So Sad

Earlier today I found out that some members of a family that lives in our old ward were in a terrible car accident as they drove to Utah to pick up their oldest daughter getting off her mission.  The mother, oldest son, and three youngest daughters were in the car.  Two of the daughters were killed and the oldest of the three is in critical condition.

My heart is breaking for this wonderful family.  I don't even know how you go on after such a tragedy.

I wish there was some way I could call "do over" on this day and have it end differently.

But I can't.  So I'll mourn for my friends and the sweet, beautiful girls they have lost.  I'll pray they will be comforted.  And I'll take comfort in the fact that I know they are an eternal family.  They will always miss their girls in this earth life, but they can hold onto the knowledge that they can be with them in the life to follow.

Rest in peace, sweet girls.

Landscaping

When we got home from Italy last year, we noticed that our front lawn was dying.  Or the parts that weren't dying were choked with weeds.  And the bushes were looking terrible. We decided it was time to bite the bullet and have some work done in the spring.  We decided to put in a sprinkler system, re-sod, and rip out and redo all of the landscaping. (By "we" I mean that Robert and I would pay while the crew we hired did the work.  We don't do major work like that anymore.)

Here's a "before" picture of the left side of the house.  The grass looks fairly green, but that's because it was mostly weeds and not grass at all.  

Here's a "before" picture of the right side of the house.  The grass is definitely dead and some of the bushes in the back were dead or dying also.

After much sweat and toil on the part of the guys doing the work, here's a picture of the left side of the house after the work was completed.  Notice the rocks.  Our beds are much deeper now, and the landscaping looks so much more substantial.  There are bushes along the back, but they are very small right now.  In a few years, they will look amazing back there.  Robert really wanted a seating area, so notice the glider.  They made a nice flagstone walkway leading up to it.  Maybe it will be cool enough to enjoy come October....

Here's a close up of the left side of the house.  I really like that large moss covered stone in the corner.  Apparently those are very much in demand and cost more money.  Who knew!

Here's the right side of the house.  I like the way they made the tree and the bed one large landscaped area.  They were very close together and look better landscaped as one.

This is quite possibly my favorite part of the whole thing. They found this random rock shaped like a cowboy boot and placed it strategically to the right of the front door.  It really gives the whole place a Texas flair!

I really like our new landscaping.  I don't cringe when I drive up to our house anymore!  And I know our neighbors are happy we finally got something done!  It's nice to know our yard isn't the worst on the block any more!

Cub Scout Day Camp

My three boys each spent three years in Cub Scouts.  They each went to Day Camp three times - with no overlapping. That's a total of nine times.  I went with each of them all three times.  So I went to Day Camp a total of nine times.

At the end of Scott's third year, I breathed a sigh of relief.  I was done with Cub Scout Day Camp FOREVER!

Then in December I was called to be a Wolf/Bear Den Leader for our Pack at Church.  I was hopeful, though, that some parents would want to go to Day Camp with their kids. Bond with their boys - like I did with mine.

No such luck.

Day Camp starts tomorrow, and I'm going.

I'm too old for this.

Not to mention it's going to be in the mid-90s with a heat index of over 100.  That's really HOT!

I wish it was Saturday...

24 Years

Almost 24 years ago, Kimberly started kindergarten.

Tonight, Scott graduated from high school.

24 years.  That's a long time to have kids in school.

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to miss it.

As Weeks Go....

As weeks go, this is shaping up to be a pretty awesome one.

First, Jeffrey comes home from his mission on Thursday! Woo hoo!  I can't wait to see him!

Second, Brian told me tonight that he is engaged!  We knew it was in the works, but he formally proposed to Jenna tonight!  Aren't they a cute couple?

I'm not sure if I can take much more excitement!

April 28, 2010

Two years ago today, I dropped Jeffrey off at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) so he could begin his mission.

He spent 8 weeks in the MTC learning Spanish and 10 weeks in the Salt Lake City South Mission waiting for his visa to Mexico.  He arrived in Veracruz in mid-September and has been busy serving in that area since that time.

