A Plumage Play-by-Play

So we were walking through the parking lot at the swimming place today.  Dylan saw a feather lying on the ground.

Nobody was reaching for it or even heading toward it, but Dylan is a bit overly concerned about certain things.  Bugs.  Toys Gage could choke on. [Even if the toy is a large block that Gage can't fit into his mouth, Dylan is worried about it.]  And germy things. 

So he springs toward the feather, carefully points at it with his toe, and says in his super speedy way (before his ADHD pills are in his system, he talks so fast that I can't even understand him sometimes), "Don'ttouchthisfeatheryouguys.  It'sgermy.  It'sagermyfeather."

Sadie, who HATES mornings and is extremely grumpy about having to take swimming lessons so early, muttered, "YOU'RE a germy feather..."

Dylan looked at her and said, "What does that even mean??"

It was super funny.

The Scripture Study Lesson - What I Did

So I decided this week to do the youth Sunday School lesson on scripture study.  As I was planning and thinking about my lesson, I kept feeling like I should introduce the students to the idea of keeping a scripture journal.  Years ago, I saw one of my EFY counselor roommates keep one, and I liked the idea, but I hadn't ever implemented it in my life for some reason. 

Then, when I was on this blog a couple of months ago, I saw some scripture journals that the authoress of the blog created and now sells.  Her journals aren't expensive at all - only $11, I believe, but I decided to take a test run and make my own journal out of a spiral notebook.  If I liked it and felt that it helped, then I would invest in a scripture journal from her.

And I have to say, keeping a scripture journal has made all the difference in the world in my scripture study.  I just write down my thoughts, ideas, questions...I make comparisons, I make goals, whatever I feel as I write.  I think it's been a great way to receive personal revelation, but also, it helps to keep my mind from wandering.  I'm the kind of girl that, if a lot is on my mind, or I'm tired, I'll read five or six verses and then go, "Wait.  What did I even just read about?"  This helps.  I'm a fan.

So I made temporary scripture journals for my students.  I used old scrapbooking cardstock I had on hand and made flowery ones for the girls:

 And nautical-themed ones for the boys:

 Inside, I only have eight pages on which they can write their thoughts and impressions as they read:

If they don't use them, oh well.  If they use this temporary booklet, which should last them about a week, and they like it, they can do it on a more permanent basis.

Again, the lesson manual online suggested that we prepare for this lesson by reading several scriptures and a couple of articles or talks by general authorities.  One of the articles was this one by Elder Henry B. Eyering.  The following activity that I did in conjunction with the article was actually one suggested online.

The article was an interview of Elder Eyering, and it had ten questions.  The manual suggested writing the questions up on a poster or on the board:

Then cutting the answers to each question apart:

 And then giving each student an answer to a question and have them decide which answers go to which question:

The kids loved this activity.  Imagine how bored they would have gotten if we had just had them read the questions and answers.  I want to try to implement this activity with some other lessons this year.  It was a fabulous idea.

Like Brokedown Palace. But with a happy ending. And no heroin involved.

I read this fantastic book last fall called Wild Swans - a non-fiction book about this Chinese woman who grew up during the cultural revolution in China, her mother, who was a big player in the early communist government, and her grandmother, who was a concubine to a Chinese warlord.  It's really fascinating and made me understand China so much more.  My mom wondered if Ben might like to read it - he has time on weekends to do some reading - so I brought it to Chelan with me when we rendezvoused with Ben a couple of weeks ago.

"Hey, Ben, do you want to read this book?  It's delicious to the eyes and most desirable."

"Ahhhhh, I don't think I'd better take it back with me."

"Why not?"

"I'll get into trouble.  It will get confiscated.  I could get thrown in jail or sent home."

So I brought it back home.  He can read it when he returns.  And you really do have to be careful while in China.  A story to demonstrate:

I called my mother-in-law today to ask (per Dylan's many, many requests) whether he left his brown-and-black stuffed bear at her house when we were there. 

She said she hadn't seen it, and then she said, "So what's this about Ben??"

"Huh?"

"Have you been on Facebook yet today?"

My heart dropped a little.  "Noooooo..."

"Well, I guess he was arrested!"

Arrested.  In China.  I had fleeting visions of that movie, Brokedown Palace cross my mind:

I remember seeing this movie in college and thinking, "I am NEVER going to Thailand." I guess these two girls are on vacation in Thailand, and some dude plants heroin on them.  So when they are ready to leave, these police find the heroin and throw the girls in this horrible Thai jail.  They go through the whole she-bang.  Maggots, fleas, starvation, filth, etc.

