Something to think about....

Lost Generation....

Tagged....

....by a dear friend!!!

Q: What was school like when you were little?
A: Well, my mom made me wear a dress or skirt every day except for gym day and in the winter I had to wear pants *under* my dress or skirt. UGH! She loosened up after about 3rd or 4th grade. I remember climbing the jungle gyms, hanging upside down on the bars and doing 'penny drops' (on gym day, of course, when I was wearing pants!) during recess. I remember the art teacher coming in once a week, going to music class once a week and gym class once a week. I remember reading groups, having trouble with times tables and loving library time. I hated going to the lost and found because the box was in the boiler room and those boiler things scared me! It also smelled of that orange shavings stuff that custodians use to throw on.....um...."wet clean ups". So did my hat or gloves that I found in the lost and found box.

I remember my classrooms as bright, cheerful places. I loved all of my teachers except my 3rd grade teacher.

There were two K-4 elementaries in my town, 1 5-6th grade elementary where both elementary schools' kids were combined, 1 middle school (7-9th) and 1 high school.

Q: What was a memorable experience from your childhood? How did you feel about it?
A: The most memorable experience was probably when my family traveled from Michigan to Washington DC to be sealed as a family in 1977. My brother was 3 and I was almost 10. It was the most beautiful, peaceful experience. I remember my brother asking my dad, "Why are mom and Anne crying?" He looked so adorable in his little white suit! We also got to tour around DC with my granny, a non-member, while my parents were getting their work done and doing sessions. So much fun! The Washington DC temple is my favorite temple, next to the Manti temple where my husband and I were sealed.

Q: What has changed since your childhood about your local or national community?
A: Since I've started teaching high school, the biggest thing I've noticed is the lack of respect for authority. When I was in school--elementary, middle and high school--there were a few kids that didn't respect authority, but for the most part, we listened to our teachers and didn't talk back. I was always afraid to get in trouble! Petrified!

Another thing that seems to have changed is parents actually having to make "dates" for their children to play with other children. My mom called, or I called and said, "Can Ami come over and play?" or they called my mom and asked if I could come over. I was never allowed to ask if *I* could come over to play. I miss for my kids the freedom that kids used to have playing all day long in the summer at the other end of the street, tromping in the woods nearby without parents having to worry.

If you are reading this, consider your self tagged, unless you were previously tagged with this same request. In that case, I'll go to your blog and read your answers!

Thankful...

I'm thankful for so many things. This has been a really rough year and a half. But, filled with blessings as well. Reaching back in time...in September 2007, our kiddoes were baptized as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I can't believe I didn't blog about it last year! It was a wonderful day, full of happy tears of joy. I was worried about the logistics of having twins baptized because I wanted both kids to be able to witness each other's baptism. But, it worked out...C was baptized first, then she waited on the landing of the font, dripping, but wrapped in towels, as J was baptized. It was a wonderful experience.

In, November, 2007, my Granny died after a long battle with Alzheimer's. She is finally with her dear husband who died 60 years ago.

In March, our sweet Pumpkin died. But, in April, we had the best family vacation ever! We went to Florida to my cousin's wedding and we were able to go to see some sights like Sea World and Universal Studios. It was wonderful spending time with cousins, my aunt and uncle, my brother and his family and my parents.

In July, my husband had a heart attack, but survived and is doing amazingly well! In July, I also found out that I was to become a full-time biology teacher at our local high school. Finally! I was able to use my college degree! I will have my teaching certificate at the end of 3 years. Yay!

In August, I started teaching. Holy cow. I had no idea what I was in for!! This is the hardest job I have ever done! But, the blessings from this job are so awesome. I am able to be home when our kids come home from school and we will have the whole summer off together!

In November, B's mom passed away after a long battle with a Parkinson's-like dementia. Very bittersweet. But, we are grateful that she is no longer suffering.

December is finally here and we are grateful to have the gospel of Jesus Christ, our home, our kids, our health and our jobs. Hopefully, 2009 will be the best year yet!!

A bit of catching up...

A lot has happened in my life in the past month. I need to get this down and I'm finally able to do it without crying, I think!

