The New "Love" in My Life!

My time in New York was filled with many heart-stopping moments. The first was probably the very evening I arrived when Randal casually mentioned that he was planning on having me take him to the airport in the morning. Oh no!!! No north, south, east, west coordinates, unfamiliar territory and someone else's car. What could be worse!

The next day after returning from the airport, I called Ken and informed him that I had a new "love" in my life . . .


Tall, dark and handsome you ask ? ? ?

Actually . . .




Just small and rectangular. :-)

But who could resist that calm, sexy voice as it simply states:

R-e-c-a-l-c-u-l-a-t-i-n-g . . .

During the last couple of weeks, my trips to the store, church, gymnastics, etc. would have been simply terrifying if not for my new friend. No matter how many mistakes I made, it kept me from being hopelessly lost. A little like the bread crumbs in Hansel and Gretel. :-)

When I entered the eastbound freeway by mistake . . . I simply took the first available exit and my new friend wound me through scenic downtown as I made my way back.

When it wanted me to turn into a field . . . I smiled and drove on by, letting my new friend choose a new route for me . . . without the field!

And when Ethan said emphatically that his Mom and Dad always turn right to go to church, not left, I was able to follow Ethan's instructions, knowing my new friend would rescue me if needed.

All I can say is . . .

Where have you been all my life!

I'm Back!

I'm back! Actually, I'm not back in Utah but I am back to the blogging world! I've been at Marian's for the last few weeks and unfortunately, her computer completely refused to acknowledge anything Google, which included the blogs! I've been able to read them, but no comments or new posts. A couple of days ago, however, Keith arrived! He was on the East coast for business and took the time to come up to Marian's for a short visit. We quickly led him to the computer. He and Randal gathered around the keyboard and in a relatively short time, Google was up and running! Keith made it look so easy! So I hereby offer Keith the computer wizard award!

Lots of love to you all!

Marshmallow Fun!

My husband always enjoys trying something new -- especially when it comes to cooking! Recently someone gave him homemade marshmallows and he's wanted to try them ever since! I'm not fond of marshmallows so I wasn't that encouraging, but Ken was determined. The result? Delicious! He even covered some in dipping chocolate! Yummmm! (To see the recipe he used, go to What's Cooking!)

The down side? I've been having dreams about the Stay Puft marshmallow man! :-)

A Challenge Met!

After my recent post on goals, Glenna challenged me to have a cooking goal! :-) That's a biggie since cooking is not my favorite thing to do! I've been trying a few new recipes and looking for one to share but most of them didn't make the grade. Today was the red letter day, though, and for Valentine's Day we had a new cranberry muffin (cranberries are red) which we all gave a thumbs up! So, Glenna, I met your/my goal! (For the recipe, just follow the link: What's Cooking!)

Please Don't Feed the Dust Bunnies!

Recently Turley sent me the best card!

Cover: They say the house isn't going to clean itself.

Inside: But I'm giving it another week, just to be sure!

You can only imagine how much I've laughed over that card. I'm reminded of an old Twilight Zone I saw years ago. It was a housewife who couldn't seem to get her house cleaned. At the end of the show she is battling this giant dust monster growing in the corner. Whenever my house gets overwhelming, I start humming the theme to the Twilight Zone!

Actually, I've hired someone to do some cleaning for me! Since my fall last May, I've had trouble with my shoulder. With Ken and Kevin working overtime plus, I decided it was time to hire someone to do my vacuuming. One of the neighbor girls is my new housekeeper. :-) She comes on Saturday mornings, and in a brief hour dusts and vacuums my entire house -- something that usually takes me hours to do because I'm easily sidetracked! Kevin has been teasing me, though. On Friday I find myself running around trying to make sure everything is in order before she comes! :-)

A Bold Step . . .

One of my recent chuckles came from reading Marian's Question post. Her comment that we give up on goals for the New Year if too much time has elapsed really made me laugh! :-)

Actually, in the last year or so I've become fond of setting goals and trying to achieve them, with both success and failure in those efforts. Recently I read a statement that gave me something to think about.

"Those who set resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain a goal vs. those who don't." And the statistics go up if you actually write them down! I find I'm somewhat private about goals. If no one knows about them, they also won't know if I fail. A little cowardly, actually. :-)

So . . . I've decided to take a bold step and not only set a few goals but write them down. And since I've chosen this forum . . . to also make it public. (SCARY!)

PERSONAL: Learn to play the piano
Last summer I took on this goal and hired Tammy as my teacher, swearing her to secrecy. We managed a few lessons and I've made a little progress but it's easy to put off practicing and I slacked off the last few months. Time to recommit! And the secret is out! :-) (Are you still available, Tammy?)

HOME: Systematically go through my storage stuff
This one is a bit of a cop-out because this has been an ongoing goal for some time and I've gotten rid of quite a bit. Not enough, though, if you have more storage containers than basement in a house this size! So, time to be brave!

