Today's Laugh

This is SO Carson & his friends! It made both of us laugh.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 28

Today I am thankful for popcorn. None of that microwave stuff, but yummy homemade popcorn made in our Whirley Pop. It's a Sunday evening tradition at our house. If you've never tried it, you really should. Come on by and my kids (who are experts in using the Whirley Pop) will make you some tasty, tasty popcorn.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 27

Today I am thankful for traditions. Old ones that carry lots of memories. New ones that only hold a few memories. And even the ones we haven't started yet--who knows what memories those will hold?

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 26

Today I am thankful for Gary.

I'm thankful he's been a part of my life.
I'm thankful he was able to take me on travel adventures.
I'm thankful he was patient with me.
I'm thankful he spoiled me.
I'm thankful he spent time with our kids.
I'm thankful he worked hard to support our family.
I'm thankful he cleaned up dinner for me.
I'm thankful he went to the movies I wanted to see.
I'm thankful he was an honorable priesthood holder.
I'm thankful he supported me in my callings.
I'm thankful he had warm hands.
I'm thankful he loaded the dishwasher because he knew I didn't like to.
I'm thankful he wasn't perfect, but kept trying to improve.

Even though we are now separated in mortality, I know we'll be together again, and for that I am very thankful.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 25

Today I am thankful for food--especially today's food. All yummy. All prepared by many hands to lighten the load. All a blessing to me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 24

Today I am thankful for my kid's friends. I'm so lucky that my children have good friends who have the same values they do. It makes my job easier. (and thanks to all the parents who raised those good friends!)

"Stuff" Aubrey is Thankful for This Week

From yesterday's letter:

"So here's some stuff that I am thankful for this week.

1. I'm thankful that this computer has a mildly entertaining mouse pad so that I have something to look at as it restarts.

2. I'm thankful for the printing press. That may sound kind of weird and random, but just think where we'd be without it.

3. I'm thankful that me and Elder Stanworth (exchange) caught our bus back to the apartment on Wednesday night. It would have been a pretty crappy night if we hadn't.

4. I'm thankful for very extensive College Football updates from Uncle Geoff.

5. I'm thankful that Elder Texira of the quorum of the 70 is doing a mission tour here in about three weeks.

6. I'm thankful that I don't have problems falling asleep since I've been here in Germany.

7. I'm thankful that I found some new dental floss that is about 100 times more comfortable than the kind I used to use. (I've decided that dental floss is not something to go cheap with.)"

Numbers 6&7 are good for this mother to hear from this missionary! I'm sure there's a story to go along with #3, but he didn't share that with me--but I'm thankful he caught his bus too.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 23

Today I am thankful for my home. It keeps me safe from the outside elements--literally and figuratively. I have comfortable shelter from the snow and wind outside. I can gather my children here to teach the gospel principles we need to be safe from Satan's dangerous grasp. I can feed my family's bodies with food made in my beautiful new kitchen and feed their spirits from my old worn scriptures. It may not be the biggest, newest, or even cleanest house on the block, but it is my home and it is filled with love from both sides of the veil.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 22

Today I am thankful for cold medicine--and by extension, I'm thankful I live in a time with so many medical advances. I'd elaborate more, but I need to take some of that cold medicine and go to bed.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 21

Today I am thankful for service. Both given and received. It humbles us and lifts us. It makes us more like Christ when we serve others. And like King Benjamin taught in his sermon, "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)

"Final" Kitchen Pictures

Here are the final pictures of the kitchen. If you want to see the before pics, look here.

And because this isn't a model home or a Parade of Homes home--we actually live here and use this kitchen--there's stuff on the countertops. But aren't they lovely countertops?

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 20

Today I am thankful for life insurance.

If you don't have it, get it. If you already have it, reevaluate your needs should something happen.

Enough said.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 19

Today I am thankful for my friends. I have good friends who lift me, who challenge me, who love me. I don't what I'd do without my friends. They're the best!

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 18

Today I am thankful for books. I love books and reading--always have. My parents have told me that when I was younger I would convince my younger sister to clean the room while I read out loud to her. (would that work today???) I currently have at least 7 books on my bed/nightstand/on the floor next to the bed that I am in some stage of reading. AND, I get to work at the library which is a building full of books!

