One foot in the past...and one in the future.

When I was a young girl we lived in Provo, UT while my Dad attended BYU. We were originally from Alberta, Canada. So my parents were a long way from home. I remember the grin on my Moms face when she'd check the mail and find a letter there from her own Mother. I loved listening to my mother as she read my sister, Cindy, and I what Grandma wrote. I became familiar with her penmanship, and I'd look at the letter and even smell the pages to see if it smelled like Grandma's house (it did). Grandma Mertz would nearly always clip interesting articles, obituaries, wedding announcements, etc. from the hometown newspaper. This newspaper was so small that ANY news became newsworthy. Example: Mr. and Mrs. Johnson went on holiday to Bozeman to see their children and grandchildren. A fun time was had by all. -or- The Constable was called over to Mr. Zauggs home for reportedly the fifth time. A complaint was lodged against Mr Zaugg's neightbor to the south (Mr. Harper) for letting his pigs get out and damage Mr Zaugg's vegetable garden. Mr Zaugg was reported to have said that if those (bleep) pigs got loose and into his garden one more time...they'd be stocked well with bacon, sausage, and ham for the coming winter months. When Mom would read these little clips from the paper she'd laugh and laugh, and I couldn't wait for Dad to come home so I could hear her laugh and giggle while telling the story to him.

Well, my point is obvious, times have indeed changed. Those letters have been nearly completely replaced by email, texting, Skyping, and nationwide cell phone calling plans. The internet has thankfully made many hours of scouring library shelves for specific information (albeit outdated) moot in many respects. Although I could spend hours and hours in the Library, I find that since my children have grown, and with the simple availability to touch and click information... the call to do it has decreased significantly.

With the thrust of the future upon us I find myself in a bit of a quandary. At 50 years old (soon to be 51) this year I have felt more than ever before that I have one foot stuck in the past and one foot eagerly strutting forward into the future. I love all things old, relics and antiques of all kinds. This love of the past has made me the natural historian, scribe, geanologist, and basic pain in butt, of the family. My childhood inquisative nature has currently made me a perpetual question asker, story teller, and jokester. Sometimes, I am met with eager anticipation, and sometimes with a roll of the eyes, and a stiffening of the neck.

But I was born to be right here, right now. I FEEL it. Let me explain:

Once several years ago I was asked by a very wise Bishop to speak in church, the subject he gave me to speak on was (drumroll please) The Meridian of Time. At first I puked a little in my mouth (I stole that grotesque visual from my teenagers), and I probably whined a little (in private), stomped my foot once or twice...and then true to my nature...I pulled up my big-girl panties and got to work. In my research of this incredible subject I soon discovered how fascinating and timely this subject was. I delved in and soon was awash with information. With each new discovery I felt my love for my Heavenly Father and Savior increase. Let me share in a VERY concise manner what I learned. Jesus Christ came into this world at the precise millisecond that He was supposed to. The governments were in place (wicked king), the people were called to be taxed so that He could be born in the city of his fathers (the city of David), the stars were aligned perfectly, the shepherds, the wise men, the rejection, EVERYTHING was in place in the universe (and beyond) for this event to take place precisely when it was supposed to. Can we presume to be so bold as to ask ourselves the seemingly audacious question were WE? Were we actually born into this world at the precise millisecond we were supposed to as was Christ? The answer is simply....yes.

Jered & Me (2009)

Our kids are born when they are supposed to be too.

How. When. & Where.

As much as I LOVE and embrace the past like a long lost friend, I find myself being giddy with anticipation with every new announcement or release of the LATEST gadget, phone, tv, computer, laptop, software, or i-anything. I cannot take complete credit for this intriguing quality/$fault$ of mine...I do have kids. LOL. But even my 73 year old father is a wonderful example of willingness to not only adapt and embrace change but to find JOY in it. He worked in the medical/sales field for most of his career and then zip zip....went to work for Word Perfect Magazine several years ago. Helllllllo! He was right in there emailing, and managing schedules and working on his laptop with the best and brightest. I LOVED his tenacity and his...If I'm alive...I can LEARN, mentality. Which he still has today. He is the proud owner, and toter of an iPad. Unless you've been out of touch or living under a rock he has just married his sweetheart Marilyn May on February 5th. Go Dad! I see a trend here.

Ahhhh...back to me. (Hey- it's my blog) I have not only loved the technological gadgets themselves but everything fun they bring to the table. I have an 18 year old daughter, Cassi, who is going to college in a State 1,700 miles away from home. I don't know how our parents dealt with such separations. Because when I was younger, (MUCH), kids went off to college and everything involving a telephone was expensive. Calling a town 10 miles up the road was considered long distance and the additional charges were outrageous. So calling home was once a month for college students. With technology I get to call, txt, or Skype with her. The only limitations are the ones I place on myself to not be obnoxiously intrusive into her much anticipated personal space. LOL. (How am I doing sis?)

