Grandma vs. the Flagstone

Contestant #1: Grandma


Contestant #2: Flagstone


It was a fight to the finish. Grandma, on her mission, determined to serve the Lord. Flagstone, covered in moss, determined to protect the walkway. Both with a job to do. Both with wills of iron. Both determined to succeed at all costs.

Round One: Flagstones make their move. They throw Grandma down, causing her to land on her hip. X-rays show nothing broken, but her back won't get better. She's sent home from her mission in England to recoup at Tristi's house.

What will Round Two bring? Will Grandma arise triumphant? Or will the flagstones keep her down?

Stay tuned for the next exciting installment in this Battle of Gladiators!

Sisters, Sisters, There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters . . .

Well, I'm sure there were (how can they really make such an absolute statement? Do they know all the sisters in the world?) but that's how the song goes, so we'll run with it.

Last weekend, I had my three sisters over for Thursday, Friday, and half of Saturday. We get together every two years and have a Sisters Reunion. I wasn't able to participate for the first couple of years -- they were held out of state and we were poorer than poor, but for the last couple of years, I've been able to join in the fun.

Thursday night we saw the play "The Miracle Worker" at the Hale Center Theater in Orem. They did a great job with the production. Friday we went up to Salt Lake and saw the Joseph Smith movie and toured the Beehive House, after first spending the day having our hair done by my sister Ruthe, who's a stylist and a pretty darned talented one. Saturday we went over to my dad's. Here we are, left to right - Leigh, Daira, Dad, Ruthe, and me.

And here we are again, just us four girls:
It was a fun weekend. We stayed up way too late and I had to take a long nap on Saturday afternoon, but hey, who doesn't love a good reason to take a nap.

Now, remember how I told you about doing my niece's wedding flowers, and how I promised to post pictures, and how I never did? I'm about to make it all up to you now.
This is my niece in her beeyootiful dress.
This is the groom--notice his boutonniere and also the flowers on the stand next to him.
And, the lovely bouquet. I also did corsages and all sorts of other stuff, but that gives you an idea. Now, aren't those pretty?

Three Songs for the Price of One

The American Idol semi-finalists each sang three songs tonight. David Cook did a great job on all three of his. David Archuletta did his first song well, he did sorta so-so on his second, and while the judges didn't like his third choice, I did--"Longer Than" has always been one of my favorites, gooey or not. Syesha did well on her first song, I liked "Fever," (but then, I've always wanted to be a torch singer and do that song) but I really disliked her third song.

After hemming and hawing about it for a while, I've decided that the two Davids are going through and Syesha will be going home. The judges did give David A. a harder time than they did Syesha for the third song, but she's been in trouble before and David A. never, ever has been in the bottom three. I think he's safe.

So them's my predictions.

As far as Dancing with the Stars goes, Marissa went home tonight. I think that's how it should be. I've loved seeing her dance and cheered her on (us plus-sized women need to stick together) but the other dancers do have an edge on her and deserve to be in the finals more than she does.

And . . . as a fun treat, head over to Girl in a Whirl. She's holding a contest. I would also like to remind you to be sure to visit the blogs involved in my virtual book tour, listed just to the right here. Show them some love and appreciation!

After the results:

Wow -- I actually called one right. I'm sure I did another time, too, but it's been so long, it's all starting to fade from my memory. So we will be having a battle of the Davids. This is going to be interesting. I like David A, but David C is more of an Idol. You bet I'll be watching next week, like, way.

Fantasia's performance tonight was just beyond anything we should have been forced to endure. I even would have taken that awful rendition of "This Little Light of Mine" we were subjected to a while back over what we saw tonight. I have to say, when they showed Simon's face and he was sitting there with that look of shock, I laughed right out loud. He was demonstrating what I know I was thinking. I don't think he'd be a very good poker player, with facial expressions like that.

Oops - I Did It Again

Yes, I started a new blog. It's a compulsion. I admit it.

My new blog is called "Blessed Honored Pioneers," and I set it up to tell the story of the Hole in the Rock pioneers. I'm hoping to gather stories and pictures from other Hole in the Rock descendents and make this site really amazing. I've just got the skeleton up right now, but you can go check it out and see what you think.

If you have Hole in the Rock ancestors, leave me a comment and I'll come talk to you about them -- I'd love to include them on the new blog.

A Story Problem (for all you math experts out there)

Problem: A two-liter bottle of Shasta Creme Soda is purchased in Nephi, Utah, and is placed on the floor of a pick-up truck. It rolls around on the floor of the truck during the drive to Orem, Utah. Upon arrival in Orem, the bottle is placed on a picnic table where it sits for ten minutes. Measuring from the top of the bottle to the top of the liquid, how many inches will spray out when it's opened?

I never was very good at story problems, but I do know the answer to this one.

Answer: Six inches.

Last week, my critique group met at Keith Fisher's house where he had prepared a fabulous Dutch oven meal for us. I'm particularly fond of Dutch oven potatoes, so he humored me and made them (to die for). He also did chicken, pork roast, vegetables, and a cobbler. It was so delicious, I badly wanted to go back for seconds, but I had no more room at all. