What have they done with the REAL Nyquil?!? Plus: a bonus body count of the children I've exposed.

Day 1 - hmmm, I think I'm having allergies.  Exposed: Ethan, Eli, Aislynn, Micah, and by extension, their new baby sister, Abigail.

Day 2 - Thanksgiving, Sneezy McSneezerson. hmmmm, dang my throat is sore, I just might be coming down with something.  Exposed: Ashlynn, Donnie, Mackenzie, Hailey, Kaila

Day 3 - Black Friday, got up at 4:30 am to go to Walmart, where we scored both Roger's and Breanne's X-mas present, saving at least $100 (so it was worth it)  It's official, I've got a cold, not too bad; carry on.  Exposed: Eli, Aislynn, and Micah, just in case it didn't take the first time.  Then Roger and Ethan packed up to go camping IN THE SNOW.   No one would go with them.  Mystifying.

Day 4 - I'm siiiiiiiick.  I sound like that deep voice guy who used to do all the dramatic Tv show commercials.  Exposed: (parents forewarned, but fatalistic.  Somedays ya gotta take babysitting where you can get it) Ava, Lila, Maia and Mathias.  Good thing these kids mostly watch themselves, and outside in the freezing cold to boot.  I unreasonably insisted on shoes and coats (I know!)

After they left, I faced reality, got a substitute for primary, and settled down with my unleaded Nyquil, Mucinex, The Deathly Hallows, Christmas music, and my new calling in life: snot machine. And now, back to my regularly scheduled productive coughing.

We had a special stake conference today, wherein the stake was not split, we just had the cool opportunity to have a General Authority speak to us: Elder Gerrit Gong.  I think it would have been pretty awesome, but the internet didn't have the spirit (I'm quoting the guy trying to fix it, not just being flip, which, I don't really mind being flip, but it wasn't me this time, I'd just like you to know that) and there were problems with the feed to our stake center for a good chunk of the program.  But the part I heard was indeed good.

Since Roger took the scouts camping this Friday, he had to purchase a 3 day pass up the canyons. So after church we got a wild hair and decided to drive up and see the beauties of the wintery mountain landscape.  Since it was lunch time, the trip morphed into us heating cans of chili on a propane stove in a driving stinging blizzard.  Truly.  We drove up on wet, bare road, and in the hour or so we were up there, the roads were covered with at least 2 inches. Placed sideways at times.  It was beautiful and humbling, like a good trip to the wilderness ought to be.  As we froze our body parts off for all of 10 minutes before getting back in the car to eat, we pondered on the plight of the pioneers, without polar fleece, propane stoves and thinsulate boots, trying to make the journey with children, babies, and little food. It's just incomprehensible. I don't even ............  how?................how could you ever DO that?

What a heritage of faith we have.

Ethan is wearing my coat, cuz he forgot his, which explains why I'm in the car taking the picture.

Bonnie treated me to a free Harry Potter movie on Saturday. She had 2 free tickets, and she and Ava were going to go together, until she was prompted not to take Ava.  I, for one, was pretty tickled to go, and I totally agree; definitely not child-level cruelty and dread.  At least on the overwhelming, uncleanflicked big screen.   But it was really well done, in my opinion, and completely nailed the feelings I got from reading the book.  I haven't read the book since I re-read it shortly after it came out, so I can't say how faithful to the nit picking it got - but wow!  I do wish it had had a few more laughs, (I think it had 2).  It put me on to the feeling of poor Frodo, struggling to Mordor, but with a magic tent.

PS.  You would think, would you not, that with frozen drinking water and snow on the ground, the dog would NOT want to go in and out 40 times an evening to lick the frozen water, but would want to stay IN, and drink actual drinkable water.  You would be wrong.

Routine Contentment

This has been the most beautiful autumn season in my memory!  Just driving around has been breathtaking, and I've spent an inordinate amount of time just kneeling on my couch and gazing out the back window.  The power of a blazing tree to fill me with .........what?  Happy/Wistful/Wild/  you know, Autumn feelings.  Crunch down the street, swishing up the leaves, bluer than blue sky, totally conscious RIGHT NOW.   I need the perfect poem, or phrase.  Anyone got one?  While you're at it, do you have one about sleeping in the afternoon sunshine next to my black cat? 

But now, dun dun dun, getting brown, shriveled, cold - same old thing that happens every year.  I feel indignant!  Not quite shocked, exactly, but REALLY?  AGAIN!?!  Didn't this just happen last year?!?  Hmmmph.

Yet!  These have been some awesome days around here. Nothing out of the ordinary, and I was going to blog about the enjoyable predictability of my days, but the phrase "routine contentment" rang my bell when I started listening to To Kill a Mockingbird on CD last night. 
I just finished Pride and Prejudice on CD and Oh, it was wonderful! Among other things, (you know, the story and language being perfect and funny)  the reader pronounced  "room" more along the lines of "rum" so it became my form of a drinking game to raise my imaginary glass and proclaim RUM! each time after her.  I watched the Kiera Knightly P and P version the other night, and Ethan exclaimed "isn't that the same as the CD you were listening to?"  Smart cookie, that one.  I've borrowed the Colin Firth version, which I've never seen, and Leslie advised me to just go ahead and give it the 5 straight hours it deserves.  Somehow, I'm going to manage that, because I had to stop and start the KK PnP about 400 times at least, (and anyone with kids, puppies, phones and a small bladder knows what I'm talking about!) and it was annoying.
 Of course, movies never live up to books with the two and only exceptions of LOTR and Stardust.

Yes, I just wrote a blog post about the weather, books and movies.  I am indeed - pretty darn prosaic.