Me and Cassi at Grandpa Beaujeu's wedding 05 Feb, 2011

I also have my first-born, Kristi, who is serving the Lord, and our Church on a full-time Mission in the Raleigh, North Carolina Mission. We do have more limitations than that of my little collegiate, but there still are major differences. We found out that some of the Missions at Christmas-time allowed their Missionaries to Skype their calls home. Wow! In the MTC Kristi was part of a pilot program where they had the use of the latest in technology including ipods, big screens, closed circuit televisions, and the latest in cell phone capabilities. They are even allowed to txt each other on their Missions now. I love the fact that I am able to email her instead of taking the time to write her long-hand. I write her much more with a keyboard (OK, truth-be-told, I just typed 'typewriter' and then deleted it to write 'keyboard'- LOL) than I would if I had to write it out long-hand. And- if we are on email at the same time...we can get those emails going back and forth PDQ (pretty darned quick). So even though I am here in Texas, I feel so connected to my kids. I LOVE that!

Me & Kristi- dropping her off at the MTC 26th May, 2010

This brings me to the whole blog thing. I was NOT a blogger. Until my daughter accepted her call and left on her Mission. She has always been a social butterfly. But hers is not a popularity born by todays standards...Kristi has an infectious quality of genuinely loving people. And, in return, people gravitate to Kristi. She is an amazing individual. She has wanted to serve a Mission her whole life..and everyone who knows Kristi knows she was meant to do just that. When we went into the Stake President's office to have her set-apart as a Missionary he counseled her to write to her immediate family first and just what she could to others. The time is very limited for writing on a Mission. So I felt a sense of sadness from my daughter, even an anxiousness because she was leaving behind so many dear friends. I knew I had to DO something to help her. I immediately knew that I had to learn to blog. I started her blog not too long after she entered the MTC (Mission Training Center) in Provo. It was trial and error, let me tell ya. I had a great sideline coach (thanks Cynthia) and encouragement wasn't the issue, I got that by the number of emails I recieved from the recipients of her blog update notices saying "I LOVE the blog!" I am happy for the input because that let me know that blogging really was a phenominal idea. I also have learned that when she comes home from her Mission I can send her blog to a blog publisher to be put into a book for her. :) Come on....that's awesome!

Funny story: In writing Kristi's blog I discovered a few things- 1) people thought that Kristi was on the computer on her Mission writing her own blog. 2) that the Church had somehow provided these blogs for all Missionaries. 3) they wanted to know how they could find their own Missionary's blogs. To clarify: 1- Kristi does not wirte her blog, I do. I use her emails, letters, and sd cards to cherry-pick information that I feel she would want shared with everyone. Then, I write her blog. She doesn't even have the password. She asked me last week if I could add a 'Button' to her blog that would take the person from her blog to her profile on Mormon.org. That is something I am working on. 2) The Church does not provide blogs. That is something left up to parents. I know some parents who are great at forwarding their Missionary's emails. 3) already answered.

My discovery didn't stop with the above. I also found that I had a lot to say, and share myself. So for a while I batted around the idea that I should start my own blog. Voile, my blog was born. Several people have asked me where the Title for my blog came from. I did mention it in an early blog post. I will re-post that information:

Question: WHY BREAD AND COULEE WATER?
Answer: Because Grandma Mertz said so. LOL

I would like to introduce you to a couple of folks.

This is my Grandma Rosina (Nelson) and My Grandpa William John (Bill) Mertz
This picture was taken on their wedding day, the 23rd of March, 1927. They were
married in the Cardston, Alberta, Canada Temple.

As long as I can remember few people could compete with my Grandmother's cooking. When we'd come visit (they lived in Stirling, Alberta, Canada...we lived most my life in the States) she would say all she had to feed us was 'bread & coulee water'. Then she'd procede to feed a bunch of us a beautiful, delicious, meal that smelled like heaven. At mealtime I can still hear her say, "Ya hungry? I bet I can find you some bread and coulee water." That came to mean, 'OH BOY!' :)

I named my blog after her light-hearted catch-phrase in her honor. No-one left her house hungry or unloved. I hope to write more about Rosina Mertz in the future. She was an amazing woman and raised a family of 9 children on a farm during the depression so there is lots to tell.

In 1995 I was asked to put together a family cookbook for our reunion. I titled it 'Bread & Coulee Water' what else?

Keeping up with the demands in my life (no... I'll not make the proverbial list) is sometimes a bit of a challenge. Then my Missionary wrote me yesterday and said, "MOM, when are you ever going to write a personal profile for Mormon.org? You must!" I wrote back; "I'll get right on that." {{{rolls eyes}}} .....No really, I will get right on it.

Discovery: What I have learned about having one foot in the past, and one stretched forward to the future is that it has provided me with a sort-of equilibrium that I am happy with. It grounds me and gives me appreciation for the past, help with today, and great hope and anticipation for tomorrow. Heavenly Father is so great. I'm thankful.

