Remember this?

The Marshalls had it up in their family post; amazing that they had all the same holiday specials!

2009 Family Christmas Calendar

Hi Family,

Please feel free to add or suggest changes to our proposed Christmas calendar. Can't wait for these good times together. We love you all!

xoxoxo Dad and Mom

Monday 7th FHE with Kips

Wednesday 9th Stake Nativity w/Cashens?

Thursday 10th 6:00-9:00 CDT Holiday Party

Friday 11th Dad & Mom to Indiana

Saturday 12th Nate’s Wedding

Tab Choir Concert 7:30—Hannah, Mike, Marshalls

Sunday 13th 12 Days of Service Starts
EHS Musicale
Multi-stake Fireside 7:00 p.m.
7:55 Dad arrive from Denver, Southwest Air

Monday 14th FHE Dad

Wednesday 16th Rae & Mom leave Bloomington

Garden Park Christmas Party (6:00?)

Thursday 17th Laurel Violin Lesson 2:30
Rae & Mom arrive home

Friday 18th Laurel’s Christmas Break Starts

Saturday 19th Micah leave Bloomington?

Sunday 20th 5:00 Family Sunday and Christmas Music Jam
Micah Arrive?

Monday 21st FHE Caroling
Baking/Biscotti

Tuesday 22nd Family Temple Outing (4:00 Session)
Family Photo!
Dinner Mazza
Neighbor gifts delivery

Wednesday 23rd Family Party, sub for Santa w/ Malas & Family

Thursday 24th Christmas Eve
Janel Arrives!
No Olive Soup. Mama says!

Friday 25th CHRISTMAS!
Afternoon party at Aunt P’s

Saturday 26th (Temple Closed)
Temple Square Lights
Savior of the World 7:30

Sunday 27th Ryan Jones Farewell
Family Study Group/Dinner (With Marshall Family?)

Monday 28th Ski Day!
FHE Flemings
Blessing for little Seth Peterson

Tuesday 29th Girls Day Out
Ski Back-up Day

Wednesday 30th Micah and Rachel Anniversary!
Janel Leaves
Go to Moab

Thursday 31st NEW YEARS EVE
Hiking Party
Review 1999 Predictions, Make New Ones

Friday 1st Hike

Saturday 2nd Home from Moab

Monday 4th School Starts!
FHE Dad

Impostor

Can there be two Hannahbananagalli's?

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

This is pretty great if you love the muppets, and/or Queen.

Cranberry Salsa

This is a Missy Taylor recipe. It is delicious with turkey sandwiches. A good appetizer is a mini bagel spread with cream cheese, and topped with turkey and the salsa.

Ingredients:

1/2 c chopped onion

1/3 c chopped green pepper

1/3 c chopped Anaheim chiili

1/2 c dried cranberries (Craisins)

1/3 c red cherry jam

1 1/2 T cider vinegar

1 1/2/ T cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Combine an chop all ingredients together in blender of food processor. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Al's Favorite Chili

This may not be our Uncle Al's favorite chili, but Senator Alan J. Dixon of Illinois apparently liked it. This hearkens back to our days on The Hill. Slightly adapted from the Congressional Cookbook of years past. A food processor is a lifesaver on this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 lb. ground beef (organic, if possible)

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 T. fresh garlic, minced

1/2 green (or other bell) pepper, chopped

1 lg. stalk celery, chopped

2 lg. tomatoes or canned equivalent

1/2 lb. mushrooms, chopped

1 sm. can tomato paste

1-2 T chili powder, or to taste

salt and pepper

1-2 t molasses

1 lg. can (16 oz.) tomato sauce

1 lg. can water

1 t. celery salt

3 16 oz. cans kidney beans, drained

Directions:

Brown ground beef. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook until just tender. Drain, leaving some juices for moisture. Add chopped celery and green pepper. Saute some more ;) Add remaining ingredients and let simmer very slowly about 1/2 hour. Add kidney beans and simmer another 30 minutes. Correct seasonings.

Until this moment, I had known nothing about Senator Dixon. But thanks to wikipedia, I have found another Utah connection with him:

“In the fall of 1970, Karl Rove, a future White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the George W. Bush Administration, used a false identity to enter the campaign office of Alan J. Dixon, who was running for Illinois State Treasurer, and stole 1000 sheets of paper with campaign letterhead. Rove then printed fake campaign rally fliers promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing," and distributed them at rock concerts and homeless shelters, with the effect of disrupting Dixon's rally. Dixon eventually won the election. Rove's role would not become publicly known until August 1973. Rove told the Dallas Morning News in 1999, "It was a youthful prank at the age of 19 and I regret it."[1]”

Next time I'm going to try a different kind of chili.

