Springtime at Our House

So much has happened lately. I've thought about posting about this, that and the other thing, but I've just not gotten around to it. So, now I get to play catch-up.

Last Sunday Alex graduated from seminary.



It's not the best picture, but of course, I forgot to bring the camera, so this was taken with my cell phone. He looks very happy, and we're so proud of him!

I've also started my garden. I have it mostly planted, in fact. Here is a picture of part of the garden, where I planted tomatoes. It was taken on the 24th of May. Yep, that's snow.



Fortunately, the snow did not damage the tomato plants. They seem pretty happy, although they're not growing very fast in the cool weather.

Today Alex graduated high school. I remember when he was in kindergarten. His class wore tee shirts that said "Class of 2010." I remember thinking that was soooo far off. I could hardly imagine it being 2010. And, now it is here and he has graduated.



He was part of a school choir that sang for the graduation. He is on the bottom row, fifth from the left.



Okay, now back to the garden. Last year I purchased expensive boxes for my garden so that I wouldn't have to deal with the sand/clay mix of soil that is native to this area. I filled the boxes with a nice, fluffy growing mix and planted my seeds. This year, in one of the boxes I have planted some lettuce and spinach. Here is some spinach growing in the garden box.



And in this picture is a spinach plant that volunteered. It is growing in the middle of a gravel walk-way. Why, I ask you, do I bother setting up such a lush growing environment, when the spinach grows perfectly well IN GRAVEL!?



We acquired four more ducks this spring. These ducks are Peking ducks, so they get pretty big. That's probably a good thing, because we have a rather aggressive male duck, and these ducklings will end up bigger than him.



Meanwhile, Michelle is preparing for her mission. She will give her farewell address on June 13 and she'll report to the MTC on the 16th. I have times when I feel quite sad about her being gone. I know I will really miss her. I also have times of great excitement for her, knowing what kind of experiences she is in for, and the impact she will have on the lives of others, and the impact her mission will have on her life. And, other times, I feel envious because I wish I could go too.

Katrina's Ordeal

Two weeks ago I brought Katrina to the dentist. She was in terrible pain and the left side of her face was very swollen. She had started complaining of pain while we were camping in Idaho, where we attended Michelle's graduation (or, almost graduation, but that's another story). Doesn't it always seem these kind of problems happen on the weekend? I kept her on ibuprofen, but by Sunday evening, 600 mg wasn't even enough to keep the pain at bay, and every day the swelling got worse.

So, first thing Monday morning I tried to call the dentist's office. I got no answer, and I was feeling pretty desperate to get her tooth taken care of. I decided to do something that seemed selfish, but I believed, and still do, that it was the right thing to do. We went in without an appointment and sat in the waiting room until we were taken care of. Of course, since she looked so bad, and the situation truly was urgent, they took us right in and examined her.

Dr. Bateman said she needed immediate surgery to drain the abscess. An abscess is an infection that starts in the root of a tooth and continues up into the bone. Fortunately for us, Dr. Bateman's son is an oral surgeon, and his office is right across the hall from his father's practice. He summoned his son and they both rearranged their schedules so that, not only did she have the oral surgery, but she also was able to come back to Dr. Bateman's office for a root canal to complete the treatment.

Things went pretty smoothly. The younger Dr. Bateman told me that he cleaned out an area the size of a marble where the infection had eaten away the bone. He assured me that it will grow back.

Once I got Katrina home and on her pain medication and a very strong antibiotic, she was feeling much, much better. Still swollen, I managed to get a smile out of her, which she would not give me earlier that day.



Now, 14 days later, she is still just a tiny bit extra puffy on her left cheek. She has healed up nicely and is pretty much back to normal. We hope she never has to go through that kind of ordeal again!

Michelle's Mission Call

Our second missionary is poised and ready to take off. Michelle has been called to serve in the Louisiana, Baton Rouge Mission. She is to report to the MTC on June 16. She is excited and we're excited for her!

This Friday, March 12, she will go through the temple. The next day, she is going to get to attend her cousin's wedding.


Meanwhile, Andre is settling in to Missionary life in South Carolina. His first area is Spartanburg, in the northern part of his mission. He sent his first companion home last month, and is currently serving with Elder Merrill, from Provo.


