50? No Thanks, I'd REALLY rather not . . .

As much as I keep trying to avoid it, my birthday is coming up next week. And I will sadly leave my 40's behind. They have been such wonderful years. Some of my very favorite I think. (Like if I have to pick an era to be the favorite - it's certainly up there in the running.)

So it is with much denial, procrastination and prolongment, that I am hanging on to 49 with my toenails. Which are badly in need of a pedicure by the way. Really, one year shouldn't make such a difference. Just one more year . . . I don't expect to wake up on Sept 28 and feel 50 for heavens sake!~

I think I'll just keep pretending that the amazing lunch we had last week, the one where we ate divine panini's, yummy salads, Paula Deen's Savannah Hot Fudge cake and homemade ice cream (recipe below) was really just another super duper day. And not some big celebration in

honor of my 50th. Even though I was paid some of the highest compliments of my life! My sweet friends, they just made me want to cry. EVERYONE should get compliments for their birthday. I am going to remember that. Anyone have a birthday coming up?

I think I'll just keep pretending that the wonderful friend who took me here (where we experienced heavenly food that I didn't even know existed in the world!) to celebrate my 50th, was really just thinking dinner out together with our husbands was an outstanding way to spend a Saturday evening. Which it was, and not another celebration of that unmentionable 5 . . . 0 . . . anniversary of the day I came into the world.

Oh, and thank you wonderful family, who all gathered together at mom's house today and prepared the most delicious BBQ, complete with all the trimmings, and brought such lovely gifts, special just for me, that I will treasure! I know it wasn't meant to remind me of that unusually high number of birthdays that I will soon (like in another 10 years I think) reach, but instead to express just how much they love me, which I did so much enjoy and cherish and will remember for always.

Oh well, I'm actually feeling so blessed, so nourished and so filled right now. If this is 50, maybe it's not so bad after all.

Homemade Ice Cream Recipe

3 ripe bananas

juice of 2 lemons

juice of 3 oranges

5 cups of strawberries or raspberries

2 C. sugar

2 C. whole milk

4 C. heavy cream

1 1/2 t. vanilla

Process the first four ingredients in food processor to desired chunkiness (Note - do not process raspberries, but leave whole).

Add sugar and continue to process.

Stream whole milk and heavy cream into the processor and continue to blend. Add Vanilla.

Process immediately according to directions in homemade ice cream freezer with ice and rock salt.

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Sigh . . . Yawn . . . Stretch . . .

Wow, this is a momentous occasion. I just finished teaching Relief Society today. An impromptu lesson at the last minute. And now . . . it is such a wonderful feeling, I'm NOT in crisis mode. I've been in crisis mode for so long I was beginning to think it was a permanent lifestyle.

You know what I mean I'm sure. Where you just go from one activity to the next because it's urgent. It's finally come to the TOP of the urgent list and the activity finally get's your complete attention. I have been constantly at the top of the urgent list for so long and now . . . well . . . I've finished my urgent list! I never thought it would happen. At least until tomorrow when I'm sure something will come up and I'll begin the 'urgent' list all over again. (Like the dog hair will be about knee high and I'll have to get out the vacuum - urgently :)


Speaking of tomorow, we take our youngest up to college, move her in, get her settled, take her out to dinner, help her unpack (let's see, can we linger any longer) and then leave to come back home to our "empty nest". I'm certain that I am not quite ready for this. Lunch anyone?

I've been coaching my newly married Karianne on the "how to's" of blog construction. You'll have to visit her and check out her efforts. I've convinced her that we must have this if she is going to live all the way across the country. So far good job honey - I LOVE it so far!

I love to frequent Dustin & Cami's blogs also. My super talented daughter-in-law truly needs a whole separate blog for all of her projects. She is such an inspiration to me. Someday, when I grow up I hope to develop just a smidgin of her talent.

Yep, I think blogs are for mom's, and webcams, and facebook and email and text messaging. Don't know how our mom's survived without 'em.

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Our Parable of the Peach Trees

Every year at this time of year the dilemma of how to prune the fruit trees comes upon my husband and I. It's always been my husbands job, not exactly officially, but he's always been the one to haul the ladder out, climb up to the top of the trees with the loppers and prune away. I always have an opinion, but do I climb up to the top of the trees with the loppers? No way! So I just have to be the supportive one and say, "looks lovely dear", "once again, you've done a wonderful job"!

(wild untrimmed tree on left - vs - pruned tree on right)

But frequently I'm really asking myself, "I don't think that's exactly how the trees are SUPPOSED to look". So this year, I took an active role . . . I volunteered the husband to go to a tree pruning workshop in our community at Thanksgiving Point. A wonderfully marvelous garden nearby our home that teaches fantastic gardening classes each Spring. What could be better? Let's just find out how you really ARE supposed to prune those fruit trees!

And to be a supportive wife, I signed myself up to attend the class with him. Mostly, just to have a chance to go do something together, and maybe two heads would actually be better than one.

Oh no! Come the day of the class the husband had a conflict with another important meeting . . . I would have to go to the class by myself or lose the tuition. Bummer! (I don't really WANT to learn how to prune fruit trees - awwwh!) But I went. And it was actually a really good class.

My favorite tidbit of knowledge gleaned was, " you really can't ruin the fruit tree with bad pruning". Oh thank goodness! I was really worried after last year! It wasn't our best year for fruit tree pruning. And I came home with some really helpful information about the suggested way to prune a tree.

So the next week, there I am, out on the ladder, loppers in hand trying to prune the ______ fruit trees! It was harder than I thought! Our trees didn't look anything like the ones in the videos or the handouts. Pretty soon I'm taking out branches here and branches there, trying to follow the guidelines I'd been given. But ouch! It was kind of painful! These were hard decisions. I was tempted to just forget the whole thing . . . I mean what happens if you don't prune at all? I remembered the master gardener saying that it actually protects the tree, and gives the tree the opportunity to produce greater fruit and really reach it's full potential. If you leave ALL the branches on the tree, the tree can become overwhelmed with poor fruit, break apart in places, and maybe in reality lose the WHOLE tree!

(this is my first tree that I pruned - so proud)

While I'm standing on the top of this ladder, my head amidst the branches, I'm starting to see a parallel here . . . this must be how Heavenly Father feels when he sees us overloading our lives down here on earth. Over scheduling each minute of the day. Trying to be involved in so many . . . TOO many good things. He must be whispering, "wait, that's not an important branch there", that one isn't going to do you any good REALLY!", "wait, that branch is going to interfere with the most important branch over there that really provides the strength of your tree!"

Have we received counsel to "prune our branches"? And just like pruning the fruit trees, it CAN be painful! Cutting branches here and cutting branches there, how to decide? Which one do you leave and which one do you take out? And just like the counsel of the master gardener we have received some guidance about which ones to leave and which ones to take.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks "Good, Better, Best" talk comes to mind as one of the best!

"We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families."

If you haven't reviewed that talk recently, maybe now would be a good time. I know that's what I'm going to do right now.

After all - I need all the help with pruning I can get. . .

I must admit, my husband did come along after I did three of our seven fruit trees and rescue me. That's why you see a photo of him up in the trees with the loppers. After all, I am the picture taker . . .

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