What do I believe?

There are many times that I have been asked that.  Today I found this widget to add to my blog.  I recommend the one titled "Look to the Light" although all of them are wonderful.  I believe in our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I know that he has a plan for each of us and that he knows us by name and loves us.  I know that he hears and answers prayers.  I know that the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ, and that if we read it, and pray about it, Heavenly Father will give us his witness of the truthfulness of it and of His gospel.  I know that we have a prophet on the earth today that guides us, and I am thankful that I was raised in a gospel based home, so that I have always had this with me. I love the Lord.  He gives me joy each day.

Challenges

Usually I don't write of challenges here on this blog.  Fact is, that I don't usually write of challenges even in my journal.  It is as if somewhere in my mind I feel that if I don't record their existance, then the event just didn't happen.  This portrays a false view of life as life is made up of both the good and the bad.  How we deal with both is part of the great test that this life is made up of.  While talking with a friend this past week, she asked why I didn't write of these things on my blog?  She lives close to me and can see the daily challenges and felt that by not writing of them I was cheating my children of learning how to deal with these things.  I didn't feel that way as my children are right here with me.  She said it wasn't for now that I should write, but thier future.   From the standpoint of what I write, both here and in my journal, I am a head in the sand sort of person, only thinking of the good things, and ignoring the bad things.  In fact I am not.  I prefer to meet most things in this life full head on.  In addition, in not writing of these things, I cannot tell of what we have learned or the wonderous blessings that we have recieved because of these trials.  So I will try to write of these things more starting today.  For those who look toward my blog to see the pictures of my children, sorry.  For my children who read both this and my journals, and for my friends, perhaps someday you will face some of these same things and perhaps it may be some small help to you. 

Each day our lives are filled with contrasts.  Things that bring us down and things that lift us up.  Sometimes when we are going through a difficult time, we only see the things that bring us down.  In doing this we forget that life is meant to have joy and that we should seek that joy each day.  I have been on bedrest for the past 9 weeks.  I have a rather large hernia in the middle of my lower abdomin that my bowel slips out of when I move very much, as in walking, going up and down stairs, or doing any of the normal day to day things.  In addition I have 2 growths also in my lower abdomin (one doctor calls them tumors, another cysts and the 3rd just calls them unidentified growths--I have named them Trial and Tribulation in my twisted humor.)  Together they are about the size of a 10 lb baby.  (at least that was the size 6 weeks ago, my belly has grown 2 more inches since that time, measuring as you would for pregnancy, while at the same time I have lost weight) These put more pressure on the hernia that they are right above and cause pretty much constant pain.   Why haven't they been taken out and the hernia fixed you might ask?  The answer to this question has many facets.
1.  While it is painful, it isn't life threatening as long as the bowel doesn't become strangleated (is that a word?)
2.  It is Christmas time and my doctors have been on vacation. 
3.  Since this requires the coordination of 3 doctors (1 general surgeon, 1 GYN surgeon, and 1 primary care doctor) they have all been in and out of town.  They will all be back in January and have booked the OR for January 21.  I had no idea how difficult it was to schedule around so many doctors, but they have lives too.  My GYN is from Portugual and has gone home for Christmas for the first time in 5 years.  How awesome is that!!
This is the trial.  It isn't just my trial, but one for my entire family as they are doing my chores which includes taking care of Ethel (never easy)

Last weekend another friend asked if I was bored and was rather shocked when I looked at her and said "who has time to be bored?"  My life is full, managing home and family from my bed.  Why the bed and not the couch?  The bed is specially made for my arthritis and so other aches due to bedrest are not as much a problem as when I go downstairs to the couch.  So what do I do all day.  

