Talented Sheep

Having served a mission in Scotland, and being on the Isle of Lewis during lambing season, I grew to love sheep.  They had the right of way on the roads and it wasn’t uncommon to have to wait for a little lamb to finish eating before Mom and baby would move out of the way.  I remember eating at a member’s home one Sunday after church.  We were having a nice roast, which I assumed was pork, when I announced, “After serving on this island, I will never be able to eat lamb again.”  An uncomfortable silence followed before our host announced that the roast was, you guessed it, lamb.  Oops!

Enjoy the following video of some pretty amazing sheep — or maybe it’s the sheep dogs that are talented and several sheepherders with an awful lot of time on their hands.

In A Nutshell

Here’s a photo journey of some of the more memorable events that have occurred over the past several weeks in our little corner of the world. 

Jeff's bone grafting/rod replacement surgery

Sterling's legos gather for General Conference

Sam's surgery

crazy hair days at school

father son outing

University "Celebration!" - an annual family event

more snake handling

even more

a good way to use up 24 lbs. of strawberries

a better way to use up 24 lbs. of strawberries

weeping cherry blossoms

spring blossoms

Not pictured:  Jeff replacing the radiator in the van, Spencer reading the entire Harry Potter series in 2 weeks, Savannah’s awesome piano recital, Sam’s entertaining Choir concert, Savannah’s clever choir concert/musical, Soren’s cute kindergarten music program, getting rid of ants in the kitchen, finding and fixing the leak that caused our floorboards to buckle, etc…

So Far So Good

So I’ve been the mother of a teenager for several hours now and so far we’re doing okay.  It hardly seems possible that 13 years have passed since we brought this guy home – and I remember thinking at the time that I couldn’t believe they let us out of the hospital with a baby (as if we knew what we were doing) – but now we can hardly remember life before Sam was a part of it.

So here’s a big Happy Birthday to our Sam with 10 things we love about our favorite teenager.

10. Sam is willing to try new things, especially when that means spending time with Dad.

9. Sam is very smart and always does well in school.

8. Sam loves his family and can be very kind to his siblings. Yes, I said “can be”.  We all have our bad days…

7. Sam has an interesting perspective about many things.

6. Sam loves to have fun and is as silly as they come!  Never a dull moment when Sam is around!  Do you think maybe that has something to do with being born on April Fool’s Day?

5. Sam has always loved to play games. He loves to win, but is a good sport when he doesn’t. I can always count on Sam for a game of Phase 10, Five Crowns, Blokus, Rummikub, Rack-o…

4. Sam is a movie star!  He was an extra in the Joseph Smith movie that came out a couple of years ago.  (It’s shown in the Legacy Theater in Salt Lake and in Visitor’s Centers.)  It was a great experience, but he hated the wig!

3.  Sam is becoming quite the accomplished violinist.  He’s been playing for about 6.5 years. He’s not crazy about solo numbers, but loves to play with the University orchestra and is always willing to share his talent at nursing homes to the delight of the residents there.  I love it when he and Sterling play duets, accompanied by Savannah.

2.  Sam has a tender/spiritual side.  He is honest to a fault (unless he’s sneaking extra time on the wii) and always tries to do what is right. (This is one of my all-time favorite pictures. I love the butterfly net over his shoulder…)

1.  Sam is just an all-around-great-kid!  He is loved and respected by many.  The conductor of the orchestra commented the other day that to see Sam’s smile each week makes the blood, sweat, and tears seem non-existent.  His teachers have often told me how much they enjoy Sam in their classes.  Sam is one handsome guy and we’re so glad he’s ours.  We love you Sam and hope you had a great 13th birthday!

Loved This

Say What #10

Soren came home from school today and announced,

“Mom, if you want to know all about animals, just ask a vegetarian.”

Vegetarian.  Veterinarian.  What’s the difference?  Most animals would probably prefer to hang out with a vegetarian anyway.

