Who Loves Hummus?

I do. And I made it for the first time last night! It'd been on my want-to-make list for some time, but I'd been unable to locate one of its key ingredients, tahini, so my desire was cruelly thwarted. As Brianna and I meandered our way along the bulk bin aisle of Fred Meyers last Saturday evening, we chanced upon the tahini that had eluded me for so long, and thus it was that my dream became a reality. Next on my wannt-to-make list is baba ghanoush. With both eggplant and tahini on hand, I have everything I need to make that as well, and will do so in a few days. For the life of me, I can't make a decent pie crust, or pipe decorative swirls of anything onto anything, but as long as I can make the things I crave, I consider myself astonishingly accomplished in the kitchen. I have a teeny suspicion that I may be the only one, however, who holds that view..

My friend, JoLyn, is reading an excellent book most mornings over the phone to me, Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels. It's jampacked with really essential information on nutrition, and how our food choices impact our health for good or ill. I wish I'd known this stuff decades ago! But much of the interplay between nutrients and anti-nutrients and their effects upon the body weren't even known then. It is an eye-opening mind expanding read for sure.

I still slack off sometimes and give way to temptation like, say, Papa Murphy's though. I thought I was too tired to cook last night, before I had a nap and regained enough energy to make the hummus, so I asked Shane to bring home a pizza. When the girl at the counter called out his order and he went up to retrieve it, she said something to him that he didn't quite understand. So he replied with, "ok." She said something else that he missed, and he answered, "All right." Next she said, "What's wrong?" He said, "I don't know," and quickly left. Hearing him relate this confusing conversation made us all burst into laughter. He told us, though, that it's random experiences like this that sometimes make him wonder what kind of missionary he'll be. We all think he'll be a fine missionary, but we also assured him that it was ok to ask people to repeat what they've said if you don't understand them. What a cutie he is. Sharing his thoughts and concerns with us makes him all the more endearing. It's harder to feel close to those who hide their thoughts and feelings. It's sad, too, when you begin to get the impression that you no longer truly know your own loved ones. Is it really so difficult to be open and transparent with others? I know it is possible to do that, and yet to still keep your own personal matters private. Some prefer walls. I favor less rigid boundaries.
-1 pound this week

MissionCallReceived!

Shane is the fourth grandson of my parents to serve in this very same mission. This must mean something! Both his brother, Kimball, and cousins, Jason and Dustin, will be filling him in on the New York New York South Mission! He'll be entering the MTC on Nov. 18th to study Spanish and everything else missionaries study. Go Shane, go, we are happy for you!

Countdown

Will it be tomorrow? Or the next day? Most likely it will be but two more days. Then Shane will have that all-important letter in hand, letting him know where he'll be spending the next two years of his life, in service to God and His children, away from home. At the moment, he and Colin are out doing a little coupon toy shopping for me. I'm chuckling at the thought of their first attempt at navigating the aisles of Toys R Us looking for the hot Disney Princess deals of the day, a task he'll surely be spared as a missionary.

In my other countdown, last week's total weight loss was three pounds. . That mmakes seven in four weeks. Onward and downward is my cry! I think I'm going to be able to wear some of the winter clothes that I haven't worn for a couple of years. Now that's frugality for ya.

Blog Scare

I know this is the month of spooky Halloween, but is google celebating early, or was it the prank of a malevolent hacker? When I came to my blog this morning, my blog was not here! My heart dropped. Fourteen months of pictures and thoughts, over 100 posts' worth, were, poof, just gone. I checked my email, and found that a friend had eamiled about 10 hours earlier to tell me of its disappearance. Then, suddenly, before I could take any action at all, it was back. Very good, but very weird. Well, hope remains that any of our grandchildren who may ever be interested will still be able to read the thoughts of Grandma Bonnie, and perhaps come to know me as a person, not just a name in a rarely read book. Hi, grandkids!

This is general conference morning. I always look forward to these two weekends of the year and make every effort to listen to all the sessions. Instead of taking notes as usual, I'm going to just write down what I'm prompted to do or to change, as the brethren speak. I guess I never give up hope that this imperfect Bonnie will improve herself with the ever-patient assistance of our kind and loving Lord. What is it the scripture says? - Keep kickin till the end? Come heck or high water (and I've seen plenty of both), I plan on doing just that.

Hello Othello!

Ethan and Missy were thronged by guests this weekend, eager to attend Zaid's blessing, and Dan and Shane and I were among them. We were in Othello for only about 20 hours, but that was long enough to hold a bit of heaven in my arms, to read stories to Brooklyn and Lilly, to visit with Dan's sisters, to meet and greet Missy's side of the family, and probably to leave Ethan and Missy exhausted for a full week or more. They provided three tasty meals in a row for various members of the family, and sent us on our way at last with a bag of zucchini from their bountiful garden. Thanks, guys, it was great! -1 pound this week!

Those who were in the blessing circle

Iris, Dan, and Janet

New Email Addy

Yup, my old hot mail account was giving me a lot of trouble. I received emails ok, but couldn't send any out. They just got stuck in my outbox and wouldn't budge for the world. So after a couple of weeks of trying to figure it out, I gave up and got a new account. It's better than hotmail alone, but not as good as the outlook Jordan got me started with five years ago when I first gained computer access. If he were here, I know he would've wrangled it back into submission for me, but he's not, and I miss him so much! Not for his computer prowess, but for himself, the whole delightfully unique package that is Jordan McKay Washburn! But don't let me get started down that painful path, let me give you my new address. It's bonniebeyond@gmail.com Got it? bonniebeyond@gmail.com !

-2 pounds this week! It's going great!

My Glowing Fire

Meet our new fire pit, Dan's birthday gift from me, his fire-crazed wife. I just love it! I think he likes it too, just not as much as I do. Now we need to find a steady source of smallish sized firewood, because this little goodie is going to get a lot of use. I'd forgotten how great a simple hot dog can taste cooked over an open fire. So good that nutrition concerns are completely, albeit temporarily, set aside. We grilled vegetables too, and finished off with, what else, smores. Oh, and I made the hot dog buns, and they were whole wheat, so we didn't do too badly after all.