1.  Read my scriptures
2.  I write letters to people--someone every day.
3.  Make sure that the days menus are ready and who is going to fix dinner.  This job has been mostly fulfilled by Josh and Daniel so this step usually requires me to write out a step by step direction guide for cooking dinner.  They are really getting good
4.  Fold any laundry that someone has brought up to my bed and dumped out.
5.  Call anyone that I feel inspired to call each day.  Someone who might need cheering up.  I make this a matter of prayer.
6.  Knit
7.  Direct the children in Ethel's care, their homework, and any other project they may need help with.
8.  Watch movies, read books or listen to good music.  I have listened to all of our CD's and have put them in catagories--good for traveling, working, calming down, energizing, feeling better, etc.
9.  Practice the games that my children have been teaching me.  Each of the children have decided that it is time for me to learn not only traditional games but some of their favorite games.  Josh is still a bit disappointed that I can NOT seem to get past level 8 on Chicken Invaders.  I am working on it Josh, I promise!!

Surprises and blessings that have happened because of this trial so far. 
1.  Each day the children come up and tell me of their day.  This is not new, but right now it seems as if they have more of my individual attention.  Playing the games with them each has been nice as they seem to be giving me more of thier time as well.  Jess comes home from the pool each day and straight up the stairs to tell me of exactly which drills she did and how she is fairing. 
2.  I am finding great joy in the scriptures.
3.  Talking with people that need cheering up, keeps me connected as well as cheers me as well
4.  Josh and Daniel are becoming really good cooks.
5.  I know beyond any shadow of any doubt that Family is everything in this life.  Family includes those family lines you are born into, those you live with, those whom you pray for and pray with, and those who become family of your heart.  Interestingly, from my point of view, it is pretty much anyone I interact with.

So basically what I really want to put forth today, is that life is precious and full of joy.  YOU just have to search it out each day. 

Now for a bit of something different (well I think it is different) 
In Matthew 4: 18-20, The Savior calls Simon Peter and Andrew to be apostles and to follow him.  We are given the same invitation to leave our nets and follow Jesus.  So I asked myself, If the Savior came today and asked me, would I leave my nets to follow Him.  What are my nets?  I decided that my nets are my daily chores, work, my pride, pressure from those I associate with.  Two thousand years ago they left everthing to follow the Savior and their testimony was burned in thier souls.  Last week in Stake Conference, President Vancomen(our mission president) challenged the missionaries and the rest of us to read the Book of Mormon once again,  we're to begin on 1 January 2010 and finish on the last day of February.  We haven't even been asked to leave our nets, just to make room in the boat for this challenge.  I accept this challenge and put forth to all of you out there to accept it as well.  It will give your day joy and make your testimonies stronger.  So I am throwing this out there to the vast web.  I don't know if anyone besides my sister and daughter reads this, but here it goes out to the vastness of the internet world. 

Teachers should know this shouldn't they??

During the past couple of weeks, Daniel has been working on a research project.  His chosen topic was the Trojan War.  He looked and looked online for many sources, however his teacher kept telling him that they were not "credible" sources.  When she shot down the one that we got from Stanford University, I called the school.  After talking with the principle (I wanted to talk to the teacher, but she leaves school right after the students and doesn't get there until, well her first class is mostly there, sometimes not until after the tardy bell) I found that the problem was that the teacher thought that the Trojan war really happened.  I explained that many historians have been asking that very question for the past 2500 years.  In fact, that was Daniels research question--Trojan War, Fact or Fantasy?  I have heard back from the principle of not only Bode Middle School, and teachers from 4 other schools including Jessica's High School.  Apparently they didn't know that there was a question about the Trojan War ever being fought.  So after much research, a few times of yelling at the computer when it froze up, and arguing with the teachers, here is what we found.  Troy really did exist.  There was a war there about the same time as the reported Trojan war.  There is no record as to if the Greeks were involved, however there is much data towards there being many wars between the Hitites and the Macadonians, with Troy being smack dab in the middle.  Did the Trojan War ever really happen??  Who knows?  Those who were there are all dead.  There were no action reporters that we know of at that time.  Amazing as it seems there were no world news tonight TV people, no photographers, and I believe that nobody took the time to carve it in stone. Homer wrote an epic poem of it.  That is all.  Everything else is conjecture.   Historians are still debating and Daniel has said that it still a mystery.  At this point, we don't know what kind of grade he will get.  The teachers in the district are still debating as to if we are pulling thier leg as to the whole is it a myth or a fact.  Hasn't any of them heard of using the internet, or an encyclopedia, or just plain reading a book?  Really according to the assignment, the project was to be "the process of reasearch," their subject didn't really matter as long as they followed the steps, which he did.  The only part I liked about this project was reading the Iliad with Daniel.  We really enjoyed it.  If you haven't read it, we highly recommend that you take the time and enjoy the drama of Homer.