Hoppy

Two years ago, when Spencer was in 2nd grade, he learned about tree frogs.  He would come home from school each day and fill us in on the various facts and details surrounding the fascinating life of frogs.  He decided that this would be the ultimate pet and proceeded to save all his money to get one.  Finally, shortly after school ended for the Summer, we made a trek to the pet store and left with a 10-gallon tank, water dish, wood chips, a couple dozen live crickets, and “Hoppy”.

Hoppy was a female tree frog.  Spencer informed us that you could tell gender by the size of the ear spots next to their eyes.  Hoppy’s were large which meant girl.

We quickly settled into a routine of spraying down her tank two or three times a day, feeding her 3 or 4 live crickets each night (tree frogs are nocturnal), and making sure she had water in her dish.  We put in a few live plants which thrived in the terrarium-like conditions.  In the Winter, we put a heater on the side of the tank and eventually got a heat lamp to keep her warm enough.  The crickets were my least favorite part.  We kept them in our old one-gallon fish tank and they required carrots or apples to keep them hydrated and fed.  And Hoppy would only eat them if they were alive.  This got particularly exciting on those occasions when someone accidentally knocked the cricket cage to the floor and we’d still be finding crickets several days later.

Sometimes Spencer would put Hoppy in the tub for a swim.  Or he’d take her outside to play and let her crawl through the grass or he’d just carry her around and let her climb on his hands, quick to grab her when she hopped away.  One day last Summer, the kids found 2 small toads when Jeff was mowing the lawn.  Spencer brought Hoppy out to enjoy some company and the kids had a great time with their amphibious friends.  But since frogs don’t particularly enjoy being handled, Hoppy spent most of her days asleep in her tank.

On Friday, I couldn’t see Hoppy in her tank.  Spencer is great at finding her so I called him down.  He looked for a while and then pointed out that she was crouched behind the flower pot in the back corner where she has hung out before.   But as I looked closer, something was different.  I turned the tank around to get a closer look and she wasn’t suctioned to the glass as she usually was.  I knew there was something wrong when I saw that her neck wasn’t going in and out as it always did.  When the realization that Hoppy was dead sunk in, Spencer melted into tears.  As each of the children were made aware, they also cried and cried.  It was one sad evening in the Stowell home.  Spencer wrote in his journal that he’ll never forget Hoppy and that she was his only true best friend.  (That was the saddest part for me!)

Jeff buried Hoppy in front of our rose bush and Sterling drew this sweet picture for Spencer.

We’ll miss you, Hoppy.  Thanks for being a part of our family.

Food For Thought

An Engaging Proposal

Fourteen years ago today, in a sealing room in the Manti temple, Jeff proposed.

Still on crutches from his farming accident just 6 months earlier, he got down on his good knee and asked me to marry him.  It dawned on me shortly after I accepted that I actually had a date that night with someone else.  See, Jeff and I had only been dating for 4 weeks.  This might sound alarming to some, but we had actually known each other for 6 1/2 years, having dated some during my first (his 2nd) year of college.  In and out of touch over the next several years, we finally figured out that we really liked being together this time around.  But we never had the “let’s only date each other” discussion.  I figured out pretty quickly that I preferred spending my time with Jeff, but we were only a couple of weeks into our new relationship when my brother’s friend asked me to his community college’s Valentine’s dance.  So when I blurted out, “I have a date tonight!”, Jeff said, “I know.  You can go.”  Yeah, right.  I didn’t go.

My Dad jokes that I finally caught someone because – with his injury – Jeff couldn’t run fast enough.

Whatever the reason, I’m glad Jeff puts up with me.  I think we make a good team.  Love you, babe.

I know this isn’t the best picture of me or the kids, but Jeff looks hot!

(I got the best one.  Wahoo!)

Happy Ending

You may remember the letter Sterling wrote to Lego a couple of weeks ago.  (See How Can They Refuse.)

I am happy to report that Anakin Skywalker is now sporting a new blue lightsaber.  Sterling was beaming.  Three cheers for Lego.

