What Did You Do Today?

This is what I did. First, I slept in until 6:30. Woohoo! Then, I got up and puttered and checked email and was so surprised to get an email from him.

Then, I wrote him a letter. Then, I went over to Sarah's to pick up Brock and got to see Briggs. Yay, me. Sarah and I decided he's way cuter in life than in pictures.

Then, I came home and made this. Mostly for Sarah. There's a little left at my house.

Then, when Caylee got home from school, we did this.

Then, I was watching all of them.

Then, I did this.

Since I was on a roll, I did this. It is chicken & broccoli casserole. It was yummy. I also made cornbread, but didn't get a photo.

Then, to get a head start on tomorrow, I did this. That is my "Stuffing Stuff" casserole. I never knew what to call it, so that's what I named it. Dumb, huh?

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty darned good day!

Oh, What A Night...

Last night was pretty remarkable. Considering it started at 6:00 with a Temple Session to do some family name sealings. I was able to arrange a sealing session that included all my married kids and most of their spouses to help with some sealings I've needed to take care of for quite some time. Dinner was planned afterward, thinking we would be out by 7:00. There were some name pronounciation issues and it took longer to do the names than we expected, so it was 8:00 before we actually left the Temple. We changed our dinner plans from Macaroni Grill to Pei Wei because Mohlers and Garrards had to get home and relieve sitters.

Sarah called her doctor (a previously arranged plan) and met her at her office where she stripped Sarah's membranes and told her she would be seeing her "in a couple of hours" at the hospital. Sarah went home, got her stuff together, got with Tyler (who hadn't been at the Temple with us) and sure enough, went to the hospital, in labor. Dodie, Erin and I all arrived between 12:00 and 1:00. Sarah got to 6cm. by around 2:30-3:00 and we're all thinking, by 4:30-5:00 we'll have us a baby. Imagine our (very sleepy & tired) surprise when, at 4:30, she was still @ 6 cm. The epidural she got (the best one, EVER, according to Sarah) really slowed down her contractions and it took a while for the nurse to call Dr. Lewis for orders for pitocin. ANYway...we had a bit of a scare because the little guy's heart rate started dropping with every contraction and there was a very tense 45 minutes while we waited for Dr. Lewis to come and assess the situation. She arrived and said we would absolutely NOT be doing a C-Section, and after working some cervical magic, announced it was time to have a baby. What good news that was! So, at 7:08, Briggs Lavell Barlow made it into the world. He's pretty adorable, as newborns are. I can't wait to see him tonight, because newborn's looks change so much in those first 12 hours or so. I'll post pictures later. He is only 6.5 # and 19.5 inches long. A little peanut of a guy. Looks a lot like Brevin, I think. Handsome.

What a joy and a blessing it is to have another healthy baby in our family!

Really?!

AMAZINGLY GUTSY LADY who had the NERVE to yell at me in the Von's parking lot because... now get this, I was driving straight, not fast at all, (because I had been following this black Infinity being driven by two young people who looked to believe that they invented the word Cool, and was admiring the car) and suddenly, there she was, backing up,VERY FAST I might say...I didn't stop for HER!!! I didn't even see her backing up initially. Until she was practically hitting me and honking her horn. Barrelling out of her spot. Like, seriously, I've never seen anyone back out so fast. I was stopping, because I really, had better plans than to get backed into. But, she stopped honking and then yelled at me, "Why don't you stop!?" I was so shocked and taken aback by it all I just reacted and said something lame like, "well, maybe YOU should stop for the traffic". She then said, while still backing up, though slower, "Whatever...you SAW I was backing up WAY before you got here". I'm thinking as fast as you were backing up, NO one could have seen you first. Anyway, I said something like, "it's called the RIGHT OF WAY" and she said, as she drove away "oh, shut up".

I turn 7 tomorrow.

A New Link for Garrett

Most of you who read my blog already read Sarah and Erin's so this will probably come as no surprise to any of you. But, in case you don't you can check the GoGarrett link to the right of my blog to learn more about Garrett and how you can help him.

