No where in all the world, I think, is there a novel as good as The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.
I'm reading it now for the third time.
I loved it the first time in 1994 and the second time in 2003, but now, my love has taken on a new level - as if no other book exists in the world and I cannot say enough good about it.
Scott - Julie - Kate
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
My Four Addictions...
Tonight, some of the members of my neighborhood are organizing at the church for a seminar of sorts on addiction. They will be discussing the 12-step program that has been adapted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help people overcome harmful addictions including pornography, alcoholism, and drug abuse (prescription or otherwise).
People are invited to come learn what the program can offer and those who feel they have no addictions (are kidding themselves) can come and learn how the programs can help their friends.
This all made me think about what addictions I have. I decided that I have three that I can identify.
1. Chocolate
2. Exercise
3. Food
4. Gum chewing
I decided these addictions weren't at the point of being harmful, yet. I don't mean to make light of other people's addictions. I know what I have to say will come across that way. I recognize that addiction is real and that it is a huge trial for some people. I also see that I have the capacity for my seemingly harmless addictions to become harmful at any time if I allow them to take over my life. I recognize that it is a fine line that I could cross at any time. I think I keep a few addictions that are "safe" with the hope of preventing me from the more dangerous addictions. Maybe I'm way off on all this. But I'm really happy with my addictions and I don't plan to change them any time soon. If someone stages an intervention for me, I will rebel.
With chocolate, I'm like most chocoholics. I love it. I think about it several times a day - okay, hundreds. I crave it. I can't wait to have it. Once I've had some, it's hard to stop but lately I am really gaining ground and have the discipline to just have one piece. This has taken a lot of effort and I am extremely proud of this. I do slip once a week or so and go for seconds, thirds, and then I lick the plates of the children who didn't finish their rich, chocolaty treat (heaven forbid - the wasters). I get back on the wagon with great difficulty, until the next group function when chocolate is served. I seem to resist best alone. I think I must be more of a social indulger. During the day, when I have a planned treat, I watch the clock and countdown to the glorious moment when I can steal a few moments of bliss, just chocolate and me. Not just any chocolate will do. I go for the pricier chocolate. I gotta have Mrs. Cavanaugh's, See's, Lindt, or the like. I don't even bother with Hershey's or Nestle. Dove is okay. And with baked goods, I'm going for rich - dark chocolate brownies full of walnuts and chocolate chips, chocolate cheesecake with fudgey layers, chocolate mint cookies, dark chocolate cake bites, or something super decadent, something that is so rich you have to have a glass of milk to refresh your palette between bites. I make sure the conditions are perfect before taking that first bite. I close my eyes and allow the melty-chocolatey goodness to dissolve into pure satisfaction.
Exercise is an addiction I have had since I was a teenager. I have always had it as a part of my routine. Recently, I invested in a personal trainer for a six-month stint and reactivated my fire and zeal for intense exercise. Now that I am done working with a trainer, I joined a local gym and I am using the workouts my trainer gave me to keep the passion going. I think about my next workout during the day. When I go to bed at night, I get excited to wake up and go to the gym in the stillness of the morning, when everyone else in the house is asleep. I come home full of exhilaration and all those endorphins, or whatever chemical change happens, holds me through the rest of the day until I can get my next "fix". If I miss a day, I am grumpy.
Food, yes, I am a food addict. I think about food ALL DAY! This one is more than out of hand. I plan my meals carefully. I have to have perfect conditions: I must be sitting down, I must not be on the phone, the environment must be peaceful, I can't have anyone hovering over me or standing near me, And no touching me (no tapping me on the shoulder, no bumping my feet, no sitting close, etc - SPACE people - I need SPACE). I'm one of those people from the Carl's Junior commercial, "Don't bother me. I'm eating."
Yes, this is revealing. Yes, I realize I am neurotic. No! These are not things about myself that I'm proud of. No, I am not willing to change - although, I'm working on at least being pleasant if my crazy food conditions are not met.
Something I am doing to help with my addictions (chewing gum) has actually become a fourth addiction. I'm one of those pack-a-day girls. I chew two slices at a time. I'm going for designer gums like Extra brand strawberry shortcake, mint chocolate chip, sweet watermelon, rainbow sherbet, orange creme pop, apple pie, key lime pie, sweet tropical, and then all the mint and cinnamon varieties as well.
So, what are some of your addictions? I want to hear all about it.
People are invited to come learn what the program can offer and those who feel they have no addictions (are kidding themselves) can come and learn how the programs can help their friends.
This all made me think about what addictions I have. I decided that I have three that I can identify.
1. Chocolate
2. Exercise
3. Food
4. Gum chewing
I decided these addictions weren't at the point of being harmful, yet. I don't mean to make light of other people's addictions. I know what I have to say will come across that way. I recognize that addiction is real and that it is a huge trial for some people. I also see that I have the capacity for my seemingly harmless addictions to become harmful at any time if I allow them to take over my life. I recognize that it is a fine line that I could cross at any time. I think I keep a few addictions that are "safe" with the hope of preventing me from the more dangerous addictions. Maybe I'm way off on all this. But I'm really happy with my addictions and I don't plan to change them any time soon. If someone stages an intervention for me, I will rebel.
