The Organ

I am a crier. I mean a real crier!

I can make myself cry, sitting here at the computer. All I have to do is think of the birth of one of my children, or my sister and how great she is, or what great friends I have, or Craig, and how much he does for our family, or anything even slightly sentimental.

I will also cry with you. I can really be happy, not in the least sad, but if you cry, I do not want you to do it alone. I cry at TV, at church, at a good moving, watching my kids sleep. It's bad. My kids make fun of me.

I try not to do it!

Sheila came down for a visit and while she was here we sat around and played a bunch of our favorite songs on the ipod. We were all singing and laughing and, yes, I got all teary. Katie looked over at me and said in her most bewildered voice, "Are you crying?" (By the way, it wasn't even a real cry, just a few tears). They all laughed!

Tori has been learning to play the organ. For those of you who are musically illiterate like me, the organ is like the piano but in addition to playing the keys with your hands, (many rows of keys by the way, depending on your organ), there are keys just like the ones on the piano keyboard that you play with your feet.

On the organs that they have at our church, there are two rows of hand keys and the foot pedals. The hand keys must be played but there is a cheat button on the organ. If you turn it on, you do not need to play the feet. Apparently a persons who knows something about music can tell the difference, but I can not. As a matter of fact, I think they try to keep the cheat key a secret because people can't tell the difference anyway.

Tori's piano teacher plays the organ in our ward and she has been teaching Tori so that Tori can play when she is gone. Right now if she leaves we only have piano music, (which seems fine to me but apparently people like the organ). Tori loves it!

Her piano teacher told me, however, that Tori is a purist and will not use the cheat button. She loves to play with her feet. Now Marie, (her piano teacher), and Tori have a friendly competition going to see who can learn the most songs with their feet. They are so funny, they both think that it is so much fun!

Today, Tori played the closing song in sacrament meeting. Marie had to leave early and so she asked Tori to play. At the end of every sacrament meeting they always thank the music people and today they thanked Marie and announced that Tori would be filling in for her because she had to leave early.

I immediately start to cry. (By the way, I never know I am about to cry. You would think I would after all this time but it still catches me by surprise!). I also start to sweat because I can see how nervous she is and I am nervous too--she hates to be the center of attention, except of course at home, where she is the only one who exists in her mind--true of all my children by the way, but I digress). Of course, I assume it is just me because, I always cry, and then I look around. Others are crying too. Craig is teary, His mom and dad are crying, my friend in front of us who works with Tori in young women's--crying! I see her Sunday school teachers, (a couple), crying. Of course, this makes my cry harder!

She was fabulous! I love moments like that!

She did tell me later though, that if it was going to make everyone cry to have her play the organ it might be better if she didn't play at church :).

Nothing to say

I go through long periods when I don't post because my life is so boring and I don't carry a camera around with me.

I mean I try. I take the camera. It just turns out the battery is dead, or I left the card in the computer, or I put the camera in the car and then drove the other car. You get the picture.

And my life is busy...just boring.

I mean, who wants to hear about homework, throw-up, carpools, dirty bathrooms and massive amounts of extra curricular activities?

I am going to try to be better about posting though. I mean, surely, I have something to say! I know that I have said this before but seriously, I am giving up the notion that every post must have a picture and lowering my standards to a picture a week or so.

How does that sound?

Woes in the Parking Lot

I'm not sure if any of you know this about me, but I lose things. Everything. I have trouble with details and so I put things down mindlessly and I can't remember where I put them.

I have always had this problem. I can't count the number of times that I have lost my keys. A few times in a store making it very hard to get home.

When I was in college my freshman year I had a 7:00 a.m. math class, (I know, STUPID). One day I had a test and I could not find my backpack. I was frantic and I woke up my little brother David to help me look. We were searching frantically when all of the sudden, David sat down and began to laugh. I started screaming at him, "What are you doing, I am late for my math class, HELP ME!"

He then calmly said, "Your backpack is on your back".

This is my life!

I spend a lot of time with my dear friend, Alicia's, grandma Penne. Alicia got married and moved in May and she left me her grandma. I love her and take her shopping, help her bake, run errands, and just enjoy her. Penne is 87 and had a stroke last year. It has affected her formerly perfect memory and it is extremely frustrating for her. I make her feel better--seriously. I walk in and lose my keys and she thanks me.