Andre with President & Sister McConkie


Elder Dupaix with his trainer, Elder Austin


Elder Dupaix with his group from the MTC

Andre Enters the MTC

Well, we made it through sending a son out on a mission! I was not as emotional as I had expected to be. We went to Provo a little early and said our goodbyes in the parking lot of the Provo temple, then dropped him of curb-side at the MTC.

Being by the MTC brought back a lot of memories for me. I was a teacher there, for about a year, while I was going to BYU. I loved the spirit there. I thrilled to hear hundreds of young voices singing "Called to Serve," and meaning it with all their hearts. I wished I could go with Andre; not because I was a worried, concerned Mom who didn't want her little boy out of her sight, but because I wanted to go on a mission too! I remember the joy that is like no other. I remember boldly testifying of things I know to be true, and seeing the light of truth ignite in someone else's eyes. I remember seeing lives change and miracles happen. I remember living a life dedicated to God and focused on living right and being close to the Spirit. I love my life now, but some day I want to be a missionary again. And next time, I will be able to choose my companion!

Braces for Karen

I have wanted braces all my life. Ever since my permanent teeth came in, too big for my small jaws, I can't remember a time when I didn't want braces. All of my sisters got braces, but I didn't, because the orthodontist said my back teeth were aligned all right and I wouldn't have trouble chewing.

Now, as an adult, my husband and I have put several of our children through braces, but my getting them just wasn't enough of a priority.

Well, a couple of months ago, I went to the dentist for what I thought was going to be a filling on one of my front teeth. Instead, it was a root canal! Because that tooth was behind its neighbor, the decay had been undetected for a couple of years, in spite of my complaining to the dentist about pain there. I have other teeth in a similar line-up. We decided it was time for me to get braces.

It was one of those dream come true moments, where you're not sure it's really happening because you've wanted it for so long! It got real pretty fast.

I was seated comfortably in the padded, reclined chair. I'd had my picture taken several times, as well as a panoramic X-ray. Some of the pictures were taken with cheek retractors. Basically it's a plastic shoe horn that stretches your cheek away from your teeth on one side so they can get good pictures of the side of your teeth. I don't want to see those pictures.

The photo op being over, I was fitted with another lip and cheek-stretching gizmo. This one fit into my mouth, stretching my lips and cheeks to amazing proportions, covering my tongue and cutting into the gums below my bottom teeth. Ow! I knew I was in for a canker sore there, if not a blister. Every time they did something new in my mouth, they pushed on the gizmo and it cut against my bottom gums. They really need to bevel the edge of that thing! Of course, I couldn't say anything. Trying to speak with all that in my mouth would have been ludicrous and would have sounded like something coming from a cow! I just endured the process.

Finally, they were finished. "All done," the technician said, cheerfully. "Go rinse." I stumbled to the sink to rinse the nasty tasting glue out of my mouth. My tongue was eager to explore its new environment. "Hold on," I thought, "someone glued little Lego blocks to my teeth by mistake!" I couldn't believe how big braces felt! They stuck waaaay out from my teeth.

When I got home, I showed my sewing student my new metal mouth. She is almost ready to have her braces come off. "How do your teeth feel?" she asked. "So far, just some pressure. Not bad at all," I replied. She told me it was the evening of the second day that it started getting bad for her. It ended up being like that for me too. I went on a yogurt and applesauce diet for about the next 14 days.

Now, sever weeks later, I can eat most things, but my teeth have a way of randomly hurting. Just one or two at a time, but I never know who's next.

I am so excited to be getting straight teeth. No more avoiding smiling. No more being ashamed to show my teeth. I will have between 18-24 months before they come off, but it will be so worth it! I have a new appreciation for the young women I work with at church who have braces. It's amusing that they talk to me about my braces and commiserate about things like bands and tightening the wires.

Andre Got His Mission Call Today!

Andre has been called to the South Carolina, Columbia Mission. The mission covers most of the state of South Carolina, with a little chunk at the top belonging to the NC Charlotte mission and a little bit of the lower part of the state in the Georgia mission. His mission president is the son of Bruce R. McConkie. Andre reports to the MTC on December 16, just 9 days before Christmas. He will spend Christmas at the MTC.

