What's Up Chuck?

Great question there in the title of this here post - What's up Chuck?  That could easily be misinterpreted as a question about vomiting or a little puke, perhaps hurl or tossing ones cookies, you know - throwing up.  No, not talking talking that at all.  What is up with the show Chuck?  I never watched it when it was originally on television.  There were a few things going on in life back in those days and a computer geek spy didn't really have high priority in my life.  Anyhow, that is it's own story.  I have been on a bit of a Chuck marathon and have to say that I love this show.   I find it very well written and quite funny.  I often find myself laughing hysterically.  Thank you Netflix for having this series available.  If you are looking for a very entertaining program that is well written I recommend giving Chuck a try.   

Mucho Churcho

I pulled a double today when it came to church.  I went to my ward this morning and then I went to the new Cedar City Ward for Single Adults this afternoon.  Six hours of church is a lot.  I did the same thing last week and wasn't sure I would do it again this week but I opted to go.  I won't be going back to that ward for several months as the kids will be back home and our ward meeting conflicts starting next week.  We may attempt to attend an activity or two with the Cedar City Ward but I don't know how involved we will be. 

Anyway, today was the 5th Sunday in December and there were combined meetings for the third hour in each ward.  The meetings were quite good.  Bishop Ellison shared some thoughts on the Atonement as taught through the experience of David and Abigail in 1 Samuel 25.  I quite like that lesson as Abigail came seeking David's forgiveness.  She had done nothing wrong but came on behalf of her husband Nabal.  This story points to the Savior who has done nothing wrong yet presents himself on our behalf.  He has taken upon him our infirmities, our sorrows, our wrongs.  He has likewise taken upon him those things that others do that trespass against us.  Our we willing to forgive the Savior?  David forgave Abigail for her husbands errors.  Can we forgive the Savior for anothers trespass against us?  That may seem strange but the reality of the situation is that the Savior suffered for whoever trespassed against us as well.  We need to trust in him.

Perhaps I rambled a bit there.  Anyhow, I love that story.  I read it several years ago now and was moved by the lesson on the atonement it was to me then and am still moved by it today. 
  

Working Two Jobs

Today was a day that I worked two jobs.  One was my regular job at the Brick House.  The other was an opportunity to brush up on some of my plumbing skills.  Yep, there was a time when I worked in plumbing - it was new construction plumbing and consisted of roughing in sewer lines, gas pipe, and some finish work but it was plumbing.  My plumbing today really was just for the Brick House and changing out some toilets in the upstairs bathrooms.  Actually just in the women's room today as both of the toilets were in bad shape.  One was down before we came into the space and the other pretty much does not flush.  It was bad. 

So there I was installing toilets, actually got the first one installed and operational and had one of the cooks come upstairs and ask if I would come help them.  Off to my other job.  We got real busy while I was plumbing away which was great because they said it had been a bit slow.  Well, it turned out to be a great late lunch today and it was good that I was there.  At the end of that I did a delivery for a regular customer who called in and asked if I would bring a couple of sandwiches out.  He was down with the flu and he and his son really wanted a sandwich.  I made it happen because sometimes that is just what you do for people.  I ended up with a fairly healthy tip off of it as well and that never hurts.  After a couple of store runs for some needed items I headed back up stairs to the ladies room for toilet number two.  It was slow and I told the wait staff to get ready because when I start the next toilet its going to get busy.  Funny enough that is exactly what happened.  As I was securing the toilet to the floor one of the waitresses came and told me they had one large group seated and another group of 20 coming in 10 minutes.  I finished the toilet, cleaned the bathroom up, washed myself up and headed to the kitchen where I spent the remainder of our operating hours today working. 

I have one more toilet to change out in the men's room upstairs.  I may have to pick just the right time to start that one.  Perhaps on a day that is a bit slow and needs a little shot in the arm.  Or maybe just a day when I need a fun project that will take me back to my plumbing roots.  When you're working two jobs it can keep things interesting. 

