A Recipe and a Rant

Have you ever looked at the ingredient list for most packaged tortillas?
If not, stop everything and go open your refrigerator and pull out your tortillas and look.
It is stunning, and shocking.
The list is huge with teeny tiny print.
There must be 25 ingredients (or more), most of which I cannot pronounce, let alone know what they are.
This is for sure, they can not be good for you.
They are chuck full of preservatives.
One of my friends on facebook posted that she pulled a tortilla out of the refrigerator that was over a month past its expiration date and ate it.
She said it tasted fine.
That is not a good thing.
Real food should rot if not eaten within the specified shelf life.
How scary that it can still taste good after so long.
What artificial thing do they have to put in them to make them do that?
What's worse is thinking about what that artificial thing is doing to our insides.
I don't even want to think about it.
Actually, I do think about it, a lot.
Good news!
I've come up with a solution.
Home made tortillas!
They have just 4 simple ingredients.
They are fresh, they are soft, they are warm and chewy.
Try them once and you'll never go back, ever!

Easy Tortillas

Ingredients:
1 C Water
1 t Salt
1/4 C olive oil
3 C whole wheat or whole spelt flour

Directions:
Place all ingredients in mixer and knead on medium for 3-4 minutes or until dough is soft and elastic. Let dough rest for 30-45 minutes. Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Roll out on floured surface until really thin, rotating often to loosen from work area and to make them round. Preheat skillet to medium high and cook for about 30-45 seconds on each side, or until bubbles form and become browned. Place hot tortillas on a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep soft and warm until ready to serve.

Helpful Hints:

• The dough should be about the consistency of a firm bread dough. If it's sticky, add more flour before the kneading process begins. If it seems too dry, add a bit more water.
  
• If you are using spelt flour you will need to add 1/2-1 cup more flour. Check the dough for stickiness before kneading.
• You will need to find the "sweet spot" on your stove. Mine is 2 notched down from high. If the burner is too hot, they will burn. If it's not hot enough they will take too long and become dry and brittle. We are going for soft and chewy.
• Roll the tortillas as you go. Don't roll them all out at once and then cook them. Ask me how I know. I place one in the pan and roll the next while it's cooking. You have to work fast and ignore the rest of the house during this process. If they children need help, ignore them. Hate to say it, but if you turn for 1 second you'll burn the one in the pan. Then the next one will not be ready to go into the pan in time and the pan will get too hot and it will take 4 more tortillas to get it just right again. Trust me, just ignore the children! They'll be fine for 15 minutes!
• Don't leave out the oil or they make crunchy cracker things, unless you want crunchy cracker things!
• I have not found out how to make mine perfectly round. Some people are perfectionists like that, but I'm not. And you know what? My kids eat them anyway and love them!
  
• Store left overs (if you have any) in a plastic air tight baggie in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. After that point they go bad and mold. They are real food, so eat them quickly! Your body will thank you.
  

This recipe rules! We use them for burritos, soft tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, green chili, veggie wraps, and pretty much anything you can find to stuff in a tortilla.
My kids even devour them plain, they won't do that with packaged tortillas!
As an added bonus, these babies are super cheap to make. We're talking less than 50 cents for the whole batch. Compare that to grocery store prices!
Try them, I promise you'll love them!

Prayer of the Children

When I was a missionary in Montreal I had many experiences that showed My Heavenly Father’s love for me and for His children. The last area I served in was one of a handful of areas in our mission appropriately deemed “BMW areas”. The missionaries considered the BMW areas to have the best, most exclusive modes of transportation in the entire mission. There were only a few such coveted areas on the island of Montreal, thus every missionary in the Canada Montreal Mission wanted to serve in one of the BMW areas. A BMW area meant that the missionary would have plenty of exercise and would be able to avoid the oh so common “Canadian Tire”, an extra layer around the missionary’s middle which testified of all the delectable dinner appointments we received from the wonderful members in Canada. Missionaries in BMW areas were allowed the privilege of using the very advanced and highly effective public transit system. Every where we went, we either used the Buses, the Metro, or we Walked, hence BMW. This ensured the missionaries were on their feet and walking or running to appointments many times a day and could more effectively burn off those unwanted calories. Imagine my thrill as I found out my last area would lend me great opportunities to leave my well earned Canadian Tire in Canada, where it belonged. It afforded me the opportunity to go home and look somewhat as lean as I had when I had left home 18 months previously. I was thrilled.

