You might not believe this, But... in all of my 49 years of life I have learned many lessons from my MOTHER.  Stand up straight, Eat all your vegetables and don't swear.  Her silent example has meant the world to me.  She has never talked about anyone or gossiped and when I was a young girl she never raised a hand or her voice.  My favorite lesson is her amazing ability to feel connected to Christ.  Her example is perfect because she has always served others and put herself last. Whenever we drive by a homeless person on a corner holding a sign she says "Stop...That might be Jesus"  I'm sure she wishes we would turn around so that she can give him money from her modest wallet.  But we keep driving.  My brothers and sister and I joke that our Mom has 9 lives.  She has congestive heart and lung failure. Being on Oxygen 24 hours a day she never complains. She's been in and out of  hospitals a lot the last 4 years. She has escaped death many times.  Its a blessing because I have so much more to learn from her. This last hospital stay was extra serious.  I left her bedside so that she could rest.  Traffic was slow because it was lunch hour.  As I was driving to my house, I saw a homeless man on the street corner.  I watched him while waiting at a stop light.  His legs were mangled and his step was slow as he painfully approached cars.  He had a positive smile which surprised me as he held his sign with a strange sense of pride.  As I drove past him I caught a quick glimpse of his face. Our eyes even met for a split second. After a few moments I thought of my Mothers words.  "Stop...That might be Jesus".  So... I turned around.

Have you ever tried to eat a ZOTZ quietly?  Well try eating one in Church.  My daughter Ali and I learned the HARD way. I had two of these bad boys in my purse and I shared one with her while worshiping. Not only did our mouths snap crackle and POP...  We started to giggle... You might not believe this but... The popular candy ZOTZ made its debut in 1968.  I remember being around 6 or 7 years old when I experienced this spectacular confection. 

There is something so amazing about my husband Roger's HANDS...  Now before your mind starts going all weird let me explain...  A few months ago we were driving home from Boise and Roger put his hand out for me to pour him some cashews.  This might seem strange but for a moment I just looked at his hand and I felt this amazing sense of wonder.  It was in that instant that our life together flashed before my EYES.  This was the Hand that I held when we were dating. They were the HANDS that held mine  when we got married.  His Hands held our firstborn daughter "April" and those same HANDS held her in his ARMS when she died.  I felt so much comfort when his Hands blessed our children when they were sick.  Roger believes in hard work and his Hands have always provided for our family. He's never had a problem getting his Hands dirty planting the garden or working on the dry farm.  You can only imagine the look his EYES gave me when I asked if I could take a picture of his Hand.  But he agreed and did'nt even ask why.  Nothing that I do surprises him.  So when I took the picture I took a few extra seconds to be in AWE of him and his HANDS... You might not believe this... But my husbands Hands are beautiful.

Last night I had a dream...

Last night I had a Dream... I was walking and I was really out of breath and I came to a cross road to rest.  There was a sign with two arrows pointing opposite directions... One pointing toward the Cocoa Bean Cupcake Bakery and the other pointing toward the Fred Meyer Health food section.  I could turn right and have a Red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting and a hand dipped strawberry on top... Or I could turn left and buy the EZEKIEL bread. (Sprouted 100% wheat cardboard). Im not sure which direction I took because I woke up in a panic and yes even a sweat. (Pre menopausal).  You might not believe this, but... I have started a diet.  Yes its that same one.  Ladies you know the one.  No sugar and no carbs. The diet from HELL. Its the diet I lost alot of weight on about 7 years ago and since gained it all back. I look like I eat more then I do.  Dont get me wrong I love to eat but everything I stuff in my mouth is bad for me.  I swear when I die and when they find my body they will find traces of OREO and SNICKER BAR in my mouth. So anyway... everytime I start a diet I almost instantly start to crave Mint Brownies. My friend Marcene introduced them to me. She gave me the recipe and I want to share it with you too!!  They are so delicious.  Please dont bring them over to my house!

Hershey's Double Chocolate Mint Brownies

I cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (soft)
4 eggs
1 16 oz. can Hershey's syrup
1 cup all purpose flour
Beat until smooth.  Pour into prepared pan 13x 9
Bake 25-30 mins. at 350 degrees cool completely

Mint Frosting
1 cube butter (soft) 1/2 cup
3 tablespoons cream
1/2 tsp mint extract
3 drops green food coloring
2 cups powdered sugar (give or take)
Mix and frost brownies.  Make sure they are cooled completely first

Chocolate Topping
Melt 6 TB. butter with
1 cup Hershey's semisweet chocolate chips in microwave for only a min. or until smooth
Spread over mint cream

A Familiar Road

I have traveled the same road almost every day the last 23 months.  People might not understand the need to drive up the hill the same way everyday... Pass the same houses... take the same route and cross the same railroad tracks. Its quite a lovely drive.  As you get on the outskirt of town there are pretty pastures and horses and yes... even cows. Sometimes if its the morning I have to slow down for the chickens as they cross the dusty road.  Just as your about to take a bend in the road near the Ammon hill I always take a quick right.  Its there at the Ammon cemetery I visit my daughter April...  Most of the time I get out and polish the beautiful marble stone that stands so proudly as if its guarding her.  Sometimes I stay a while, sometimes I just slowly drive by.  Its a beautiful place to bring a lawn chair and read or just think.  The sunset around 9 at night is breathtaking.  Its a familiar Road.  You might not believe this, but... Sometimes a familiar road can feel very unfamiliar.  I mean how do you ever get used to losing a child?

This is a big step for me

So I thought long and hard about starting a blog... WHO on earth would want to read about my thoughts and adventures and yes, even heart-ache?  Then I thought... Well maybe it could be a great way to clear my own head each night. Share at least with myself my adventures of the day.  For sure some of my posts would be light and maybe funny.  Some might be really serious maybe even sad... So I hope you might not judge me for my honesty. You might not believe this, but...  I'm a thinker and I analyze everything. SO... Here goes!