TutandPrizes

Here are some pictures of Tut, in his usual poses around the house:

Doesn't he look happy? He has perfected the art of basking in his blessings And here are just a FEW of the items I brought home from our girl trip:

I added these gorgeous, deep red flowers to my other flowers

and the cattails we gathered last fall Do you like this arrangement?

I put some artificial flowers (from last year) in this rustic sprinkler,

and some artificial lemons in one of my blue bowls (from 2 years ago)

And artificial cherries in another blue bowl Yay for fakes! They make it feel all summer-y in our kitchen They are all from Tai Pan in Ogden

This is the table runner I bought at The Quilt Shop

in Gardner's Village, south of SLC You'll note that I have empty frames and the wrong picture in one frame Those aren't my grandchildren They're my children! Oh well...it's a process, right?

You can barely see the little etched-glass dome

from Anastasia's Attic in Gardner's Village, but I love it It's very fragile-seeming and beautiful I'm going to put it on a little crystal plate I have from the kid's great-grandmother and I'll make some miniature desserts to place under the dome Won't that be a good way to display them? I love making miniature food out of clay! I'll post more pictures later :)

Back from Hibernation

Finally, a post on my neglected blog! So sorry. I wasn't feeling so hot for a while, and I just didn't have the oomph to post. First, I have to mention Phillip: I got a phone call from him today! He's doing well and has one more day of driving left, before he gets a 3-day break. That includes one day of Physical Training and one day of vehicle maintenance - but it's a change, and they get one day to just relax.

Mark's latest Bouncing Beauties

Mark's been perfecting his whole wheat bread recipe, and I get to sample the results. Yum! I'm excited for him to start entering his baked goods in the fair again. (He's taken the last few summers off from entering.) I also want him to enter some of his stained glass work, photography, and maybe an oil painting or two. It's just a fun experience, and it encourages people to strive for excellence in the things they do. It's one of our traditions; something our kids can count on each year. That's important in our family, when so much has been rather hard to plan on. Which leads me to my next topic, our annual Girl Trip: I went on a 'girl trip' with Megan, Melinda and Anya last Friday and Saturday, and I feel so much peppier now! I'm so glad I was well enough to go. We went to Salt Lake City and environs, and we talked and laughed the whole time. The weather was so perfect, we couldn't believe our luck. And Justin got off work and spent a day with us! We also got a room at the Red Lion for only $40 (on Priceline), so each one's share of that was very minimal - which gave us some money to hunt for bargains at Tai Pan, Gardner's Village, and other stores in the area. I'll be posting pictures of what I found and what I did with some of it. It's so inspiring to get out of the house and see and touch some real objects that are new to me! (Being a shut in isn't all it's cracked up to be. ;) I got some new perspective on my home and what I can do to improve it. Very satisfying. We also got to eat at Curry in a Hurry, a little spot that serves delicious and simple Indian cuisine. We are always starved and weary when we eat there, and the hot, spicy food is just what we need, every time. It really topped off our trip. Megan has more information and fun pictures of our trip on her blog, Baked Asia (link below). Here's an actually decent picture of Megan, me, and Melinda. It's so unusual for me to take a good picture. Justin, carrying a smug Anya Anya, modeling the latest swimwear fashions

The night we got back, I went around cleaning and arranging untill 4 a.m. That gave me a good jump-start on my already-devised program to continue getting stronger and doing more.

I know there can be setbacks, and will be. But I'm okay with that. I'm just happy...

Oh, and I'm getting a reserved seat at Maria's table for an amazing lecture by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, the author of Pulitzer Prize winner A Midwife's Tale. I love that book, and I am wanting to learn more about her research methods. There is good information on the Internet, if you Google her book. I think that, feeling better as I am, I might actually make it. Hurray! (And thanks, Maria, for the invite!)

Survival Kits

I just want to give everyone a heads up about Wikipedia's great information and links on *Survival Kits*. And, specifically, they call 72-hour kits bug bags (or something like that), but clicking on that link takes you to an article about them. The whole thing is very well organized and gave me some new ideas. For instance, I hadn't thought about how we might need snow goggles or sunglasses in our area. That's a really good suggestion! I've looked at Red Cross info and at other sites, but have never seen that mentioned. Anyway, I hope you find it as helpful as I did. It made me excited about getting our emergency supplies in order, such as they are. We still need medications, a compass, cash, copies of prescriptions, and many other things. And they need to be in more portable containers, lighter weight, and much more protected and organized! Thank you for your comments! And for all you do for Phillip! He's been in Baghdad, and not at his base, so he hasn't had a chance to see if any boxes came for him yet; I KNOW he'll be excited when he does receive them. Just knowing they were sent probably makes him feel appreciated! I'm feeling way better today. I've really eaten lightly, and I've been starting all my good habits of FOCUSING on my record keeping, tests, shots, activities, stress-management, eating small, frequent meals that include some protein, fluid intake (I really have to work on these last two), medications, and personal hygiene... Okay, that last one was a joke. It's rather fun, like another EXPERIMENT! I'll try and control all the variables I can and we'll see what happens. It's just like an episode of House, except I'm not bleeding profusely from all of my visible orifices (as the patient) and House uses a cane, not a wheelchair, except for that one episode (I'm also the doctor/detective on the case). But I AM a bit grizzled, don't you think?

Out of the Hospital!

That heading should let you know where I've been for the past while. I had some health problems (a kidney infection, etc.) which are much better now, and thank you for your comments and well wishes. They worked! So now I have one priority, which I've never had, unless I was pregnant: my health. I just feel motivated this time. I think it's because of the drs. and nurses down here in Pocatello. They really try to do a good job, and they're focused on that; they don't have other things taking the front position in their minds. I think that's because of the university/learning environment. In the face of so much earnestness, I can't help but join in the figuring out of my health and finding how to manage it. Reliv has made such a tremendous difference for me. I'm sure it's saved my life and provided me with this chance to recover enough to think about things and come to some conclusions. With Dr. Gillette's help (he's a resident here), I've been able to sort out more of this tangled knot that is my autonomic nervous system. Maybe when I get a handle on it, and thus on my insulin, etc., my health will actually improve! Phillip has called a couple of times recently. He seems to be doing well. He's been promoted to Private First Class. He got to see the SuperBowl. He is a driver on their missions. For six days at a time, they drive really slowly, looking for explosive devices. They've found one so far and exploded it. Other platoons have hit some, with injuries. He says books would be a good gift, if we send him something. He'd probably really enjoy pictures or videos even more. I can tell he misses the grandkids. I've got a bad stomachache still. Maybe it's from some medicine I'm on. Or maybe my insides have just stopped working. :/ Wish me luck, 'cause I need to get ahead of things if I'm going to survive! Hogs and Kisses to All You Misses (and Misters) PS Bonnie, if you're reading this, I just found your newsletter! I hadn't rec'd. it prior to this. Thank You!