In addition to the physical aspect of the BMW areas, being on the busses and Metro gave the missionaries countless opportunities to open our mouths. We were able to speak to many different people and share our testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ and of The Book of Mormon as Another Testament of Jesus Christ. One such incident still stands out in my mind. My companion and I were on a crowded city bus one late evening on our way back to our apartment after a busy day of proselyting. A man noticed our name tags and asked us about them. We proceeded to explain that we were missionaries of the Lord Jesus Christ and that we had a message about His gospel. He immediately noticed our accents and asked us where we were from. We told him and then he inquired about our salary. We told him there was no salary and that we in fact pay our own way as missionaries. The man looked aghast, “Why would you ever leave your jobs and lives for so long without pay? You are young; surly you should be in college! Why on earth would you leave for something like this?”

My companion and I took the opportunity to share with him our love for the Savior and our testimonies that His church had been restored on the earth once more. The man was skeptical at best. He kept questioning why we would do such a crazy thing. We kept bearing testimony, yet he still could not understand. As we left the bus he looked at us very sarcastically and said, “Good luck with that.” We could tell he thought us very foolish.

I have never seen that man since, and I will very likely go the rest of my life without ever crossing his path again.

Yet, the testimony bore on the bus that cold Canadian winter evening proved to be very significant. A few days later my companion and I received a request for a copy of the Book of Mormon. At that time the church was televising commercials about the Book of Mormon. People could call the number on the screen and receive a free copy of the book. They had the option to let representatives of the church (missionaries) deliver the book as well as share a message about the gospel.

The next afternoon, during a slow part of our day, we showed up at the address printed on the Book of Mormon request form. As the door opened we were met by the friendly eyes of a young man from South Africa, named Edgar. He looked at us in disbelief as he invited us into his home.

We told Edgar who we were and explained that we wanted to give him the free Book of Mormon that he had ordered. He simply said, “I know who you are.”

A glance passed between my companion and I, we were both baffled. “Have we met before?” I asked.

“No, but I have seen you missionaries on the bus.”

“Oh, ya, we are always on the bus. There are many missionaries on the buses here in Montreal, I’m sure you have seen some missionaries around town.”

“No”, Edgar replied, “I have seen you.” He went on the say that he had been sitting on the bus the night my companion and I were telling the stranger of our testimonies and our desires to serve the Lord. He said he listened to our whole conversation with the man; he even passed his stop in order hear the rest of our conversation. His heart had been touched by the power in our words. As he made it to his apartment that evening he turned on the television and saw a commercial for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He recognized the name of the church as the same he had heard on the bus that very night. He was curious and wanted to know more. He ordered a copy of the Book of Mormon in order to find out why we thought a simple book could possibly be worth leaving our homes and families and lives to teach the world about. When he found us on his door step he was shocked and gladdened to see us, the very girls on the bus, standing there and ready to share our message with him.

We made a very good friend that day in Montreal. Edgar was so eager to accept the gospel. Edgar was from South Africa, he had just made it to Canada a few short weeks prior to our meeting. He had escaped South Africa to Canada for peace and safety from the horrible genocides and civil wars that were tearing his country apart. His heart was heavy with the loss of many family members to that awful war. He was working hard to bring the rest of his surviving family members to the safety of Canada. His soul was heavy and he wanted so badly for his family to enjoy the safety and peace he now enjoyed. In Canada Edgar found the peace he had been searching for, not only the peace from a nation at war, but peace to his soul as well.

Not long after we starting meeting with Edgar, he started to attend church services with us. After Edgar had been coming to church for a few weeks he very timidly asked if he could invite a friend to attend with him. Of course we were thrilled. The following Sunday we met Edgar’s friend, Lawrence. Edgar and Lawrence had been friends in South Africa and usually spent Sunday afternoons visiting with each other. Lawrence had been confused the past few weeks as to why his good friend suddenly ended their visits. Edgar explained that he had been attending church. Lawrence was immediately offended that Edgar had not told him about this church sooner.

