Hurry Up And Wait

For those of you who don't know, my husband Peter has decided to join the ARMY National Guard. We began this process the first week of November 2009 after several weeks of fasting, praying and going to the temple. We wanted to be sure that this was the right path for him to take. After receiving confirmation that this is what he should do, we began the paperwork and testing process. I have never been so frustrated in my life. It has been almost 4 months now, and he still hasn't signed any paperwork and is not yet officially in the ARMY.

Because he is from another country, there were some difficulties in getting his college degree transferred to an equivalent degree here in the USA. Then because it had been so long since he had taken his ASVAB test, he needed to retake it to see if anything had changed. Luckily his score improved quite a bit, making it so that he can change his focus a little sooner to what he really wants to do.

There has been one delay after another. Now it looks like it is going to be at least another month due to some waivers that have to be requested on his behalf before he can become official and head off to basic training. I'm sure that the Lord is testing my patience and my faith and I am failing miserably. I need to refocus my energies and strenghten my faith some more. I am just at a loss as to where to begin. Peter is frustrated as well and I can see the excitement fading as he hits one obstacle after another. How do I keep the faith and build him up, and stay positive about everything when I feel like I am slowly drowning? I guess it is true what they say. In the ARMY, everything is HURRY UP......AND WAIT!!!!!

When Life Throws You A Curve Ball

Well. I know it has been a LONG time since I have blogged about anything. A lot sure has changed in our lives since my last post. I am not even sure where to begin. Work began to slow down for Peter shorly after my last post, and we struggled a bit to figure out what we were going to do. I continued to stay fairly busy at work, but we both felt it was time for a change, so after many hours of discussion and days and days of PRAYER, we decided to make a MAJOR change and we moved back to Utah near the majority of my family.

We are living in Eagle Mountain, right next door to my sister Angie and her husband Brad and their four kids. My brother Shane and his wife Tiffaney are only 20 minutes away and my sister Kimbie and her husband Joey are about 45 minutes away. Braden and Carly are moving to American Fork, so they will only be about 20 minutes away as well. Dustin and his kids ara about an hour away. It has been nice to be closer to family.

Austin has about 2 and a half months left of his mission. I can't believe it. He has grown so much and become a very spiritual young man. He is having a lot of success and has been very blessed to baptize a number of converts. I can't wait to see him, but I know he is doing the Lord's work and needs to continue to do so.

I am currently in the process of getting my Massage Therapist license in Utah so I can begin to build up my massage practice here. Peter is still looking for work and hopefully finds something soon. The kids LOVE it here. They are having a lot of fun being closer to their cousins and getting to see family more often. It is a new experience for them to be able to just go outside and ride their bikes or go play with friends in the neighborhood. It is also a new experience for me to be able to let them do this and I need to let go of the ropes a little bit. I still find myself holding on a little to tight at times. It is so different when you live in an area where they can do that. We didn't really live in a place where that was a possibility in Washington.

The kids attend a really great charter school here and I am really excited about the education they will be getting and the opportunities that they will have this next year. We are enjoying our new home and the area we are living in. I am still adjusting to the climate change and don't know how I ever lived in this heat before. And this is actually a milder summer than most.

I have really been missing my last church calling and look forward to new horizons. I'm sure that the Lord has many things in store for us here or he would not have directed us to move here. I just hate the anticipation and the waiting game. I guess that is just a sign of my lack of faith and that I need to work a little bit harder on strenghtening it. I wish I had the faith of Nephi who never questioned the Lord's command but just did as he was instructed to do. I would be a much better person if I were that way. I have so many faults and weaknesses that I need to work on to become more like my Savior Jesus Christ and feel very inadequate in being able to do all that He desires me to do. I wish I was a better mother to my children and a better wife to my husband. I need to make so many changes in my life and I don't know where to begin. I need to be of service more and reach out to others around me. I'm sure that my questions will be answered when the Lord is ready to answer them and that I just need to be patient. Sometimes patience is just such a hard thing to have.

I am truly grateful for my Savior and all He has blessed me with. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and desire to be a better person and to live the gospel more fully and be a better example to those around me.

We Have Been Blessed!

Well, we truly have been blessed this past year as a family. We have had many opportunities to learn and grow. We have connected with friends old and new. We have been priviledged to spend time with family, and to make some changes in ours.