House Guest

I went down to the storage room today to find an after-school snack for the kids.  Reaching for something on the shelf, I discovered this:

While other tell-tale signs (a.k.a. droppings) are missing, Jeff thinks it’s a mouse.  This is not good news.  We had one other mouse incident several years ago and I’m still traumatized by it.  Jeff said, “I’ll take care of it.”  To that I say, “Be my guest!”  I’ll keep you posted.

UPDATE (2.5 hours later):

Well, that didn’t take long.  Our little brown mouse is in a better place.  Better than my storage room, that’s for sure!

UPDATE (2 days later):

Jeff left another trap out just in case Mr. Brown Mouse had friends.  This morning we learned that he had at least one and they are now reunited in heaven.

Room to Grow

A few weeks ago, Jeff and I moved a bunch of stuff around and redecorated a couple of rooms in the basement.  I will post some before and after pictures later, but I did want to show a few photos of a project I just finished up in my new office.  When we painted the family room back in November, we had to paint over all the kids’ measurements that were on the wall at the top of the stairs.   I copied everything down before it was gone and have been meaning to find a new spot for keeping track.  Here’s what I came up with:

I decided to record the measurements on the door trim so that if we ever move, I can take it with me.  :)  I’m happy with how turned out and am now wishing that I chose a more visible spot for this project instead of somewhat hidden behind a door.  Oh well.  I still love it!

Book Recommendation

I just wanted to give a thumbs up to this book.  I didn’t want it to end.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Here’s a description of the book from Goodreads:

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb.

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society–born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island–boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is one of the most delightful books I’ve read. I will admit that about 12 pages from the end, I peeked at the last page because I just couldn’t stand it anymore and had to know what was going to happen. I loved the way it was written, as a series of letters, and find myself wanting to be witty and charming and take up letter writing myself. Loved it!

View all my reviews.

Cars

My memoir writing group met today.  Here is my piece, about some of the cars from my early driving days.  Enjoy!

By the time I turned 16 my Junior year of High School, all of my friends already had a Driver’s License. Some of them even had their own cars. I don’t remember specifically deciding not to get my license, I just didn’t have a need for one. It wasn’t until my Senior year that my Mom decided it was time. I never realized it before, but she probably pushed the subject because my older sister had moved to North Carolina to be a nanny for a year and Mom needed someone to run errands. Whatever the reason, I finally got my license in November of 1987, one month after my 17th birthday. 

My family never had fancy cars. Quite the contrary. But my parents’ rule was that as long as I was willing to drive their cars, they’d pay for the insurance and gas. If I wanted to buy my own car, I was on my own. I was a pretty smart kid and I knew a good deal when I saw one so I swallowed my pride and drove whatever was available. Well, I sort of swallowed my pride. We did have one vehicle that I
never learned how to drive because, well, I didn’t want anyone to see me in it. It was my Dad’s 1961 Ford van. Rather, it was a van from the front, but looked like a truck from the back. But Dad’s uncle Don had built a camper shell onto the back so it still looked more like a van than a truck. Whatever you called it, it was Ugly with a capital Ugh! I remember riding as a front-seat passenger in this beast one afternoon when I saw one of my friends. I immediately ducked so they wouldn’t see me. My Dad actually pulled the van over to the side of the road after my little display, insisting that I’d offended his van. He refused to go until I apologized and kissed the steering wheel. My younger brother did not share my opinion of this van and actually lived in it for an entire Summer.

I remember well the day Dad taught me how to drive a stick shift. We were driving a 1970-something turquoise blue Dodge Colt wagon that my sister dubbed “The Easter Egg”. I didn’t know it at the time, but the clutch on this baby was difficult at best. As I started to get the hang of it, Dad took me to a very steep hill so I could practice how-not-to-roll-backwards from a stop. As luck would have it, another car pulled up right behind us at the stop sign. Dad told me to go but I refused. He tried to tell me I could do this. “Just ease up on the clutch and give it enough gas and you’ll be fine.” No way. “I’ll hit the car behind us,” I insisted. “No you won’t. You’ll be fine.” “I’ll hit them. I’m not going.” Seeing that I was not going to give in, Dad finally got out of the car and asked them to go around us. With the other car out of the way, I was able to move on. My next obstacle was a stop light.