Edgar and Lawrence were soon baptized. Whenever I think of Edgar and Lawrence the lyrics of a song written by Curt Bestor touch my heart.

Prayer of the Children

Can you hear the prayer of the children?
On bended knee, in the shadow of an unknown room
Empty eyes with no more tears to cry
Turning heavenward toward the light

Crying Jesus, help me
To see the morning light-of one more day
But if I should die before I wake,
I pray my soul to take

Can you feel the hearts of the children?
Aching for home, for something of their very own
Reaching hands, with nothing to hold on to,
But hope for a better day, a better day

Crying Jesus, help me
To feel the love again in my own land
But if unknown roads lead away from home,
Give me loving arms, away from harm

Can you hear the voice of the children?
Softly pleading for silence in a shattered world?
Angry guns preach a gospel full of hate,
Blood of the innocent on their hands

Crying Jesus, help me
To feel the sun again upon my face,
For when darkness clears I know you're near,
Bringing peace again

Dali cujete sve djecje molitive?
(Croatian translation:
'Can you hear all the children's prayers?')
Can you hear the prayer of the children?

The Lord did if fact hear the payers of his child Edgar. He literally encircled His son in His everlasting arms of love and mercy. He saved his life and he calmed his soul. I felt the love that the Lord had for his son, Edgar. Every time we went to teach him, I thought about all the horrible things Edgar had witnessed in his country. It broke my heart. I wished with all my might that I could take away the pain that those experiences caused my dear, dear friend. One day it occurred to me that Christ feels the very same way about all of us. When He sees us in pain, either caused by our own wrong choices or by the choices of others, He wants so much to take our pain away. In fact he provided a way for us to cast our pain on Him. That’s what the atonement is all about. He loves Edgar and through the atonement of Jesus Christ Edgar felt the love of his Savior and was again brought to a place of peace.

My Right Arm

My kids have the best grandpa in the whole world.
On Monday Doodle called him, begging him to take her on a horse ride.
He said, "No way! I don't like horse rides! I don't think I can manage taking a little girl on a ride!"
Not really.
Really he said, "Can you be here in 10 minutes?"
We decided on Wednesday instead.
It turned out to be a perfect day.
The sun was bright and there was just the hint of the perfect breeze.
Our favorite aunt Lisa and Justin showed up with their horses, to boot!
Kathy and I fished with the little boys while the others rode.
Then the horses found us near the lake.
Suddenly all the little boys wanted a ride, too.
We put the boys double decker on the horses and away they rode.
The strangest feeling came over me as I saw all of my children riding away from me.
Suddenly my hands were empty and I felt odd.
Like those horses were riding away with my right arm, leaving the rest of me behind.
As mothers I wonder if we really comprehend the bond we have with our children.
Their little lives are so intricately intertwined with our own.
Sometimes it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.
Everything we do is for them and with them.
We bake, read, nurture, hug, listen, kiss, hold, scold, cry, laugh, dance, fall, run together every day.
My children are, hands down, my biggest frustration in life. But they are also, hands down, my greatest joy.
And I would not trade one second of it for anything in the world!

Ode To Littleness

Is it just me or do littleness and cuteness go hand in hand?
My Baby that's-not-really-a-baby-anymore-cuz-he-poops-and-pees-in-the-potty is so cute, I just can't stand it!
What's really funny is that he does not even know he's being cute.
He thinks he's being so serious all the time, like a tiny man person.
Only I just laugh because he's so little and serious.
He is just like his dad only much, much smaller.

I also love my little trees.
I got 4 more fruit trees for my mini orchard for my mother's day gift.
We have 10 fruit trees now!
Only 8 more to go and I will be satisfied.
I love them beyond words.
I love all of their potential wrapped up in tiny branches and miniature leaves.
I love to dream about the endless summers in the warm sunshine eating tree ripened apples and pears and peaches with sticky juice running down our arms.
I love to dream about my pantry and freezer filled with their goodness, enough for the whole year plus more to share.
I can already hear the dehydrator humming me to sleep with the scent of fresh peach heavy in the air.

