PA Life

I find myself doing a lot of stuff I never had to back home.

Like lug firewood around. A lot.

We only have a woodstove to heat with now.

It's been a bad winter, we've used most of the wood on our back porch.

Which means...

....taking an entire Saturday to move more wood.

Step 1: Dig a 35 foot trench through 3 feet of hard crusty snow so that you can reach the woodpile:

Step 2: Photograph the snow bridge that defies gravity:

And don't forget to document the "pouf" on top of the log:

Step 3: Dig a trench through the deep snow on either side of the pile so that you can reach the woodpile.

Step 4: Clear the foot and a half of crusty snow off of the pile.

Step 5: Redig your trench.

Step 6: Try to undo frozen knots in rope that holds down the cover on woodpile.

Step 7: Have you and Mom lift off a huge heavy piece of galvanized roofing material to reach the wood. Slice your ring and glove and almost slice your hand with the sharp edge.

 

Step 8: Have Dad jack up the truck and switch regular tires for ones with chains on them:

Step 9: Lug several loads of firewood via wheelbarrow while waiting for Dad to finish with the truck:

Step 10: Photograph the bare ground where the truck had been. Treasure the memory- you haven't seen the ground since Thanksgiving.

Step 11: Shovel out the three feet of hard crusty snow that lies in the bed of the truck:

Step 12: Climb up in the bed of the truck and shovel most of it out.

Step 13: Relay many many logs into said back of truck. Pray truck doesn't get stuck in driveway. Move truck by house.  

Step 14: Relay said many many logs from driveway onto back porch.

Step 15: Have Mom model her fabulous hairdo.

Step 16: Kick her off her 'bench' and fill it up with many many pieces of wood.

Step 17: Hurt so bad the next day that you can't function.


Step 18: Document your pain so that you have plenty of stories to tell the next generation: "When I was your age..."


Oh and did I mention that it rained and snowed on us all day and was freezing cold?

Coming Soon to a store near you...

I often joke that I want to write a handbook for Old Marrieds on how to deal with us YSA (cause we're a different species, don't ya know).

In my frustrations in dealing with people, I decided to turn my pain around...into something funny.

So here we go- the books I long to write:

And then I decided that us singles needed books too:

We need to educate the young people so that these prejudices don't continue:

{I started laughing so hard I was crying when I thought of that last one in my car.}

Keep an eye out- if things keep going as they are then one day these will be at your local church bookstore ;)

Four Hours of Motherhood

No makeup- this is reality!

No, I didn’t have a baby, but I babysat a 15 month old little boy the other Sunday. Remember me talking about The Latebloomers and their adopted baby? That’s who we babysat for the first time- at our house. Well, the Latebloomers moved into our branch this summer and Bro Latebloomer just became our branch president which I’m hoping means less inquiries about my love life. The Corry branch now has a baby in it, which is pretty unusual. And entertaining- it’s nice to have something to watch during Sacrament meeting!

Laura was off babysitting her Primary kids, so Mom and I tag teamed for Lil’ Droopsnoot. He screamed for a couple minutes after his parents dropped him off at our house, but that’s to be expected. And there’s just something about Mom that makes every baby within 10 yards of her cry- it’s been our family joke for the last 20 years. I joked with Dad that 15 months is the best of both worlds- he’s mobile AND not potty-trained! Oh, joy.

I picked him up from Mom and wiped his nose and he settled down. I spent most of the four hours that he was at our house on the couch with him on my lap, he was happy there and we weren’t about to disturb that. We watched Toy Story movies and some old Muppet Shows- he was mesmerized by the Muppets singing and dancing! I know you shouldn’t have the tv babysit your kids, but it made our experience a lot easier!

I fed him Cheerios and soon learned that if I had too many in my hand that they went all over the couch. He ate applesauce while on my knee at the table and Mom was daring and fed him sweet potatoes while he was on the couch with me. Miracle of miracles, we didn’t get sweet potato everywhere!

