Have I done any good?

Have I done any good in the world today?

Have I helped anyone in need?

Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?

If not I have failed in deed.

Has anyone's burden been lighter today because I was willing to share?

Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?

When they needed my help was I there?

Then wake up and do something more than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure a joy beyond measure, a blessing of duty and love.

There are chances for work all around just now, opportunities right in our way.

Do not let them pass by, saying, "Sometime I'll try," But go and do something today.

'Tis noble of man to work and to give;

Love's labor has merit alone.

Only he who does something helps others to live.

To God each good work will be known.

Then wake up and do something more than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure a joy beyond measure, a blessing of duty and love.
LDS Hymn#223

This song has been constantly running through my head for a couple of weeks. I pretty sure my children are starting to get sick of me singing this song in an opera voice. ( I just pretend I can sing opera)


But really, is there any better way to realize what joy there is in this life, even when life around us can seem troubling and overwhelming, than to get outside of ourselves and reach out to those who are in need of help?


For me service is like
water is to a plant or
food is to our bodies or
laughter is to the soul
It is necessary thrive!



There are many components to finding and having joy in our lives. I feel that service is one of the main components to that joy. Without it we will be more apt to finding the negative in everything and everyone.


If you are struggling daily or several days a week go out and do some meaningful good. I can guarantee as you open your eyes and look beyond your own trials and circumstances and serve, you will feel better! At least in my own life I have found this to be true.


This is a message from our Prophet President Thomas S. Monson

Some of the People Who Worked at Bowman's

Employees of Bowman's Catering were always a hoot to be around! Two of the joint owner's at Bowman's were Fred and "Grandpa Jo". Fred was always loud and fun. He always had some cheeky thing to say to us especially if we stuck our tongues out at him. He had always threatened to stick cheese on our tongues.

One day I had gone into the kitchen area and he happened to be there working on a cheese platter. As I neared him I stuck out my tongue and he slapped a big wad of nasty stinky cheese on my tongue. Needless to say that was the last time I stuck my tongue out at him. He seemed to have a knack with creating great cheese, cracker and fruit spreads. Still does actually. You could always count on him to be boisterous and silly. To this day, if you let him, he will talk for hours telling great stories about everything and anything!

"Grandpa Jo" The main owner, I think, seemed to always have Toblerone chocolates on his desk. If he was in the office he would offer one to me. He has a thick Swedish accent and I remember how he had a hard time enunciating the "th" sound. As a little kid I enjoyed listening to him talk, mostly because it sounded different. I remember at lunch times watching him over at the massive gas fired stoves in the kitchen whipping some kind of wonderful concoction for lunches. He was always kind and I never felt like I was in the way. We called his wife Grannie Jo. I have too many memories of the two of them and the many acts of service I received from them to write down. What wonderful people!
Kris Harris was one of the chefs. A really good one! I remember her letting me sit on her lap in the parking lot and while she controlled the accelerator she let me have control of the steering wheel. As a child I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

Mike Talbot was a chef as well. I watched him woo all the ladies. I think he may have dated all the non-married ladies or at least it seemed that way. He was always a tease and he would show all the kids his "special teeth!" He had an extra set of teeth behind his front teeth. I always thought this was gross but entertaining. He started working there when he was a late teenager and pretty much grew up while working at Bowman's.

Nola Smith was the baker! OH BOY did she make the best chocolate chip cookies. Bowman's had this massive Hobart mixer and she filled that huge caldron up with a bunch of ingredients and would make hundreded of heavenly cookies. Last year when I was pregnant with Eliza I was craving these cookies. Since Nola goes to my church where I live I tried getting the recipe but she was unable to find the blessed thing. I told her it was probably better that I didn't have it :)

When I was about 4 my twin sister wanted to play barber shop and insisted she was only going to pretend to cut my hair. My Mom was away so my Dad was in charge of watching us. Well my Dad was in the other room watching TV when our "pretend" haircutting took place. When my sister finished off my hair with shaking baby powder all over my head and handed me a mirror to behold her "pretend" masterpiece it was obvious she had used real scissors.

As a result of my boy haircut, when I would have to walk pass the kitchen at Bowman's some of the chefs would say "There goes the boy twin!" This traumatized me a bit.

I had a huge hood on my winter jacket. It had that faux fur on the edges. So I figured out if I pulled my hood over my head and looked down and ran past them then I would not have to listen to their taunting. It worked for me and in my mind that's what made the taunting stop. I'm sure in all actuality it probably stopped because somebody said something. Who knows.

Bowman's was contracted with an outdoor music festival theater named Meadowbrook. Next week I will talk about those wonderful memories!

Organized Destruction

It will be 8 years at the end of this month when we bought our home. We have a cape cod home about 1875 square feet. I felt it was the perfect starter home. We moved away with 2 kids and when we moved back we had 4. We had 2 renter families those almost 2 1/2 years we were gone.

When we got back unfortunately our home was not how we had left it. So for the past 2 years we have been gradually working on re-doing rooms on our list of what we feel needs to be done. We don't go into debt for things, so we have saved and then done. Which is why it is a slow process. But it is so much more rewarding in the end. Our last big demo project was the down stairs bath.

My friend Amy came by Wednesday evening to help me start the demo on the upstairs bathroom. The before pictures are from 2005 before we moved, and pre-renters. The bathroom needed to be re-done then but it was not in the budget.



It was more evident when we started demolishing and realized the people who lived here in years past just sorta slapped things together.

Yes this is a sewing pin holding the wall paper together

So this is stage one of our demolition process. We will rip out the rest of the walls and ceiling sometime this coming week. Possibly the floor and tub if we have enough space in the trash cans. I fancy organized destruction!

Hypophosphatasia

Hypo what? Hypophosphatasia is a rare metabolic bone disorder, and our daughter Sera has it! This past January she began an Enzyme replacement therapy research study through Shriners Hospital in St. Louis

I am thankful that Sera wants to willingly help others out even though all of the tests they have to do are not the easiest. She is a hero!

This picture was from their last visit in January. Jared and Sera got to do a lot of sight seeing!



One of the characteristics of child onset Hypophosphatasia is early loss of baby teeth. She lost her first tooth when she was 23 months, and has lost a total of 12 teeth so far. She has a partial for her bottom teeth as she only has her two bottom molars left. Here she is visiting the childrens' Dentist specialist in St. Louis.



I'm thankful for a competent husband who has been able to go and be with Sera the last 3 trips down to St. Louis. The next visit Eliza, Sera and I will be going since it will only be a 2 day visit. Jared and Sera have been down there all this week.

One of the many times she has to get her blood drawn.

Her first visit back in November they had to have her on a special diet to see how her body responded to calcium intake.

I am thankful that they have on-site tutors to help the patients with their school work. She loves her teacher!

Lying

I don't know how any parent could not be able to relate to what Bill Cosby defines as brain damage. This is one of those clips that when I am having a bad day I can watch and it will help me feel like our kids are normal and everything will be okay.




To preface the movie below, I had made hot egg sandwiches for lunch. Lucy really wanted to have a rice crispy treat. I told her she could have one once she had eaten all of her food. I was putting Eliza down for a nap when Lucy came and told me she had finished her lunch and asked if she could have the treat now. I told her she could. When I had come down and saw an upside down plate on the table I knew exactly what was under it and could not resist recording what possible story she would tell. I also love how the movie demonstrates how Kady has been our little playback recorder lately. She loves to mimic what the girls say. I could have gotten more information but Kady thwarted my agenda. So here is a video to show one of the ways I handle when our children lie to me.