Icky Poo Poo

Ever have one of those days where you were up and down like a yoyo? Where your day couldn't make its mind if it was going to be nice to you or not? The kind of day where at 7 at night you wonder if it is too early to go to bed? Well that was mine today.

It started last night.. we had planned this family temple trip with some of our family members and our very close friends from the island. So that was good

Then our daughter and son in law could not come for health reasons which was totally understandable but was still sad

We left this morning with our 3 oldest granddaughters - that was good

We get to the temple expecting a very quiet day being mid Christmas week but it is jumping with activity - good for the temple not so good for us as we are going to run behind as the group ahead of us were behind which in a way was still good as our friends had not gotten there yet which was bad

It finally is our family's turn and that is good I am excited to watch the girls

I keep having to run errands while there so ended up missing seeing the girls which was sad

We had made this really nice picnic lunch for our family to share after we were done but the girls had to leave with our son and daughter in law so we didn't get to feed them which was sad

Because our group got to start late we were late finishing and so never had a chance to have our lunch before we went to do a session together which was sad

But I got to go through with our best friends which was good

And we got to go through with one of their sons, his wife, one of their daughters and her husband which was very good.

But as the doors closed and Keith still had not come in I knew he would miss going through with us and that made me very sad. I had no idea where he was

The session before us was so full that they went way overtime which made our session late starting and ending which by the time we got done our friends had to hurry up and leave to get back to the ferry in time so we never had a chance to visit over our lunch which was sad

I found Keith and he said the evening shift were very short staffed and had asked if we could cover it. He said he had to talk to me first which was good that he thought to ask

I had not brought my proper shoes and had had such a bad night last night that I just did not feel up to staying till late tonight which was not good as I normally LOVE working there

Our friends left and I went up to the dressing room to change to come home when I came across the shift coordinator who was happy to see me and asked if I could possibly help them with the shift. I said no problem I figured I would get blessed which was a good thing

I told her to give me a minute I had to find Keith to let him know. I ran into her husband and asked him to pass the message onto Keith that we would be helping out. I go back upstairs but after about 30 mins the coordinator comes in and tells me it is ok they are good I can go..oh ok..so I was kind of sad but kind of happy as I was really tired and sore.

I get changed, get Keith, find out where he had been all day and that I had really wanted him to be with me in the celestial room to talk about this job offer and pray about it and that we had not been able to and that made him sad that he felt he had let me down which made me sadder

We come home and I made supper and as I am curled up on the couch I go back to thinking about the temple and how it was that we were needed to help out and 30 minutes later we no longer are so I asked Keith what the coordinator had talked to him about and Keith tells me that he had told the leader I was tired and my back was sore so knowing me like they did they decided to tell me they were ok as they knew I would have kept working.. which was good that they thought of me but it made me so sad that I let them down.

But by that time even if we had hurriedly changed and driven back it would have been 8 before we got there and would have been too late which made us both sad... miscommunication is not a good thing by any definition.

So here it is..8pm and Keith has already gone to bed and here I sit all by myself. Taking the words from my 2 year old granddaughter yesterday "Sally is sad, I need chocolate".

Traditions Old and New

Boxing Day...What a weird name for a holiday..I did google it once and found out that in the "olden" days it meant that people would box up their leftovers and take them to the homeless and food kitchens. With the amount of leftovers in my fridge and freezer today I can certainly understand why one would want to do that.

Today has been a sad day..Keith and I have spent many hours since all our children and grandchildren went home from our celebration Christmas Eve night talking about problems and why things don't always turn out the way you want and mostly about stuff. After many hours I finally came to the conclusion that I am trying to hang on to traditions that are a huge part of me and my childhood. Traditions that have made me who I am today. What Keith finally got me to realize was that they were MY traditions and that I cannot expect my family to have the same ones or want to keep them.

At this time of year I get very homesick for my extended family, my mom, brothers and their families. I truly do feel like I live on another planet at times. We always open our presents at midnight.. have been since I was born...the little grandchildren were having a hard time waiting this year...by 9pm they were just so cute going around saying pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease pretty please over and over again. So we figured we would let them open their stockings which again was very different as Santa is who brings the stockings. It confused them as one of the little girls figured Santa would not come now.

But we opened them and it became chaotic. I want to see each child opening their stockings and gifts to I can take pictures but some family members did not like this. They kept telling the little ones to just rip through the papers and to just open them. I missed seeing one grandchild open up all his presents and his stocking. Not one single picture and that upset me. I kept telling everyone that it was fine to wait that no one ever collapsed by waiting a few minutes.

After everyone went home Keith I just looked at one another and kind of just sat here in our living room wondering what had just happened. Yesterday we stayed in jammies all day and just cleaned up the cyclone. One son had misplaced a receipt so all the bags of paper had to be emptied and each piece of paper had to be unfolded and checked. Never did find it even after all that searching. We threw away plates of food that were everywhere....A couple of times there was someone upset because one food item was all eaten and they felt they were "ripped off" even though there was soooo much food leftover no one would go away hungry.

Things will definitely have to change for next year... Keith feels our house is too small for our size of family but our house is bigger then anyone else. I think of my grandparents homes and they weren't bigger then ours and their families were much larger then ours..but....I finally agreed that change needs to happen. This coming from someone who HATES change, who firmly believes in traditions and things being the same ...

So what I think we finally have agreed on is to not do a big family Christmas dinner with everyone here. Each individual family can come over when they are free on Christmas Day to open their presents and this way I can see each one open their presents, no one will have to feel like they have to rush opening up their gifts and stockings etc..and there won't be any more food issues, no more having to clean up after all these people for 2 days afterward, .....

after all.... traditions aren't everything are they?

Mothers in Law and Sewing

But this particular memory is about Keith's mom. When we were first together my sewing machine was a very old treadle one, and in case some of you have no idea what that is, it is a machine that only goes as fast as your foot can make it. There is no power other then your own. You use your foot to push a pedal up and down. It is not electric, it had no reverse stitch, didn't do buttons, fancy stitching or anything. I sewed all our clothes, jeans, parkas, bedding, dress shirts and even suits for Keith and the boys. I didn't know any different as it was the only thing I had ever sewn on.

One mother's day, my MIL called me to say Sears had a sale and this machine was on for only $125.00! She may as well have said it was 125,000.00! I told her there was no way Keith was going to "allow" me to spend that kind of money. Now you have to put things into perspective, our mortgage payments were $87.00 a month so paying more then a month's mortgage on a sewing machine was not going to happen.

The next time we were over visiting, Keith's mom tells him about this machine and with all the sewing I did it would really pay for itself. He said there was no way. Now you have to appreciate his mom, she never backed down from anything, when she felt she was right, you knew about it, ...so she just kept giving him more and more information. That Mother's Day I opened up this present thinking it was something that the children had made me, but to my wondrous eyes there was this what to me was a very fancy sewing machine. Not only that but it came with a $100.00 gift certificate to the fabric store. I'm not quite sure what kind of conversation went on between Keith and his mom when I wasn't there but I was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth at that point!!

That was 30 years ago, and I still use the same machine. It has been in for repairs only once about 20 years ago. It runs like a dream and this month as I put the finishing touches on 5 sets of jammies, 2 dresses, 2 quilts, 2 shirts, 2 skirts and 1 pair of pants, my heart remembers my mother in law. Bless her heart, and bless her for raising a son who knew to listen to his mom.