As the new year begins, we have many new goals and challenges ahead. As many of you may already know, we have had difficulty getting pregnant. In August, I finally saw a specialist that is working with me to get some hormonal things balanced. After those have been remedied, we are hopeful that we will be able to bring a new little one into our family. The kids want a little brother or sister (depending on which one you ask) so desperately, and I truly hope to experience the miracle of childbirth.

Peter has been blessed with work. In times when the construction industry has had a major slow down, Peter has been working full time and then some. We are truly grateful for this blessing in our lives. He continues to work for a wonderful company that really makes him feel important and valuable. I am truly grateful for this. Peter is the cub scout master, a responsibility he takes seriously. The boys really seem to love him, and so do the parents. That makes it nice. Peter also serves as a ward missionary. He has done this for several years now, and loves every minute of it.

Alexandra turned 11 in November, but it seems like she is going on 16. The things these kids face today. I don't envy them at all. She has had to stand by her beliefs and convictions several times. At her young age, she has had several boys ask her to "go out" with them. When I asked what that meant, she told me that it means they go places together, hold hands and kiss. "You know mom, they go on dates." I was so shocked at how young these kids are starting to participate in grown up things. But, bless her, she told them that she was not allowed to date until she was 16 and that she is to young to have those kinds of relationships. I am so grateful that somehow, somewhere, she is developing her own sense of a testimony in the gospel in a world that would teach her otherwise.

Jaysen is... well, he is Jaysen. A peculiar child at times with a unique sense of humor. He likes to make up jokes that make absolutely no sense to anyone but himself. It is quite entertaining. He is finally starting to do better in school and his attitude seems to be mellowing a bit. His anger seems to be more under control and as a mother, I am EXTREMELY thankful for this. He is beginning to appreciate the things he has in life. He is gaining an understanding of what it means to be responsible for ones actions. He loves spending time with Peter learning to do "man of the house" things, and working on earning his scouting merit badges.

Both of the kids have recently picked up one of my favorite hobbies.....Scrapbooking. We enjoy spending time together doing this. Even Peter has started to participate. Peter used to call it "crapbooking" because I have so much scrapbooking "crap." I am glad he now calls it by its proper name. He spends time putting together his mission scrapbook while the kids work on their own and I try to catch up on the last 10 years of life.

As for myself, I have been very busy at work. I continue to try and balance work and home and all of the responsibilities that come with both. Some days I am more successful than others. I am also very busy with my church calling, which I love. I am still learning a lot about what it entails and all of the responsibilities that are a part of it as well. I am truly grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and all that He has blessed us with.

As the new year begins, I hope that each of you look forward to all that it has to bring and face any challenges with a positive outlook. There is always a silver lining somewhere... you just have to find it. May the Lord bless you and may you find peace and comfort in His atonement.

It's Been Awhile

So obviously it has been awhile since my last post so I will catch everyone up briefly and add more detailed posts later.

The kids are all settled in school now and seem to really like their teachers. Thank Goodness. We spent about 9 days in Utah during August and had a lot of fun with our cousins. (will post pictures later). Business has been incredibly busy for me lately. I am now the only massage therapist in town. The other two have gone out of business. I won't complain though. Peter has also been very blessed to have a lot of work even though construction has slowed way down around here. Peter and I are in the process of finding out why I haven't been able to get pregnant and with any luck and the Lord's blessing, hopefully we will be able to start trying again in March of 2009 after I get some hormonal things balanced out. More than anything in this world I want to be able to have a child (or 2 or 3...).

Anyway, I will go for now but will post again soon.

Soliciting Advice PLEASE!!!!

Well, the kids came home late Friday night safe and sound (thank goodness). However, they both came home taking the Lord's name in vain. I am so frustrated. I am so tired of having to undo all of the damage that gets done every time I have to send them to Sandra. And I am afraid I did not respond very well to the situation. With Jaysen, as he was the first one to curse within minutes of being home, I gave him a calm warning (that Alex heard) and told him that it was unacceptable to use that kind of language in our home and that I did not want to hear it again. I let him know that if I heard him swear at all again he would get his mouth washed out with soap and he will be grounded for a full day for each swear word he uses. Fast forward to this morning and Alex tripped and fell and out comes the same cursing. This time I responded with ANGER. I yelled and screamed at her and then proceeded to give her the same speech I had given Jaysen only in a much harsher tone. Then we all piled in the car and went to church. Not the best way to start out your Sunday morning. I could really use some advice on what to do. How do I combat such a toxic and unhealthy environment. They are exposed to so much garbage and filth while they are with Sandra and then I spend 6 to 8 weeks undoing everything and re-teaching things. I don't know how much longer I can keep up this cycle. I know I am not being very Christlike toward her and I am working on it, but in the meantime, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Bitter Sweet!