There for awhile we played with him in his pop up tent, he had these colored plastic balls that he liked to throw out of his tent and have us throw them in his tent. He got a big kick when I would put a plastic ball under his shirt or up his pant leg and then work to get them out. I opened up my pant leg to him to see what he would do and he stuck a plastic ball up there, what a funny kid. I had fun- I am such a big kid myself. His mother said she'd never thought to stick the plastic balls up his pant leg, I guess I am creative. LOL

And then four hours had come and gone and his parents picked him up and things went back to normal. I was a bit apprehensive about us watching him but things worked out really well. The little tyke laughed and cooed most of the time.

So why write about this? Well it’s not every day that I deal with little babies. If I’m around kids then they’re usually over the age of 5. Like I said, there’s no little ones in our branch (until now), just the older Primary children. I have to go to Stake Conference to see little ones! I don’t really have friends out here that have kids- I’m mainly friends with YSA or my college peers or my adult YSA advisors (who have kids but they’re grown ups!). My friends with kids are out West.

But even before moving out here, I wasn’t around babies very much. My only sibling is only 4 years younger then me, so by the time I was old enough to babysit, she wasn’t much behind. We lived out in the boonies, so I didn’t babysit much anyhow- few people wanted to drive all the way out to pick me up, drive to their house, and take me back home. I only have two cousins that are younger than me and they live in CA. Most of my experience with babies comes from serving in Nursery for the 3 months before I left on my mission and also the Rodarte twins that got passed around in RS before we moved. And we moved over three years ago!
There’s nothing like having a tyke come over to make one realize how unbabyproof our house is- clearly we have no babies around here! There’s the wood stove (which had a fire in it), electrical cords and outlets, the three big dogs, and countless sharp objects and things not suitable for babies. Like the space heater with the pointy metal corners that was right by where he was playing in his tent. I was right there with him to make sure he didn’t hit it.

My mother took a the photo above- I think she wanted to document that I do have some motherly instincts. My poor mother- I know she wants grandchildren.


It felt good to know that I can take care of a youngin’. And that babies can like me. It’s nice to know that I have some motherly instincts in me and it was nice to see them come out. I wanted to keep him! It feels natural when I pick him up and hold him. Maybe someday the stork will bring me one or two.

Remembering Grandpa

My Grandpa Roy died in December of 1990, so this December made twenty years since he's been gone. Where has time gone? I was 10 when he died, and he lived in CA so I saw him about once a year. Sometimes more. Unfortunately I didn't get to know him as much as I would have liked.

This photo of my dad and Grandpa was taken about the time I was born. He used to smoke a pipe.

I still remember witnessing the terrible phone call that my mother received from my Grandma right after he died. Grandpa hadn't been feeling right ("indigestion") and they took him to the hospital where he had a heart attack and could not be revived. He was 68.

I remember my mother crying and I remember walking over and hugging her. I didn't know what to do and didn't think to hug her, but some force compelled me to get up and move over to her. We now know what that was, huh? We went to California for the funeral and stayed for Christmas. I remember seeing Grandpa laid out before his funeral. I remember riding in a limo to the grave site. I remember the chocolate mousse that someone brought over. I don't remember much else, though in hindsight I sure hope I behaved properly considering the circumstances.

My grandpa was not a member of the church, though he did grow up in Utah. Maybe if his ancestors had stayed faithful he would have been a member. Nonetheless, he was a very good man, kind and honest. He had a sense of humor. He loved his family. He loved my grandma. When other men did activities outside of work, my grandpa spent his spare time at home. My mother remembers weekend trips with her family. My grandpa was always supportive of the things my mother and her sisters did- dance recitals, church activities. He once told my mother that "he didn't have to worry about them choosing between right and wrong, they always chose between right and right" for their activities.

When the time came that my mother wanted to serve a mission, it was him that was more supportive then my grandma who is a member. My grandma didn't want my mother to go to Colombia (South America was not a good place to go during the 70s) but my grandpa understood that this was the right thing to do. He even gave her a corsage at the airport when she left for her mission.