I just know my kids are going to love me during harvest and preserving time.
Can't you just taste and smell the jams and jellies and purees already?
I love to think that someday my grandchildren will eat from these very trees.
I can never leave our house now.
These trees have cemented me here forever.
They may as well bury me under one of them when I die, because I will not leave them.
I love them almost as much as my babies.
Almost, but not quite.

And just look at this cuteness.
There's something about watching something grow that I absolutely adore.
These tomatoes and peppers were just seeds when I got my hands on them.
I have never started my own tomatoes or peppers from seed before.
It was such a fun process.
Seeing them peek through the soil for the first time was truly magical.
I was so excited I literally jumped for joy.
Then, wondering if the little sprouts were strong enough to keep going, I watched them every day.
I worried about if they were getting enough water or too much.
I wondered if the window was too drafty, if they had enough sunlight, if little fingers would try to dissect them.
Now I dream about their ripe fruit and the fresh salsa and tomato sandwiches and countless other ways to eat them fresh off the vine.
I took these photos a few weeks ago and now they are simply huge.
They are past ready to plant outside.
If mother nature would stop trying to freeze us out they might have a shot.

Just look at Mr Bird and his buff arms tearing apart that bucket!
When he saw this photo he was quite impressed with his own muscular arms.
He had to flex right then and there to see if that's how they really look.
I assured him they do and that those arms are so very, very hot!
Thank you Mr Bird, for the wonderful gift.

May 10, 1869

According to Mr Bird May 10, 1869 was the best day in the history of the United States.
It was the day the the Golden spike was driven to complete the first transcontinental railroad connecting the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad.
For the first time in the history of our young nation there was one continuous rail road connecting the wild west to the rest of the county.
The two rail road companies and the rest of the country had a huge celebration and ceremony for the occasion.
For the last 59 years a cast of citizens and volunteers have recreated that ceremony.
They meet at Promontory Summit, the very place the golden spike was driven 141 years ago, and repeat word for word the things that were expressed more than a life time ago.
Lucky for Mr Bird, Promontory Summit is only about an hour from our home.
Every year since Mr Bird was a tiny kid he has gone to the ceremony.
Now he brings his own family, year after year.
It is the first day he requests off from work every January.

May 10, 2004 Promontory Summit

Although I have come to the ceremony year after year, it always has special meaning to me.
In 1869, just as the golden spike was getting ready to be driven, the rest of the country waited with baited breath for word that it was complete.
Some cities wired the telegraph to the local fire department alarm so that as soon as the signal was emitted the whole town would know and could join in the celebration.
Other towns had huge crowds of people around the telegraph waiting for the pre-assigned signal: D.O.N.E. done!

"Every telegraph in the nation was waiting with baited breath for that one word.
Both the spike and the maul are wired to the transcontinental telegraph wire so that the entire nation can hear the blows as the spike is driven. Now ladies and gentlemen, the time has arrived. As Mr. Shilling, the telegrapher, gives the signal over the wire, that the spike is driven, bells and whistles will sound across the nation."

Before the spike was driven a prayer was offered.
This is the telegraph message sent to the entire country just moments before the spike was driven:

"Bulletin! Almost ready. Hats off! Prayer is being offered."

For a moment the entire nation bowed their heads in prayer, together.
Think of the power of that prayer.
Has our nation before or since been so united and humble and prayerful.
That was an amazing moment, I can still feel the power of an entire continent united in prayer to their God.
How I long for our great nation to be as great as it was in that moment.
The rail road was more than just a highway into the west.
The work of building the railroad united a wounded country which had been badly broken and nearly divided by civil war.
Men form the North as well as the South untied their effort and worked side by side in an effort to rebuild our nation.
Men from all over the world came to help in hopes of bringing the knowledge they'd acquire to their homes across the seas and to replicate our system in their own lands.
The eyes of the whole world were upon The united States of America and this great feat of courage and strength.
Many men gave their lives in the completion of this revolutionary task.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you. We are gathered here to join the ends of the earth, to join the raw riches of the American West with the finished products of the industrial East. We also meet with mixed feelings; with joy that the work of thousands of men has joined the railroad, and with sorrow we remember the hundreds of men who gave their lives in building the railroad."