UNpolitically INcorrect

In a world that seems not only to be changing, but even to be dissolving, there are some tens of millions of us who want Christmas to be the same it used to be, with the same old greeting "Merry Christmas" and no other. We long for the abiding love among men of good will which the season brings believing in this ancient miracle of Christmas with its softening sweetening influence to tug at our heart strings once again.

We want to hold on to the old customs and traditions because they strengthen our family ties, bind us to our friends, make us one with all mankind for whom the Child was born and bring us back again to the God who gave His only begotten Son that "whosoever beleiveth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life".

So I will not "spend" Christmas nor "observe" Christmas. I will "keep" Christmas - keep it as it is, in all the loveliness of its ancient traditions that has made me who I am...I see in me my mother, my grandmothers and their mothers before them as I make my tourtieres, my buche de Noel, my tire a neige, sewing the new pyjamas for the first night, put a lit candle in my living room window for those who will never be with us again in this life so they know I haven't forgotten them. I will keep telling my children and grandchildren that yes there really is a Santa Claus and that in this house there will always be cookies and milk laid out for him and carrots for his reindeer. I will continue to keep Christmas in this family, and when I hear a 6 year old granddaughter tell me (as in the other day) to not forget to get a present for Jesus' birthday when I am out shopping I know that I am doing a good thing in balancing the traditions in our lives.

So if you want to be politically correct you go right ahead...but as for me and my house???? We will continue to keep Christmas and to believe.

May you keep it in YOUR heart so that we may be kept in it's hope.

Twas the Night Before...

Genealogist's Christmas Eve

'Twas the night before Christmas
When all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even my spouse.

The dining room table with clutter was spread
With pedigree charts and with letters which said...
"Too bad about the data for which you wrote;
Sank in a storm on an ill-fated boat."

Stacks of old copies of wills and such
Were proof that my work had become too much.
Our children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.

And I at my table was ready to drop
From work on my album with photos to crop.
Christmas was here, and such was my lot
That presents and goodies and toys I'd forgot.

Had I not been busy with grandparents' wills,
I'd not have forgotten to shop for such thrills,
While others bought gifts to bring Christmas cheers,
I'd spent time researching those birth dates and years.

While I was thus musing about my sad plight,
A strange noise on the lawn gave me such a great fright.
Away to the window I flew in a flash,
Tore open the drapes and yanked up the sash.

When what with my wondering eyes should appear,
But an overstuffed sleigh and eight small reindeer.
Up to the house top the reindeer they flew,
With a sleigh full of toys and 'ole Santa Claus, too.

And then in a twinkle, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of thirty-two hoofs.
As I drew in my head, and bumped it on the sash,
Down the cold chimney fell Santa--KER-RASH!

"Dear" Santa had come from the roof in a wreck,
And tracked soot on the carpet, (I could wring his short neck!)
Spotting my face, good 'ole Santa could see
I had no Christmas spirit you'd have to agree.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
And filled all the stockings, (I felt like a jerk).
Here was Santa, who'd brought us such gladness and joy:
When I'd been too busy for even one toy.

He spied my research on the table all spread
"A genealogist!" He cried! (My face was all red!)
"Tonight I've met many like you," Santa grinned,
As he pulled from his sack a large book he had penned.

I gazed with amusement--the cover it read
Genealogy Lines for Which You Have Plead.
"I know what it's like as a genealogy bug."
He said as he gave me a great Santa hug.

"While the elves make the sleighful of toys I now carry,
I do some research in the North Pole Library!
A special treat I am thus able to bring,
To genealogy folk who can't find a thing."

"Now off you go to your bed for a rest,
I'll clean up the house from this genealogy mess."
As I climbed up the stairs full of gladness and glee,
I looked back at Santa who'd brought much to me.

While settling in bed, I heard Santa's clear whistle,
To his team, which then rose like the down of a thistle.
And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sight,
"Family history is Fun! Merry Christmas! Goodnight!"

Three R's

I bet you thought I was talking about Reading 'Riting and 'Rithmetic huh?? Although those are probably the original three r's the ones I am talking about tonight is reduce reuse recycle. Anyone that knows me well knows I am big on environmental issues, I separate my garbage, I don't throw something away if I can change something into something else etc.

The reason why I am talking about this is if you read my last post you know we had an unexpected monetary expenditure with our car last week of a thousand dollars when the head gasket blew...(whatever that is)..and then the next day I got pulled over for this magical suspicion of a DUI and have since had the costs of 2 tows, ICBC inspection, mechanic's bill, a new windshield, new brakes, new plates etc..all 2 weeks before Christmas and it has depleted our Christmas fund..for this year and probably next's year. We are very adamant to not use our credit cards either so have been thinking of what to do.

I usually do sewing and other homemade gifts for extra gifts but still bought the bulk of gifts but this year our daughter and I are on a mission :) We are on the search for perfect gifts from second hand stores which I love to shop in. A lot of times we find items that still have new tags on but for whatever reason people no longer wanted/needed them. I mean when you think of antique furniture it's used and people pay big bucks for them so why would this different. I love buying clothes from there for myself. I started doing that when I was losing all my weight as I couldn't be bothered paying a lot of money for something I would only wear a couple of times..by the time I lost all my weight I had been hooked on searching for really good quality stuff. I collect a certain kind of crystal and have bought many pieces over the years at a fraction of the cost at yard sales or second hand sales.

So this Christmas that is what we are doing. Reduce Reuse and Recycling. And if anyone is thinking ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..well too bad...I hear coal is making a comeback for stocking stuffers :)

Under the Influence

well well well..how do I tell this story..let me say it right up front that this really did happen to me yesterday I am not making this up even though it does really sound like something out of a Three Stooges movie.

Last night Keith and I went and worked a shift at the temple.. it was a wonderful night..got to meet up with some friends, worked with one of our best friends from the island..good evening all around. Because I finished half an hour before Keith and Ted, the guys were going to come back home with his car and I would leave with ours. While I was waiting for the car to warm up I called our daughter to say I had to stop at the grocery store on the way home and did they need anything. We had gotten a drop in the temperature since the afternoon as there was a thick sheet of hard frost on the car so I knew the roads would be slick.

Off I go down 200th till 64th avenue where I turned right. I was in the right hand lane and turned into the right hand lane. Now some yahoo was also traveling on 200th but was going northward where I had been going south. This car also turned onto 64th but turned left when I had turned right. In my world of idealism, when you turn left at an intersection you turn into the left hand lane. This driver obviously did not understand my idealism philosophy as his car never even touched the left hand lane but cut me right off as he flew in my lane. I hit the brakes to refrain from sitting in his back seat with my hood but because the road was icy I fishtailed for a bit but I got the car back under control. Thinking that driver was an accident looking for a place to happen and wishing he got 4 flat tires that night I kept on going.

I drove for about another 15 or so minutes when all of a sudden the driver in front of me started sliding around as he had been wanting to turn right at the intersection but had not slowed sufficiently for the road conditions. Because I never tailgate, I never ramrodded into him when I braked but once again I fishtailed for a short bit. Thinking that it was a good thing I am a cautious driver, I was very happy to be almost home. I get to King George and getting ready to turn onto it from the exit lane when out of the blue a police car turns its sirens and lights literally not one foot behind me!! That idiot scared the daylights out of me!! I thought it had to have been a full moon... I hurried onto the road and pulled over to let him drive past me thinking that with that much broohaha noise there had to be some emergency but he pulled in right behind me... huh??