Take Five

It's a busy time of year, soon to be very busy for most of us, with finals, travels, moving, babies, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We need to learn to take five! This is something some of us are better at than others. I'm still learning. The "Mo Times," as it is affectionately called at 1246, printed an article on this subject today.

To me "take five" means to grab just five minutes once in a while from whatever is demanding our attention, and doing something small that matters. Taking five helps to recharge our batteries, bring us back to a little joy, and get a few of the smaller never-get-to-it things done. Then faster than two shakes of a lamb's tail we can get back on the Big Task.

Here are some of my favorite take ideas with a few from the Mo Times:

• Walk to the end of the block and back
• Water your plants
• Read a poem
• Listen to a favorite piece of music or song
• Match socks
• Make a quick blog post!
• Walk up and down the stairs to get the blood going
  
• Start the laundry
• Call your Dearie
• Watch a youtube video
• Delete photos from your camera or computer
• Have a snack
• Watch the sunset
• Read a story
  
• Clear off the top of your dresser
• Or file cabinet
• Or bedroom floor
• Write a note
• Work on a creative project
  
• Say a prayer
• Sit and count your blessings

I love this way of celebrating moments, even under pressure. Think of it as a coffee break without the coffee. I know that sometimes we feel we are just too busy even for a five minute break, but most times they add more than they distract, and recharge us for going the distance with a bigger focus. What do you think? What are you favorite take five ideas?

Christmas Books Again

Fambly,

The thought with the book exchange is that we could give one of our favorite books to our brother or sister, so that at the end of a few years, we'll have a favorite book of everyone's!

I'm having lots of fun planning for our family Christmas. Love you all so much!

xo Mom

Apple and Walnut Whole-Wheat Bread Pudding

I've made this twice now, and just love it. It might even be too sweet; I think next time I might not put in quite so much honey. Same goes with the honey whipped cream. But that was tasty too. I also doubled (tripled, actually) the apples, which I would recommend.

Ingredients

• · 12 slices honey whole-wheat bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• · 1 cup honey
• · 6 large eggs
• · 3 egg yolks
• · 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• · 2 1/4 cups whole milk
• · 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• · 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• · 1 large green apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• · 1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°F and grease a 9- by 12-inch baking pan.

2. On a large cookie sheet, spread the bread cubes in an even layer. Bake until lightly toasted, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, eggs, yolks, and vanilla.

4. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a simmer. Remove from heat immediately. Whisking constantly, slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture. Let the custard cool slightly.

5. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, apple, and walnuts. Gently stir in the custard, coating the bread mixture thoroughly with the liquid. Let stand, tossing once or twice to distribute, until the custard is mostly absorbed, about 10 minutes.

6. Spread the pudding evenly into the baking pan. Bake until it is brown and the edges are bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool, then slice and serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.

Honey Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Christmas Book Exchange

Hi Girlsies and Guygols,

Here are assignments for this years brothers and sisters Christmas book exchange:

• Rachel to Ariel
• Micah to Hannah
• Andrew to Laurel
• Ariel to Rachel
• Hannah to Micah
• Laurel to Andrew

It's pretty symmetrical, as it turns out. Happy book hunting!

Please remember to keep Grandma Vella in your prayers. Her legs need a lot of help recovering.

Love, Mama

Our Fist Photo

This is probably the first photo of Dad and me together, taken 28 years ago this very weekend at the Amish self-serve treat stand. We remembered the name of the Mennonite guide for so many years. Maybe it will come to us. I'm going to call him "Willie Malikee." Dad says his name is Daniel, but how do you like "Willie"?

Pumpbello

Twenty-eight years ago Dad and I enjoyed our first Halloween weekend together. We traveled with my roommates (one guy and four girls--the sort of ratio he's become accustomed to!) to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to enjoy some delicious Amish food, the autumn countryside, and a break from the DC metropolis. The following Sunday was November 1st, as it is today. I felt a strong urge to fast for the handsome intern from Nevada. That proved to be inspired. I'm so grateful for the Spirit. That was 1981.

