Music at Luckyhill and a YUMMY pasta dinner

Sometimes I have so much I want to write, I have to stop and ask myself, "Okay...is that a JOURNAL entry type of thing, or something to put on a BLOG?" I laugh at myself.

Today, I have a couple of things to say, but I will try and be brief.

I have taken music lessons since the beginning of time...not really, but it seems like it. I just LOVE music SOOOOOO MUCH! I have taken private vocal lessons since I was eight years old. I absolutely LOVE singing! I keep thinking that my love of music is something I need to share when I go to Ghana. However, I repeatedly tell myself I am CRAZY for thinking this! African's already LOVE music! By nature, they have music and rhythm talent and a love of music already. Music is part of their culture! What could I possibly teach or show them about loving music that they don't already know? Today, when I was at my singing lesson, my WONDERFUL teacher (she is a wonderful person AND a wonderful musician, having trained with the best of the best around the world!) expressed that she really things I need to share my music with the people of Africa when I go there. I was taken aback! We spent a lot of today's lesson talking about what I can do to bring music to Luckyhill. I prayed inside, asking Heavenly Father if this is something I should be thinking about. I felt that it was! So, I am preparing music and ideas and bringing supplies to bring music to musical people! It seems so strange to me that we would both feel strongly about this, but I will trust in The Lord and do what we both feel I should do! I have learned that God knows best! So, I should just follow Him. That is what I plan to do in this situation, too. It doesn't make any logical sense, but I will do it! One thing my teacher said to me today is that music, more than anything, brings people together. It softens people's hearts. Maybe I am just supposed to use the music I bring to soften someone's heart, or to reach out to someone with whom I would not otherwise be able to connect . I don't know for sure, but I DO know that I need to prepare to share my love of music, and I also KNOW that what my teacher said is right! Music speaks to the heart.

So, today was our "day off" work. Ryan had to go to work to meet people (wait, didn't I just say it was our day off?! HA! What a joke!) and didn't want to be there alone (I understand that!), so Bryttan and Taiger went with him while I was in my singing lesson. After my lesson, I knew no one would be home so I ran to the store. What a fiasco! There is a FUNNY story about that, but I won't share it now. I bought things to cook dinner tonight! Then, I raced home and CLEANED like mad to have the house nice before everyone got home. It was so nice to have some time with an empty house! I got the living room and kitchen CLEAN, floors swept and mopped (gotta love hardwood floors! SO NICE to keep CLEAN!) and started dinner. When everyone else arrived home, Bryttan helped me finish getting dinner ready. Then, we actually had a SIT-DOWN DINNER! YES! I am TOTALLY serious! Bryttan set the table and the four of us ate like a "real" family! It was great! Everyone LOVED the dinner I cooked, too! We had salad, carrots, grapes (for Taiger), fried Polska Kielbaska (is that even how you spell it?!) (also for Taiger...he LOVES that stuff!) French bread and tomato pasta (a family fave!) Much to every one's chagrin, I took some pictures with my Mom's cell phone. Although they are completely uninteresting, I will be posting them with this entry.

Taiger LOVES eating with his hands! Whenever anyone asks why I don't MAKE him eat with a fork (which he does, if he is in the mood, it's not like he doesn't know how...he just doesn't LIKE to!) I tell them that in Ghana they eat with their hands! Since Taiger will be in Ghana in a few months, I am just letting him get used to it! If that doesn't stop the comments, I say that since he is part Ghanaian, maybe it is in his genetic make up to WANT to eat with his hands! Okay, so it is a LOOOOONG shot...But I can't get the kid to use a fork! As a Mother, I have to have SOME arguement as to WHY my child won't use a fork! Besides, I also add, his Aunt BeQin eats with chop-sticks! Maybe the poor kid is confused! HA HA HA!

Want the recipe for Tomato Pasta? SO EASY! Cook one pack of angel hair pasta as normal. Drain water and leave noodles in colander for now. In the now empty pot, put a little butter and some crushed garlic...I used about one and a half teaspoons. Add a dash or two of crushed Basil leaves. Let that cook for a second to get the garlic cooked some and the butter all good and garlicy. Add half of a LARGE CAN of diced tomatoes. Stir it all up. Add the cooked noodles. Pour the rest of the can of tomato over the noodles. With forks, mix noodles so the sauce you made in the bottom of the pot coats all of the noodles. Add some grated Italian cheese (whatever you like...sometimes we use Parmesan, tonight we used an "Italian Cheese Blend" because it was on sale at Albertson's!) and a little basil and stir up. To look nice, I added some more cheese and basil just to make it look "finished". NOTE: The noodles should not be all red like spaghetti, so don't panic! You used enough tomato...trust me! Try it and see! Yummy, huh?!
It will look like THIS!:

Okay, so that blog entry was anything BUT the "brief" I said I would try and be. There are some other topics about which I want to write, but this is LONG ENOUGH! HA!

Thanks to everyone who reads my blog!

Lunch, Mathilda and more about Ghana!!