Steak That Melts in Your Mouth

I tried something today and it worked out quite well.  My buddy Jason who runs the Pizza Cart here in Cedar was talking to me about steak.  We were talking about ways to cook it and he shared with me a cooking method that I am sure many are familiar with called Sous Vide.  There is a specific machine called the Sous Vide and it is a method of cooking that uses water to cook the meat or vegetable, eggs and even desserts.  We just tried some steak today using one of our warmers.  I brought it to the desired temperature and then I put in two vacuum sealed steaks.  They were frozen.  I had them sit in the water through our lunch rush and then a meeting and finally, two and a half hours later, I cut into them.  The first was a sample steak that we were given that was not the highest quality of meat.  I had cooked others of these before on the char broiler and today's method was much better though the meat was still a lesser quality.  I also cooked up a cut that was referred to as a baseball cut of meat.  It was 8 oz. and it was thick.  Oh, I guess I forgot to mention the reverse searing process.  Once your meat is at temp you take it out of the vacuum sealed bag, season it and then sear the outside.  I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised when I bit into that steak and it melted in my mouth.  It was phenomenal and the color was perfect throughout.  I was truly impressed and I am quite excited about this method and think it can really help us with the dinner menu.  We have been sweating about cooking steaks to perfection and with this method that should not be a problem.  We're going to work on some chicken breasts, fish, eggs and veggies also.  It is fun stuff, easy, and quite delicious.  Lets do round two. 

Merry Pinterest

This year we have been the recipients of several little gifts from neighbors and friends.  Seems that more and more there are these cute little sayings that come with said gifts.  When I say more and more I mean more and more.  If I go back a few years I don't recall seeing all these nifty little sayings.  Some are pretty dang cool, some are creative and some, let's just say that some are stretching it just a bit.  I shared some of my thoughts concerning these and was informed by my sister that Pinterest is a major source for these cutesie Christmas wishes.   Here are a few we saw this year.

• We Wash You a Merry Christmas!  Tag tied to a bottle of hand washing liquid. 
• Twizz the Season to be Jolly!  or just Twizz the Season!  Tag attached to a bag of Twizzlers.
• May You be Wrapped Up in His Love This Christmas!  Tag attached with a little story about the savior to a tube of wrapping paper.
• Wishing you a Poppin Sprite Holiday!  This is a bag of popcorn and bottle of Sprite and I have no idea what it means.  A neighbor brought it over and my brother Jay says he's done it for years.  Jay also is unsure of it's meaning.  Can't say this is Pinterest but I can't say it isn't either.
• We Whisk You a Merry Kissmas!  Tag attached to a wire whisk that is filled with Hershey's kisses.  The old man brought this one up and has apparently done it in a Christmas past.
• Let me not pass up one of my favorite gifts - Wishing you a Relaxing Holiday Season!  I think that is what it said.  It was from Jay and Sara and was a head massager.  Fabulous.

I should have taken some notes while at Laura's house.  She had more and right now I can't think of any others.  There was another soda and popcorn one that actually made sense that another neighbor brought over, my kids devoured it the same night and I can't think of the line.  It was a good one. 

Well, I've begun working on a slightly more irreverent list, perhaps those that are unworthy of the Pinterest Pin or however that works.  I think there is some serious potential with these ones.  Now, I ask that you do not be offended.  If you are offended then perhaps you take me too seriously.  I have bounced ideas off the fam and have received some great ideas from them as well.  You too may have some thoughts and I invite you to add them to this list of ridiculous Christmas gift ideas. 

