A Name That's out of this World

Our home teachers stopped by this afternoon to visit with our family. After the usual chit-chat of "what's new" and "how's it going", Brother Ford opened up the Ensign to the First Presidency message. He showed the kids President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's picture and asked them if they knew who he was. Then, Brother Ford asked them if they knew where Pres. Uchtdorf was from. The kids were stumped. So Brother Ford pronounced his name again saying, "Dieter Uchtdorf. Now where would a name like that come from?"

Steven's face lit up and he said excitedly, "Oh, I know! He's from Star Wars!"

We were all roaring with laughter. It was a while before Brother Ford could continue with the message.

The 24th of July

Yesterday evening, we celebrated the 24th of July at our friend's house. We ate BBQ chicken and hot dogs with wonderful side dishes that different families brought. After eating and visiting, everyone gathered around the fire pit and Sasha (our friend) gave each of us a paper to read with a picture on it. It was a narrative account of the journey that the pioneers made out west. Then we roasted rolls on a stick. I'd never done or heard of this before, but it was a lot of fun (and yummy).

It was nice to take this one day out of the year to remember what our forefathers have done to pave the way for us. Their journey was long and full of trials and faith. It's important for us to remember and teach this to our children so that they will know what a wonderful legacy they have. This church is true!

Natural Exfoliant

I have to exfoliate my face at least every other day. If I don't, then my foundation doesn't go on smooth. In the past, I used a Clinique product which worked great, but it was expensive. Recently, I was watching "What Not to Wear" and picked up a great tip from Carmendy (the make-up artist on the show). She said that sugar gives the same results that the store-bought exfoliants do. So I decided to give it a try. I splashed my face with warm water and applied the sugar using circular motions. It worked GREAT! My skin is smooth and you can't beat the price. Give it a try!

Ants

Legend says that San Jose, Ca was built on one huge ant hill. Native Northern Californians know and believe this to be true. I am one of those believers. 10 years ago, while living in Gilroy, Ca, we had a constant battle with keeping the ants out of our home. Today, we face the same challenge except in San Jose. After a month of living here, the ants discovered us. After all, we're such easy targets. Our kitchen is never immaculate (find me one that is). You can always find cereal and who knows what on the floor, dirty dishes in the sink, and misc. food particles scattered about the counter tops.

I am so tired of these ants. Just when we discover where they're coming from and block that entry, the ants find another way in. Finally, David decided it was time to bring out the POISON! Boric Acid. The name sounds deadly and dangerous, right? Well, it is for insects, but not for humans. In fact, it has a low toxic rating. Somewhere near that of table salt. Boric Acid, a white powder, is mined from the Mojave Desert in California and is nature's proven long-term treatment in eliminating Cockroaches, Palmetto bugs, Waterbugs, Ants, Silverfish, Carpenter Ants, and Termites. Here's what we did: Pour a teaspoon of boric acid, half teaspoon of plain sugar,and one teaspoon on warm water. Then mix the solution a bit and place near ant trails or near ant hives. The ants will take this to the hive and queen where all will share and die within a couple of days at the most. I am happy to say that it works and we are now ANT FREE!

Mamma Mia!

I went to the midnight showing of "Mamma Mia" last night with some friends from church. I had never seen the stage version, but was looking forward to seeing the movie because of the cast (Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan). The movie was disappointing to me. It's about a girl raised on a Greek island by a formerly rebellious mom who never disclosed the identity of her father. The daughter, a bride-to-be, locates three men who might be her father and invites them to her wedding. There were many scenes in "Mamma Mia" that made me very uncomfortable and the importance of marriage was thrown out the window. The music by ABBA was great! You wanted to get up and dance (even in the wee hours of the morning). But some of the singing was horrible! It was just unnatural to see Pierce Brosnan open his beautiful mouth and then hear what came out of it. I mean come on...this is James Bond! Towards the end of the movie was when I really became disappointed. I won't say what happened because some of you may want to see it, but I will just tell you this: I will never think of Colin Firth the way I did before I watched this movie. Now, whenever I want to watch Pride and Prejudice, an unpleasant image of Colin Firth is going to play in my mind. I wish I had never seen this movie.

Light the Fire Within

James had the opportunity to go to New Scout Day Camp at Boulder Creek, from July 10-12. The Stake Primary organized this activity giving it the theme, "Light the Fire Within". The drive to Boulder Creek is only 50 minutes away, but it is 50 minutes of MISERY. The road was so windy and curvy that James almost threw-up each time he rode on it, which was four times too many. The first day wasn't as fun, but James accomplished a lot. He earned his Fingerprinting Merit Badge and he marked off a few requirements for the First Aid Merit Badge and rank advancement for the Hiking/Orienteering Merit Badge. Some of the fun things James did on the first day were, archery and the "Spirit Station". At the Spirit Station, James earned a bead for every Article of Faith that he was able to recite, which was all 13.

Day 2 was "way funner" as James puts it. He completed his Leatherwork, Basketry, and First Aid Merit Badges. He also did BB guns and archery. This time at the Spirit Station James guessed how many smarties (the candy) was in the jar. His guess was 219 and the actual amount was 215. James won the jar of candy for his troop. At 4:30pm, the fathers came for the overnighter. James' troop, along with the dads, discovered that the Smarties candy had a cool effect when thrown in the fire. They would bubble up and grow, then turn into a black blob. This kept them entertained for quite a while.

The next morning, James and his dad ate pancakes with huckleberry syrup, sausage, fruit, and hot chocolate. This gave them the energy to do the following activities: Archery, BB guns, horseshoes, metal works where they made a bowl, and leatherworks (James made a canoe neckerchief slide and his dad made a bookmark).