Here we go...

On Sunday, July 20, 2008 my husband collapsed as a result of a near-fatal heart attack. It was about 7:45 in the evening and he had just returned from a walk. He seemed to be walking quickly and seemed a bit winded when he came into our room. I was at the top of our bed thumbing through a biological supply catalog and he sat down at the foot of our bed to read a novel on his laptop. Within a few minutes of him sitting down, I noticed that he was snoring. I couldn't believe that he had fallen asleep so quickly, so I turned and said, "Hey! You can't fall asleep so fast!" That's when I noticed that he was snoring with his eyes open. He was unresponsive and I immediately called 911.

I figured that he was still breathing since he was making that snoring sound, so but I wasn't able to reposition him in case I needed to do CPR because he had slumped into our closet, leaning on a stack of blankets. I sent the kids outside to flag down the police. His lips turned blue just as the police came through the door. It took them a minute or so to get him out of our room and into the hall, but they were able to start rescue breathing. I then went outside to check on the kids and the EMS arrived. They were in there quite a while with him. Later I found out that they had to shock his heart 4 times.

When he was stablized, they took him to our local hospital where he remained unconscious. His brother and a male nurse were eventually able to give him a blessing. He was told that he would heal. Soon after that, they lifeflighted him to a hospital in "the big city". J was very jealous that his dad got to fly in a helicopter, but we assured him that Daddy wouldn't remember a thing, so he really didn't need to be jealous, lol. So, B's brother drove me to the hospital in the city and my visiting teacher drove my kids and my SIL to her house so they could spend the night at her house. My dad was driving up to meet us at the hospital.

Once at the hospital, it was just a lot of waiting around. Finally, at about 12:30am, the doctor came in and said that a clot had blocked one of his coronary arteries about 90%. They placed a stent there, and noted that his other arteries weren't blocked. They also had to keep him sedated and lower his temperature to about 94 degrees because that has been shown to help heal the brain when it has been deprived of oxygen (we know it was deprived of oxygen for at least a minute, maybe longer). So, we waited. I stayed with him through the night. The nurses were wonderful--letting me change the wet washcloths on him as they warmed up. He had ice packs all over and fans blowing on him, but his temperature never did drop to 94 degrees. The closest it got was about 95.5, I believe.

My dad took my home at about noon on Monday, and we brought the kids home. I got a phone call at about 5 pm saying that they had brought him out of sedation and were letting him warm up, as he wasn't showing signs of dropping his temp any further, but he was responding well to stimuli and he had opened his eyes and was looking around. So, probably against my better judgment, the kids and I went up to the hospital to see him. We were disappointed to see that he was still sleeping. But, all three of us noticed that when we slipped our hands in his right hand we felt a constant, steady pressure. We weren't sure if it was a coincidence or not, but it was a teeny bit reassuring. So, we went home, a bit disappointed. I was crying, but told the kids that my eyes were watering because of the wind or something like that. When we were almost home, the nurse called and said, "I thought I should call and give you some good news before you go to sleep tonight. A bit after you left, we woke him up and he responded to every one of our commands--tracking a light, wiggling his toes, squeezing our hand. I just thought you should know." Oh my. She must have been inspired to call us. We all slept very well that night.

Tuesday morning, we went up to the hospital. He was still in the cardiac ICU, but was sitting up. They removed the ventilator tube and he was finally able to talk. The kids got to see him and hug him and kiss him. My dad was there too, as he was going to take the kids down to his house to stay with them, and also with my brother and his wife and kids for the remainder of the week.

Throughout that day, and Wednesday he was exhibiting some short-term memory problems. This was probably a result of his brain being deprived of oxygen, and possibly a side effect of the medication. He had broken a tooth when they had first intubated him and that was driving him batty. But, he was alive and doing well. They moved him to a cardiac monitoring unit--more or less a regular room and he was able to get up and walk short distances within the room.

By Thursday, they had me walk the halls with him and determined that he was ready to be discharged from the hospital. WHAT????? I was no where near ready!!! They had all the monitoring stuff at the hospital. I had none of that stuff! How could I sleep? He snores, and that was the sound that sent chills down my spine, as that's what he was doing when he had his heart attack. Somehow I made it through that first night, and jumped at the chance to get him on a sleep study on Friday night to check for sleep apnea. I knew he'd be on monitors and that he'd be ok.