So he comes to my window and asks me for my license and insurance. I gave him my license and while I am searching in the dark for our insurance papers in a compartment that has kids toys, baby wipes, juice boxes, and all sorts of paraphernalia, the officer asks me if I had been drinking...I very politely tell him no while I am still rummaging...He asks me again so I finally stop what I am doing and look at him telling him in no uncertain tones that I had not been drinking.

He then tells me I have to step out of the car..are you serious???but being the good girl I get out of the car finally getting my whits around me to ask him why I had been pulled over and why I had to get out of the car. He said I needed to take a breathalyzer test.... I ask why..he said because they had gotten 2 -911 calls about my driving erratically on the road..and that when he had turned his lights and sirens on I was driving erratically and had hit the curb....uhhhh..oh gee let me sneak up behind you then lay on the horn to see how well you keep your car in a straight line.. besides which I had barely touched the curb as I had already been turning ..I hit the curb way worse then that trying to park our SIL's van in their parking spot!

Once again he asks me if I had been drinking and all the while my brain is telling my inside voice to stay INSIDE my mouth and not ask him if he is old enough to even shave yet as he looks 12! But I told him now I was not drinking, I told him I do not drink and that in fact I had just left the LDS temple where I had been for the last 7 hours. He was not impressed.. whatever.. karma is wonderful tool..so I take the breathalyzer...nothing.. he looks at the screen and tells me I had to do it again...why...well apparently I did not do it properly because it never registered..uhhh goof it didn't register because I had not been drinking! But if it will satisfy him bring it on...but then I remember that I had been using Listerine breath strips and maybe that has alcohol in them and I was imagining myself explaining to my grandkids why I had to go to jail for having fresh breath...so I take a couple of really big breaths and then blew away..he kept saying keep going keep going keep going.... buddy step away from my face or you will be eating this thing...

It beeps and he looks at the screen..once again...0.00...duh..now can I go.. no...we will be impounding your car... WHAT??? Why? Well you obviously have not been drinking ( Really? I haven't been? You could have fooled me.. but thank you for telling me) so obviously your car must be mechanically unsound... no officer we JUST got the car out of the garage yesterday and paid a thousand dollars so pretty sure it is mechanically sound as it would not have been released if it wasn't. Nope can't convince him that it is safe and sound..

So now I have taken 2 breathalyzer tests, my car is about to be impounded, we only have one car so that would technically mean we are car-less, our garage is not open on the weekend, we just paid a lot of money unexpectedly for the car repair the day before and now my brain is starting to think up of how I cam going to explain this all to Keith. The tow truck arrives...can you say something stinks in this story?? I mean I have had to call tow trucks before and there is usually at least one hour wait.. how does this one just happen to show up within minutes of being called. The driver asks me where I want it towed to? I don't want it towed anywhere I want to get into it and drive it home. He apologizes and asks how I want to pay for the tow.. by this time my inside voice is really struggling to let loose but I bite down on my tongue and tell him I wasn't planning on paying for any tow as I did not call him in the first place. He asks if we have a regular mechanic and that he could tow it there and I wouldn't have to pay for it then. Seriously... do you think I was born yesterday? Of course I won't have to pay for it right then but I will see it on the mechanic's bill! I gave him the name of our garage and he goes back in his truck to see and of course why does it not surprise me when he returns to tell me that that garage is not on HIS list of approved ICBC places so he can't take it there... I don't get it.. what list... oh he explains to me that when a car gets impounded for being mechanically unsound it has to be taken to an ICBC place to get an inspection.. how much does it cost?..well it depends on what has to be done.. what do you mean it depends on what has to be done.. aren't they just doing an inspection.. well yes but if they find something wrong you HAVE to get it fixed before they release it.. seriously? and what if you don't want to get it fixed or can't afford it... well then you don't get the car back..

At that point I called my SIL... I am freezing as I have bare legs, wind is blowing and I have been outside for about 30 minutes at this point.. At one point I noticed the officer scrunched down by our back bumper so I go ask him what he is doing.. he calmly tells me taking off my plates... uhhh why? Well so you don't go get the car from where it is after I leave and drive off.. really??? ok at this point I have convinced myself that this is one of two things happening...one I really did get home, went to bed, fell asleep and dreaming this is happening or there is a hidden camera somewhere and I am being punked.

By now all of a sudden Keith appears out of the blue asking if I was ok and if I had been in an accident.. They had driven by and Keith comments to our friend on how that car looks like ours then as they drive by he realized it IS our car and I am sitting there!! Our SIL had just gotten there so I said I was all right. Keith asked me what happened then made me go warm up in our friends truck. He took care of the tow truck telling them to get it towed to our house. So now we have a car in our driveway but no license plates on it, a tow bill to our house, another tow bill on Monday to the service station, an ICBC inspection bill and who knows what repairs etc will have to be made to have our car released. All 3 weeks before Christmas.

Seriously this is all true facts. Not even someone with my imagination could come up with something this bizarre. The moral of this story: I have no idea... but am sure one of my fans could come up with one.. right now I am waiting for Keith to call the RCMP officer and have a chat... this should be good!

Being Thankful

On Thanksgiving something we do as a family is say what we are thankful for. We can not say something that someone else already said. And everyone hopes they go first otherwise they really have to think. This year mine was "being grateful to all those who supported me in my Run For The Cure race,. whether it was financially, physically, socially, mentally, or a combination of any of them. But that is not all I am thankful for. I am especially thankful to being alive. Plain and simple...being alive. I literally live each day to its fullest as I don't know if the cancer will come back or what I will face in the future. I am thankful that I don’t already have
everything I desire. If I did, what would there be to look forward to?

I am thankful when I don’t know something,for it gives me the opportunity to learn.
I am thankful for the difficult times. During those times I grow. I am thankful for my limitations,and there are many, because they give me opportunities for improvement. I am thankful for each new challenge, because it will build my strength and character. I am thankful for my mistakes, oh so many of them, they will teach me valuable lessons. I am thankful when I'm tired and weary, because it means I’ve made an effort.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. I have been working all year on being more patient with situations and others. It has been a very long year. I have made many mistakes and have lost my cool many times but I can safely say I have been improving and am better at realizing not every one has to work at my level and that all are perfect in their own way.

I am thankful to have God in my life. He has blessed me incredibly. He has given me a husband who loves me unconditionally. Children who talk to me every day and tell me they love me. I am thankful for my grandchildren and for the life they put in me. I am so thankful for my calling in life, for the people I work with who genuinely love me and support me.

I am thankful for being alive, plain and simple., I am thankful.

Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies

I used to make these cookies when I had my catering company in Regina. After the kids all got married and left home I stopped making them for the obvious reason I as very overweight and making these many cookies was not very conducive to a healthy lifestyle. But today I am making them to sell at the yard sale. Then I thought maybe some of my readers who perhaps have a large family or need them for an event might like the recipe. These literally melt in your mouth.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

(sorry about imperial measures but that was the way it had been written)

2 1/c cups butter or shortening (butter makes them richer tasting)
1 1/2 pints of white sugar
8 eggs
2 quarts flour
5 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoon baking powder
equal amounts of chocolate chips and coarsely chopped nuts of your liking. This totally depends if you love more chocolate chips, more nuts then chips..your choice. what I use with my measurements is
1 pound 4 ounces each chocolate chips AND macadamia nuts

Drop by heaping tablespoon or teaspoon depending on how big you want them. You obviously will get more cookies if you drop by heaping teaspoon. They do not spread out a lot. In the picture below I did tablespoon. I also use parchment paper on my cookie sheets but you don't need to. You can just use a light spray of Pam or if yours are non stick then nothing needs to go on them

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes depending on your oven. You will see that they start going brown around the bottom edges first. If you wait till the whole cookie is brown the bottom will be burnt. Let the sheet cool on a rack for a few minutes before you take them off and they continue baking on the inside.

As you can tell by the one picture I used about a heaping tablespoon and this recipe for that size cookie made 9 dozen exactly minus the one that accidentally broke when I took them off the pan :)

Before

Middle


end result :)

Rack Field Sports in High School vs Middle Age at Track and Field

I was pretty good playing on different track events in high school... my personal best were the throwing ones, discus, shot put and javelin; the relays or metered races were not my forte, I can shoot out of a starting gate but lost momentum early. It would be oh look what that person is wearing and that would be it I would lost my focus and that was it.

But I was really good at Hop Skip and jump into the san pit. Do they even still have that in high school?

Well in case you don't here are the steps..you go running at full speed down a measured path get to the end of the path, take as high of a hop that you can, then once you are hopping and are in mid air hit the ground with one foot hitting the ground then do the jump and which has to propel you as far forward as you could possible get.

Now that is high school track and field event for hop skip and jump. Rules change when you are a 54 year old grandmother of 15 trying to move things around the house at 2:30 in the morning instead of working on the sale...you hop over 3 boxes where they used to be the hallway, you skip over the 2 monitors, and propel your jump so that you can jump clear past the stilts that have now moved since you last moved them and you catch your toes and jammed down right into the ends of them...sigh.. I was going to bed ... no seriously I really was heading off to bed cause now I have to stay awake to make sure I can move my toes and foot..

My Love

My Love

This is a tribute to you
unlike any other you've read
From the very bottom of my heart and soul
You are a thousand times I've said
My Love

From that day we met
And our first cup of coffee
To the day you let me come
To your home to become
Your Love

I've learned to love you from
The three little words on the door
From the tip of your head
To the bottom of your feet on the floor
My Love

When I look into your blue-gray eyes
My stomach becomes butterflies
When you hold me in your arms
The words from me are contented sighs

You'll never know the joy I have felt
Not once, twice but three times
That made the love that dwelt
In my heart become you as
My Love

First time was when you proposed on your knee
In that fireplaced lit room
When you made me believe you forgot
The ring I knew I was doomed

The second time was when you
Stood by my side and placed
The ring on my finger
All I did was cried

The third time was when we were
Sealed for all time and eternity
Then I knew what I had always known
We'd be together and my dreams became a reality

My Love

Just like our song Three Times a Lady
These three times are special times in my life
You've always made me feel special
To know you had chosen me to be your wife.

Keith you will forever and eternally be
My Love

Happy 29th Anniversary My Love, I have never regretted one single moment of it.

No Rest for the Wicked :)

I had a conversation with my mom this week, well actually a couple of them, which is not unnatural in itself but she was giving me heck for in her mind, doing too much. I had to placate her and tell her I was fine and that I had a wonderful example in constantly doing. So we "argued" back and forth about acting our ages and that I would slow down when she did (she is 80). Then she told me that I must be very wicked so asked her why...she said you know..no rest for the wicked so you must be very wicked.. I laughed at that and replied back if that was the case then she was going straight to hell and could keep me company hehehe

Then this morning I was at a seminar where I was one of the instructors and came across a crew who were cleaning the building before we got there and I commented to one of the women there that you can tell the difference between someone who just cleans and someone who knows HOW to clean and knows the value of doing a great job. And she said that was how she had been raised, if you are going to do something do it right the first time. I said yup exactly. I think that is fast becoming a dying breed.

So tonight as I was sitting in the recliner waiting for my soup to cool to eat it, I was thinking of what I did today, went and taught at the seminar till noon, had lunch, got dropped off at our daughter's place, grabbed her went off to run errands, checked on Keith who was building a green house at our garden to see if he needed help which he did so dropped our daughter off at her place where he picked me up, went to the garden to help him till 6:30, came home made a lemon vanilla cake for Keith for his birthday for tomorrow, made some homemade cream of potato soup for supper, then worked on my to do list for this coming week. I started laughing inside as I remembered my last conversation with my mom thinking I probably should be thankful she doesn't live near me or go online to know what I have to do this week.

Week of Sept 19-25

-ice the lemon vanilla cake I made for Keith's birthday and our anniversary
-have Keith's birthday dinner
-contact all the exhibitors for our genealogical seminar next month to get their last minute requests
-make 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies
-make 6 dozen vanilla cupcakes and pink ice them
-hold 2 interviews at work
-finish going through last 3 rooms of our house to gather up things for the yard sale
-finish the planning for our huge yard sale
-price tag all items for the sale
-work my shift at work
-pick up helium tank and balloons
--make signs
-go to Costco to get the chips, pop and hot dog supplies for the sale
-shop for the items for the gift baskets for the raffle prizes at our sale (must be pink items hehehe)
-hold our 2nd annual Run For The Cure yard sale to raise money for breast cancer awareness and cure


there was something else but I can't remember what it was..oh well it will come to me :)

3rd Annual Run For the Cure

Hello Family and Friends

Getting a cancer diagnosis is probably one of the most devastating things a person has to experience. You read all of the time about people telling you how to cope with cancer and what your treatment options are, so I'm not going to do that. What I am going to do is to tell you that you are in my heart and on my mind, and I promise to continue saying a prayer for you every day for all the support I have received from my family and friends these last 2 1/2 years!

If there is one thing I know, I know that God is able. And as if that weren't already enough, I know I?m a trooper. I instantly thought that if anyone could get the diagnosis and beat it, surely, it was me. I can't say that I wasn't scared to death when the doctor told me the news, but I can tell you a few things grounded me in that instance first, my faith, then, my love for my family, and then my zest for life.

I didn't flinch as I asked my doctor, "So, what's next?" She said, "Well, I believe I've removed all of it, and it doesn't look like it has spread. Through 6 long surgeries and recuperation sessions in these last eighteen months I?m happy to say my story ends well. The cancer hadn't spread, and I will be fine. I know everyone's story doesn't end like his. And I didn't tell you that to make you feel bad if your experience with yourself or someone in your life isn't looking like it will end the same. What I do want to offer you is hope; hope and belief other good things may come from it like how something like this pulls and welds families together.
So, if you're living with cancer or experienced it the way I have or through a loved one, a diagnosis doesn't have to be the end. Everything happens for a reason. Whatever season I'm in with this disease, I take it one day at a time and sometimes one hour at a time. My prayer is that a cure will be found to stave off this disease once and for all. But until it is discovered, I take heart that someone out there loves me and is praying on my behalf.
I also have an amazingly strong will to live.
I get out of bed every morning as if nothing is wrong. I may have known I was going to have to face things and could feel sick during the day, but I never got out of bed that way. There was a lot I was fighting for. I have children who think I am the best thing since sliced bread, a wonderful life and a magical love affair with my husband and since I was diagnosed I now have 2 more grandchildren making a total of 15 grandchildren! Who wouldn?t want to live after that?