• Have a Rootin, Tootin Christmas! Pops shared this idea of a bottle of rootbeer and a can of chili.  Fabulous.
• Oh Holy Night!  Jay thought of this.  Attach this tag line to a brick of Swiss cheese.  I'll take it.
• Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire!  This is another Jay gem of a chess piece with some sort of flame in it's genital region.  I told you, ridiculous, irreverent, and some 4th grade bathroom humor.  Just laugh and move on.
• What Child is This?  Leave a picture of an unknown child on a doorstep with a tag asking this question.  Jim and Jay maybe a combo effort on this or was it a Jim thought?  Can't recall.
• Deck the Halls!  A deck of cards and random halls throat lozenges. 
• Ring out Wild Bells!  Decorate bells in a wild fashion - mohawks, piercings, tattoos, perhaps a custom biker jacket. 
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen!  Serve up a little Excedrin PM with this tag line. 
• Fah rah rah rah rah, rah rah rah rah!  In a play on the movie A Christmas Story, serve up some ramen noodles with this tag line.  Make it even more exciting by taken the noodles out of the package and dipping them in chocolate.  Remember, these are intended to be really bad ideas...
• Oh Fuuudddgggeee!  Also a play on A Christmas Story.  Our family has delivered fudge for years and we have missed out on this one.  A classic for sure. 
• Dawn We Now Our Gay Apparel!  Bottle of Dawn dish soap all dressed up in a rainbow inspired bottle caddy.  I know, I'm walking a thin line with this and am sure to offend some but I thought it was pretty good.  
• Leave a block set of the alphabet without the L block included.  Say nothing about it, just wish them a Merry Christmas.  Eventually they will come to the realization that there is no L in the alphabet and then it will hit them - NOEL.  Jay's work here.  I love it.
• Good TIDE-ings of Comfort and Joy.  This is a triple gift idea with some Tide laundry detergent, Joy dish soap and a Snuggie for comfort.  Or stick with the laundry/soap idea and throw in some Snuggle Fabric Softner for comfort.  Dave's handywork on this idea.  Isn't this exciting? 

Well, Merry Pinterest everyone!  This collection might show up on Pinterest at some point in the future, not much we can do about that.  There are others to be sure but I cannot recall all that we discussed off the top of my head right now and it is getting late.  Suffice to say if we are wanting a creative way to wish someone a Merry Christmas I am most certain it can be found on Pinterest.  However, if you want to live life on the edge feel free to try one of these ridiculously crazy ways of spreading holiday cheer.  Oh, please don't forget to add your own ideas to this list. 


   

Christmas 2013

Enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with the folks, Laura, Nigel and the kids.  It was relaxing and a lot of fun with Donny and Shey.  I think the attached picture captures some of that. 

I had a nice phone call with the kids who were enjoying Christmas in Alaska at their Granny Sue's house.  I am glad they get to enjoy this experience.  

This afternoon we took a drive up to Woodruff Idaho and visited the School House that Richard and Susan Jensen own.  They had just finished the exterior renovation when Richard passed away last year.  It is a special place and I am glad we visited the area. 

I am grateful today for the Savior.  Many of us enjoy this season and the celebration of his birth.  We find purpose as we learn from and follow his teachings and we have hope because of his atonement.   I am grateful for what Jesus Christ has done for me.  I know he lives and loves each of us.  I hope that through the remainder of my days I will be firm in my faith in Christ and have the good sense to follow him.

Christmas Eve 2013

The folks and I are up in Treemonton celebrating Christmas with Laura, Nigel, Shey and Donny.  We arrived around 1 this afternoon and have enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and evening.   I actually made a run down to Sam Waltons place in Brigham City to pick up a few things.  I expected it to be crazy on Christmas Eve but it wasn't too bad.

Had fun with Donny and Shey tonight.  I showed them my drawing app on the kindle and we had a good time drawing some pictures and playing around. 

The attached pic was sent by someone in the Elders Quorum.   I thought it was cool and sent it to the kids.  Natty messaged me back and said Jack thought it was real.  Sad that I won't see them tomorrow but happy they have this time with their mom.

Lights At Temple Square

Laura invited me to her house for Christmas.   The folks were heading up so I joined them.  We left Cedar this evening and got to Salt Lake around 9.  The plan was to stay over night here in SLC and then be at Laura's tomorrow for Christmas Eve.  You can't come to Salt Lake at Christmas time and not go see the lights.  Well, you can but I don't recommend it.  Anyhow, here are some pics I took of our ventures around a very busy Temple Square.