I was the first car at the intersection with a whole line of cars behind me. The light turned green and I slowly moved into the intersection only to kill the engine. Start the car. Kill the engine. By this time the light was red again and I had a lot of angry people behind me. I wish I could say we were still on a hill so I’d have a better excuse, but the road was flat and I was embarrassed. On the next green light, I managed to move, but I’m pretty sure that ended the day’s driving lesson. I don’t remember having any trouble with a stick shift after that. Well, there was that one time I couldn’t get up a hill. I’d get part way up and then the car just wouldn’t go anymore. Finally, on my third attempt, I realized I had the parking brake on!

It wasn’t until college that I really appreciated having learned to drive a stick shift on such a difficult car. Everything I drove after that was cake! I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had to drive a manual transmission that was harder than the Egg.

My favorite car was a pale yellow Honda 600 referred to as “the pee-pee car”, again named by my sister and her friends. It was just a little thing and I’m reminded of it whenever I see a Mini Cooper. It was a gutless wonder, but quite a conversation piece. It had a sunroof that pretty much took up the entire roof of the car. I remember driving it one day to meet a large group of friends. When it was time to go home, I couldn’t find my car. It definitely was not where I had parked it. It turns out, my guy friends had picked it up and moved it to another parking spot. Another time it was the centerpiece at a High School dance. I drove it through the cafeteria doors and it sat in the middle of the commons until the dance was over and I drove it home. 

The first car I ever owned was a Subaru. Everyone would ask me what model it was, but I honestly didn’t know. It just said Subaru on the back and that was it. I think I paid $600 and don’t remember ever having trouble with it. I loved that the headlights automatically turned off when I removed the key. Then there was my 1983 Honda Accord. I loved that car! When I got married, I sold it to my parents. My younger siblings got to beat up on it until it died. 

There have only been a handful of cars since then. I currently drive either a 1995 12-passenger Ford van or our 1994 Honda Accord. Both run great and I’ve never had a car payment. There’s still 4 years until my oldest gets his driver’s license and then my daughter the year after that. I think I’ll keep these old cars around. If they ever complain about what they have to drive, I’ll just pull over and make them kiss the steering wheel.

Sunshine

This morning, Sadie and I were walking to the neighbor’s house.  The sun was shining and reflecting off the snow and Sadie said, “It’s too bright!”

I said, “I love the sunshine.  It makes me happy!”

To that Sadie replied, “When it’s on our shoulder, it makes us happy.  When it’s in our eyes, it makes us cry.”

Can you tell what we’ve been listening to?

Don't Be Jealous

While I realize that no one would ever be jealous of my feet (no comments directed towards my long toes, please), you just might be envious at the quality pedicure I received over the weekend. It will probably surprise you to hear that this fine job was done by a three year old.  But she’s had lots of practice and is getting quite creative in her nail-painting skills.  If you’re in the area, please stop in.  Sadie is always looking for her next victim customer.

Only a Flesh Wound

Friday afternoon, Sam burst in the house after school in tears.  He ran through the house to find me and then held up his hand to show a missing finger.  At first glance it looked real and he got every bit of the reaction he was hoping for.  See what I have to put up with around here?  Never a dull moment.

Deodorant for Cars?

Sadie is really into smells lately.   She is ever aware of the smells around her and, for example, will quickly inform us that we have stinky breath in the morning.

Today, she and I were on our way home from the store when I heard a screeching sound from another car.  Then our car filled with the unmistakable smell of a burning belt.  Sadie, obviously agitated, immediately said, “What is that smell?  Where is that smell coming from?”  After a moment of consideration, she matter of factly said, “I know what that smells like.  Armpits.  Armpit sweat.”