Stay tuned!

~Sandi

How long must we worry about our kids?

Answer: Until we hear God say to us, "Welcome home".

WORRY
Is there an imaginary cutoff period when
offspring become accountable
for their own actions?
Is there some moment in time when
parents become detached spectators in
the lives of their children and shrug,
'It's their life.', and feel nothing?

When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor
waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my daughter's

head and shakily I asked, 'When do you stop worrying?'
The nurse replied, 'When they get out of the accident stage..'

When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a

classroom and heard how one of my children talked

incessantly, disrupted the class, and was headed for a

career making license plates.
As if to read my mind, another teacher said, 'Don't worry,

they all go through this stage and then you can sit back,

relax and enjoy them.'

When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting
for the phone to ring, the cars to come home,
the front door to open. A friend said,
'They're trying to find themselves. Don't worry!
In a few years, they'll be adults. They'll be off on their own
they'll be out of your hair.'

By the time I was 50, I was sick & tired of being vulnerable.
I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle...
Even though they were on their own I continued to anguish over their futures, be tormented by their frustrations, absorbed in their disappointments, and stressed over their obstacles.
I think of the challenges ahead, and the worry continues...

My friends said that when my kids got married
I could stop worrying because then it was up to them.
I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my own parent's

warm smiles and their occasional, 'You look pale. Are you

all right' ?'Call me the minute you get home'. 'How's life treating you?'

I feel of their love and concern for me still...

My friends said that when I became a grandparent
that I would really get to enjoy the happy little voices yelling,
"Grandma! Papa!" Alot of the fun, but none of the responsability.
But I find that I worry just as much about the little kids
as the big ones. How can anyone cope with all this incessant worry?

Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry?
Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to
blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown?
Is concern a curse or is it a virtue that elevates us
to the highest form of earthly creation?
Does love and caring furtively disguise itself as worry?
Would I ever really choose the thoughtless, callous, unfeeling alternative? 

As I pondered this seemingly impossible dilemma I decided to pray about this so that I might find peace. This story came into my mind clearly. The one in Matthew chapter 13 where Peter walks on the water to Jesus, and looking around him at the stormy seas begins to doubt, and thus, begins to sink.

-Matthew 13:31-

31) "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

I don't think we will ever find a time when we cannot find something to worry about. That is simply the nature of the world in which we live. But I found solace in this:

-Matthew 11:28-30-

28) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30) For my yoke is easy; and my burden is light.

As we learn to come unto Him through scripture study and prayer and by aligning our will to His, we partake of the atonement and worry is replaced by faith.

So too we teach our children by example where they can look for their help, strength, inspiration, salvation.... and PEACE.

Doctrine & Covenants101:16    "Be still and know that I am God."

Jesus is- The Great Healer

P.S. This is my re-write of a story that has been circulating on the internet. The original version is about us becoming our parents and passing the worry torch onto our children like a proverbial baton. Although the story was a good read, I felt to tweak it and add my own pictures, and completely re-write the ending to encourage faith in the Lord, and not somehow buy in to the theory that history has to repeat itself. -SD-

Cutie Got Braces!

I know- people usually put braces on their kids teeth when they are 12 or 13 but Cassi waited patiently until it was her turn. Which is now. She is not only patient and graciously excited...she is appreciative which is awesome. I think she looks DARLING in them. Grandpa got married on the 05th of Feb, and she got them on Monday morning the 07th. Fun (and painful) times!

Cassi in her cute BYUI 'blue' braces.

Cassi sings 'At Last' at Grandpa's wedding 05 Feb, 2011

Who can find a virtuous woman?

Cassi and her Roommates

Lyndsey (Burley ID), Hannah (CO), Cassi (TX), Ashley (MO)

 The girls ready for their first night on the town.

Look-out Rexburg!

These are darling, brilliant, good girls. They bonded and took to each other right away. They are in a four-girl cooking dorm. So the apartments are bigger than regular dorms and have two girls per bedroom. Cassi's actual roommate is Hannah.

It was fun for me to be there to help her get situated but she didn't need much help. I realize that was more for me than her. We shopped alot since we flew and most of the stuff she took was clothes. There was much to buy. She was beyond ready to spread her wings and fly. But I'll admit the drive back to the airport in Idaho Falls was l-o-n-e-l-y.

When I tell her I miss her beautiful face... she'll text me a pic. She's the BEST!

Cassi auditioned and made the BYUI Women's Choir and they will be singing in the April General Conference in Salt Lake City. She is very excited about that. So watch for her. She has already sung in three shows at BYUI. Her Grandpa has asked her to sing at his and Marilyn's wedding. Thats quite an honor for her. You can see her sing if you go to YouTube and search 2010 Texas All State Choir. She was first chair alto.