As the week progressed, I finally had an epiphany. I was stressed about being there for him and saving him if I needed to. I was afraid to leave him, because I wouldn't be there if "it" happened again. Finally, I realized that it wasn't up to me. Heavenly Father made sure someone was there because it wasn't his time to go. If it happened again, and it still wasn't his time, then He would again place someone there to save him. Once I realized that, I was able to place that burden of "lifesaver" squarely back on Heavenly Father's shoulders, where it belonged. After that, I was able to begin to heal.

It has now been over a month now. He is doing amazingly well. He is going to cardiac rehab 2-3 times a week and has had no issues whatsoever. Our family has truly been blessed. I am forever grateful that in this instance God's will happened to match my own.

I've always liked the number three....

Stolen from Ana:

JOYS:
1. Listening to my husband's heartbeat.
2. My children's smile.
3. Knowledge that we will be a family forever.

FEARS:
1. Anything that causes my children to fear.
2. Spiders.
3. Falling, even attached to a parachute or a bungee.

GOALS:
1. Become a fit family.
2. Do well as a high school teacher.
3. Continue to get our finances under control.

COLLECTIONS/OBSESSIONS:
1. Pink depression glass
2. Teacup and saucers
3. Franciscan Ivy Dinnerware--just like Lucy Arnez had in "I Love Lucy". There's just something about 30's, 40's and 50's pottery and glassware.

RANDOM FACTS:
1. Mustard canNOT touch the cheese in my sandwiches and cheeseburgers.
2. I love the smell of lilacs. It reminds me of sitting on my roof by the lilac bushes when I was a teenager.
3. I honestly believe that I can do a better job editing our local paper than the paid editors can do. It drives me batty to see so many errors in a newspaper.

Feel free to use this in your blog, too!

And now for the final episode of.....

.....Extreme Makeover.....RosebudzEdition!!

Blogwriter....Post those pics!!!!



















I really like how the colors turned out. I'm not quite so happy with the quality of his work, and really not happy with how long he took to do it. He said that it would take 2-3 weeks, and it took just over 7 weeks. Oh well. It's done. I like it. Next project---the yard!!


Oh, and just in case you forgot what it looked like before, here it is in the midst of being scraped:

An empty clothesline.....

....is a lonely clothesline!




I love hanging laundry on the clothesline. Can't you just smell the sunshine? This is what sunshine smells like.



In all honesty, up until 2 weeks ago, it had been several years since I've hung laundry outside to dry. But, the heating element on our dryer went out and we haven't gotten around to replacing it. No worries, though. It's kind of nice putting one piece of clothing up on the line at a time. I like the smell of the wooden clothes pins. I like these clothespins the best. They are the kind my mom had. I like how they slip on an off so easily.



The store was out of these kind, so when I needed more I had to buy these. I don't particularly like to have to pinch them to hang and take down clothes.



But, when you need clothespins, you just have to make do.

My clotheslines are awesome!! The were put up in the 50's when this house was built. The poles are sturdy, thick metal and a nice man with some extra wire attached new lines for me. (I think something at my next door neighbor's house fell on my cotton rope lines one year and broke them---before he had this cinderblock wall built. So, to make up for that, he had someone put up the new wires). There are 5 lines and the run nearly the entire length of my yard. I can easily hang 4 loads of laundry on them, provided I have enough clothespins.



I don't know...there just something about seeing clothes lined up on a clothesline that makes me happy. That, and when I hold each article up to my nose as I take them down and inhale deeply....ummmmmmmm. Yep....even these socks.

And a little more progress....

Only one more color to add!!! Wahoo!!!

And now another edition of.....

Home Makeover: RosebudzEdition!

We're still making progress! The house exterior should be completely finished this week. Yay!!!

Happy Birthday, America!!

Here's a few photos from our 4th of July Celebration. I even tried my hand at taking pictures of fireworks.

