Pre example, er, I mean pre eclampsia

So. I am holed up in Kenzie’s apartment typing on her bed. She is gently snoring her kitty cat purr on the other side. I am here doing the care taking thing as Kenz has pre eclampsia (toxemia) as diagnosed last night from her little late night run to the hospital. Yup. After the usual tests and another trip to see her ob/gyn this morning it was confirmed and she was ordered to bed. She can get up to go the bathroom and that’s it. Surprisingly, I am not overly alarmed. It is a relief that her doctor is aware and will monitor her closely (unlike my first pregnancy where I just ‘fell through the cracks’).

Her baby measures a little small and the doctor would like to buy some time for her and if her blood pressure and other symptoms can remain stable then so much the better. If not, then they will induce her Monday, or maybe Thursday. She is 37 weeks and the baby should do fine. Still, send up a prayer her way, will ‘ya friends and fam?

Even though the situation is a little stressful for Kenz I am happy to be hanging out with her. Yesterday was a very emotional and tiring day as we buried a dear friend and member of our ward. After all the funeral dinner clean up, I finally made it down to Provo to check on Kenz. She wasn't doing so well and when Brig got home later that night he took her to the hospital. In the middle of the night I get this text:

Brig:They are saying that 'lil munchkin has pre example or something.

That brought a smile to my face.

Things are looking up today and it's a comfort to know that there is a 'game plan' for her delivery. Banana flavored laffy taffy's are also comforting and I'm afraid I've eaten almost all the bag by the side of Kenzie's bed. (Sorry Brig, Kenz said I could:)

Proof

They do not love that do not show their love.

~ The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare)

Which is why I bake him special cookies and let him stamp all my money.

a singing valentine

No one sings it better than Esther. Here, ld. This is for you.

Bad food choice. Again.

Lunchtime rolled around and found me making a meal out of the big bowl of leftover carmel corn, the one I fixed last night for ld’s home evening group. Meghan came home in between classes and work and joined me in the snarfing.

Me: Heeeyyyy, quit eating this! Stop! ( I swat her hands away) It’s for the poor and the needy.

Megs: What? (She's all indignant) I AM THE POSTER CHILD OF POOR AND NEEDY!

Me: hmmmm.

We devoured the entire bowl.

Strawberry Love

Yesterday’s Sunday chicken turned out a little dry and the potatoes were not their usual best but I redeemed myself with this:

This brought rave reviews all the way around. And why not? As it is simply heavenly tasting and very Valentiney. Okay, I’ll share. First, bake a white cake. Either in a heart shaped pan or a square one and a circle one and then cut the circle in half and attach to the square to make a heart. Let cake cool.

Then fill the layer with frosting which consists of 1 block cream cheese, 2 cups whipped cream, 2 cups powdered sugar. Oh, and I tinted it with just a hint of Strawberry Danish Dessert and added a few sliced berries to the filling.

Then after I frosted the whole thing and refrigerated it for a couple of hours, I topped it off with a Strawberry glaze consisting of strawberries and Danish dessert.

It was sooo good. But don’t take my word for it.



Go make this now.

Saturday funsters

This is how fun ld and I are. We spent the day stamping money (by ‘we’ of course I mean ld), cleaning up the mess made from my baby burp cloth making, and did a little shopping (ala Costco and Walmart).

We also bought some new super absorbant towels at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Ld and I both agree that the towels are very nice. Whoo Whee, it’s come to this. New towels are the highlight of our middle aged day. But (!) just when I thought (yawn) that the day could not get anymore ordinary and ho hum, the internet comes through yet again. Look what I found:

http://www.wikihow.com/Fold-a-Towel-Elephant

Totally awesome. Towels as a creative medium.

hymn

A couple of days ago I received the following email. It was sent/forwarded to all Northern Utah Valley Piano teachers. I thought it was interesting. Maybe you will enjoy reading it. Attached to the email was an actual copy of the hymn text and music. I don’t know if I can make that happen in this post (as my tech skills are so lame, help ld!) but in any case, if you want a copy email me and I’ll send it to you.

From: Janice K. Perry
To: Senior Missionary Friends
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 8:28 AM
Subject: story behind hymn that will be sung at funeral today


During President Hinckley's funeral the Tabernacle Choir sang a hymn text written by President Hinckley which I set to music
in December. I would like to share the story of it with you:

About two months before my niece Kathy Blacker died, on January 11, 2008, she found a three-verse poem by President Hinckley among her files. Although she was resigned to dying, she had some fears about the dying process and his words greatly comforted her especially the second verse which described exactly what she was feeling. She wrote to Pres. Hinckley's office to ask permission to have the poem printed on her funeral program, and she received a very nice letter from his secretary Don H. Staheli saying that President Hinckley gave his permission for her to do so. The letter also conveyed some very comforting words from Pres. Hinckley which were helpful to helpful to Kathy in her final weeks, and he said he would remember Kathy in his prayers.

Then Kathy suggested that I write and ask permission to give the poem a hymn setting. I did so, and Brother Staheli conveyed
President Hinckley's permission for me to write the hymn. After offering some heartfelt prayers that I might be able to write
appropriate music for his profoundly beautiful and moving text, I wrote the hymn setting and sent a copy to President Hinckley's office for approval at the end of December. I received no immediate response.