And now it's all coming to a close.  He will be flying home on Thursday, May 3rd.

I am so excited to see him!

It's an interesting thing being a missionary mom.  At times it seems that he can't possibly have already been gone two years.  And at other times it seems like he has been gone forever!

Tomorrow night, I will write my 104th - and final - e-mail to Elder Jeffrey Clutter in the Mexico Veracruz Mission.

I have to admit, while I am so excited to get to see Jeffrey, part of me will also miss being a missionary mom.  It's a special club to belong to.

I'm proud of Jeffrey for choosing to serve a mission.  It's a big sacrifice, but I know he will be a better man for it.

Just 5 more days and he'll be home! 

Thomas Kinkade

Thomas Kinkade passed away today. He was only 54 - so young.

I love his art. I know a lot of people don't like it, but looking at his paintings makes me happy. I am fortunate to own reproductions of two of his pieces. The one below, Clearing Storms, is my favorite. It's hanging above my fireplace and probably will hang there as long as I'm around.

My post today is not really about his art but about how cruel people can be. A few hours after hearing that he had died, I went on Twitter and searched for his name. I wish I could say I was surprised by the many cruel comments I read, but I really wasn't.

I don't care if you don't like his work. I understand he wasn't to everyone's taste. But it would be nice if people could show some respect for a man who just died. Or maybe consider the fact that he has a family that is mourning his loss right now.

What happened to good old fashioned human decency?

RIP, Thomas Kinkade. I, along with millions of others, will miss you and your tremendous talent.

One Month!

Jeffrey will be home from his mission in one month! May 3rd is the day!

It's hard to believe he's been out 23 months already. (Actually, he hit the 23 month mark on March 28th, so he'll serve a little over 2 years).

I can't wait to see him! And hug him! And listen to him talk in his Mexican accent! And feed him whatever he wants to eat!

One month! 30 days! Woo hoo!

Wisdom Teeth

On Friday Scott had his wisdom teeth removed. What a fun last day of Spring Break for him! He needed them out, though. His two bottom teeth were horizontal in his mouth! I'm pretty sure that's not a good thing!

His surgery was quick. We got there at 7:00, he was called to the back at 7:15, and we were on our way home by 8:15. And Scott was pretty awake and aware by the time we left. Not bad.

Once the bleeding stopped and Scott could take the gauze out (a few hours after we got home), he did really well. I made him take Motrin twice, but I don't think he even needed it the second time.

I took this picture on Sunday evening to document the swelling. I waited a little bit too long - the swelling had already started to go down.

I'm glad his wisdom teeth experience has been pretty uneventful. And it's nice to have gone through that for the last time.

My Kingdom for a Filter!!

Today I changed the filter in our refrigerator. I always comment on how heavy the old filter is when I remove it. (Go ahead, ask my kids. They'll back me up.) Today I decided to weigh the two filters and see just how much stuff had been collected in the used one.

The new one weighed just under 12 ounces.

The old one weighed 24.75 ounces. More than twice the weight!

That's a big difference. I don't know what's being collected in the filter (and I probably don't want to know), but it sure makes me glad our refrigerator has one!

A Cougar in Our Midst!

Jeffrey was accepted to BYU! He will start this Fall.

I'm slowly adjusting to the fact that all of my children won't be Aggies. I guess if one of them has to go somewhere else, BYU is a good choice.

He's so excited. I know this is what he wants, so I'm happy for him.

But I'll always bleed maroon!!

Not What I Like to Read

Today I read the following on the U.S. State Department's website:

"You should exercise caution when traveling in the state of Veracruz. In recent months, the state of Veracruz has seen an increase in violence among rival criminal organizations. In response, the Government of Mexico has sent additional military and federal police to the state to assist State security forces in implementing operation “Veracruz Seguro” (Secure Veracruz) that focuses on combating organized crime."

I don't like to read stuff like that when I have a son serving a mission in Veracruz! Fortunately he'll be home in a little over 2 months, and I won't have to worry about his safety in Mexico any more!

