A years supply of egg custard...

It's a hot, hot day and I'm thinking about making some egg custard... sprinkled with a little nutmeg... the cold smooth cream slithers down your throat. Yumm...

It's always been one of my kids' favorite desserts. They loved it from the time they began to eat solid foods. Jello brand sold it in little boxes like their puddings and it was quick and easy to make. And then one day there was not one box of it at the grocery store! Week after week it was on my grocery list and the store was always out of it. I checked other stores. They all had an empty spot where it once was stocked. I asked the store managers. They didn't know what happened to it. I had my mom check the grocery stores in Utah (they always have everything) and nothing! I checked out Jello's website. They didn't even show it as a product anymore. We could probably get along without green jello, but not custard! I emailed them and got no response. I was getting frantic! I searched for it on all kinds of hard-to-find food websites. I mean HometownFavorites.com even has Danish Dessert (the best strawberry glaze) on their website and I've tried for years to get Arizona stores to carry it!

Months (it felt like years) went by...

In the meantime, I made some from scratch but my kids didn't like it as well. I guess their tastebuds got used to the powdered egg taste!

And then last week I fretted to my husband about it and he said to just google it! So I did. And guess where it showed up??? On Amazon.com! I knew you could buy books, CDs, DVDs, electronics and all kinds of stuff on there! But I NEVER knew you could buy food on Amazon! (Thank you Jeff Bezo!) So I ordered 24 boxes (that's the minimum) on Saturday and on Monday morning it was on my doorstep! Now I've got my years supply of it!

And guess what's for dessert tonight??

Kona - Hawaii

A couple of months ago Matt went over to the big island to see his best friend Vasu get married in the Kona Hawaii Temple. (The Laie Temple is closed for renovations.)
Here are some of the pictures he emailed us... I'm just a little slow getting them uploaded.

The wedding party...Matt sang and played the guitar at the reception...

I think he keeps that talent a little hidden!

Duck Creek

We had a Weathers' Family Reunion in Duck Creek Village, Utah over the July 4th holiday. Duck Creek is east of Cedar City by Cedar Breaks and in Dixie National Forest. High altitude (8500+) and low temps (50-60's)!! A nice reprieve from our 110+degree days. It was fun to share a few days with extended family. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Can you guess what the main form of recreation was??
Miles upon miles of trails... through gorgeous mountain vistas....

Inside Mammath Caves...

Check out the dirty smiling faces...

Cousins hanging out together in the hammock...

And playing in an evening concert...

Mom/Grandma and her four kids...

And most of the gang that could come...

Can you HEAR me now?

I grew up in a house with 3 phones. One in my parents' room, one in my dad's office, and one in the kitchen with a 15+ foot cord. That was the one we were relegated to use. It could stretch around the corner and down the hallway but privacy was at a premium because it couldn't quite reach my bedroom. Some families got a second line for the teenagers. We didn't.

As my first child approached those teenage years I began to ponder the second line concept for our home. But then, in the blink of an eye, telephone technology changed. House phones became cordless and you could walk around the house (and even the yard) with one. My car phone, once hard-wired into our car, became mobile and grew smaller... the prices went way down... and it seemed that every man, woman, teenager, and child on the block had one in their pocket or purse! Family plans, mobile-to-mobile minutes, roaming fees, and text minutes replaced land lines and local and long distance carriers. We could talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime...

Years ago there was a commercial that said "Let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages!" (Who even uses those big bulky Yellow Page Books anymore? I've been meaning to write them and tell them what a waste of time, money and paper it is to keep leaving them on my doorstep.) Ninety-five percent of the information we need we can literally hold in the palm of our hands... and have it with just a few quick movements of our fingers!

And now we don't even have to use our mouths to communicate to others with these small devices!

In this new world of communicative technology, our fingers (mostly thumbs) have become our mouthpieces!! Texting, tweeting on Twitter, emailing, IMing (instant messaging for those few who don't know), blogging... all great new forms of communicating and connecting with others... and without a sound... okay, maybe a few click, click, clicks... Are we still living out loud (LOL) or as a recent cell phone commercial asks "Can you HEAR me now??"

The other day my 21-year-old son was sitting in the family room having a "conversation" with a friend. He told me he was asking her on a date.

"But, I didn't hear you talking to anyone?" I questioned him.

"I texted her, Mom!" he returned.

"So you didn't even call her on your cell phone?"

"Nobody does that."

Hmmm... I wonder if they will talk out loud on their date??

Life Lessons Learned in a Rodeo

The little red Rodeo is gone. Hooray!! We sold it a few weeks ago... just a couple of hours after putting a sign on it... signed, sealed, delivered, it's theirs! No sellers remorse here. I thought it was long overdue to get rid of it. It was already 10 years old when we bought it. Each of my three boys drove it. Matt drove it until he left for college in Hawaii. Jon drove it to work every day one summer with the air conditioning broken and never complained. It was getting pretty beat up by the time Josh got it. I asked him one day if he wanted a newer car and he said "No way, I love the Rodeo. Who cares if it's old! I'm happy to drive it!" Wow...