From His Pocket

I had the opportunity to visit with my Bishop today for tithing settlement.  We had a nice interview and he obviously knew that my financial situation was somewhat dire.  When my tithing contributions are full and yet so little it is easy to tell that we are not living high on the hog.  Anyway he asked me about Christmas and wanted to know if we were okay.  I told him that someone had given us some money and I was able to get the kids taken care of.  He asked about me and I told him that was my gift, just to see the joy on their faces.  I guess I never reported that... on Friday morning before we left for the airport I went to the store with the Secret Santa gift money and got the kids some things they wanted.  Naturally I was running late so Natalie was calling wondering where I was at and worried about us not leaving on time.   Anyhow, I got home with the gifts sitting in the back of the car.  I went inside, gathered the kids, told them I had bumped into somebody with the car and they needed to come and take a look.  We gathered at the back of the car and I had them close their eyes while I opened the tailgate.  They opened their eyes and I told them that it was Santa that I had bumped into and he put a little something in the car for them.  They were excited and that joy in their eyes was all I really needed for Christmas and that's what I was trying to convey to the Bishop.  He said I needed to get something for myself and he pulled money from his pocket and handed it to me.  I don't know what I could get myself that would bring me more joy than what I saw in my kids faces but I was humbled and grateful to the Bishop for his concern for me.  I have a package to send to The Arizona Scottsdale Mission.  I don't know how much it will cost but the money from the Bishop will afford me the opportunity to give myself another gift of giving and that is what I really want for Christmas.  Okay, fine, if there is anything left over I might look into getting myself a second pair of jeans, maybe.  I am grateful for the Bishop and for his concern for me.  I may have broken some sort of manly protocol when I got up to leave.  Bishop had just reached in his pocket and I didn't want to linger because I was getting a bit misty so I got up to leave and Bishop came around the desk to shake my hand, I just gave him a hug and thanked him.  I'd imagine that since the Bishop represents the Lord that there is no break in protocol in giving a misty eyed hug, for even the manliest of men will fall at the Lords feet and bath them with their tears. 

Recovery Day

I got up this morning not feeling so well.  Went in to work and found things well in hand so I took care of a couple of things and came home where I just kind of relaxed for most the day.  I cleaned a bit here or there and I did some packaging of the fudge we prepared.  Around 6:30 I headed down to St. George and enjoyed a session at the temple tonight.  It was really good to be there and to enjoy a bit of time there.  I saw one of my dear friends there and enjoyed talking to her for a bit before the session.  It was a good day to recover a bit physically and spiritually.  I should note that Natalie reported their safe arrival and that the boys did very well on the airplane.  She said they slept the entire time.  Wonderful news. 

Long Day of Departure

It has been a long day.  The kids should be in Alaska in the next little while if they are not there allready.  We left Cedar a few minutes after 11 this morning and their plane pulled back from the gate around 6 PM Vegas time so 7 PM our time.  We had a great morning and day together before they left.  It is tough to have them go.  I did get to spend some time in the terminal at the gate with them.  You can still do that when you have children flying alone I guess.  I had a safety pass.  Yes, I am safe.  Anyway, they got to board the plane first.  I was hoping they would get to meet the pilot and see the cockpit but the airline was short on time because of a delay with the flight before it.  I'll find out when we have a chance to talk I guess. 

I made it home.  Had a good string of songs come through on my pandora which helped to keep me alive when my body was ready for sleep.  I sang along to a number of great songs including Enter Sandman by Metallica.  Fantastic stuff.  Also had Pure Energy by the information society play.  That is a classic.  Well, that stuff kept me going strong when i started fading.  Good times.   

Secret Santa

The Twelve Days of Christmas, my parents did this every year for a few families and we loved it when we could go out with pops on the deliveries.  We also saw how much it touched many of those families.  Mom was amazing when it came to organizing this effort and when I think about how much work has to go into that I am amazed. I seriously have no idea how she did all of that with everything else going on during the holidays.

Well, someone else out there has similar skills and has opted to do the twelve days of Christmas for our family.  As I sit on the receiving end of this gift I am grateful.  I love the excitement it has provided for the kids. Natalie is loving it and has her theories on who the Secret Santa is. It has been fun.

I went to my car today while having to make a run to the store. I found a little something there from a Secret Santa.  I struggle for words right now.  Thank you.  It is with all of my heart and perhaps some moisture in my eyes that I say that.  I am humbled by your kindness.

