I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

I am not sure what made me think of this memory this morning......When Ether was home before he left on his mission I was having a hard day and in a sad/bad mood.....I had to leave to run an errand or go somewhere and as I was walking out the door Ether said to me "Where are you going, Mom?" I said "I am leaving on a jet plane," (almost thinking out loud, wishing I could get out of Dodge). Ether said "Don't know when you will be back again?" (If you don't know the Peter, Paul, and Mary song you won't get this :). His quick wit made me laugh out loud and almost instantly it changed my mood! That day my heart took a picture and this memory still makes me laugh!
I am missing my son again....I mean I miss him all the time, but some days it is harder than others. I try to be stoic and don't let on that I miss him, but I do. Some days I will be taken by surprise when I hear a song on the radio that Ether has sung and I am almost in instant tears.
Ether is doing well on his mission and he just LOVES his mission and the people! I am so VERY proud of him! He is amazing! His testimony has grown and he has grown as a person. All moms can understand that precious feeling of seeing your childs growth and it is a feeling only the heart knows.

Parenting

The words below are not my own, but how I feel and I am stealing bits and parts of a comment written on another favorite blog of mine.....Mary Ostyn. I have changed a few sentences here and there, but I really like how she says what she says.

-----"Seems like every stage of parenthood is about growing and stretching and adapting. When you’ve got babies, a lot is physical. Picking up, carrying, doing everything for this little one whose needs don’t know day or night. It is a precious and wonderful time, but oh, so tiring.

In the middle years there’s much teaching and learning, accompanied inevitably by challenging behavior, with the need for loving, creative and consistent consequences. During that phase of kids’ lives, it seems like I’m always thinking, scheming better ways to encourage kindness, right behavior and wise habits.

But now, with two of my children officially adults, I’m having to learn a new, less active style of parenting. It’s less and less my job to be a problem-solver. Instead I’m called upon to sit back, wait, watch, pray, hope. To be available to give advice, but to wait til I am asked to give it. (Although I have given advice when not asked). Oh, this is hard for me! Crazy-hard. Harder than getting up six times a night with a teeny one. Harder than teaching a 6 year old to read. Harder than dealing with an ornery 13-year-old. Harder even than riding with a brand new driver. I’m a doer, you see. A person who makes things happen. This mothering transformation reminds me of a line from the movie Aladdin: “Phenomenal cosmic power. Itty bitty living space.” The line refers to the genie in the lamp, of course. Stay with me for a second.
As a mom of younger kids I’m used to occupying a large space in my kids’ lives. With grown kids I’m realizing the need to stuff myself back in the lamp, to give my kids space to live life on their own, to wait til they call on me for help. Oh, there are times when I live at a loving, comfortable distance. Other times I successfully fake composure by biting my tongue hard and smiling a lot. But other times I just plain fail. I’m all over decisions that should be theirs, in their business, sure I’ve got a better plan of action. Yeah, maybe I have reasons to want to step in.
Freedom to choose also means freedom to make mistakes, after all. And sometimes I can see them coming. But, hello!? Who doesn’t make mistakes? Mistakes are a part of life. So lately I’ve found myself in this herky-lerky uncomfortable place, acknowledging the normalcy – the necessity — of my shrinking role in their lives, but faltering at times in the execution of that new role."

In my own words.....parenting of older children is so different. It is after all what we are supposed to do.....to raise them, guide them, teach them, love and nuture them.....so that they are ready to be indepedent and go out on their own. I wonder if Heavenly Father feels this way when he sends us to earth?

Overload

I guess I must be getting old.....when I tried to log in to post a new post here, I apparently forgot my e-mail address and it wouldn't let me in! Who forgets their e-mail address? My mind is like a computer......memory is full, hard drive is full, hope it doesn't crash!

Conversations

Marissa: Can I go buy a dress, I only have 3 outfits for church.

Me: I have one black skirt that I have been wearing for the last 4 years every Sunday.

Marissa: Well, I am not saying your old, but older people don't care about their appearance or styles. They pretty much wear the same thing all the time anyway.

Me: What? We do too care about how we look. Believe me, if I had 10 different outfits, I would wear them.

Marissa: Well it is more important for teenagers to have different clothes to wear because we are conscious about style and how we look.

*Sigh* *BIG SIGH* You know, I just had a revelation.......the reason all the "old" people wear the same clothes is because they are sacrifing their own fashion statement and needs and are buying clothes for their children.