Andre is quite excited. His mission is right below the mission his mother served in, so she can tell him quite a bit about the climate and culture. We are all very pleased with his call.

Waiting For The Call

This is a picture of Andre, the day he was ordained an Elder by his dad. His papers are all complete and turned in. We're just waiting for that white envelope in the mail, telling us where he is going to be serving his mission. From what folks around here tell us, it will probably come October 1st. Andre will turn 19 on Saturday the 26th of September. We'll let you know where he's serving when we get the envelope!

Busy Summer Days!

It has been a very busy couple of weeks! The last few days of July and the first day of August, Paul and I went to Youth Conference with three of our teen-agers and 30-some youth from our ward. We asked if we could bring our travel trailer, and were given permission. We were very glad we brought it, not only because we had the best sleeping accommodations in the camp, but also because it was a make-shift camp medical center, and also because we found out we had bad tires on the trailer. Yep, we had a flat tire on the way up.

It happened on a steep, winding dirt road. The bishop was several cars ahead of us, pulling an open trailer with all the gear and food for the camp-out. The caravan had to stop and open a gate, and with no momentum, the bishop was unable to make it up the hill. Consequently, we also had stopped and couldn't make it up the hill either. The word from the top came that we would back down the hill and give the bishop a head-start up the hill. Ever tried backing a 41-foot trailer down a winding, dirt road? Did I mention there were 3-4 cars behind us? Paul actually did very well, but one of the kids who had gotten out of his vehicle to watch the show noticed one of our tires was flat. Waaaay flat. That tire was history. Providentially, there was a side road not too far down the canyon that we backed the trailer onto and were able to get the tire changed. We prayed that the other 3 tires would survive the experience of going in and back out of the canyon.

Youth conference was wonderful. It was well planned and I think the youth gained much from the exprience. The theme was B.O.O.T. camp, the acronym standing for Building On Our Testimonies. We got back to Lehi Saturday the 1st, and our first priority (even before we showered!) was to get the tires checked out. Sure enough, they all needed replacing. Sooo, $400 and a couple of hours later, we were much more confident about towing the trailer to our next grand adventure--the Stoddard Family Reunion!

We left for Mesa Verde, Colorado that next Tuesday. The drive in was blissfully uneventful. We traveled in carvan with my brother, Dave and my parents. We had a great reunion! Mesa Verde is full of so many interesting things to look at and explore. We could have spent ten-fold as much time there and not seen it all! The best part, as it always is, was visiting with family and watching the children reconnect with their cousins, some of whom they hadn't seen since our last reunion, two years ago.






All too soon, it was time to end the reunion and return home. Andre and Alex had agreed to be counselors at a scout camp starting the day we drove back home, so we took a different route back than the one we took getting to the reunion. At one point on our journey, we neglected to fill up with gas at the right time, and the gas gauge was wonky, and we ended up in a long canyon with no cell phone service--out of gas and stuck at the side of the road! Michelle and I walked down the steep, windy road (all too reminiscent of the prior week's break-down), waving our arms at approaching vehicles, trying to get someone to help us. Paul was visibly upset by the situation, but I was not too worried. We were carrying with us a mini-house with a bathroom, sleeping quarters, and all the reunion left-over food. We'd be fine if we had to stay there two days! Fortunately, a couple of kind older gentlemen stopped and agreed to call the highway patrol from the next town--30 miles up the road. It took another hour and a half for the highway patrol to arrive, but they put 2.5 gallons of gas in the Suburban, which got us up over the 8,000+ foot summit and we coasted down into the nearest town, where we filled up with gas and continued our journey.

After we got Alex and Andre dropped off at scout camp, we finally drove the last leg of our journey, arriving home around midnight. What an adventure! We had been in the car for over 13 hours!

Latest Benjaminism & Hairbows

Today we went to Thanksgiving Point Children's Gardens. We were quite disappointed that their water features were all turned off because they'd broken. So, we had a hot walk along the garden paths. We saw the observation beehive that we had installed a few years ago, fed the Koi and basically got really hot and tired.

When we got back into the big black Suburban, Benjamin said, "Whew! My kneepits are really sweaty!"