One of the most embarrassing things I lose is my car. I know--it's big. How do you lose your car?

In my defense, I come by this honestly. I remember my mom telling me a story about parking her car downtown at the underground mall. When she went back to find her car it was gone--stolen. She was panicked! Just as she was preparing to call the police she found another parking floor, and her car.

I once parked my car at the super market on a Saturday, went in a shopped, came out and could not find my car. I was walking all over the parking lot with a HEAPING basket of food and the car was gone. Just as I was giving up hope I hear, (as did everyine else in the parking lot), "Hey Jennifer, your car is over here". And there it was. A friend from church had driven up just as I was going inside and had stayed in her car talking on her phone. She noticed me, pathetically, walking around the parking lot, and directed me, and all those who had not yet noticed me, to my car. It was quite embarrassing.

Tonight I did it again. I went to Wal-mart in Craig's car and parked in a new spot, (that was dumb). When I came out of the store I could not find the car. It was cold and I was tired and I just wanted to get home. Finally I spotted the car. I was so thankful! I went to put the key in the door and a dog on the front seat jumped up and started barking. I almost wet my pants, (It wasn't my car). Then, because everyone in the crowded parking lot had turned to see what was going on when the comotion started, I had to decide to wether to stand there and pretend it was my car, or to look like a dork and walk aimlessly away, (because I still did not know where my car was). So embarrassing!!

Why can't I remember where I park?

Fancy Nancy

My sister, Amie, has the cutest little girl named Olivia. Olivia is currently, (almost), 2 1/2, but she thinks that she is much older. She is in charge. It is darling. She is just like her mother!

The other day she pooped in her diaper. Amie tried to convince her to change her diaper but Olivia didn't want to. Amie listed all the reasons why she should change her diaper, (you don't want to sit in poop, you might get a rash, it's gross, etc.). Olivia turned to her and said, "Mom, stop talking".

A child who knows what she wants and will not be swayed.

For halloween Olivia was "Fancy Nancy" from the Fancy Nancy books, (she LOVES to read). Her are a few pictures of her cuteness.

Halloween Party

Every year Craig's sister Sheila, throws a giant family Halloween party. She started the tradition with her husband, Mike, whose favorite holiday was Halloween, and after he died she continued the tradition and now does it with Sherry. It is a huge event and the kids look forward to it all year!

This year Becky and Monte's son, Ryan, was getting baptised and so we got to go up for the baptism and go to the halloween party. Carrie and Allen donated their house and we had a BASH!! There was even a super haunted house in the basement!

The donught eating contest was so funny. Even the little kids took a turn. The most fun to watch were the "big boys"!

One of the big hits of the night was the new karaoke machine. Everyone sang and it was so much fun. The 80's hits really got the older crew going. The kids sand Hanna Montana and High School Musical 3. Even those who said they were not going to sing were eventually belting it out. It was great fun!

Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. We especially enjoyed having John McCain and Sarah Palin join us!

Cookie Class

I taught a cookie decorating class at my house today and it was so much fun. Instead of using decorating bags I put the icing in Wilton squirt bottles. We outlined each cookie and waited about five minutes for the outline to dry. After it is dry you "flood" the inside with frosting. It was very easy and the cookies looked great! Even the kids did a marvelous job. Here are a few pictures of our finished products.




This is Aaron's cookie. Yes, there is a cookie in there!

For those of you that are interested, here is the recipe for the icing:

1 2lb bag powdered sugar (spprox 7 1/2 cups)
2 Tbsp meringue powder
1 tsp vanilla
3/4- 1 cup of water

Mix the powdered sugar, the meringue powder, the vanilla and 3/4 cup of water. Add the last 1/4 cup of water slowly, until the frosting is the right consistency. When you lift the beaters from the icing the drips should slowly disappear into the surface.

When the frosting is done, pour it into the bottles using a measuring cup. Add some cake frosting color and stir with a knife. When you are done you can just put the lid on and stick it in the fridge to use later--I love it!

I'm at Carrie's House

Here's a short post from my sister-in-law Carrie's house. We came up for my nephew Ryan's baptism and had our annual Halloween party. Lots of fun--pictures to come.