Memorial Day

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

Julia Ward Howe wrote the words to the battle hymn of the republic when she awoke in the middle of the night with the words in her head and quickly wrote them down before returning back to bed. The words of this song always stir some emotions for me and I love to hear it. I think the words are especially fitting to honor who Memorial Day is all about, those who died to make us free. I pray that we will all work together to Live to make men free by taking advantage of our freedoms and not letting them be lost.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars take donations for poppies in the days leading up to Memorial Day. The reason poppy's signify Memorial Day is due to John McCrae poem "In Flanders Fields." In the poem, poppies are mentioned because they grew in abundance over the battlefields and graves where war casualties were buried.

The Story of Bottled Water

The Story of Bottled Water

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The strange and unusual...

I've always been one for trying new things and since gardening to me is such an experimental thing, I like to try out new things in the garden to see how they turn out. Here is my experiment for this year: KOHLRABI...not sure how you cook with it or eat it, but it's apparently really good. You plant it the same time you put your lettuce in. Here is some info I found on it:

"An heirloom vegetable introduced before 1860, kohlrabi is a root vegetable with a bright purple skin and white flesh. The flesh is tender with a mild, cabbage-turnip flavour. Pick when small, golf-ball-sized, as they become fibrous with age. Use cooked or grated raw in salads. Sow early spring or late summer to winter. This is a very hardy vegetable and easy to grow."from greenharvest.com/au

Purslane on the other hand is another experiment that I'm not sure how I feel about. This is what I've found on it:

"Purslane/Pigweed from Weed to Vegetable: Scientists report that purslane Portulaca oleracea, which is palatable either raw or cooked, is extremely high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been claimed to reduce the risk of heart disease. It also contains levels of Vitamin E, 6 x higher than spinach. (Reference: Hortideas 10 (2))" from greenharvest.com/au

If you don't recognize it, you should as you begin weeding your garden this year...I know in all the gardens I've had across Utah, this has been a weed in all of them. Who knew it was a better vegetable than Spinach! So if you get a little hungry while weeding your garden, go ahead...I guess...and take a bite out of crime! Tell me what you think!

Bells Update and Pictures

My sisters, brother in laws, nieces and nephews, bishop, his wife and my friends were able to joing me in getting set-apart as a bell-ringer for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir this week. It was fun to have them there and show them the choir and the tabernacle and introduce them to my director, Tom Waldron. We had a lot of fun. Here is a link to my sisters blog about the evening with pictures and video if you missed it and wished you could have come.

The word got out...

A few months ago, I told the world how much I loved chocolate truffles. Well, the world heard, and this is my ample supply of truffles...it puts the jiggles on my belly and I'm a content lady now!

It's true

Once you pop, you really can't stop. I was craving them at work real bad one day and since then I haven't been able to stop. I bought 6 of them the other day cause I couldn't decide which flavor to get, so I got all the ones I wanted. They help me in good ways.

Birds of a feather...

This is my friend Miranda, shes talented and crafty and cool! I like her. So I told her to come to my house and I was inspired!

So this is what came of inspiration. I'm not sure how I feel about it, sometimes I feel like there is a dead bird on my head, but I got a lot of compliments from it, especially from boys, and most especially from boys who like to hunt!
My friend wants me to make her one for her wedding with white feathers...so my question is where do I find white feathers that are pretty for a bride to wear in her hear?

My friend Erica...she's a Mom!

Congratulations Erica!

It's time...Now go get your thumb green!!!!

Every year, I want so badly to plant my garden using plants that I have grown by seed. The sad thing is that most of my experiments in doing this have ended poorly. I've learned though! In the past I would use dirt from the garden...apparently your baby seedlings need more nutrients than regular dirt, so this year I planted them in seedling starter mix. Also, I've always planted them in egg cartons....which dry up too quickly and make you tend the plants more than you want....this year I spent $4.50 and purchased a plastic container with planters, a bottom for the water to rest in and a lid. I didn't realize the importance of a lid, I always thought the plants needed to breath more than that, but putting a lid on keeps moisture in, meaning you are watering less. Last mistake I've always made is how I was watering the seedlings...by putting them under the sink and getting them wet...this year, as to not disturb the seeds or the dirt, I'm using a spray bottle, getting a fine mist to soak the plants.

