Jonah Turns 12 Fun

Yesterday we made the 12 hour drive to Kirkland, Washington and arrived just in time for cake. What can I say - We love ice cream cake and it was yummmmmy. We kidded Jonah that we would come a long ways for a good piece of cake. In truth though, we feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend some birthday time with Jonah. How we love this boy!

Great smile!
Natural wit.
Handsome.
Helpful.
First Class Scout.
"Faith in God" recipient.
Appreciates a good hike and loves to camp.
Good student.
Great work ethic.
Loves his brothers and sister.
Loves sports - may we say he is a natural athlete with a willingness to apply himself - great combination.

We are so grateful for a wonderful grandson.

I am grateful to live free!

While very disappointed in the vote for Obama/Biden, I am nonetheless ready to sustain our new president and am committed to do all I can to continue to work for freedom's cause. I pray for President Elect Obama's wisdom in choosing his cabinet and the sharpening of his vision as he faces the great challenges of our times. I am saddened and disgusted at the hateful treatment of President Bush these past eight years and want no part in such a shameful demeanor towards our new President to be.

President Bush has given much to this country. He saw us through devastating times and in spite of the tremendous financial hits of 9-11 and Katrina, he and his cabinet have somehow managed to keep us a float. I find that remarkable. I wish Congress would have responded favorably to him five years ago when he urged them to intervene in the looming Fannie Mae/Freddi Mac catastrophe. The arrogant lack of response I lay directly at the feet of Congress.

I am most profoundly grateful that President Bush has led the defense of this country in such a way as to keep us free of further terrorist attacks. Looking at history preceding his presidency, this too is remarkable. In prior years we endured one terrorist attack after another. President Bush also led the cause of freedom for the Iraqi people. I pray they will continue to grow in the light of this freedom. It is good to have the possibility of an true ally in the Middle East. Thank-you President Bush and Laura for your noble leadership. Thank-you for your faithfulness to the God of this free land. It was not about what would make you "popular." It was about what was right.

How grateful I am for the success of Propositions 8 in California and 102 in Arizona protecting marriage. For me this is not about wanting to prevent the freedom of others to live as they choose. It has nothing to do with hate. It is about my deepest held convictions and my freedom of religion. I would be first in line to defend gay couples' civil rights, however marriage is a religious institution and the family the very pillar of our society. The need for this protection of marriage was for me the greater issue in this campaign cycle. Children are entitled to having a father and a mother. That is how a child is created and the protection of the natural family is critical to the strength of a society. Parents must be free to teach children according to the values of their faith. Again this is not a hateful belief. Things are not always perfect in this world but still we bear responsibility to do all we can to promote the welfare of children. I only pray that with the changes to the Supreme Court that are sure to come, the voice of the people will not be overthrown.

God bless America. God bless our fellow citizens and God bless President Elect Obama and all those elected and appointed to serve.

Wisdom from the pen of Thomas Jefferson

"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them."

"In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."

"A wise and frugal government . . . shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall have them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government."

The Girl's a Champ!

You Go Girl! (Alyssa is wearing the blue mawashi)
Hey - You gotta celebrate a victory earned!!

Terrorist Moski Toe apprended sneaking across border ...

S.W.A.T. agent Miss Alyss was quick to pick up on the devilish look in the eye of Moski Toe as he attempted to cross the Canadian Border into Montana. Commendation for bravery in the line of duty is sure to be awarded in a special ceremony this evening at the Idaho Falls YSA Halloween festivities.

We are free to choose . . .

Freedom is a God given right to every one of his children. Sadly many are denied freedom in this world where evil at times prevails. Those who are blessed to live in freedom bear a sacred responsibility to their brothers and sisters around the world. We must live gratefully by promoting and defending the liberties of those who yearn for it. One of the most touching pictures from the past couple of years showed Iraqi women holding up their blue ink stained fingers. Their faces radiated with the joy of a personal vote. I am deeply thankful for the young men and women who have stepped up and volunteered in the fight for the cause of freedom.

May we do our part this coming Tuesday by informed voting with an eye on the ramifications of that vote. The Supreme Court hangs in the balance. The free market that has brought prosperity to this country and blessed us with the wealth to make a difference around the world through our charity and defense of the freedoms of others is also in peril. The right to worship according to the dictates of our own conscience is at risk. God bless us as we exercise our rights. God bless the USA and may we continue to be a blessing to those who only dare to dream of the freedoms we hold dear.

The rest of the wedding pics . . .

http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1439446&id=643121783

Don't you just love a Wedding?

With all of the commotion of Alyssa coming home from Portugal September 26th, we left our camera in the car for Jaelyn and Leslie's wedding at the Salt Lake Temple that morning. Thankfully we now have some pictures to remember the beautiful day.





Jaelyn and Leslie Petrie













The Petrie Family minus Jarius who we really missed. Somehow I think Jordan was feeling the joy of the day. How we love this dear family.

The wedding party gathered on the steps of the temple.

Yummy Cake

Some of you have requested the recipe for this yummy Appalachian Blackberry Cake that I made for mom's birthday.

1/2 c shortening*
2 c sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp allspice
2 & 1/2 c sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 c blackberries, drained juice reserved.**

*I used butter instead of shortening to be a little healthier, and we used a blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry mix of frozen fruit. **Since it was frozen and not canned, I boiled the fruit a little bit to make it cooked like canned fruit would be. You can probably use fresh fruit as well--we just couldn't find any.