Too Long

It's been over a month since I last blogged! I think that's the longest I've gone. I'm going to try to come up with a few things to write.

1. Poor Scott. 11th graders in Texas take the exit TAKS test. I know they are phasing out TAKS, but it is still being used in high school. Because Scott wasn't in Texas for 11th grade, he has to take the exit TAKS this year, as a 12th grader. He is not excited. He knows he will finish in about 30 minutes and then have to sit there and do nothing for the rest of the time. Poor guy.

2. The youth in our ward are going on a Pioneer Trek during part of Spring Break. We were invited by the Katy Stake. At first, Scott was excited about going. But as more details emerge, the less he wants to go. Robert and I finally decided he didn't have to go. I'm not really happy he made this choice, but if I force him, he might make it miserable for everyone in his "family". And that's not fair to them. (For the record, if this were our stake's youth conference, he wouldn't even be complaining. But since our ward is a tag-a-long, he feels differently.)

Here's the part that makes my kind of happy. I had already ordered two pioneer shirts for him. So I told him he has to wear a pioneer shirt Thursday, Friday, and Saturday - the days he would have been on trek! Oh yeah - that's the kind of Mom I am! He's now threatening to not leave the house those days. I may have to arrange some fun day trips...

3. Robert has been home since Thursday evening. It's been nice having him here, and I'm sad he has to leave today. We went out to dinner with different friends on Friday and Monday, and we went to dinner with Kimberly on Saturday. It's been fun to do things like that. I'm really going to miss him when he leaves tonight.

4. Suddenly our standoffish male Siamese, Brynner, has gotten kind of mellow! He likes to sit on the arm of my chair, and will often crawl into my lap! This is very unusual behavior for him. It's kind of nice to have him so sweet!

Well, there's a few items. Time to run some last minute errands with Robert.

Stamps

When we talked to Jeffrey on Christmas Day, he surprised us all by announcing that he didn't want to go back to A&M. He wanted to go to BYU.

Surprise is probably not a strong enough word. Kimberly, Brian, and I all reacted by shouting, "What?!?" at the computer screen (we were Skyping).

We are a family that bleeds maroon, not blue.

I'm still recovering from the shock of his announcement. Brian isn't convinced that we shouldn't disown him, but I would only consider that if he had announced he wanted to go to UT.

Since he wants to go to BYU, I'm doing everything I can to help him get his application finished by February 1st - a date rapidly approaching. It would have been easier if he had made this decision in October...

One of the things I had to do was go to the high school and request an official transcript be sent to BYU. I had to bring a large, addressed, stamped envelope. I wasn't sure how much postage would be, so I stopped at the post office inside Ace to find out.

I was told it would cost 88 cents. I had forgotten to bring any stamps so I decided to buy two. She had two choices:

Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Seriously. That's all she had. No flags or flowers or anything.

I know it wouldn't have mattered, but it just seemed weird sending Jeffrey's transcripts to BYU using Hanukkah or Kwanzaa stamps

So I went home and got two of my flowered forever stamps.

It just seemed like the thing to do.

It's Official!

We have another Aggie in the house! Scott found out that he was accepted to Texas A&M! Whoop!

We weren't surprised. He's in the top 2% of his class, and anyone in the top 10% is guaranteed acceptance. But it's nice to have it in writing!

His plan is to go to A&M for one semester. He will submit his mission papers in August or September and hopes the timing works so he can begin serving in late December or early January.

It's hard to believe that by this time next year, Scott will have graduated from high school, completed a semester of college and started his two-year mission for our church.

Where does the time go?

A Good Start!

Today in church we sang "Ring Out, Wild Bells"! That made my day! I love that song and so often we don't sing it at New Year's.

Thank you, whoever picked the music! You made me very happy!

The Highs and Lows of Singing

Yesterday at church I was all ready to teach my Primary class - and no one showed up! Two of the kids were out of town and the other girl was sick. So I went in to Relief Society.

This is where the low of singing comes in.

We sang "O My Father" for the Opening Song and "Families Can Be Together Forever" for the Closing Song. Don't get me wrong - I like both of those songs, and I'd be happy to sing them most other times. But it was the week before Christmas, for crying out loud!!! Why were we not singing Christmas songs!! I don't care what the lesson is about - you should sing Christmas songs the week before Christmas!!

Can you tell I feel very passionately about this?

Fortunately, last night I experienced a high of singing. My sister's ward was working with a Methodist church to put on a Messiah Sing-a-Long. The soloists had been assigned and had been practicing, and there were some people who had been attending practices to learn their parts. But the rest of us just went that night and got to sing the great songs from the Messiah.

If you've never sung the Messiah, you should sometime. The music is beautiful and fun and challenging to sing. The last time I sang it, I was a soprano, but I can't hit those notes anymore! So last night I sang the alto part for the first time, along with Kimberly and my two nieces. I didn't hit every note, but I hit enough of them so that I didn't embarrass myself!

There were probably over 300 people there, so it was a large group singing. After we sang the first song, "And the Glory of the Lord", the four of us could hardly contain ourselves! We were so excited! To feel the power of that beautiful work being sung was so incredible. The "Hallelujah" Chorus was, of course, the highlight of the evening. I never fail to be moved by that majestic piece.

I was tired last night, but I'm so glad I made the hour drive to Clear Lake to participate in the Messiah Sing-a-Long. What a beautiful way to remember our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Fortunately, the high was much higher than the low was low. (If that makes sense at all).

I Know the Feeling

Friday evening, Kimberly and I went out for dinner. There was a family of five seated near us. Mom and Dad, plus 3 kids. Two boys, ages about 14 and 10, and a little girl, age about 6.

After Kimberly and I finished our meal, she slipped off to the restroom. So I was watching the family, who had just received their food. I'm nosy like that. The 10-year-old somehow stuck his sleeve in some sort of sauce, so he and the Mom were working at wiping it off. The older brother must have been making comments, because suddenly the Mom leaned toward him and said the following (with accompanying hand gestures):

"Just please stop commenting! Please! Just stop it! You are so exhausting!"

Then she resumed eating, while I tried to keep from laughing out loud!

You are so exhausting!

I'm going to remember that one!

Betty Crocker - I Thought I Knew You!

Let me just begin this by saying that I've been making boxed cake mixes for over 35 years now. (Yes, I do use boxed cake mixes. I think they taste better. I never use canned frosting, though.) I've had great success over the years making cakes.

So when I made Kimberly's birthday cake in September, I was expecting it to turn out. Imagine my surprise when I turned the cake out of the pans and the bottom stayed in the pans! I was not expecting that! Fortunately I was able to salvage the bottom pieces and reconstruct and frost the cake. It wasn't the prettiest cake I've ever made, but it still tasted good!

Fast forward to the end of October when I made Scott's birthday cake. I decided to read the instructions more carefully. To my surprise the instructions only said to grease the pans. There was no mention of flouring the pans. I have never made a cake where the instructions didn't say to grease and flour the pans. I even looked at a Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix to see if it was just the white cake mix that had changed, but no, the instructions on both boxes were the same.

Recalling the cake fiasco of Kimberly's birthday, I followed the instructions (although a little skeptically I might add) and just greased the pans. Sure enough, the cake came right out with no sticking.

When did Betty make this change? What did she do to the cake mix that warranted this change? And why wasn't it written in big bold letters on the front of the box!! I do know that Duncan Hines still requires greasing and flouring, so it's not an industry wide change.

I have to say, now that I know, I may stick to Betty Crocker cake mixes. I have always hated flouring the cake pans so it's nice not to have to!

Hooray!

On Saturday, Scott got his official over 18 driver's license. It doesn't expire until October 29, 2017, when he turns 24.

What does this mean?

It means that all 3 of my boys have driver's licenses that will expire when they are 24.

What does this mean?

It means they will be old enough to go to the DPS by themselves.

What does this mean?

It means I NEVER HAVE TO TAKE A CHILD TO THE DPS AGAIN!! EVER!!

**Happy Dance! Happy Dance!!**

Can you tell how much I love the DPS?