The Price is Right!

OK, so you all know I was BRIEFLY on the Price is Right.

A little bit of back story. Spence and I were there with Spence's family celebrating his parent's 50th wedding anniversary. The folks, all 8 kids and their spouses gathered from the four corners of the earth (or the USA) for a week in Newport Beach Marriott condos without kidlets. Woo hoo! Can't believe we pulled it off. Anyway, we played, saw the sun, went to Disneyland, the temple, LA fashion district, Trader Joe's, the beach, etc. We also went to the Price is Right. If you have 15 or more in your group, you can get guaranteed seats. We got there early in the morning, then proceeded to wait for about 4 hours. The men all had on "Flanbros" t-shirts and the women all had on "Flisters" t-shirts, courtesy of Mom Flandro. After they check your ID and issue you a name tag, you slowly get filtered in to where they BRIEFLY interview you. They take a group of around 10-12 people and a producer goes down the line talking with each one for 5-10 seconds, just asking a couple of basic questions. He asked me "what do you do?" I answered, "I'm a mother of five, and I'm a portrait photographer, so I get to make people smile for a living!" With 17 people in our group, we knew we had a pretty good chance that one of us would get called up, as they want lots of excitement in the audience, and we'd all be yelling and screaming.

Anyhoo, I was so excited to be there, I was bouncing around all morning with excess energy. I'm sure they noticed and decided the tall blond might make for a laugh or two.

Once we finally got inside, it all went very quickly. They get you all whipped up for lots of cheering and clapping. It was so loud! You may have noticed how my voice was hoarse when I bid. They hold up a poster with each name they call so you can see it because you can't really hear it. It was fascinating to watch all of the production people at work. Everything moves very quickly. During the commercial breaks, Drew Carey would talk with the audience and interact. At one point he was over by us and I was desperately trying to get his attention to bring up the 50th anniversary stuff, but he completely ignored me. We think it was because someone was telling him not to talk to me because they knew I was going to get called up.

After the 18 year old won $10,000 (yes, the girl from Lehi who won the showcase showdown in the end), Drew gave her some sound advice. He told her to get a book about setting goals. He told us that he was a multi-millionaire, and it wasn't by chance. He said, "most people spend far more time planning their next vacation than they do planning their lives." I've never been a big Drew Carey fan, but I was impressed by what he said. He was very genuine.

Out of the nine people that got to "come on down" for that show, three of us were from Utah. Drew cracked a few jokes about the "Book of Mormon" Broadway play he had just seen. Nothing too bad. The announcer guy called him "Elder Carey" to get a laugh.

Me flapping my arms? That was Bro-in-law Nate's idea (you can see him egging me on...). He thought we should summon our Eagle Powers (like in Nacho Libre?). I've never felt such a surge of adrenaline as I did when they called my name. Unbelievable. It took all my focus just to come up with a number to bid. $899 just stuck in my head. The family was trying to tell me to bid $1,300 or $1,400, which would have been so much better, but the 13 and 14 they were telling me didn't make any sense, as my brain was mush. Anyway, I was kinda playing along with the lady that beat me when she was going for the car. I wouldn't have won it, but I would have had a chance at the wheel. That is my only regret, really, that win or lose I didn't get the chance to take a pull at that iconic wheel!!

The kisses? They were for my kids. I won two prizes, totaling a little over $600, but neither is useful to me. I might be able to sell the reference library for something to help me buy the new camera I've been saving up for.

Drew came down and talked with each of the three of us who didn't make it on the stage. He was kind, and really talking with you, not just distracted and on to the next thing. Nice guy. Right after the show was over, they brought all nine of us behind a little curtain at the back of the auditorium and sat us down in a hallway on folding chairs. It took about five minutes to sign some papers saying that we wouldn't disclose the results of the show until it aired, and giving us the chance to decline any prizes. Then it was all over!

What a rush. So much fun. The real prize, however, was that immediately after the taping, we all went to the LA Temple, changed into nice clothes at the visitor's center and went in to a session. All of us. It was my first time in this temple, and I was overcome with gratitude for my parents being sealed there in 1967. I finally got to see the room they were sealed in and it brought such joy, along with a few tears. I'm so grateful to them for all they've done and taught me, and for the Flandro family for their goodness and example as well.

