Monday's Magnet

I've got this collection. If you were to look on my fridge you'd have a difficult time seeing much of the actual surface. It's covered pretty well with........MAGNETS! This all started out innocently enough. A few magnets purchased from vacations when I was still married. As one can clearly see, things have evolved. Now I have magnets from all over the world. I have friends, doctors, business men and women, runners, nurse practitioners, and family members bringing me magnets. I LOVE IT!! We've actually had some of Em's friends think we live in our modest home so we can spend money vacationing all over the world. Pretty funny.

I've decided to share my magnets with everyone. Each Monday I'll post a picture of an individual magnet. It should be fun explaining where they came from and who brought them to me. Here goes.While this is actually the newest magnet I received, I thought it would be best to begin with this one. Any of you who know me well realize I would totally see the humor in this magnet. I will admit.... I'm 100% disturbed. This gem comes from the great national treasure, Mt. Rushmore. As Lesa's husband traveled the country following her death, he kept my "habit" in mind and came home with this one. He gave it to me this past Saturday. Thank you, John.

I have around 130 magnets.... give or take. You only see the front of the freezer door in the above picture. We'll cover one a week. Stay tuned and enjoy.

Pumpkin Funnel Cake

One of the highlights of going to the fair is being able to participate in a yearly ritual. Partaking of funnel cake. For me, the very best of these delectable treats is pumpkin funnel cake. It is a bit of heaven to be savored for a few brief moments. I've been searching high and low for a really good recipe... many tried, many failed, until now. I finally found the perfect recipe. Here are some I made this morning. Delicious.

Pumpkin Funnel Cakes
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 t Baking Powder
1 t Baking Soda
1 t Cinnamon
1/4 t Salt
3/4 t Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Egg
1/4 C Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 C Canned Pumpkin Puree
1 C Milk
Powdered Sugar
1 Quart Oil for frying

Pour oil into a deep skillet, and heat to 375°. Sift together first 6 ingredients. Beat together the next 4 ingredients until well blended. Gradually combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Pour batter into a quart Ziploc bag; cut tip off one of the bottom corners (small cut). Squeeze batter into hot oil in circular motion, crossing over as desired. Cook until golden brown. Turn over and cook bottom side. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Cool 5 minutes and dust with powdered sugar.

Now you can have the taste of the fair at home... anytime you please. Happy Fall, Y'all!!

100Miles4Kids

Today was the completion of a year long effort. Dr. Shawn Cooper works as a Pediatrician at Penn State Milton Hershey Children's Hospital. In the past he did a fund raiser for a little girl who needed special therapy equipment in her home. Last year he decided to take it up a notch... a really BIG notch. He came up with the idea of running 100 miles for kids. Shawn recruited my nephew Andy, to join him... and the rest, as they say, is history.Starting at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, the guys "leap-frogged" as they ran across Pennsylvania... making their way to Hershey. Andy and Shawn ran for 24 hours... from 4pm Friday to 4pm Saturday. They had some rough points, including both needing IV's due to dehydration along the way. In spite of unusually high temps in the upper 80's to low 90's and high humidity, extreme fatigue, sickness, pain, hunger, and lack of sleep, the guys wouldn't quit!The goal? To raise $10,000 dollars for recreational supplies and toys for pediatric patients. As of yesterday the guys had raised $3,400+ dollars... and donations are continuing to come in via their official website, which is...

www.100Miles4Kids.org

Andy and Shawn, you did an amazingly wonderful thing today. There are many who will benefit from your efforts and hard work. Thank you for stepping up and making a difference. I am honored to call you my friend and nephew. You are honorable men who stand a little taller this morning. A HUGE thanks to Jamie and Christine, the wives. Your support and encouragement along the way speaks volumes of who you are and what is most important to you.

I guess there's only one thing left to say..... GET SOME SLEEP. You've definitely earned it.

A New Day

"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Matthew 17:20... I can do this!