HEALTH: Exercise 3-4x every week
This is another one that has actually been ongoing since last Fall (this time Kevin was sworn to secrecy!) Right now it involves my stationery bike. I've been able to increase both time and resistance but am a long way from where I want to be. I want to add some strength training as well but haven't decided on anything definite yet. I'm trying hard, too, not to make this about weight but about health.

FAMILY: Complete my own history
Recently I've lost more than one close friend. It makes you think about your own mortality. I know we all sometimes feel that its a little arrogant to think our own history is of any value to anyone, but after my experiences with my Mother on histories, I have a testimony of family history and KNOW they are valuable, if only to bridge the connection between generations.

SPIRITUAL: I'm afraid this area is still just a little too personal to share my deepest goals. However, I'll share two of my simpler ones. (1) Read the conference Ensigns and (2) Make a REAL effort to read the Old Testament in 2010.

I'm determined to read the conference issues again. (Thanks for your example on this one, Mom!) And since I've never actually read the entire Old Testament (this year's Sunday School study), I'd like to make a real effort to do so. I'm going to be realistic and admit it seems rather daunting so I'll take any encouragement anyone has to offer! :-)

Not wanting to end on such a serious note, I'm sharing a favorite cartoon. Have a great day!

Fun at Grandma's! *Abigail

Today Keith and Abigail dropped by to make some beanbags for Keith's Cub Pack Meeting. While Keith was busy cutting, sewing and filling beanbags, Abigail cheerfully played with the Barbies. Eventually, however, she went looking for something new and stumbled (literally) upon Grandpa's shoes.

Trying on Grandpa's shoes

Is this how they go?

Trying to stand up!

Made it!

In the Doghouse! :-)

According to Ken, I'm in the doghouse! :-)

Yesterday, we had a problem with our alarm clock. Somehow the sound had been turned down and Ken was late getting to work. Not the best idea with the lay-off climate out there. As he left, he asked me to check the clock and figure out what had happened.

We are actually using a new alarm clock. We had been using one Ken had when we got married and it had finally quit working after 35+ years. :-) The new one was a little confusing to me so as I checked it out, I was pushing buttons and turning dials trying to figure out what happened. After discovering the sound had been turned off, I reset everything and felt reassured. Unfortunately, I missed that I'd turned on both the 1st and the 2nd alarm. Since we had never set the 2nd alarm, it was still at its default setting of 12:00 midnight!

Can you see where this is going?!? At midnight the 2nd alarm setting went off. Ken promptly got up and started getting ready. He didn't want a repeat of the day before and was determined not to be late again. He showered, got dressed, got his lunch and headed out. As he was backing out of the driveway, he looked at the car clock and it read 12:30 am! In shock he checked his watch and sure enough, it was 12:30. With a sigh he came back in, got undressed and came back to bed. Just a few hours later (4:45 am) the correct alarm went off and he got up again. It was a l-o-n-g night, to say the least!

Remembering the Holidays!

What a wonderful holiday season! We had some truly memorable moments and look forward to a great New Year!

Holiday Highlights!

**Working on Dad's History - This year we retyped Dad's history, adding some pictures, etc. It was an emotional as well as a spiritual experience that reminded me of the importance of the birth of Jesus Christ. Because He died for us, we will someday be together again!

**Barker Christmas Party - I love my family!

**Activities - From painting ornaments (which even included my New York grandchildren!) to gingerbread houses - we had some fun times! (see previous posts)

**Christmas Village - This year we visited the Christmas Village in Ogden for the first time. John's family joined us and we all loved the creative little houses covering the grounds at the city building. We plan to go again next year!

**Watching Christmas shows - I love Christmas shows, cheesy and all! The more, the merrier! Personal favorite: A Christmas Carol in all its varieties!

**Justin's Quilt - This year I tied a levi quilt for Justin. He's been asking for one for some time but I just hadn't gotten around to it.

**Speaking in Church - Ken and I were asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting just before Christmas. What a humbling experience! It really set the tone for the next few days, however, and I'm grateful for the privilege of speaking about His birth.

**Jerusalem Dinner - Each Christmas Eve, Keith and Delores have a special dinner with foods that traditionally might have been served at the time of Christ. This year we were invited to participate and had a really special evening!

**Receiving a Tamara original - Our children had one of Tammy's pictures of the Salt Lake Temple framed. It really turned out beautiful and its so fun to have a Tamara original!

**Being Together! - More than anything, we love being together with our family!

**Games on New Years Eve - Michael and his kids came up and spent New Years Eve with us. With a host of games, movies and junk food, we had a great time!

Picture Highlights!

Barker Family Party

Christmas Village in Ogden with John's family

Christmas Morning

Kevin

Justin with his Levi quilt

Tammy

Opening Presents Later that Evening

Delores & Abigail

Gail

Megan & Moriah
Our youngest!

Rebekah & Bessie

Family Fun

Justin & Rebekah

Aaron

Kimberly

Our Tamara Original


New Years Eve
Watching movies with Grandpa

Lots of love to you all!