Monday, August 31, 2009











Well, what do you do on your day off, is a popular question, this weekend was no exception. I feel so worn out and tired that I need another weekend to recover.


I have loved attending the farmer's market down at Thanksgiving Point. This week I picked up some pears and peaches to bottle. I had still not heard about my pickling cucumbers that I had ordered from a local farm stand so I decided to stop by on the way home, and they had picked the cucumbers that morning. As I was leaving I noticed some apples that they had marked for $3 a box because they had been bruised by a hail storm a week before so I had to buy 2 boxes of those too! So I thought I had my work cut out for me. On Saturday morning I got up and made 4 batches of strawberry jam, I got a call from another local farm stand that I had asked to be put on her wait list for pickling cucumbers (thinking that the other place was not going to work out). This lady had picked extra especially for me to help me out, so I felt like I had to take those too. So 50lbs of cucumbers make a lot of pickles, then apples for applesauce and bottled pears and peaches, it was so much fun. The last batch of bottles came out at 11:54pm and then off to bed. Needless to say the day was full of fun, and lots and lots of work.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Salt Lake City Cemetry


The Girls at President Hinckley's Grave and their new Virtue Flag where they have made a commitment to be Virtuous!
The Girls at Sunset pointing out the Temples, Jordan River, Draper, and our very own Oquirrh Mountain



Everyone at President Hinckley's Grave, where we shared memories of him and what we loved about him in addition to talking about the 6 B's At the park eating our "sack dinner's" and gourmet cupcakes! They were delicious!
Overall I think this activity was awesome. We helped the girls fulfill another Virtue Value experience and had time to talk with them about some really serious stuff while at the same time having fun! We got to get rubbing of President Hinckley's grave and the girls got to feel the spirit, which of course is the most important. I loved this activity and hope that we can go back the the cemetery and have a scavenger hunt of the famous graves, better write that down before I forget!



Thursday, August 20, 2009

Popcorn Fun




So Tuesday night we had the YW over for an activity of "Parable of the Popcorn". We had a lot of fun talking about the girls potential and how they chose how to react to situations. We also made gourmet popcorn. By the end of the night the girls all had a favorite popcorn and they all took a little bit home! I had a great time and I am sure that they did too! They did too, looking at the pictures! I have included a recipe for the "Munch" popcorn, it was a hit and is done in the microwave and you can add just about what ever you want to it!

"Munch" Popcorn
1/2 c butter
1/2 c karo syrup
1 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Combine all ingredient's and cook for 3 minutes in a microwave safe bowl, stirring after each minute.
Add
1/2 tsp of baking soda
Continue cooking for 2 more minutes and pour over 2 batches of air-popped popcorn (this is 1 cup of uncooked popcorn) or about 22-24 cups of popped popcorn.
Can add just about anything to the hot mixture before pouring over the popcorn. M&M's, nuts, Reese's Pieces, trail mix etc...

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Sleepless Night

Have you ever just wanted to give someone a hard time and it blew up in your face, and then you were so mad at them, and then mad at yourself that you couldn't sleep all night because you felt bad about it now?

Last night I had a fight with my mom about the stupidest (is that a word), thing. I had YW over for gourmet popcorn and she asked if she could have some, I jokingly said "Did you make me dinner?" needless to say she got mad and went and got a healthy choice ice cream bar and really would not even talk to me. She had good reasons to be mad because she did make dinner (hamburgers) and I did not want them so I had bread with avocado on it. Also she had been home all day sick and was not feeling well, and I am sure that my smarta** comment didn't make her feel any better.

I tried to sleep and I just kept replaying it in my head over and over again and now I feel bad, so you know what that means----Eat crow and tell her I am sorry. I hate that part, I am not good at saying I am sorry, but I will let you know how it goes.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Girls Camp summary

Well, finally some time to reflect on my time at girls camp. What a wonderful experience, President Hinckley must have been truly insprired to build the camp in Heber. It was wonderful not having to worry about keeping ice on food to keep it cold, or worrying about animals getting into the food or where we had to bring water from etc... I felt like we were really able to relax and focus on the girls and their relationships with each other and their needs. With the Yurts we were not worried about rain or lightening or thunder. They had wonderful activities and overall we just had so much fun!

The highlights for me were the Challenge course, the lake and the game Quelf.

The Challenge course was a variety of different activities put together so that the girls would learn how to work together and how to trust each other. I got to go around and take pictures of the girls, I also go to participate in the Zip-line and the Partner walk. Most of you know that I am afraid of heights so climbling up a 30 foot log, crossing another 30 foot log and zip-lining down a 100 yard line. Needless to say I was nervous, but I had challenged the girls in our cabin to atleast try everything! It was awesome! I was so glad that I did it, I think the more I do things that scare me the more I can accomplish! The partner walk was also fun, and thanks to Sister Farley, we both made it to safety!

