Catching Up with October

Time is flying! It seriously feels like it has accelerated exponentially since I had Niles--like each day has only 18 hours or something because I just never get done all the things I used to get done. But it's okay because I am keeping up with my family, having fun with the kids and enjoying my Gram(who arrive on 10/7), so blogging is on the back burner for a while. Here's a little photgraphic update: I took this out the window of my van on the way to Bozeman on Sept 25th--our first little hint of fall colors. We haven't had a real hard freeze yet this fall, so the leaves are changing VERY slowly...I remember in past years if I didn't get some pictures by conference weekend, I usually missed the peak. Now it's mid-October and the colors have yet to peak. Climate change!

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I am working on a little video of our conference weekend at the ranch with The Postums (who joined us there from Helena). But in the mean time, here are some still photos of our super fun time...

On Saturday morning we got up early and made raspberry-stuffed french toast with bacon and orange juice. We made the toast from Sister Purcell's dreamy wheat bread and Papa Jim's beautiful raspberries and it was DELICIOUS! This pic was snapped just as breakfast was winding down and conference was starting up.


Heidi says, "YUM!"


That's my plate...a thing of beauty!



The opening song for the conference broadcast was "The Morning Breaks" and I couldn't help but think how well the music went with our view.






James played Legos with cousin Sam during conference

Addie and Aunt Amie took some fun pictures out on the deck between sessions.

two cute girlz!

Addie played with the fish-eye setting on my birthday camera--

look at Big Nose Matt!

Amie The Chin!

Freaky Addie!

Here's the deck view in the camera's ultra-vivid setting--
so pretty!

On Sunday morning, Rich made us ham-and-cheese and banana-and-nutella crepes--so good! Here Little Emily, Aunt Amie, Uncle Matt, Addie, me, and Jacob enjoy some crepes before conference.

After lunch, the Postums had to head home, so we took some parting shots out on the deck

Matt & Emily with me & Niles

(Niles looks like he is striking some Blue Steel pose here, but he's really just freaked out by the wind)

Cousin Emily sure did love her baby Niles! (even though he weighs 2 pounds more than she does--and she turns one next week!)

Happy Conference Weekend from Our Gang

Amie, Jake, Matt, Emily, Addie, Jamie, Niles, Heidi, Sam, & James (Rich took the picture)
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The next week, I went to Idaho to meet up with my brother Sam & his family to pick up Grandma Lyn for another visit. I took Heidi and Niles and slept over at my dad's house again, then we all went to lunch at Chili's and Gram switched cars. It was a lovely, sleety drive! We got home Friday night to tacos and gingersnaps made by my sis, Laura, who came to visit from Helena. Saturday the 8th was Rich's Big Show-- the Energency Preparedness Fair at the Stake center in Bozeman. We all went and had a great time, and we all went to church together on Sunday, too. After a really nice dinner, Laura and Gabriel went home and we all napped. It was such a nice time-seeing Laytons in Idaho and Lehmans here--I am sorry I don't have any pictures (unless you send me some, Laura!)!

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CORN-A-PALOOZA!

Last Tuesday I made chili and we had fresh corn AND jalapeno corn bread with it--YUM!

I made these cake balls over the weekend for the kids to decorate because ever since James saw them on the cover of Family Circle this month, he's been carrying the magazine around going, "Mom, can we make these? Mom, when are we making these?" So we did. The making was easy, but I left the decorating to the kids.

Pretty cute.

Heidi hid her special jack-o-lantern in the fridge.

It made me smile every time I opened the door.

Later Wednesday night I thought it would be fun to just show ya what the kids do in the evening...

James played wii "Buck Hunter" for 20 minutes before bed

Addie put the game on for James & played with him

Heidi watched" Bambi" on my bed while Niles had a bottle, and Gram and I cleaned up the kitchen.

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On Thursday, hubs and I had our much-anticipated and very-belated birthday trip to the Billings Temple. It was super fun as usual, as was our traditional dinner at HuHot.

