A favorite

In case you haven't cried along to a beautiful song lately,

here you go.

Happy Sabbath.

And the winner is...

...the lovely Mrs. Allens, Inc. with her guess of $26.oo (or schmoosies as she says.)

The actual amount I paid was $27.oo (yeah, thanks to all you kill joys who guessed way lower! I'm not that good!) I know, I know, I probably could have gotten it all for free, but I'm just a beginner, and my stores don't double coupons around here, so I still feel pretty good about myself, especially considering the fact that, full-price, I would have spent $40 on just the toilet paper, or just 3 bottles of lotion, or just the razors, or... you get the idea.

So, dear Mrs. Allens, Inc., I'll be needing some info from you! To the rest of you, don't despair. Next time I get multiple rebate items, we'll play again! Happy couponing!

*And for those of you asking for couponing tips, here , here , and here are some good places to start.

My brother in a nutshell.

Meet my little brother Pietr. For those who didn't know, he's about one year into his two-year mission for our church in Taipei, Taiwan. I opened my e-mail this morning and my day was made. This is what I read--my brother in a nutshell: "ShinLin (my new area) is awesome. It is a piece of TaiBei City bordered by a large mountain range and national park... My new companion... shares my passion for hard work and hard exercise. We are preparing for a 15-mile run through a bunch of rice paddies week after next. It'll be awesome.

I stopped a guy named Lee who walked past me in the night market and asked him if he spoke English (he wore a Green Day shirt.) We started talking for a while and he asked, "So who are you?" "I'm a missionary." "Cool, cool" he said. "So, aren't you gonna share some kinda message with me or something?" Hahahaha. "Uh... yes, yes I am"I said sheepishly...

He became a really awesome investigator who up until I contacted him believed this earth had a creator, but knew nothing else. He believed in the First Vision and the Book of Mormon, and wanted to be baptized the second time we met with him. When I ask him "How's reading the Book of Mormon going?" he said, "I think I've received revelation." Hahaha, awesome guy.

We also started teaching a Christian lady who is a very devout member of another church. I was worried she would have trouble to make the switch; many members of other churches need a very strong testimony/a lot of faith in order to forsake social ties and opposition to join the church. After I testified of modern prophets and the twelve apostles, I asked her if she believed it. She began to explain a dream she had in which she learned that there would be twelve apostles on the earth again, and she believed all we said.

An investigator from my last area finally got over smoking. He said a kneeling prayer with my old companion that he could have more desire to quit. Then he said later he went outside and started to smoke. About a quarter of the way through the cig he realized/said to himself, "Aww, cigarettes really stink." And he threw is away and has never wanted to smoke since!

Back in my last area I got into a pretty bad head-on collision with a motorcyclist. If you've seen Mission Impossible 2, it was just like when Tom Cruise and the other guy's 2 motorcycles collide
and they hit each other in mid-air, except I was on a bike. I mid-air body slammed him and we both landed about eight feet behind his bike. He was unscathed, I got a pretty good cut on my chin and a few other minor abrasions. I went home and took my Rambo knife apart (sewing kit/fire-starting kit/fishing kit--all in the handle :) and attempted to sew my face shut--didn't really work--the needle wasn't that sharp. So I just sterilized it and taped my chin shut with some good tape and help my head down for about a week and a half to keep it from coming open. In lessons people were like, "Hey, is he ok?" and my comp just said "Yeah, he just got into a little wreck."

Well, I've had more adventures here, but my time's up...

...Elder Pete"

I love this guy!

Dear Papa,

Seeing as how it's our first Father's Day together, I thought I'd dictate a little note to tell you what I think of ya:

I like how you're always glad to see me, even when it's 5 in the morning.

I like how you never complain when I need your help with...stuff...

I like how gentle you are with me and how you don't get mad at me, even when I spit up in your mouth.

I like the sound effects you make when you fly me around the house and jump me off of high objects like the fridge and the mantle ("Boing!")

I like how you work so hard for our family so that Mama can take care of me, even though you'd rather be playing with me.