First, the parade. I think the draw of the parade is the anticipation of candy, not necessarily the cool things that drive by or fly over, although J was quite anxious that we wouldn't have the flyover. I managed to photograph one of the two planes.







Then on to the fireworks! I messed up the evening a bit as I was mistaken in thinking that some of the rides (bounce houses) would still be up and running while people were waiting for the fireworks to start. So, we've got a bit of boredom and attitude from the male child. But once the fireworks started, all was forgiven! (These were my kids' first "upclose" fireworks show--they had only witnessed them from afar previously.)





And now, for the fireworks!! It was so fun seeing them right overhead...

Good morning students. Welcome to biology!

Yay!!! That's what I'll be saying to my class in a little over a month! I emailed the principals of the two local high schools last Monday. Got a reply back from one the next day saying that they had no openings at their school. Got a call this past Friday from the principal of the other school saying that he'd like to set up an interview for Monday (yesterday) and I got a call from him today saying that he'd like to offer me the job! Holy cow....I'm so excited!!! And get this....a principal from one of the jr high schools called and said they were interested in me too. Oh well! I'll have to call him back in the morning to tell him that I accepted the other position.

Woo hoo!!

Read here to see where this journey began...

In August, 2007 I was accepted into the Alternative Routes to Licensure program. In March, 2008, I turned my my application to the district for both substitute teaching and for teaching biology. In May, I gave notice to my current employer that my last day would be July 31, 2008. Then, I interviewed and got the job this week.

I'm so thankful for the Lord's hand in this whole process.

I can take better pictures than these!!

Maybe I want a job as a hospital nursery photographer!

A friend of mine mentioned that she had perhaps the worst hospital nursery photos of her twins. I said that we should start a gallery because I couldn't believe how awful a newborn picture could turn out when I first saw mine. As you can see, this photographer was 2 for 2. (You may need to click on the images to get the full effect).


I mean, come on! Why couldn't they have at least smoothed their hair? It looks like they just ran a towel over their heads. Their eyes are slimy with ointment and they didn't even bother to ask us if we had cute outfits to put them in. All they got to wear were those standard issue t-shirts and blankets.

Yikes...I'm getting peeved all over again. Time to cue the meditation music.....

Who does J look like??

We've always thought that he was the spitting image of his dad, but who knows!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family tree graphs - Family history research

Who does C look like??

I always thought she looked more like me!

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Home Makeover....

RosebudzEdition!

We're getting our house painted finally. It is going to be a taupe color on the main part of the house, forest green on the "triangle" parts and the doors and a cream color on the porch, around the windows and door, and on the eaves. I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it!

The bad part, is the guy who's scraping and painting is taking For.Ev.Er. Ugh. It is sweltering hot inside our house and we can't hang our window-mounted swamp cooler up until he's done painting. But, on the upside, it looks like it is almost done being scraped. I don't know if he needs to sand it before he puts the primer on it, but hopefully in a few more weeks, we'll have a pretty house instead of an eyesore, lol!

This is the before picture:



"During" pictures:

Just a little link...

...to a sad little entry about our dearly departed cat, Pumpkin. I finally finished editing the post about his untimely demise.

200 Things....

Copied from Denise and others....

Here's what you do: copy the list, then bold the things you have done.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (sometimes I can't afford not to)
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game (if the Detroit Tigers are a huge sports team, then yes, I have)
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover (pretty close, though, but I can't remember if I read the whole thing)
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away (with my friend when we were 10. We changed out minds, though!)
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course (but I want to real soon!)
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

One.

Stolen from Shayla, Denise , Kris, etc:
You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

Not as easy as you might think.
Change the answers to suit you and then pass it on.
Remember: one word answers.

