SUNDY'S SEVEN SABBATH SENTIMENTS - EDITION 9

1.

As I was grocery shopping this week, I stopped to try what I thought was a patriotic Popsicle.  I was so surprised when I tasted the Bomb Pop and it was just like the Slush Pops my Grandma T used to buy for me when I was a kid.  The texture is slushier than a regular Popsicle.  The lady who was sampling the treat suddenly had an excited 40 year old woman who was almost weeping from nostalgia on her hands.  I began to regale her with stories about my fabulous grandmother and how I had to buy a box of these treats so I could share them with my husband and daughters.  I'm sure she was glad of the sale... but a little leery of the crazy woman who couldn't stop gushing over the product.  Yeah.  I'm weird.  (Yes, my daughters loved the "slush pops" as much as I did!)

2.

On Wednesday we had a flash flood and severe storm warning for about an hour....  It was frightening.  We were in Louisville and the sky turned almost black quicker than I could snap my fingers.  Kotten Kandy knew I was scared to drive home in the storm so she suggested we say a prayer before leaving for the 30 minute drive home.  I'm glad we did.  I hydroplaned at least 4 times (and I was driving extremely slow).  Visibility was also close to nonexistent.  Once we were home, safe, inside our little house, I was able to appreciate the lightening and the sound of the pouring rain.  Storms can be beautiful.  Just not so pretty when you are driving in them.

One of the "strange" things about this storm caused me to be a bit upset.  My phone gave me three storm warnings.  Storm warnings, in and of themselves, are NOT something to be upset about except that I never signed up for warnings or anything like that.  It scares me a bit that someone somewhere is able to control my cellphone like that.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised when the NSA is reportedly recording all of our conversations etc.  It kinda upsets me....

3.

The storm caused my friends television to blow out.   So the following day we were not able to work out using the Wii Fitness Trainer like we have been using for over two years.  So....  we decided to do some strength training.  We often lift weights in our workouts and figured we could guide our own workout.  We did.  I hurt.  My muscles are  BURNING!  It has been three days since we lifted the weights and I am still having trouble sitting and standing due to the muscles in my legs hurting.

4.

A few months ago my brother, Ben, and his wife taught me a fun new game called Citadels.  I loved the game and so my daughters and I decided to buy it for Scott for Father's Day.  We've already played it quite a bit as a family.  And now, this week, we have introduced this fun game to our good friends the Bettenhausens, the Schmids, Chris and Hammond.  All of them enjoyed the game also!  The funniest card is the Magician.  We joke that we have to make the face on the card when we use the Magician's powers.  Thanks, Ben, for always finding good games to share with us!

5.

I've written before how much my family has enjoyed the television show, The Mentalist.  I had bought season 1 and we really wanted to finish watching the rest of the episodes but we didn't have money to buy the rest of the seasons.  (We also don't have Netflix, etc.)  Enter:  Ryan.  Ryan works with my husband.  And he's a great guy!  He also is a Mentalist fan and owns all the seasons on DVD.  He lent them to us.  When we finished them we knew we had to thank him BIG.  How better to thank a fellow Mentalist fan than with a Red John cake?!  I know the idea is a bit psychotic.  Our family is OK with that.  And we were pretty proud of the finished product.  When Scott delivered our thank you gift, he reported that Ryan laughed.  I guess I should thank him publicly too... so...   Thank you, Ryan, for feeding our psychotic need to watch serial killers come to justice through a crazy, ex-psychic, self-absorbed, consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation.

6.

Kotten Kandy turned 13 years old this week.  My baby is a teenager!  We had a quiet, yet fun birthday celebration.  She chose to eat her Birthday dinner at the newly opened Panda Express.  (We have really missed Panda Express here in Kentucky but we finally got one that opened this week....  We are sure it was in honor of our beautiful daughter!)

Scott made a great owl cake!  And Key Lime Pie spoiled her sister by getting her The Hunger Game series in hard back.  She was also spoiled by a few great friends including the Bettenhausens and Muffin.  She got some owl jewelry and a few other owl objects.  (Yes, owls are her favorite animal, along with elephants.)

When your baby girl turns 13, it is definitely a time of reflection.  She is an AMAZING girl!  Kotten Kandy loves the gospel and to study church subjects.  She can't wait to serve a mission 6 years.  She is almost done with earning her Personal Progress.  She should be finished by the end of the summer.  Kotten Kandy also loves learning.  She has really taken charge of her own education and is constantly seeking knowledge from great mentors and excellent books.  It is fun to watch her grow and mature.  She is also one of the hardest working people I know.  (She inherited that trait from her father.)  Rarely does she complain when I ask her to do a chore.  And often she goes above and beyond her required work.  I am so blessed to be her mother!