Cassi is only one of a few girls in her chemistry class. She's a little perplexed by the lack of females in her science classes. After the professor put fear of failure into his students the first week of chemistry her partner was surprised by her return on Monday morning. He said, "Whoa your still here?" and she said, "Wow, I was just going to say the same thing to you!" He dropped the class and she now has a new partner. LOL. Though gifted musically she wants to be a Dr.

She has not complained about the cold or snow. This seems to bother everyone but Cassi. She has had a few moments of missing Texas (and her car) but lets us know the day or two after the episode not during, which I admire as she pushes through these little bouts of homesickness.

Lyndsey P

We took her to the Orthodontist while I was there and she goes in tomorrow to have all the molds made and spacers put in. Then she gets braces on Feb 7th (after Grandpa's wedding). :)

Funny story: At home I make a tuna noodle casserole we call 'Goulash' and Cassi told me that she can only hack it once every six months. But she told me last week she'd already eaten it three times. LOL. She was hitting the 'yuck' factor. Time to use her Mac to search for a few recipes. LOL.

Well, writing about my sweetie is not just informational but, alas, it is also theraputic for a Momma who misses another one of her darling girls. I'm counting down till we get to see each other for a couple of days in Feb at Grandpa's Wedding. Yay!

The Rexburg Temple

~Momma Dodge

My Dad is getting married!

Marilyn May and Moe Beaujeu

To be married 05 Feb, 2011

Their invitations are in the mail so I am not letting any cats out of the proverbial bag by sharing this tidbit of information. In fact I got mine last week (invite) so I am feeling pretty confident that a bunch of you know this already.

How do I feel about this? Quite frankly...I'm stoked about it. I could NOT be happier.

As many of you know we took the passing of our Mother (23rd Sept, 2007) hard. Her sweet presence has been missed terribly. We love her and respect her so much, and we still miss her EVERY day. But, no-one has taken it harder than our Dad. No-one can dispute the eternal love he feels for his Marlene. That is clear and in full effect...for all of us, and it will never change.

I have taught my children since they were knee-high to a grasshopper, that love is NOT a pie! Remember in kindergarden or first grade when we are introduced to fractions by being given a whole pie? Then the teacher would ask, what if we had two people and we needed to share? Well, we'd take that pie and cut it in half, each to share an equal lesser part. Well, what if we had four people? Then- we take that pie and we basically rob the others of a portion of their pie to accomidate the new people, thus making fourths. As a fifith or sixth person shows up there starts to be a little bit of resentment beginning to build behind the niceties of our communal share (murmur murmur). What happens then when we start inviting our friends, and six become eight, or ten, or more? Well, if my sister can bring a friend and share...then I should be able to make everyone share their pie with MY friend, right? So, you can see that this demonstrates perfectly the example of the limited capacity of pie sharing. The more people who come for pie the smaller the piece given to each person present. Ugh! Pretty soon...why bother...right?

This story was always a great segue to the limitlessness of the capacity of love.

No, love, indeed, is NOT a pie. We do NOT have to rob anyone of their piece of our love. Nor are we given a specific compartment of love with limited capacity. Like a tupperware bowl, where if we pour too much into it it begins to over-flow and make a mess. (Do a subject study in the scriptures using the topic, 'capacity'.) Wow, Heavenly Father is so great!

Love is only limited by fear. As we exercise faith and love others Heavenly Father blesses us with an increased capacity to love more. And no-one in our lives must have one ounce of the love we feel for them compromised or diminished by having someone new come into our lives. The more we give love, the more we are able to recieve it.

That brings me to our sweet Marilyn. She is lovely, and as sweet as they come. Her and her husband were friends with my parents (having a cabin near theirs). Mays sold their cabin and lost touch with my parents until one day at the Huntsman Cancer Institute where my Mom, Dad, and I were sitting in the waiting room waiting to go back for an appointment with her oncologist, Dr. Tudor, and in walked Richard and Marilyn May. Everyone hugged and some tears were shed by my mother as she felt the pain of seeing another friend struggle with the ugly 'C'-word. Richard was there for his chemo treatments. Again, with the all consuming nature of this terrible disease, they again lost touch. Unknown to my family Marilyn lost Richard little more than two months after we lost Mother.

Through a series of events that some would call coincidental...I do not... Dad and Marilyn were able to find each other and connect in such a sweet, respectful, and loving way. I won't give away all their secrets and share their courting, and how love found it's way blossoming into their lives again. I only know the day I got a voice-mail from my Dad saying he had something to tell me and I heard in his voice on that message a joy that I hadn't heard since my Mother passed from this world. I said to Jerry, "He sounds HAPPY!" How could a loving child of my father not embrace and be excited for this return of joy and the woman who brought it back into his life? He is not dead, and his life is not over. His life is prescious and this life is meant to be LIVED! I am so proud of my Dad. Again he teaches us in the way he is living his life. You go DAD!