It was a great experience for James. He was able earn a lot of merit badges and he had a blast being with his dad. It's not often when he can have one-on-one time with his father.

Raining Money

While driving to the mall, the kids and I had an interesting conversation. At a stop light, I began to throw gum to all of them while yelling, "It's raining gum! It's raining gum!" We all agreed how awesome it would be if it really was raining gum. After a minute someone brought up the idea that raining money would be even better. Oh, the things we could buy and do with all that money. I was quickly humbled when James said, "If it really were raining money, I would only take $100. That would be just enough money to buy the Lego set that I've been wanting."

Would I take only what I needed? Thank goodness I have wonderful children who are always teaching me valuable lessons. They keep me in check.

Plan B

Yesterday we were supposed to have a beach party for Kirsten, but our plans quickly changed. Steven's stomach started hurting around lunch time. He didn't want to eat so I isolated him in my room. As the day raced on, Steven felt worse. It was time to implement Plan B. We decided to postpone the beach, but still have Kirsten's party at our house. At first, Kirsten was upset at the "change of plans". But once she saw me decorating the house, she forgot about it and excitedly awaited her grandparents arrival. Every few minutes she would ask, "When are they going to be here? They should have been here by now!"

Grandma and Grandpa Zinn got here on time but too late for Kirsten and we had a BBQ with all the fixins'. Then, Kirsten blew out her seven "trick" candles on her rainbow birthday cake. The evening was spent telling silly riddles and jokes. Smiles and laughter filled the house...even with Steven. By this time, he was feeling a little better. The evening ended with Kirsten opening her grandparent's present. She was given a bunny DS game and craft kits that she can use to scrapbook with me. Sometimes Plan B works out just as well as Plan A.

Birthday Girl

Normally Friday the 13th is said to be an unlucky day. But for our family it was a day to rejoice and celebrate.On July 13, 2001, at 2:20 pm, Kirsten Mozell Zinn was born 4 weeks early weighing in at 6 pounds and measuring 18 3/4 inches. She had tons of dark hair and cried every time there was a loud sound (like the warmer beeping). When I held Kirsten for the first time, I cried. Not because I finally had a girl, but because she looked exactly like Steven when he was born. I thought to myself, "Oh no! She's going to grow up and look like a boy."

I was WRONG! Kirsten has grown into a beautiful girl. She has brought so much joy to our family. Her infectious smile and laugh works miracles. When Kirsten sees someone sad or upset, she either makes them a card or gives them a hug with an, "I love you." A few months ago Justin and I had a disagreement. He was angry with me and said some hurtful things which caused me to be sad. Kirsten came in my room shortly after with a card that she had made. Fifteen minutes later, she gave me another card. Inside the card it read in Kirsten's handwriting, "I'm sorry Mom. I love you." And it was signed, "Justin".


Being the youngest girl with three older brothers is the perfect set-up. Kirsten is spoiled, protected, and will always have her own room. She has the boys and her Dad wrapped around her finger. Kirsten has even learned how to "bat" her eyelashes when she wants something. The boys have created a girl monster.
For her birthday breakfast Kirsten requested Ego waffles. After she was done, Kirsten opened two of her presents. Then we left for church. The primary sang to her and she was given a round mirror with the words, "I am a child of God" written around it.After church, Kirsten helped me bake her birthday cake. Then she licked the cake batter bowl and ate some juicy watermelon. Next, she opened the rest of her presents. Kirsten got a Furr-Berrie, a stuffed rabbit, Moonsand, a small gum ball machine, a DS game, and two craft kits. She even had a visit from our home teacher who brought her some cookies. For dinner, Kirsten is going to have chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls. Tomorrow, Kirsten will have her cake and ice cream at the beach. Grandma and Grandpa Zinn and hopefully other family members will join us there for a beach party.
Happy Birthday Kirsten. We L O V E you!

K ind
I nteresting
R eally CUTE
S tubborn
T ender
E nergetic
N ice

Scrapbooking

Yesterday morning began with me dropping James off at the church for his car pool ride to New Scout Day Camp (for 11 year old scouts). While I was there, one the moms from church asked me if I wanted to do something that evening since our husbands were going to be camping with our sons. She suggested seeing a movie or scrapbooking. Well, when she mentioned srapbooking, I lit up. The decision was easy. Scrapbooking it was! We spent 4 hours last night talking, laughing, and sharing stories. Not a whole lot of pages were finished, but the evening was fun because I now have a scrapbook buddy. Hurray!

7-Eleven

What did we do on 7/11/08? We walked to 7 Eleven for free "slushies" that they were giving away in honor of the date. The walk there and back was so much fun. We literally stopped to smell the roses along the way. Kirsten had to smell every single rose, which were many. Instead of our usual hurried pace, we lollygagged, enjoying the journey. It was one of those moments that I know I will in the future look back on smiling and say to myself, "Those were the days that I loved the most."

Simple

Life is whatever you make of it. If you want it complicated, than it will be complicated. Kirsten prefers life simple. Whenever I take her to an ice cream store, she'll spend about 5 minutes sampling numerous flavors. But she always chooses CHOCOLATE. Always! She doesn't like nuts or candy or chunks of anything in her ice cream. The simple life is a search for things that bring us satisfaction and contentment. It is the removal of things that distract us from becoming who God intended us to be. Kirsten's removal of "chunky stuff" in her ice cream teaches me that I should be removing bulky, unnecessary items from my own life. Such as, unimportant possessions and activities that take me away from what is really important. My family. Kirsten has the right idea. Who needs all the "extras" in life. I want to be as happy as Kirsten is in this picture. With no cares in the world.