Cream together shortening, sugar, and egg yolks until smooth. Add dry ingredients. (It will be a VERY dry batter at this point. It looked like powder actually. Don't stress.) Add berries. Mix well. This is when it is moister. The berries are the main liquid in the batter, some berries will be mushed since they are cooked. If it is not moist enough, add some of the reserved juice. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes

There was a 7 minute icing suggested for the cake, but it was super sweet and detracted from the cakey goodness. I would serve it with either a vanilla or butter pecan ice cream instead. It's got a dry coffee cake/crumb cake kinda texture, so it would probably make a good breakfast bread/cake as well.

Thanks for the help with the questions Cam!!
Love ya from Alyssa

P.S. - This was genuinely one of the best cakes I have ever tasted. I would not have it for breakfast but you know me - DO YOUR BODY A FAVOR - LESS SUGAR!! I would enjoy this cake with fresh whipped cream. Mom :o)

I've had a wonderful day.

Thanks to my dear family and friends. I am blessed.

Proud Mama Bragging Rights

Our son-in-law Steve is known as "Vorian" in the Linux world. For those of you who do not know, Linux is an open source operating system that many use instead of Windows. Currently Steve is working in a team with five others on a new release of Kubuntu due out October 30th. The Machine Crusade added to my blog list is his "Vorian" blog. For fun you can Google "Vorian" and see what comes up.

Take Time to be Holy

I awoke early this cold, snowy Sabbath day and turned on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for a little warmth. They sang an Irish folk hymn written in 1882 by William D. Longstaff. How I love beautiful expressions of faith and this hymn reflects the song of my heart. God bless your Sabbath and fit each of you for the weeks ahead:

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

I love America!

I am disheartened by the power of money and celebrity in this country. We have allowed them to define good men and women in ways that are destructive. At the same time many fall in step as they promote those who will advance their special interests.

This promotion is clever. Good people are not willing to know substantively what stands the candidate will take. Some just want to "love and be loved". We allow ourselves to be carefully led down a path to the destruction of our liberties and freedoms.

There are three candidates from the two major parties in the race for President and Vice President who seem to me to be very honest. The fourth has been protected and covered for - promoted heavily by many in Hollywood and the liberal media - those who "really know what is best" for our country. There is no doubt who they want for our President. Are we not painfully aware at how these same people degrade and demoralize our values and liberties.

We can choose substance over celebrity!

I Remember: Blast from the Past

My niece JoDee just experienced one of those near panic situations with a missing three year old. Of course the child was enjoying herself thoroughly while momma was desperately searching. Reading her experience brought back a memory from my
young mom days.

When Carey was very young she seemed to disappear. I had been folding clothes on the kitchen table and had walked back to the bedrooms to put things away. When I came to the front of the house she was gone.

I looked everywhere in the house twice over and called for her repeatedly. To that point she had not been able to open the front door but all I could think was possibly she had figured it all out and was gone.

After what seemed an eternity I called Claigh at work and mobilized the few neighbors who were at home in the middle of the day to find her. One had seen an unfamiliar beat up van drive through the neighborhood.

When I went inside to call the police, I first knelt down in the bedroom to plead with Heavenly Father to help me know what to do. As I got up and walked down the hall to the phone, I had a strong impression to open the closet door. This was a small linen closet, shelves filled with linens and packed full. I opened the door and there she was with her hand on the inside door knob, big blue eyes looking up with glee. Really there was just enough room for her body to stand upright smashed between the door and the shelves AND she had been still there for so long! Carey was thrilled at her "hide and seek" success and I was tearfully relieved.

Children are a worry and a joy.

Back home from Salt Lake City and Ready to Get Busy -

We had a whirlwind couple of days in Salt Lake City and I am definitely ready to get on top of things here on the home front. It was good to meet two more of Alyssa's former missionary companions, Emily Olsen and Christina Early who are now attending BYU. We also got to do a delivery to Arminda who moved to Salt Lake City from Portugal recently. She and her husband Tom are expecting a baby girl in February. What a delightful woman! And her two daughters Vanessa and Nadia are every bit as beautiful as their mother. I marvel at how well they are learning English. Thanks for the bolo Arminda. A visit to the Petrie's was delightful as usual with yummy soup and bread and fresh peaches to boot. How we love this family. Unexpectedly Great Aunt Jessie and Kathy hadn't left for Canada yet and so we were blessed to have a little more time with them. (The time at the wedding was limited.)

Amazingly we did accomplish all of the "need to's" and now Alyssa has her temple clothes, a cute new outfit and new skirt and we were able to run all of the errands (which were many including purchases and gift deliveries) for those left behind in Portugal. Thankfully Zion's Bank was able to do currency conversion and we were able to find exactly the shoes one of the sisters wanted Alyssa to buy for her. Alyssa was particularly happy to find a Hindi bible for a friend whose current bible had a mix of Hindi and Sanskrit which made it difficult for her to understand. Now Mandeep will have a bible in her native tongue to enjoy. Alyssa was also able to get a Hindi Book of Mormon for a man who is Hindu that she met on one of her flights home. We covered a lot of ground for a 24 hour period of time. We were grateful Claigh was also in Salt Lake for business so we had a nice hotel room to crash in.

Sadly, even though I did remember to bring the camera, I forgot to get it out and take pictures. :o( There was just too much packed into a very short time but the memories are wonderful.