Life is good.

The Death of Me

Heidi went missing yesterday.
She took her regular habit of wandering off at Target (they know her by name there) and broadened the field to the entire town of Livingston (and/or beyond...yikes!).

Here is how I described the experience to a friend today in an email:


"It was such a crazy experience. I have to say I was totally comforted through the whole thing because we prayed before I went out to look for her. Every time fear or anger would well up, I could totally feel/hear the Spirit telling me she was okay, but that was definitely a stretch of my faith!

She rode her regular bus with James from Winans to Eastside (although that bus driver told us she never got on, which misdirected our search for a while), but instead of waiting for Addie to get on and riding home as usual, she jumped off with a friend from her class and then got on her friend's bus and rode out to Green Acres and told the mom that she had permission to play at their house until 7pm but then she (the mom) had to drive her home and that I wasn't home so she couldn't call me! (----WHAT!?!----)

Meanwhile, on my end, when she didn't turn up at home with James and Addie at 3:50, I called the insurance office because that's where she is supposed to go if she misses her bus. Rich was out at the ranch, but Robyn was working and hadn't seen her. So then I called the principals at Eastside and Winans and they started searching the buildings and grounds for her. Her teacher was just leaving when I called, so she offered to go over to Eastside and check the playgrounds because she was pretty sure Heidi got on the bus at Winans. Jim Huntizicker called the bus barn and had George ask all the bus drivers if they had seen her. I headed out in my van and started checking around Winans and the drive between the schools and then around Eastside. By then it was 4:40, no sign of her, so I just pulled over to the Police Station and reported her missing. I gave a description and two officers went out--one to look for her, one to interrogate the bus drivers--and the fire dept, sheriff, and highway patrol were given her description as I sat there. Rich was on his way in from the ranch and Kim Strupp (who had been at my house to pick up Jason, whom I was babysitting, when Heidi turned up missing) was cruising the neighborhood looking for her, too.

I remembered she had some allowance money in her backpack, so when I left the police station, I checked Washington School then headed to Town & Country and Pamida to see if she went shopping. While I was driving between the stores, the police called me and said they found her and they would bring her home and I should meet them there.

So the officer who interrogated the bus drivers gave her description and asked if any of them had extra kids on their buses that afternoon and one finally piped up and said Heidi had been on her bus with this certain friend, the bus driver knew her name. So they looked her up, went to the house, and brought her home.

I sent her to her room and finished making dinner, then went and had a long talk with her and grounded her. She took it surprisingly well and I am really proud of how humbled and helpful she has been today. We spent the morning writing "I'm sorry/ Thanks for looking for me" notes to about 10 people and we will deliver them on Monday. Hopefully her little ride in the police cruiser was memorable and this won't be repeated. As for me, I made it through the evening, but then about 9:30 when everyone was asleep, I just started bawling uncontrollably...delayed reaction...tears of relief, I guess. But we survived!!!!"

Heidi at lunch today. She's been FUN since day one (remember THIS or THIS or THIS?)

James and Addie at lunch today with Halloween decor in the background.

Fotos, Finally...& My 40th.

Last week on Sept 15th, we went to the open house at Addie's new school. Addie introduced her teacher (the adorable Mrs. Bunkers) to Niles.James & Ava Petry busied themselves around the class room...


Cute little kindergarteners!


Addie showed us all her cool stuff.

The night before we had loaded up at the farmer's market, so we had the most beautiful organic stir fry--YUM!

But we weren't ENTIRELY healthy--for the first time in a LONG time, we made crab rangoon!

Niles & James had fun watching

Addie's our chef!

Niles took a bath with James the other night--James thought that was so fun.

MMMMM, clean snuggly boys!

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On Saturday, I celebrated my birthday. The night before, Rich had a scout campout, so we had a girl date with the Petry girls--we went out for Mexican food and came home to have a dance/movie party (and stayed up til 11!!!).

