Greetings Blogging friends!

How the heck are ya??  I feel like I've been out of touch for so long, but it really hasn't been...I've just been busy going back to work.  And boy...have we been busy!  I'm looking forward to this week because we aren't as busy and we might actually get to breath when we get home from work, lol.

Just to aid in that whole breathing thing...today is National Biscotti Day.  Problem is....I like my biscotti with hot chocolate.  That doesn't work when it's hot and I don't want to drink anything hot...sigh.

How do you like your biscotti??

Well...two weeks ago I was at the Ogden Valley Balloon Festival up in Eden.  It was great fun...got some faces painted

..watched the balloons go up...it was awesome!!

and got to spend the weekend with my hubby, so it was all good!

It was also the County Fair - and my painting got second place...sigh.  I have to say that I'm not that excited, there were lots of second place ribbons...  :-/

I liked it...it was a new way of painting with a palet knife for me, and I had fun.  Still need to add the ladybug...but that's easily done.  :)

Well...need to get something else done.  Have a great day!!

Summer Olympics!

Okay - normally I'm a big Olympic fan, as those who have read my blog in the past will attest to (lol). But this year I'm in a bit of a funk over the whole thing.

First - Rio.  Okay, I'm not against  Brazil at all, I think it's awesome that they got the games.  I'm just worried about how this is going to shake out.  Between their struggle to keep security personnel, getting rooms ready for the athletes, and the water issues (let's not even comment on the zitka stuff), I'm worried that this might be a backlash they will suffer from for a while.  I hope the games go well for them and that they profit from them.  I really do.

I'm not looking forward to the opening ceremonies, and I'm not able to record them, so that won't be a worry.  Just an FYI if you were planning on watching them as a family?  They have been billed as the sexiest opening ceremonies ever.  Remember this is the party capitol of the world for carnival type events, and the usual is the less they wear the better.  They toned it down quite a bit in RIO the movie.



I'm also upset (AS USUAL) with the politics behind the games.  sigh.  Already there's a big to do about the Russians and the drug testing... (kind of not really a surprise, but really?)  And then there's the US Women's Gymnastics team that isn't letting the 5th member compete in certain events because of some kind of maneuvering.  I'm wondering if there isn't something about race, but I don't want to go there.  Gabby is a sweetheart, and I don't think she has a lot of say.

My hubby says they ought to take the games back to Greece and leave them there.

I like having them in different countries!  I like seeing bits about their culture.  When our family was younger, we used to commonly eat foods from where ever the games were happening, etc.  We had quite the tea party when they were in England.

However, I do think the world economy is not what it was, and that it's really a struggle for some of these countries to have the cost of the games.  And I think it's ridiculous how much they charge for tickets!!  Is it about the games and the athletes or about how much money they make???

Oh well...I don't continue on that vein, it's not pretty.

So...

If you're like me you're going to end up watching as much of the games as you can (as they're all on tape delay if you don't have cable, dish, or whatever) and enjoying every minute of them.

Try not to plot murder against the stupid judges and just enjoy the evens and the idea that these athletes have dreamed about this moment for years.  Some of them since they were little children.

I think some of the food sounds fun...here's a site that gives some ideas.  I want to try the pastels!!

I want to live like Po

I've been thinking about this post for a long time.  Every time I see KungFu Panda 3, I'm reminded that I want to express some thoughts about it.  Right now I should be painting instead of writing, but that's the way I rock.
Whenever I have a chance to paint, I want to write.  When I should be writing, I want to be cooking.  When I should be doing something is when I typically would rather be doing something else.  Sigh.  It's a terrible cycle.  And when you're an adult, sometimes you just make yourself do things, right?  Because you know you're supposed to...
Well, sometimes.
Anyway - back to my point.
Have you ever thought about the key points of that movie?  Have you ever realized the corollary to the gospel?

In the first one, Po discovers that he doesn't need a secret ingredient to become what he needs to be.  He is already there.  He needs to just realize that he's special on his own.  He didn't need a 'special sauce'.

We don't need anything special to be the best we can be.  We are already children of a God who loves us and only wants us to return and live with him.  There is no secret.  The gospel has been proclaimed world wide for over 2000 years.
Each day is a gift from a loving Father who wants us to CHOOSE to be happy.  To make better
choices each day.

In the second one, he needs to find inner peace to have the strength he needs to over come his past and be content in the present.  What has happened to him made him what he was, but didn't need to make him bitter or angry.
Each of us can choose to be victims of our circumstances, or we can choose to be happy in our lives.  My husband is always telling me that he's amazed by my life - that I'm not a prostitute somewhere or strung out on drugs.  The life of a foster child is not always a happy tale - and mine wasn't all flowers and rainbows.  But I am basically a happy person, and I didn't feel sorry for myself.  I still don't.

