Mariah is going to . . .

Mariah Wilson got her mission call to . . . . .
PARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pretty cool huh?
She's very busy but you can email her at mariahcw@gmail.com
For those of you in Utah or who will be in Utah on December 5th, she will be performing her Senior Recital at 5:30 in the Madsen Recital Hall at the HFAC.

Seasons, Kitchens and other stuff...

Tonight I was driving in the parking lot of the library and I slid on the ice! It's October and it is winter here! We are heading into our third winter and I am ready...or, so I think. :) We had a beautful autumn, unusually longer as said by the "sourdoughs," what can be better than the green pines mixed with the yellow birches all over the place? What could be more beautiful than all of the fall colors among the bushes, hills, and mountains blended together? We hoped for at least one of our sunflowers to bloom but, we will have to try again next year. We even tried cutting it and letting it finish inside but, it was not close enough. Our friend at church gave us one of hers and it is blossoming and has been since Saturday! I love the sunshine it brings to our house! (She had 2 mondo sunflowers near her 1 level home and they were taller than her roof!) I love fall. I think it drives me to cook more than any other season. Today, Lucy and I made a new recipe called "Pumpkin Dessert Squares", love that cake bottom and creamy pumpkin top. I love the spices and ingredients that for some reason, I only really crave as the temperature cools. Why? How about you? Which season inspires you in the kitchen and why?
I have to tell you what happened a few nights ago. During Rob's days off we went up to the base to camp in a primitive cabin, we did this in the summer and decided to venture for a "winter" experience, it was fun. While I was cooking dinner on the coleman stove, I started listening to Susanna and Lucy as they were playing. One part of their conversation went like this,
S: Quick Lucy! It's an emergency! emergency...preparedness!
L: What's that?
S: It's when you see a bear and you hide under the blankets!!! Hurry hide!!!
Today, as we were putting some snow gear in the back of our cars to get ready for winter, Sue picked up on our conversation and asked why we were putting them in there..."I thought you said something about accidents...," she said. We told her about the reasons why it was smart to keep some warm gear and shovel in the back, among other things, just in case. Then, I realized how wearing seat belts is mostly pointless, except in the rear moments. And then, the epiphany hit me as a mother and I realized there is hope for me.., I said, "Wearing seat belts is part of emergency preparedness, Sue." She has been worrying more lately, last night she came in late and stood by the bed and said, "I'm worried." Wow. Just wait little lady! I hope I can help her not stress out too much in these magical years.
Well, I miss conversing with you all. I love checking on your blogs Wysteria and Tulip. Sunflower, I still need to check yours out.
I made Dow Pasta the other day, pasta-cheese-peas. It was a big hit!
xoxoxo

Happy Birthday Wysteria

Happy bithday Wysteria. Have a wonderful time and Congratulations on your gallery. You're so amazing in the way you work toward your goals. Way to go!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Ivy. Wow, how brave of you. How exciting for you and your family. This is a huge step. I'm so happy for you that I could cry. Many prayers coming your way.

Happy Anniversaries!!!!

Dear Garden,

Is August your anniversary month? I feel like I remember attending all of your weddings in August somehow...but August has always been a busy wedding month and so I am unsure.

If so, congratulations!!! I'd love to hear the beauties and strengths and toils of your marriages here. Recently I have become quite fascinated in how one can make that transition into marriage. Do you feel that it is a different thing as one gets older? How have you each, individually, been responsible for your own happiness? How do you strive to continue with your own identity as you raise your family and have the labels of wife and mother to your names?

What were some of your biggest misconceptions and funny stories from your early married days? What were some of the biggest rewards and unexpected joys you have discovered from being married. I would love for us to share a dialogue about this.

I feel so different than the person I was at twenty. If I marry I won't change my name, I probably won't have more than three children, if that (I'm gettin' on in years), I would like to still keep working at least part time, and I am keen on having a French nanny! I know, the last one is more of a delusion, but the others I am pretty sure will come true. But I still find myself fascinated by this thing called marriage and by you wonderful girls who continue to prove to me again and again that it just might be worth entering into.

Tasty Alaska Recipe

Rhubarb Cake

1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. rhubarb, chopped 1/2 in. slices
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt

Cream shortening and brown sugar. Add egg and milk to mix. Stir in rhubarb and vanilla, then add flour, soda and salt (after sifting them together), into the mix.
9x9 pan, 350 degrees, 35-40 min.

topping:(PS I like this cake ALONE, I've never made the topping)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 T. butter

combine in a bowl and sprinkle on hot, baked cake.
It is a tasty recipe that my family loves. We have two rhubarb plants on the side of the house and they have had a beating this summer. Hopefully the sun will come out some more for some more growth. (Only 2 days over 70 this summer, ladies!! Forget global warming, I like the words climate change, it ain't warm up here.) Anyway...we have recently been trying ground flax to replace eggs in various recipes like waffles, rolls, cakes and this one works well. Today I made it using a mix of white and whole wheat flour (our Country Living Mill just arrived and Rob set it up on our counter in the garage!! We are millers!!)

3 Cups of Tea--Book Review

This is a fantastic true story about the life of Greg Mortensen, an ER nurse and mountaineer, who discovered a passion for educating children in the remote mountain villages of Pakistan. Mortensen's fight for funds, his determined nature, his ability to connect with the Balti people make for an easy and interesting read. His emphasis on educating the women of the villages is especially poignant. You see how kind and special these people are, you see that not everyone from the Middle East is a terrorist (obviously, but tell that to airport security). The Balti people have such a desire to educate themselves and improve their lives, but they are stuck in the past too. 

"Once you educate the boys, they tend to levae the villages and go search for work in the cities. But the girls stay home, become leaders in the community, and pass on what they've learned. If you really want to change a culture, to empower women, improve basic hygiene and health care, and fight high rates of infant mortality, the answer is to educate girls."

The book deals with war, prejudice, religious extremism, cultural barriers, and education. So many large and seemingly insurmountable problems, yet Mortensen continues to live by his mantra of taking it all "one cup of tea at a time."

What do you each see as your main role in helping the women of the world prosper?