So this is what I was thinking of when she said that.  She read to me, over the phone, what Ben had posted on facebook, which was this:

"Well, I got detained by the police tonight! That is not fun anywhere, especially in China. Note to all: If you are not staying in a hotel while here, be sure to register with the local police! Also, don't let Kathleen take pictures of protesters in front of the police, they don't like that at all!!! Now on Monday we all have to return to the police station and register. What a fun evening. Mr. Zhu, from NCPE had to come spring us from the slammer! Glad he was still near by and not in Beijing."

I talked to Ben on Skype tonight, and he gave me a few more details.  They were in a taxi, heading to a different Hot Pot restaurant they had heard about.  It was Ben and a few guys from work, plus Kathleen, Ben's coworker's wife.  The taxi slowed to a halt and sat still for quite some time, and they couldn't figure out what was going on.  Soon, they got close enough to see that there were protesters sitting in the middle of the road.  They didn't have signs or anything - Ben still doesn't know what the protest was about.  Kathleen thought, "Oh, how interesting.  I'm going to take a picture."  I mean, wouldn't you?  I would have.  The police near the protest saw her taking the picture in the cab and didn't seem too pleased.  They were gesticulating to each other and discussing and pointing.  The cab wasn't making any progress, so Ben and company decided to get out and walk past the protest, and then catch another cab.  As they were walking past the police, they asked Ben and company to go with them to the police station, which is actually really close to where the protest was.

They sat in a room for 2 1/2 hours - not behind bars or anything.  They had a Chinese friend, Echo, with them, who helped communicate with the police. They kept saying, "Why are you Americans in Baoding?  What brings you here?"  They told the police that they were there for work purposes.  The police told them that, if they're not living in a hotel, they have to register with the local police.  Who knew?  Not them.  Not me.

Ben's interpreter got ahold of the Chinese project manager, Mr. Zhu, who came and vouched for them, verifying that, yes indeed, they are there for work.

Ben and company were released, but the police confiscated the foreigners' passports (that makes me reeeeally nervous and have Brokedown Palace flashbacks again...) until Monday.  On Monday morning, they all have to go to the police station to register and to "be educated" about the proper things to do when you're living in China.  I don't know if part of that class will be, "Don't take pictures of anything that will make our country look bad...." or what. :)

What cracks me up is that we were never stopped or taken to the police station when we were there last summer.  And we stuck out like sore thumbs.  We were the only foreigners for miles around.  For months.  And we were all over the place, going to the zoo, walking around...very visable. Whey weren't we stopped then?  Why haven't Ben or his coworkers been stopped and asked to register in the past 7 months?  I truly feel that the picture-taking really was what made them mad, and they're being pains in the butt and doing this registration thing because they're mad about it.

I'm sorry, but sometimes China is really jacked up.  My poor little jailbird. :)

Here are some pics Ben has put up on his facebook page recently (he's able to access facebook now - he had to set up some fancy, under-the-radar thingey called a VPN to have any access to facebook, blogs, or most websites.  Most of them are blocked):

Here he is, posing with Christo, who is from Mexico, and his friend Nick's Near Beer:

 This poster is on the wall of the coffee shop on Stinky Street.  I think it's seriously funny:

 Kathleen, her daughter Kassye, and Ben at the great wall:

 Ben, after he helped to spray foam at work one day:

Be safe, Ben.  But if they get so angry that they kick you out of China, I won't be terribly sad about that...

Redneck Water Feature

So on one side of my  house, the terrain slopes downward quite a bit.  And the soil is horrible there.  Despite our efforts to plant more grass seed in this area and grow it, it refuses to cooperate. 

I've got a long sprinkler-type hose that I set up on the sides of my house, which waters the grass without watering my neighbors' houses, a fact I'm sure they appreciate.  I still do set up the hose and water this area, because the top of the slope - a place where the hose reaches to - has plentiful and happy grass.  So I set up my hose, from happy grass to no grass, and water it every other day for a few hours.  I just keep hoping that my consistent watering will do something for this dry patch.  So far, so bad.

I was weeding in the backyard the other day and just feeling really great.  Happy, at one with nature, etc.  I paused and looked around, just enjoying myself.  And, frankly, enjoying time away from my children, who were probably fighting inside.  It's like Lord of the Flies in there sometimes.

