why do you love me?

So for years every time Mike would tell me that he loved me I would always ask him why.  This really bothered him.  He usually said, "just because I do".  Well, that wasn't good enough for me so, we have had this long standing joke about it.  I think after a while he withheld his reasons just to keep me asking and waiting for the answers.  I am a very wordy person (as you can tell) and My Man is not.  In fact we shared this little issue with our home teacher in Sacramento a while back and so each month when he and his son would leave our home they would ask Mike if he had been working on his list.  And now that we have moved to Utah he still inquires of Mike if he has finished his list.  It has been a never ending joke that just wont let up!  So, for my birthday I was in Idaho welcoming my nephew home from his mission and Mike was home working on the house.  But, on Saturday night I got a text from My Man telling me that I had a special email waiting for me.  So, I got onto my Mom's computer and pulled up my email and to my surprise I found this interesting attachment...

Forty Eight Reasons I love Lisa

1.  She is easy to talk to.

2.  She has many laughs.

3.  She makes herself laugh

4.  She makes me laugh

5.  She has a mind of her own

6.  She lost her mind more than once but

     she always finds it. (what does this mean)

7. She has a very natural smile

8.  She can talk to a stranger and they will go away

    wanting to be her friend.

9.  She sang to me when we were dating. I think she was trying to seduce me.

10. She likes to be organized

11. She read to our boys every night.  For that I am forever grateful.

12. She doesn't stay mad at me for too long.

13. She has a strong testimony

14. She loves to go to the temple

15. She married me

16. She treats our boys good.

17. She went on a mission

18. She thinks education is important

19. She trusts me

20. She isn't as picky as I am

21. She is a good kisser

22. She is passionate about what she does or she doesn't do.

23. She is a missionary

24. She likes to have a good time.

25. She brings me rootbeer floats

26. She can say just the right thing...sometimes.

27. She always remembers my birthday.

28. She lets me be the man

29. She said yes.

30. She tried a Bobby Flay recipe and succeeded (took forever!)

31. She loves me

32. She's hot

33. She has smooth skin

34. She gives good talks

35. She has great facial expressions

36. All she needs is a camera to entertain herself (how true this is!)

37. She loves God more than she loves me

38. The boys love her

39. I love to listen to her sing, sing, sing

40. She is my chickeewowowow(the nickname Mike gave me when we were engaged)

41. She is my compliment

42. She is a covenant keeper

43. She expects the best from me.

44. She expects the best from the boys

45. She knows.

46. She has a good relationship with her family.

47. She likes my poems

48. She isn't hard to please.

Best birthday gift ever!

I love My Man!

It's great to be 48!

Today is a special day...it's my birthday!  That's right it's the day I came into this big wide wonderful world. And let me tell you it is great to be 48!

I have to say that I am so glad to be where I am today.  Life has turned out to be even better than I had hoped.
I have learned many life lessons that have proved to be worth learning.  And here are some of the most important ones...ready?  Here goes...

1.  There is never a problem to be solved that is more important than a person to be loved.
2.  Happiness is a choice.
3.  There are no accidents...
4.  Love is something you show
5.  Laughter is the best medicine ever
6.  Faith will take you as far as you want to go
7.  People are basically good so believe in them
8.  If you treat someone as though they are...they will become
9.  It's not what happens that matters, it's how we handle what happens that matters.
10.  Never give up....because you never know what's right around the corner
11.  There is someone who knows you better than you know yourself...its best to stay close to him;)
12.  People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
13.  You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat people they dont need.
14.  Nothing is as constant as change...so get used to it and learn to embrace it
15.  True joy is found in service to others
16.  True friendship is a treasure

Awesome Hawaiian Haystacks

"This is great for large groups.  Has an absolutely wonderful taste and easy to make.
Feeds a large family easily.

Ingredients

1/2 lb butter (1/2 lb optional)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 quarts milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3 cooked chicken breasts
pineapple tidbits
mandarin oranges chopped green onions
grated cheddar cheese
coconut
slivered almonds
chow mein noodles
cooked rice
celery

Here are all the ingredients I used besides the milk and flour.

Here is the sauce and chicken mixture.

Directions

1. Cook chicken and cut in to bite size pieces

2. Melt butter in large pan

3. Add flour, salt and milk

4. Stir well

5. Add 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup, can of mushrooms and chicken

6. Simmer

7. Cook rice with rice cooker, amount for number of people to feed.

8.  Layer on plate: Rice, Chow mein noodles, soup mixture, pineapple, cheese, celery

     green onions, coconut, almonds and soy sauce.

9. Use toppings to suit your taste.

Enjoy! 

It's a dirty Job!

This is one of my on -the -job weekly rituals, making cookies with the boys.