I went to Utah a couple of weeks ago (actually it was a lay-over when I took Cassi up to BYUI) and was able to meet Marilyn for the first time. Excuse my comparison, but this is what it reminded me of;  Like the feeling of loving a child before it's born. I knew before I laid eyes on this sweet lady that I would love her. My Dad does, and thats good enough for me. I have talked to Dad on the phone enough and he has shared enough with me to know that she is going to be a wonderful addition to the Beaujeu family. She is considerate, happy, thoughtful, and kind hearted.

I hope you will ALL expand your capacity to love, and embrace the opportunity to increase the love you recieve by loving Dad's Marilyn. We do.

No, love is NOT a pie!

~Sandi Beaujeu Dodge

A quilt for my Missionary!

One of the Sister's that Kristi met in the MTC had a back-pack made by her mother and the material was a lavender Sister Missionary flannel print. So Kristi sent me a picture of it and said how fun the material was and wondered if I could find some.

So when I was in Utah in July part of my vacation quest was searching for this material. And I was triumphant when I came upon a piece (in pink) just large enough to piece a quilt. I was now armed and ready to make my Missionary a surprise for Christmas.

This was a picture of their bedroom in Nov, 2010

Needs a little hug from home...no?

So, I got crackin.

I decided it would add some maturity to the quilt by adding some 9 patch.

My fun work station.

The idea is coming together. I decided to use a large center piece instead of cutting it up to preserve the integrity of the small print, and to keep the focus on the Missionary theme.

I took pieces from Cami & Cassi's quilts and added it to Kristi's. My mother collected teddy bears. So I incorporated a few teddy bears. Also-the butterfly material is Breast Cancer Awareness material. There is also material with the Salt Lake City Temple where me and Jerry were married.

I free-hand embroidered the name of her Mission, her Mission President's name, and all of her companions names (thus far), and her name, of course, on patches of the quilt. (P.S. You can see how the inegrity of a small print is sometimes lost when it is cut up, thus, why I chose to leave the center piece large).

Sister Ward, Sister Kingsford, Sister Kissell, and Sister Gallego

I laid it out on the floor to get some ideas and to begin piecing it together.

I chose brown as the other majority color to add age to the print.

Isn't it a cute print?

I added brown flannel sashing, brown flannel backing and binding.

Lois Schauweker quilted it for me with her long arm machine.

Then I put on the binding.

Then it was finished and ready for Sister Dodge's Christmas box.

I also made flannel pillow cases to match and my friend Melanie Leonard embroidered their names on them...Sister Dodge and Sister Gallego. :) I also made others for Christmas presents. Fun times.

When I went to Utah I snapped a darling pic of my niece Brinley snuggled up in the quilt I made for Shannon last Christmas. You can see the Temple material I also added to Kristi's. :) I love that there are pieces of the same cloth in each other's quilts symbolic of how we are all connected in the fabric of our lives.

I have made some fun quilts. I love making them. It is definately in my genes. My grandmother Rosina Mertz made many many quilts. In fact when she passed away and her bed was disassembled and moved there were several quilts folded up in between the mattress and box springs. Beautiful quilts for 'someday'. This taught me a valuable lesson. Every day is a special day, a day for celebration...today is someday. That is not to say that she didn't use and give away many gorgeous quilts, she certainly did. I was raised snuggled beneath her quilts, and I loved knowing my grandma's hands made them. Oh how I love her and find happiness in knowing she is on the other side with a grin as I continue with her passion.

This is Sister Dodge showing some of her Christmas presents.

She already has put her quilt on her bed. :) Thats my girl!

~Missionary Momma Dodge

Nushin Tea

2 1/4 C Tang
2 pkgs. pre-sweet lemonade
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp ground gloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and store in air tight container.

To make a cup of hot lusciousness:
Mix 2- 2 1/2 tsp of drink mix into 1 C boiling water.

For those frosty mornings....Mmmm

This is one of those recipes that has been in my Moms recipe box since I was knee-high to a grass-hopper. But I had lost touch with it. Thanks for helping me with it Aunt Bev I knew it had to still be bouncing around the family somewhere.

~Sandi

To: My Children

Rexburg or Bust!

We had a wonderful Christmas and I hope y'all did too. It went by too quickly. But with looking forward to Kristi's Birthday, Christmas, Kristi's phone call home, Jered's Birthday, and getting Cassi ready to move across the country it's been wild. It's the first year in a while I didn't put any Christmas cards out. :( I LOVE getting your cards and letters...I am always amazed at the growth of the young-uns, and the moves, and the changes that happen in one year. It's amazin'. I know, I will repent.