Maybe I didn't win much on the Price is Right, but boy-howdy I am one lucky girl.

verbal vomit

Nasty stuff, that. Don't like to have it upchucked on me, or worse, to be the perpetrator. Both occurred within the last 24 hours. A few times. Clarification: from me only once, gratefully. Thrown at me... several times from different people. Sigh. So glad that is not the normal course of my life. Faith, hope, charity. Working on it!

warning: random stream of consciousness

Kids are off to school and the two youngest are sleeping in, so I can actually hear myself think right now. Warning (another one): very little sleep last night, so my thoughts may take on a life of their own. Piles of laundry staring at me as I type, trying to make me feel guilty. Kitchen is a mess and in need of attention, but that is pretty much all the time, so it's easier to ignore for a bit longer. Is anyone else out there always cold during the winter? The thermostat is always at a nice place, but I'm never quite warm. Need to exercise. Especially after that NASTY sweet caramel corn we made last night. Bet my blood sugar was sky high! I really need to get more serious about holding off full blown diabetes before it's too late. I know it's coming, but hoping I can delay it for a very long time. Usually I am a bit better about controlling myself, but holiday time is sooooooo tempting. Christmas presents / projects are starting to get finished off, FINALLY. Completed a project for my sister and brother-in-law last night at 1am. Can't tell you all about it (it's a good one!) because she checks this blog. So glad that's done. I took on way too much this year. I think I should have the time to be able to accomplish everything I used to when I had no kids or only a couple. Five is kicking my butt! As much as I completely adore each one of them, whooooweeee! I think I'm headed for an early grave. Good thing I'm blonde. Can't notice all of the grey hairs I'm sure I must have. Speaking of grey hair, my beloved is going to be 40 years old in March. 40. 40! Blows my mind. Sang in the choir yesterday at church. Watched my 3 year old get taken out while we were singing. Subbed in nursery, and get to sub sunbeams for the next two weeks. Why can't I say "no?" Ah, well. Blessings in heaven, right? This year for neighbor gifts I made raspberry jam (a couple of months ago) and we put a nice little tag on it: "Merry Christmas from the Flandro Family...because we give a jam." Get to take those around tonight. I wish I had the guts to do what some in my old neighborhood do, which is to send around a flyer about not giving neighbor gifts to each other, but rather take that money that would have been spent and use it to purchase items for a charity. A great idea, and I may still do it someday, but there would always be glitches. Some neighbors wouldn't do it or give gifts anyway, then what? Do you give them something anyway? Then there are those neighbors who assume the "church" is behind it and won't cooperate with anything LDS driven (heaven forbid!) and feel resentful and controlled. Then, where do you draw the dividing line? Ward boundary? That can be a bit awkward. Took some friends to see the Peter Breinholt Christmas concert Saturday night. LOVE IT! Always a good show. Dinner beforehand was at the Blue Iguana. My love ordered the Burrito Grande. If you eat it all, they give you a free dessert. He accomplished the feat a few years ago, but they've made it bigger. He managed to eat about 1/2 of it, amazing in itself. The other 1/2 fed five of us for lunch yesterday (good sized portions too!) I hear my 3 year old upstairs now. I'm just gonna keep typing. Love my guitar lessons, and love my teacher! She's awesome. I can actually play one of my all time favorite Christmas songs now, one of her arrangements off of her Christmas CD. What joy! I've wanted to learn guitar since I was a little girl, and my man has made it possible, even taking lessons from Nancy Hanson, one of my favorite artists. I still can't believe it. I've been a fan of hers for about 15 years. Lover boy got me a new guitar for Christmas. The old one was falling apart! He gave me the gift about a month ago so I could try it out and we could determine if it was the one we wanted of if we should exchange it (30 days). Apparently I know everything he is getting me this year, except for one small item. I'm thinking box of chocolates or book. That's OK. He bought his own gift this year. No big surprises this year. I really should put little boy on the potty. We've been working on that for 2-3 months now. Training pants. 1/2 the time he uses the potty, 1/2 the time forgets. He has been the slowest to train so far. I'm not worried though. On the bright side, we're using 1/2 the diapers we used to for him. He'll get there. Eldest child has been building a snow fort in the backyard. Serious business, this. Except he took a spray bottle full of water, added yellow food coloring and dyed the thing. Yellow. Ahem. My second born in the wilderness actually completed the Book of Mormon yesterday. Proud mama here. He also started a blog over the weekend. If you really want to read the ramblings of a somewhat unique 12 year old boy, let me know and I'll get you an invite (VERY private blog). I really thought my photography business would taper off to nothing during the cold months. It was really busy this fall (almost more than I could handle!). But I've had two sessions this month already and one more coming (newborn...yea!). Surprised. Glad. Kinda hard to find a balance. Too much won't do and not enough makes me nervous. Hope it keeps going this coming year. Last year was amazing. Hard to find a balance what to charge, too. Too little isn't worth my time. Too much won't bring as much business, and I don't have good enough equipment or extensive training to warrant, say, $500 for a session. I think I've got it about right for now. Maybe as I get better and purchase a better lens and flash I can charge a bit more. I will brag and say that I'm getting a lot better at photoshopping. Faster too. I look at some of my earlier work now and cringe. Thanks to all of you out there who let me use you as guinea pigs. I know I have so much more to learn, though. It would be awesome if I had a spare $5000 laying around to get the equipment of my dreams. Any benevolent benefactors out there want to take me up on that? Actually, there is a sign above my oven which reads, "There is a $5 charge for whining." If I had just enforced that all along, I would have at least $5000 at my disposal. Probably more like $25000. It's not like we're pushovers. Pretty firm parenting going on around here. Don't know why the still whine and think they'll get anywhere with that. No takers (only 1 inquiry) on my Oquirrh Mountain Temple print (see Sweet Sassafras Blog). I really didn't expect much action on that, but I do think I did a good job with it. I LOVE the one hanging in my kitchen. Maybe I charged too much. Hmmmmmm. Probably not enough people look at that blog! I'm thinking I need to change the Sweet Sassafras page on facebook. I haven't been adding new pictures for a while. I was grouping them according to label, but now I'm thinking I should do a new album for each client. Do you think my fans would get sick of seeing a link to each session and "hide" that page? They probably have already! I need to pay a little more attention to my church callings. Scout advancement chair and canning specialist. Not that I'm dragging my feet. I think I've done a good job. But I think I can do better. Gotta light a fire under these people! OK, now I hear the dragon lady. Both are awake and need mama's attention. Please leave a comment if you actually read this far. Then I will know who my real friends are. ;) Have a great day and a wonderful Christmas!