Secret Santa, a wonderful title sometimes employed by or given to those who out of the goodness of their hearts keep the magic of Christmas alive and remind us what the spirit of Christ truly is. 

Fudge

We've made six batches of fudge so far.  It is part of our Christmas gift idea as well as some to give to friends and family.  I am tired.  We had a late night.  Still lots to do before we head to Vegas and the airport.   Time for bed.

Enthusiasm for Giving

This morning when I was in the shower, yes the place where ideas seems to rain down on my mind - it's got to be the negative ions. Anyhow in the shower I had an idea of something we could do as a family for Christmas.  We are not going to have a very big Christmas, in fact we are going to have a very small Christmas in terms of the worldly view of the holiday.  It has been a hard thing for me to be excited about Christmas for a couple of reasons - first, the kids are going to Alaska on Friday and I will not see them at all this Christmas.  Second, we have no money.  The move of the business has left us strapped and so I have gone without pay a few times and that has left us in a very tight financial situation.  I have a few hundred dollars set aside for emergency purposes and I may be able to do a little Christmas something with some of that but really that is not the point of this post.  I had an idea of something we could give for Christmas this year.  Tonight I shared that idea with the kids and explained the money situation to them.  They decided that we should move forward with the idea and try to give a little Christmas something to others.  We got started tonight and I will share more of that in a later post.  I am grateful for Natty, Jack and Andy and their enthusiasm for giving what we can to others this Christmas.  I hope this will be one of those things that they will remember and I think it can become a tradition for our family.   

Divine Intervention

Jack decided last night, for the second time, that he was not going to get on the airplane and fly to Alaska for Christmas.  He was going to stay at home with me.  No matter what I said it only seemed to strengthen his resolve, he is not going to go.  This is a battle that I really don't enjoy.  Quite frankly I really would rather have the kids at home and the last three years having their mom come and stay at the house with them while I went and stayed at my parents worked out just fine.  They were home for Christmas and on Christmas Day I would get to pick them up and have them with me for several hours.  This year they are flying up to Alaska and I am having to do everything I can to convince Jack that he needs to go.  I did have a laugh last night when Jack was writing something on a piece of paper.  I asked him what it was.  "It's for me" was his reply.  I asked what it said, he showed me - "Do Not Get on the Airplane".  I had to laugh a bit. He went and posted it on a cork board in his room.  He has made it clear several times that he is not coming.  

I got home this evening to learn that Jack is now going to go to Alaska.  I was quite thrilled to hear the news.  He decided on his own.  I have to say divine intervention at work.   

Being Alone

I was married for thirteen years.  I have been divorced for nearly 4 years.  Tonight that seems to be a long time.  Caring for three children alone for nearly four years seems to be a very long time.  I live in a state of exhaustion and that can be a hard thing.  Sometimes the feelings of being alone can be overwhelming.   Tonight was such a night.  We had a family dinner, the annual Jerusalem Supper. It was a tough one tonight as Jack had a few problems along with Andy.  Sometimes as the single parent all you want to do is to take it easy once in a while.  Sometimes that just doesn't happen.  Anyhow, being alone is not the funnest.  It's, well, lonely.

Christmas Party Cedar City Ward

We went to the Christmas Party for the new Cedar City Ward tonight.  We are not members of that ward but as a single adult I am invited to activities along with my children when appropriate.   It was a fun evening and the kids had a good time.  There was an activity where the groups decorated one of their members as a tree.  Natty was the chosen member of her group.  There was also a special visitor which was great because the kids missed Santa at our ward party.  It was a wrongly advertised time that contributed to that.  Anyhow, Andy was first in line and was very proud of that.  He later introduced Santa to Jack.  It was great for them.  Natty even visited with the bearded man in red.  At one point I watched as Jack got a cookie from the dessert table and carefully walked it over and handed it to Santa.  We had a good time.  Here are some pics.

Feeling Better

I have not been feeling well for most of the week and that has made it a long one.  Today I am feeling better and that is a positive sign.  It is not easy to be feeling sick and to have to push yourself daily to keep moving and to accomplish the things that are before you to do.  It was nice today to simply work without the headaches and nasty feelings.  I had gotten a little lazy with my soda consumption and decided to get back on track there.  That was the last couple of days so maybe the headaches were associated with that.  Anyway,  it was much easier today to go forth and do.  Grateful for that. 