With chocolate, I'm like most chocoholics. I love it. I think about it several times a day - okay, hundreds. I crave it. I can't wait to have it. Once I've had some, it's hard to stop but lately I am really gaining ground and have the discipline to just have one piece. This has taken a lot of effort and I am extremely proud of this. I do slip once a week or so and go for seconds, thirds, and then I lick the plates of the children who didn't finish their rich, chocolaty treat (heaven forbid - the wasters). I get back on the wagon with great difficulty, until the next group function when chocolate is served. I seem to resist best alone. I think I must be more of a social indulger. During the day, when I have a planned treat, I watch the clock and countdown to the glorious moment when I can steal a few moments of bliss, just chocolate and me. Not just any chocolate will do. I go for the pricier chocolate. I gotta have Mrs. Cavanaugh's, See's, Lindt, or the like. I don't even bother with Hershey's or Nestle. Dove is okay. And with baked goods, I'm going for rich - dark chocolate brownies full of walnuts and chocolate chips, chocolate cheesecake with fudgey layers, chocolate mint cookies, dark chocolate cake bites, or something super decadent, something that is so rich you have to have a glass of milk to refresh your palette between bites. I make sure the conditions are perfect before taking that first bite. I close my eyes and allow the melty-chocolatey goodness to dissolve into pure satisfaction.
Exercise is an addiction I have had since I was a teenager. I have always had it as a part of my routine. Recently, I invested in a personal trainer for a six-month stint and reactivated my fire and zeal for intense exercise. Now that I am done working with a trainer, I joined a local gym and I am using the workouts my trainer gave me to keep the passion going. I think about my next workout during the day. When I go to bed at night, I get excited to wake up and go to the gym in the stillness of the morning, when everyone else in the house is asleep. I come home full of exhilaration and all those endorphins, or whatever chemical change happens, holds me through the rest of the day until I can get my next "fix". If I miss a day, I am grumpy.
Food, yes, I am a food addict. I think about food ALL DAY! This one is more than out of hand. I plan my meals carefully. I have to have perfect conditions: I must be sitting down, I must not be on the phone, the environment must be peaceful, I can't have anyone hovering over me or standing near me, And no touching me (no tapping me on the shoulder, no bumping my feet, no sitting close, etc - SPACE people - I need SPACE). I'm one of those people from the Carl's Junior commercial, "Don't bother me. I'm eating."
Yes, this is revealing. Yes, I realize I am neurotic. No! These are not things about myself that I'm proud of. No, I am not willing to change - although, I'm working on at least being pleasant if my crazy food conditions are not met.
Something I am doing to help with my addictions (chewing gum) has actually become a fourth addiction. I'm one of those pack-a-day girls. I chew two slices at a time. I'm going for designer gums like Extra brand strawberry shortcake, mint chocolate chip, sweet watermelon, rainbow sherbet, orange creme pop, apple pie, key lime pie, sweet tropical, and then all the mint and cinnamon varieties as well.
So, what are some of your addictions? I want to hear all about it.
Friday, February 3, 2012
My Blah, Blah, Blabber...
The loud East wind, or was it Scott, woke me up at 5:30 this morning and I'm kind of glad. I LOVE waking up early. Scott is more of a night owl so I stay up to be with him and then I don't have the nerve to set my alarm to wake up early because he gets all grumpy at me if I wake him up with my alarm. Some days I wake up early on my own and those are the best days.
I love the dark, quiet. I love reading my scriptures in peace. I love how slow the early morning creeps along. I love being the first to turn on the kitchen light that day.
Scott and I have been waking up at 6:00 am every day the past three weeks. Scott has been working in the Salt Lake Temple while the temple is shut down for semiannual repairs. He works all over in that old historic building doing plumbing. I get up when he starts getting ready and I putter in the kitchen making breakfast for the three of us. Nearly half of the time, Kate will pull her ragged self out of bed to have breakfast with us so she can be with her Dad before he heads off to work. She always mentions that it isn't even morning yet because it's still dark. She rubs her eyes while she eats her gummy vitamins. I shape her breakfast with cookie cutters - snowflake-shaped apple slices, butterfly-shaped cinnamon toast. We tell a story about the butterfly or the teddy bear, whatever the shape is that day. We read stories. We make beds. We start the laundry. We do dishes.
I love that I can actually get Kate to whisper when she talks at the breakfast table. I love that as Scott is reaching the door to leave Kate jumps up from jumps up from the table for a hug and exclaims, "I'll wave at you, Daddy!" Then she runs to the front window to do exactly that as Scott pulls away in his work van.