Yesterday, Taiger and I drove to Orem to have a lunch with some families off the yahoo! group. It was SO FUN! As per typical of Taiger, he didn't get up and play with the other children, but I was proud of how well he did! Anyone who knows him knows he doesn't do well with loud noises or large groups until he has gotten used to the idea. I expected a "Taiger Meltdown" to take place for the first few minuets before he warmed up to everyone. Instead, he sat quietly and when one of the Dads talked to him he was a little shy but he still talked and didn't cry! I was so proud of how well he did!!!!



Before we arrived at the lunch, Taiger was SO EXCITED to meet Adjoa (I didn't know others would be bringing their children or I am sure he would have been excited about meeting them, as well). It took us longer than we thought it would to get to Orem, and when we pulled up to the restaurant, Adjoa and her parents were outside getting in their car. I thought they were leaving and so did Taiger! He rolled down his window and shouted through the parking lot, "Wait, Adjoa! Don't leave yet! Wait for me, Adjoa!!!!!!" It was so cute! In the end, they were just going to a different restaurant and we met up with everyone there.



Taiger never did play with Adjoa or the other girls. About the time everyone was leaving, Taiger warmed up to the idea of all the other people being around. By the time we were on the way home, Taiger was ready to play. Once on the freeway, Taiger started crying he wanted to, "go back to the restaurant and play with Adjoa!" Poor little guy!! He begged me to turn around, but even if I had, Adjoa was gone by then. I hope next time we all meet up we can maybe meet at a park, or even a fast-food place with a play land, or something, so the kids can really run around and play! That would be fun!



So, Stephanie left for Ghana at midnight last night! I am SO EXCITED for her!



I listened a lot yesterday at the lunch. I wanted to hear what everyone had to say, more than I wanted to talk. As the conversation wound and turned, people would bring up a child they have in mind to adopt, dropping names of children in whom they were interested. Each time someone mentioned being interested in a child, my heart would start to pound and I would silently beg, "Please don't say Mathilda! Please don't say Mathilda!" Relief would wash over me when they would say another child's name. I found myself longing to ask about her. To find out if she was "called for" by another family. I wanted to hear if someone had met her, had played with her, knew her personality. But I didn't say anything. I don't have a home study done. I am not rich. I didn't feel it was my place to wish for a child. However, I think of this girl every day. All I can do is hope and pray I get to be with this little girl while we are in Ghana, that I will be able to hold her and play with her and kiss her round cheeks, to see Taiger playing with her. I will post a picture of her here. It is the only picture of her I have ever seen. I have never heard her voice, or touched her, and yet, I love her. Then again, this happens with me sometimes. One child in a million will stand out to me, and I know that child should be mine. There have been three girls (including Mathilda) and three boys (all three brothers) in my life I have found and KNOWN they could be my kids. I think of these children often, I even pray for them sometimes. I wonder if they have been adopted, if they are happy and well...Mathilda I know is a child I will always think of and love.

I just can't wait to go to Ghana! I am so excited! I was able to glean a little information at the lunch yesterday. I got a better feel of what it will be like for Taiger and me. Now, I can't wait to go! I learned we don't have to bring a bed, there will be one in the guest house. I also found out that there is a fan in the room, and running water at the guest house! At the orphanage, there is a toilet, although I am still not sure if there is one at the guest house. I wish I knew a little more about the guesthouse, but I suppose I have enough time to find more out. Maybe I can get Stephanie to go over and scout it out for me, or even take some pictures! I would love to show them to Taiger so I can prepare him for it a little, although I guess it isn't a big deal either way.



It sounds like finding food in Ghana will not be a big problem, as there are places nearby to eat. I am still not SURE on clean water, but it sounded like it is easy to find. Still not sure on other things, but, like I said, there is time for that later. This process is teaching me to be PATIENT! LOL! I can't wait to learn more...I will post information as it becomes available to me! Maybe once Stephanie is in Ghana she will post pictures and things and I will know more.



Mom is leaving for her conference early in the morning, so I need to go help her get ready! She is letting us pick out her clothes! FUN!

Back from the land of the lost, and Taiger's Third Birthday party! Woohoo!!

I have not been very good about blogging on here! Sorry! The reason for that is that I have another BLOG on which I have been blogging a lot lately. If you want to check it out, the address is sixteensmallstones.blogspot.com. It is dedicated to Taiger's and my volunteer work and volunteer spirit, really.

Things are going well for my son and me. He turned three a couple of weeks ago!!!! What a big boy! I will try and put some pictures on here when I get a chance. He had a fun Speed Racer party with all of his little friends from our neighborhood. It was fun for everyone. Taiger HATES loud noises and excitement, so I wasn't sure how he would do with having a party. However, it was a strange party when kids came late and some left early, so it never got too loud and crazy (although crazy enough for me! LOL!). The one time it got a little wild, Taiger went off alone and played with his new cars while everyone else ate cake and played. I kept an eye on him as he played alone and he seemed happy so I let him be. After a while, one of his little friends joined him playing with the new cars and from there things went smoothly. I was grateful it was fun for Taiger and everyone and that it went so smoothly (albeit a little different with people coming and going so much, but we are layed back and go-with-the-flow so we just made it work and all went well!).

We are still planning our trip to Africa this summer. Our other blog is more updated with more information on that trip, so if you want to hear about all that, be sure to keep checking our other blog.