My will to live means that I really want to live, whether or not I'm afraid to die. I want to enjoy life, I want to get more out of life, I believe that my life is not over and I am willing to do whatever I can to squeeze more out of it. The threat of death often renews our appreciation of the importance of life, love, friendship and all there is to enjoy. We open up to new possibilities and begin taking risks we didn't have the courage to take before. Facing the uncertainties of living with an illness makes life more meaningful. The smallest pleasures are intensified and much of the hypocrisy in life is eliminated. When bitterness and anger begin to dissipate, there is still a capacity for joy.

A way to strengthen this partnership is to extend the relationship to others. The emotional experience of sharing and enjoying your family and partnerships supports your love for life and your will to survive. I know that being around that large of a family would be a drug that was like no other medication I could have been put on.
As I made the transition from helpless victim to activist, one of the most important realizations is that you have everything to do with how others perceive you and treat you. If you can accept your condition and hold self-pity at bay, others won't feel sorry for you. If you can discuss your disease and medical therapy in a matter-of-fact manner, they'll respond in kind without fear or awkwardness. You are in charge.

Sharing my life with others and receiving aid or support from friends and family will improve my ability to cope and help me fight for your life. A person who is lonely or alone often feels like a helpless victim. There is a need to share your own problems, but helping others find solutions or cope better with the problems of daily living gives strength to both the giver and the receiver. There are few more satisfying experiences in life than helping a person in need.

Hope can be maintained as long as there is even a remote chance for survival. It is kindled and nurtured by even minor improvements or a remission and maintained when crises or reversals occur. There are times when I feel exhausted and drained by never-ending problems and feel ready to give up the struggle to survive. All too often it seems easier to give up than to keep on fighting. Frustrations and despair can sometimes feel overwhelming. Determination or dogged persistence is needed to accomplish the difficult task of fighting for my health.

The experience of cancer is not only destructive in a physical way but can be a major deterrent to my fighting attitude and will to live. But even during the roughest times, there are often untapped reserves of physical and emotional strength to call upon to help me survive one more day. This reserve adds meaning to my life as well as serves as a lighthouse that leads me to a safe haven during a turbulent storm. Hope has different meanings for each person. It is a component of a positive attitude and acceptance of our fate in life. I use my strengths to gain success to live life to the fullest. Circumstances often limit my hopes of happiness, cure, remission or increased longevity. I also live with fears of, pain, of being a real financial burden to my husband, a bad death or other unhappy experiences.
Each of us has the capacity to live each day a little better, but we need to focus on both purpose and goals and set into action a realistic daily plan--often altered many times--to help us achieve them. These resources are the foundation of the will to live. Only by using the power of the will to live--nourished by hope--can we achieve the sublime feelings of knowing and experiencing the wonders of life and appreciate its meanings though vital living.
So that is why I am going to put my body into action so that it practices what it preaches. I have registered to attend my 3rd annual Run For The Cure Breast Cancer Race on October 3rd 2010. I had been unsure whether or not I would be able to attend as I knew that my doctor has cautioned me to ease my walking. But the first thing I did was to send in my registration to do the race. Here is where you come in by choosing one of the following ways you can assist me with my goal to raise awareness for breast cancer research.

Go to this site: www.cbcf.org,
Halfway down the page you will see a button that says DONATE NOW click
Go down the page until you see Donate to a Run Participant
Click on Support a Run Participant
Type in either my name Sally Haysom or team name Smilesonly then CLICK
At the bottom you will see my name/team name CLICK
On right hand side of page you will see "Support Sally" or "Join Sally's Team" CLICK
If you are donating monetary support just click on a set amount or choose the bar that allows you to put in the amount you wish. It is very easy. If you have problems give me a call :)

1. Join our race team named SMILESONLY. If we can get the minimum of 10 people registered we get our t-shirts monogrammed You can still do the race with us and not register. You can run the race, walk it, be in a wheelchair, stroller or any other way you need to do it by.
2. Send a monetary donation either through my snail mail address or through the website (at end of letter)
3. Join us for our 2nd Annual Race For The Cure yard sale on September 25th. Address below. We will be celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate it then by being thankful we still have one to celebrate and by using the funds collected that day to donate to the Breast Cancer Research. You can either come by and support us by visiting us that day (and buy things hehehe) or else if you have household items you are trying to get rid off please feel free to drop them off the day before with the understanding ALL monies collected will go to Breast Cancer Research,

4. Offer your continued support through letters, emails, calls, cards.. all things I get I print and place them in my pink scrapbook. So on days where I don't get dressed and I spend more time with my head in the bucket then out of it, I open up my scrapbook and I am reminded I am loved by a lot of people.
5. Do the run in the city you live in

So whichever way you wish and are able to support me, I am eternally grateful. On closing I would like to give you the lyrics by Melissa Etheridge to a song she wrote after she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She too is a survivor.

It's been years since they told her about it
The darkness her body possessed
And the scars are still there in the mirror
Everyday that she gets herself dressed
Though the pain is miles and miles behind her
And the fear is now a docile beast
If you ask her why she is still running
She'll tell you it makes her complete

[Chorus:]
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend I run for life

It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body
But they will never get a piece of my soul
And now I'm still learning the lesson
To waken when I hear the call
And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all

And someday if they tell you about it
If the darkness knocks on your door
Remember her remember me
We will be running as we have before
Running for answers
Running for more

Again thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul!!!! If you have any questions please ask away or if you have any fund raiser ideas that I can do in one more month let me know that too!!
All my thankful love
Sally
#101-13340 70B Ave
Surrey BC V3W 7Z1
shaysom@gmail.com

Before and afters

As most of you know I have been up to my eyeballs with pressure canners, jars, veggies and fruits for the last few weeks. We leave tomorrow to go on a 10 day camping family trip with some of our children and grandchildren so last night we went to water our gardens to make sure they had plenty of water. I knew we would have to pick a few beans etc as they had almost been ready when we had been there on the weekend. Well let me tell you we were so very surprised we had so much food to pick!! But because we were leaving I had to get it all canned last night.

Sigh let me tell you starting to do this at 8 at night was not my cup of tea. Then just as I start and Keith was going to get the camping things out of the storage room, he gets a call from a church member who was beyond being rational and Keith went flying over there to see what had happened. Needless to say he showed up 4 hours later when everything was washed, chopped and jared already. All I had to do was wait for them to be processed in the canners which took till 1:30am.

So here is the result of last 2 days work towards our year emergency food storage:

Before:

Middle:

After:




2 jars of cucumber sweet relish
2 jars raspberry jam
3 jars of grape jelly
3 jars of pickled beets
3 jars of green beans
6 jars of yellow beans
3 jars of mixed peas and carrots
6 jars of salsa
12 more jars of apple pie filling to top the 15 I already had made earlier this week)
9 jars of applesauce (2 already went to another home

Changing the World

TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
GONNA TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME
I'VE MADE MY RESOLUTION
I�VE OPENED UP MY EYES
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD


I'M GONNA SAY HELLO TO MY NEIGHBOR
GREET HIM WITH A SMILE
SHAKE THE HAND OF A STRANGER
SIT AND TALK FOR A WHILE
TELL SOMEONE I LOVE THEM
FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD

GONNA MAKE SURE MY CHILDREN
KNOW THERES A RIGHT AND WRONG
I�LL NEVER TURN MY BACK
ON THOSE OF US WHO NEED SOMEONE
I�M GONNA TRY TO SEE MYSELF
THROUGH ANOTHERS EYES
TODAY IM GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD

TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
NOT FOR ME, BUT FOR THOSE I'LL LEAVE BEHIND
I'VE MADE MY RESOLUTION
CHANGE IT ONE DAY AT TIME
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rtaBrHg1Bo

if you get the chance to see the actual video from Johnny Reid.. watch it..