My grandparent's home was a magnet for all the kids in the neighborhood- it was a place where they could come play and be safe. When the neighborhood had a block party, the other adults would be drinking and lighting fireworks while my grandparents organized games for the kids. There was even a girl in the neighborhood who would come over and play board games with my grandparents because her parents never did things like that- and she'd come play even when my aunt, her friend, was in the other room doing homework!

When my parents married in the temple, none of their parents could attend. My grandpa understood and was supportive. When my mother was looking for a husband, she wanted someone with the good qualities that her father had. The only time my grandpa ever raised his voice was in defense of my mother- some drunk creep in the neighborhood grabbed her and spun her around when she was out at the car thinking she was his wife. My mother waited and said no to several boys who proposed marriage until she met my father- who had the qualities she was looking for.

The August before Grandpa died, my mom's side of the family went to Disneyland. It was mine and my sister's first time at Disneyland. It was a really fun trip with my family, my two aunts and Grandma and Grandpa. I'm so glad that we could get together and take that trip. We didn't know what laid ahead.

I remember Laura and I running and crawling into bed with my grandma and grandpa and my grandpa doing his "grizzly bear" impersonation. It was not a very big bed! He also had hair that always stood straight up- all he could ever do with his hair was a flatop. Mom remembers when he didn't get a haircut and his hair still stood up straight even though it was a couple inches long. I remember running my hand over his hair, it tickled. When we see people with hair like that, we lovingly refer to it as "Grandpa hair".

I remember Grandpa visiting us in WA and helping my dad dig in the yard to find a pipe- which wasn't anywhere where it was supposed to be! They dug a big trench that had to have been at least a hundred feet. Grandpa was a good worker, and he didn't mind doing things for his family.

I did a report on my grandpa right before he died- in 5th grade you were to interview a member of your family. He was the oldest of my grandparents, so I interviewed him. My grandpa doesn't exist in videotape or tape recordings, my recollection of his voice is a bit fuzzy. The interview is a treasure. My grandpa didn't own much and much of what he did own (like clothes) is no longer around. I do have one of his plaid flannel shirts.

 Grandpa served in WWII, though not in active duty. He was like Radar on M.A.S.H. An extra hole in his eye didn't hurt him any, but kept him from fighting. I can't help but wonder if that was Heavenly Father saving him fro not so good things.

He met my grandma while at college, they were both waiting for a bus in Utah. Their story is funny- each claimed it was the other one who made the first move and asked what time it was at that bus stop.
This is nowhere near thorough enough to commemorate my grandpa's life. But I tried.

Thank you Grandpa, for being a good man and loving your family.

Thank you Grandpa for serving your country.

Thank you Grandpa for supporting my mother to serve a mission.

Thank you for asking Grandma the time (if that was you).

Because you were the man you were, my mother served a mission and later on found a good husband, which directly affected me for the better. Because you were the man you were, my mother knew that family was important.

Thank you.


We still miss you.

Grandpa and me

The Semester of Me

So I've started the Spring semester. Working on Week 3 as a matter of fact. I am taking Jr Field, Geography of Asia (it's interesting), Economic Geography (BOO!) and a Special Ed class that is good. I had been signed up to take Intermediate Metals but dropped out for a geography class (that is for a stupid requirement). At first I was bummed (and it's weird not being in a studio class), but then I learned that we'd be doing mostly hammering techniques-and the main reason I wanted in this class was to get back into casting! When I saw the workload that Jr Field requires, I was really glad not to have a studio class.

Junior Field entails me going to two Jr Highs in Erie during the week to teach art as part of an after school program. I have two other students who teach with me. It's nice to share the workload but communicating is a challenge. I find myself having to be the one who worries if everyone did their jobs. Last week was a total guinea pig week as we got to know the students and what they can do. The students in last semester's class had five weeks to prepare before they got to actually teach...meanwhile we got one week and we didn't even find out our partners until the end of that week so we basically had the weekend to prepare before teaching kids. Yikes!

Jr Field is going well so far but it's a big challenge. I'm so thankful for all my past teaching experience!