Like I said, each year this is an experiment but I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for this year. Also, I'm trying a few new plants: Tomatillo's being one of them! And I'm finally going to start an herb garden for indoors....my pantry's been emptied out of some of the essentials, like oregano, and it's high time I replace them, besides, after looking at the price of good spices, and I'm not talking about the cheapo ones, you can't beat spending a dollar for a packet of seeds that will make plants that will replenish your herb supply on their own!

I planted peas on March 2nd and can you believe that spinach could already have been planted in February! Next week I will be planting spinach along with several different types of lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, Kohlrabi (apparently it's delicious and easy to grow...another experiment), and cabbage. I'm crossing my fingers that the house I'm living in doesn't sell....I'd be so sad to plant all of this just to give it all away to the new house owners.

The first North Dakotan to...

Am I the first North Dakotan to be a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?


I'm in! Call me a Ding Dong if you want, but I'm a member of the Mo. Tab.!

If you want to see what I will be doing, check out this video. Around 3:10 in the video, you'll be able to see the "Ding Dongs" :) Enjoy!

Joy is the feeling of Smiling on the Inside

A few years ago, some of you may remember me posting about THIS. It was at one of those a few years ago that I fell in love with a little group called The Bells On Temple Square, a part of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I love their little parts in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert and have been to a few of their other concerts, dragging my friends with me :). I think what amazed me more than listening to the music and the bells dinging was watching the people playing the bells - I loved to watch their faces and arm movements, it all seemed so interesting and enjoyable to me.

Well, the reason today was so special was because the Conductor, Thomas M Waldron, invited me to participate in their Audition!!!! Auditions are a month and a half long process, which began in January...today was my first time, so I'm making it into the last three weeks of the auditions, not much time to make an impression and I am very much behind the others who have been a part of the process since January. I'd like to stay living in my dream of getting into "The Bells on Temple Square" but reality tells me my odds aren't very high. BUT, I can't stop grinning! I had so much fun, my muscles are sore and I was so happy when I was asked to come back next week after being told in the beginning of the audition that my chances are small. Time will only tell if I will be the next bell ringing super star, but I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed!

Somebody was bored at work today...

Engrish.com

It only hurts when I laugh....just grin and tear it!


I don't know where we went wrong....


I love this stuffs!

Special Guest Appearances

Bishop Plaizier: told me a special story about the Shepherds in the christmas story, while serving us hot chocolate in his cozy warm home :)


Jesse: flew in from Arkansas and made the most special christmas I have ever had...he may think he has an idea of how much his time here and his love has meant to me, but I don't think he'll ever really know


Chelsea Noelle Greene: what more can I say...she is a shining star that filled my heart with a little more christmas spirit, just like she always does!

Becca Darling: always helping others out, she helped me get christmas dinner ready, watched her friends little girl all day on christmas and the day after and just carries a happy heart and a peaceful outlook with her everywhere she goes!

Janice Hallaq: I got to kidnap her and have her over for christmas. To add to pretending she was my mom this year, cause I was missing my mom and she was missing her daughter, I let her make the ham gravy :) and it was GOOOD!!!!! I'm licking my lips right now!

Thanks to all the wonderful people that make christmas even more bright!

Lights on Temple Square

Thanksgiving Definitions

Pie Night: get together and eat as much pie as you can the day before thanksgiving!


Thanksgiving: being with family as much as possible! And then some... :)



Bowling: losing to your nephew shows you should brush up on your bowling skills

Friends: they give us adventures to look forward to...even when you feel left behind when they leave for Puerto Rico :(

Thanksgiving ending: you can FINALLY put up the christmas tree :)