7.

For some reason, this week has been an emotional one for me.  Scott mentioned that my babies (who we have established really aren't babies anymore, but actually teenagers) are probably going to be moving out and growing up with in the next 4-6 years.  (Key Lime Pie wants to graduate a year early (2 years from now) and go to BYU.  Kotten Kandy also wants to go to college... but she's not sure if she wants to work first to fund her mission first.)  When Scott put the time limit on it I felt like I had been hit in the stomach!  I actually cried for a few hours.  I LOVE spending time with my daughters.  I LOVE having them home with me.  I LOVE learning with them and growing with them.  I'm not ready to let them go.  Yes, I know that I have a little time left... but the key word is LITTLE.  They are dynamite girls.  Heavenly Father must really love my husband and I to lend us such beautiful young women to raise.

P.S. Next week my Sundy's Seven Sabbath Sentiments will not be posted until Monday... due to a family camping trip!  :-)

SUNDY'S SEVEN SABBATH SENTIMENTS - EDITION 8

1.

Katia was excited that Wednesday was "one of those days."  She channeled Anne Shirley (from the Anne of Green Gable series) as she exclaimed that it was fun to experience a day when everything seemed to go wrong.  She was thrilled that she got to live through a most unusual day.  (What a strange girl!)

And how was Wednesday crazy?

Well, it began at 5:30 a.m. when we woke up so we could take Scott to the airport.  He left for a week of work meetings in Idaho and visiting with his parents in Utah.  It's always sad to say goodbye (even temporarily) to someone who is such a part of our lives.  We sure do miss him!

My dear friend, Brandi, was scheduled to have her baby on Wednesday, so we decided to help out by babysitting Jolly Rancher.  He is 18 months, and cute as a bug in a rug.  Amy and I decided it would be the perfect day to take the kids to the zoo to await the arrival of Jolly Rancher's baby brother.  After teaching a voice lesson, we took off for the zoo.

Jelly Bean and Key Lime Pie

Jolly Rancher and Kotten Kandy

It was a beautiful, but extremely hot day.  We thought it would be wonderful at the zoo... but unfortunately the YMCA youth summer camp thought the same thing.  There were hundreds of children in groups of 30 running around with teenage chaperons who did NOT know how to handle them.  It caused a LOT of chaos.  And made things a little less fun.  We tried to make the best of it, but the pandemonium was hard to ignore.  Even Jolly Rancher sat on the ground in the middle of the alligator exhibit wanting to shut out the noise and disarray around him.  (I wish I could have done the same thing.)  Jolly Rancher also wouldn't even eat his lunch.  (We had packed a yummy lunch and everyone else enjoyed their noon meal.)  After battling the bedlam for 4 hours we finally left the zoo thinking it would be wonderful to take off for the hospital and meet the new 9 lb. 9 oz. baby that was born around 3:00 p.m.

So...  Jolly Rancher, Marmalade, Kotten Kandy, Key Lime Pie, Jelly Bean, Amy and I took off for Lexington to meet the new arrival.  It's an hour and a half drive... but we were all excited to meet the baby.  Unfortunately, we didn't know that Marmalade and Jelly Bean would not be alloud to see the newborn because of their age so they made the long trek for nothing.  The other problem?  We got lost and went to the wrong hospital (the VA hospital).  It wouldn't have been so bad if Jolly Rancher hadn't gotten sick.  He threw-up as we were were driving around the VA hospital trying to find the labor and delivery building....  With Jolly Rancher crying and me trying to navigate and Amy trying to drive and Kotten Kandy trying to clean up as we find a place to park, it was again another tumultuous moment.

We finally found the hospital.  We passed Jolly Rancher off to his father who took him to the ER and discovered that he had a stomach virus.  We went to see the beautiful baby and spent an hour or so "oohing" and "ahhing" over his adorableness.  We left the hospital at 8:30ish p.m.  None of us had eaten.  We were exhausted and wiped out.  And we still had two hours until we got home.

So... we stopped to eat.  The final dramatic moment of the day was when my eldest daughter spilled her entire milk shake all over herself and her sister.  We got home and fell into bed at 11:30 p.m.  Glad to finally sleep....

2.

Saturday was a much nicer day.  The weather was beautiful (albeit HOT and HUMID.)  Key Lime Pie, Kotten Kandy and I decided to clean out the garage for our father/husband.  I think he'll be excited when he gets home and has a lot of stuff cleaned out and gone.