It's actually kinda nice to not have a studio class this semester- they take up so much time! I never would have thought I'd be glad not to have one. I had been looking for a studio class to take while I can- this is the last semester of regular classes before I do student teaching!

I actually have some time to breathe. Sometimes I get to bed when I'm supposed to. And it's nice to not have to be forced in making stuff I don't want to make!

A complaint of mine about studio classes is that you learn skills...but you don't necessarily get to make stuff that you'd want to make. Or know what your style is. I have no idea what my painting style would be if I didn't have an assignment. I want to find that out.

So I decided that this semester I did have a studio class- my own studio, that is.

This will be the semester where I make what I want to make.

And maybe finish some UFOs.

Good grief I have enough of those!

This semester is becoming very busy with YSA and YW activities on top of school, phew! Lots of schedules to keep track of! Thank heavens for my planner in my purse.

So stay tuned for things from Studio Liz!

Break

So what did I do during the rest of break? Most of it came after Christmas (Edinboro now has a "winter" semester in between semesters, so they've now pushed most of break to be after Christmas).

I had YW on Wednesday nights.

I stayed up late and slept in.

I tried to clean my room (nice try). It's back to being disastrous. Back to the drawing board.

I did succeed in purging/organizing the clothes in my closet.

And I think this new closet system just might work (miracle of miracles!).

I was a hermit and stayed home a lot (I wasn't too bummed about that).

I took naps. Heaven.

I watched movies. And The Office.

I had a recurrence of my nasty itchy rash from woodshop from my contaminated coats- once I got them cleaned/washed I was much better after a couple of GoldBond Medicated weeks.

I did some crafty things too, I'll show those another time.

I did get to have a few social outings. I went to Cleveland with my sister right after Christmas to an Institute New Year's activity (even though New Year's was days later). We tried out the GPS for the first time (it's amazing!) and I had fun seeing my friends.

Me and Anne:

{Sidenote: Anne just got married this month to a really nice guy the temple and she's my age! Way to go Anne! It gives me hope.}

Things were fun until I sat next to a girl and she asked if I was a chaperon. Thanks, thanks a lot!

Um no honey, but now I'm going to make sure that no one asks you to dance!

Adding insult to injury was the fact that all the "adults" there were senior couple missionaries!

Laura and I stayed in a hotel so I didn't have to drive and get us home way late. We went out to Ihop the next morning, it's been years since I went to one. It was good to have some bonding time with my sister.

It was fun to see people who were home for Christmas, like the two couples I helped do the pre-reception for, aka The Four. I was counting the days til I go to see my girls Rene and Ame!

It was really nice to see Dennis & Ame and Rene & Mike. When it was time to leave I was sad and they were all "You get lonely out here, don't you?" and the answer to that is Yes. Most of my friends out here live far away and I only see them at conferences. Or they leave and go to school out West.

Ame, me and Rene:

{Sidenote: Why do I have a sword in my head?}

My last hurrah before starting school again was to attend the YSA conference in Pittsburgh. Normally my stake does the conference in January but we've now been reassigned to do a conference this July in Palmyra in conjunction with Pageant. I think it will turn out ok, but it's a tough assignment to plan something that's not even in our stake! And it involves camping in tents! Lots of logistics to figure out.

I was a bit apprehensive about my choice to go since there weren't many people Friday evening and once again it was the dreaded GTKYG. Those are against my religion! But thankfully things got better and it turned out to be way fun.

The theme was about cultivating our talents. Saturday was breakfast and classes. I attended one on the gifts of the Spirit, it was good. Also attended one on budgeting/finance that didn't tell me anything new, but was a good reminder. Sigh!

And then I had a rare Bad Girl Moment and I ditched the conference with some friends. We went out to lunch at Cheesecake Factory (yum!) and I also found myself at Goodwill helping my friend Mitch find a tie (he'd forgotten one.) We didn't feel like going back right away and drove around Pitt. We went to the zoo...just not inside since it was closed. After driving around a bunch more (thank heavens for GPS to get us back!) and exploring this big tower called the Cathedral of Learning, we got back in time to watch a talent show. Fun to watch, though I'm not sure if naughty dancing was really appropriate.

