Pistachio Cake

Ingredients:
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4oz) instant pistachio pudding mix
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
7 drops green food coloring

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.
2. In a large bowl mix together cake mix and pudding mix.  Make a well in the cener and pour in eggs, water, oil, almond extract and green food coloring.  Blend ingredients, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.
3. Pour into prepared 10 inch tube pan.  Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed.  Cool in pan 15 minutes.  Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

This was a hit last night but the boys said I should have frosted it.

Lucky?

I was "lucky" to have some extra time on my hands tonight and so I got creative and made cards and a Pistachio cake for my guys.

I feel "lucky" that Michael is serving so well and enjoying his mission so much. We missed not having him here to celebrate St. Patricks Day with us.

And I feel "lucky" to have these 3 handsome men still hanging around in my life to liven up each day. 

 But as i sit back and think, i realize...luck really has nothing to do with it:)  

It's a great day to be alive!

Have you ever been so sick that you cant wait to be well so that you can just enjoy being alive?  Well, that was me yesterday.  I was so sick that I sat inside my messy house all day feeling sorry for myself and anticipating the time that I would feel well again.... And thinking about all the things I would do with my good health to just appreciate being alive.  So, there I sat all day.  Then later that afternoon there was a knock on my door and there stood  Lanette and Taylor Masters from the Sheldon ward with a plate of very warm...fresh out of the oven cookies.  Wow, I was so touched that it made me cry.  They didn't know that I was sick in fact the reason they brought the cookies was because they ended up with my mother in law's famous homemade strawberry jam that she had brought from utah with her last week and of course they couldnt resist eating it....I dont blame them...so they brought us some special recipe cookies, that were extremely good by the way, and they were just what the doctor ordered.  And that started a brand new day for me.

I did sleep good last night and today was a welcome sight to wake up to not feeling like I was going to die, like I did yesterday.  Then I had a breif conversation with a dear friend who has been going thru some trials lately.  My heart went out to her and I just wanted to embrace her but I couldnt because she lives in another town.  But I started thinking and this is what came to my mind....We are spiritual beings living in a non spiritual world....and the reason we are here and the reason we have trials in our lives is to remind us who is in control, so that we will turn to him and surrender our will to his and in this will we find comfort, solace, and peace in the midst of these truly worldly trials we are given.  The spirit is the greatest source of strength, comfort and healing that there is.....and today is a great day to be alive!

For Good

(from Wicked)

I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason,

Bringing something we must learn

And we are led to those who help us most to grow,

If we let them, and we help them in return.

Well, I dont know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit

As it passes the sun,

Like a stream that meets a boulder

Halfway through the wood,

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

Because I knew you

I have been changed for good.

It well may be

That we will never meet again in this lifetime

So, let me say before we part;

So much of me is made of what I learned from you,

You'll be with me

Like a hand print on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end,

I know you have rewritten mine by

Being my friend

Like a ship blown from it's mooring
By a wind off the sea,

Like a seed dropped by a sky bird

In a distant wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good

And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness for all the things you blamed me for
But then I guess, we both have blame to share
And none of it seems to matter anymore

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes the sun,
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood,
Who can say if I've been changed for the better

I do believe I have been changed for the better

Because I knew you
Because I knew you
Because I knew you

I have been changed....for good!

Wicked!

Well, we finally did it!  Mike and I went to San Francisco yesterday and saw Wicked!  And let me tell you it was amazing!  We both absolutely loved it!  So, Mike took the day off and we had a very leisurely morning together after the kids went to school and it was just nice.  Then we left at about 10:30 to head out to SF.  We got there early enough to have lunch.  Then we headed over to the Orpheum Theatre for the play which started at 2:00.  There were lots of people around to help take pictures.  We sat in the first balcony first row right in the middle....awesome seats!  After the first half during intermission Mike and I started talking aobut how much we were enjoying the show and we proceeded to talk about what it represented for each of us.  Of course for Mike it was all symbolic of Politics and the Gospel and for me it was all about People and Relationships...lol!  We had a good laugh about how you can tell what we each think about.  After the intermission and during the second half we just completely got caught up in it and just fell in love with all the characters, scenery, music and the story.  It was awesome and a great way to celebrate our anniversary:) 

 We thought we would have a tough time getting out of the city since it ended at about 5:00 but we decided to try anyway.  We got out of the city at about 5:30 and we arrived back in Elk Grove at 7:00.  We stopped for dinner in Elk Grove and then headed over to get Bryce.  All in all it was a very enjoyable, leisurely and entertaining day with just my sweetheart and I! 

Bryce is a Deacon!

Well, here is our 4th Preisthood holder of the family!  We had a great day yesterday.  Bryce was ordained a Deacon and we are so proud of him.  Doesnt he look handsome in his new suit?  We had a great time with family and friends who came to support Bryce.

It was an emotional day as you can imagine. Stephen was the first to get up in Sacrament meeting and bear his testimony and he talked about how proud he was of his little brother and how he was becoming a man. I kept nudging Mike to get up there because I couldn't since I lost my voice this weekend(due to a cold). So after a while I was gonna get up there anyway and squeak my way thru it...but then Mike finally got up (never try to push Mike to do anything...he does things on his own time and in his own way) and the things he said just hit right at the heart of this important event in our son's life...I leaned over and told Stephen..."this is why I married your father."

Then we went in for the ordination.  We have a large group of Aaronic Preisthood holders in our Ward and they always treat the women who come in for the ordination extra special. All of the priests gave up their seats for us. Then Bryce was ordained a deacon by his father and the YM president, Brother Pollman made sure that Bryce honored their tradition which was to give his mother a big hug and a kiss...on the lips...and so of course he did.

Then we all came back to the house and ate.  And then we put Bryce in the "hot seat" and we went around the room and everyone had an opportunity to share their advice and feelings with Bryce about this important time in his life.  It was such a neat experience...(there were about 30 of us all together.. I'm bummed I didnt get a group shot).

  I think Stephen was the one who blew us all away with his words of wisdom from experience about how there is a time to play and a time to be serious when you are a deacon and a preisthood holder...Wow..every deacon's quorum leaders' dream..."a well behaved deacon"?  Is that possible?  lol! He also gave him some advice about starting middle school and facing temptation.

Grandma Nelson wanted to be sure Bryce understood how important service is as a preisthood holder and she told a story about giving service in her ward. Service seemed to be the theme...throughout.

Grandpa Nelson made sure that Bryce knew why we take the sacrament and what we do with fast offerings...I remember him telling us at Michael's ordination that when he was an aaronic priesthood holder, he blessed the sacrament, passed the sacrament and gave a talk all on the same day...he knows about service in the preisthood that's for sure

Among many words of wisdom and great advice from Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and friends...I shared with Bryce how proud I am of the young man he is becoming and how blessed I feel to be surrounded by such great priesthood holders in our home and in our family...and how safe, loved and blessed I feel because of it...and now he is a part of that. I told him that all he really needs to do is to look to his brother's and his father as the example of how to be a righteous priesthood holder. Could my life get any better than this? I dont think so .....

21 Years ago today!

When I was a teenager, I had a dream.  I dreamed that someday I would meet a tall and handsome return missionary who had served a spanish speaking mission, he would sweep me off my feet and take me to the Salt Lake Temple and there we would be sealed for time and all eternity. Then we would raise a family of boys and send them all on missions.  But, it was only a dream....but then again, dreams sometimes come true! I love our life together and it happended just the way I dreamed it would (so far), 21 years ago today!  I love you Mike...Happy Anniversary!

(yes, I am standing one step up from Mike with 4inch heels on...lol!)