Addendum to Day 13

I'm so thankful my furnace keeps my home warmer than a missionary flat in Johannesburg. Dad & Georgia have pictures on their blog of them all bundled up at home to keep warm. There's even one with Georgia eating breakfast with her gloves on!

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 17

Today I am thankful for my Mom & Dad. I can say like Nephi did, "having been born of goodly parents." They weren't perfect, but which of us is? They did what they thought was right. I am so grateful to them for making the choices they did regarding church activity. I know I owe a big part of who I am to them. Mom's been gone 9 years now and I still miss her. Dad's *just* over in South Africa, but we can still communicate via email, phone, & Skype. Love you both!!

(on a related note, I'm thankful for Georgia who has made my Dad so happy the past 6 years. You're wonderful!)

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 16

Today I am thankful for our Father's plan of happiness. Despite the sorrows of this mortal earth, we know we will be with our loved ones again in God's presence if we do as He has asked us to.

{blessings, love, and comfort to Darcee and her family}

Aubrey's Thankful List Continues

From today's letter:
"Here are some things that I'm thankful for in no particular order
1. I'm thankful that I have such an awesome mission president. He's got a tough job, but he does it great.
2. I'm thankful that my shoes are still in pretty good condition. Hopefully they'll stay that way for a little while.
3. I'm thankful for the study time we have every morning as missionaries. It's really great have time every day to read in the scriptures.
4. I'm thankful I can get myself out of bed early each morning without too much trouble.
5. I'm thankful my mom writes me every week (thanks mom)
6. I'm thankful that I got to go to Germany on my mission and speak German. Seriously, it's awesome.
7. I'm thankful that Elder Pauli has such an extensive music collection. (Don't worry it's all appropriate), It might be kind of boring without it."

(jsyk--I did edit the spelling)
I heart my missionary!

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 15

Today I am thankful to own a washer and dryer. I love the smell of clean sheets straight out of the dryer. I love getting a stubborn stain out of a piece of clothing. I love the smell of dryer sheets. And as much as I've complained over the years about doing laundry, I love the fact that I can care for my family's clothes right here in my own home on my own schedule.

Two Great Quotes

Here are two great thoughts from April 2010 General Conference:

Elder Rasband: "At the end of the meeting Elder Eyring bore his witness to me of the love of the Savior, which He has for each missionary assigned to go out into the world and preach the restored gospel. He said that it is by the great love of the Savior that His servants know where these wonderful young men and women, senior missionaries, and senior couple missionaries are to serve. I had a further witness that morning that every missionary called in this Church, and assigned or reassigned to a particular mission, is called by revelation from the Lord God Almighty through one of these, His servants."

President Uchtdorf: "Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. Often we can’t see the Lord’s hand in our lives until long after trials have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness."

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 14

Today I am thankful for music--specifically, the music we sing in church. Hymns and primary songs have touched my heart and soul many, many times and often bring tears to my eyes. Our sacrament meeting today consisted of 5 speakers, each of whom picked one of their favorite hymns (or primary songs). They spoke about why the hymn was important to them and then we sang the songs as a congregation. It's a program we've had many times in this ward, and I always enjoy it. Two of my favorite songs made the program today--We'll Bring the World His Truth (Army of Helaman) and The Spirit of God. The first I sang with tears streaming down my face (as I almost always do with this song) and the second I sang "exultantly" as our speaker encouraged us to. It was wonderful!

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 13

Today I am thankful for a working furnace that warms the air in my home to make it comfortable for me and my family. Although I keep it at a lower temperature in the winter than I would really like in order to save energy and money, it's still warmer than a log cabin or a covered wagon (or possibly a missionary apartment in northern Germany).

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 12

Today I am grateful for my kids. Aubrey, my first-born, who has taught me a lot about how to be a parent and who is making a difference by serving a full-time mission. Maren, my sweet daughter, who is kind and loving and is growing into a beautiful young woman. And Carson, my tallest son, who makes me laugh almost every day and is a great young man, handsome too. Where would I be without you guys? Probably turn into a cranky old cat-lady or something. I love you lots and am so glad to have you in my life!