miracles and tender mercies

I've been thinking a lot about miracles and tender mercies lately. I can't remember what triggered it, but for the past year or so I've been watching for tender mercies in my life, and I can honestly say that I see them daily. Just little happenings that are loving gifts from heaven. When things could be much worse but aren't. When something good happens just in the nick of time. An extra measure of something needful. I'm certain that my life has always been full of tender mercies, but I never saw them. It's amazing how many there are when you look for them. It absolutely fills my heart with gratitude over and over.
Miracles are another matter. Perhaps they are just bigger tender mercies. It is heart-breaking to pray for a miracle, deeply and faithfully, and not receive it. But even then, if you look, the absence of a desired miracle is always peppered with tender mercies.
I have witnessed a miracle in the last week. An honest to goodness old-fashioned kind of miracle. A young man who should by all counts should be dead isn't. He is not only alive, but astoundingly well. Doctors are shaking their heads in disbelief. Wife, kids and family are dizzy from the swift roller coaster ride from the depths of despair to the heights of relief and wonder. And I, as bystander, am left pondering tender mercies and miracles and the one who bequeaths to us them all.

Heaven

One year ago last Friday my 18 month old nephew, Mason, passed away. I have no words. I'm trying to explain what we have experienced through this and what we have watched his parents and twin brother go through, but there are no words.

A cruel twist to this heartbreaking story is that babies are extremely hard to come by for this couple. However, miracles happen, and two weeks ago they welcomed a precious baby girl into their family.