Christmas decorations and the tree came down Monday and Tuesday, Dec 27th & 28th. I have a 9' tree and wanted the help of my kids to un-decorate everything. With Cassi leaving and Jered back in school when I get home...I cracked the whip and said, "Now's the time folks!" I think the house looks lonesome when all the Christmas decorations are packed away again. Christmas things make everything look so warm, festive, and happy when they're up. Also, red's my favorite color...it makes me happy.

Yes, I am flying out to Idaho with Cassi to get her all situated. I 'HAVE' to go. LOL! ;) It has been so difficult this time. I mean- My tears are right there beneath the surface. Just the mention of her leaving and I'm all blahhhhh! LOL! I love that she's going, she's ready, and I know she's going to do well...and have a blast...and blah blah blah I'm going to miss her terribly. I keep it to myself pretty well. Except-

I opened Cassi's Christmas present, which was a webcam for the gigantic monitor in my office, and she set it up for me and created a Skype account for me. Then she ran upstairs to her room and grabbed her laptop and called me. Well, as soon as I saw her face so clearly on my screen...I was a PUDDLE! We had not finished installing the software for the microphone yet and so she was like..."I can't hear you. Mom, are you crying? Mom, whats wrong? DAD! Somethings wrong, Moms CRYING!" so I see her face wobble wobble wobble as she runs down the stairs and into my office and all I could bawl-out to them all was,"This...is...best...present...EVERrrrrr!" Blaahhhhhh! So yeah, I am convinced Skype was invented just for me. So I can see my munchkin's beautiful face from time to time. (I promise NOT to call alot, she has to call me). That way I don't invade her collegiate space. LOL.

We leave at like 5:30am Sunday morning. Jerry wanted to make sure we flew into Idaho Falls during the day so we didn't have to try to drive to Rexburg during the night. We have a LOT of shopping to do. She has more clothes than should be legal for one person. So many things we have saved to buy when we get there like her pots and pans, and a printer, etc. I also have made an appointment for the Orthodontist for Tuesday...so she is getting braces. They probably won't actually go on while I am there. So I am thankful for Skype so I can see her cute smile with braces in the coming weeks. :)

I'm pretty sure Heavenly Father allowed Skype technology for such a time as this. I'm grateful.

~Momma Dodge

Twas an Old Fashion Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas & out on the ranch
The pond was froze over & so was the branch.
The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule.
The kids were all home on vacation from school,
And happier young folks you never did see-
Just all sprawled around a-watchin' TV.
Then suddenly, some time around 8 o'clock,
There came a surprise that gave them a shock!
The power went off, the TV went dead!
When Grandpa came in from out in the shed
With an armload of wood, the house was all dark."
Just what I expected," they heard him remark.
"Them power line wires must be down from the snow.
Seems sorter like times on the ranch long ago."
"I'll hunt up some candles," said Mom. "With their light,
And the fireplace, I reckon we'll make out all right.
"The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom.
Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,
Uncased his old fiddle & started to play
That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.
Mom started to sing, & 1st thing they knew
Both Pop & the kids were all singing it, too.
They sang Christmas carols, they sang "Holy Night,
"Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.
They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,
And Pop read a passage from God's Book of Truth.
They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,
The youngsters agreed 'twas a fine Christmas Eve.
Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;
And when the kids wakened, the power was on..
"The power company sure got the line repaired quick,
"Said Grandpa - & no one suspected his trick.
Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,
He had pulled the main switch -
The old Son-of-a-Gun!

-anonymous

Christmas Music

If you cannot tell yet, I love Christmas music. I remember the day Jerry came in from running errands to tell me to tune my radio to 103.7. This immediatley told me they were playing their Christmas music 24/7. Yay!

You'd think I'd have a plethora of Christmas CD's etc. But I don't. I like the surprise of what's going to play next on the radio. It's like little Christmas packages I get to open about every 3 minutes.

No I don't like ALL Christmas music. I do enjoy the fun and funny ones as much as the next guy...until about the thousand'th time they play them. Then...I become momentary channel surfer-girl. Oddly enough one of my least favorites is '12 Days of Christmas' (I know, I posted one- but it was too cute to pass up on, and I've only watched it a half dozen times- I'm okay with that). I applaude really creative versions and something about the Title 'The 12 PAINS of Christmas' really spoke to me. LOL!

My second least favorite is swiftly becoming 'Baby, It's Cold Outside', a darling song that has been played to DEATH this year. It's actually a sweet piece of music that won an award in 1949. And there are a few versions of it that are fun to watch like, Ray Charles & Dionne Warwick (Youtube). There are timeless versions like Bing Crosby and Doris Day, and soulfull ones by Lou Rawls and Dianne Reeves, and there is actually one done by Nureyev & Miss Piggy that is purely for comedic value (Miss Piggy sings the guy roll) and it's funny but if you are listening for music quality...look elsewhere. The versions that make my ears bleed are the ones by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews, and the ALL-time WORST version is by the Glee folks. I just wanna shoot myself in the foot to put myself out of my mysery. There is one done by Nora Jones and Willie Nelson that just makes ya go...."Uummmm, EW!" Michael Buble did BICO with Anne Murray....really? Anne Murray....seriously? It is about as romatic as watching grass grow. If you put this on your play-list for your Christmas party this year...I'll be the one outside checking to make sure I locked my car.