We had dinner and a couple of speakers about talents and then a pretty good dance, and by far the best one that Pittsburgh has ever had at a conference. They're cursed, I swear!

Sunday was breakfast and Sacrament meeting and saying goodbyes in the parking lot. It was a great weekend.

Bad Girls at the Cheesecake Factory:

The Cathedral of Learning:

 Inside it looked like Harry Potter!

 Scary elevator ride- the view from the top:

 Dinner looked like a wedding reception- was that a subliminal message?

 With Ivan and Jason, my York Boyz:

Very fun conference. Pleasantly surprised, cause at first it looked like it was gonna stink!

In other news, I went sledding on Martin Luther King Day, it was awesome. I also happened to read the "I Have A Dream" speech in it's entirety for the first time that weekend, it's an amazing and inspiring work. Read it if you haven't for a while.

And then the ax fell and I started school. More on that later.

Stay tuned!

Christmas

Well, pardon my French, but we kinda half assed Christmas this year. We had a nice day and all, but we didn’t do everything we usually do. It just seemed like everything was out to thwart us:


-I didn’t get out of school til Dec 17th and had been really busy the two weeks before that with school (not even any time to window shop!).

-Dad got shots in his knees two days before Christmas.

-Mom is still recuperating with her leg.

-Laura was away housesitting the week before Christmas (leaving me to do most stuff around the house).

-The branch Christmas dinner got postponed a week, (and Mom planned a fancier party then Corry usually has) which meant that we were worrying about it for two weeks, not just one.

We just didn’t have the energy or time for some stuff. We usually get a regular sized tree, but this year we got a fairly small tree. We didn’t have the energy to wrestle with the living room furniture to make room for a bigger tree. I kinda missed having a bigger tree but I will admit it was so much easier to get in and out of the car and house and set up!

We cleaned house and decorated, but not to the extent of past years. There were some favorites that didn’t get put out. And I’ll fully admit that we cleaned/decorated pretty much only in the areas that would show in pictures.

I found myself shopping for some presents on the 23rd. Usually I do shopping earlier but was so swamped with final projects. The tree didn’t make it in the house until a few days before Christmas. And since Dad is in charge of the lights and he didn’t do them til the 24th, the tree didn’t get decorated til then! And not a ton of ornaments, either. I was wrapping presents at midnight.

We also like to go to the mall as a family and do some shopping and out to dinner at Cracker Barrel, but that didn’t happen either. And what we did do for Christmas exhausted me cause it was pretty much just me digging out the Christmas stuff and decorating.

I like to be very crafty at Christmas and that didn't happen either. I did manage a smidge of time to make ornaments for my YW by swirling paint in the value colors inside a clear glass ornament. Then I wrote their name and the year with a white paint pen. I felt like the Winter Warlock from Santa Claus is Coming to Town when he only has a bit of magic left in his fingers. I also felt old- wasn't it just a few years ago that my YW leaders were giving me homemade ornaments?

But that being said, we did the important things. We watched our favorite Christmas movies together leading up to Christmas. On Christmas Eve, I picked up Laura from the place she was housesitting (she had cable tv and the internet, the brat! She didn’t want to come home!) and we had dinner together and put up stockings and read the Bible verses about Christ’s birth. We put out cookies for “Santa” too. And then Laura went back to the other house.

Christmas morning came late- someone had to go get Laura. Instead of coming to the tree from the bedroom, Laura and I walked to the tree from the front door after I'd fetched her. We did walk in the house accompanied by our family's music tradition (a Nat King Cole mix tape done by Grandma years ago). I joked that our relatives that live on the West coast were going to be done opening presents before we even started! We had fun opening presents and had our traditional cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Then came stockings and we had fun playing with our new stuff.