After our garage overhaul, we got Kotten Kandy a much needed haircut.  Then:  Kotten Kandy, Key Lime Pie, Muffin and I decided we needed to get our craft on.  There is nothing better than crafting with friends - and my daughters are two of my bestest friends EVER!  We made firecrackers.  And each turned out so individual and cute!  I love how they turned out.  (Sorry I didn't get a picture of my project... just the girls!)

3.

We have a turtle in our pond.  I've tried and tried to get a picture of our little friend, but he's shy.  We also have tadpoles.  It really is fun to have all of these little creatures greet us every morning.

4.

Each week another, new flower blooms outside my door.  I LOVE it!  Isn't this purple flower a beauty?

5.

We just finished reading The Eye of Moloch by Glenn Beck.  It was a fun thriller book.  MUCH better than the first book in the series.  We listened to it together the past couple of days.

The Eye of Moloch is a frightening story of government surveillance/police state out of control.  Information is power.  In the wrong hands it becomes a weapon to destroy the US Constitution and man's freedom.

Molly Ross and her small band of patriots are the only thing that stands between freedom and tyranny.  They are the only ones who understand what is really happening and are doing something about it.  Yet because of the power of the surveillance state and false information coming from a compliant price, her group is being portrayed as traitors and are being hunted down as enemies of the state.

The Eye of Moloch is a modern day version of George Orwell's 1984 (which I am actually currently reading... and there are lots of parallels.)  Orwell published his book in 1949 when the ideas of Big Brother, double-think, thought-crime and news compliance must have seemed way out in the future to readers of his day.  The Eye of Moloch describes a surveillance state that is already upon us.  Fiction has been revealed as fact in the last few day with the revelations of the NSA collecting and storing information on all communications.  It's really scary....

6.

Friday we got to see Man of Steel.  It was patient appreciation day at Braces Braces Braces where Key Lime Pie got her braces.  They rented the theater and allowed their patients and families to watch a movie.  We chose to see the new Super Man, Man of Steel.

We enjoyed it.  It was cheesy to the max, and completely silly.  But we thought it was fun.  I literally laughed out loud when the evil villain says, "There's only one way this is going to end.  Either you die or I do!"

As I watched I decided that Man of Steel is Independence Day meets Batman with an arch nemesis conflict.  Key Lime Pie and Kotten Kandy also concluded that Super Man was really good lookin'!  :-)

7.

I LOVE water!  But only if it's ICE cold!  I like more ice than water though.  It's gotta be COLD!!!!  I can't get enough water lately.  I seem to drink glass after glass after glass of it.  I guess that's a good thing.  My body must need it.  Bring it on!  :-)

SUNDY'S SEVEN SABBATH SENTIMENTS - EDITION 7

I should  probably call this post the Young Women's Camp edition of Sundy's Seven Sabbath Sentiments!

1.

Key Lime Pie, Kotten Kandy and I left for girls camp on Tuesday.  Our ward took seven girls and two leaders.  We had a blast!

Top Row:  Muffin, Avocado and Skittles

Bottom Row:  Me, Kotten Kandy, Dipping Dots, Key Lime Pie and Roxy

2.

Our theme was Tangled.  We had pillowcases, shirts, and frying pans to celebrate!  One of the best investments I made was to purchase the Tangled Soundtrack.  We listened to it daily and the girls loved it!  There was no complaining about the music and it made waking up easier too.  Our theme made camp a lot of fun!

Skittles and Kotten Kandy with their frying pans....

3.

Kotten Kandy, Avocado, Jan, Jane, Key Lime Pie, Skittles and Muffin

My favorite part of girls camp was when Jan Melanson and Jane Snow came up for our ward dinner/cook out.  The girls made hobo dinners.  Key Lime Pie took care of the fire and Kotten Kandy headed up the prep work (ie. cutting potatoes, etc.)  The food was delicious!  The company was superb!  And the banana boats for dessert were amazing!

Key Lime Pie and Her fire

Kotten Kandy cutting potatoes

4.

Muffin (Ron) & Key Lime Pie (George) & Fred

Fred & Muffin & Kotten Kandy & Avocado & Key Lime Pie (George) & Skittles

The girls also went canoeing and did service (making blankets for a rest home).  They passed off their assignments and have both graduated to the next year of camp.  Next year, Kotten Kandy will be a 2nd year and Key Lime Pie will get to go on the 4th year hike!