Traditions to Uphold

Jessica loves her hat and scarf.  It was well worth the work to see her smile.

Elder Matthew Helm arrived in Pocatello to serve his mission on 17 November 2009.  Here he is with his Mission Presicent and his wife. 

This is a map of his mission.  The area is the yellow portion.  Elder Helm is serving in Shelley Idaho.  A small town with a population of about 3800.  There are 2 stakes in Shelley which is totally wild to most of those who live here in St Joseph Missouri, where we have about 60,000 people living here and only 2 wards.  (if you click on the map it should get bigger on your screen)

While Elder Helm is serving his first 6 weeks he is known as a "Greenie" so to help him along, we sent him the "Greenie Survival Kit."

This is the poem that we wrote in the card.

Packed inside were all things green.  Green duct tape, Green M&M's and Jelly Belly's, and many othere assorted eatables all in green packaging.

We don't know too much else about what he is doing as the pictures he sends is of his companions and he doesn't really write too much.  NOTE TO FUTURE MISSIONARIES:  WRITE MORE DETAILS IN YOUR LETTERS TO YOUR MOTHERS!!!

Have you ever noticed that at the end of the year, the teachers seem to wake up and say "oh my we are almost 1/2 way through the year and only 1/3 the way through the books.  We must send home more homework!!  Jessica, Joshua and Daniel have had tons of homework daily--Many, many school projects.  One teacher even asigned 2 very large projects due on the same day.  It has been very tense here as they scramble to get the work done.  Mandy too has to scramble to keep ahead of her Sunbeams, above is where she left off in her preparations to go to work. 

Now on to traditions!

We have many traditions in our family throughout the year.  However during the month of December we have more, and they don't even really begin in December.  They begin on Thanksgiving.  Do you ever wonder how a tradition comes about? About how it then goes on to become a really great memory that is about sharing and family?  Well one of our traditions is that after we clean up from the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner--which we usually do as a family--we set up the Christmas tree.  It all started when Bill first began to work for Kmart, when Rachel was just a baby.  Thanksgiving Day was the last day of the season that we could guarentee that Bill would be off work.  That being the case, we decided that we would set up the tree as a family on that evening.  Over the years we have had many transistions.  First Bill would set up the tree, then I would fluff the branches.  Bill would then put on the lights--most of the time joyfully--some years there would be colorful metaphores muttered under his breath.  After that each child would be given their personal decorations to hang on the tree one at a time.  This process when the children were young could take as much as 4 hours to complete.  As the children grew, Rachel and Mandy would put on the lights.  Rachel standing with the lights wrapped around her while Mandy put them on the tree exactly right.  After they grew up we got a pre-lighted tree and now nobody has to mutter at the lights.  Now they are all older.  Bill still puts up the tree and connects the lights--some muttering this year--and then all the children fluff the tree.  I have to say though that the girls are much more gentle and precise in the placement of each branch.  The boys abrupt movements seem as if they are wrenching nature into place.

The best part of traditions are the memories.  Stories that go with each ornament, stories of the children through the years.  One of our favorites is when Rachel was just 2 years old she, having just had her second birthday thought the lights on the tree was a candle like on her birthday cake and so blew on the light.  That year we had the blinking lights and when it went out she clapped.  Then it came back on and she thought she had to keep blowing out the candle.  Every year when the lights first go on, I remember that moment. 
Memories are important.  They are what bind a family together in traditions.  When we remember them we feel closer together. 