For All My Married Girlfriends

This post is to (hopefully) make you laugh out loud, or at least chuckle or grin. I've been reading Emily Watts' book "I Hate It When Exercise is the Answer: A Fitness Program for the Soul." In it she gives thirty-one simple exercises to strengthen our emotional and spiritual core. When I read the chapter about understanding men I laughed out loud. (I love when things make me laugh out loud unexpectedly, but that's another post for another day)

Here's a short summary of the chapter. She begins with talking about how men and women's brains are different and so they see the world in different ways. She quotes a scene in Harry Potter 5--the part where Harry and Cho have just shared their first kiss, but Cho was crying the whole time. Hermione tries to explain to Harry and Ron what Cho must be feeling. (It's all very complicated, of course) Ron's response is "One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode." She writes how she laughed when she read this--and I remember having the same response. Watts goes on to give the example of Mother's Day in her ward. She talks about the difficulties the bishopric has in deciding on a "gift" and how to present that gift to the women in the ward and then states that the men just don't want to offend anyone.

Now here's the part that made me laugh out loud:
"Contrast this with Father's Day. For many years, we didn't even observe Father's Day in our ward, and no one ever complained. (That should be a clue right there as to the differences between men and women.) Now we have a tradition that during the last ten minutes of priesthood meeting, they gather all the classes from deacons to high priests together in the multi-purpose room and present them with FatBoy ice-cream sandwiches. Everyone is happy. No one tries to probe for subliminal meaning in the choice of FatBoys. They eat their ice cream and yuk it up and go home happy.
What would happen in your ward if they tried to give FatBoys to the women on Mother's Day? Almost too horrible to contemplate, isn't it?" (page 41)

Oh, I'm smiling even as I type this. Thanks Emily Watts!

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 11

Today I am thankful for all the people who have served and are serving my country in the military. Thank you to my grandfather who was an airplane mechanic in England and my great uncle who drove tanks in North Africa during World War II. Thank you to the young man in my ward who gave his life in Iraq a few years ago. Thank you to another young man in my ward who recently joined the US Marines. Thank you for protecting my freedom and thank you to your families for supporting you.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 10

Today I am thankful for a strong Young Mens/Young Womens program in our ward. The men & women who work with (and have worked with) my kids are AWESOME! I so appreciate their time and efforts on behalf of my children. There is no way I could teach my kids all the things they've learned from these inspired leaders over the years, so with a full heart I offer them a huge thank you.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 9

Today I am thankful for small miracles. In the past 5 days, I've seen a few of these take place in the life of a friend. I pray for the bigger miracle, but am so grateful to have seen the small ones.

Because Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

Several people have asked me what döner is and why Aubrey would be thankful for it. Here's what Wikipedia has to say:
"Doner kebab (Turkish: döner kebap or döner kebabı, literally "rotating roast", often abbreviated as döner, also spelled donair, donar, doner, or sometimes donner), is a Middle Eastern dish made of lamb meat (mainly) cooked on a vertical spit and sliced off to order and served wrapped in bread with salad and a dressing.

There are many variants in the composition of the meat, the ways of serving it, and the garnishes. Similar dishes include shawarma in Arabic and gyros in Greek,[2] although ingredients and sauces differ. The English term kebab in some countries refers specifically to doner kebab.

Döner kebab is now widely available across Europe and North America, mostly in the variant developed in Germany. The meat may be lamb, mutton, beef, goat, or chicken.

Outside of Turkey, generally a döner sandwich is served with a salad made from shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and onions—often also with cabbage and cucumbers. Usually there is a choice between a hot sauce, a whiter yoghurt sauce containing garlic (tarator/tzatziki), and a dairy sauce containing herbs. Most döner vendors in Europe also have French fries which can be served as a side or wrapped with the meat and salad. Sometimes more varied ingredients are available, such as hummus (chick pea paste), tahini-based tarator, or Turkish white cheese. This type of serving is uncommon in Turkey, and is mostly found in western European countries."

So there you have it. And here's a picture of Aubrey eating döner in Germany. Looks good, huh?

Kitchen & Bath Pictures

Before (once I cleaned everything out of the cabinets and countertops)

Almost After

I haven't taken a "final" picture of the kitchen because I keep waiting to get everything put away, but that's taking a lot longer than I planned and we have to use the kitchen too. So I'm putting up this one that doesn't have the tile backsplash. And the stove is actually in it's real spot now, not the middle of the floor. And oh yeah, the handles are on the doors and the kitchen faucet is in place too. Maybe one day I'll get the kitchen cleaned up enough to take a picture with everything in it's final place.