Boys and The Brain

After our family scripture reading and prayer at night Natty gets herself to be and I go and read to the boys.  They say their prayers and then I get a book and sit on the floor and read to them while they listen in their beds.  This is nothing new, parents read to their kids all the time.  Why post this?  I don't know.  I guess I look back at my life and realize that I grew up not enjoying books.  I didn't like to read at all and now I find myself loving this time with the boys.  We have enjoyed some good books together and right now we are reading the second book in The Great Brain series.  I can't tell you the specific title of the book, I just know it is the second in the series.  The three of us seem to enjoy the stories quite a bit.  The boys have to put up with me as I sometimes get emotional while reading these stories.  I am sure they think I am a big boob but I don't really care.  I read these things that touch my heart and I get a bit misty eyed sometimes.  I don't know if I can blame that on pops but I know that mom gets a bit emotional whilst reading certain stories.  Anyway, Boys and The Brain - that is The Great Brain, I love it and I hope my boys love it too.  I think they do.

The Beat Down

Right now I am feeling the beat down.  Working like crazy, exhausted all the time, can't really get caught up.  I am tired.  It just doesn't seem like my days end and when I do sit down to relax I do so at the expense of other things I have to do.  Well, I guess laundry can do that to anyone but I am not just referring to the laundry.  Sometimes I just want to sit and enjoy moments with my kids.  It is the 11th of December, I haven't gotten down any of the Christmas decorations.  We have no tree, not because we don't have a tree but because I haven't pulled it out of the storage area I keep it in.  Am I scrooge?  When I think about the tree I don't feel like taking the time to do it.  The kids are heading to Alaska in a week, we don't have any presents here anyway and it just seems like a bunch of work for me to pull out the tree, set it up just for me and then have to take it all back down.  No thanks, I've got enough to do.  I feel a pillow calling my name.  That laundry will have to wait, I am fixin to go pass out. 

Ripped A Hole

Let's clarify quickly, the title of the post is not me referreing to the hole of a muscular jackass.  No we are talking about that unfortunate moment when one bends over to get something and hears a tear in the denim jeans.  True story.  Happened to me tonight.  Happened in my favorite pair of jeans.  There really are only two to chose from, my jeans that is.  That choice just got easier as I ripped a hole in my favorite jeans.  Oh, sad day. 

Hot Overflowing Oil

We had a call late this afternoon for a group that needed to have a Christmas Party at the Brick House tonight.  It was a department at the University and apparently they got set back by the University on services or a room that was overbooked.  We brought them in and took care of business for them.  It was not without a challenge.  Before we made the first sandwich we had a major overflow of hot oil spill everywhere.  It was pretty nasty.  Had to slide around like I was on ice skates.  Ultimately we got it done and we got it done well.  I do have to say that when the fries were dropped and I looked over and saw hot oil spewing out of the fry machine I was a little worried.  We had a lake of hot oil for a while, had to add some fresh oil as we were a bit low.  Anyhow, it all worked out and after a delicate dance around pools of hot oil we managed to get it all cleaned up.  Pointer, for fresh cut fries - get as much water off the fries before dropping them and don't drop a ton of fries at the same time. 

A Gospel Conversation

Natty asked me a question earlier in the evening wanting to know if I ever struggled to live the gospel when I was her age.  In quickly thinking about it my answer was no, not really.  We were in the middle of the Christmas Broadcast and I am not feeling all that well right now so I didn't give her question the time or response that I should have.  After getting the boys in bed I took the opportunity to spend a little more time with Natty tonight and to talk about life as a 13 and 14 year old.  We had a good conversation. 

Natty shared with me that she is having a hard time when she sees people she knows are members of the church doing inappropriate things.  It is unfortunate that it happens but it is also reality.  It was a reality when I was her age and has always been the case.  The world points the finger of scorn at those who try to follow the Savior and try to live the gospel.  That can be a very hard thing to take.  The adversary works hard on us all the time by putting in front of us what is popular and what the world deems is cool and right.  Certainly those standards have moved further and further from gospel standards.  The adversary has so many weapons to hit kids with today.  That is tough. 

