Miracles

So I finally took the time to discover what other people discovered weeks ago...and it happened because my sister Emily wrote a really beautiful blog that stopped me in my tracks yesterday. I couldn't even comment on the blog because what she said was beautiful and thought-provoking and I didn't want to comment until I had thought through what she said. And because of Emily's blog, I discovered Stephanie Nielsen's blog...and because of Stephanie Nielsen's blog, I discovered her sister Courtney's blog. And it has given me so much to think about and ponder over the last 24 hours. Really ponder. Like I said, the combination of the 3 women stopped me in my tracks...emotionally and spiritually. And last night at 2:40 a.m. I was in my daughter's room rubbing Vick's lotion on her little chest to help quiet her coughing and while kneeling next to her bed I started to pray. I prayed that the Lord would comfort HB and help her be able to sleep. I prayed that Emily would know how much she is loved and how much I appreciate her insights and testimony about life. I prayed for my mom and ML and Carrie and Sarah and Abby and Sho and while I prayed for them I marvelled at their lives. Within my own family, I know great, great women with such a variety of talents and gifts and strengths. I marvel constantly at the things each one of them does and how they influence the world around them. I prayed for Stephanie Nielsen and her sisters and her daughters and her family and pleaded that they would continue to see hope and faith and be strengthened in the journey that lies ahead of them. And when I was done, I just sat on the floor and looked at my daughter and wondered what miracles she possessed that would change this world. I believe in miracles. I see miracles every day in ordinary women and men who go about doing quiet and extraordinary things.

Miracles.

I think it is a miracle that I am alive in this time and place.

I think it is a miracle that I have the parents I do. They are miraculous in so many ways.


I think it is miracle that I have 2 brothers and 4 sisters that I love and adore and respect and inspire me in so many new and wonderful ways all the time.

I think it is a miracle that each of those siblings have found spouses that compliment them and make our family so much richer and diverse and glorious.


I think my nieces and nephews are a miracle...every single one of them. (And this is only the 1/2 on the Oscarson side...I have a whole other 1/2 on the Carr side!)


My husband is a total miracle in my life. After 9 years, I continue to be impressed by him and his many, many abilities. I think it is miraculous that he can be calm and patient and adoring even though he is married to a drama queen with lots of emotion. I love him so much.


My children are a miracle. They amaze and delight me every single day. They are so funny and smart and clever and snuggly and interesting. The place they fill in my life is so tangible.

I think it is a miracle that I found a vocation and job that I have loved so much. I wanted to be a teacher ever since I could remember. I've never even entertained anything else. I am so grateful for something I love so much that has brought me so, so, so much joy. I love teaching elementary school. I love doing storytelling. I love teaching the gospel. It is a miracle to be blessed with work you love.

I think it is a miracle that I served a mission.

I think it is a miracle that I get to be home full-time with my children.

I think it is a miracle that I live in this amazing home with a red front door and black shutters.

I think the trees lining my street that are a magnificent red are a miracle.

I think it is a miracle that I have food to eat and clothes to wear and a warm bed to sleep in.

I think the gospel is a miracle. It is a gospel of many miracles. I think having a testimony is a miracle. I think having a foundation built in and on the Lord Jesus Christ is a miracle that I continually find strength and hope and joy in. To live in this day and age and have this knowledge to guide and sustain me is a miracle.

I think it is a miracle that every day I wake up and get to make choices. Choices about how to spend my time, choices about where to spend my energy, choices about how to be happy. I think free agency and choice is a miracle.

I think friends are a miracle. I feel so blessed to know such incredible people. They uplift me, set an example for me, help me in all the areas that I am weak, make me laugh, let me cry, play with me, help me work, serve in callings with me, and assist me in raising my children. It is a miracle.

I could go on and on. And maybe I will on another day and at another time. It is so good to see the miracles in my life written down and be able to reflect on all the good that is around me. Every one of us bears burdens and suffer trials. It is an inevitable part of life. But to recognize the miracles that the Lord have given us helps me know how loved and blessed I am. It is a miracle!