1. Where is your mobile phone? pocket
2. Your significant other? handsome
3. Your hair? RED!!!
4. Your mother? cheerful
5. Your father? wonderful
6. Your favorite thing? yarn
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? limeade
9. Your dream/goal? peace
10. The room you're in? office
11. Your ex? none
12. Your fear? money
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? 12's
14. Where were you last night? SIL's
15. What you're not? snobby
16. Muffins? Blueberry
17. One of your wish list items? kitchen
18. Where you grew up? Island
19. The last thing you did? sipped
20. What are you wearing? jeans
21. Your TV? off
22. Your pets? fluffy
23. Your computer? necessary
24. Your life? happy
25. Your mood? upbeat
26. Missing someone? Pumpkin :'o(
27. Your car? Kia
28. Something you're not wearing? skirt
29. Favorite Store? eBay
30. Your summer? relaxng
31. Like someone? yes
32. Your favorite color? green
33. When is the last time you laughed? morning
34. Last time you cried? 25th
35. Who will/would re-post this? someone

Your turn!!!

Once there was a kitten....

This blog entry is dedicated to the memory of our sweet cat Pumpkin who died 3/23/2008.

Once there was a orange kitten named Pumpkin who was born with his 3 brothers and sister in June, 2005. He was the smallest of the bunch and wasn't getting big as fast as the other kittens. So, a nice neighbor lady offered to feed him kitten formula for a few days and we fed him tunafish after that. Then, he began to grow big and strong.

The kids sure loved to play with him and the other kittens, but I'm not sure how much they liked playing with the kids!

Soon, Pumpkin and some of his brothers and sister were old enough to go to new homes. But, Pumpkin decided that he would rather be with his mom and brother. Even though we called his new family, they never came to get him. Secretly, I was glad. Because of his early struggles, Pumpkin always held a special place in my heart.

Pumpkin grew to be a pretty big cat. He loved to wander though. He d being locked up inside (unless it was snowing or raining). Most of the time he would be back within a few hours, or a whole day. Sometimes, he was gone for a day or two. Once, he was gone for 3 days and we had to bail him out of "jail".

He had some funny habits like flushing the toilet, then leaning over the seat to watch the water swirl. He had some annoying habits like scratching on our bedroom door at 5 in the morning to be let outside and chewing on my earplugs if I left them out on my nightstand. He had some very endearing habits like 'talking' to you when you happened upon him sleeping. He'd meow once, then I would say, "Hello, there!" "Meow," he'd answer. "Have you been taking a nice nap?" "Meow, Meow." "I'm so glad to hear that!" "Meow."

He loved to catch butterflies and the occasional bird or two. He didn't like to snuggle much, but if I picked him up while he was fast asleep, he'd finish his nap in my arms.

Well, the weekend of March 22st, he decided to go to where ever he goes when he disappears for a day or so. I called for him Saturday night and Sunday night. On Monday I was preparing to drive around the neighborhood calling him, when J came in, visibly shaken, saying that he found Pumpkin, saying that he was "unconscious". He took me to where he found him. My heart sank. The poor cat was in the gutter in front of our neighbor's house. He had probably died the night before.

I went to the house and grabbed my old housecoat and wrapped him in it. We went to the back yard and I called my husband and let him know what happened and that I most likely wouldn't be able to dig a grave for him. But, J grabbed the shovel and he began to dig, and dig, and dig. I took a few turns and C took a few turns. We'd take a break and go over to Pumpkin and pet his head, or his paw or his ear. I trimmed fur from our favorite places to pet him (behind his ear, behind his front leg, on his belly) to save in a plastic bag. We'd cry. I think I was hit the hardest and I cried the most.

By the time my husband had gotten home from work, the grave was finished. We buried him and said a prayer.

Pumpkin, I know you're waiting for us! Have fun chasing bugs and butterflies and dozing in the sun....

FHE Update...

I think I can safely say that FHE is now a habit in our family. A huge THANK YOU to all who encouraged me that one day when I was discouraged about starting. I just jumped in and did it and it's working really well! We've been plugging along with the Standing for Something FHE packet and my kids are loving that some of the childhood stories of President Hinckley illustrate that he really was human, lol.

But, this past Monday, we did this Resurrection lesson from LDSLiving.com due to Easter being just around the corner. We also prepared Resurrection Rolls for our snack. Here's the recipe that I used:

Resurrection Rolls Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Ingredients: Crescent rolls Melted butter Large marshmallows Cinnamon Sugar Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in. 1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus. 2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming. 3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body. 4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after . 5. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb - pretend like it was three days!) 6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)