In the morning, the girls gave me a "breakfast dance party"

(note my "shower" of birthday cards hanging there over the window--thanks everybody!)

Rosalie (my MIL) took the girls at 9am and they came home with this cake for me--so cute! Just as they were leaving, Rich & James came home from camping and brought my big birthday surprise: A NEW GUITAR. Now I get to learn to play it!

Me & the kids & the cake

Heidi insisted on letting this balloon go to "remind [my] grandpa in heaven that it's [my] birthday." Pretty cute.

After some Saturday chores, I went and got a hair-do, then we met the Melin clan at The Rib & Chop House for dinner. It was great as usual.

Uncle Jess is here on business from California, so only Mark was missing of the sibs.

Me & my James

Lots of blondies on this end of the table!

After dinner, Mom Melin & I went to the Women's Broadcast at the church, then came home to eat a piece of cake and watch a Nirvana 1991 concert commemorating the 20th anniversary of Nevermind. Yeah, that sealed it. We're old. Also, I like Dave Grol way better now.

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Lastly, Niles wore 2/3 of his spanky Sunday outfit from Uncle Sam & Aunt Kristen to church today. The nice corduroy pants are still a little big, but the shirt & vest sure are handsome.

Thanks for a great birthday, loved ones. I hope Auntie M and Abby had a great day, too. xo

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Also, the past week I helped Addie & Heidi makeover their blogs so have a look...ADDIE & HEIDI

The University of Netflix

I know it has been a record TWO WEEKS since I posted, but believe me, I have been SUPER busy. In a good way. I will do a regular post with pix and family updates soon, but for now here's what I have been doing BESIDES blogging & Mom stuff.


I've been watching things on Netflix when I do laundry, so this month I have had a couple of themes. First of all was nutrition. I watched Fork Over Knives , Fat Head, and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I learned a lot, and came away with the overall impression (AGAIN) that the Word of Wisdom was right all along. I have made an effort to clean up our diet, which is an wasy thing to do in harevst season--let's see how it goes the rest of the year. We did have 3-4 meatless meals per week this month, and the rest have contained small amounts of chicken or fish. The two "red-meat" meals we have had have been three-bean chili with beef and beef broccoli stir fry, which only uses about 1 serving (6oz) of meat. We have had THE BEST time with the abundant produce we've been getting from the combination of our new Bountiful Baskets program and the $18 worth of WIC checks I can use at the farmer's market (in addition to the $10-15 I can use at the store). My fridge has been BEAUTIFUL and colorful all month and it has been so fun figuring out how to use all the yummy stuff. In my "Real Post", I'll post some recipes and fun pix. Dont' forget, it's apple season at the ranch, too!

My next netflix theme was hillbillies. Holy Twilight Zone! I watched "Winter's Bone" and "The Wild & Wonderful Whites of West Virginia"---both stories were fascinating and terribly sad at the same time. Perscription and meth abuse are epidemic and depressing. And ignorance...well, it's pretty much at the root of every social ill. I liked this quote from the NYTimes about the Whites movie: "It is hard to know just what to think of these people, whose unabashed recklessness might make you envious even as you shake your head in appalled amazement at their disregard for every conceivable societal norm. But one thing is certain, and is in a way the whole point of this fascinating and problematic documentary: The Whites don’t care what you or anyone else thinks of them." Yep.