Cafe Rio Pork Salad...Almost BETTER than the original

Calling all Cafe Rio addicts...especially those that live too far away to indulge as much as they would like. Found an amazing recipe...seriously tastes EXACTLY like the Cafe Rio salad. A little labor intensive but can you argue with a recipe that delivers your Cafe Rio fix any time you need it? Try it and let me know what you think...

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

P.S. Use the uncooked tortillas from Costco for the tortilla shell. Also you can use Coke or Dr. Pepper for the marinade/sauce! How great is that??

Halloween 2008

I love Halloween. I wouldn't dare be blasphemous and say it was my favorite holiday but it is definitely up there. I like it because it happens during the fall and fall is DEFINITELY my favorite time of year. I like it because it involves lots of candy...delicious, sweet candy...especially all those variations of Reese's Peanut Butter anything and Butterfingers. I like it because we dress up in costumes and get to live out a tiny little piece of our imaginations right there where everyone can see it. I like it because it doesn't involve much effort on my part but I do get huge satisfaction from watching all the festivities unfold. I don't have to buy gifts, I don't have to send cards, I'm not cold or driving through snow, and it doesn't involve the same songs being played over and over again on the radio for 2 months. Don't get me wrong...I'm no Christmas Grinch...I just really appreciate the shallow, on the surface, bizarre, fun nature of Halloween!

So let the festivities begin.

Each of the kids had picked their costumes by the beginning of October. But of course there were lots of variations along the way. JC and MC both had to chose "historical figures that lived before 1950" for their school "World History Assembly". (While I adore our charter school, we are a little nerdy sometimes. Can't we just dress up in Ninja outfits and eat candy for an hour??) JC chose to be King Tut and MC chose to be Blackbeard the Pirate (who is a very real and very fascinating person incidentally!).

For those of you who may not know my husband, he is truly one astounding and gifted man. He is responsible for the fabulous facial hair that MC is wearing and the glitzy headdress on King Tut. Really...I would be TOAST without this man! As part of the school assembly, our family was asked to decorate some pumpkins for the occasion. Since I'm not a big fan of the whole carving with the slime stuff, we opted for a slight variation. Each child got to design and construct a pumpkin. I thought they all turned out to be an interesting psychological study into our children's psyches!

JC's was a random assortment of things, MC's was a vampire, and HB's was a pink princess. The cowboy, Darth Vader and Pirate were just sort of afterthoughts...

So after the World History Assembly came the Preschool Pals Halloween Party. I was in charge this last week and so we had a school party the way you are supposed to...there were costumes, candy, chaotic games, and lots of crafts. MC went as speed racer and HB surprised me with a ballerina outfit.

After a fabulous ward Halloween carnival Thursday night and some serious trick or treating at Dad's work Friday afternoon, we were ready for the real games to begin. JC was Indiana Jones...and he looked fantastic! He even did his own "scruffy" beard with my brown eye liner pencil.

MC stayed with his original plan and went as Speed Racer. Thank you to Mo and Papa for providing a birthday present that has had lots and lots of fun use this month! HB decided to be Tinker Bell sans the wings which she claimed poked her too much. She wouldn't let me touch her hair so I had to bite my tongue and be happy with yesterday's braids. Darling husband agreed to take them out and they came home a couple of hours later staggering under the weight of those goody bags. True to nature, each handled their loot a different way.

JC unwrapped everything and dumped it in a bowl...he called it his "candy mix". MC laid everything out on the floor and carefully organized it into piles and HB just dug right in on the kitchen floor.

So when all was said and done, it was fabulous. We ate chili, we drank bloody punch, and we devoured enough candy to make us all really hyper and then crash into bed an hour later. What holiday could possibly beat that??? Only 364 more days until we can do it again!