I like it when you sing to me your funny made-up songs.

I like how you get even more excited than Mom about dressing me in cute little outfits.

I like snuggling with you in bed in the mornings.

I like how you treat Mom like a queen and show me what to look for in 35 years when I get married.

I like kicking you in the face with my sticky little feet.

In short, I think you're swell--probably the best Dad I've ever had. Happy Father's Day.

Love,

Matilda

The Look of Thrift

Chace came to the door as I returned from my couponing adventure the other day and was greeted by a very giddy wife. "Look at me!" I exclaimed triumphantly, juggling 60 rolls of toilet paper. "Do you know what this is? This is the look of thrift."

I used to be skeptical about couponing and those who engaged in it, promptly disposing of all those annoying ads from the mail pile and believing that the only things one could get a really killer deal on were things like twinkies and kool aid. However, I've since seen the light and taken up the hobby, thanks to the examples of some couponers of my acquaintance who I know wouldn't touch Twinkies or kool aid with a ten-foot pole. And now, having felt for myself the exhilaration of walking out of a store knowing that I have not only saved, but MADE money on my bags and bags of lute, I'm hooked!

So, in case you, Gentle Reader, share my old skepticism, I have a challenge for you: a check, generously donated by Schick, for the value of $7.99 to the reader who can guess how much money I spent on all of this:

Now, mind you, I'm just a novice, and I haven't yet mastered the art of paying nothing out of pocket. So for the sake of this little game, please guess the net amount of money that I spent (after rebates, catalinas, register rewards, etc.) Please round to the nearest dollar--no haggling over pennies! Also, no duplicates. If someone else already guessed "your" guess, add/subtract a dollar. And if, perchance, you're questioning whether or not it's worth your time and energy to play this little game for a prize of a mere $7.99, I beg you to do so anyway. After I tell you how much I spent, you'll realize just how far $7.99 can get you!

The winner will be announced Monday. Take luck!

* As I spell-check this post, I'm told that "couponing", "couponer" and "catalina" are not words. Yes, I know dear Spell-check. It's all new to me too.

The Many Faces of Matilda The Monkey

She's very expressive, for a monkey!

Bye bye!

*Note: all these pictures were taken within about 30 seconds of each other.

Two Months?

My baby is 2 months old!

How did that happen?

While we are somewhat displeased with her willful insistence on growing up, we do enjoy pinching her ever-growing thigh rolls. So rather than spanking her and sending her to bed without her supper, last night, to mark this special occasion, we took her to the park!

We swing...

...we slide...

...we climb...

...we LOVE her!

"Bless Your Beautiful Hide!"

That's what Chace says every time Matilda sneezes.

But last Sunday, as is customary for new babies in our church, we gave her "a name and a blessing." Usually the baby's father performs the blessing, inviting other significant men to join him. We were fortunate to be home for the event and to have many of the important men in our lives present. But Tilly was overdue for her nap and started to fuss, so her papa gave her a talking-to beforehand and told her to be a good girl and not make too much noise! She is so obedient.

Chace gave a beautiful blessing and Tilly was the perfect angel. But she likes her sleep, so when she just couldn't take it any more, she went to bed.

And the rest of us partied! It was especially fun to be with all of my sisters at once. How I adore those girls. (Girls, these are for you. Sorry they didn't turn out crisper!)

Thanks to all who shared this wonderful day with us. Where would we be without our family and friends?

Happiness is...

Saturday Morning

Days when I love Illinois

Dusk from the Deck

Hope you had a

Happy Memorial Day!

Yes, I'm a copycat.

I was going to copy and paste my lovely sister Anna's entire blog post "Our Fundamental Premises" here for your viewing pleasure, but instead I'll just let you click here and read it for yourself! It's a well-loved quote by a well-loved woman in the LDS faith.

And while I'm at it, here are some of my favorites from Blackbird's blog--always a stimulating read: Richard Bushman and more, Wendell Berry and more, Terry Warner ... I could go on, but I'll just leave that to you.

Enjoy!