Now we have a beautiful, growing family (Welcome, Little Bun-bun!), though not all the kinks have been worked out (per ghoulish Galli gate-guard Pumpbello--no relation to Bun-bun, we trust!) Pumpbello's creators are the infamous Drs. Frankenstein, Hannah and Mike, who no sooner finished that transformation than they morphed into Ms. Right and Mr. Left Brain for the institute Halloween party. It's been delightful having them over lately. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa will keep their internet off indefinitely! ;) Here are a couple of other favorite October images. One glimpse of the stunning view Dad and I enjoyed from the top of the world on the Upper Muley Twist Trail in Capitol Reef, and another of our first Sunday meal in the Marshall Wymount apartment. Dad has made some marinated eggplant, potatoes and salmon for dinner tonight. They will be delicious! Happy November! xo Mom

Picture of the Day

Please note the hue of Abe's mustache.

The Canine Caper

This afternoon as I ventured out in my slippers through the snow to the mailbox, Morgan squeezed past me and right into the path of a never-before-seen extra large brown dog just poking his nose into our driveway. The two immediately squared off, and I tried my doggie diplomacy for Morgan's sake, as the hair was up on the intruder's neck. After a few tense rounds of dog chicken, I called Morgan to follow me back indoors, when the brown monster whizzed ungracefully past me into the house and right on into the kitchen with Hannah and Laurel! In the immediate commotion, the feller ran into the living room, snatched Morgan's large rawhide bone, and ran right back through the still open door, a triply offended Morgan in quick pursuit. But it was too late, as the bandit was down the street before she could get out the door. I think he would make a good boyfriend for Morgie. "I'm a retriever. I couldn't leave her if I tried."

Abe's Name Games

Enjoy hearing your name said by one of the most popular characters in babydom. Also, the end of the movie reveals a never-before-seen breakthrough for Abe's relationship with his Dad. His "Amen" at the end may one day lead to the "AMENs" that his Baba says.

Choose This Day

Rachel shared some inspired thoughts with me as we spoke on the phone this week. She referenced a youtube film based on a recent conference talk by President Eyring that you probably remember which is front and center on lds.org today, titled "Choose This Day." Rachel says that she has been focusing every day on the prayer in the quote that follows from that film. That's how she stays lovely. That's how I wish to live.

"It is hard to know when we have done enough for the atonement to change our natures and so qualify us for eternal life. And we don’t know how many days we will have to give the service necessary for that mighty change to come.

In the hardest trials, as long as you have the power to pray, you can ask a loving God, 'Please, let me serve this day. It doesn’t matter to me how few things I may be able to do. Just let me know what I can do. I will obey this day. I know that I can, with thy help.'”

P.S. Happy Birthday Laurelina!

Hannah Rose Flowers

Hannah is another one we keep hearing about. Here are two unsolicited email compliments I received this week: From Skinny Jenny Jardine: "Thank you SO much for sending me the link to Hannah's inner*i. I looked through every photo. She is incredible...so many arresting and and amazing images. I loved it... beautiful art." Dad's cousin Susan Bastian, Mom of Sera, (the actress) said, "I am in absolute awe at Hannah's gift!! Her pictures are just out of this world! I kept thinking I had the wrong pictures because these were obviously National Geographic quality--and they are!! I will be looking forward to watching this young lady's star rise." Today in the parking lot the stake Primary president said, "I can't believe your daughter's pictures. They are so beautiful! I mean, they really are! I looked at every one. I became a fan (on facebook). I especially love the ones from Africa." I told her that they were really photos of our own refugees in Salt Lake, and she said, "Now they mean even more to me." When we were meeting Hannah's boss at the vault the other day, he said, "Hannah is a great employee. She contributes a great deal at work. She is so talented. We are so lucky to have Hannah." Smile. Keep up the great work sweet, beautiful, talented Hannah!!!

It Makes Me Feel Like Flowers

Last week I got a call from Laurel's Mia Maid leader. She said, "I just have to tell you how wonderful Laurel is!" She then took many minutes telling me that Laurel is so engaged in class, that she is confident with so many kinds of people, and that she has her head on straight. She said, "I wish I could be like Laurel right now! She is the light in that class. She's what makes it worth teaching." I know Carrie loves all the girls, but she wanted me to know that Laurel is special, and that she is a leader. This is pretty much exactly what I heard at parent teacher conference. Three of her teachers said things like, "She is the kind of student that makes it worthwhile to teach," "She is always engaged." "Laurel brings a great, positive attitude into classroom." Just today as we were going in to sacrament meeting, Sr. Stevens caught up to me and said, "Your daughter is growing up! I couldn't believe how lovely she was and how serious about her job (at the wedding)last night." Finally, this email titled "Your cute daughter" from Jennie Lloyd arrived two days ago after Laurel spoke in a stake YW/RS meeting: "I loved Laurel's talk and her demeanor. So refreshing that she referred to scripture time as 'me' time. If only all of us RS sisters could catch that vision!" Just wanted to pass on the good news about our Little Dootie Q at almost 15 years-old ;). As she humbly acknowledges these days, "I am a princess." And she is. I love her, and I know you do, too!