Please read it.

Mama

Today would have been my mother's 75th birthday. I've learned over the years that on certain days, I can be rather weepy and a little extra emotional, only to come to the realization that it's a significant day. Usually her birthday or the anniversary of her death. It's like my spirit or subconscious recognizes the date before my conscious mind does. So, today was like that for me. Not totally bawling, but a little sensitive. I glanced at my watch and saw the date and realized...oh, that's what the deal is.

She's been gone from this earth for 24 years. That's a long time. I was saddened and shocked when, a couple of years ago, Michael and I were talking and he told me he didn't know her name! (Joyce) I couldn't believe that. Had I really done such a poor job of making her known to him??? It was a real eye opener as to how easy it is for people's memory to become lost to those who knew them. How could it be that my mother, who I have such vivid recollections and affection for, was someone who's name my son didn't even know!?

I believe she was called home at age 50 because her life had been so hard and there just didn't seem to be much opportunity for it to get any better and Heavenly Father just said, "Enough. You're done". Right? Wrong? I don't know. But, that's what I believe. And, I can talk about her and think about her and not get mushy. But, there are days I can't. Today is one of those days. I like to think that she watches over me. Not just watches me. Watches OVER me. Helps me. Takes care of me. She was a good nurturer when I was really young and I think that's what I miss the most about her. Whenever I would be sick, she was always there. She took care of me through rheumatic fever, measles, chicken pox, untold ear infections and a few bouts with the flu. There were times, as she and I got older that she drove me crazy and certainly embarassed me and disappointed me and even broke my heart. But, I think she did the best she could with what she had.

I love you and miss you, Mama. Happy Birthday!!! And tomorrow, I'm going to make fried chicken, because that's the first meal she taught me to make.

I Think

That if your only two daughters and only daughter-in-law leave town with your only grandkids all at once, one of them ought to invite you to go with them so you don't have to be missing everyone all at once!!! I've said this before, but maybe it's just the IDEA of knowing they're all gone that makes me miss them so much. Anyway, the only Garrard's in town are Nate, David, Howard and me.

Today is a good day. I finished my 4 day conference for work and got to go back to my office and do what I know how to do and catch up. I got my cel phone back because I left it at work on Tues. afternoon. Bah. Today the house cleaner came. Gotta love every other Thursday. I never want to cook and mess up the kitchen. Or, maybe I just never want to cook. Either way, do you sense a trend???

Michael emailed and said the baptism that had been planned came off with nary a hitch. His former companion that taught Tom got to come back and be there for it, so that's good. I wish I could have been there. He's really a missionary all the way through these days.

I'm going to go now and do something productive.

10 Days...

...since I posted. Yikes. Not that my life is so exciting that people are sitting on the edge of their seats, but I keep thinking I'll get some pictures up and just don't get around to it. So, here I am, pictureless.

I'm attending a conference this week for work. I'm just not loving it. I got to go to the office for a few hours this afternoon and it felt good to be there...doing stuff...productive stuff. I hate sitting around, listening and "learning" stuff I'll probably never get to use. Bah.

I've been a bit more productive this past week than perhaps in a while. Saturday was a blockbuster day, productively speaking. I woke up early (don't I always?) and went to Walmart just to get it over and done with. I bought mega groceries and got home by 8:45. Whew! That was accomplishment enough. I have fallen in love(?) with www.thepioneerwomancooks.com and just HAD to make her chicken & rice soup recipe. It DID NOT disappoint. But, of course, if you're going to have homemade soup, you needs to have homemade bread to go along with, right? So, I busted out a couple of loaves of wheat/white bread. Then, to top it all off, I had bought some strawberries at the store and made a batch. Not that it compares to the marathon jam making Erin did a few weeks ago, but after soup and bread, I was pretty pleased. And, I was done with all the culinary wonderfulness by 12:30.