I also watched NatGeo's "Inside Mecca" and "My Name is Khan" and "The Stoning of Soraya M," continuing my Central Asian education that began with reading Greg Mortensen's books. Yet another Twilight Zone, but admittedly more beautiful. The Mecca footage was just stunning. It records the rituals of the haj, and I am a sucker for rituals and symbolism, so I really liked it. I also find it totally fascinating to watch that many people doing the same thing, en masse. My Name Is Khan was, in my opinion, the Indian Forrest Gump. It's an Indian film, so it has that clean, heartwarming quality of bollywood, but I learned about the Muslim-Hindi conflict, which I hadn't heard much about before. I think my favorite moment was when his mother taught him about the two kinds of people--people who do good deeds and people who do bad deeds, and those are the only distinctions we ever need to consider. NICELY PUT. The stoning film was horrific, but I am glad I saw it. I had no idea that victims are buried from the waist down and then pelted with stones as they are immobilized. Yikes. The over-arching message for me was "Be afraid of Sharia Law--be very afraid." I think there is a beautiful tradition and history in Islam (and the art--oh, I love it), but like anything, it can be dark and scary in its extreme (as we've all learned the hard way this past decade). And the poor women...ugh.

ANYWAY...after I finished the last little bit of Soraya M, I flipped over to "A Room With A View" (click that--you'll love it) for a more beautiful, lighthearted, HILARIOUS viewing experience. I can still say every line after all these years--it's like riding a bike.

UPDATE (9/27): I totally forgot to mention my Ode to Fashion Week Theme. I am not a fan of the idea/mechanism/culture of fashion, although I like it as an art form. I watched "Bill Cunningham New York" and I was thoroughly delighted with the film and Bill as a person. I'd have to say it's one of my favorite documentaries of late. He's such a character--so unique, so right-thinking, yet totally immersed in fashion. Talk about being in the world but not of the world--Bill is it. I also watched "The September Issue" which actually made me feel a little sorry for Anna Wintour, and of course, "The Devil Wears Prada." Fun.

My Belated Manifesto

[This post was originally written on October 13, 2010 at 2:43 pm; I am publishing after nearly a year of pondering & prayer.]

I have been contemplating the topic of my personal feelings about homosexuality and my church's doctrines vs. my church's culture about homosexuality for a long time. There are many areas--most, really--in my religion where my testimony and understanding of principles have come almost automatically. I have been able to learn, study, pray, test, and know for myself that certain principles are true, that they will bring me joy, that they will protect and prepare me for life in this world, that they will give me a sense of confidence and self-worth and purpose, and bring me closer to my Heavenly Father. I have a testimony of the doctrines my church teaches about homosexuality and marriage. Sometimes they are hard, but I know they are true. What I have not been able to square my heart and soul with is the way many of my fellow saints and fellow Christians treat our homosexual brothers and sisters. Not only does it "not fit" for me, it breaks my heart. I cry A LOT about the things I hear and see in the world on this subject. I know that it’s not right.

First of all, I have posted often about "threads" in my life, how God teaches me by having a certain tpoic come up repeatedly in a short amount of time from a variety of sources. For a while last spring, I was learning/ thinking/ discussing a lot about civil vs. eternal marriage or civil unions vs. sacramental unions, etc. This topic always leads to issues of gay marriage, and I had a change of heart in that department. I have to first admit that I do not think marriage is a good idea except in the context of my religion--meaning that if I weren't LDS there is no way I would have ever gotten married. I just don't see the point, I don't think my lifestyle is the business of the state, and I just don't understand the desire in this day and age. That said, if the state is going to MAKE lifestyle its business, then state sanctioned "marriage" ("civil marriages") should be equally available to all citizens. Soooo--this blog post, this personal manifesto (of sorts) is two fold--my political/legal view and my spiritual view.

First, I want my political opinions to be sound and integral. I don’t like double standards or inconsistencies anywhere in my life. For some reason, it is assumed if you identify as conservative that you’re intolerant and that you fall in line with the “Christian” right wing social agenda. I do not. I find that whole philosophy incongruous and (accidentally) hypocritical, but I DO consider myself conservative with libertarian leanings. Because of this, I feel the government has no business in our personal lives. I understand that there are many nuanced and intelligent arguments on both sides of these social issues and I honestly respect them. I understand that many government policies and political issues conflict with my religion, but as long as they don’t infringe on my right to practice my religion and they are constitutional, I can support them. Soooo…since I don’t want the government telling me how much money I should make or how I should spend it , or what to feed or teach my kids, or who I should marry (insert libertarian-leaning rant about our unscrupulous, immoral, irresponsible, spiritually dead government here), I certainly don’t think they should be telling anyone else. This is why I—from a purely legal perspective-support limited and informed legalized abortion and this is why I support gay marriage. I may personally object to these things; I may try to dissuade my loved ones from these things, but should my religious beliefs or personal opinions form public policy? No. Is the gospel still true and am I still free to live it? Yes. Everybody wins. We get to love one another and leave the judging to God. That’s a division of labor I can live with. And if you disagree with me, I still love you.