The Book of Mormon

Dear Family,

As Elder Holland spoke with a force that pierced our hearts yesterday about the beloved Book of Mormon, I wept because of the deep truth of his words, and my recognition of how much of the fabric of my life the Book of Mormon has become. Its true principles have distilled upon my soul since I was Laurel's age, but unlike her, much more insecure in my life. It was then that I realized from my seminary teacher that I was supposed to read the Book of Mormon every day.

I knew almost nothing about it, except that Nephi and Lehi had left the Old World for the new, and that Nephi's brothers were really bad guys you would never want in your family. I knew it talked about Jesus's visit to the Americas. I had probably heard of Alma the Younger. And that was about all.

Though I berated myself very heavily for not reading every day, I read the Book of Mormon often, and my eyes and heart were always opened when I did. The spirit filled that little basement bedroom with my painted footprints on the floor, the taco candle, the door made-into-a-desk, and the giant hamburger poster!

In my pretty extreme loneliness, I heard the voice of the Lord through the Book of Mormon, and for the first time learned details of the atonement that I had never known. I learned that wickedness never was happiness. I learned that it was the evil spirit that taught me not to pray. I learned that the atonement was infinite.

It was clear as anything in my life that the book was true. I knew it then through no great manifestation, but through the many whisperings of the still small voice to a lanky, insecure Lark Evans. I could never deny that testimony, then or now. It came from the Spirit of Truth, and it gave me when I needed it very much a knowledge of where I needed to go, and how I should get there. It gave me hope for my life, and a deep desire to live so that I would always have that spirit, that intelligence and light.

Since then the book and its Author have been best friends and true companions to me. The Lord has gently held my hand to the rod, and beckoned me to follow, to partake of the fruit of that beautiful tree of light! I have so many favorite scriptures, as we all do. Early favorites were Helaman 5:12 and 2 Nephi 32:8-9.

A favorite less-quoted scripture comes from Jacob 3:2 "O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever."

This is my testimony of the Book of Mormon. But like Elder Holland's, my testimony is made of a thousand facets and many times that experiences with the Spirit and the book. It touches me every day now as it did in my little basement room around 1973. It is true!

What is your testimony of the Book of Mormon? What are your favorite scriptures?

With Love,

Mom

Acorn Squash Soup

"Don't judge a soup by it's name. This hot little number tastes better than acorns or squash--shoot, it's even better than a burger and fries. Waiter, a little more Acorn Squash Soup please!"

-Andrew, Squash hater

SERVINGS-6

INGREDIENTS

1 small onion (ours was large and purple)
1/4 cup chopped celery (optional)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
dash cayenne pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
3 cups mashed cooked acorn squash
salt and pepper to taste
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (we used turkey bacon)

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, saute the onion and celery in butter. Stir in flour, bouillon, dill, curry and cayenne until blended. Gradually add broth and milk.

Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the squash, salt and pepper; heat through.

In a blender, process the soup in batches until smooth. Pour into bowls; garnish with bacon.

Andrew wasn't the only one who loved it!

He's at it Again!

Hi Friends of "Baa Baa" (Craig),

Dad is the mayor's designated speaker at this special Salt Lake City planning event October 13th, 7:00 p.m. at Library Square. Bring your friends and watch Dad bring Zion even closer!

Late Summer Minestrone

Here you go, Arielle:

This is our new version of an old favorite, and a good use for harvest garden veggies, especially the big, fat green beans! Feel free to exchange one veggie for another (say--carrots for zucchini!). I sometimes add some bullion at the end to keep the broth rich if I have overdone the vegetables. Even better the 2nd, 3rd, 4th day!

Ingredients:
6 c chicken or vegetable broth
28 oz. can tomatoes, or (better) equivalent amount of ripe, fresh tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 lb. fresh green beans, cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 large celery ribs, sliced
3/4 lb. russet or Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4 inch dice
1 T fresh basil, chopped
2 t dried Italian seasoning
1-2 med small zucchini, chopped into about 3/4 dice
2-3 c fresh corn from the cob
1/4 c chopped fresh basil
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
In crock pot or on the stove in a heavy stock pot, mix together broth, tomatoes with their liquid, garlic, onion, beans, celery, potatoes, 1 T fresh basil and Italian seasoning. Cover and cook on low about 8 hours (much less on stove top--check frequently) or until potatoes are nearly tender. Add zucchini. When zucchini is at desired done-ness, add corn and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with 1/4 cup chopped basil and Parmesan cheese.

