…. or sometimes I’d like to know what the Lord is up to…. (but I’ll get to that in a moment)

When I last left you the week began on a sad note.  That week only got worse.  I really do try not to be too attached to things.  I promise.  But when I was rear-ended by an E250 van I was SO happy I was driving a truck.  You’ll never, NEVER get me to drive a small car.  EVER.  Sorry.  And I do love my truck (her name is Maid Marian -crazy I know) and she is now back to being beautiful again – new hitch, bumper fixed, frame straight again (yes it bent the frame).  And I was able to drive her to Girls Camp.

We had an amazing time at Girls Camp this year.  Our theme was “Experience the Change” from Alma 5: 13-14 and we used butterflies as our “Mascot” for the week.  The great part about it was the girls worked hard to do what needed to be done.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go next year because my brother is getting married and I think it will be the same week, but I’ll be there the year after.  I love camp!

Back from camp and we jumped in to adopting a dog.  We found a fabulous rescue organization.  Can I just say if you’re looking at getting a pet, please search your area for a local group that is doing animal rescue.  You may find you get more information than you would adopting from the SPCA about the pet and it has been a great experience for our family. 

Maggie is an absolutely wonderful 2 year old chocolate lab and we just love her already.  She has so much personality.   She makes us laugh all the time.   She fits right in with our family – she’s just as crazy as the rest of us!

So what’s with the roller coaster?  All of that is up right?  The truck is fixed, Girls Camp was fantastic, fabulous new family member – where’s the loop -d- loops?  

I got a new calling.   Let me tell you having your husband as the Stake President Executive secretary gets interesting when he walks into the living room and tells you “We need to be at church a little early to meet with….” and I KNEW it was for me!  I got cold and clammy.  He asked if it would help if he listed all of the callings that currently needed to be filled?  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!  NO!

But of all of the callings that went through my head in the time I had to think about it I never once thought of the words that were uttered. 

Early Morning Seminary Teacher.  I blinked.  Really. 

See.  I don’t think about the fact that I’ve been driving my children for Ohhh…. 6 years now.  So it’s habit to be up at that time whether I drive them or not.  I went to seminary when I was High School.  Sure. 

But Seminary Teachers know stuff.  I don’t.  What is the Lord thinking?  What is he up to.  Sometimes I just don’t know.  I do love that we’re teaching the Book of Mormon this year – and the Doctrine and Covenants will be next year.  And while there are times I get frustrated with the “kids” (they’re not kids) – They are amazing.  I’ve known most of them since they were Primary age and I’m So proud to see the Men and Women they are growing up to be. 

Talk about feeling humbled…..

Sometimes, when an old dog gets tired there are many things they still want to do and just can’t.  You can see it in their eyes.  Sometimes they try.  They get a little beside themselves with excitement and forget for a moment that they’re old. It hurts.  Because you remember when they could. 

Sometimes, even though the mind is willing, the body says, “I’m done.”  Our Old Dog was still happy, her tail wagging when we came down to her to pet her, but her body (at 15 years old) was simply tired and it was time to say good-bye. 

I would like to think someone was already there throwing a tennis ball for her to catch – or maybe she finally caught that rabbit she was constantly chasing in her sleep.

She was loved and we know she always knew it.

Sometimes, it just the simple things that matter.  Hamburgers, hotdogs, grilled corn-on-the-cob with watermelon to top it off.  The whole family home for dinner.  And Fireworks to top off the day.  

How did your Independence Day Sparkle?

Ethel (Mertz) to Lucy (Ricardo) when insisting she needed to change:

“Lucy, I’ve never worn my blue jeans on the subway before and I’m not going to start NOW!”

**Warning** This post may contain images that will make your skin crawl!!! (But hey, sometimes life can do that.)  You’ve been warned.

I discovered this MONSTER on my tomato plant this morning. What the heck. Where would something THIS SIZE come from overnight?!?

Thank heavens for the internet. I hit google and had an answer. In fact I found all the information I could probably ever want to know about Tomato Hornworms on a cooking site (Tammy’s Recipes to be exact)? Makes sense. If you want to grow tomatoes and eventually have any to cook or eat  you might need to know how to get rid of these ugly guys.

Unfortunately for me it looks like the most effective way to deal with them is simply plucking them off and killing them.

And I don’t care how much they fight or hold on they are NOT. Getting. MY. Tomatoes!!!

For Father’s Day I made one of the yummiest chocolate sheet cakes.  I can say that, because it’s not my recipe.  It is from scratch, but it doesn’t take tons of work.  It had been a long time since I had made it (I don’t know why and it won’t be a long time before I make it again).  I mean warm chocolate icing poured over warm chocolate cake so that it seeps down into the cake. [sigh].

Over the years it’s been called different names in my house.  Sister Stocket dubbed them her brownies, then Betty Crocker simply called the recipe Texas Sheet Cake Brownies.  I’m kind of partial to Ree’s description over at The Pioneer Woman. She calls it The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.

