Bork Bork Bork

So I decided to go all Swedish Chef last night and make home made donuts. I downloaded a 'Krispy Kreme' recipe off the internet and started dancing around the kitchen with a rolling pin shouting "Bork, Bork, Bork, Bork, Bork" and throwing sugar and flour in the air. The girls were quite entertained. I have never made donuts before so I thought it would be a fun experience.

To be honest, after my cooking extravaganza, I don't think that I will ever cook donuts again. I definately will not ever be accused of being 'Homer'esque. And I definately have a new appreciation for anyone who is a Baker for a profession. It took me 4 HOURS to make 3 DOZEN donuts! I also know now why the Swedish Chef couldn't form any words other than BORK BORK BORK BORK. Making donuts would be enough to cause any person to go clinically insane!

Regardless of the pain and suffering in the kitchen last night the donuts turned out OK. And in normal conversation at work today only 3 BORKS leaked out. Can you imagine if I had tried to double the batch! BORK!

Autumn (?) in Tremonton

So, it's Autumn, right? Then why is there snow on the mountain in between the colorful leaves? BTW, This is our backyard. Eliza and Savana decided that the fridge needed to be cleaned out so Sara helped by taking pictures. Eliza is such a poser! But Sara said they were wonderful helpers.

This is the "Cozy Corner." When the girls just can't fall asleep during nap time they can spend some quiet time reading in the corner. There is also a mini DVD player there and there are times that we let them veg. The art on the wall is a Savana original.

This is the cutest little girl in the world. She loves getting her picture taken!!

The Military, Eliza, and the Atonement

Eliza and "Uncle Paul"
We put Eliza to bed last night about 8pm. At 9 she came out of her room with a perplexed look on her face. She curled up on Sara’s lap and asked her, “Mom, why do people have to fight for our freedom?” Earlier in the week Sara had told Eliza that our friend Paul would be going far away to fight to protect our freedom. After a short discussion about freedom and world conditions Eliza told Sara, “Mom, I’m afraid that bad people will hurt Uncle Paul.” Sara told Eliza that she could pray for Paul and that Heavenly Father would help him to stay safe. Sara assured her that everything would be all right and then tucked her into a warm bed in a safe house.




As I thought about this I have had two strong thoughts:


1. I am grateful to live in a land that is proactive about protecting me, my family, and my rights using volunteers. Most especially, thank you to everyone who works in the military to protect me.
2. All those soldiers who put their self in harm’s way in order to accomplish peace are mirroring the actions of Jesus Christ.


This is such a simple experience but it has provided Sara and me a chance to teach Eliza the power of prayer. This isn’t a foreign concept to her. The other night we were driving home in a rain storm and Eliza was scared because Sara was nervous. As soon as Eliza said a prayer, and asked to be kept safe, the rain stopped and the road conditions cleared up. Out of the mouth of babes…

There is something deeper here though. Christ said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13). Christ came down to lay down His life for us. And through his atonement he has increased the freedom that we have in our lives. Even though I make mistakes and fall short of the glory of God I am able to tap into the grace of Christ and bridge the gap between heaven and earth. All this was brought about because He had enough love for us to give up his life for us. And that gives us more spiritual freedom. And Paul (or Ethan or any other service person), no matter what his motives were in joining the military, is demonstrating the same kind of character. He is putting his own life on the line to protect my freedom.

How grateful I am for Christ and His atonement. How grateful I am for Paul, and the other service people in the military, who are protecting my freedoms. And I am so grateful for a daughter who shows love and concern for those close to her, and in the process teaches me how to love unconditionally and be like a child so that I can get closer to my Heavenly Father.