Dear Non-Commenters,

I know you are out there in cyber-space reading this blog. You make comments to me when you see me in real life. Why not leave it here on the blog as proof?

There have been several times I almost quit writing because there are no readers. But I keep on doing it because I feel like it is a supplement to my journal.

I know you think of things when you read. How can you not? Everyone that has a brain in their head has an opinion. Why not type them out? It is very cathartic, trust me!

Thank You,

The Writers of the Fab 5 Blog

In a Pickle

I am the only person in my family that likes pickles and I only like dill pickles. The boys often tell me that pickles are cucumbers soaked in evil. Jim has often wondered why you would ruin a perfectly good cucumber by making it a pickle.

For years I have wanted to learn how to make my own pickles. Unfortunately, when it comes to the garden, Jim does the planting and I do the harvesting and bottling/freezing. It has been that way since we have been married. I suggest a pickling cucumber every year and every year I am denied. Well, this year, his brother that lives around the corner planted some pickling cukes and they couldn't keep up. I was given about 6 pounds of the little green vegetable and was on my way to learning something new (which I love!).

I started reading my USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning created by the USU extention. To my shock it takes 3-4 months to make a real dill pickle! They need to ferment in a cool, dry place before they can be processed. Luckily, they have a "Quick Dill Pickle" recipe. That's the one I am doing. I soaked the cukes in salt water over night. The I sliced them in three different ways: spears, chips and sandwich slicers. They are on the stove prcessing as I type this. I can't wait to see how they turn out! I will let you know...

Lazy River Tuesdays

For about 12 days in May I become part of a little known group called the "Lagoon School Moms". Our local amusement park gives schools in the area (UT, ID & WY) the chance to take a day off of school and have some fun. In our town we have a day for the 6th graders when they graduate from the D.A.R.E. program and a 9th grade Lagoon day. We deal with the kids for 12 days so we can get five season passes and a little bit of spending money - which usually gets spent at Lagoon.

As most Mormon Mommies know, Monday is usually the recovery day from the weekend happenings so we picked Tuesday and Wednesday to be our "Lagoon Days". Tuesday and Wednesday are generally the least crowded days at the park and, aside from Scouts, the least crowded days on our calendar. We try to get our jobs done and get the cooler packed so we can leave the house about 10:30. We take our towels and our 12x12 pop-up shade and stake our claim in a quiet corner of Lagoon-a-Beach. We get our tubes and head for the cool water. It has been very hot the last few weeks so the un-heated water is a welcome shock! The boys are old enough that they can go off and ride the slides on their own. All they have to do is check in with me every once in a while. They know I will be either laying in a tube in the Lazy River or under the shade knitting. They know that when they are hungry for lunch they can make a sandwich, eat some crackers or chips, and have some fruit for lunch. And they also know that when they are hungry for dinner we pack up and head for home. That has been our Tuesday (and sometimes Wednesday) ritual for the past few summers.

Some of you may know I don't do well in the heat. In fact, if the temperature never went above 85 I wouldn't complain one bit. I look forward to our "Lazy River Tuesdays" all week long. It is my chance to lay around in my bathing suit, get some sun and catch up on my knitting. But lately the boys have started to get a little bored with Lagoon. I can see a day when they won't want to go to the same old water park at all. They want to lay in the sun and nap with headphones in their ears or tell me they are bored more than they want to play in the water. Well, I'm not going to let them take away my "day in the sun"! Even if I have to go by myself they will never take "Lazy River Tuesday" away from me. It is just too hot in Utah in July and August to give it up altogether.

Long live "Lazy River Tuesday"!

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Thank You, Poineers

I am so thankful, especially after our trip to Nauvoo, for what the early pioneers did so I could live comfortably where I live and worship as I see fit. I only hope and pray that I may use their example of faith and togetherness to make the lives of my family and friends better.

We Made It!

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Fireflies Lit the Way Home

We saw the Pageant Tuesday night. It was amazing! It told the story of the gathering of those that were fleeing persecution. They just wanted to live in peace and worship as they pleased. It told of the few wonderful years they had In Nauvoo and how they worked together to build the Temple. It also told of them being driven out of the beautiful city they built from a swamp, not knowing where they would go next. But it mostly told of their faith. They knew wherever they were that if their faith continued God would guide and protect them.

When asked what their favorite part of Nauvoo was, all three boys said it was the Pageant.

We were able to spend the whole day yesterday in Nauvoo. It was great. We went to a little show first thing. Then we went back to the Temple. This time with the boys. It wes so rewarding to watch my boys performing such wonderful service! We went to lunch and walked around in some of the shops in town. Then we went down into the historic district and looked in the rest of the homes and shops we hadn't been to. We told the boys to be listening closely. Later we asked them which trade (job) they would do if they lived back then. Austin would have worked in the print shop, Kyle would have worked with Brigham Young building furniture and Josh would have worked as a blacksmith. Jim would have worked with Browning in his rifle shop! (That's a shocker!).

We had dinner and went to one last show. We walked into the big field where there were games and dancing before that night's show but since we had already had the opportunity to see it we decided to get back to the house and start packing for our early start. It was dusk as we walked to our car across the big grass field and as we looked across there were fireflies as far as we could see! It looked like someone had spread out thousands of twinkle lights! We drove down the old river road toward the house and those fireflies were also on either side of the road hovering over the grasses. It was beautiful.

We woke early this morning so we could pack up and get onto our next destination. But before that we went into Nauvoo one last time. We walked down Parley Street toward the river listening to some of the actors tell stories out of writings and journals of those that over 150 ago made that same walk. We paused at the river contemplating how we may have felt if we were asked to do the same.

As we drive west across the Mississippi River I feel I was able to get a tiny glimpse of what those pioneers may have felt. Grateful for the time we were able to spend in Nauvoo, a bit sad to be leaving, looking forward to our next destination and thankful to be experiencing it all with my family.
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Sacred Carthage

We got up this morning and drove to Carthage, IL. It was a beautiful, sacred place. The Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were taken there under false charges. Two days later a large mob stormed the prison, killed the brothers and seriously wounded another. Joseph fell out the window the boys are sitting by and was shot twice more. I am so thankful to those that sacrificed so much in the early years of our church so we can have the gospel and all the opportunities it brings.

We are waiting for the Pageant to start. I will let you know how it was tomorrow.
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