Here's a picture of the hall bathroom shower tile

This is the master bathroom shower tileThe bathrooms have new counters (same as kitchen), sinks & faucets. The old cabinets got a facelift with some sanding and stain.

It's all beautiful and we love it!

Halloween Pumpkins (Finally!)

Here are the Hatch family pumpkin for 2010. Hope you all had a fun Halloween at your house!

Here we are getting the guts out and carving. I must be getting old if I have to wear reading glasses to see the pumpkin pattern...

This is Maren's

This is mine (the light wasn't quite working, so in case you can't tell it's the Lincoln Memorial)

And here is Carson's tribute to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 8

Today I am thankful for missionaries and their emails. I look forward to each Monday morning so I can read what Aubrey has sent me that week. The hardest part for me of him being on a mission is the limited contact. I know its purpose, and I know that it can't be any other way, but I long to be able to talk with him a couple times a week--or even to just be able to send him a text. And so I eagerly await my Monday morning email from my missionary.

I told him about my challenge and he wanted to participate--love it! Here's what he said:
"I like your thankful challenge. I will also take part. But first a question, do people read your blog? Ok, since it's now tomorrow here I'll give you 8 things I'm thankful for.

1. I am thankful that we have a shower with hot water. Almost every morning I think to myself "I am so glad this shower has hot water." Literally.

2. I am thankful that I have a companion who speaks total crap English so that I have no choice but to converse with him in German.

3. I am thankful that we (meaning you at home) are in a stable financial situation for the next 14 months.

4. I am thankful that some Turkish dude back in the day invented Döner. That has brought me and many other missionaries much joy.

5. I am thankful for the footnotes in the Bible that clarify the weird Greek/Hebrew translations. Those things are great.

6. I am thankful that I can take part in God's great work of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

7. I am thankful that we can do e-mails on P-day. I'm not the biggest fan of actually writing letters.

8. I am thankful that I can now understand most everything people say and that I can give a response that is understandable."

Numbers 2 & 4 made me laugh out loud! I am so glad that he can still make me laugh, even from thousands of miles away. (And I scoffed at his statement, do people read my blog. I told him in a reply email that I have, like, 5 loyal readers!)

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 7

Today I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Through His infinite atonement, I can be made whole and clean. From his example and teachings, I can learn to be a better person and serve those around me.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 6

Today (well, yesterday actually) I am thankful for sleep. Sleep brings much needed balance and perspective, physical rest to my tired body, and, to be honest, I'm a total mess without it.
(because I desperately needed sleep this post didn't actually get written on the 6th, but that's okay--I had a good night's sleep!)

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 5

Today I am thankful that Dexter's leg doesn't seem to be hurting him anymore so I don't have to take him to the vet. (with no pet insurance, those costs add up fast!)

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 4

Today I am grateful that there are people who have greater insight into the scriptures than I do and that they are able to share those insights with me.

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 3

Today I am thankful for technology. Yes, it has its down sides, but overall, I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to utilize today's technology to do so many things (not the least is Skype so I can talk to my dad in South Africa).

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 2

Today I am thankful I live in a free country that allows me the opportunity to express my opinion and elect my government leaders. I am also thankful that I utilized the option of early voting and didn't have to wait in line :)

Attitude of Gratitude, Day 1

I have a confession to make...I slept through about 95% of the Saturday morning session of General Conference (to watch, listen, read or download all of the talks click here). And because of this, I didn't really catch all of President Monson's excellent talk on gratitude. I remedied this tonight as we watched the talk for Family Home Evening. It reminded me of how much I have to be grateful for, despite the difficulties that I have experienced in my life. Last fall I wrote a weekly post about things I was thankful for (remember Thankful Thursday?). At FHE I challenged the kids to take time each day this month to write down something they are grateful for. I will be writing my list here on my blog.

So for day 1, I am thankful for my friend Lisa who did a small act of kindness today that means so much to me. She brought me flowers and a kind note on a day that could have been very difficult (but surprisingly wasn't).