I followed that all up with a shower and a nap that helped offset the early rising of the day. Then, cue in choir music here, I went to the Temple. That's right, 6:30 session. And somehow, in the process of the afternoon, I managed to lose my debit card and Sam's club card. I stuck them in the pocket of the shirt I wore to the Temple, but it's a rather shallow pocket and somewhere they fell out. I called the Temple today and no one has turned them in, so I guess I have to call and have it replaced. That's stinky because it takes 10 days and that's FOREVER to be without my debit card. Stinky, stinky, stinky.

I'm also working on a couple of quilts/blankets I've been working on for a while. Once I bind them, I'll have them both finished. Then, I have a couple more to start. One is going to be great! I hope. We'll see. Maybe I shouldn't be so sure of it's greatness before I start, huh?

I've felt the pull of Family History again. I have SO many names that need sealing done, I've just got to get my family to the Temple to help get these done. I went to the Family History Library tonight to work on clearing more. That's a process! But, I'm going to go back next week and see if I can't get some new names cleared. I LOVE this work. I love to think of them in the Spirit World being so happy the work is getting done for them.

My brother had knee surgery. Torn miniscus. Been there. Two times. He's doing well. As is his son. And wife. Better anyway.

Mike writes tomorrow. We get to find out if the planned baptism he had scheduled for Saturday went through. He was pretty excited in his last letter. Tom is a guy they had worked with for some time and he had decided during General Conference that he was going to make the commitment. I'm happy for Mike and the work he's put in and I know that must be so gratifying. I'm really happy for Tom. I know the great, wonderful change it will be in his life. Go Tom!

Balloon Babies

Last night Erin and Sydney and Brooklyn and Mackenzie and I went to Red Robin while Kevin took Seth somewhere (Austin was sleeping over with the Barlows). Sarah had to miss out because she was practicing for Savior of the World. Afterward, Sydney and Mackenzie slept over. So, when we left, the girls wanted a balloon. At 8 & 9 years old, "I'm thinking why do you want one? It'll just make the dogs bark." We got home, and they forgot about them while they watched tv and played Dr. Mario. I went to bed. This morning, after breakfast and getting bored with General Conference, they went into the other room to play. A little while later, they came in and this is what they had done with the balloons! All's I'm sayin' is...girls will be girls...

Amazing.....Grace!

I just finished watching the movie Amazing Grace. It is the AMAZING story of the man who nearly single handedly abolished the slave trade from England. The United Kingdom in the 1700s and early 1800s was a world superpower, as you probably already know. But, the money to run the navy, that gave England the superiority she had, (most of it anyway), came from England's colonies. Many of those colonies were in the western hemisphere; America, Jamaica, Haiti, etc. William Wilberforce was a young, up and coming politician, who was friends with the man that wrote the words to the hymn Amazing Grace. That is a fantastic story in itself. He was a former slave ship captain of 20 years who "repented his sin" and spent the rest of his life trying to make up for what he done and wrote the words to the hymn after his conversion to Christ. William was inclined to give up politics to pursue a more religious and benign profession, but was persuaded to combine his belief in the wrongness of the slave trade with politics. After many years in the Parliament and several puttings forth of a bill to end the slave trade, the timing was right and England finally abolished it.

Watching a movie like that, makes me wonder about one's purpose in life. Am I fulfilling my purpose or am I just muddling along, not really making any difference. I realize not everyone is meant to be heroes. But, I think to ponder ones purpose is, well, good.

We all have gifts. At least one. Scriptures tell us that, and so I know it's true. I have spent a good amount of time pondering what my gift(s) is/are. I think I've identified a few of them. I think many of us won't know until we get to the other side. Singing, definitely& sadly, isn't one of them, however!

It's General Conference weekend and I do have to say, gotta love church at home on the TV & in your jammies if you want. Good to know who our new apostle is, D. Todd Kristopherson. He spoke at a press conference and I have to say, I liked what I saw and heard. Like I wouldn't. Like it would matter if I didn't!

Here's to good movies! And Marsha, if you read this...POST!!!!!