 I have ALWAYS felt the love of my Savior and Heavenly Father, even when I was down, deep inside I knew they were there and cared for me.  Despite the mistakes and missteps I made along the way.  (continue to make!)  Po always knew he had a father that loved him, even though he felt the adopted child's desire to know who his true parents were, he managed to overcome that and be happy with the knowledge that he had a loving father and it didn't matter what else had happened to him.
But the last movie pulls them altogether and you realize that it's simple.
Christ told his disciples that they needed to be as a child.  (Matthew 18:3–4).  Many people struggle with that every day.  We have to be innocent?  We have to be simple??  No...we need to remember that LIFE is simple.

Po is always humble!  Even though he's the Dragon Warrior, he's willing to learn.  Always aware that there is more to be explored, and learned.  He is like a child.  Just when you think there's a cool part in the movies, he does something that is just like what you or I would do.  We mess up.  Like when he goes to rescue his friends in the second one and he's standing on the roof with a hat on his head and he's declaring that he's going to stop Shen.  It sounds way cool and inspiring until you are down at the boats and they can't hear him.  He throws the hat and it floats....that kind of stuff.  We think we have it down, and that we're going to be the stuff of heros to the WORLD, and it fails.  Because the world is not what's important.  WE are.  Our learning, our growth. What we can take with us after we leave is what's important.

Po loves his fathers.  Both of them.  Children love their parents!  Sometimes they get mad because they don't get their way, but they love.  I can still hear the chorus of Daddy! my husband would get when he came home.  He'd do a quick shift to the side so they wouldn't all head butt him in the groin, but they knew he loved them back.  It's only now that they are adults that they are confused and lost.  sigh.

While he was discovering what it mean to be a panda, Po experienced life.  He enjoyed EACH DAY!  Children don't live in the can't waits.  I remember as a child I wanted Christmas to come, but I didn't WAIT till it came, life was too much fun.  Every DAY was fun.  What new imaginary thing could I come up with?  What new friend would I meet?  Children are happy to go visit Grandma, go to the park, play with the dog, help mom fold clothes...
We need to be happy in the moment.  Live each day to it's fullest.  You don't want to dwell on regrets...and certainly don't want to add more to the list.

And one of my favorite parts of Panda 3?  We can all become the best US.  His people didn't have to become like Shifu to learn kung fu.  They didn't have to change, just become the best they could at what they did. Po was able to recognize that, and become the teacher he was supposed to be - much like Shifu taught him after discovering there was a difference in his abilities.  Each of us learn in different ways, and each of us have different abilities - gifts - talents.
A child is just learning what those abilities are.  The world is a wide open book full of possibilities.  And children are eager to share, to help, to love.  EAGER.

Once a child learns a skill, they feel confident in it.  They share it.  They use it.  Our challenge is to continue learning, to continue sharing.  We can feel confidence without being prideful.  We can be excited without being boastful.  We can share without being demeaning.
We can be as a child in so many ways...but it's a determination to have Christ in our hearts.  To help him find that child within us.
The child that loves everyone unconditionally.  EVERYONE.  A child that wants everyone to have food, clothes, a home, a family.

Anyway - I'm still not sure this expresses everything I wanted to say and share.  If I've offended anyone, that wasn't my intent.

I hope that you are happy in where you are, with what you are doing and who you are.  (now I sound like YODA, lol)

Remember Jesus Christ loves you.  Have an excellent day.

WATERMELON!!

Okay, all of you who love this fruit, stand up and cheer!  It's watermelon day!  We happen to have a large one we purchased last Saturday, and have been enjoying in small bits...we have a fruit salad going for dinner.  My hubby and I had bowls of it for a snack...got to love it COLD when it's 100 outside.  :)

What's your favorite way to eat it?  Have you had it frozen?  It's awesome.  When I was on my mission I was craving it SOO bad, and we found a health food store (cause like there's one on almost every corner in Oregon, ya know, lol) that had watermelon popsicles!  They were just the thing.

Well...everyone enjoy.  I know we will.

So....It's back to reality...

My daughter commented that it's been three weeks since I've posted, and I apologize...but I've been busy!  lol  First we had the cruise that you've heard about...
and then a lovely birthday party for my cousin in California - can't believe she's 70!  She doesn't look like it...unfortunately, I was brain dead and didn't take any pictures.  sigh.  what's a camera in a phone for again???

Anyway - and then we went to Island Park for about 10 days.  First we took granddaughters up...


They had lots of fun.


So did grandpa, lol


Then the rest of the kids came up and we went to some favorite spot...Mammoth Hot Springs - so awesome!
But it was hot and REALLY crowded as usual, so we didn't do much besides go visit the Buffalo grounds and then head back.


We floated down the river twice this time.  It was soooo nice.  I even have a video clip of the moose...

It was even better because I didn't burn!!  poor hubby got a little red on the legs one of the days, and my youngest son doesn't seem to know how to put it on right the first time, sigh...so some of them got a little crispy.


I just love the flowers up there.  They had so many sego lillies too!  I am thinking about trying to paint some.

Well...only two weeks left till I start work...so have loads to to, as I've been gone so much, lol.  Got to get some food in the house now...  So, have an excellent day!

And just to make it even better...it's National Raspberry pie day...which is soo awesome.  I like a cobbler version in the dutch oven outside, lol.