Specialties?

Almost all of us at our house like to work in the kitchen!
While I was doing dishes (and making an apple crumble), I was pondering (ha!) on what each person in our family likes to make or bake in the kitchen.

Pat - "Salsa man." I will get to that in a minute! He likes to make a lot of different things, namely anything with meat. In the summertime when the time for grilling comes along, he will go to town on grilling all kinds of meat, some of which we will eat for dinner that night and the rest for freezing to savor later. I will also call him our "salsa" man. Last year with our garden produce we decided to try our hand at making salsa. We made some fresh salsa (which I helped with and it was pretty darn good) and some cooked salsa which we then froze in quart baggies. Depending on who you ask, he might have gone over board. We still have 12 quart bags of salsa in the freezer!!

Cindy - "chocolate girl." I love to make all kinds of desserts with chocolate.....cookies, cakes, scones, brownies, etc. I also like baking anything in general. I take after my mom who loves baking!! I also like making pies! When my mom realized that when I was a teenager I had the pie making stuff down, she refused to make any at that point and I became the family pie baker forever more! I still have that job today for family gatherings!

I have this secret dream (its not a secret anymore) of wanting to have my own Bake Shoppe. (I can hear the guffaws already, I know, I need to perfect my cake decorating)! I would take great joy in making sugar cookies, cakes, brownies, and all kinds of delectable sweets like things you see in magazines!

Ether - He is our "cookie man." He just absolutely loves to make chocolate chip cookies. Got a craving for chocolate chip cookies, or just chocolate, all you had to do was ask Ether and he would whip up a batch in no time!

Marikita - I think she missed out on the cooking gene somewhere! I don't recall her EVER making anything in the kitchen. She just has no interest in creating anything in the kitchen. That's okay, she is talented in so many other areas! She will be famous or rich, or both someday and she will probalby hire a cook anyway!

Marissa - "Apple crumble girl."- When it comes to making desserts, Marissa almost always hands down, will make an apple crumble and she does a dang good job at it. She takes pride in what she makes and you cannot hurry her along. She also loves making sugar cookies and is talented at decorating them! She is also 2nd in line when it comes to making choc chip cookies.

Gretchen and Hannah - They are just getting the hang of cookie making! It is funny, their favorite part of baking is cracking the egg! They will stick to the task of the making and take off when it is time for the baking! I am left holding the bowl!

SPRING

I am so happy that Spring is almost here!! Yipee!! Spring is really my favorite season! I love all the other seasons too, but there is just something about spring that makes you feel alive and renewed.

About 8:00 this morning I could hear the birds singing outside my bedroom window. No, I wasn't sleeping, I was working, but I wished I were still sleeping! I just absolutely love hearing the birds sing and it really gives me joy! I guess I am weird, but I never get tired of hearing the birds chirping and singing. When the weather is warmer and we start opening the windows, Pat will get frustated when he is awakened by the song of the birds and he wants me to close the window, but I just want to lay there and listen! Growing up on a farm might have something to do with it! We didn't have air conditioning in our old farm house and so the windows were our source of cool air! I would wake up every morning to the birds singing and the sun shining.

Hearing the birds sing their song reminds me that spring is on its way, that the earth will be renewed with fresh green color in the grass and the trees, flowers with their abundant rainbow of colors and fresh, wonderful air. Out with the old , in with the new!

Spring also reminds me of Christ's sacrifice for us and that through Him and His Atonement, we can purge out sin, be renewed, and live with bright hope for this life and eternal life.

Happy Spring !!

Melancholy

I know I have posted something similar to what I am going to say, but I am going to say it again.

I have decided that watching kids grow up is hard on my heart. Even as I rejoice with kids on each new step of life’s adventure, my heart has pangs watching them go. As you all know, our oldest Ether, now 20 years old is serving a mission in Colombia, South America and he is doing great! Our 18 year old daughter Marikita is in her Freshman year at college and doing great! Marissa is a Junior and oh too soon will be a senior in 5 months! Sigh. Just when they were getting all civilized and are so danged fun to be around…....I wish I could tell all my friends how to prepare for the days when the kids start leaving the house. When all the kids were little I remember people older than me saying "they grow up so fast." I kept thinking, oh...that is a long time away! How do parents survive all this growing up, anyway..? Realizing how fast kids grow up makes me want to hug everyone more.