Adventures in the "Beautiful Place"

Last weekend we had a lovely trip to Nauvoo. It was my (Rachel’s) first time there since we drove across the country from Maryland to Utah and it was Micah’s and our friends Karen and Alex’s first time. Alex just joined the church a year and a half ago. At 8 am the next morning, we went to an endowment session at the temple. I (Micah) loved immediately seeing the freestanding spiral staircase and the large chapel right when you go in, which resembled the main room in the Kirtland temple. One of the rooms made Rachel feel very autumny inside because it had lots of fall colors. After the session was over, we went to the Visitor Center, where I (Rachel) asked the first missionary I saw if she knew when Sister Thomas would be in. She said, “She’s up there!” and pointed to the landing above. In that moment Liz looked down and stood agape. Liz looked radiant. It seems like her eyes, so big, beautiful, and honest, would be a great team with the spirit to convert anyone. Liz talked about how the point of what the missionaries do in Nauvoo is to bring people to Christ and have the members bring people to Christ- a mission to members. It's true; the responsibility to bring people to Christ is ours as members, and I like that focus. However, we also saw quite a few people who weren't members that were on tours with us and were able to explain some things to some of them who had questions about the temple. One of them asked why the Mormon militia let “Jon Smith” get taken away. My favorite memories of Nauvoo from when we went the first time was the blacksmith shop (where I remember Ariel got to keep the horseshoe because her birthday was that day or very soon), candle making (which I don’t think they do anymore), and getting a brick at the brickyard.
First we visited the Post Office where we learned you could pay before you sent the letter or the receiver could pay. The prophet Joseph wrote a notice saying that he was happy to pay for letters from friends, but would not pay to receive insults, so he would not pay to receive any mail. Then we went to the printing press, where we learned about the derivations of the terms “upper case and lowercase,” “dingbats,” “proofreading,”, “mind your p’s and q’s,” and “stereotypes.” It was fun to hear in John Taylor’s house more about Leonora Cannon after having read some of the Cannons’ journal recently. Then we went to the John Browning gun shop and learned that his family designed most of the guns that were used in WWII. We eventually made it to the blacksmiths for prairie diamonds, but didn’t get the horseshoe (although Karen’s birthday was close enough that she could have had it had she not wanted one of the children to go home with it). We got a demonstration on how to make candles, and I made sure that in the last 15 minutes before everything closed we went to the brickmaker’s and got some nice Nauvoo bricks as a souvenir.
The only disappointing part of our trip was our dinner at Dottie’s bar (it said “family dining” underneath. The inhabitants were mostly older gentlemen drinking Budweiser. I think Budweiser and blue cheese were the only things they did well. The cook was grumpy and didn’t have a hat or an apron on. They charged 35 cents if you wanted to add a tomato slice. The waitress told us that the chicken club had peppers and stuff and it turned out to be shredded chicken, some shredded lettuce and a slice of bacon- it was quite tasteless. She had put the tomato I (Rachel) had ordered for the hamburger on the chicken sandwich. We had a combo basket which consisted of a lot of fried stuff (ok- it was pretty small for the price)- cheese, onions, cauliflower, and mushrooms. They gave us the bill without the total or the tax, and only accepted cash. We asked them to ring us up twice to make sure, and the second time she came up with a higher total. Since we felt unsatisfied after the dinner, we went across the street to Annie’s and had some very creamy lemon and chocolate custard. Following dessert, we attended Rendezvous, one of the highlights of our trip. The play involved several different courtships- 1. a henpecked husband and his wife, who stopped nagging him about carving wooden ducks when she accepted the gospel. 2. A devout Mormon woman who was about to leave Nauvoo with the saints when her tobacco chewing, swearing boyfriend promised to change his ways and go with them. 3. A woman who refused to leave Nauvoo with her husband and finally decided to go. 4. A woman who didn’t want to marry Ezra, an illiterate man and wanted to marry a Mormon instead but wouldn’t read the BoM. He hid a copy in an empty pickle barrel and she read it, was converted and went across the plains with him. There was a great relief society scene where the sisters were sewing quilts and gossiping (see picture). On Sunday we went to Carthage. It was moving to read the church history of the events leading up to the prophet’s martyrdom on the lawn outside the jail. How we love living in the Midwest! Nauvoo would be a pretty posh place to serve a mission as an older couple. We still don’t know which roles in Rendezvous we will audition for in 50 years.