My latest craft venture is to make hair bows and lacy hats to put them on. I'm selling them both in my Etsy store, but no takers yet. Maybe they will sell better in the spring. Anyway, here are some pictures.

Mid July Updates

I can't believe we are almost half-way through July already! Yikes!

We don't hear much from Andre. He'd better do better as a missionary. But, if his Facebook status is any indication, the salmon run has pretty much petered out, so there isn't much work to do. That is very disappointing, as he needed to earn as much money as possible. Things will work out. I hope maybe the salmon will decide to resume their run. Go, salmon, go!!

Michelle has a boyfriend in the MTC. He has been sending her rather cryptic, mixed-message letters, which have upset her, so things have been interesting here on mail-call days (and often a few days after).

Alex left this morning at 4:45 for a week-long back-packing hike in the Unitas. His group leader is my parents' bishop, so I believe he is in good hands. I'm sure he'll have some great stories to tell when he gets back home.

Sewing classes are going quite well. I'm having a great time, and I think the girls are enjoying it too. It is nice that two of my daughters are in the classes. I don't know that I would take the time to teach them properly if it weren't structured like this.

The summer is going by very quickly. The children will be back in school on August 20th, just a month or so away. Between then and now, we will be involved in youth conference and a family reunion in Mesa Verde. Should be great fun!

Manti Pageant

Our family went to the Manti Mormon Miracle Pageant this weekend. I forgot my digital camera, so these pictures were taken with my cell phone. I think they're not too bad for a cell phone.
Ben gives Michelle a hug while waiting for the pageant to start.

The hardest part was the 1.5 hour wait for the pageant to begin. It was cold and threatening to rain at the first, but just in time for the production, all the clouds went away and the weather was beautiful, if a little chilly.

The Manti temple.

The Manti temple with the lights on, at about dusk.

We camped in our trailer at a campground in Mount Pleasant. Paul and I took a walk and I saw this Sego Lily. I'd never seen one before.

Summer Sewing School

Karen has been teaching sewing lessons to some of the young girls in the neighborhood. It has been a lot of fun! This week some of them made aprons out of dishtowels. They all bought their dishtowels at the same store, so they matched!

Andre Made it to Alaska!

It was a close thing. Okay, not really, but his flight from SLC to Phoenix did get cancelled. Fortunately, he was able to get a flight on a different carrier that flew him directly to Anchorage. That was the good news. The bad news was he had some really long waits to endure. He was four hours early for the flight when we dropped him off at the SLC airport, and had something like 18 hours to wait in Anchorage before his flight to Dillingham left.

He called me from the fish processing plant. He made it just fine, and anticipates starting working right away, getting things ready for the big crew that will be coming in next week.

So, here's hoping for a really great salmon run this year, so he works lots of hours and makes lots of money for his impending mission.

Andre Graduates

Andre graduated from Lehi High School on May 29, 2009. His robes were purple, although they look royal blue here. The ceremony took place at the Mariott Center on the campus of BYU. He was one of over 500 students graduating from his school. He missed his Tooele friends, and wished he could have walked with them, but mostly he's just glad to have graduated!


We took a picture with his seminary graduation certificate because he had to leave his robes in the Mariott Center before they would give him his diploma. So, these pictures were actually taken before he graduated--but not by much!


Andre is headed to Alaska on June 8 for the summer. He hopes to make better money than he did last year, and hopes the accommodations will be better as well! At least, he hopes, they will have water that doesn't leave brown stains on everything!


After his summer in Alaska, Andre will turn in his mission papers. He turns 19 on September 26.

Chicken Unique

Saturday I had gone to the store with two of my children. On my way out of the store, I was handed a pile of local coupons. My son took them to look at. He said, "Oh, a coupon for Chicken Unique." I said, "What?" He said, "Chick and Unique." I couldn't figure out what kind of establishment would call themselves Chicken Unique, or Chick and Unique. Made no sense to me. My daughter snatched the flier. She said "Chic and Unique." We had a good laugh over it. This particular son has even taken French in school!

Dad's Ordination

Last week, the Sunday before Mothers' Day, my dad was ordained as a patriarch by President Meek. It was a joyous, spiritual occasion. My brother, Dave, came up from Nevada for the occasion. We had a family picture taken outside the stake center, under a beautiful spring flowering tree.