Captivated

I just found a website about the new movie about the Young Victoria, Queen Victoria. I am just captivated by the pictures, the costumes, and the story. I guess I am too much of a romantic at heart. I think I would have loved to live in this time era. Although they had their share of different kinds of trials, it was such a time of innocence and romanticism. I love the way they spoke, the clothing, courting customs, I love it all! I think that is why I love to watch Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen as well as anything she has written.
Check out this website, it is so entertaining!!!
http://www.theyoungvictoriamovie.com/

Pictures from the Past

I just absolutely love this picture! I sure do miss those days when they were little babes! Aren't they so cute?!!! I never used to believe people when they told me "kids grow up fast." It is so true. Now that these two babes of mine have left the nest, I can't tell you how unprepared I was for their absence in our home. I miss you Ether and Kita!

Ready for church! Arent' they so cute!

This is outside the courthouse after Pat legally adopted Ether, Marikita, and Marissa! As you can tell, Gretchen is about ready to join our family!!

I goofed

Somehow the pictures below got spaced further and further apart the farther you scroll down! Whoops!

I will be posting pictures soon from Ether's concert last year and our family trip to Utah when we took Ether to the MTC!!

Random Pictures -2009

The snow fort Pat and the girls made in our back yard!!

Marikita's Graduation Day 2009!!!!

Ether - first day in the MTC!!!

Ether and Rebecca - PROM!!

Ready for church!!!

Marissa, Adam, and Simon - State Choir

Pat's hunting gobbler!

Marissa post production -"The Great Easter Egg Hunt"

Ether receives his Mission Call to Bogota Colombia North Mission!!!

Hannah's baptismal day!

Ether and Rebecca - 8 months!!!

Ether is our "cookie man" in our house, making choc chip cookies no doubt!

Marikita singing solo at the April 2009 Choregraphed choir concert!!!!

Hannah's Birthday Take 2

The color in the photo was kind of goofy, but here she is with her cake sans the candles!
Hannah's birthday was actually February 19th, so I am a little behind!

Hannah's Birthday

I am not a fancy cake maker, but I thought this turned out cute anyway. The important thing is that Hannah loved it and that's what counts!!

If Time Could Be Bottled?

There never seems to be enough time in a day! You know the saying "if I had a penny everytime I ________, I would be rich." Well if pennies were little bits of time and I had a penny for every morsel of sweets I have eaten, I would have a TON of time! LOL!
Some moments I wish could be "freeze frame" and other moments don't you just wish would pass you by faster than the speed of light (mostly embarassing or uncomfortable ones).

I just mainly wish I could have been a stay at home mom all these years. Now that the two oldest have left the nest, I am feeling the regrets, the heartache, and time lost that I can never recapture. On a brighter side, we are told we will be blessed in the eternities for that which we did not fully receive here if we are but faithful, obedient, and keep our covenants.

Don't put off tomorrow what you can do today.

Honoring Grandma Marie Ida Coupe

Celebrating Grandma's 100th Birthday

Grandma's Graduation Picture

Grandma and Grandpa's Engagement Pictures

Today I attended the funeral of my dear Grandma Marie. She lived to be 101 years old. She lived a good long life and I am so happy for blessing for her and for our family. Growing up we lived 2 hours away and so we saw her probably about 4 or 5 times a year. She would always bring us candy when her and my Grandpa would come and visit us. I will miss her a lot. I will miss a lot of things about her, but I really will always remember her kindness, her love for children, and her silliness. She really was a little child at heart and she had the cutest giggle. She giggled all the time. She made the best home cooked meals and just loved family time and gathering everyone around her.

Grandma Marie attended Peru State University and received a bachelors in education. During her time at the University she became a track star and received honors and medals for her athletic abilities. My dad always joked that it was no wonder that she could always catch him when he was naughty and he would try to run away!

My Grandma met my Grandpa while a student at Peru. Shortly after they were married she taught school for a short while until they started their family.

The matriarch of our family has returned to her Heavenly home and although we will miss her so much, she is relieved of the infirmities of her body and reunited with dear ones who have since passed years before her.

Here is the eulogy written by my Aunt Joan, the only girl in a family of 4 boys.

"We are here today to celebrate the life of Marie Coupe. She lived a quiet unpretentious life, never any medals, trophies, or commendations, but she did acquire a few titles. That of wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother. Of these she was truly proud.