I Am Alone

Tonight is not a good night.
No matter what I do when it comes to my children, I don't seem to get it right. They are unhappy with me. I am unhappy with them. Some days being a parent hurts.People keep telling me that with time things really do get better. I'm not so sure I believe them. I can't see the end of the path yet....

I've been having a little trouble sleeping for a few nights now. Some nights I read. Some nights I toss and turn. It's not usually a big deal, and I'm sure things will resolve again in a few nights..... Having said that, it can still be irritating when you get a visit from... The "Insomnia Gremlin."

He made his unwelcome visit again tonight. At 2:38am I woke and knew there would be no going back to sleep. I thought about things to do today... what the girls are up to... upcoming events, etc. Rather than lay around in bed, I decided to go downstairs and straighten up a bit. Low and behold, I discovered another visitor had make her appearance. This time it was... The "Cleaning Fairy."

I was so excited!! Now I didn't have to clean up the mess left behind when Brie, and her football co-manager, made brownies for the guys last evening. For some unexplained reason, they must have forgot to clean up after themselves. Fortunately for me, the fairy showed up to handle everything! How nice.

I wonder if the girls will notice when they go downstairs this morning? Probably not.

I Remember

Another year has passed. Days fly by, seasons change, babies are born... loved ones die. Such is the ebb and flow of life.

Today is a day of significance. It is a day to stop for a few minutes and contemplate what is most important to us. Do we take the precious loved ones in our life for granted? Do we treasure the freedoms we are privileged to have? Do we revere our Constitution? Do we pray for the leaders of our nation and those of other countries as well?

Most importantly, today is a day to REMEMBER. I remember how I felt the morning of September 11, 2001. I still remember thinking our world was irreversibly changed. I knew my children were going to experience things I had only dreamed were possible in their lifetime. I remember thinking how close we were to all 3 attack sites; we're in the middle of the triangle of sites. I wept that day. Do you remember how you felt? We must never forget. NEVER.

Click to enlarge

I am absolutely certain that these people have not forgotten. Have you?

Is it Love I'm Feeling? Or....

As I've raised Emile and Brie, I've tried to share with them what it means to love someone (as in opposite sex). Society is telling our youth that they must be in an exclusive "relationship" or they're loose. Dating more than one person is just wrong in this day and age. When did that happen? Didn't it used to be that you purposely dated more than one person so you got to know about different personalities, likes, dislikes, standards, goals, viewpoints, etc.? That's not how it is anymore. Thus we have a huge problem differentiating between LOVE and LUST.When I was in college I rented a small efficiency apartment from our Stake Patriarch and his wife, "Mother" Opal. She was a very wise woman. At the time I didn't see it that way, in fact, I didn't like her much at all. Deep inside I loved her though. One day we were having a discussion and I told her I loved someone. She quickly corrected me by saying, "You 'lust' someone." At that moment, I was very angry with her. Who did she think she was? How dare she imply that I didn't know the difference between love and lust! Fact is, she was dead on. It wasn't love I was feeling. It was lust! Unfortunately I didn't listen to her. I made some poor decisions, and after a period of time, the "love of my life" went on to the next "love of his life." I was left with guilt and shame. Wasn't "love" grand??? Oh wait, it wasn't love, it was lust.And so we now come to the point where Em is of dating age, and Brie is rapidly approaching. They are swimming through pretty murky waters right now. I'm telling them one thing, their friends are telling them another. Are they making choices which are causing them to drift into deeper and more unsafe water? I know they has been taught correct principles. They both know what is right and what is wrong. Now they must choose for themselves. If they push me away, that is their choice. They must then live with the consequences of that decision. I will be here for them. I love them both and will not abandon them like some of their friends may, and society surely will. They also have a loving Heavenly Father they can turn to at any time. HE will NEVER forsake them.If the fairy tale's don't work out quite the way my precious daughter's think it will, I will be waiting and watching as they mend their broken hearts and wounded spirits.