Thursday, September 5, 2024

      Ring the bell, school is in.  The kids are in school.  Jacinda leaves in one week to go to college.  I am very excited for her.  She is nervous because she will be 3 hours away and it is a new adventure for her.  I know she is going to do great.  She has quit her jobs at Lowe’s and Centerpointe Theatre.  She now spends her time packing for school, crocheting plant holders, and rock climbing.  Jacinda also likes to watch Modern Family. 

                This past weekend, Tim took Jacinda on a getaway.  They went to St. George and saw 3 productions: Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, and the Jersey Boys.  They both agreed that Jersey Boys was their favorite.  While out, they visited Hurricane Peach Days and got some expensive soaps for the family.  Mine has beach sand in it.  You could say that it is an exfoliator.

                McCabe and I are back in the groove of doing math.  We are working on quadratic equations.  It is super fun.  I always enjoy a good math problem.  McCabe and Sam went fishing this past weekend in the Uintahs.  They caught some fish but also got rained out.  Mac said their tent took on some water because the fly zipper was broken.  Unfortunately, Sam got the majority of the water in his area.

                McCabe likes going to the gym.  He is working hard on sculpting his body.  Every mirror he passes, he lifts up his shirt to get a view of his abs.  It makes me laugh because I always comment in my head when he lifts up his shirt, “yep, your tummy is still there.”  He also likes to play the guitar.

                Xadia made the volleyball team.  It is so fun watching her games.  The first game was rough but the second and third ones were much better because they were playing like a team and not shuffling around trying to find their positions.  Xadia likes to ride the e-bikes, however, she is really excited to get her learners permit and start driving.  Xadia is big into fragrant sprays and likes to make desserts, especially cupcakes.

Teagan is into boxing and watching random videos on Youtube.  Teagan also enjoys riding the e-bikes and will take it to boxing.  He has decided to grow out his hair.  It is getting long and unkept.  Tim and I are convincing him to clean up the sides but he wants to keep it long.  He would really like to go to fan X.  We made a costume.  He painted some black shoes brown and cut the straw hat to match the character.  I sewed the vest.  He wants to go as Demaro Black.   

I got my costume ready for Halloween.  I will go as the Raven Queen.  I repurposed an old costume and added my own flair to it.  I liked how it turned out.  Now just deciding if there should be a headpiece.

Tim is working hard.  I am so grateful for all that he does for our family.  He gives the kids a lot of opportunity to earn and work and he is right beside them doing reels and mowing.  Yet when I need a nap, he is always willing to cuddle with me.  I love him so much.

Wednesday, July 25, 2024

                 It has been a while since my last entry.  I have been under a lot of stress with lawsuits and mediation.  At the moment, my stomach feels like a huge knot and I have very little appetite.  I have lost 3 pounds in the last 3 days.  At the moment, I am having a hard time understanding how people can be so deceptive and dishonest.  I am also having a hard time understanding the court system.  I feel like no matter how hard I try to protect myself and do what I am supposed to, evil tends to have small victories.  Why does the good get tainted by the bad?  It is unfortunate and it will not be the last time a trial like this occurs because there are so many greedy and hurtful people.

                In order to continue and function, I have to keep myself busy and immersed in truth and light.  I am grateful for conference talks because they take away the sting.  But is I constant battle because my mind tends to drift and I forcefully have to refocus.  I am grateful for Tim.  I need to rely on him at times because I get so overwhelmed.  So now I am forcing myself to focus on the good that has happened since my last entry.

                We had a wonderful trip to the Philippines as a family.  We met a lot of nice people and enjoyed swimming in the ocean, trying new foods, and bargaining at the outside markets.  Yes it was hot and humid but the people were so gracious.

                Jacinda recently toured BYU and had a great time.  She got an in depth look at the theater department.  I really enjoyed seeing the costumes.  They have a huge collection.  We also saw her apartment and got to say hi to Ben Fisher.  He showed us the chemistry department.  I think we walked that campus 7 times in one day.  I am very excited for her.  She is going to love it.