And then I heard it - this beautiful tinkling, plopping, happy noise. I was trying to put my finger on it.  What is that calming, serene sound?  And I realized - the barren area, since it slopes downward, had collected the water into a pool.  And when water sprinkled out and landed into the pool, that was where that noise was coming from.  I had my own little water feature!! 

Forget spending thousands on landscaping.  All you have to have is a slope, bare ground, and a sprinkler.  And you've got yourself some fine ambiance.  Come over anytime, guys.  We can sit next to my bag of poopy diapers on my back step and enjoy the happy plopping noise together.  I may even give you an otter pop.

Really, we should start calling my house The Idahoan Bellagio.

Why I love him.

When Ben and I went to my 10-year class reunion, we were talking to an old friend, Kara.  She said, "Kar, when I pictured you getting married, I thought you would kind of be with a tall nerdy guy with glasses.  But this guy....he's just....grrrrr!"

We laughed and laughed.  I guess Ben kind of does look like Mr. Clean.  Mr. Buff, Mr. No-Nonsense.  But truthfully, he's just a big teddy bear.  He's the nicest guy I know.  He's the best guy I've ever known.  I was extremely careful when I was dating - I had been hurt by a lot of men in my life.  I kept waiting for him to hurt me.  And waiting.  And waiting.  And it never happened.

He treats me so well.  With so much respect and kindness.  And I realized today that maybe I haven't given him that same consideration.  I think that sometimes, when I want to tell a funny story on my blog, it involves Ben.  Ben doing something silly.  Or doing something so... mannish.  One of those - "Men - you can't live with them, you can't live without them" type of things.

But Ben is much more three-dimensional than these little stories make him out to be.  And much nicer.  So I hope you haven't gotten the wrong impression of him.  I've been doing him a disservice.  I've cheapened him, really.  He's not just a silly man.  He's so much more.

Ben loves his mom.  He's kind to her.  As a teenager, he would hold her hand when they walked through the mall.  As a teenager!!!

Ben is totally spazzy.  And I LOVE it.  He particularly likes to sing falsetto.  He can sing so loud and high that I'm really surprised he hasn't shattered glass yet. :)  He likes to dance in front of me - the nerdiest dances he can think of.  And he can do that thing that black girls can do, where they make their booty shake really really fast.  I'm so jealous of that ability.

Ben loves to hug his family.  He loves to hold my hand.  He dishes out the physical affection, and I LOVE that about him.

He is so, so, so smart.  Math, science, physics...he rocks.  I feel sooo dumb sometimes when he's talking about stuff like that.  I'm like, "Um, I can write a paper about a piece of literature..."

I think Ben has the gift of tongues.  Languages are so easy for him to pick up on.  He still remembers a lot of Japanese he learned in high school, he speaks fluent Portugese, he kind of figured out how to speak Spanish by converting Portugese, and he's quickly picking up a whole lot of Mandarin.  Amazing.

He's really handy.  He can fix anything.  I loooooooooooooove having a handy man at home.  And boy, have I ever missed it.

He's artistic.  He's a wayyyyyyyy better artist than I am.  He knows, instinctually, what looks good.  Whether it's designing a building, putting something on the wall, or picking clothes out for me.  He's creative.

He's a really hard worker.  He always goes above and beyond.  He won't make phone calls, like, to dentists or insurance companies while he's at work.  He always wants to put in an honest day.  He's getting paid salary right now, but putting in wayyyyyyyyyyy more than the required 40 hours a week.  He puts in 12 hour days.  He is going in to work on Saturday.  Once, he was working on, like, Christmas Eve Eve.  I was pretty pissed about it, but he said he had a deadline, so whatever.  I had to get a few last-minute things at the mall, so I carted all my kids with me.  I saw his boss there.

He's like, "Where's Ben?" 

I said (a little bitterly), "Well, you should know.  He's at work!" 

"Whaaaaaaaaaaa?  He's not supposed to be at work right now!" 

"Well, he said he had some kind of a deadline..." 

"Yeah, but it's not for a week or so!"

See?  Hard worker.

He's the most forgiving person I know.  There have been a lot of people who have hurt him deeply.  Anyone else would have written those people out of their lives for good.  He is amazing at moving past difficult things.

He's spiritual.  Always praying.  Always studying his scriptures.  When we lived in San Diego, he used to ride the trolley to and from work, school, and our apartment.  And how did he spend all of that time?  Listening to scriptures.  He's such a good, good person.  He's given me countless priesthood blessings, which were an immense help.  I probably asked for a blessing every other day when I was pregnant.  He always did it and never made me feel dumb. 