Thank you, Char and Dave, for letting me come and take her newborn pictures. Heaven has been intermingling with your home, and I am grateful for the privilege of being there for a while.

If you would like to see a few more pictures of their sweet baby, click on the "Sweet Sassafras" link to the right.

Hummm...

We have a hummingbird nest in our front yard tree! I noticed a hummingbird darting around when we walked by, but I couldn't see a nest until a couple of days ago. No wonder! It's tiny! It is about the size of the bottom half of an egg from the store. At first I thought there were two babies, but now I think there's just one.



You can clearly see another egg that didn't hatch.



She's a diligent Mama!



If you happen to come walking by our home, I'll just warn you now. Don't be bugging our birds! I've become quite protective of the little guys. We had a nest built in our last yard, but one good windy day dumped the eggs on the grass and that was the end of that. I'm really rooting for this one to make it!!

That elusive pause button

Well, we're all better now. Yes, we had the flu. The swine flu. All of us. It started with N just a couple of days into our California trip (pictures forthcoming). Then one by one it hunted us down, leaving us feverish, coughing, achy. Just glad it's all over. But believe it or not, there is one thing I actually miss.

While I was sick and miserable(for some reason I had the worst case),I had one ray of joy. Everything non-essential to survival went by the way side for a few days. It was "I'm sorry but we need to re-schedule J's orthodontist appointment. We have the flu." And "I can't come to my guitar lesson, I have the flu." Then there was "unfortunately we can't make it to scouts, activity days, dentist or swimming lessons. Flu, you know." My personal favorites: "Laundry? Dishes? Grocery shopping? Cooking? No. You see, I am just too sick. I have the flu." Somehow someone (thanks Spence, thanks Mom and Dad) was always able to step in and accomplish the task at hand. While I would have gladly traded my illness for health and hard work, still, there was some level of satisfaction at letting it all go and not being able to do anything about it.

Well, not anymore. Back to the whirlwind that is my life. Don't get me wrong...I love my whirlwind. It's a great ride! But, that pause button was nice. Just wish I could use it when I was healthy and could enjoy it!

PS Home-made facials, pedicures and manicures with a nine-year-old daughter are a joy! When the boys go away, the girls will play!

Calgon, take me away!

As I type, we are driving North, somewhere between Cedar City and Beaver, UT. We are just returning from a week in Newport Beach, CA, and I must say, this vacation was the pits! Oh, yes, the condos on a bluff overlooking the beach were gorgeous. Oh, yes, the weather was so nice. Oh, yes, I only had to cook dinner once during the week. Oh, yes, my mother flew round-trip with my baby girl, so she didn't have to drive with us (she's really difficult in the car!). BUT, I am still going to have the gall to complain. Aforementioned baby girl would not nap or go to bed without being rocked to sleep, which often took a fair amount of time. Hubby and I shared our room with both little ones in portacribs. Oh, and middle of the night awakenings were every night. So no time for grownups to play, and little and poor sleep to boot. Then we started dealing with sunburns, head bumps, lost cell phones, tire blow outs, migraines and the best part of all...flu. It began with my nephew and has moved through most of our large family group now. Yes, the first day of Disneyland was really fun...until my son and nephew had to go lay down at the first aid station most of the afternoon and evening. When we went back for our second day there a couple of days later, we had to leave behind my two oldest boys with my sister and brother-in-law. They ended up going back for their second day on Thursday with my other brother-in-law for part of the day. To top it all off, J.'s best friend was there with his family on the day that he missed. They were going to enjoy some time together at the happiest place on earth. Not exactly the glorious vacation we had been looking forward to for about a year and a half.

I'm just glad we're almost home. It was what it was. Now I'm wondering who is going to unpack us, wash everything and put it away, cook for us, watch our brood and take care of us until we are all better. Oh yeah. Me. I think I need a vacation!!

Hmmmm...

I have nothing to say. My life is swirling around me, teaming with activity and occasional chaos, yet lately I find it difficult to know what to write here. It is as if I have too much to say, and so I cannot communicate anything. The floodgates would burst. So, yes, I am here. I am busy, usually happy, always grateful, forever immersed in family life and the swell of this mortal experience. If you see me, perhaps I will talk freely about whatever is floating around. Perhaps not. I wonder if my quiet, timid keyboard is a phase, and just how closely connected it is to my tounge. Hmmmm. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming... we'll see where this body of water leads to eventually.

