Thoughts on Mary

I often read a blog called "Segullah" by a collection of women. Today I read a thoughtful post on Mary. Enjoy it here.

I especially liked this thought: "I think about how sometimes we don’t really want our blessings to be hard. We want our trials to be confined to one part (the lesser part) and our blessings to be easy. But when has this ever been the case? Aren’t blessings and hardships one and the same?"

Grand America buffet found in Provo?

Well, maybe.
It was just our ward brunch, but the goal was to make it look nice! My goal was to not have to haul food out of the kitchen during the whole party - just put it all out and have two people inside the tables keep the drink pitchers filled, keeping the extra milks and juice in coolers under the tables. I used vases and urns from Nicole's and Michelle's receptions!







The Menu:
egg, potato, bacon, cheese strata
ketchup and salsa
mini quiche
turkey sausage links (pre-cooked from Costco)
variety or breads, muffins, sweet rolls from ward members
yogurt
granola
mandarin orange or peach fruit cups
black grapes
bananas
pineapple
sliced oranges
boiled eggs
Cinnamon toast crunch cereal
milk, choc milk, OJ








set up
four tables in a square.
plates at two corners
drinks at other two corners
people could go either way, so there were four directions of food, all basically the same on each table.

The aprons were made by the Activities chair - so fun!

The Best Gift

My birthday was Nov 22. We had planned a family outing to the Garden restaurant at the Joseph Smith Memorial building in Salt Lake on Saturday. Nicole called and told me Casey did not go to Seattle after all, and they would drive up themselves and meet us there. When I called her to tell her where we were on the freeway, she said she was just a bit behind us. When we arrived at the JSMB, there was Nicole at the top floor to greet us. She said Casey was in the bathroom and she wanted me to look out the window at all the new construction. She seemed so excited to see the buildings and I kind of had to plow through a group of people blocking the windows. After gazing out at the construction (not so amazing, really) I asked Nicole how she got there before us. By this time Nicole and Michelle were laughing and I said, "What is so funny? Your drive up here is not that funny!" I turned to see what might be making them laugh behind me and to my great SURPRISE -- it was CAMILLE!!! Apparently I had looked right past her twice on my way to the window and she was making funny faces to make her sisters laugh.

I was so surprised! I really thought Camille was not going to come for Thanksgiving and all along she had planned to surprise me for my birthday! Everyone kept a great secret - even Clyde. I had NO clue.
It was a great treat to have Camille home all week! As Emerson said, "The best gift is a portion of thyself." Thanks Camille! You brought your whole self - ha!

And the girls created a delicious dinner on Sunday with broiled pears for dessert - delicious and low fat!

7 week progress

I visited the wrist surgeon last week. He was thrilled with the x-ray of my wrist. He was very happy to see my range of motion turning my palm to face the ceiling. I still have nagging swelling, nerve numbness and minor tingling, and much stiffness when I bend my hand down. It's 20 -30% only and I hope to get to 50% +. That takes lots of heat, icing it, pushing and stretching it till it hurts. And I am supposed to massage the scar a TON! That is supposed to get rid of the scar tissue.
My scar so far:I visited with an older sister in my ward and she has the same scar, same fracture, same plate in her wrist. She showed me how much movement she has and she still plays the piano in Primary. She gives me hope!

great thoughts

These words were sent to me in an email from the Tabernacle Choir broadcast last week.
I love the message.

'A Christmas to Remember'

As we look forward to Christmas this year, let’s look back to Christmases past and appreciate what makes a holiday memorable. Some memories may involve less-than-perfect circumstances—and that’s all right. Few real-life celebrations resemble the slick ads and scenes in holiday movies. In fact, sometimes the most cherished Christmases take place in conditions that are not quite ideal.

Of course, it’s easy to feel discouraged when things don’t go according to our plans. But in time, families often look back and laugh about the mishaps: the year the tree fell over, the time they forgot to turn on the oven, the school program when everyone forgot their lines.

Other times, families weep when they remember more serious hardships: the year when someone was in the hospital, the year there were no presents because times were tight, the first Christmas after a loved one passed away.

As such memories fill our hearts, we would do well to recall that original Christmas night. It was not without difficulty. Mary and Joseph were far from home. No room could be found in the inn. Few comforts were available. And yet, love was born. Heavenly choirs sang. A new star lit the sky, and shepherds came to worship.

Unrealistic expectations for a picture-perfect Christmas may be misleading and actually keep us from appreciating the holiday’s more subtle yet more satisfying blessings. Everything does not have to be just right for wonderful things to happen.

No matter the circumstances for Christmas this year, cherished moments are within reach. Hold a child in your arms. Pause to look at the night sky. Welcome friends and family into your home, and listen to heavenly choirs. Give the love that only you can give, and you will have a memorable Christmas: a Christmas that recalls that first holy night when, in the lowliest of circumstances, a King was born.

This is a photo of KC and Emily a few years ago as they dramatized the nativity at the DC temple.
KC and Nicole were born in January and I still have a tender spot in my heart as I recall those long ago December months, with a large pregnant belly, and singing carols that remind me of Christ's birth and Mary's challenges.

sweet

The Bean Museum displays all the baby animals at Christ's birth. All nature celebrates the babe.
Sweet.

hand minus wrist

It's been 1 month since I fractured my wrist in Maryland. My surgery was three and a half weeks ago. I have progressed a long ways since those first days, when I could not use my right hand for anything and had to depend on my left hand or Clyde. I can now do quite a lot with my right hand:
-hold the round brush to style my hair - although stiffly
-open the car door, slowly
-pull up my pants - tenderly
- type and use a mouse - not too hard
- put on eyeliner and mascara - have to hold them funny sine I can't turn the wrist

You see, the bone is healing, but the stiffness remains. I cannot eat soup with my right hand because I cannot turn the wrist to point the spoon to my mouth. I still feel like a toddler if I eat with my right hand - clumsy and the spoon points to the wall, not my mouth. Do you realize how much wrist action you need to dry yourself off with a towel? A LOT.
I have a lot of work to do on my range of motion and strength. I still can't open a can, a bottle of prescription pills, hold a gallon of milk etc. And I'd be very excited if the remaining swelling would go down!
Today I began moving my wrist up and down according to DR's orders. Little movements, like baby steps. Every day. I hope to be whole soon.