I let them add the ingredients as I meaure them out and then of course one licks the spatula and one get the mixer.  I know, I know, it's a dirty job...

Then the other day(on a rare sunny day) they wanted me to give them some water.  I figured they wanted a drink.  So, I gave them each a cup of water.  Then a little bit later they brought me a large bucket and asked me for some more water.  I asked why, and they said they wanted to make sand castles.  I told them, that we didnt have sand, we have dirt, and water would make mud. So, I refused.  Well, guess who lives next door?

Yep! Grandma!  Well, you know how they say "Grandma knows best"?  Well, in this case I find that extremely questionable.  I went outside a while later to find this!

So, after I scolded Grandma,:)...

she turned on the sprinklers and then I got to do this.

I know, I know, it's a dirty job....but somebody has to do it!

I love my job!  They are just too cute! 

It's like raising my boys all over again!

A Little Princess

I love this movie!

Today I brought my nephews downstairs to watch this movie with me.  It has been a very long time since I've seen it.  But, to my surprise just as it was getting good, it started to skip and stop playing.  The dvd was old and scratched.  However, I was reminded of the most important line in this movie that has stuck with me.  That line is, "all women are princesses, it is our right"!

I love this movie on so many levels!  For one, I love that this little girl Sara, has such an imagination that she seems to find beauty and strength no matter what her circumstances are.  She also has so much compassion for others. She notices right away that not "all" of the girls are treated like princesses and that confuses and saddens her. She also notices that not all little girls act like princesses and she is not afraid to point it out to them.  I love this little girl.  She is so awesome! 

I also love the way this movie takes me away.  Away to a place of beauty, and dreams!  I am sure that all little girls dream.  I certainly did.  What I dreamed about mostly when I was a young girl, is one day living this life that I am basically in now.  True story. But besides that, I am sure I dreamed when I was very little about magical things, but I honestly dont remember a lot of what I dreamed about back then and that makes me sad.  I think dreaming and imagining is so important.  I think it is also important to not take life too seriously especially as a child.  I remember my mother used to tell us stories when we were little and she taught us to dance and sing and that helped take us away to fun places. Because life was not always fun when we were little.  

Michael used to love for me to make up stories and I loved doing it.  When you make up a story, you can pretend whatever you can think of and make it turn out however you want it to.  It's the best!  I do remember enjoying writing stories when I was a young girl.  

Anyway, back to A Little Princess, I love the message of this movie...."All women are princesses, it is our right!"

And I'd like to add that it is also our obligation as daughters of God! 

I am a Princess and so are you!  

What did you dream about when you were little?

Raising Teenagers

I would have to say that raising teenagers has got to be the most challenging and can be the most rewarding experience a mother can have.  For me, I have had many good as well as bad experiences with my kids during their teenage years. (Which is still not over with.)  I guess I find it exciting because of the challenge it is.  And maybe it is exciting to me because I feel like I can relate to them so well.  Probably because I am very much an emotional creature and teenagers are all about emotions. 

I also think it is very interesting how so many people who are aquainted with our own teenagers feel it is their duty, privilege, and even responsibility to share with us how we should raise ours. Everyone thinks they have the answer or the right formula for raising these creatures. However, I have learned that everyone has their own expectations and beliefs about what a teenager should and ought to be.  So often we assume that we know what someone else should expect from their teenager...when the truth is that 
 we usually dont have the whole story about what is going on in a particular family's life when we try to advise eachother.  So, the challenge is, can we keep our opinions and advice to ourselves unless asked or sought after?  Because when you openly share your "humble, nevertheless correct opinion" without being asked all it does is make that person feel like they don't know what they are doing, ....and that's annoying!  And when you dont have the whole story(which you usually don't) it just makes you look ...dumb. Don't worry, I'm sure I've done it myself a time or two (at least).

So, all I have to say is good luck and more power to you...as you venture on your way.  I for one am so thankful for the guidance and standards we are given by a living prophet about our potential and about what our heavenly father expects of us as individuals and yes, even as teenagers.  I absolutely love teenagers and I am grateful to be privileged enough to have the opportunity to do what little bit I can do to help them develop and grow into the kind of people that their father in heaven knows they can be. 

Teenagers are like budding plants that need lots of water, sun, love and tender care.  They are our future and they are awesome!  So.....good luck with yours and wish me luck with mine!

10 Truth's about Mother's day and the Men in my life

This is the breakfast my dear sweet husband made for me on mother's day.

Truth #1:  I would have liked a gift of another kind (and hinted all month about it)but for some reason I usually get food for any and all occassions from my husband...because he loves to cook and try new things.  I also had to stay in bed until 9:00 am before I was brought this yummy meal. I'm usually up no later than 7 on Sundays. Men....you gotta love em'! 

And here are the flowers and cards I recieved for Mother's day. 