Kathy passed away January 11 and after her funeral I sent a copy of her funeral program to President Hinckley's office so he could see how nicely his poem was displayed along side my brother Gary Kapp's painting of Christ.

When I heard President Hinckley had passed away last Sunday night I was feeling a little sad to think I hadn't received a letter
with his official approval. But the very next day after his passing, the hoped-for letter arrived with his approval, his
permission for me to publish it in a future volume of my series Inspirational New Hymns for Choir and Home, and leaving it to my discretion as to whether to submit it to the Church Music Division. The timing was so unusual and I was extremely grateful to receive the letter as a tender mercy in my life.

Then on Monday afternoon Craig Jessop, Tabernacle Choir Director, heard about the hymn and had his office call me to obtain
a copy of the hymn for consideration for President Hinckley's funeral. On Tuesday, while traveling in California, I learned
that the hymn would be performed by The Tabernacle Choir at President Hinckley's funeral on Saturday.

Having seen the great comfort this hymn brought to my niece who died just two weeks before President Hinckley passed away, my great desire is for people throughout the world to have a free copy of these magnificent words of President Hinckley to comfort them in times of the loss of loved ones. This is just one more way his influence could be felt down through time.

Janice

******end of email**************

Looks like I can't get the music to come on. But here are the words to the hymn.

What is this thing, that men call death,
This quiet passing in the night?
‘Tis not the end, but genesis
Of better worlds and greater light.

O God, touch Thou, my aching heart
And calm my troubled, haunting fears
Let hope and faith, transcendent pure,
Give strength and peace beyond my tears.

There is no death, but only change,
With recompense for vict’ry won.
The gift of Him who loved all men,
The Son of God, the Holy One.

the way we judge the value of a goal is what we become in the process

The year before I turned 13, I wanted a sewing machine badly. I wanted one because my new sister-in-law Cathy had one and I was fascinated by her sewing feats. She routinely churned out homemade gifts, beautiful clothing and even made her own wedding dress. She was/is an incredibly skilled seamstress.

I was sure that I could learn to sew as well and had over the top fantasies of turning out crafts and hip clothing. Only I didn’t have a machine, so I did what I usually did when I had a need, I went to my Dad. He sat me down and told me that he would buy me a sewing machine if I would practice the piano for 1 full hour a day. Everyday. That was the deal and we shook on it.

That was in the fall and for the next 10 months I did that. I practiced and practiced and practiced some more. I endured my brothers’ comments, “Can’t you play anything else” or “Do you know anything else besides loud?” and to my surprise, (and I’m sure everyone else’s too) by the time summer rolled around I had improved. A lot. Even more importantly I discovered I loved playing. Really loved it. The practicing wasn’t so bad, after all and for my 13th birthday my Dad, true to his word, bought me a slightly used White sewing machine that did zigzag and sewed buttonholes. I was thrilled beyond anything and I loved my Dad for keeping his word.

I never mastered sewing. Not really. I could never make my attempts look like anything my sister-in-law ever created. But(!) the year I turned 14, I received a call from my Bishop (Kathleen’s dad, btw) to serve as the Ward Organist. I played the organ until I left for BYU. Then I played in student wards, and as ward organist for many, many years. It’s so funny now to think about how all my years of piano playing came about because of a sewing machine. As so often happens in life, I discovered a valuable skill while in the pursuit of something else. Life is funny that way.

I was thinking about this last night as I sat at my kitchen table sewing on my new sewing machine (given to me by ld) and whipping out baby burp cloths for Cate. My skills still aren’t great but what a happy little seamstress. Think of the puppets and dress up clothes. Oh, the possibilities.

Done Is Better Than Perfect

I am holed up in my bedroom trying to finish a project on my lap top that I should have completed back in early January. I am a procrastinator of the first order. This is because I always have such high expectations and make thinking about doing a job so much more difficult than actually just doing it. Why, oh why do I do this?

After surfing and visiting many psychology sites on the net I have learned so much. Helpful insight really, stuff like my energy sensor is not in perfect alignment. For you non new agey folk that means my mind is such a twisted mess of barbed wire, er, neural connections that I have formed coping patterns that allow me to escape the pain of doing something I don’t really wanna do. And this is all because my parents pinned my diapers on too tight when I was small. As a result there really is no hope for me because I also suffer from menopausal crapola and get too pooped just thinking about bending over to pick up a dropped pen.

Sadly, the cure for overcoming my condition isn’t looking real good, as this Psychology Today article offers not a whole lot of solace.

"Procrastinators can change their behavior — but doing so consumes a lot of psychic energy. And it doesn’t necessarily mean one feels transformed internally. It can be done with highly structured cognitive behavioral therapy."

Highly cognitive behavioral therapy? Oh, man. I haven’t got time for all that and cognating and cognivitation gives me a headache like no other.

So, nobody bother me as I buckle down and finish my Society of Relief Planning Guide for the Year. The one that was supposed to be finished by January 1 and with cute little clip art.

I’ve decided to just DO IT. And I’m doin’ it NOW.