This is the heritage I want to pass on to my children.
I want them to see the examples of hard work with the blood and sweat and tears these men gave to build a nation.
I want them to see the value of coming together to build something bigger than themselves.
I want them to learn about these great men and the marvelous things they accomplished with not much more than their bare hands and wagons pulled by horses.
I want them to celebrate their personal victories, big or small.
I want them to love our nation and to stand tall in it, under their God, always giving thanks to Him.

P.S. Click here to read the reenactment in its entirety. It is truly inspirational.

The Impossible Dream

Another of my dreams is about to come true.
Remember this post about how I want to be in a parade?
Well, it turns out that this just might be my lucky year!
My brother-in-law, Brad Galvez (The Great) is the Republican nominee for The Utah House of Representatives on the November 2010 ballot.
During a dinner with the family he mentioned that as part of his campaign he planned to ride in the local parades this summer.
I about fell out of my chair.
In fact I think I jumped a foot in the air and lost control a little (or a lot) and shrieked something about the fact that I wanted to be in his float (or car or riding a horse).
Everyone looked at me like I was crazy, that's me the family crazy person.
It's OK, cuz every family has one, I'm fine with it being me.
Then I went on and on about how much I've wanted to ride in a parade.
I started to get so excited and could already smell the horse poo in the air!
Then it happened!
Brad, The Great appointed me as the head of the parade committee chair board!
I'm pretty sure he made that up just to make me feel good, let's not fool ourselves, it totally worked!
Now my mind will not stop thinking about it.
I have to come up with ideas now.
Should we do a float with sparkly banners and paper mache mountains?
Or should we go simple and commission some cool antique cars?
Then there's the equestrian route.
The Galvez's are huge horse lovers.
We could decorate the horses and carry banners and throw candy to the crowds?
It's so hard to decide.
Maybe we could do all the above, our family is big enough!
What would you do?

The World's Greatest Mom

Yup, you got it, that's me, the world's greatest mom.
At least according to Doodle.
It seems as if some days I am determined to prove to myself and everyone else how horrible of a mother I really am.
Sometimes I can be "not so nice."
Sometimes I say and do things I don't really mean.
Sometimes I am too harsh with the kids.
I expect a lot from my children and I feel like a big fat meanie...most of the time.
Yet there are moments of greatness.
Yesterday was one of those days.
By dinner time I felt I was at my rope's end.
Ethan had peed on the carpet while I had locked myself in the bathroom for a nice hot, long shower (I should have known better).
Someone plugged the toilet AGAIN, for about the 100th time this month.
It felt like I spent the day stopping arguments and ranting at the kids to clean up mess after mess after mess.
How can our house get so messy so fast? We don't have many toys.
They find whatever they can to make a mess with.
Yesterday it was a box of Tissues which they snuck upstairs. They ripped 3/4 of the box out and they were everywhere.
They made horse blankets with them, wrote notes on them, made flags and door signs and just generality ripped them to tiny shreds and spread them all over the two bedrooms.
By the time dinner was over I felt defeated and tired.
TIRED!
We quickly got dinner cleaned up and I wanted to just have no more messes in the house so I grabbed a handful of books and our novel and I started reading.
I read out loud, to the kids.
I read for over an hour and a half, all the way to bed time.
As soon as Doodle saw my pile of books and the huge green blanket and me snuggled up on the couch, her face sparkled and she ran over and gave me the biggest hug ever and said, "You're the best mom in the whole world!"
It's as simple as that.
All the shortcomings of my day were wiped clean, in her mind at least, with a pile of good books and a blanket.