The thing is this, Natty knows the church is true.  She is a good girl and she tries very hard to do what is right.  She sometimes falls short as we all do.  She also feels the pressure of kids her age.  The call of the natural man can be loud and overwhelming.  The Lord is quietly there with his arms outstretched.  I am grateful that Natty recognizes the gifts of the Spirit.  Through the gifts of the Spirit she can know the truth of all things.  That doesn't mean that she is not tempted and that she doesn't struggle with wanting to be accepted of others.  Certainly those temptations exist.  I trust in the Lord that as we steadily press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, doing the things that he would have us do, reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, attending our meetings and serving others that Natty will find the strength to carry on and to quench all the fiery darts of the adversary. 

Grateful tonight for gospel conversations and for a wonderful daughter. 

Set Up Time

Got an assignment to help set up for the ward Christmas party tonight.   A few of us met at the church at 8 and put up a few tables and chairs... roughly 275 or so.  Jack came with me and had a lot of fun pushing chair and table carts around and cultural hall.  When we finished up Jack decided he wanted a picture.   Here it is...  

A Day of Soup

Today was spent making soup, transporting soup and serving soup.  We catered the LDS Institute Closing Social again this year and though it wasn't as big as last year we still had 600 to feed.  That is a lot of people to make soup for.  Broccoli Cheese and Chicken Noodle.  Wow, busy day.  4800 ounces of soup.  It took quite a while to make it all, pretty much all day, and then it disappeared in a mater of minutes.  Now, I am beat.  I have to make cookies for the Brick House but I am beyond tired and so those cookies are going to have to wait.  I do believe it is off to bed for me and I do hope that I am not dreaming about soup. 

Viva Madiba!

My Xhosa name is Vuyani.  It means happy to be with you.  My clan is Madiba, same clan as Nelson Mandela.  I am sad to report the news of the day that Nelson Mandela passed away.  It was not unexpected as he has lived a full life and his health has been failing over the last several months.  Though sad to learn of his passing I am grateful for his life and for the example he set for many people of all backgrounds.  Indeed it was a great privilege for me to serve in South Africa for two years and to witness history when Mandela was elected.  I then saw a leader put at ease much of the tension that existed leading up to those elections.  Wonderful man. 

The Plow

I was up at 5;25 this morning, not because I wanted to be but because I knew my alarm was going to sound off in 20 minutes and I couldn't get back to sleep.  No, I was up knowing that I had to put on my snow plow pants and go for it.  We had a networking group scheduled to use the upstairs conference room this morning at 7 and with all the snow fall from last night I knew there would be some work ahead of me in order to clear the front entry to the building.  Holy cow, that was a lot of snow.  That was a lot of snow in our driveway that I needed to clear just to get out of it.  Anyhow, I got to the shop, shoveled like crazy, got things set up and ready to go upstairs with the heat on, the lights on, water even.  Well, turns out that no body showed up.  I can only guess that they cancelled the meeting because of weather.  I had to run home so I could get the kids ready for school.  We managed to get everyone to school on time.  I continued to shovel snow around the neighborhood but the real treat is when I got to drive the snow plow to clear our parking lot when I got back to work.  There are some things that I consider fun to do and driving that snow plow certainly falls into that category.  The plowing wasn't done.  Turns out that the 8th Ward is in charge of snow removal this month at our building.  We were invited to stop by and help with removal.  Once again I pressed forward and did my duty, yep maybe calling me "the plow" is fitting on a day like today... 

Snow Falling on Cedar... Again

Ethan Hawk right?  I think I saw that movie once but I have no idea what it is about.  I saw the cover of it some time in the last year and other than the fact that there is snow and a tree and said Ethan Hawk on the cover with an oriental gal I couldn't tell you a single thing about the movie.  Somehow the title always sneaks into my mind whenever it begins snowing in Cedar City.  I have probably titled a previous blog post the same thing, perhaps I have even done it more than once since this is now my fourth winter typing the blog.  Crazy how time flies, how my forgetter forgets and just how un-imaginative I really am.  How else could I title the same thing?  White Crystals of Bliss Softly Drift through the Cold Winter Sky and Rest Peacefully on the City Which is Known as Cedar.  See, that is just to long and it certainly doesn't remind anybody of the great Ethan Hawk. 