Third LEAST favorite are any of the wonderful, beautiful, spirit filled Christmas Hymns and Carols that are butchered and over-sung by various celebrities. Remember the movie 'Superstar' with the Saturday Night Live gal in it? And she'd jump into the..."Super-Star" pose? Well...let's just make that the picture that comes into our heads when we hear celebs kill beautiful music. This would mean any Christmas Carol done by Christina Aguilera. I'm a fan of beautifully done grace notes, don't get me wrong.... But, I have never seen a person who tries to completely sing a song without hitting the original notes. I wonder sometimes if she's just hitting all the notes AROUND the note trying to HIT the note. LOL! Jk...Jk...Jk. I know what she is trying to do...I just feel the stress in my shoulders when she is finished with a song I love. Pass the Advil!

Music I DO love. I have posted a few of my top ten. I love when someone puts a beautiful version of a song with power point replete with beautiful artwork. That way- and see if you agree- you get to see, hear, and FEEL the breathtaking message in the song. Songs that are dripping with production tend to lose the meaning of the song altogether. Lately, I've seen some really poorly done ones including the Celtic Girls changing the lyrics of songs to suit their agenda...which is a little confused! Buyer beware, their voices are so beautifully harmonic and yet somewhere in their silky voices lies some seriously flawed doctrine. Recently I saw one song where they CUT out the eyes of ALL the pictures of Jesus... so there was little round eery circles where his eyes were supposed to be. Portraying what, exactly, that Christ is a spirit and not a man? Hmmm, really? A Christmas carol, celebrating the BIRTH of the Savior of the world into mortality, and His ministry, and atonement for mankind... and.. he is not really a man... WITH eyes? Hmmmm. Someone needs to do some reading. I can suggest a few books even. :)

Who needs a time machine when you have Christmas music? It can (and frequently does) transport me back to the early 1960's when all my parents could afford (while attending BYU with 2 little girls) was a little gray turn-table and a few LP records. Hey- we thought it was very cool because it could hold more than one record. See, there I am with Cindy and my folks listening to Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, and Silent Night in our little house off Center Street in Provo, in the old Pioneer Ward. We lived by the Jacobson's, Patterson's, Lerwil's, Gleave's, and Mrs. Norman.

Christmas music can take me from 73 degree Texas to a place 1500 miles away where it's snowing outside, I'm 5, and we've just come home from picking a tree that my folks had 'flocked' white with fake snow. Dad had them cut a couple of inches off the bottom of the tree and when we got it hauled home on top of the car, we got to watch as Mom tried to hold it straight while Dad laid on his stomach on the floor and tightened the screws that held the tree in the stand. Then we'd get the boxes of decorations out of the garage. They were the old C9 strings of lights with little hooks on the sides to be hooked to branch's. There were no pre-lit trees. LOL! Our lights were all red and would make clicking noises as the bulbs would hit each other as we'd sit and untangle the lights and lay them out on the floor like one long snake. Mom would painstakingly clip the lights on the tree just right. Then she'd sit on the couch and unpack and hand the ornaments to Cindy and me and we got to decorate the tree. Mostly the bottom half of the tree. But somehow the next morning when we woke up the tree miraculously evened out and looked simply spectacular.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas puts me in the kitchen watching my mother baking cinnamon rolls, or cookies, or popcorn balls. That song always takes me to a place where I am with my wonderful family, watching Christmas specials on TV, playing games, and visiting with extended family, and friends. Or driving around with the radio playing carols and looking at all the multi colored Christmas lights and laughing, and watching Mom and Dad hold hands.

Christmas music helps me get a glimpse of how the world should operate ALL year...when one can turn on the radio and freely hear the name of Christ spoken, sung about, celebrated, and enjoyed. Everytime I hear 'Oh Come All Ye Faithful' and hear His name...I feel a pang in my heart strings of gratitude.

My very favorite #1 pick which has been and always will be my favorite is 'I'll Be Home For Christmas'. Isn't it funny that we spend so much time as adolecents trying to get OUT of the house, and the rest of our lives trying to get back home. :)

I LOVE Christmas music.

~Sandi

Andrea Bocelli & Mary J Blige - What Child Is This

O HOLY NIGHT - A CHRISTMAS CAROLS BY CELINE DION

WHAT CHILD IS THIS-Renée Fleming-Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Mary Did You Know? Donny Osmond

"I'll Be Home for Christmas" - Rascal Flatts Official Music Video

Nuts N Bolts!