                McCabe spent 6 weeks in Taiwan as a foreign exchange student.  He loved it.  He got to go to their schools and see how they learn.  He stayed with a few different families so he got a taste of their living conditions and had a chance to try chicken hearts and an oyster omelet.  The omelet made him gag but the other foods he enjoyed.  McCabe also went to All Stars priesthood camp with Teagan and his cousins. They had a great time.

                Xadia is at FSY.  She went with her friend Brynlee Lilywhite.  I was able to talk with Xadia yesterday.  She is having a great time and meeting a lot of friends.  She sent a group picture and it looks like she fits right in.  Xadia is also working at Lagoon this summer in the foods department and riding dirt bikes in her spare time.

Teagan is going into 7th grade.  He is committed to boxing.  He tries to go 3 times a week.  He also is a big help at home.  Yesterday he helped Tim make a bigger chicken coup.  It was pretty awesome!  We have 11 chickens now and they are all trying to get along.  Teagan and Xadia like to ride the E-bikes.  The other day they went to Lowe’s and Walmart.  That was at least a 10 mile ride and took 4 hours.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

      February was a cold and snowy month.  We got to celebrate McCabe’s 17^th birthday.  We went to Handel’s ice cream with some friends and the 4 Taiwanese students we were hosting.  At Handel’s, he got his birthday present of Jean Paul Gaultier cologne.  The bottle was shaped like a male torso.  It was funny but McCabe loved it.

                As a tradition for birthdays, each child gets to choose what he wants for his birthday dinner and I make it.  McCabe chose Chic-Fil-A chicken nuggets.  I love copycat recipes, but making the chicken nuggets was a labor of love.  It takes hours.  Fortunately Teagan was there to help. 

                Xadia is quite the little cook.  She loves to make desserts.  She made these cute lemon cupcakes and decorated them with a fun topping.  They tasted so good.  And she made some mint chocolate cupcakes topped with an Andes mint.  I love it when she bakes because I get to sample the goodies.

                Being a mom is busy.  Especially when your son forgets to order a corsage.  So here I go again, making my 3^rd corsage.  It turned out beautiful.  It was for McCabe’s date to the Sweetheart’s dance.  It is kinda fun trying new things and getting better at them with practice.  This corsage was simple but very pretty.

                Teagan started boxing.  He loves it.  It gives him a good workout for an hour.  He comes home sore but I like it when he shows me his moves or how I should act in certain situations.  He is too young to spar.  Teagan will need to wait about 2 more years before he can enter the boxing ring.  For now, he is learning the numbering system for punches and jabs.  I will admit that it makes me a little nervous to have him in a boxing ring.  Some of the fighters can suffer serious injuries.

                Nana Hansen had a girls night out with me and Rox and our daughters.  It was so delightful.  We ate at Costa Vida and then saw, “Boys in the Boat.”  That was quite a phenomenal movie.  It was like “Chariots of Fire” but with a boat.  Watching that movie was time well spent.  It made me realize that goodness and positivity can be spread in so many ways.  It is too bad there are a lot of trashy movies being made when a lot of good could come from them.

                Fozzie is a funny dog.  He thinks he owns the house.  Fozzie likes to follow me around.  Once while in the work-out room, McCabe thought it would be good to show Fozzie who is the boss.  So McCabe proceeded to lift the dog like a dumb bell and do reps with him.  There is no doubt in my mind that the dog puts up with way too much.

                I love it when Tim brings me flowers for no reason.  He surprised me at work with a beautiful bouquet.  It smells so lovely. I would love to have an air freshener of cold carnations.  It reminds me of a floral shop.  Which then reminds me of Grandma Blackham because she worked at Huddart Floral.  I miss her.  She was such a neat lady.  She taught me a lot about sewing and signed me up for a floral arranging class.  Best of all, she spent time with me.  I really liked that.