Her married life began during the days of the Great Depression, but she always worked hard and was ever the faithful wife in good times and bad. As mother, she somehow always had the creativeness and ingenuity to "make do" so that we always had what was needed. As grandmother, she loved to see the grandchildren every chance she got. She was lovingly know to some as Ma, Grandma, and Grandma Doodie.

Her sense of humor often showed itself in quick one-liners. She had a very even personality and rarely spoke ill of others or criticized them. She remained active until she was in her late nineties, playing bingo and pincochle, helping out in the classroom with the little ones at Sacred Heart School. Collecting Campbell soup labels was a past-time that she enjoyed because they could be redeemed for items that the school could use.

This is a just a thumbnail sketch of a great woman who will be missed more than words can tell. God granted her a long life. She made good use of that time here on earth and now we entrust her back to her Maker and the eternal rest she so richly deserves."

I love you Grandma.

I am so BEHIND

Hello everyone! It has been one of the busiest summers ever for me and I haven't made the time to blog (but you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip, can you?). Then I was reading a talk by Elder Richard G. Scott and I have realized that blogging did bring me joy and I am going to attempt to blog at least more often!

This is whatElder Richard G. Scott has said "attempt to be creative for the joy it brings. Select something you like. It engenders a spirit of gratitude. It dispels loneliness and heartache. It gives a renewal, a spark of enthusiasm, and zest for life."

I have always found creative writing to be a challenge for me, so "trying" to be creative by blogging is a good outlet for me as well as leaving a sort of genealogy or journal of sorts for my family.

Stand by for new posts soon!

Thinking Thoughts

Some days my heart yearns to write and blog and post pictures, but I haven't had any time to do it! I have a whole list of things to blog about:

1. Pictures I have had on my camera for the last 3 months.
2. The last play production at North Star.
3. Spirit week at North Star with some very funny pictures.
4. Prom.
5. Ether's open house.
6. Pictures from the Temple when Ether was endowed.
7. Our Utah trip pictures and that whole story!
8. Oh, and our family pictures when we get them back!

I hope that by the time I get around to posting these things, they will not be 6 months old!

I haven't had time to blog because of my forever long list of things to do which I try to work on after I am done working, taxiing the kids around, cooking dinner, helping with homework, and whatever else comes up in between! I get up and 5:00 and go to bed at 10:00 and I still can't get it all done.

1. Writing thank you notes for those who helped us while we were gone on our trip!
2. Call and find out where Marikita's graduaton announcements are since Graduation is 1 month away, yikes!
3. Call for a refill of Marissa's asthma med.
4. Mail invitations for Marikita's graduation party!
5. Work on the Relief Society Newsletter which is due to be handed out this Sunday? Yikes!
6. Call Verizon to cancel Ether's unlimited texting! (he paid for it) but I don't want to pay for it!
7. Call State Farm and have them take Ether off as a driver on our insurance (yay, save money)!
8. Find out why we haven't been getting a bill for our washer and dryer?
9. Try to catch up on the mountain of laundry before my kids don't have anything to wear?!!!
10. Make a menu for the month.
11. Make a new budget for May.
12. Work on a genealogy chart for Ether and mail it to him (he forgot to do it) :)
13. Plan Marikita's graduation party with food and all!
14. Get the garden planted.
15. Go through 3 weeks of mail that I have looked at, but not dealt with yet.
16. Get things ready for a garage sale!
17. Start my exercise program that I can never seem to find for!

I think of new things everyday that get added to this list, so it never ends! Always something to do!
My hearts desire if I didn't have to work........I would take better care of the house, bake more, sew, can, try new recipes, go to lunch with friends, and be free to do more service. What is that saying by Joseph Smith "range the whole world blessing all mankind".....something like that. Maybe one of these days?!!!!

Blessings to you my blogger friends! Love you all!

Nicknames

Doesn't every family have nicknames for each other? I guess I don't really remembering having any at home when I grew up, but hey, it is always nice to start a new tradition isn't it?!!!

I am a person who likes to rhyme, I don't even know why? I guess because it is fun to be silly, so that might explain why I have such silly names for my kids and my hubby.

Ether - when he was a baby I called him "pootie boy." I was walking down the sidewalk to our house carrying him when he was about 6 months old saying to him "you cutey boy, you booty boy, you know doing my rhymin thing going through the alphabet and then I said pootie boy and it stuck! He has to be in a good mood for me to call him that now!! hee hee!!