We don't have a vehicle today. The truck broke down at the school yesterday when I drove down to pick up Kate. I made it down the hill just fine. I parked the truck and walked up to find Kate. But when we got back in to drive home the truck just wouldn't turn over. Kate desperately needed to go to the bathroom because she failed to follow our first rule of kindergarten 'ALWAYS use the potty when the teacher allows time to do so - even if you don't think you need to go.' So she was shrieking that she had to "go" while I was trying to turn the key a billion times and wondering why the engine wasn't turning over. I thought I was just being a dumb blond - like maybe it wasn't in the right gear or something - nope, no such luck.
Like a genius, I didn't grab my purse or even my cell phone so we were half way between the school and home sitting in a broken truck with a girl who was starting to wet her pants.
After a little accident, Kate was ready for the walk home. We called Grandpa B and he took us back down to the truck to check things out. He then drove me to my mom's work to borrow her car so I could get Kate to and from gymnastics. As Kate and I drove in the borrowed car to gymnastics, we honked at my father-in-law and brother-in-law trying to tow our truck to the shop for repairs. After gymnastics, we picked my mom up from work and she drove us home. .
Now, without a truck and crazy East winds still going, or wait, maybe they've stopped... I'm not sure what we will do with the rest of our day.
I know this is all just a bunch of blather-lee-blupp but sometimes I think it's the little details and mundane that make life real. And sometimes I just want to go BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
I love the dark, quiet. I love reading my scriptures in peace. I love how slow the early morning creeps along. I love being the first to turn on the kitchen light that day.
Scott and I have been waking up at 6:00 am every day the past three weeks. Scott has been working in the Salt Lake Temple while the temple is shut down for semiannual repairs. He works all over in that old historic building doing plumbing. I get up when he starts getting ready and I putter in the kitchen making breakfast for the three of us. Nearly half of the time, Kate will pull her ragged self out of bed to have breakfast with us so she can be with her Dad before he heads off to work. She always mentions that it isn't even morning yet because it's still dark. She rubs her eyes while she eats her gummy vitamins. I shape her breakfast with cookie cutters - snowflake-shaped apple slices, butterfly-shaped cinnamon toast. We tell a story about the butterfly or the teddy bear, whatever the shape is that day. We read stories. We make beds. We start the laundry. We do dishes.
I love that I can actually get Kate to whisper when she talks at the breakfast table. I love that as Scott is reaching the door to leave Kate jumps up from jumps up from the table for a hug and exclaims, "I'll wave at you, Daddy!" Then she runs to the front window to do exactly that as Scott pulls away in his work van.
We don't have a vehicle today. The truck broke down at the school yesterday when I drove down to pick up Kate. I made it down the hill just fine. I parked the truck and walked up to find Kate. But when we got back in to drive home the truck just wouldn't turn over. Kate desperately needed to go to the bathroom because she failed to follow our first rule of kindergarten 'ALWAYS use the potty when the teacher allows time to do so - even if you don't think you need to go.' So she was shrieking that she had to "go" while I was trying to turn the key a billion times and wondering why the engine wasn't turning over. I thought I was just being a dumb blond - like maybe it wasn't in the right gear or something - nope, no such luck.
Like a genius, I didn't grab my purse or even my cell phone so we were half way between the school and home sitting in a broken truck with a girl who was starting to wet her pants.
After a little accident, Kate was ready for the walk home. We called Grandpa B and he took us back down to the truck to check things out. He then drove me to my mom's work to borrow her car so I could get Kate to and from gymnastics. As Kate and I drove in the borrowed car to gymnastics, we honked at my father-in-law and brother-in-law trying to tow our truck to the shop for repairs. After gymnastics, we picked my mom up from work and she drove us home. .
Now, without a truck and crazy East winds still going, or wait, maybe they've stopped... I'm not sure what we will do with the rest of our day.
I know this is all just a bunch of blather-lee-blupp but sometimes I think it's the little details and mundane that make life real. And sometimes I just want to go BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Love When My Daughter Reads to Me
Tonight, before bed, Kate was reading to Scott and me out of an easy reader called Beth's Job, all about a girl in school who didn't like the job she was given to take care of a plant until one day the plant bloomed and then she thought the job was super-cool.
Kate was sounding out the title on the cover... Buh - Eh - Tuh - Huh.
I said, "Remember the sound the 'th' makes together?"
In an aha-moment sort of way, Kate put the word together and mistakenly blurted out, "BECH!"
Scott and I burst out laughing because it really sounded like a dirty word. Even though all we did was laugh, Kate caught on quickly and said, "Did I just say a bad word?"
YUUP!
She was adorably embarrassed and she couldn't stop snickering.We took several minutes to compose ourselves again and finished the story.
Kate was sounding out the title on the cover... Buh - Eh - Tuh - Huh.
I said, "Remember the sound the 'th' makes together?"
In an aha-moment sort of way, Kate put the word together and mistakenly blurted out, "BECH!"
Scott and I burst out laughing because it really sounded like a dirty word. Even though all we did was laugh, Kate caught on quickly and said, "Did I just say a bad word?"
YUUP!
She was adorably embarrassed and she couldn't stop snickering.We took several minutes to compose ourselves again and finished the story.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Kindergarten Fun
Fun at the Dinosaur Museum
We went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point this last weekend.
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