Author: Angela

I write so my family will always have letters from home.

Baking with the kids

Daniel decided to take a photo of our cookie baking adventures last week. The kids cut out maple leaves, pumpkins, acorns, and ghost shapes.

The kids really enjoy decorating with royal icing. They came up with some beautiful designs.

The end.

The Exchange Project

I’ve been exchanging computer time for other things. It’s a good project but the results are slow in coming. I mean the results I fabricated when I started this exchange project… surely my hand-picked results would be the outcome???!! Not so, readers. Even when you replace good with better it’s not up to you to determine the outcome. I know this is vague and boring. The lesson in a nutshell: You can’t choose your outcomes, especially when outcomes involve other people with free will.

I originally intended to exchange computer time for violin and other pursuits. I still haven’t fiddled, but I have been

  • reading
  • baking
  • visiting
  • decorating
  • shopping
  • event planning
  • going to bed

What were my intended results? They’re too outlandish to admit.

 

Daniel’s birthday party

I thought we were going to have an easy birthday party for Daniel. We planned to meet his friends at the pizza restaurant up the street and we would stuff ourselves, sing, and go home. We had to change plans when the restaurant told us that “buffet night” is not the best time to try to get seating for a party at their restaurant. In normal towns with more than one boy-friendly restaurant, you could just go somewhere else. It is not so easy in Sahuarita.

We decided to do takeout and hold the party on the back patio. I spent the afternoon on the ladder, hanging lights and festive things. This is what I really enjoy doing, though, so I didn’t feel too sorry for myself.

There was no time to make up creative party games, so we pulled out Twister. It was a hit.

B. always seemed to get trapped.

We ate dinner under the lanterns. Richard is rolling his eyes that I didn’t adjust the settings on the camera before taking this. This is why people hire photographers when they are trying to host a party.

Who needs fancy party games when you can jump on the trampoline?

It’s not recommended that you let 5 boys jump on the trampoline in the dark all at once, but when they’re holding glow sticks, it’s pretty spectacular to watch. We let them do this for about 2 minutes.

Red velvet cake and cheesecake. Yum!

Fall break

Paige and I spent the day at Youth Conference on Saturday. Here’s a video of the service project we did in the morning. We cleaned up the community garden at the park behind our church. Paige is interviewed in the film but she wants people to know that she didn’t take that long of a pause when she was talking.

httpv://youtu.be/0nuxvy0JA0Q

At Church yesterday, Daniel was ordained a Deacon. The little boys practiced giving their talks for the Primary program. Richard, Paige, and I went to a handful of meetings before church. I taught in Young Women. We got home from church around 7:00. Paige made dinner. I collapsed on the bed in my dress and awoke this morning at 6:30. Somebody put the kids to bed but it wasn’t me.

It’s fall break for the public schools this week. I’m going to watch the rye grass grow and the hummingbirds visit our feeder in the backyard. We are taking a vacation from school and I’ll be preparing assignments and reading ahead in the textbooks.

 

I think I felt Christmas

Angie 1977

The winds came through , blowing cool air and sending us to our closets for sweaters. As I taxied kids around town yesterday the old brain registered the overcast skies, wind, and cool temperatures as holiday weather. A little leap in my heart signaled the end of my summer misery. I felt Christmas and hope and lights and music all at once.

Eggnog is available in stores now. It’s a staple for Mark from October through December.

I’ve got some presents purchased and stashed in corners. I love that.

The weather will warm up again, but I’m thankful to be cool outside for the first time in a very long time.

Acceptable

“There are many of the sisters whose labors are not known beyond their own dwellings and perhaps not appreciated there, but what difference does that make? If your labors are acceptable to God, however simple the duties, if faithfully performed, you should never be discouraged.” -Eliza R. Snow

Priesthood Session age 12

Daniel and Richard are posing patiently so I can begin the chronicle of Daniel’s rise in height during the next few years. Paige and I have our photo taken before General Young Women meetings, so I’m starting the tradition of photographing Daniel and Richard each October before the General Priesthood meeting. They went out for pizza with his Young Men leaders after the the broadcast. He said to Richard as they drove away from dinner, “I think this is going to be a good year.”

Dan Man

Here’s the person of the day. He’s smart, creative, athletic, handsome, and carries tools.

I call him Dan Man…even though I don’t really want him to be a man just yet.

Daniel is missing in a lot of our photos because he’s usually blazing the trail for the rest of us. It’s nice to have a boy who is independent but will still give me a hug at night before bed.

He’s twelve and he’s a good boy. I feel so blessed to have him in our family.

2/3

We went to a Be Smart CES fireside last night to hear representatives from Church schools discuss what it takes to be admitted. It was inspiring. Most information presented was not applicable to home schoolers, though. As I looked around the room, there were many of us there, hoping for a more information.

I talked to the recruiter after the meeting and learned that all of the records, hour logs, lab notebooks, carefully and honestly scored tests, assignments, papers, literature lists, and carefully-selected textbooks will not really be considered. For home schoolers (using a non-accredited curriculum), two thirds of the selection process will come down to an ACT or SAT score. Period. The other third will be extra-curriculars and other factors: ecclesiastical endorsement, music, (dance), leadership, service, and “unique” factors (which I hope will include a perusal of our work). A home schooled student will need to have a 27 on the ACT to be considered for BYU. Now for BYU Idaho, they want to see a GED, which is a little insulting, but it can be done.

This ratio was a surprise to me. I always knew I didn’t “count” as a teacher or an institution, but that 2/3 of the measure comes down to one score takes my breath away.  But I will continue to keep good records. I will ask more questions of college admissions offices. We’ll definitely prepare for the ACT and SAT tests. And I will eat chocolate…lots and lots of chocolate.

I share this to be helpful, not to invite criticism or pity. I’m off to teach some classes which don’t count, but will ultimately prove helpful in building individuals of substance and character.