Yesterday's Results

Yesterday was a great day. I talked to my mom twice for about an hour each time and we just chatted about the old days while I worked on my canning. I am so loving doing this. I haven't been able to do canning or plant a garden since we moved back from Vancouver 10 years or so ago because of my health and not having a place to garden. But now with the community plots that we got this spring it is very gratifying to reap what we sow. I am big on traditions and doing things the way I was taught and Mom and I talked about her recipes that I was using and where she had gotten hers from. We laughed at the silly things we as women do...it was a good day all around. But today I am taking the day off and heading over to Kitsilano Beach with Lareta for the whole day and just relaxing.

moms~cookbooks~canning

A few years back my mom gave me some of her cookbooks..one of them was her very first cookbook that she had gotten before she had even gotten married. In those days you would save little stamps that were on Blue Ribbon products such as tea, coffee, baking powder etc. The company had a catalogue and you could send your stamps to them for products much like today's airmiles. So she had been getting them from her mom and when she had saved enough she ordered this cookbook to put in her hope chest. Now if you have no idea what that is.. let me know.. that would be another topic hehee.. Anyway some of the recipes you can tell are for another era as tehy call for milk that has not been separated yet :) and if you don't know what THAT means you really are from the new generation !!

At the back of this book are some blank pages which my mom kept a sort of journal of notes about recipes and so on. She also kept track of what she canned. What reminded me of the back of the book was yesterday when I finished doing some canning. I should have skipped that whole section of the book though :-D

The following was from a week in 1960. Now you have to understand that she does not have running water or dishwashers and has 4 children under the age of 6. The measurements are in Imperial measures as metric had not been invented yet at least not in our corner of the world. Qts are quarts which is about the same as a litre, pts is pints which is about the same as 1/2 litre, a bag was a very large gunny sack that held about 75-100 pounds and I have no idea how many kilos that is.

15 qts mixed vegetables
30 qts peas
27 qts beans (pork and beans)
2 bags of carrots
1 bag of turnips
30 qts dills
20 qts sweet pickles
30 qts beets
6 pts mustard pickles
6 qts green catsup
75 qts vegetables besides carrots and corn
100 qts pickles
30 qts chickens

You can see how I felt a little inadequate by my picture at the end of this when I read what she did :) Gotta love a mom's guilt from days gone by hehehee

New drug

I saw my Rheumatologist last week and he suggested a new drug to help with my Fibromyalgia. Most of the time I just work with the FM as I know what helps and what not to do to aggravate it. But our rainy season has gone on for way too long this year and it has weighed heavily (no pun intended) on my muscles. He said that about 50% of his patients that have gone on it has found great improvement. But he said he would write a letter to my doctor and for me to discuss it with her on my next visit.

Which he did and I did and we decided to give it a try. She was concerned though about the side effects and said we needed to keep a close eye on it. Tonight I finally remembered to read up on it to get a list of things to watch out for and seriously I had to chuckle reading it. It was like reading a mystery novel. Really?? Who invents these drugs? You can put man on the moon but you can't formulate a drug without all these side effects that end up being worse then the actual problem?

Here was just one single paragraph of the 4 page report:

mood or behavior changes,(Keith will love that one) anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping,(uhhhh it is 2:12am as I write this does that mean I no longer will have the need to go to bed?) or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically)(oh joy I don't stop moving as it is), more depressed,(I didn't know I was already depressed) or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself (well not myself but certainly the manufactures of these drugs). Avoid drinking alcohol while taking it (well no problem there. Alcohol may increase the risk of damage to your liver

Isn't this going to be a fun summer hehehehee

Physicals and Keith

Keith hasn't had a regular family doctor since we moved to BC 21 years ago as he never gets sick. If he has something that needed attention once every couple of years he would just go to the walk in clinic. When he turned 50 I dragged him kicking and screaming for a physical (last one was when he was 44!)and he was told he had really high Blood Pressure and Cholesterol. That was when I had just recently started working on my weight loss. Together we started working with Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Loss Solution. He did so well for 6 whole months. Never touch a single piece of fast food, no chips or snacks from the stores, no pop...nothing..just very healthy eating. Lost his belly weight and his numbers on his lab work went down.

Then we went back home for a vacation and car pooled with our daughter and her family. Well the kids were eating snacks etc in the van and at meal times we would go through the drive thru's to save time. Just the smell of McD in the van and the smell of chips when someone opened a bag was just too much so he would have a couple here and there. By the time he got back home 6 months of hard work went out the window!

I still kept an eye on his eating while he was at home but the outside world is a nasty place. It seemed every contract he was on was next to or across the street or down the block from a McD's....Then 2 years ago I noticed he was drinking lots of water and falling asleep at the drop of a hat so dragged him to the clinic where he was told he was pre-diabetic and that his BP and cholesterol levels were all back again where they had been.. literally just at the fine line. He was told to get the weight down and his numbers or else he would have to start being medicated.

This really scared me. I need him alive. I would not survive without him. He is my whole life and no one ever could ever take care of me like he does. I did all I could to support him and did what I could short of nagging the poor man to death. We were at my doctor earlier this year for my visit and I happen to ask if she knew a doctor that took new patients as Keith did not have one, explained that he had high BP, cholesterol levels and was pre-diabetic but every time he went to the clinic for testing it was always someone new. I knew she did not take on new patients but she said seeing as how he was always there with me for my appointments she would take him on. She sent him for a new update on lab work she had something to use as a base and yesterday she did his physical.

So the new results were excelling Blood pressure (used to be 195/100 and was now 134/68), and excellent cholesterol (also used to be very high) just now has to work on his blood sugars.. so I was very pleased with the visit. The doctor wanted to know how he had gotten both down so well in so short a time and I answered for him that it was through my loving nagging :) She wanted to send him for a stress test because of his chest pains he gets periodically but until they get his knee fixed it will have to wait but was going to send him for XRAYS and ECG. He said "You're the boss and I know that I trust you so will do what you ask", THEN (and I laugh so lovingly about this !!)she also said NO MORE FAST FOOD! She flat out told him it was poison. I LOVED IT!!

She said her children were raised with the belief that fast food is poison and that they have never had so much as a french fry or burger from any of the normal hangouts. Keith figured I had coached her to tell him that. So all the way home he kept saying "and what did she say about my BP and Cholesterol? I was in EXCELLENT health" lol And I would say "She said it was POISON!!"

Will have to keep you posted on how he is doing.

Brothers and Sisters

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my mother. Tonight I have been thinking about my brothers and their families. I love my brothers. They are always there for me, always checking up on me, never say no to me, always bend over backwards to help me...I could go on and on about them.