What a ride!

Just a few random thoughts...
I am loving my new business venture. Having a lot of fun with it. So much to learn!
Mother's day = no dishes, no diapers, no cooking, unwelcome but potentially productive feelings of inadequacy, lots of handmade gifts and cards, one particularly nice card from a teenage son who shall remain nameless which I will be sorely tempted to pull out and have him re-read often, chocolate, and the ability to get my kids to stop fighting and be pleasant by just reminding them that it's MOTHER'S DAY. Funny how that doesn't happen any other day of the year. Except maybe Christmas Eve.
Got a small sandbox on Saturday. "A" has been digging in all of my flower beds so much that we decided he needed somewhere to really dig. Now we have a whole new set of problems like keeping him in the house, lack of shade and sand scattered hither and yon. There has been a lot more bathing of toddlers lately in our house. Yesterday you could've grown radishes in "L"s scalp.
Tried waxing my legs for the first time. Well, not exactly waxing. I used "Nad's" gel. Didn't work too well so I stopped and shaved the rest. Decided I need to have my first wax done professionally. Any recommendations around here?
"L" went to nursery at church yesterday for the first time. Didn't notice we weren't there. Sniff. So bittersweet.
A million other things on my mind. I was complaining to a friend the other day about some things. Realized how silly it all was and repented on the spot. Life is good! And we keep moving...

Reunion time

This has been a crazy, wonderful, strange last few months. It has been kinda like one of those "this is your life" programs. Everywhere I turn I'm getting re-acquainted with old friends from as far back as I can remember, keeping up with current friends, and even becoming newly acquainted with people I'm just beginning to get to know...all at once. Facebook is part of the reason, and for those of you involved with that cyber social life, you understand. But there's more, too. I just attended a reunion for the group I went to BYU Jerusalem with. That was so fun! Next week I'm hosting a lunch for a group of childhood friends at my house, some of whom I haven't seen in around 20 years. And, yes, I'll admit it, my 20 year high school reunion is coming up this summer. They've set up their own social network on-line where my entire graduating class is emerging out of the woodwork to inter-mingle once more. I gotta tell ya, this whole past becoming present thing is amazing. In many ways it is really fun to be interacting with everyone. In some ways it has been really good for me, as even a few foolishly burned bridges have been re-built. One thing is for sure...I'm glad I don't have any big terrible messes in my past. Lots of stupid mistakes, but nothing earth-shattering.

This all leads me to wonder a few things. First, where do we go from here? It used to be that people from your past stayed there. Are all friendships now current forevermore? This is all new territory for the human experience. Secondly, my concept of the afterlife has changed a bit. I always envisioned it as a big reunion and reconciliation of sorts. Now some of that is happening in this life. Interesting. Thirdly, wouldn't a genealogical version of facebook, devoid of time and space, be intriguing? Locate family members, link generations, pictures, tidbits, get to know your long losts.... I'd love to "friend" my 3rd great-grandmother Magdalena Straubhaar Schwendiman and have a bit of wall-to-wall with her. And I'm sure I'd love the status reports from my great-grandfather Joseph Hatton Carpenter. He had some jolly songs and anecdotes and was somewhat of an English character. Hmmmmm...

Time

So once a year, right at the beginning of the year, I get itchy to preserve our family memories. Baby books, family scrapbooks, and a series of other means I use to document our family. Things are changing this year. I'm switching to publishing a book once a year rather than making prints and scrapbooking them (excluding baby books, of course). Other keepsakes, such as programs, mementos, etc. will still go into a much smaller scrapbook. I figure everything is electronic anyway. And with the cost of the prints and supplies, printing a book is probably more cost effective, too.

I just finished our new 2008 book. My head is swimming in family memories and images from the past year. It was a crazy year!! But my heart is full of gratitude.

