Life.... and an Announcement

The past few days have been a bit busy and emotional and... life. Sometimes, when life happens, one tends to put blogging on hold because children need you a bit more. I will not apologize for that. I will just focus on what needs me the most at that time.

As an update to my family life, I am posting here to hopefully answer all the questions that will be coming my way. This is the "it's official, now we can publicly talk about it" announcement. I am in no way posting this because I feel we owe anyone explanations as to our decisions. I am just posting it so as things happen, I do not have to answer 101 questions over and over.

NEWS: At the end of September, our family will be relocating back to Nampa, Idaho for good. We have the opportunity to buy a home of our own, as well as wonderful employment, and we simply miss being there. It is where we were happiest. It is where we want to be.

Here are the questions we already know will be coming, so hopefully the answers suffice. 

Q: Why did you move here in the first place if you are going back? What made you decide to go? When are you going to settle down?
A: We moved to Utah because I was in heart failure. We knew I was going to die and so we decided to come be near family to help with our children. By God's grace and His miracles, I am still here, healthy and happy. This decision came after months of fasting and praying as a couple, and deciding what was best for our family. We are settling down- in Idaho.

Q: What about work? What will he do?

A: My husband has been very blessed to land a great position at a company in a new line of work that is perfect for him. He has already gone ahead to start his new job and is staying with friends.

Q: Why don't you all move right now? Isn't it better to all be together?
A: Yes, we want to be together right now. No, we cannot. We have commitments here in Utah that we cannot just walk away from. Also, there are renters in our Idaho home until about the time our lease is up here in Utah, so the timing works out wonderfully. 

Q: What about T's mission? Will he move with you?
A: This does not affect T's mission. He will leave when he is supposed to. He will help us move to Idaho, but most likely will be staying with some friends in Utah so he can leave from here. 

Q: What do the kids think?
A: The kids are delighted we are returning "home" to Idaho. They have missed it greatly, as do my husband and I. I am sure there will be some tears shed in leaving loved ones behind but we could not be happier about going and the peace from this decision is enough to confirm it is right.

Q: What about us.... your family and friends (in Utah)?
A: We love you, family and friends. We are grateful for your presence in our lives. This is about our family and what is best for us. Returning home is just that. 

Sometimes in life, we will disappoint those around us. Sometimes, we will make them cry. Ultimately, it is up to us as parents to do what is very best for our family as a whole. I wish you well on your journey's as you become Guardians of Light wherever you are!

Heading Home-
Mama Dragon

Can We Say DELICIOUS?!

In summer, I do not like cooking. We do not have a grill, so that's not an option. I grew up in Arizona where it was HOT and grilling was not really an option, unless you wanted full on heat stroke from making yourself twice as hot! We often had "meals" of fruit salad and veggie trays and for me, it was great, since I have never been much of a Summer eater anyway. However, with three teen boys and a growing [she thinks she's a teen] daughter, that does not satisfy their growling tummies. 

Checking in the freezer, I saw some ground turkey and decided to turn it into meatball subs! But... I had no bread items to make sandwiches. So, I decided to make rice in the cooker, but did not want Italian-style meatballs over rice. One of my boys men wanted Asian meat balls (he loves all Asian food) and I agreed. Now, to grab the soy sauce... or not. We were out of that, too. What was I going to do? I looked in the cupboards for a few minutes (yes, I am off track with my menu planning) and suddenly had an idea. 

I made up a double batch of creamy chicken soup from this cookbook and got that cooking for the sauce. To it, I added an Asian 5-Spice for a bit more flavor. To the (1 lb.) ground turkey, I added (approximately) 1 cup of oats, 1/2 cup coconut, 1 egg, 1 tsp. minced garlic, and more Asian spice. Mixing it with my hands, I formed the meatballs and placed them into the sauce. Covering the pot with a lid, I cooked them on a medium heat for about 20 minutes. 

The result: The meatballs fell apart slightly when we scooped them out and the sauce was not quite saucy enough. I think I needed to add more water to the sauce and maybe a bit of soy (if I had it) to the meat. They were not dry at all, just fell apart. We put the meatballs sauce over the rice and YUM!! a fabulous main dish to enjoy in my tummy. My daughter who does not like coconut reminded me she does not like it, then proceeded to eat her entire dish. The rest of us went back for seconds. This dish brought joy to our taste buds and smiles to their faces. I will definitely make this again!