My goodness, it is snowing rather heavy tonight actually.  We have at least 8 inches out there now if not more.  It started coming down around 4 and it hasn't really let up.  That is a good thing.  We need to get some snow pack up in the mountains for sure.  I will be up in the early AM to run over and shovel off the front walk at the Brick House.  I actually did it tonight and moved quite a bit of snow.  I figured I need to make it as easy as possible for 6 AM and hopefully tonights effort will make that so.  It's a good workout and when I look at shoveling as exercise it makes me feel like I'm fulfilling multiple needs.  I wasn't real excited a couple of weeks ago during the first big storm of the season but I am a bit more prepared this time. 

An Attempt at Lemon-Sour Cream

Tonight I went for it.  I have heard much about Lemon Cream Sour Cream Pie, I've been asked if our lemon cream pie has sour cream, I had a slice of Lemon Cream Sour Cream on fathers day and finally I have gotten around to making one of my own.  I did mine a little different.  First, I started with a Gluten Free pie crust - follow a graham cracker pie crust recipe and replace the graham crackers with rice chex - blended up in a vita mixer.  It is really quite simple though baking times on the crust may take a little longer.  I pulled mine out after 8 minutes but ended up putting it back in to crisp it up a bit.  So Gluten Free - check.  I also made it sugar, um, less.  I used the truvia baking blend which, if I am correct has 75% stevia and 25% sugar.  I think that is what it is.  I had a customer today request diabetic friendly desserts so I figured I might as well see how it goes.  I researched a number of recipes for Lemon Cream Sour Cream and found that most were fairly close.  Some called for milk and others called for half and half.  I went with milk.  The filling set pretty well though it may be a little clumpy.  I will do a few things different the next time I cook the filling to try for a smoother filling.  Anyhow, the flavor is good.  Using a stevia sweetener I wasn't too sure how it would turn out but it cooked just fine.  I think we have success there and really it was quite simple to do.  Perhaps I will sneak a piece of my Sugar-less, gluten free, Lemon Sour Cream pie in the morning and perhaps take some in for everyone to try.

In other news we watched a couple of Christmas videos from the Church for our FHE tonight.  We had a good discussion about what we can give this Christmas and everyone got excited.  Next week we will make some Fontano Family Fudge to distribute to friends and neighbors.  Not sure if we will go with the traditional fudge or try some of the Candy Cane stuff we do at the Brick House.  I tried to convince the kids that we should sing We Wish You A Merry Christmas at the door-step when we drop it off.  Natty wasn't having any of that.  Hmmm, what can we do to fix that? 

Move a Piano...

The primary had a combined meeting to start today after Sacrament Meeting.  They did a quick rehearsal of the Nativity for the Ward Christmas party coming up on Saturday evening.  I had been hanging out with Andy because he was on the program in primary sharing time for the scripture.  Anyhow, Morgan asked me to help him move a piano into the cultural hall so they could practice the songs they are going to sing.  I went to help him but the piano he was headed for was being used by another ward.  I turned around and walked back into the cultural hall and was asked by Sister Simmerman if I would help her out.  Oh, fantastic, what could this be?  Turns out she asked me to be the narrator for this little program and that requires that I commit to doing it on Saturday as well.  That is usually done by an older brother in the Ward isn't it?  Older brother... wait just a minute here.  I will do my best to be there.  Perhaps I need to work on my South African accent a bit and give it a go.  I am sure they will appreciate that.  Or perhaps I should bring my Hawaiian Pigeon New Testament and read the account that way, just to mix things up a bit.  I don't know if that will be appropriate but one things for sure, if I were to pull out the accent or the pigeon, the next time I go to help move a piano they will most likely look for the next unsuspecting guy to rope into to this narration thing.