Progressive Pioneer

When I learned about this website, I immediately thought of our earthy Ari, but I know that all the galligals would enjoy this blog. I found an article about it and its writer Jen Thompson at the farmer's market today, where Laurel and I went for an artist's date and some treats. Jen is an LDS mama who rejects the labels "hippie"or "granola." "Those terms carry baggage and tend not to evoke an image Latter-day Saints are eager to embrace, but pioneering, now that we can get into!" she says. She calls herself "an urban homesteading, attachment parenting, LDS mama." Fun! She now has advertisers she carefully screens. When you've got a minute, look it up! Her little boy is almost as cute as ours! progressivepioneer.com.

PS Bubby, find her thoughts on baby gadgets and "crying it out" at her link called "What is a progressive pioneer?"

PPS I'm going to join your co-op!

Be Thou Humble

Dear Family,

I was very affected by this editorial yesterday, and considered whether to read it during scriptures. When I read Alma 4 today, the deal was clinched.

Our curious journey from V-J Day humility to today's huge, empty egos

By David Brooks

The New York Times

Salt Lake Tribune
Updated:09/15/2009 05:12:09 PM MDT


On Sunday evenings, my local NPR station airs old radio programs. A few weeks ago it broadcast the episode of the show "Command Performance" that aired the day World War II ended. "Command Performance" was a variety show that went out to the troops around the world.

On V-J Day, Frank Sinatra appeared, along with Marlene Dietrich, Jimmy Durante, Dinah Shore, Bette Davis, Lionel Barrymore, Cary Grant and many others. But the most striking feature of the show was its tone of self-effacement and humility. The allies had, on that very day, completed one of the noblest military victories in the history of humanity. And yet there was no chest-beating. Nobody was erecting triumphal arches.

"All anybody can do is thank God it's over," Bing Crosby, the show's host, said. "Today our deep down feeling is one of humility," he added.

Burgess Meredith came out to read a passage from Ernie Pyle, the famous war correspondent. Pyle had been killed just a few months before, but he had written an article anticipating what a victory would mean:

"We won this war because our men are brave and because of many things -- because of Russia, England and China and the passage of time and the gift of nature's material. We did not win it because destiny created us better than all other peoples. I hope that in victory we are more grateful than we are proud."

This subdued sentiment seems to have been widespread during that season of triumph. On the day the Nazi regime fell, Hal Boyle of The Associated Press reported from the front lines, "The victory over Germany finds the average American soldier curiously unexcited. There is little exuberance, little enthusiasm and almost none of the whoop-it-up spirit with which hundreds of thousands of men looked forward to this event a year ago."

The Dallas Morning News editorialized, "President Truman calls upon us to treat the event as a solemn occasion. Its momentousness and its gravity are past human comprehension."

When you glimpse back on those days you see a people -- even the rich and famous celebrities -- who were overawed by the scope of the events around them. The war produced such monumental effects, and such rivers of blood, that the individual ego seemed petty in comparison. The problems of one or two little people, as the movie line had it, didn't amount to a hill of beans.

You also hear a cultural reaction. As The Times of London pointed out on the day of victory, fascism had stood for grandiosity, pomposity, boasting and zeal. The allied propaganda mills had also produced their fair share of polemical excess. By 1945, everybody was sick of that. There was a mass hunger for a public style that was understated, self-abnegating, modest and spare. Bing Crosby expressed it perfectly on "Command Performance," as Gregory Peck, Dwight Eisenhower and George Marshall would come to express it in public life.

And there was something else. When you look from today back to 1945, you are looking into a different cultural epoch, across a sort of narcissism line. Humility, the sense that nobody is that different from anybody else, was a large part of the culture then.

But that humility came under attack in the ensuing decades. Self-effacement became identified with conformity and self-repression. A different ethos came to the fore, which the sociologists call "expressive individualism." Instead of being humble before God and history, moral salvation could be found through intimate contact with oneself and by exposing the beauty, the power and the divinity within.

Everything that starts out as a cultural revolution ends up as capitalist routine. Before long, self-exposure and self-love became ways to win shares in the competition for attention. Muhammad Ali would tell all cameras that he was the greatest of all time. Norman Mailer wrote a book called Advertisements for Myself.