Marikita - When she was a baby I called her "choo choo". I don't even know where I got that, but that is what I called her especially when I changed her diaper I would talk to her and call her my little choo choo. As she got a little older we called her "Kietsie" and now we call her "kita" for short!

Marissa - When she was a baby I called her "choo chie". I guess I wasn't very creative and it was kind of an extension of Markitia's choo choo name! As she got a little older I started calling her "Reesie." And now we call her Reesa for short!

Gretchen - When she was a baby I called her "Gretchen Grunter" because when she was about 3 weeks old when she would wake up in the morning the first thing she would do would be to grunt. We don't know if she was stretching, pooping or what!!
Now we call her "Gretchy Lou". Her middle name is Louise if that helps to know how that fits!!

Hannah - When she was a baby I called her "Boonie." I know it sounds a lot like Ether's pootie, but that name just stuck for her too!! As she got a little older we started calling her "Hannah Banana." We still call her both of those names!

Pat - When we first got married I called him "Honey"all the time. I guess as an extension to the nickname honey bun I started calling him "Bun." It was a nickname for honey bun so I wouldn't have to say the whole thing!!!! I am sure without even thinking I have called him that in public and I am sure people have wondered about me!

Me - Sadly enough, I don't really have a nickname. Pat does call me "honey" sometimes and the kids either call me "Mom", Mommie, or Momma. BUT, before I was married (my maiden name is Coupe) I got called "Scoop" by one of my very good friends Rich, who also is a rhymer! A good friend of mine (it's a long story) used to call me "Spud Woman" and I called her Silly Millie. On my mission I was called "Scoupe" by one of the Elders short for Sister Coupe.

Happy day to all my sisters from another mister!!!

Musings!!!

When it is time for Hannah and Gretchen to go to bed, Hannah has a bedtime routine that she goes through every single night, unless for some reason she falls asleep and we put her in bed! We put them in bed and tuck them in with their covers, give them a kiss and a hug. Before I can leave Hannah's bedside or even her room this is how the conversation goes:

Hannah: Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!
Me: You too!
Hannah: Have a good dream!
Me: You too!
Hannah: Dont' have a bad dream!
Me: You either.
Hannah: Have a good night!
Me: You too!
Hannah: Don't have a bad night!
Me: You either!
Hannah: Night night!
Me: Night night!
Hannah: Love you!
Me: Love you too!

It is kind of funny and cute and sometimes it can be annoying if I am really tired and I can't wait to get into bed myself!

My Adventure After Hospital Land

I am picking puke green to tell this story because it fits well with what I have to tell you!
I got to do two fun little tests at the hospital on Wednesday which involved one end and then the other. That's all I am going to say! ha, ha, I am leaving you guessing! Anyway.....I had to start on a liquid on Tuesday which consisted of a little bit of jello, chicken broth, and apple juice! Whoppety do!! It wasn't too bad and I didn't get as hungry as I thought I would. Tuesday night I had to drink 6 glasses of some solution to help clean me out. Wednesday morning I had to drink 9 glasses of the same stuff, but this time I had to do it in 3 hours time. That went pretty well! I am thinking to myself as I am heading to the hospital that I will get to eat when all this is done! WRONG!! After my procedures I was a little woozy.....Ether drove me home. On the way home I was envisioning something tastey, something fast foodish! I decided on Burger King. I told Ether, can we stop and get me a chicken sandwich? He honored my request! I was deliriously thinking of eating that chicken sandwich when I got home, but then on the way home I started feeling sick......oh no......by the time I got home I barely made it to the bathroom. Well that was the end of the idea of eating anything. I tried 2 bites, but it came back up. I tried water, still the same result. I slept on and off all night with bathroom bouts in between ridding my body of some more fluids!

I really hate being nauseated! I would almost rather have some pain than have nausea! The funny thing is, I don't know if I was more mad that I was nauseated or that I couldn't eat! I had my heart so set on eating something, but it wasn't to be. I woke up Thursday morning and realized I was feeling pretty snappy! I have a little residue of some wooziness, but I didn't feel sick to my stomach. I tried eating a few crackers.....they stayed down! Yahoo!!! I felt like I was on the homestretch to eat! It was about time.....I finally had something to eat after 58 hours or no solid foods! I think anyone who can go without food or is forced to go without food for that long deserves a medal or something, don't ya think? So next time you have to wait to a little extra time before you can eat for whatever reason, I don't want to hear any whining!

Well needless to say, like any bad experience.....it is all a memory now!!