Truth #2: My Man does not like to give me anything that

he can't make or grow himself ...

Truth #3: The small vase of flowers were the first I recieved from

 my nephews(given to me by my sister in law of course) 

which had cookies coming out of them

 (which were eaten by the kids). 

Truth #4: The large vase of flowers I bought myself because it contained 2 roses which Stephen needed to give the girl he sang to (to accept an invitation for a date).

Truth #5:  I had to hint to my boys all day to make me cards.  Bryce's is the one on the far right with MOM printed on it.  Which contained a nice note about how much he loved me.  Stephen's is the letter on binder paper which talked about how he knew that I loved him unconditonally inspite of all of his craziness.  And then he said that he wanted to marry someone exactly like me...except that he hoped that she would be able to hold her bladder longer than me!  ....Is'nt he sweet ;/? 

Then we went over to my in laws for dinner. 

Truth #6:  My mother in law cooked most of dinner.

(The flowers given by my sister in law again and the card by "yours truly").

Truth #7:  My father in law did help bring food to the table;)

Truth #8:  Mike made cheese cake and lemon squares which he spent all afternoon preparing and they still werent done in time for dessert. 

 So, we've been eating them ever since. 

Truth #9:  I did lay in bed all afternoon while My Man made dessert...

and guess who got to clean up the kitchen? 

Truth #10: Men, ya gotta love em'!

Time to prepare...

Well, this is it!  The last stretch before Elder Nelson returns.  I cant believe it is here already and then on the other hand it feels like its been forever.  I guess it just depends on how you look at it.  But anyway, he only has 9 weeks left on his mission.  2 years really doesnt seem that long in the grand scheme of things but when you are just 21 it seems like a very long time.  I remember how 18 months changed me and my entire life forever, so I guess when you look at it that way, it is long. 

So, it's time to prepare.  I feel like I'm"nesting", you know, like right before the baby comes and you want to prepare for when he gets here.  You want everything in order so that he is comfortable and so that nothing will distract you from just enjoying him.  Since we will be moving shortly (hopefully) into the new house, I will be putting Michael into Bryce's room.  I hope he doesnt mind.  Stephen has his own room and I just dont see moving everything out for a month or two only to move it all again shortly thereafter.  I figure that Michael is used to having a companion there always anyway, so maybe he will feel right at home.  I think he will enjoy the time with Bryce and visa versa. 

Michael has a few friends who want to be here and surprise him when he gets off the plane. We know his transfer date is July 12th but we are not sure when he will arrive in Utah.  Could be the 13th, 14th... I assume.  So, I need to find out from his mission president this week.  We are all so excited!

So, am I ready for this?  Are you kidding?  I have been waiting 2 years to get inside his head!  I want to hear all the stuff he was afraid to tell me...because frankly he has just been so positive and happy always that I know there had to have been some challenges along the way.  He has been a perfect example to our family and his mission will always be one of the happiest times in our family's life!

So, time to clean and organize and prepare for our family to all be together again!   

bee gees - more than a woman

Lately I have been really missing the dancing days!  Stephen has been listening to a lot of 80's music and it has really gotten my memory stirred!  I never missed a dance in my younger years when I was single.  In fact that is the only reservation I had to marrying Mike....He doesnt dance!  But when you think about the overall picture and what is really important I guess that isn't too bad if that was my only reservation right?  However, I still miss it.  I loved dancing in the 80's it was the best!  And the Bee Gee's ...the coolest! 

More pictures

I love this one a lot!  I just love what this says!

Of course this one is great!

And of course the Chicago Temple.

Pictures I want in my new home

So, I thought I would do a post on all of the pictures I want to hang in my new home.  I told my family that from here on out, all I want for any occassion, like my birthday, christmas, mothers day etc....is one of these pictures to hang in our home!

Okay, this is my #1 most favorite picture!  I absolutely love it!  I reminds me of my boys fighting for truth and righteousness.  This is the most dramatic picture I've seen of the 2000 stripling warriors.  Dont you just love it?  I can imagine in these young Lamanite faces....the faces of my boys!  A Gotta Have!!

 I think I would hang this picture in Michael's bedroom if I had this one.  This was always Michael's favorite story in the Book of Mormon from the time he was a little boy.  The first talk he gave in Sacrament Meeting was about Abinadi.  He was his hero!

Here is another favorite!  I know this has to be one that every mother of a boy can relate to.  Cant you just imagine yourself with your young teenage son going off to battle in the mission field when you look at this one? I do

Here is another one that I recently found that I absolutely love!  This picture says to me that the Lord nurtures and prepares his sons to be fishers of men.  Again, Missionaries!

Would love this one in the main area of my home on a big wall.

So, for today these are ones that I really love.  There are more to come!