On Monday we had it for dessert for Family Night even (hey, it’s just that good and 8 seconds in the microwave melts the icing JUUUuuuuuust enough). But I had to laugh when I went in after all was said and done and found this…

K. knows what she likes.

Would you have ever thought bloomers, BLOOMERS, were a part of the Women’s Sufferage Movement?!  Until last week I had absolutely no clue.  I’ve been helping K. getting ready for a Pioneer Trek the youth are taking this week.  I was converting some pjs and checking just a couple of details when google turned up some links on how they came into fashion. 

It seems Amelia Bloomer (who edited the first newspaper for women “The Lily”) wanted to reform women’s clothing back in the early 19th century. She felt women should feel attractive in their clothing, but that was secondary to “health, comfort, and usefulness”. So she adopted the outfit pictured above from Elizabeth Smith Miller and publicized it in her paper.  

And because they also wanted the right to vote and other rights for women those that wore bloomers were ridiculed and criticized in the press as well as in public. 

I will admit, I’m glad they abandoned bloomers.  I can think of other things done in the name of making a statement for women’s rights that I simply wouldn’t have done.  I AM glad that these women had the courage to speak and be a voice for change when they saw it needed to be done. 

Amelia wrote in the first issue of The Lily, “Surely, she may without throwing aside the modest refinements which so much become her sex, use her influence to lead her fellow mortals from the destroyer’s path.”  

I’d like to sit and talk with her for a while. I think it would be a great conversation.

you’re never to old to learn something.  I’ve planted and grown flowers.  But the last time I grew anything that I would eat myself I was knee high to the grasshopper trying to destroy the crops.  Ok, maybe a tad taller, but it was a long time ago.  So I’m starting slow.  One plant.  One tomato plant.  And No, I didn’t start from a seed.  Sometimes you just have to know your limits.

You’ll have to imagine how the little guy looked when first planted about 3 weeks ago.  I didn’t get a picture. It looked so teeny tiny in the pot it was hard to believe  it would ever need a tomato cage or why.  However, This:

was about 10 days later.  I figured I needed that tomato cage and pronto before I couldn’t figure out how to get the plant in the cage.  He really seems to like where he’s planted.  As I said, it’s been 3 weeks… just 10 days after the last picture… and …

he’s busting out all over!  AND….

there’s an itty bitty tomato! 

Ooooooo, I’m so excited!

I start a new job in the morning.  It’s a job, there’s work, but I *get* to work in a quilt fabric shop.  I’m really excited.  It’s like a candy shop for any quilter.  I literally sigh every time I walk in the shop I just love it that much. 

So I’m sitting here at almost 2 o’clock in the morning with this hampster running around inside my head.  You know the one.  Thoughts about this and that and the other going around and around over and over again constantly turning this way and that way keeping you awake until you give up on sleep and crawl back out of bed and stumble into the livingroom to boot up your computer and log on to Facebook and type a blog post in an effort to exhaust the hampster who seems to thinks it’s really COOOL to be up at this time of night.  (Thanks for breathing for me.)

I typed up a note on Facebook (another one) that’s little lists of 3 things about me.  I don’t have many favorites really.  I like a lot of everything.  It’s probably easier to name the things I don’t like.  I don’t like Rap.  Sorry.  It just doesn’t float my boat. The only thing I’ve ever had anchovies in is Caesar Dressing.  Sardines – Um… SOOOoooo, NOT going to ever try.  I’m pretty open, but I can’t do it.  In fact, I can’t picture myself eating any size fish served to me whole.  Can’t handle it looking at me. 

I’ve actually tried octopus, not a big fan of it either, though I will eat calimari.  People tell me Brussel Sprouts taste good – I don’t believe them. 

I worked on some things for Girls Camp, too.  We have a little over a month left to plan and get things together.  The schedule is being finalized along with the food.  It’s going to be a good year.  Our Theme is “Experience the Change” (Alma 5:14) and we are using Butterflies as the mascot.  Girls Camp is absolute highlight for me each summer.

That did it.  Tthe hamster is done.  Capput.  Gooooooooodnight, everybody!

We’re looking at getting a 2-line phone and Amazon is one of our stops for research.  Kevin called me over as we were getting ready for bed and said he’d found the phone we had to get.  I’m not sure what extra features a phone would have for a million dollars, but they would have to be pretty special, right?  Maybe the voicemail is an actual secretary?  You could use that right?  Think of all the messages you’d NEVER miss.  The calls taken by other people when you’re not home and they somehow forget to give you the message.  Wouldn’t that be worth $1,000,000 just to have that agravation gone?! 

And for just $69 more you can get an extra handset.  What a deal!  Compared to the first million what’s another $69?!

Interestingly enough, the phone is not available this morning on Amazon and they don’t know when it will be in stock.  You can see the listing here. 

Good to know Amazon is on top of things.  But it was fun while it lasted.