One thing keeps jumping out of me. The passage of time. As I look at this book and the scrapbooks from past years, I feel a great sense of...well...there's not a word for it. Joy, sorrow, nostalgia, love, gratitude, hope, regret and satisfaction all rolled into one. And, yes, I believe it is possible to feel all of those things at once!

I want to keep all of the good times in the present. I want to keep all of the lessons I've learned from the hard times in the front of my mind. I want to enjoy every sweet moment with loved ones, my husband and each of my children through the years constantly. And, I want to have the wisdom that will come through future trials and growth with me now. A tall order! And impossible in this life. But I keep thinking that somehow such longings aren't completely out of order.

I've posted this quote before. But in light of my recent inner conversations with myself and with the beginning of a new year, it seems appropriate to mention this again.

Neal A. Maxwell said, ” Time is clearly not our natural dimension. Thus it is that we are never really at home in time. Alternately, we find ourselves wishing to hasten the passage of time or to hold back the dawn. We can do neither, of course, but whereas the fish is at home in the water, we are clearly not at home in time–because we belong to eternity. Time, as much as any one thing, whispers to us that we are strangers here.”

This brings me a great deal of comfort. I no longer mourn the passing of time. And I feel to embrace the uncertain future with joy. Both my past and my future are mine to keep.

Wow.

Wow. I'm just feeling so blessed right now. Not for any particular reason, more like for a lot of little reasons. I've been counting my blessings a lot lately and it has hit me how amazing life is. I have as many struggles and trials as most (believe me!), but when I sit and really think about it, I am humbled and deeply grateful for all of the goodness and tender mercies that surround me. My attitude has been changing and I hope, my heart.
My little sister got engaged on Christmas Day. We are having her and her fiance over for dinner tonight. Gotta check everything out and make sure that he is deserving of her! ;) My hubby and I went to the temple on Friday night. While there I reflected a lot on that exciting time of my life and thought about how my sister will be going through the temple soon and getting married and sealed there. What an amazing blessing that is!! I am so very grateful for the temple and for everything that it offers and represents, and for the priesthood power that makes it all possible.
I look into the faces of my husband and children and feel such deep gratitude for each one of them. They are all miracles to me. I'm sure that to some, in this limited-vision, materialistic world, we seem quaint, strange or even irresponsible to have five children. I feel so sad and sorry for such. They have bought into a very short term and I think selfish attitude of this life. They forget the value and joy of each soul. While I don't know why so many suffer in this life, I do know that it is all very temporary, and justice and compensation will follow in the next. Meanwhile, I marvel at the wisdom, love and mercy of a glorious and just God who loves all of His children and desires to bless them. My hands stand ready to help. I just pray for the inspiration and ability to reach out and do so according to His desires.
I am ever grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world. It is only through Him that we can be saved...saved from grief, pain, sin, suffering and death. Saved from our own mistakes and stupidity. Without Him all is lost and vain. I love Him. I testify of His divinity and sacred mission. I am so especially grateful for the resurrection which He made possible. This past year has been a difficult one for our family. We have lost many loved ones to death. But the promise of resurrection and reunion has made our grief bearable, and turned our tears to joy. I am so grateful for my faith. It carries me.
OK, that was quite a speech. If you have read this far, I salute you! Now you have a window into my feelings of late. I am so grateful. Wow.

Now, where did I put my green scarf?

Kapow! Snow and lots of it! So glad Mother Nature finally made up her mind to send snow. I just hate it when it is cold enough and late enough in the year for snow but we're stuck in shades of brown. Time to drag out the gloves, hats, boots and shovels. Right now I welcome the white stuff with joy. However, as a woman, I reserve the right to change my mind. Give me about a month or two and I'll be glad to see it go, all itchy for Spring. But, for now, yipee! Now, where did I put my ski pants? I gotta go make an angel and throw a few snowballs at my unsuspecting teenager.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! Why did I move, you ask? Well, not sure. Just because. Different features. New stuff. I think I'll print the old one into a book soon because I don't want to give it all up completely. But, change is good! I'll consider this a bloggy facelift, tummy tuck, highlight job, whatever. Feels good. Sorry to mess up all of your links! When you're in the neighborhood, swing on by and I'll give you some chocolate as penance.