My Life in Bullet Points

Beano 5 weeks old

• I am feeling very random tonight
• Thus, bullet points seem appropriate
• My beautiful niece, Bethy, had her first baby yesterday
• It was a huge mistake to go see her at the hospital
• My ovaries will not be quiet now
• It was so hard for me to leave the hospital without my very own baby
• Mr Bird just laughs at me and thinks I'm crazy
• Never in my life have I ever had the urge to nurse someone else's baby, but yesterday, all I wanted to do was nurse that perfect little being
• But that would be totally weird and gross, so I didn't
• Plus I don't have any more milk, Baby Cakes drank me dry
• That was probably TMI
• I think I just lost all my male readers, but I'm good with that. Sorry guys!
• I know plenty of people who have more than 4 kids and they have not lost it yet
• We ate peanut butter and honey covered crackers with melted chocolate on them for our FHE treat tonight
• I think I may need one more
• All of the baby stuff, like the crib and high chair and car seat, have been gone for a long time, we'd have to buy all new stuff
• I hate spending money, but I think I could manage
• I got to change my great nephew's very first poopy diaper
• And I still want another
• Mr Bird says if I agree to name the next one Doc he'll go for it
• I said OK and he totally back peddled
• I say, a deal's a deal!
• Does baby hunger ever go away? What about people who have 12 kids? Do they still get baby hungry?
• Hmmm, I wonder...
  

To Heal the Broken Hearted

When we think of our Savior what comes to mind first?
His triumph over sin, making it possible for all who sin to repent and be forgiven?
Do you think of the sacrifice He made when he died for us, was resurrected, therefor making eternal life possible for all mankind?
Do you think of the sick He healed, the sermons He gave, the miracles He performed?
Do you think of the many stories in the Bible of forgiveness he gave because of the faith of those who sought Him?
When I think of my Savior another image comes to mind.
I saw Him standing there.
In his eyes were boundless love and compassion.
In a dark room marked "The Neglected and Fatherless" I saw myself, as if I were looking into the past.
It hurt to see my own image in such an ugly place.
Hurt and anger and bitterness filled my soul to the brim.
Then I looked up, just a few small inches.
The realization that I was looking at my reflection in a mirror took my breath for just a moment.
Physically, I was not in that room, but somehow that place was a part of my soul.
My eyes wondered a few inches higher still.
My eyes met His eyes.
His hands were holding the mirror.
He was holding me, with His very hands.
His eyes pierced my very soul.
In an instant, love and warmth replaced the years of anger and hurt and bitterness.
Not a word was spoken, His eyes said it all.
In that moment He took the heart break from me.
My heart, which had been so heavy and so full, was healed.
I felt light and happy, even joyful.
I felt His love, and it made everything better.
He found me with a heart bruised and broken and torn in pieces.
With his love He took my heart and gave it back to me in perfect condition, whole and happy and new.
To my surprise, when I looked back down at the mirror in His hands, my image was gone.
I was no longer in that place.
He took me by the hand and let me out, into a life of my own.
A life full of love and laughter and music.
A life with the happiest heart I could ever imagine.
A life so full that I feel tears of joy and gratitude could burst at any moment.
A life I could never have imagined on my own.
A life bigger than myself.
A life I never felt I deserved.
Yet here I am, years later, still filled with His love and compassion.
Ashamed that it has taken me so long to tell the story of His love for me.
When Christ publicly announced His minesrty He did not announce that we would suffer for the sins of the world, although He would.
He did not announce that He would die on the cross for mankind and ultimately overcome death, although He would.

"When Jesus arrived in Nazareth, he entered the synagogue and read a prophecy about the coming Messiah which the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah had written seven hundred years earlier. Jesus announced that this prophecy was about himself." ~New Testament Seminary Student Manuel

This is the scripture he read in the synagogue, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."~Luke 4:18

He goes on to say, "And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." ~Luke 4:20-21

For the first time in his mortal life He announced publicly that He was the Messiah, of whom the prophets had testified for generations would come.
And what did he say he came to do?

The first thing he says is that He was sent to heal the brokenhearted.
Heartbreaks happen every day and to every person.
No one is immune.
Everyday a family is broken by divorce, leaving parents and children broken.
Everyday unmet expectations are shattered, leaving broken dreams and hearts.
Everyday people lose loved ones to death, both old and young, leaving hearts filled with grief and despair.
Everyone has their own story of heartbreak, I am not the only one.
If there's one thing I've learned in this life through all my friendships and deep connections with people, it's this: We've all suffered heartbreaks, big and small.
The great news?
We need not suffer alone.
He has said numberless times throughout the ages in the scriptures and through his prophets, "Come unto me!"
He is waiting for us to come to Him.
He wants us to be happy beyond measure.
And His arms are outstretched still.