The Lake was my reassurance that God works in very real ways. Several leaders went about in a canoe splashing everyone they knew. Funny how they made too sharp of a turn and everyone ended up in the water! Karma, fate, godly intervention, whatever you want to call it, it was really great! During our hour on the lake they have a 2 minute quiet time. It was so neat to sit in the paddleboat and just take in the beauty and nature around me. The sound of the water, the birds, the green of the trees, the majesty of the mountains everything just became overwhelming. What a wonderful spirit was there, I wanted to sit there for more time, but as soon as the 2 minutes where up, everyone started again.

As for the game of Quelf, if you have not played you must! It is truly an amazingly funny and random game that really puts you out of your comfort zone. Most of you know that I don't like acting out and doing weird things, but after this game I feel like I could really do anything! To start out my first experience my first card told me that for the remainder of the game I would have to include the word Bleep or Bleepity in every sentence that I used! I had to laugh everytime someone new would come through the door and ask why I kept saying Bleepity this and Bleepity that! My favorite was when Sister Hill had to play the game as if she did not have any arms! I had to laugh when one of the girls decided that she needed to eat a cookie, or when she was hot, how someone else had to take off her jacket!

Overall, my best experience was the break-through that I had while sitting at the table early in the morning reading a conference talk about service, I think that I finally came to a realization that service is not just service projects or things you make and take to people, but everyday stuff from the hello in the morning, to the holding the door for a patient in the clinic. Everything that we do for others is service in some way! I have always just thought about big things and not realized that sometimes it is the small things that count. It maybe a compliment that really brightness someones day etc... I think you get what I am saying, I had never really realized that, and sitting in the splendor or God's house and reading words from one of God's appointed really just hit me hard, I felt overcome with emotion and the spirit that even thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes. What a wonderful experience!

Well, I had a wonderful time, at a wonderful place with wonderful people.

Friday, August 14, 2009

I survived!


Well all is well! I survived my first girls camp and had a really great time! Here are a few pictures, I will hopefully be able to post more in a couple of days!


Anyone know who these crazy girls are?



Service project! Splitting wood for the campers!














This is the whole group of us!



All and all it was lots of fun!
Becky

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Great to see everyone


Well I am a little late but always worth the wait. On Tuesday I was able to go to dinner with Brooke, Pat, Cheri, Kristy, and Bree. We ate at Paradise Bakery (one of Brooke's favorites) and since she is only in town every so often we always eat somewhere she wants. Also she is usually the most picky eater, so we try to go somewhere where she can find something to eat. And who doesn't like Paradise Bakery!


Always good to talk and catch up with what is going on in every ones lives. Brooke is counting down the last 18 months of Greg's schooling, and I can't say I blame her! South Dakota would not have been my first choice but she is surviving and having a fair bit of fun I think!


I have been really busy being an old fashion lady this week. I have put up about 5 batches of apricot jam, 16 bottles of apricot halves, 12 bottles of apricot puree, 20 bottles of apricot syrup, and 10 bottles of green beans.


The apricots came from Grandpa Wood's HUGE apricot tree! I think I got about 3-4 bushels of fruit from him and there was still tons left on his tree!


I have had so much fun remembering what it was like to bottle and can and make jam with Grandma Wood. She is quite the women, I forgot that she told me about sterilizing the jars in the dishwasher and then putting them in the oven to keep them hot! She had hands of steel because she use to take them out with her hands, I tried that and even with a had towel I thought my hands would burn right through. I really learned a lot, and now that I am doing that again I am starting to remember what I learned all those years ago in her kitchen.


I dropped so syrup and zucchini bread off to them today, and I makes me so sad to realize that she doesn't know who I am, and that after I leave she is not going to remember that I was there. It is depressing to see her now, I know how important it is that I go, but the rides home, crying are just really hard.


I am getting ready for a fun fun time at girls camp and I can't wait to see how everything turns out! I should have lots of pictures this weekend or next week when I get back. So until then, I will see you later.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

What a day


Have you ever thought you had a bad day only to learn at a later date that it wasn't as bad as the day you just had? Today was that day, I woke up at 2 am with a migraine headache, I should have just called in sick then, but I decided it was not so bad so I got up at 4 and got ready to go. I went to change the electrodes from my heart monitor when I find out I don't have any more (good thing I didn't pull the old ones off). I then went upstairs to package the zucchini bread that I made yesterday for the freezer only to find the last loaf broke in half leaving the bottom in the pan. Do you see where I am going with this? I then get ready to go to work, grab a plastic bottle thing and fill it with chocolate milk (an almost daily occurrence) and head out the door. I get to work and start doing films for the Dr when I decide that I am thirsty so I go to open my chocolate milk when the bottom of the plastic container breaks open spilling 24 oz of chocolate milk all over my desk, computer, phone, purse, floor and last but not least me. All over my new cute shirt, pants, shoes, socks etc.... Now you can see how good my day had started, I almost wanted to cry, I didn't but I wanted to. After spending 30-45 minutes cleaning up chocolate milk I had to go home, so call my boss who says just stay home. I guess it could have gotten worse but I didn't want to stay around to find out. You can't see how bad the pants are in the picture, but check out the stain on the floor.