Today, immodesty is as ubiquitous as advertising, and for the same reasons. To scoop up just a few examples of self-indulgent expression from the past few days, there is Joe Wilson using the House floor as his own private "Crossfire"; there is Kanye West grabbing the microphone from Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards to give us his opinion that the wrong person won; there is Michael Jordan's egomaniacal and self-indulgent Hall of Fame speech. Baseball and football games are now so routinely interrupted by self-celebration that you don't even notice it anymore.

This isn't the death of civilization. It's just the culture in which we live. And from this vantage point, a display of mass modesty, like the kind represented on the V-J Day "Command Performance," comes as something of a refreshing shock, a glimpse into another world. It's funny how the nation's mood was at its most humble when its actual achievements were at their most extraordinary.

_______________________

Along these lines, I've been troubled recently by what I consider brash, sweeping statements about complex political and social issues from fellow members of the church; issues including health care reform, illegal immigration and homosexuality. I have heard rude, gratuitous comments about President Obama from friends whom I love and revere. No doubt I am more sensitive to attacks coming from a different perspective than mine, but it is the tone which most troubles me, and which I think we must all watch for in ourselves. To my ear it rings with an arrogance that suggests that we are above the fray, above the need to recognize how many people are suffering through the complexities of these and other concerns; people within our own families and in our neighborhoods. I worry for our well-being as a church culture. Our behavior should reflect our Master, who found no takers when he invited us all to cast the first stone. I'm grateful to David Brooks for reminding us about humility.

Alma 4:8 For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure.
9 And thus, in this eighth year of the reign of the judges, there began to be great contentions among the people of the church; yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God.
10 And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress.

C D B!

When talking about our favorite books, we forgot a very important favorite book! C D B! Abe and I went to Spanish Story Time at the Provo library today and came home with CDB. Do you want some tests to see if you've still got the hang of it?

C D B! D B S A B-Z B. ~O, S N-D!

R U C-P? ~S, I M. ~I M 2.

K-T S X-M-N-N D N-6.

Y R U Y-N-N? ~I N O.

U 8 L D X! ~S, I 8 M.

And now for our favorite . . .

O U Q-T. U R A B-U-T.

Sorry you couldn't see the fun drawings while you were reading these. If you give up on any of them, let me know!

Mayo Free

Hi Gang. We've had some good meals this week, thanks to the internet. But this quick tuna recipe came from the Martha Stewart magazine in the doctor's waiting room today. So easy with a mini-chopper! Just put the capers, onion and basil in and process together.

1 can tuna
1 T capers, rinsed and chopped
1 1/2 t finely chopped red onion
1 1/2 finely chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 t lemon juice
1/2 t lemon zest
Pepper to taste

Mix and serve on open-face sandwiches. Garnish with basil leaves. We left out the basil tonight because we had some in another dish for dinner. We served it on sundried tomato bread. I love the fact that there is no added fat in this recipe! Oops--I don't think the boys like capers!

The Grandma Globe Pays off Again

Laurel is making great strides at East, trying to keep up with all her challenging classes. For her honors geography class, she is required to memorize all the state locations and state capitals. I said, "You probably know quite a few all ready," to which she replied, "Well, I know the one for Illinois is Des Moines, Idaho."

She really did! That's an exact quote, the sharing of which was approved by the geography whiz herself.

Day One

Well, today was the long-anticipated day. Laurel embarked on her high school years at Good Old East High! She has been all aflutter recently. She began playing with the tennis team as soon as we got home from Oceanside, so some of the "will they like me?" jitters may have subsided, but not all. This morning, she wanted to get up a whole 40 minutes early for scriptures so that she could do Viktoria's hair. For scriptures, we read Laurel's patriarchal blessing, which says quite a bit about her teenage years. About 6:20,the doorbell rang ("I told them not to!" Laurel exclaimed.) After some sharing of earrings, lip gloss and necklaces, and lots of giggling in Laurel's room, she, Viktoria and Maggie looked wonderful and happy. But I asked Laurel if she had brushed her hair, thinking she had forgotten. She replied, "My hair doesn't need brushing!" I really like that pioneer spirit! It was a good surprise twist to the morning. Without being prodded, she acquiesced. I thought the look was improved. The girls enjoyed some banana-cinnamon pancakes with chocolate sauce and whipped cream! That just doesn't come around on the menu every day, thank goodness. By the time 7:15 a.m. arrived, we had Laurel, Maggie and Viktoria, sugared, hair a-done. gleaming. Bookbags were stuffed, tennis rackets, water bottles and Laurel's English mobile waited by the door, and Laurel had her trademark rye-provolone-tomato-basil panino in her Animal lunchbox, a gift and twin to Maggie's lunchbox. Then all three friends almost skipped off to arrive early at school. Neither she, Craig nor I will ever have a morning quite like it again.