He's not judgmental.  He loves people for who they are.  He doesn't try to change them.

Kay.  I have this annoying thing where I just...need to hear from him what he loves about me.  It's really needy of me; I know.  It's just nice to hear sometimes.  Life beats you up. And you need to know that your husband thinks you are still a worthwhile person.  I'm sure he hates when I do this, but he always very kindly obliges me.  We lie in bed, spooning, and he tells me what he loves about me. And he tries to make it unique every time I ask him.  Poor guy.  I was falling asleep the last time he was telling me what he loved about me.  I was trying so hard to stay awake, but you know how it is when you're warm and comfortable and wrapped in someone's arms.  I vaguely remember him telling me that he liked my toes...

I think Ben is a little bit prophetic at times.  A lot of dreams that he has actually happen.  He once dreamed that his mom fell at work and hurt herself.  He called her to tell her to be careful.  A couple of days later, she fell off a ladder and broke her arm!  It's a little crazy.  He always knew long before the 20-week ultrasound the exact sex of each of our children.  He knew we were going to have a little blond girl before any children were even glimmering on the horizon.

Being with him is like being wrapped in your favorite sweater, sitting in your favorite chair, reading your favorite book, sipping your favorite drink.  So comfortable.  So easygoing.  He makes everyone feel at ease, cared for, respected.

Ben and I get into fits of laughter where we just can't stop giggling. I love that.  The last time that happened, we were about to hug goodbye - he was driving to the airport, and I was going to drive with the kids and his Aunties all the way home.  I was singing something and doing a really dorky dance move, and he hugged me and laughed and laughed. Which made me laugh.

He looks good in orange, don't you think?

He loooooooooves our kids.  I think it's really hard for him to be away from them.  He's probably relieved to be rid of me (I'm a pain in the arse), but I know for a fact that he is hurting being away from his kiddos.  He's the "fun parent."  I'm the one that doesn't feel like playing cars or horsey.  He's the one that is ready to play, anytime, anywhere.

He's my soulmate.  I love him.  Being without him is like trying to function with your arm cut off.  It just doesn't feel right.

Stinky but Showey

I'd like you to all give a friendly Kar's Flowerbed Welcome to the newest members of my garden - my marigolds.  (Applause.)

Aren't these GORGEOUS??  I'm so in love with them.

Annuals are sooo cheap right now, and I'm loving it.  The flowerbed in front of my living room was looking kind of bland, and when I saw these lovely ladies at the Home Depot on super-sale, I had to have 'em.

So here's my living room flowerbed right now - still a little bland.  I'm waiting for these plants in the front to bloom - they should give me some bright yellow flowers really soon.  So then I'll have yellow, orange, pink, purple, white, and peach.

Even though the bed is kind of bland right now, those orange marigolds really perked it up from where it was.

Hm.  My privet really needs a haircut.  (I like my privet because it reminds me of Harry Potter.  Harry Potter lives on Privet Drive.)

My visiting teacher, Shaney, was telling me today that marigolds keep certain bugs away from your garden because they don't like the smell.  And it's true - they really are a little smelly.  And I hope what she says is true, because I planted them very close to my peonies, which are currently getting munched by something.  They look horrible.  So hopefully the marigolds will pull double duty and repel bugs as well as look beautiful.

Now I just have a couple of spots on each side to fill in with something, and I'll finally be done with this flowerbed for the year:

Those spikey plants in the back left of the above picture - they'll soon be gladiolas.  Which are also very showey. I cannot WAIT. I love my glads.  They make me...glad.

What color/type of flower should I go with to fill in those blank spots?  I'm yearning for some verbena.  (And one of the main reasons I like verbena so much is that the housekeeper on the original Parent Trap movie is named Verbena - "It's none of my nevermind.  I don't say a word.  Not a single word.")  Maybe some zinnias?  And since my bluebells aren't very bright, I wonder if I should go with more purples.  Would something red clash with my pink vincas?

As Milli Vanilli would say, you've got to blame it on something...

Well, Micah continues to hate swimming lessons.  This morning, he was begging me to let him stay home.  "I hate fimming!" he kept crying.  (He can't say his sw- blend yet.  Or his sl- blend yet, come to think of it. He told me the other day that Sadie flapped him.)

He cried while I helped him put on his swimming trunks.  He cried while I helped him brush his teeth.  He cried while I helped him find his towel. 

Finally, in desperation, he yelled, "I HATE JESUS!!"

It was kind of random.  But really, really funny.