Eating with Joy-

Mama Dragon

I Choose

A few minutes ago, I had a conversation about the appropriateness of what we watch as parents vs. what we allow our children to watch in television and movies. The conversation was initiated by me telling my dear friend about a series on Netflix that I began watching yesterday. "I am not sure I will continue watching it," I shared. "There are too many things against my values and I am a bit uncomfortable." This furthered into how, as parents, we seem to live double standards. We tell our children they cannot watch something, yet we are allowed to, simply because we are adults. What is it, I wonder, that we are trying to hide in these shows from our kids? Is it the violence? The gore? The affairs? The sexual scenes? The drinking and drugs? If these are the reasons we do not want our kids to watch the movies, then why, for heavens sake, are we watching them?! Certainly they are as damaging to us as they are to our children, if not more so. Kids cannot understand half of these subject matters. They do not have the brain capability to grasp the emotions behind the choices people make in the shows. For the most part, adults do understand, yet we continue to expose ourselves to the images that go against our standards. Little by little, we become desensitized to it all, and eventually we are accepting of all behavior's, right or wrong. We shrug our shoulders at the things offensive to God and declare that it is "just the way the world is". 

What if I don't want to be part of the world? What if I desire to be different? How do I become a light in the world without getting sucked into the fiery darts of the adversary? It's simple. I choose. 

When the American TV rating system came out in the 90's, my friend's parents decided to make a

new rule: If it was something the parents would not allow their children to watch, they would not watch it either. I remember as a teen not understanding what the big deal was. Now, as a parent, I completely understand. They wanted to not only protect their children from the sinful ways of the world, they never wanted their family to compromise their standards. I think that was a beautiful choice, regardless of how difficult it was. I have not done that as of yet in my life, but I am rethinking my own choices. 

A few years ago, some friends of ours read an article about being unspotted from the world. They decided they wanted to improve their family relations in their household and never, not once, have to wonder if they were compromising their standards. As a family, they went through all of their books and movies and determined what was in harmony with the beliefs they had. Anything else they would get rid of... and they did. They were able to gather two or three garbage bags full of book and movies and get rid of them. Their ecclesiastical leader thought they were being a bit extreme, but I admired their strength to purge their house of anything contrary to God's teachings. Could I do that? I just might. 

What are you willing to do to set yourself apart from the world, to improve the values in your home, to teach your children to have high morals? "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" I may have others who disagree with me, and that is fine. It is their right. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord in the best way we can. For today, it is choosing light. Greatness is a choice, one that I choose. 

Choosing Light-
Mama Dragon

Teaching Kindness

Recently, I have had many conversations with parents unsure how early they can teach their children... most anything. It is my belief we can start teaching them before they are born. From recognizing mother's voice, to coming to love music, children consistently learn behavior's and habit from the earliest moments of their physical formation. 

At a young age of about three years old, I had my first experience of service in a life-changing way. Although I do not remember the event, the lives that our family served were changed for the better. The stories I have been told of this event have helped shaped me into a more giving person, for which I am grateful. 

Our family lived in Kearns, Utah. At the time, there were seven of us children under the age of 8, with the 7th being a newborn. My parents were active in our church and attending every Sunday was very important. In the newspaper that morning, they heard about a village of refugees from Laos who were coming into Salt Lake City that Sabbath morning. A philanthropist had gone to the refugee office to say he wanted to take in one or two refugees. They told him he was an answer to their prayers, as they had an entire village arriving that morning and had no where for them to go. He had bought an old church and planned to convert it to his home and said they could go there. The article said they were taking donations of all kinds, from clothing to furniture, to anything else these people could use. 

Not knowing the details beyond the newspaper article, my parents felt like taking us to go serve was a valuable opportunity. They told us what we were going to go serve our fellowmen that day instead of going to church. My eldest brother offered to donate his bed, which he did. Our family gathered up anything else we could do without and loaded up the car for a drive to Farmington, nearly an hour away.

When our family arrived at the church building, there was no one there. It was unlocked and donations had been dropped off, but there was no one present to take charge. My parents decided to do what they could before the refugees began to arrive. We sorted clothing into piles, as well as the other items donated. 

The villagers arrived, without an interpreter. Still, no one else had arrived to help so my folks took the lead. Mom and Dad took the families around to the classrooms, giving each family a "bedroom". Mom showed the mothers the large kitchen sinks where they could bathe their babies. After showing the folks the bathrooms, Mom returned a second time to find one young lady crouched on her feet on top the toilet seat, facing backwards, flushing it over and over. She was fascinated by the device. 

A baby bassinet had been donated so my mom laid my brother in it. The village children pushed him all around, entertained at the idea of playing with such a white-skinned baby. Someone had donated disposable diapers and the mothers were shown how to change their babies, completely surprised at this new idea of diapers that could be thrown away. 

Us children helped sort, items, taking them to families in their rooms, and played with the children. 

Perhaps I do not remember this experience, but some in my family do. As my mother told me this morning, it was just a wonderful experience and way to serve our fellowman. How grateful I am to be taught such an act of kindness at a young tender age. Lives were touched that day, perhaps mostly the lives of those of us that served, for in serving others, we are our Savior's hands. 

Living Kindness-
Mama Dragon