I realized then that my children are much wiser and more insightful than I am. Yes, my kids learned some great life lessons because of that Rodeo. They didn't care if most of their friends were given new cars when they turned 16. Their self-image wasn't tied to what kind of car they drove. They didn't have feelings of entitlement as so many of their generation do. (And I personally believe it is fueled by their parents giving them too much.) They learned how to take care of a car, to do the maintenance on it, and to work on the engine and all the other moving parts. With the help of a kind home teacher, they rebuilt and fixed the air conditioning system. And boy did they appreciate the flow of cold air on their faces after driving it for months without!!

And now Jon has bought his first truck. It's almost new and nothing fancy. A part of me just wanted to hand him the money and say "We'll pay for it... you deserve it!" But, no, we held back as we watched him work and struggle to pay for it with his hard earned money. His pride of ownership shows with the big smile on his face! He knows the value of a dollar. And the accomplished feeling of hard work. He says it was worth the wait!

It really is true that if you make your children's life a little harder, they will have a much better life! In a world of everything being so instant it is so hard to teach them to wait. And I find myself saying the same thing my parents said to me when I was a kid: "Wait until you grow up, then you'll appreciate it more." Child psychologists claim we need to teach our children this theory of delayed gratification for them to have happy and successful lives.

I agree... let them grow up and still have things to dream about...

A College Degree?

Matt is in the home stretch... one more semester until he graduates with his BS in Computer Science. He would have been finished by now but the disadvantage of a small college (BYU-H) is they don't offer a lot of senior level classes during the spring and summer terms. And the advantage? More time for sun and surf. Rough life, I say. His house is walking distance to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! But, to his credit, a Computer Science Degree is no cake walk! Physics and more physics and lots of tough classes. A couple of months ago when he told me he wanted to change his major I stopped breathing for a moment. "Oh, no! You're soooo close to being done," I gasped! Yeah, I admit early on I hoped he'd be a doctor (or lawyer--he likes to argue a lot!). But, as parents, you have to let them explore and figure it out themselves. I mean when he was 18 he wanted to be a rock star! So, I'm thinking, Computer Science is good! Really good! And a VERY MARKETABLE degree to have even in this economy! And with his affinity for computers he will do just fine.

Now, Jon is home from his mission and trying to figure out his path of college travel. I'm just trying to bite my tongue. And Josh has 2 years to just concentrate on serving the Lord and not think about college.

When I was in college my parents insisted that I take classes that would give me marketable skills, too. I preferred more artsy stuff like interior design, creative writing, and flat pattern design (sewing). And, as a hopefully soon-to-be wife and mother, sprinkle in a little CDFR (Child Development/Family Relations) as it was called back then. So after 2 years of the "fun stuff" I switched over and dutifully took the shorthand (Now THAT's a real marketable skill nowadays! HA!) and business and accounting classes. And I sort of lost my focus and interest in college.

But, alas, I got my MRS Degree and not my BA or BS degree. And I've regretted it ever since. (Not the MRS part!) Yeah, sorry to admit, but my young adult social circle was more concerned about finding a husband than getting a college education. (Oh, the stories my roommates could tell you!) I'm so glad that this generation of young women seem to be more focused on getting their education while looking for a man. Good for them!

The years filled up with childbirth and children, church callings and service, keeping house and just keeping up, and not fun to mention, but several major surgeries and illnesses along the way. And I kept wondering when will it be MY time to go back and finish what I started at BYU over 25+ years ago? The guilt pricks me a little when I see those BYU TV commercials showing middle-aged women like me who've gone back and got their General Studies Degree through their online program. And I think to myself, "General Studies... too "generic" for me!" But it's better than no degree! So with the house a little quieter and emptier I probably could squeeze in some time for classes... That is after I help Katelyn with her schoolwork and stuff, fulfill my church calling and service, do the cooking and cleaning, laundry and ironing, and errands, and keep up the house...

I think I'm just too darn tired now.

Cocoons and Butterflies

Science was never my favorite subject. But, nonetheless, I do remember learning (probably in 5th grade) about the amazing life cycle of butterflies. And ever since we dropped Josh off at the MTC I've been thinking about this metamorphosis analogy: Female butterflies (moms) lay eggs which grow into caterpillars. Caterpillars spend most of their time eating. (Like teenage boys!) A protective casing (family, the gospel) forms around the caterpillar during the stage that they are undergoing a transformation (from a teenager into a young missionary/elder of the church). A caterpillar enters the cocoon so that they will be protected from a harsh or unfriendly environment. Once they have grown strong enough, they emerge from the cocoon (home, or in this analogy, the MTC) to the outside world. A silk worm (or caterpiller) metamorphosis's into a beautiful butterfly. It has often been said that the most beautiful butterflies usually emerge from the ugliest cocoons. For this reason, many people consider the process of the cocoon to be a miracle of nature. (Many miracles happen in the MTC!) Josh has completed his metamorphosis and has now emerged from the MTC "cocoon", spread his wings, and flown to the Georgia Macon Mission to share the awesome message of the gospel! Wonderful new adventures await him there!