Kotten Kandy & Dipping Dots

Muffin & Key Lime Pie & Skittles

Avocado

Fred & George with their chalkboard notebooks

The 3 Stooges:  Kotten Kandy, Avocado & Skittles

Fred, George and Jenny Weasley

5.

Kotten Kandy was really excited that one of the YCC leaders, Emily, was able to braid her hair.  She thought it was way to short to be able to braid, but Emily was a magician!  And Kotten Kandy was really excited about the results.

6.

Key Lime Pie spoke in church today.  She did a beautiful job.  She talked about the roles of fathers and how her own dad was an amazing example of being a father.

7.

Speaking of Dads, I am blessed to know three exceptional fathers:  Scott (my husband), Grandpa Mac (aka. my Dad), and Grandpa D (aka. Dad DeGooyer).  They truly make my life wonderful!  Thank you for being a part of my life... and thank you for your examples and constant encouragement!

BE BRAVE

This song made me smile!  I want my daughters to be brave!  :-)

SUNDY'S SEVEN SABBATH SENTIMENTS - EDITION 6

It has been a FUN and EVENTFUL week.

1.

We decided that we needed a day to celebrate being girls!  So we invited two of our dear friends: Milk Duds and Marmalade over for chick flicks (Ella Enchanted and Tangled).  We also made bandanna purses.  It was loads of fun.  The day was completed with a trip to McDonalds (where even my two teenage daughters played on the toys) and drinking Icees!  The purses turned out adorable.  And all the girls had a great time!

2.

Wednesday was a Zoo Day!  We joined our friends the Bettenhausens and the Dasguptas for a trip to look at the animals.  It couldn't have been a more perfect day.  The kids were so much fun and well behaved.  The weather was comfortable.  And having two teen-aged daughters at the zoo was as much fun as taking them when they were younger.  They were a HUGE help with the younger children.  I'm blessed with amazing daughters!  We only got to go to about a fourth of the zoo, but since Amy got season passes (and included my daughters as her own children on her pass - because she didn't want to ever go without them) we will be going back again and again to see the rest.  This trip included the giraffes, elephants, zebras, rhinos and a petting zoo.  I don't want to bore you with all the pictures I took (only 89) so here are just a few of my favorites featuring Key Lime Pie and Kotten Kandy.

3.

If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know how much I love flowers and taking pictures of flowers.  Right now the most beautiful flowers are blooming in front of my small pond.  Aren't they gorgeous?  I love the pinks and purples... but that orange just pops too.  Don't you think?

4.

We are getting ready for girls camp this week.  Our theme is tangled.  I'm using this image with the quote:  "Live the Life You Imagined... You are the Daughter of a Heavenly King."  I also made the cutest frying pans with the girls' initials for decorating the camp.  The poster: "Frying Pans!  Who knew? Right?" will accompany them!  I'm getting excited!!!!

5.

I've been working on the Christmas Sacrament Meeting Program for the past couple of weeks.  I think it's coming along.  I always need to work on it early so we can start practicing for it in September.  I'm really excited because I arranged "For Unto Us a Child Is Born" for a Violin Trio with Cello (no vocalists).  (We have 3 talented violinists in our ward - including Key Lime Pie, and a young cellist.)  It should be cool....

6.

The Ensign came this week.  I have been enjoying the articles immensely.  But my favorite article this month is:  Nine Principles For a Successful Marriage and Family by Jennifer Grace Jones.  As I read it, I felt the truthfulness of these principles.  We have tried to teach them to our own children throughout the years.  The principles are GREAT ones!  They are:  1. Faith.  2. Repentance.  3. Prayer.  4. Forgiveness.  5. Love  6. Respect.  7. Compassion.  8. Recreation. and  9. Work.

7.

Scott turned 40 yesterday!  We celebrated quietly, but effectively.  I made a Better-Than-Sex-Cake (his favorite).  I also got him a dutch oven.  Kotten Kandy got him a Kindle Fire and Key Lime Pie got him the game Werewolves.  We had lunch at Red Robin and spend the rest of the day working together.  Scott and the girls finished planting the tomato plants in our bucket garden, and then we cut tubes for CPS.  At one point the Bettenhausens and Hammond surprised us by coming over with cake and ice-cream.  They are such good friends!  It was a good day.
The best part of Scott's birthday?  I got to tell him how wonderful he is!  He is an amazing husband and father.  He is a fabulous priesthood holder.  He is selfless and a hard worker.  I am soooooooooooooooo blessed to have him as my eternal companion!  I love you, Scott DeGooyer!