck to both! Water

17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR TO WEAR? I just buy what is on sale, so I have no preference.

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Wow...that is tough...I guess a Sees Nuts and Chew...any one would be great, but that is totaly a no no. They just do nasty things to me, but one can dream!

19. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME? I just love reds and golds and avocado/sage greens, but that hasn't always been the case.

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH? No

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED? Cannot really think of one...we paid for our wedding rings together, but I guess that is the most meaningful thing he gave me.

22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH? Yes sir-my sweet hubby!!!

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED? No.

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND? Don't have one...Right now, clothing purchases are not in the budget, so I haven't looked at clothes in a couple of years.

25. WHO IS YOUR FAV FEMALE/MALE CELEBRITY? Don't have one...not into celebrities, unless it is, maybe Laura Bush...I love her hair!

26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW? I am not a pet person, so Beau is Dee's and the Chickens are Nathan's.

27. WHAT KIND IS IT? Beau is a Chocolate Lab

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING? Yes...if it is falling in love with Dee...no one is better, no one else for me!!!

29. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT? Adam and Grace's house!

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED: six

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES? Brunette...my hubby is a brunette!

32. FAVORITE QUOTE? don't really have one.

33. FAVORITE PLACE? Anywhere Dee is!!

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA? Just to Rocky Point 29 years ago.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES? Rubbermaid Storage Containers and Decorating Blogs

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS? Kent Dana

37. FIRST JOB? a babysitter

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL? Yes.

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOUL MATE? No. Everything can work, if one makes it work!

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT? Cutting cabbage for soup tonight and Dee's engineer brunch on Friday.

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY? Yes

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST? Being organized.

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES? No.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? To have no birthday party...no cake, no big deal.

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT AND THEIR NAMES? Right now, 9, but eventually 12. Allison and Mike, Ethan and Cameo, Doran and Danyel, Morgan, Katelyn, Nathan

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My maiden name is Kew (Q)so Suzanne had to be the first name. Yep, I am a real Suzzy Q!

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX? He doesn't have any faults that bug me...except maybe a little dental floss left out sometimes, but now that the tub is his, that doesn't even bother me!

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU LIKEd ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL? Football Games with the Band

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE? Suave

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey

52. ANY GOOD HABITS? I exercise 6 days a week.

53. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON? Sometimes...I think Dee could have done so much better!

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? No

55. DO YOU AGREE WITH FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS? No

56. DO LOOKS MATTER? No.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER? I do dishes!

58. DO YOU LIKE YOUR JOB? I love being a wife and a Mom, though the rewards...well, I haven't done anyone any good...I should have been a secretary...no one to mar for life!

59. WHAT'S YOUR MAIN GOAL IN LIFE? None now...would like to someday serve a Church mission with my hubby.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? Barbie Dolls...my mom made me the best clothes!

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE? 12

62.WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID? No...my 4th child was (Morgan) I love Wallace and Ladmo!

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM? No

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE? Mac n' cheese!

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL? Honesty, trustworthy, loving, hard working, willing to try things...Dee is just perfect!!!

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES? Suz, Grammy

67. IF YOU HAD A SUPER POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE? Clean everything with a blink of an eye.

68. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOWS? Don't have a show, though I love Create Tv!

69.WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES? I don't want to make anyone my enemy!

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? I found that I really only like the goodies in the ice cream, not the ice cream itself!

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES? Yes

72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM? No

73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT? Cubbie Scout meeting, and then Nathan's Spring Sports Program

74. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE WHEN YOU ARE OLDER? We won't have any more money then than we do now...so here is all I can afford!

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS? If you have time!

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? Radio

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK? Water (out of Dee's jug...sorry, honey, but, hey, I refill!)

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Mom

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX? Their smile.

80. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? Decorate, tole paint, yard sale, buy dishes

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE? Okra

82. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR? Fall, I love the colors!

83. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CANDY? Dove Milk Chocolate

84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND? Yes...Dee!!

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR? Brown with grey, and I am not going the dying route...it fades to this yucky reddish that I can't stand. What you see is me, and that is all!

86. EYE COLOR? Hazel

87. SHOE SIZE? 9 wide (for Earl, the bunion!)

88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE? Don't like fast food.

89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Don't like to eat out.

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI? Yuck

91. WATCH TV TODAY? News when I was exercising.

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Christmas

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS? Flute/piccolo (once a year in the Fiesta Bowl Parade) and some piano, but not as good as Kayty!

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT? Republican

95. KISSES OR HUGS? Hugs

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS? Relationships

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? Foil, Plastic Wrap, Comet, Rubbermaid Container

98. WOULD YOU EVER BE A HOUSEWIFE? I am one now, and I love my job, but I have let too many down, so I should be someplace I can do no harm!

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Book of Mormon.

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE? I have a great, wonderful and perfect hubby!!!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

He Fought The Saw...And The Saw Won!

On my way to a Super Saturday Relief Society with my mom, I received a call...very calm, mind you...from Dee. He said he had cut his thumb on the table saw, and asked where Urgent Care was. He was so calm, so collected, that I really didn't catch what exactly cut him. I said I would meet him there, and off I drove. I realized on the way that he said "cut" and "thumb" and "table saw". He has been woodworking for over 40 years. He is the safest person I know. He is always watching for dangers (and believe you me, he watches me with knives-he has had to tape me together on more than one occasion). At urgent care, he was very calm...even up to the time he and the doctor took the blue low tack painting tape and paper towels off the wound. He showed the cut...I barely saw from the side and gasped!!! It was jagged, and the side of his thumb was just a large flap of skin. (He even got a little light headed when he looked at it again. The doctor could not take care of a cut like that...and gave us the options of going to the nearby Thunderbird Hospital, or going downtown to Good Samaritan Hospital, which would have a hand surgeon, which he might need.

So, off we went. He was taken right in (a miracle due to the Swine Flu scare), though that hospital would not let us stay together. I was in the waiting room for hours. (Now, I become a basket case when he is in the hospital-I think I have some problems from my Dad being so ill during my childhood - very high blood pressure, stroke at 37 (I was 12), died of kidney disease - from hypertension - at 45 - we spent a lot of time, holidays, etc. at Barrow Neurological, Baptist Hospital, etc.)Dee was just wonderful, and would call me at every step of the process: doctor A said no hand surgeon was needed, doctor B agreed, but wanted x-rays-if the saw blade touched the bone, they would need to administer i.v. antibiotics, again called before x-ray, and then after with the good news of no bone touch, and then after he was draped for the sutures. Okay, great, a small cut, no time. Then, the time passed. People in after us left, what was going on? It had been 2 hours. My mind went crazy (especially since Good Sam tells the family NOTHING!!!) and I had him having a heart attack...I actually started to watch for a chaplain - thank goodness I texted Allison, talked to Cameo, and Danyel and Doran rescued Kayty (another story entirely...Kayty SLEPT through the cut, the blood, the incessant phone calls, the cell phone calls, the texts...I was worried she was in a diabetic coma!)and talked to my Mom and Dorrie...my "sanity team" came through like champs!! I finally got a call...they were almost done. Two and a half hours of sewing...over 50 stitches... and we could finally go home.

What a champ he is! He can't do so many things we take for granted: button his pants, wash his hair, open a jar...driving is very difficult now. And he is just the best patient! We are so thankful for doctors, for medicine, for family that is always there...at a moment's notice, to pick up, to wake up, to sit through football meetings, and to be such a support system. All in all, we are so very blessed!

WARNING: IMAGE TO FOLLOW IS GRAPHIC IN CONTENT