Well, I just spent this past week up at girls camp for the last time. I was released from my calling as Young Women's President today. It has been three years this time around. Last time it was four years. That means that 7 of the last 9 years that I have lived here I have been in Young Women. I am happy yet sad at the same time. I have really grown to love this group of girls and really thought I was ready to be released. Now that the time is here, I am having very mixed emotions. I am sure that the new YW President will do a great job and the girls will really like having her as their leader. I am also sure that I will not be sitting idle for to long. I anticipate that I will be given a new calling sometime in the very near future. That is one of the things I love most about our church. We often have opportunities to serve in a number of different organizations. We are so blessed and so lucky. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is TRUE!!!!!

Canned Butter and Cheese

Did you know that it is possible to can butter and cheese in Mason jars? I recently found this information and thought I would share it. I have not tried this yet but a friend of mine has and says it works great. Here are the instructions:

CANNED CHEESE
You won’t find this one in a canning manual, but I experimented around and found something that works for me. One day I was canning tomatoes while whacking a chunk of cheddar cheese for “lunch.” Mmmm, I wondered. Tomatoes are acid. Cheese is acid. So I cut up cubes of cheese, sitting a wide-mouthed pint jar in a pan of water, on the wood stove. Slowly cubes of cheese melted and I added more until the jar was full to within half an inch of the top. Then I put a hot, previously boiled lid on the jar, screwed down the ring firmly tight and added the cheese to a batch of jars in the boiling water bath canner to process. It sealed on removal, right along with the jars of tomatoes. Two years later, I opened it and it was great. Perhaps a little sharper than before, but great. So I started canning cheese of all types (but not soft cheeses) and, so far, they’ve all been successful. To take the cheeses out of the jar, dip the jar in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes, then take a knife and go around the jar, gently prying the cheese out. Store it in a plastic zip lock bag.



CANNED BUTTER

1. Use any butter that is on sale. Lesser quality butter requires more shaking (see #5 below), but the results are the same as with the expensive brands.

2. Heat pint jars in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes, without rings or seals. One pound of butter slightly more than fills one pint jar, so if you melt 11 pounds of butter, heat 12 pint jars. A roasting pan works well for holding the pint jars while in the oven.

3. While the jars are heating, melt butter slowly until it comes to a slow boil. Using a large spatula, stir the bottom of the pot often to keep the butter from scorching. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes at least: a good simmer time will lessen the amount of shaking required (see #5 below). Place the lids in a small pot and bring to a boil, leaving the lids in simmering water until needed.

4. Stirring the melted butter from the bottom to the top with a soup ladle or small pot with a handle, pour the melted butter carefully into heated jars through a canning jar funnel. Leave 3/4" of head space in the jar, which allows room for the shaking process.

5. Carefully wipe off the top of the jars, then get a hot lid from the simmering water, add the lid and ring and tighten securely. Lids will seal as they cool. Once a few lids "ping," shake while the jars are still warm, but cool enough to handle easily, because the butter will separate and become foamy on top and white on the bottom. In a few minutes, shake again, and repeat until the butter retains the same consistency throughout the jar.

6. At this point, while still slightly warm, put the jars into a refrigerator. While cooling and hardening, shake again, and the melted butter will then look like butter and become firm. This final shaking is very important! Check every 5 minutes and give the jars a little shake until they are hardened in the jar! Leave in the refrigerator for an hour.

7. Canned butter should store for 3 years or longer on a cool, dark shelf. [It does last a long time. We have just used up the last of the butter we canned in 1999, and it was fine after 5 years.] Canned butter does not "melt" again when opened, so it does not need to be refrigerated upon opening, provided it is used within a reasonable length of time.

A lovely glow seems to emanate from every jar. You will also be glowing with grateful satisfaction while placing this "sunshine in a jar" on your pantry shelves.

We have canned over 75 pints of butter in the past year. I buy butter on sale, then keep it frozen until I have enough for canning 2 or 3 batches of a dozen jars each.