                McCabe finished the wresting season.  We were able to go to his banquet where he was awarded with lettering in wrestling.  I am glad he got the opportunity to wrestle and improve his skills.  Now he is onto lacrosse.  He came home the other day with a huge bruise on his arm.  I asked if he had protection gear and he said, “yes, but it does not cover the area he got hit.”  Just our luck.  If the hit was any higher or lower, he would had been protected.  Lacrosse is an aggressive sport. 

                Jacinda applied to BYU-Idaho.  We are waiting to see if she has been accepted for fall.  I am very excited for her.  She is going to do great.

                March brought Teagan’s birthday.  We celebrated by going to “Get Air,” and then eating pizza, cake, and ice cream.  He, Xadia, and Kade worked on frosting the cake.  Kade said they messed up so they put sunglasses on the cake.  I thought they did a good job.  The cake was tasty.  He got a lot of money and candy for his birthday.  The family gave him a season pass to Lagoon.  That was the last party I throw for my kids.  Once they are in Jr. High, they now plan their own parties.

                I found some great curtains for my room, however, they were too short.  After some brainstorming, I came up with an idea.  A little bit of ruffle and viola, the curtains are no longer too short.

Sunday, January 22, 2024

                January is off to a great start.  We are having cold snowy weather and having fun sledding.  Teagan and I went the other night.  It was a riot.  We were sledding on partial ice and partial snow at the old stake center.  I got so much momentum, I almost ended up in the fence.  Walking back up for another sled ride was tricky since there was so much ice.  It was a battle of balance and not falling.  It did not help that it was dark, and you could not see where you were going, however, the stars in the sky were amazing.

               I need to say something about Christmas vacation.  It was awesome because we spent it in California with family.  We went to the beach, the rose parade, Disneyland, and spent a day in Mexico.  The weather was lovely.  Much warmer in California than in Utah.  I loved riding E-bikes at Oceanside beach.  The water was too cold for me, but McCabe and Teagan got in a splashed for a while.  They had a great time skim boarding.  Xadia and I played volleyball and Tricia sat in her chair dressed like an eskimo.

               We did Christmas a little differently this past year.  Instead of mom and dad being Santa Claus, we gave the kids $200 each to spend on Christmas gifts for the family.  Kids could combine their money and buy a gift for another person, or they could purchase gifts on their own.  It took a great deal of stress off me, and it was fun to see what each person got.  Everyone except McCabe liked the idea.  McCabe said that he does not want to do that again.  He likes it better when mom and dad are Santa Claus.

               Jacinda turned 19 in December.  She is busy working at the local theater as a stagehand or helping with costumes.  For her birthday, she got some Bildad the Shuite shirts which she loved.  You can tell by her reaction on the video.  She was laughing and so enthusiastic as she opened the gift.

               The other day I was in the fabric store with Teagan looking for fabric to add to a dress to make it more modest.  When I told Teagan that I was looking for some fabric for a dress, he said, “Oh you are looking for fabric for your Sunday costume.”  I started to laugh because that is a good way to describe some of my outfits.  They are a little different than the normal Sunday attire.  They are a more Edwardian style than a current trend of today.

               I got to watch McCabe at wrestling.  He has improved tremendously since Jr. High.  I was a little bummed that he told me not to bring my cowbell or else he would not invite me to another match.  I tried to reason with him and said that I would ring it for other wrestlers, but he said no.  So I was a good mom and did not take it.  McCabe did well in his match.  Both wrestlers put up a good fight.  He was exhausted afterwards.  I enjoy supporting my kids in their activities.

  Xadia had a volleyball tournament.  She is improving also.  She played all day.  The one thing she is trying hard to work on is her serve.  She is playing the position of a blocker.

               Teagan had an orchestra concert.  He is learning to play the viola.  It is fun to watch him play with Kade Mcpheters and Sam Sorenson.  Teagan had a big day today, he passed the sacrament for the first time.  He did great.  What made me really happy is as soon as he walked through the chapel doors, the sitting deacons were waving him to come over to join them in passing the sacrament.