As you all know my mom turned 80 a couple of weeks ago and we had planned this big surprise party for her. They turned their lives upside down to go down and help me get things ready. My oldest brother, who is a die hard fan of jeans and tshirts even blew my mind by showing up in dress clothes and a shirt and tie!! He taught me to ride a bike, tie my shoes, taught me how to skate, and how to play ball like a boy

I had made a dvd of mom's life (my first attempt at an actual dvd not just a video) and my youngest brother just helped me set it up with my laptop and projector. Although I am sure he rolled his eyes inside his head he was just very patient at helping me set it up and fix it when I freaked thinking I had lost it.

One of my brothers just quietly took over the kitchen at the hall getting brunch going for everyone. I watched my two youngest brothers playing with their young children, making a puzzle, reading stories..made me smile inside and out. They have been blessed with wives who are strong independent women (sound familiar?). My oldest brother's wife Leanne...well I have known her almost as long as I have been alive. She used to be my babysitter when my children were not much more then babies so we have been friends forever. We never run out of things to talk about..usually about our husbands and how although they may be getting older they refuse to grow up.

My next brother's wife Hilary is a gem straight from England. She rides a motorcycle in leathers and whacks Keith when she thinks he is bugging me too much :-) How can you NOT love someone like that.

My next brother's wife has turned my brother around for the good. Together they purchased the cabin at the lake where my parents had built the site from scratch. When my dad died, mom had to sell it. Years later the new owner wanted to sell it and asked my mom if anyone in the family wanted to take it back and this brother and sister in law did. They'll never know the peace and comfort that gave me.

My youngest brother's wife is an OR nurse. Last couple of years every time I went in for surgery I would be in the OR trying not to hyperventilate at the thought of not waking up and I would just tell the OR nurses there that if I didn't wake up my sister in law would come and kick their butts. That always broke the ice and it must have worked because I always woke up. She was the one that told me she thought I had Lyme's Disease and when I went to get tested sure enough I tested positive.

Together they make the world's best brothers and sisters. My brothers protect me and I love my sisters in laws as if they were truly my sisters. And the best part??? They don't care how many hugs and smooches I give them nor how many times I tell them I love them :)

In this picture my brothers are as follows top row: Richard (2nd youngest) Norman (youngest) Daniel(brother next youngest to me), bottom row Claude (oldest brother), my mom and me of course.



This picture is of my oldest brother Claude on the left and Dan on the right



This picture was taken at my reunion last summer with nearly everyone


This one is of my youngest brother's wife Andrea with one of my great nieces (Great in more then one way hehee) and one of my nieces.

Salted Caramel Brownies

Ok I got this recipe from one of my sons (thanks Kim) and they are to DIE for..well ok don't go dying on me it is a figure of speech!!!) But I just had to share it with you. It is a little finicky to make but man oh man is it worth every single minute :) Migraine medicine I am so ready for you :-D


Salted Caramel Brownie

Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Difficulty: Intermediate Servings: 20
Ingredients

* FOR THE BROWNIES:
* 6 ounces, weight Unsweetened Chocolate, Chopped
* ¾ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
* 2 cups Sugar
* 3 whole Eggs
* 1 cup All-purpose Flour
* _____
* FOR THE CARAMEL GLAZE:
* ½ cups Heavy Cream
* 2 cups Sugar
* ½ cups Water
* ¼ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
* 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
* 2 packages (about 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon) Powdered Gelatin Mixed With 1/4 Cup Water

Preparation Instructions

FOR THE BROWNIES:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter or baking spray.

In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring until melted. Add sugar and stir gently until combined. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, gently whisk the eggs. Add a small splash of eggs to chocolate mixture, stirring immediately (but still gently). Drizzle in the rest of the eggs, stirring constantly.

Add flour and stir until combined. Pour batter into greased baking pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove from oven to cool completely in the pan.

FOR THE CARAMEL GLAZE:

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm heavy cream. Do not boil.

In a separate tall saucepan, combine sugar and water. Do not stir. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture turns an amber color—not too dark, but definitely amber. Remove pan from stove.

Add warm cream, butter, and salt. Stir gently until mixture is smooth and well combined. When it is smooth and calmed down a bit, pour in gelatin/water mixture and stir.

TO FINISH:

Pour caramel glaze all over completely cooled brownies. Allow to set completely. Cut into small rectangles and serve.

***Lining the pan with foil would allow you to lift the brownies out of the pan after the caramel glaze sets. Then you can use a long, serrated knife and slice more easily.***

My Mom Pauline

Yesterday my Mom turned 80. She looks 30 years younger and we are frequently mistaken for sisters rather then mother and daughter..one thing I am glad I inherited from her...her great looks and a no wrinkle zone on her face. My mom has been a joy to be around for many years. Over the years we became not only mother and daughter but wonderful friends. I learned a lot from her and would like to share some of those things here.

She raised us with the aspect that your name was your greatest asset and that we were to never do anything to damage the reputation of that name. Reputation was the one thing that she held dearest to her heart. It was very important that no one think badly of her. My mom always had faith in God first then family. No matter how far off the beaten path we, as children, would stray she never gave up on us. No matter what was going on in her life, she always held her head high and with dignity.

Tradition was everything to her. She still does a lot of the same things that she did as a young girl. You know on Mondays, there is homemade bread baking, laundry is being done, and petit pains were on the menu for lunch. Christmas cakes are made on the first Monday of September and tourtiere's on the first Saturday in December. Walls are all washed in every April and October. Bedding is changed from winter ones to summer ones and back again on the 1st day of spring and fall.

Whenever someone had a baby, moved into town, or passed away, she would be the first one there with a meal. She gives to everyone unselfishly without asking for anything in return. Her nature was to give not receive making it difficult for her to ask for help when she needed it. Even 2 years ago when I was released from the hospital from my double mastectomy, she came over and washed all my walls, made a slew of meals to go into the freezer and every day would take my hand and "drag" me in the bedroom so I could have a nap.

She has worked very hard all of her life and still continues to do so. Just a couple of weeks ago she told me she had spent 2 full days raking their entire property. She went without so we could have. When there was pie for dessert, and even though there was 8 of us and 8 slices, if Dad wanted 2nds she would go without so someone else could have another piece. As young children and teenagers, we taught she was a strict mother, that we had no freedom, that when our friends were off playing after school, we had to do chores and hated it.

But those learned lessons have played a major role in the way we now shape our lives. My brothers and I (and our sister when she was alive) are all hard workers,we take pride in our work, we give to others asking nothing in return, in our careers we go to work early, stay late and put in a full day's work.Our children, and for some of us our grandchildren, are all the most important thing in our lives. Family is EVERYTHING to us.

We had our share of scraps growing up, but as adults our family tree is unbreakable no matter what life throws at it. We may bend with the weight of troubles etc but that tree never breaks. Although we didn't always get a lot of "I love you's" growing up (different era) we learned from that and never go a day without telling our families we love them.

It would take too long to list all of her qualities, but I do know she has always been there for us in different ways. We are all going to be together on the May long weekend to hold a special surprise 80th birthday party for her and I had asked my brothers to tell me what characteristic trait they thought they inherited from her. First I was going to just say what I thought those were but I decided to ask them. Funny thing was, what they gave me as answers were not at all what I had thought.

Life has not easy for my mom, but through it all she kept her head held high. She has had to bury her husband, her parents as well as my sister. But she continues to be strong for us all and I am so grateful for all that she has taught me. She continues to inspire her and I look forward to this coming weekend where our family and her close friends will be together to celebrate her 80th birthday.

