Moonrise

I know I should be in bed, but I am not. Does sitting on it count for anything?

My mind does not want to turn off tonight. I keep thinking about this life and how we each face such different challenges, and how these challenges can be so overwhelming. There are days in each of our lives when it seems we are facing the insurmountable. {Do not worry. I am doing well right now! After all I had Crème Brulee tonight. Not much sweeter than that… except the company!} Do you ever see someone else struggling and wish you could just fix it for them? I do. I cannot, but I want to.

This may seem somewhat random, even for me, but last Friday night I had the opportunity to watch the moonrise. It was so beautiful to watch it crest the horizon and travel in a graceful arc over Mount Rainier as the hours ticked by, really quite a spectacular experience. So when I was at J & S’s house again on Sunday night I decided to attempt to capture it “on film.” {Yes, it is a digital camera, not film. And yes I am still learning how to use it, so my picture does not do what I saw any justice.}

For some reason these two thoughts keep running through my mind and since it is late they started merging. These dark and overwhelming challenges are like the night. We cannot see the path we should follow in such darkness. But like the moon reflecting the light of the sun’s brightness into the night, so does the gospel provide a medium whereby the Son’s light can pierce through the darkness of difficult times. I am so thankful to know to whom I can turn for help, and I only wish I could share with or remind anyone who needs to know... that even in the darkest night, there is still hope.

Birthday Boy

Tonight I went to my nephew's 1st birthday party.  It was the best 1st birthday party that I have been to.  Most the time if you can get the kids open one present they are not interested in anything else, and they are afraid of the cake and/or the candle.  Not Garrett, he was hilarious.

He opened everything and clapped after each gift.  Once he had opened everything he went from one toy to the next and there was even some screaming for joy.

He is all boy.  He loved his new tools, blocks, cars and especially his new dump truck that he can ride.  I was standing beside him when it was time to go get cake so I asked him if he wanted a num num (Garrett speak for all food stuffs).  I have never seen him crawl faster.  He went tearing into the kitchen straight for his high chair. 

He LOVED it!

Peter has a new trick...

...and I am not sure how I feel about it.  I have read up lots about rabbits.  I kept reading that they like to hop up on furniture.  I have had Peter for over a year and he has never really hopped up on anything.  He is always underfoot.  That all changed the other morning.  I was kneeling beside my bed when all of the sudden the bed shook.  Yep, shook.  Peter hopped up on a box and then to my bed.  So I moved the box and now he jumps from the floor, about 30 inches.  It is pretty amazing to watch, but it is not my favorite place for him to be. Too bad, it is now his.

Yummy Goodness

Here is the latest from the kitchen:

Chocolates with a yummy peanut butter filling that Jenny W. and I made. Yum.

Chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.

I love my new pasta maker attachment for the KitchenAid! The soup was mostly homemade. I cheated and used canned chicken, a bag of peas and carrots, and chicken bouillon, but I did use some wonderful fresh bay, rosemary, and garlic in my stock. (Thanks Jenny for helping me get those tasty herbs!) Madilyn, Emma and Garrett loved the noodles!

Garrett ate until his little tummy was hard.  He is a serious eater!

I almost missed getting the noodle in this shot.  Emma has noodle eating down, slurp. 

Sorry Madilyn!  The picture of you did not turn out. 

Summer Happenings

I finally had an opportunity to use some vacation time. My parents were going to Utah to visit Angela and Eric, and Grandpa and Grandma M., so I joined them. Since it was the weekend of the fourth, I could not find a bunny-sitter. Yep, Peter and Benjamin got to go on their first road trip. Peter was very nervous at first, but he got used to the idea. Benjamin… well I do not think he thought much about anything. They had to stay at Grandpa’s house the whole time because I was afraid that the bunnies would not get along with Angela and Eric’s Redbone Coon Hounds, Gracie and Jackson. Peter and Benjamin loved being able to hop around Grandpa’s big yard even though they had to wear their leashes.


I, however, got to go over to Angela and Eric’s new home. It is such a charming home! I am glad I got to see it.

The amazing sunset over Cougar Stadium.

It has been forever since the last football game I attended there!

(I am so mad that I forgot my good camera at Grandpa’s.

My purse camera does not do it justice. Grrr!)

Other highlights, Hanging out with Grandpa M. I love my time with him! And it seems like every time I am there visiting, the comics in the paper are extra funny. (My favorite section of the newspaper.) I love a good laugh with Grandpa. Spending time with Grandma M. We always have fun in the kitchen. There are several recipes I need to get from her, those chocolate cookies and the wheat bread, yum! Seeing Wade and Kylee and eating amazing meat at Toucanos until I was sick. (Too bad we do not have those around here. Lucky Eric and Angela.) I loved the bacon wrapped fillet mignon, beef brisket, and the grilled pineapple. Why do I have to go to Utah to see you Kylee when you live about 8 minutes from my house? We have to work on that! And finally, going to Stadium of Fire. The music was only ok (except for Jenny Oaks Baker), but the fireworks were wonderful. It was fun to see Daniel M. Thanks Eric and Angela for getting me a ticket! So, fun.

Here again, dumb purse camera.

Only one problem with my trip, I wish I could have stayed longer!