Where does she come up with this stuff?

Dreaming of Summer

My Dad was here last weekend.  It was great to have Grandpa to ourselves for a few days and the kids enjoyed spending time with him.  Unfortunately, the weather was quite cold while he was here so, other than a meal at Sadie’s favorite restaurant “Stink ‘n’ Shake” (Steak ‘n’ Shake) and church, we pretty much hung out at home.  On Tuesday he headed to Chicago for a trade show.  The weather got colder each day, the coldest day being Thursday the day he was to return to Nevada.  It was -8 degrees, but the real feel was -30 or worse.  In Boulder City where he’s from, it was 67 degrees that day.  So he experienced a 100 degree temperature differential in one day.  Crazy!

Usually Chicago is much colder than us at this time of year, but we had the same temperatures on Thursday.  In fact, Thursday and Friday were so cold that my kids’ school was canceled both days.  They were thrilled with an unexpected 5 day weekend as they’re also off tomorrow for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  We’ve had a fun weekend, but the cold really limits our possibilities.  So I’ve been reminiscing about warmer days and decided it’s about time I blogged our vacation last Summer (July 20-August 4).  You can click on any of the pictures to see a larger image.

Here are some of the highlights:

*The kids didn’t know we were going on vacation until we were in the van.  It was great to see their reaction as we informed them we had packed everything they’d need and we’d be gone for two weeks.  This is the 2nd time we’ve pulled this off and it’s my favorite way to go.

*We drove to Iowa the first day (about 6 hours) and stayed with the Christensen’s, friends from our student days in Ohio.  Then we left at 4:00 the next morning thinking we had about a 20 hour drive ahead of us.  Because we threw the tread on one of our tires about 3 hours into that day’s drive, we spent way too long getting new tires in Des Moines.  All in all, we were on the road (or waiting for tires) for 25 hours before finally making it to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Idaho.  I’ve never been so glad to get out of the van.  Fortunately, there were some nice views along the way to make Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming less monotonous.

*Everyone in Jeff’s family (minus one niece) was already at his parent’s house.  The kids enjoyed getting to know their cousins a bit better and we had plenty of food and fun together.  This is Jeff and Todd (Todd is the one with the monster burger).  They are 14 months apart in age even though they look like twins in this picture.

*There was plenty of water fun.  We enjoyed waterskiing, the Rexburg water park, and sprinklers.

*There was plenty of other fun going on.  We entertained ourselves with Karaoke, horseback riding, 4-wheelers, learning the Ripstik, crafts, movies, games and more.

*Spending time with both sides of our family was definitely the highlight of our trip.  We were finally able to meet our newest nieces/cousins, Taylor and Ruby.  We were also able to visit with my Grandma, not knowing it would be the last time we’d ever have that chance.  For that one reason alone, we’re glad we made the trip.

*After we left Idaho, we spent a few days in Utah at my brother Steve’s house.  We were able to get together with everyone on my side of the family twice and it was great visiting and catching up.  While we were there, my Dad took us on a tour of Salt Lake and we were able to visit many interesting sites and let the kids see some of the places I lived and visited as a little girl.

*We drove to Jeff’s brother Jeremy’s house in Colorado and spent the night with them on the way home.  We attended church then started driving with plans to stay the night in Kansas – a very long and boring state.  When the power source for the movie player went out in the van and the kids started getting irritable and grumpy,  Jeff and I decided we’d rather drive through the night than face another day in the van without entertainment for the little ones.  

It’s quite peaceful when the kids are all sleeping!  So we arrived home around 7:00 the next morning.

*Overall it was a great trip.  A little too much driving. I mean, you’d think it would get easier after making the trip so many times.  But it was fun spending so much time together and we’re all glad we went. 

I just looked outside and it’s snowing.  Back to reality!  Hmmm…I wonder if it will be warm over Spring Break…