Most of all our memories remind of of all that we have built together as a family.  I have the most amazing husband.  He works hard and loves us much.  He is crazy about his children and is joyful for each and every accomplishment.  He is saddened by each difficulty that comes our way and often  I see him praying for each of us.  We have been blessed to be together for 26 years this past 11 November 2009.  We didn't do anything special this year as we were both too ill, but that was ok.  We were together.  Many at our wedding had cash bets that we wouldn't last a year.  We were put together to last for the long haul.  What a blessing our life has been!!  We have had many challenges, many sorrows and many triumphs.  Through it all we have put our faith completely and fully in the Lord.  I hope we have at least 26 years more in this life and then on into eternity.  We are truly forever.

Knitting--what you do for love

So first I wanted to post the picture of the finished socks. 

What a feeling to complete something new!! Thank you to all the cheerleaders, both those related by blood and those related by heart.

So I decided that it was time to take care of a UFO (unfinished object) Jessica's road scarf.  A bit over a year ago Jessica was reading a story in a magazine, I believe it was the readers digest, about a family that had a scarf that they always argued over.  Pretty much it was hung on a hook by the door and the first family member who got was the lucky one who got to it was the one who wore it that day.  Now that the children were grown, they each passed it back and forth each month, kind of like a custody arrangement.  Anyway the reason it was the best scarf, was that the mother had knit this scarf during the last vacation the entire family took together when they were childen.  The mother took a bunch of patterns and a couple of colors of wool and stitched them up to see what the patterns would look like--from this was born the Road Scarf. 

Well after Jessica read this story, she wanted a Road Scarf, and in a weak moment and for great love for my daughter, I agreed to knit her a Road Scarf.  I worked on it for a bit and then last winter happily hid it away in a corner, now it is starting to get cold once again, and even though Jessica hasn't uttered a word, I am feeling guilty for not finishing her scarf.  But here are a few facts--or excuses--who knows.

Fact 1--I really hate anything that is of the sampler variety.  Fact 2--The reason I hate anything of the sampler variety is because I firmly believe that any sampler is made by a person who couldn't make up their mind and settle on a pattern.  Sort of like having ADD of the handwork variety.

Fact 3--What on earth was I thinking???? 

I really hate knitting this mixed up pattern scarf, but I love my daughter.  Jessica rarely asks for anything.  She is sweet and giving and works really hard, so I will knit this scarf for her.  She loves it.  Here is what it looks like now.  I have about 3 more stitch pattern sections until it is finished.  It is pretty yarn at least. 

Halloween Helm Style

We love Halloween.  Next to Christmas this is our families favorite time of year.  During the month of October, our family creates different names for our normal food.  Feature from the Black Legume, Bog, Batwing Soup, etc.  On Halloween night we have our best meal of the month.  All month long the family has input into not only what we should eat, but what it should be called.  Over the years, we have created standard names for some of our favorites.  This year we ate our big meal the Sunday before Matt left for the MTC.   Our menu consisted of:
Lizard Tail Pot Pie

Bloody Skulls with Brains

Served in our Halloween special dishes with Fizzy Blood to drink.  We finished it off with with Coffin Crunch for desert.

So for Halloween night we went to the ward potluck dinner.  We took Blood and Guts for our dish.

Another tradition for our family is that after you turn 12 you create and construct your own costumes.  I was very pleased with the childrens choices this year.  They used great creativity.  Mandy started it all off using dollar store little girls tutu and wings.  She was The Star Fairy of McDonalds.

Jessica decided to go as her Great, Great Grandmother, Cora Berry--who was an indian.  She was an herbal woman from the Midu tribe.

Joshua went as a character Alex Rider, from the book Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz.  He was a teenage spy who turned assassin.

