let the good times roll

(inspired by Ashley's exchanging post...)

Yesterday in church we sang this hymn.

For those who may not be familiar, one of the phrases in the chorus is "When the peaceful, happy moments roll". It made me think back to the good old days, those of limited vocabulary, not-quite-yet budding knowledge of common idioms, and Sesame Street. I remember hearing about quantities of time (moments, times, years) rolling in this hymn or in other contexts, and it was a bit confusing to me. How does a moment roll? And for that matter, how what is happy, peaceful rolling?

At some point, though, I figured it out somewhat, thanks to everyone's favorite educational TV program. I still didn't quite understand how it related to moments or times exactly, but sometime before kindergarten I at least learned for sure what rolling happily looks like. In case you haven't learned this for yourself yet, watch and be enlightened (at around 40 seconds in): 

May all of your moments and days roll as happily as this orange crayon wax!

you're welcome : )

some of you may remember that old classic recipe: "idea for old mushy banana" submitted to the cascade park ward cookbook 20some (25?) years ago by ashley s (with the help of her mother : )

well here is will and i's latest in the series:

idea for old mushy strawberries

- the rest of the carton that you could eat plain, but they're starting to look a little questionable

- the old vanilla yogurt that's been in the fridge longer than i'm willing to type here... : )

- one pear

- some milk

remove the leaves from the strawberries if you're skittish about that and puree them.  (we left the stems on.)  hopefully your puree will amount to somewhere between 1 and 2 cups... i think that's where ours was.  i didn't think to look exactly.  if you have more or less it will probably still taste good, just not exactly like ours.  then take the lid off of the yogurt, smell it and lick the lid to determine that it's really fine.  (plus, you like building up your immune system! : ) dump in the yogurt and blend.  have will taste it and say the yogurt is now a little overpowering.  then worry that the green, hard pears you just bought yesterday might ruin your creation!  decide it's worth the try anyway because what do you really have to lose, you can always keep adding things until you like it!  cut the pear around the middle and put the chunks in.  discard the middle.  blend it up and be amazed that something that seemed so hard could blend up so nicely!  taste it and love it!  have will taste it and love it!  decide that pears must be to the fruit and smoothie world what tofu is to the.... the... well... whatever world : )  depending on all your other factors, add milk until you like it.. .thinned out a little, but not too much.  decide that if you plan ahead next time and have pear chunks waiting in the freezer you can have a colder concoction!!  pour into two cups and enjoy on the couch with the nice cool summer morning breeze blowing in the open window!

have your own idea for old mushy food??? : ) share it with us! ha : )

ok, the other thing i have to share is the matching game cards i made for a primary lesson i subbed today.  have you seen the new "symbols" resources on lds.org??  basically they're line drawing like the ones in the nursery manual.  they have lots for different topics and they're working on a few more coming still.  it's not super comprehensive, but there's lots of good things there.  today was lesson 17 in manual 2 about how the Priesthood helps us.  and by the way, the one with the guy in the suit blessing the girl, i called that a "father's blessing"... or bishop or home teacher for anyone whose dad isn't a member.  anyway, we did the lesson then used them at the end to play a basic matching game.  i told will this morning, "who doesn't love a matching game??!"  once we clarified for 5 and 6 year olds he agreed : )  and it was true!  they loved it!  they all got to take at least one set home to color : )  SO, now i have at least the activity part of your family home evening taken care of for tomorrow!  enjoy!  and now think of how easy it would be to make a matching game out of any of those other images on the website!  when i can figure out how to put the picture as the link i'll do it!  but for now it's just the words...

Priesthood Ordinance Matching Game Cards

ok, will is home from Stake Priesthood now... : )  and i'm "subbing" for april tomorrow, so i guess i should go make a lunch, pick out some clothes for tomorrow, and get ready for bed.

exchanging

so i was thinking to myself... as i often do... : ) and i won't bore you with the details of how i got there, but somehow i thought about the phrase "exchanged looks" or "exchanged glances" or anything else like that.  i was reminded of times reading that phrase in books as a kid and always how weird i thought it was!!

BECAUSE to me exchange meant trade, basically.  so i always thought it was weird and confusing as i tried to imagine the characters "exchanging looks"!  i always envisioned them looking at each other with two different looks, then they'd swap (like happy to confused, for example).  i remember reading it over and over in context and trying to "get" why that happened or "what it meant."  i cannot remember any specific book or passage that had it - probably ramona books : )  but i do remember thinking it seemed strange because i didn't think people really "exchanged looks" in real life and what kind of mind powers were they using to change the other person's mind while having theirs simultaneously changed????!!!  they often didn't even say what the looks were that were exchanged!

and then somewhere in there i learned a little more and it wasn't so confusing anymore.... in fact, i exchanged looks with someone yesterday!  : )

ole!

sometimes you plow through the day eating mostly oyster crackers and dark cadbury mini eggs.... you really have eaten a few other things, it just feels like that's all... because your body is cramping persistently and sucking every bit of energy, life, and rationality that you seem to have.........................

but you keep putting one foot in front of the other because you know tonight you feast!  on some mexican favorites!!!!  and you've been so excited for days to eat these delights that you even woke up last night too excited to sleep!

ok, i made that part up... i didn't wake up until my phone rang at 6:30 or so this morning... : )

but you better believe i've been counting down the days to my horchata and tres leches!!!! : )

there will also be tacos, tamales, spanish rice, and even beans because rachel sent me home with a jar of her home canned pintos!  now that everything will be homemade from scratch (no really!) i'm a little embarrassed to say it's premade horchata with high fructose corn syrup... ugh... but i guess that just means i have something new on my list to learn to make!!!!  and i'll probably need to practice.... : )

my aching back will not allow for la bamba, la cucaracha, or a pinata today... but i think we'll be all right because the party will be in my mouth!!! : ) ha  and plenty of cilantro to go around!!!!!  .... because will won't want any : )


i love to reflect this time every year as i make my giant tres leches (which will talked me into a half size one this year) on the events of 6 years ago... i made will watch the three caballeros AND saludos amigos with me! hahaha : )  i love my holidays!!!!  and now, while our hearts are open to really just about anything, i love the idea of adopting a beautiful *hispanic or latino child!!  then cinco de mayo would mean that much more to us : )  *i understand that this could mean mexico or many other places : )

final note: i'd LOVE one of those dresses!