Spinach Lasagna

Darling, Adorable Family: it seems that all I get on the blog these days is recipes I am already copying for people, because life is too rich, and I am distracted! I'll try to do better and grab some other snatches for you. You try, too! And a medal for dear Ariel for keeping the blog going, even when she has her own fantastic blog. We love and appreciate you, Beautiful Bubby!!! PS If you have trouble copying a recipe you want from the blog, try our account at myfamily.com. I put them all there.

Spinach Lasagne

This recipe comes from a wonderful Italian cookbook Craig and I received for our wedding 27 years ago. The page has come out, and I am attempting to preserve this family favorite, with a few changes. I have doubled and even tripled it, but that's work!

Ingredients:
I can (28 oz) chopped tomatoes
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 T olive oil
1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, thinly slicced
1 medium onioin, chopped
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 t salt
3/4 t dried oregano, crumbled
3/4 t dried basil, crumbled
1/4 t pepper
9 uncooked lasagne noodles (not curly edged)
1/4 c flour
1/8 t ground nutmeg
2 c milk
1 1/2 c shredded mozzarela cheese
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions:
For meat sauce: cook beef in oil over medium-high heat, breaking up beef into fine pieces, until brown. Stir in mushrooms, onion and garlic; cook over medium heat until onion is soft. In food processor, process about half of the canned tomatoes until smooth. Add all tomatoes to beef mixture. Stir in 3/4 t of the salt, the oregano, basil and 1/8 t of the pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered until sauce is almost thick (it needs to be a little runnier than formerly because we are not cooking the noodles in advance). Reserve.

For cheese sauce: Melt 1/4 c of the butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, remaining 1/2 t salt, remaining 1/8 t pepper and the nutmet; cook and stir until bubbly. Whisk in milk; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and bubbles for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 c mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c of the Parmesan cheese. Stir until smooth. Reserve.

Spread a small amount of meat sauce on the bottom of greased casserole baking dish. Arrange 3 of the lasagne noodles, or as many as will fit, in a single layer of the pan. Top with half of the reserved meat sauce; spread even Spread half the reserved cheese sauce over meat sauce in even layer. Repeat layers once, using 3 more noodles, the remaining meat sauce and the remaining cheese sauce. Crumble spinach and sprinkle loosely over cheese sauce in even layer; pat down lightly. Arrange remaining 3 lasagne noodles in layer over spinach.

Mix remaining 1/2 c mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 c Parmesan cheese in a cup. Sprinkle mixed cheeses evenly on top of lasagne. Bake until top is golden and edges are bubbly, about 40 minutes. Let lasagne stand 10 minutes before serving

Number Of Servings:6

Italian Grilled Vegetables

We've enjoyed this recipe over the summer. The problem is: only Micah has made this dressing. I'll try to make do when he leaves. We bought a couple of big metal baskets for putting on the grill. That saves us from having to put all the veggies on skewers. I would probably double this recipe for a large batch of vegetables.

Ingredients:
A variety of veggies washed, trimmed, and cut in large pieces for grilling, including such favorites as onions, large mushrooms, bell peppers, asparagus, etc.
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 T orange juice
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Toss prepared vegetables with salt, pepper and enough olive oil to keep them from sticking. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl. Grill vegetables to desired tenderness. Toss hot vegetables with dressing and serve immediately.

It's a wonderful day to go out and play

Hey, maybe you could come along!

All you need to bring is a song to sing,

A happy little baby song!

Abe and I watched most of these. They just don't make baby and children's videos like they used to! These little songs are so sweet! I love My Mommy Comes Back!

Cynthia's Summer Salad

Cynthia brought a delicious salad to our house last night. I liked it because it was neither too sweet nor too heavy, and because it arrived with Cynthia, Eric, Caleb and Madeleine!

Ingredients:
Hendricksons Unique Dressing and Marinade
Fancy Lettuce
Spinach
Toasted, slivered almonds
Purple grapes, halved
Cucumber, peeled cut in rather small pieces
Avocado pieces

Directions:
Mix and take over to your friends' house

Why Buy Organic

No, I'm not tellling you why you should buy organic. I'm wondering. That title should have a question mark. It should be read like this: "Why buy organic?" And then some mom should follow up with a subsequent post answering the question.

Thanks! :)