I was most surprised by Daniels costume.  He went as Captain Moroni.  He had help from his sisters and brother with his costume.  It was unique.

He wan't so happy in this picture as he was told that he had to wait until we ate at the church for more food.  Twelve is hard when you are always hungry.  Bill had a pie for the pie making contest and took 3rd place.  He is here with one of our friends twins Daxon.  Whenever we are in the same place with the Shelly's, we usually get the fun of holding their twins.  They love the break.  I usually have Breslyn and Bill usually has Daxon.   We are buds.

Fact is that our teens are usually surrounded by the children of the ward.  I have heard more than on parent say as we walk into a place, "Good the Helm's are here, now I can have fun too and not worry about our children." 

Now onto Socktoberfest--how did I do??  Well I almost got 1 pair finished.  Just 2 inches to go, but at midnight (even with the fall back part)  I just couldn't knit anymore.

However today I finished my first ever pair of socks.  I have to admit that I am hooked and look forward to making the next pair.  They are truly a great take along project.  Next on the needles?  Finish Jessica's scarf and begin one for Matt. 

Matt Goes to the MTC

Elder Matthew Helm flew to Utah today where he will enter the MTC.  Emotionally our family is having a difficult time with this as we will miss him very much.  In a great effort to hold it together, we forgot the camera.  We used his camera and a soldier took a picture of the 3 of us at the airport.  When he sends it I will post it here as well as updates and pictures from his mission. 

We miss him tons and have been crying all afternoon, perhaps soon we will smile again, but not now.  We are proud to have a missionary, it is what we have prepared him for since he was born,  but letting my son go is just too hard for me today.  Right now, I am too sad to write anymore.

Family Night--Dancing To The Oldies

Family Home Evening is our favorite time of each week.  One of the really cool things is that with all these teenagers and almost teenagers, we can have some really cool discussions about the scriptures.  We have been asked by our local leaders to have our lessons from the Preach My Gospel book.  So we are currently working our way through the section titled "Attributes of Christ"  Each week we take a different sub heading, learn what there is to learn and mark the scripture chains in our scriptures.  After we finished the scripture part of our evening, we thought we would get out the old record player and play some of what our children call "the oldies", or in other words, music when Bill and I were young.  I don't remember getting old, but if my music is the oldies then I guess that makes me old.  Anyway the evening went as follows.

Bill was the DJ for the evening and started out with "The Streak", we all especially like the phase in there where the man calls "Ethel you put your clothes back on"

Ethel put on an truly horrified face for the camera and the laughs began.

Next thing you know, Mandy is rocking at the table, because really, who can stay still when there is good music to be had.

The next song Bill put on was "King Tut" and the children felt that we needed to add all appropriate movements.  By this time they are all up and movin and groovin.

During "The Hussel" (probably spelled wrong)  Mandy showed Jessica that you could do the Macaraina to the Hussel and so forth. 

Next thing you know all are doing the Macaraina to the Hussel and the floor is rocking.  (Note to self, check 100 year old floor joices before next oldies night)

Rocking on with "Taking Care of Business" Mandy and Daniel are so in the groove.

Then out came the drum sticks and Josh volunteered to be Daniel's and my drum set.  (we never really touched him)

The night finished with Bill singing "Domo Arigato Mister Roboto."  We laughed so hard.  It was a great night.  We are blessed as a family for this time together.

I love to see the temple, I'm going there some day. . .

Yesterday we took Matt to the Winter Quarters temple to recieve his endowment.  It is a wonderous thing to watch your child serve in the temple.  They begin when they are 12 doing baptisms for the dead and then when the time is right they go back to recieve their endowment.  Going on a mission is one of those times.  It is an exciting time, but sad too.  Life will never be the same again for my son.  He will come back changed, as all things must.  I feel as those women of the indian tribes long ago who sent their sons out for their vision quest, setting up a tepee for them while they are gone because they knew that they would return full men, ready to take on the responsiblities of an adult in our culture as well as our church.  But for today we are joyful.  There were 14 of our ward family there with us to experience this event.  I am thankful that they took the time to share our joy.