A week in the life

People wonder how I keep my life in order so I know what I am doing at any given time. This is my life.. Some weeks I have to highlight my entries in different colors so I can tell one item from another :) My mother always told me that keeping busy keeps you out of trouble and one knows one must always listen to their mother!!!

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

one day after our brand new temple has been dedicated, I have never been so thankful for the sacrifices of the Prophet Joseph Smith and all the pioneers,,,,,for what they have done so that we may worship without fear of persecution ...My heart, mind and soul is overflowed with emotion and love for all those who gave up their lives so that we, today, are able to give of ourselves freely...... My prayer is that we never take our membership for granted, that we always remember

KFC and Breast Cancer

Yesterday I saw a commercial on tv that KFC was partnering with the Susan G. Koemen Breast Cancer Foundation. For every pink bucket of chicken they sell, 50 cents would be donated to this foundation with a minimum of 1 million dollars with a vision to hopefully reach 8 million in donations.

I was concerned about this. As a breast cancer survivor I have worked hard at eating healthy, exercising and trying to take care of myself as best as possible. KFC does not promote a great lifestyle in regards to eating habit. Anytime in the past that we ordered chicken it has always arrived to our home greasy and just gross. But you ate it not realizing how bad it was for you.

It bothered me that this foundation would go in a business venture with a company that does not promote healthy lifestyle. Yes they now offer grilled chicken but really who orders grilled chicken when you order from them? So I wrote to the foundation telling them that I felt KFC was doing it for THEIR bottom line which was making money. They are only giving 50 cents for every bucket but if they had even 50% increase in people ordering because they "felt" they were helping out then they made way more money then they would have. I wrote that if KFC wanted to help out why not just donate the million dollars?

Well I never expected to hear back from them especially not within 24 hours. Here is their answer:

Thank you for your email to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. We do appreciate you taking the time to tell us how you feel about our partnership with KFC. You should know that our partnership with KFC is designed at the core to educate millions of people we might not otherwise reach with breast health information – outreach that we consider critical to our mission to save lives and end breast cancer. We are reaching people with life-saving messages through KFC’s 5,300 restaurants (about 900 of them in communities not yet served by a Komen Affiliate), with information in the store, on the buckets and in advertising directing consumers to KFC’s bucketsforthecure.com website, with links to www.komen.org.
Second, this partnership is helping generate millions in funding – a goal of $8.5 million to be raised in six weeks – to further the nearly $1.5 billion in research and community programs that Komen has already spent over the past 30 years – programs that are literally saving people’s lives through better treatments, early detection and advocacy at the federal and state levels. Because of partners like this, our $500 million in research funding has paid enormous dividends – 98 percent five-year survival rates for cancers that haven’t spread from the breast and better and more effective treatments for late-stage breast cancer patients, Further, these partnerships have enabled us to invest $900 million in our communities, providing financial and medical support for women, particularly low-income women, who desperately need help gaining access to the medical care system.
Some ask what we are doing in terms of prevention. About 10 percent – or $50 million – of our research budget over the years has gone to prevention research. We’ll invest another $20 million of our $55-$60 million research grant program to prevention, and continue funding programs that educate women about their risks.
We recognize that this partnership brings up a conversation about obesity and health related to cancer. Our partnership highlights the healthy options at KFC – grilled chicken and vegetables, for example. Ultimately, the decision to maintain a well-balanced diet lies in the hands of the consumer. KFC provides tools to make those choices, by providing a healthier choice menu at its restaurants and advice on its website on how consumers can limit fat and calorie consumption in its products.
We hope that you will take a moment to visit the bucketsforthecure.com website to learn more about the partnership and see the stories of hope, education and empowerment being shared there.

We appreciate your concern and thank you for sharing it with us.

Very truly yours,

Margo K. Lucero
Director, Global Corporate Relations
5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250 | Dallas, TX 72544
1-877 GO KOMEN | www.komen.org

Jackpot and Ancestors!

I have decided when I get to my next life and will meet my perfected body I will do what today I cannot do. I will jump up and down for great joy! Today I have found some ancestors that I have been researching for ages. I found out from my mom a year or so ago that her maiden name was not her actual name that it had been changed from another name at the time of her great grandparents. I had been talking to her that I had been blocked time and time again in researching my grandfather's paternal line. That was when she told me..she also told me she was sure she had told me that before. Uh no mom..I have been researching our line for decades..I would definitely remember you telling me and I would not have wasted so much time locating something that was not there.

I asked her what the name had been and she said "Solange (what she calls me when she is upset or exasperated with me) I am almost 80 years old you want me to remember something I overheard my parents talking about when I was a young adult? Uh yes!!! She said she would ask her older sisters to see if they remembered but no one else knew the name had even changed. I found a website that gave you name changes for french names and I found 5 names that my grandfather's name had been changed from. I called her up and said I had 5. She told me if she heard it she would recognize it. It was the 3rd one and she said that's it!!!

I was then able to go back 3 more generations at that point (gee the things you find when you have ALL the CORRECT information!) But once again I was stuck. As often happens with me, when I get blocked I tend to put that line aside and work on another line so had not been back at it since last summer. Well today I went to our main city library downtown Vancouver as I knew they had a lot of research books we did not have in our family history centre and as research books are not allowed out in inter-library loans I headed over.

I knew the books I wanted, all 7 volumes of them. They are quite heavy so could only carry 2 of them to my table at a time. When I went to get the 3rd one I reached down (of course has to be on the 2nd shelf from the bottom!!!) but my hand grabbed a different book...the ones I needed are red, thick, short but bulky..this one was blue, tall, wide but not very deep. So narrow in depth that it didn't even have room to have the title on the binding. I thought that's weird..so I flipped it over and read the cover (good thing I read French!) and here was this book that was the recordings of marriages in 1666 in Quebec BEFORE it was even Quebec when it was called Nouvelle France (New France). I thought huh...ok.

So I put it on the table and got the other big ones I needed. Because that one was so much smaller I decided to go through it first. Ideally it would have been so much easier for me if whoever had recorded all the information had put it in alphabetical order but nope they had it in order of parishes. I started with page 1 and worked all the way to the last one.

I have to tell you I found names on EVERY SINGLE LINE of my family!!!!! Because I have been researching for many many years, I was able to recognize names from my lines as ancestors. Those I found I knew by name but had never been able to get their marriage date or date of entry into Canada from France..but now..this...well I was ecstatic. 5 hours later Keith called my cell to tell me he was on his way to pick me up..Already??? Seemed like I had barely started!

As soon as I got home I started entering the data I had furiously scribbled onto paper into my computer. I ended up having to take Lareta and Darien to their meetings so popped in to the FHC and kept working. I was agitated for lack of a better term..I knew these were my ancestors but I had a hard time with matching them to the first of the ancestors I had on my records.

But finally after an hour and a half I was able to connect one of the lines I had found!! I was thrilled. I know to some of you reading this you must think is this woman for real?? These are dead people! I know.. ain't life grand???? :-D

I have my regular day at work tomorrow and a staff meeting to get ready that night but man it will be so hard to not work on my own work tomorrow! It is after midnight here now and as Keith went to bed an hour ago he said "Well I guess I will see you at the table still when my alarm goes off?" hehehehe he knows me well!