Contrary to popular belief this is NOT Chex Mix. Call it by it's true S. Alberta Canada nick-name which it has been called for the last 50 years I've been on this planet, Nuts N Bolts.

My dear Mother made hers in one of these old enamel canning pots. Me and all my sisters have followed suite. Either with the canning pot or roaster. These make NnB taste better, I'm convinced. Microwave- Pish Posh.

-OR-

Moms pans, she used for MANY things besides

canning, or baking her scrumptious turkeys, like,

Nuts N Bolts, popcorn balls, carmel corn, and ham.

NnB Ingredients (what I remember Mom putting in when we were small) :

3 C Corn Chex

3 C Rice Chex

3 C Wheat Chex

1 C peanuts (fancy, no skins)

2 C pretzels (sticks or twists)

1 C Cheerios

1 C fancy mixed nuts

6 T butter (real)

2 T Worcestshire sauce

1/2-1 t salt

3/4 t garlic powder

1/2 t onion powder

Heat oven to 250 f. Put all dry ingredients in roaster. In sm sauce pan on medium heat melt butter and add seasonings, just till butter is melted and seasonings are mixed together well. Pour this mixture over dry ingredients and stir well to coat dry mix well. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. My mom would shake hers (carefully).

Then allow to cool. Store in airtight containers, or tins.

Any tin will do.

Mom never threw away a good tin. She had tins from those Danish shortbread cookies, and all sorts of other things. She'd clean them well and put them away for when she'd make our traditional Christmas batch of Nuts N Bolts. Those tins were sent to my brother serving in California on his Mission (many years ago), and me (I have lived outside the state of UT longer than in it), and I'm sure to so many others. It was awesome to open her Christmas boxes and find a tin or two of Nuts N Bolts. In fact, there have been a few Christmas' that opening a tin of Nuts N Bolts in front of the glowing Christmas tree on Christmas morning, and smelling that first rush that comes from home-made Nuts N Bolts has transported me hundreds of miles back home to Moms kitchen and the sight of her standing there, and the tears would come. Mom always had things like this to offer our friends, neighbors, extended family, or any guests that would come over. Our Mother was a gracious hostess, and I think she was a party animal at heart. :)

Here is a delicious variation:

Nuts N Bolts- Christmas Clusters

4-5 C Rice Chex

2 C pretzel sticks (coarsely broken)

1 C cashews (coursely chopped)

1/2 pkg (16 oz size) white choc chips (or almond bark)

1 C semi-sweet choc chips

Spray lg enamel Roaster pan lightly w Pam. Dump in dry ingredients. In 2 lg Pyrex measuring cups (what I use- but you can use any microwavable dish) place chips. Microwave for about 2 minutes, stopping microwave every 30 seconds to stir (important) only microwave choc until it is creamy and melted. You are just melting the choc, not cooking it. I like the looks of the Clusters when I pour the melted choc on seperately. But you can melt them together if you want to. Drizzle over mixture. Let stand until chocolate has set. Break into clusters. Store in air-tight containers. Or tins. :)

Nuts N Bolts- Christmas Clusters.

Me and Shannon made Nuts N Bolts for Mom in her kitchen as she watched us from the adjacent family room, the Christmas before she passed. Christmas shows were playing for the Grand-smoochies on the television. The Chrismas tree was all lit up. It was way fun times. Again, I miss you Mom.

~Sandi

The 12 Pains of Christmas

Christmas Popcorn Balls (Easy)

This recipe is kid friendly- so don't do it without those little Punkins.

Pop 10-12 Cups of Popcorn

Some like air-popped but we did ours the old fashion way...

 A little oil in an old silver pot, a few T. of Popcorn on high heat.

Shake often (carefully).

1 C light Karo syrup
1/2 C sugar
1 sm pack Jello (any flavor)

Over low-med heat, bring 1 C light Karo syrup and 1/2 C sugar
to boil for about 1 minute.

Then add 1 sm pkg Jello, mix.

Pour over popped popcorn. Mix well.
(Mom would put a little butter on her wooden spoon.)
Butter hands lightly to form balls.

We would wrap our popcorn balls in Saran wrap and tie with curly ribbon. But there are many cute ideas that I've tried. If you have extra popsicle sticks from an old art project, push one in before the Popcorn Balls harden then add some cute ribbon.

Wouldn't these be cute for a Christmas party?

Darling, inexpensive ornaments for a tree.

With a little creativity- voile!

My Mom had a HUGE Santa Claus boot made out of pressed cardboard-type material that they painted in a Relief Society Homemaking Meeting one year when I was small (about 2 and 1/2' tall & about 8" wide, and another 2' from heel to toe). She'd fill that boot up with delicious Popcorn Balls and when we'd have visitors come by, or Christmas Carolers (way more prevalent back then), or Home/Visiting Teachers we always had a treat to give them from Santa's Boot. It is another tradition and memory that I cherish from my youth. Thanks Mom.

~Sandi