As far as the church goes, I have been wrestling with things in my heart and mind, and then one day light and peace came to my mind—the things I was wrestling with were not doctrinal, they were (are) cultural. What came into my mind was “The culture is teaching the hurtful things; The gospel is (and was, and always has been) LOVE.” Regardless of church policies, God’s own pronouncements, legal issues, cultural hurdles, it isn’t— and never was -our place to judge. Our one and ultimate injunction is to love one another. Charity never faileth.

My heart broke into a million pieces during Elder Packer’s talk last October conference because I knew that hundreds of our “same-sex-attracted” brothers and sisters were listening, waiting to be fed and encouraged on their life journeys (like all of us), and his words about God not making us “that way” were like an arrow to the heart. They made me so sad because I KNOW that people struggle with those feelings very early in life and I KNOW that it is not their choice. Some of the people I love the most on this earth, who have been instrumental in bringing me closer to Christ, are active, believing members of the church who are also gay. Acting on feelings is a choice; we rarely can choose our feelings. I followed a link to this post from a gay member of the church about Elder Packer's remarks. I found his comments insightful and almost identical to the thoughts I had while watching the talk live and re-watching later to make sure I heard him right. I can save my self a load of time by just directing you to that link if you want to know what I thought of BKP's talk, specifically. I was so relieved when those words were removed from Elder Packer’s printed talk and when the church issued a statement the next week. The words "Balm of Gilead" come to mind when I watch this clip. I hope I and the church as whole--each individual member--can develop the same tenderness and compassion exhibited by Brother Otterson.



One of those dear friends is leading a conference of homosexual members of the LDS Church this weekend in the Kirtland Temple. We have had long talks about his journey, about where he fits in Heavenly Father’s family and in the church. I am so proud of him. I pray the Spirit will bless him and the gathering this week. I hope hearts will be healed and knit together, and that the Spirit of unity will spill over into our home wards and branches throughout the church. Randall, I can’t be there in person, but my heart and hopes are with you this weekend!

Sweet Sixteen

Niles is 16 weeks old today. He got weighed and measured and he's shot up from the 50th percentile all-around to 70th in height and 87th in weight. That's my boy!He's so happy, especially when he wakes up, and he's been sleeping about 8-8 with one feeding between 4-5am. It's SO NICE.
Here he is chatting with the ceiling fan and chewing his fingers, two of his favorite things. He is so excited in the afternoons when the big kids come home...I get boring by 4pm! We are really enjoying our time with him (even though he is growing up WAY TOO FAST!).

I Have a Confession to Make.

I know I'm a litle late to the party, but I am completely obsessed with this song (we don't get radio music here and they didn't play it on any npr shows). I don't just like it. The first time I heard it was like a punch in the stomach and for some reason I felt 14 and totally thrilled like the first time I heard The Jesus and Mary Chain. Then I saw the video and my 14-year-old self freaked out (scruffy surfer boys in So Cal? Yes, please!). So now I sneak a peek at the vid which I DVRed off the VH1 countdown a few wks ago, and I'm uploading the album (SO GOOD) on itunes. I bet it will make me exercise longer! ;) The feeling of this song was JAMChain, but the rest reminds me of Scritti Politti, all dancey and falsetto. Ahhhh, memoreeeez!


Back in the day...