Meanwhile back at home, Mandy had a day of fun planned for her brothers and sister.  They went to a corn maze. 

They went in extreemly excited.

And were given a map.  There were 4 checkpoints along their path that they had to be at to be successful in completeing their course.

Consulting the map.

The boys figure that they know the way and so run ahead.

Mandy goes the wrong way and Josh turns her around to help her back on track.

They are successful in reaching the end.

All are happy.  Following the maze, they all went on a hay ride.  It was an enjoyable time for all.  Now to go home, make pumpkin muffins and curl up in polar fleece blankets--made by Rachel-- and watch a good movie.

Socktoberfest

So I was surfing the internet, looking at knitting websites when I stumbled onto one that explained a celebration of the accessory that we call the sock.  It is a knitting festival that has knitters all over knitting socks this month.  On October 1st you cast on your sock and knit socks all month long.  Then at the end of the month you post a picture of all the socks that you knit.  If you are a newby then maybe you didn't even finish one sock and if you are an expert you might make 16 pairs of socks.  So that made me think.  I have been knitting since my grandmother taught me when I was 7.  That is a whole lot of years and yet I have never knit a pair of socks.  I have thought about it, bought yarn and patterns for them, but never actually made socks.   So Mandy and I decided that we were in.  We were going to celebrate the sock all month long. 
On October 1st we sat in our living room, Mandy with her neopolitan ice cream yarn (pink and brown) and me with my giggle year (flecks of green, blue, purple, pink, and white) and we cast on our first ever sock.  We have knit when we have had a free moment and with conference we were able to knit alot.  This is so much fun.  Here is my sock so far.

Conference was amazing.  The speakers gave me much to think about.  I often think of General Conference like a grand feast--one that fills your soul up to full and then keeps on filling.  The music was joyful.  Our entire experience was one of peace and harmony.  I am thankful for technology so that we could watch it over the internet.  We are blessed.

The McCrud

So what happens when you have 2 children working at McDonalds, they just happen to have big wigs coming to town and well one or more of the workers are sick?  You get to pass the McCrud along to all the other workers.  I am here to announce that it has hit the entire family with the exception of Ethel and Matt.

Mandy was the first to go down.  Then I got it, followed by Bill.

Josh was next, and he wasn't so much sick as his blood sugar was totally wacked. 

Daniel was next and his messed up his asthma and sounded more like the croup than the others.  Daniel gathered all the things that were fluffy--including the cats and made a nest in the living room. 

 I think it is morphing.  Jessica was the last to go down with it.  She is the most healthy of the family and it only took her down for one day. 

Trivia question????  How long does it take a family of 8 people and 2 missionaries to drink 1 gallon of orange juice??

5 minutes 30 seconds--most of that is used in finding glasses and pouring the juice.  We have consumed massive quantities of OJ, vegetable soup, and herbal tea.  Most are feeling better now.

Homecoming week

Since I have a child in High School--Jessica. And since I have a child in the band--Jessica.  I need to be involved in homecoming.  One thing I learned this week is that I do NOT take good pictures at 5:30 in the morning.  However. . . homecoming=spirit week=wacky days.  Here is Jessica.

Dress up day

Wacky Holiday--she is the blue bunny of Easter--think ice cream

Cartoon day--Felix the Cat

School Pride Day--I so wasn't awake yet

Game Day just before she put on her band uniform.

I was going to take pictures of the band on the field, but well there was a big thunder and lightning storm and so the band got sent home, due to the instruments making great lightning rods.  I just loved it when the announcer said "We are required by law to inform you that the metel stands you are sitting on may draw the lightning."  Talk about the mad rush to leave.  Oh the football team had to stay and finish the game.  We lost.