Mothers' Day, 2009

I had a very nice Mothers' Day. My husband fixed me breakfast in bed for starters. We went to church at 9:30. The talks were nice, and all the women over 18 were given little bags of candy, with a quote by President Uchtdorf, which I really appreciated. This was the quote:

We are living in a great season for all women in the Church. You are an essential part of our Heavenly Father's plan--you are endowed with a divine birthright. You women are the real builders of nations wherever you live, because strong homes of love and peace will bring security to any nation.

May I invite you to rise to the great potential within you. But don't reach beyond your capacity.... Don't feel guilty or dwell on thoughts of failure. Don't compare yourself with others. Do the best you can, and the Lord will provide the rest. Have faith and confidence in Him, our Savior, and you will see miracles happen in your life and the lives of your loved ones. The virtue of your own personal life will be a light to those who sit in darkness.... Wherever you have been planted on this beautiful but often troubled earth of ours, you can be the one to "succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees." (D&C 81:5).

After we got home from church, we prepared a nice dinner, to which we had invited my parents and brother, Sam. My sister was invited too, but she spent the day with her in-laws. We had roast beef and mashed potatoes, rolls and greenbeans. For dessert we had cheesecake and snickerdoodles.

My children gave me some nice gifts. Ben had made a pinata that was about the size of two cereal bowls stuck together. It looked like a large egg. I cracked it open like an egg. Inside were Dum-Dum suckers and Smarties. I figured they canceled each other out! Of course, I shared the candy with the children. I also got a candy-gram from Dallin. It said:

Dear Mom, If you were a rancher then I would say you were a (Jolly Rancher). But you aren't a rancher. But you are still sweeter than (jelly beans). So have a happy Mothers day. I hope nobody (Snickers) at you at any time today. Lots of love: Dallin ♥ ♥ P.S. feel free to eat the candy. P.P.S. Keep being a great mom.

Lisette gave me a coupon booklet, and the other children gave me a hummingbird feeder. Paul gave me a nice new pan. I am slowly collecting new pans, and soon will have a complete set!

I decided to give my mother the first multi-signature book that I made. I think it turned out quite well for a first attempt. Here are some pictures of it:

My Dad, the Patriarch

Dad has always been the patriarch of our family, but recently he received a new calling. He has been called as the new patriarch of our stake! How wonderful that we live in the same stake! Of course, he could give his grandchildren blessings no matter where they live, but it's really great to be close.

I am so proud of my dad. The call was so unexpected. I don't think one ever expects to receive a calling like that. Dad says he's a little overwhelmed, but knows that with the Lord's help he can do the job. He will be ordained and set apart this Sunday.

Amazing Mint Brownies

I usually don't like mint brownies. I think often they taste like they have toothpaste in them! However, at a bridal shower recently, I found a mint brownie that was amazingly good! I finally got the recipe and I'm posting it here.

When Alex made the brownie part of these, he got distracted and made two mistakes. He didn't put enough cocoa in it, so the brownie part isn't as chocolatey, and he added twice as many chopped nuts as the recipe called for. The kids said we should call them mint tannies, since they aren't dark brown. They were still amazingly good!

MINT BROWNIES

3/4 cup butter or margarine
3 squares unsweetened chocolate or 2 Tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mint Topping:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup canned milk
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
2-3 drops green food coloring

Chocolate Frosting:
6 Tablespoons butter
1 small package semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup), melted

Melt butter and chocolate squares or butter and cocoa in small sauce pan. Mix sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl with melted butter and chocolate until well blended. Add flour, salt and nuts. Pour into greased and floured 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cool and frost with mint topping.

Mint Topping: Combine sugar, butter, milk, peppermint extract and food coloring in small bowl. Blend well. Spread on cooled brownies and chill. Frost with Chocolate Frosting.

Chocolate Frosting: Combine butter and melted chocolate chips in small bowl until well blended (I put both butter and chips in a bowl and microwaved them until melted, then stirred them together well). Spread on cooled brownies.

Muffy's Visit to the Groomer

Muffy, now 6 months old, had her first visit to the groomer's today. We think she looks So cute!!