That afternoon we all bundled up and walked with our three dogs way down the driveway and put out old apples and bread for the deer and critters. Since we moved out here, we like to do that at night on Christmas Eve, but this year we did it during the day. We like to be charitable to the animals around here- they are God’s creations and the winters here are hard for them. It wasn’t long before the deer and critters found their present.

Christmas dinner was lasagna- nothing will top the Christmas lasagna I had as a missionary (it had perchuto in it!) but we came close with three different kinds- classic, spinach and a version with salami in it. I like the spinach one best. We also opened crackers, which is another tradition. You know, those paper tubes (that pop!) and you get a paper crown and a toy and a joke. And we got a homemade cheesecake for dessert! Lots of sugar that day!

In the end, Christmas is supposed to be about spending time with your family and celebrating the birth of our Savior, and we accomplished that. That’s the important part- the rest is just fun.

On to the pictures:

Hanging my stocking:

Christmas morning, had to get Laura- I wore my Gaga pants!

Keeping warm by the fire:

Wrapped Dad a tractors calendar in green duct tape with a red duct tape bow!

 Me and Dad

I gave Dad a train that goes on a track in your tree! Big hit.

 Mom and Dad

 Laura love jellybeans

The house with old sleds on the porch:

And at night (with the light-up geese I gave Mom!) :

The YW ornaments I did:

Feeding the deer on Christmas Day:

What was my favorite present? Marleen (my former missionary companion) calling me up on Christmas Eve to get my address. It's been years since I've heard her voice (though we do keep in touch electronically) so it was incredibly nice to chat and catch up. It's the simple things that are the best. Thanks dear!

What was your favorite thing this Christmas season?

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Pre-Christmas Fun

I know it’s late showing these pictures, but I managed to squeak in some fun in December even though I was super busy with ending this semester.

Mom and Pop weren’t up for it, but Laura and I went and had fun in Corry (our neighboring town) on their Christmas celebration night early in December. In past years, the branch dinner is on the same night so we’ve never gotten to participate until this year. The park is lit up all month, but only on this night do they set up the luminaries, which were lovely.

The little downtown area is open late, and I had fun wandering antique stores and the local quilt shop. And Laura and I got to ride in a wagon pulled by big draft horses! It was cold but fun. It was snowing big fat flakes for most of the night. The local radio station was playing Christmas music outside, everything was very merry. Laura and I often butt heads, so it was good to have some bonding time.

Later in the month, our YSA group had an outing to Kirtland to see the lights and nativities at the church’s visitor’s center. We had 5 YSA and two of our advisor couples attend and we had a fun time. I had heard last year that the visitors center did this, but wasn’t able to go. I’m glad I got to go this year; it was a lot of fun to see the lights and all the amazing nativities. Two of the people that attended hadn't been to Kirtland before, so it was neat to be with them on the tour (gotta love sister missionaries!). One sister missionary was all interested in the camera strap cover that I'd made.
 

Large nativity statues outside (like the ones at the temples):

 In the little schoolhouse was a display of a whole bunch of nativities from all around the world, those were neat to see as well:

Can you believe that a teenager carved this from wood? It was amazing.

 I liked this copper tree with nativity stamps hanging off of it, I may need to make my own version someday:

This display of the Savior's life was neat:



There were hundreds of amazing ones, framed nativity Christmas cards, and upstairs there was a tall fake flocked tree with all white nativity ornaments on it, vey lovely. I may have to steal that idea.

Mom, being RS president, was in charge of the Christmas dinner. She opted for real tableclothes, plates, glasses and silverware, which meant some additional cleanup but looked nice. She made the greenery centerpieces using her silver bowl collection and stuck in some pinecones and glass ball ornaments that I owned. It was the first time the Corry branch had used real stuff for a dinner since we've been around and we got a lot of good feedback on it. I think it helped people feel special.

I designed my Christmas card in Photoshop and used my oranment painting from last year. Told you to act surprised! I got a good deal. Once again, not much is new with me on paper so I just wanted something to wish people Merry Christmas on.

I like how the back turned out:

December was busy as always, but fun!

Hope you had a good one too.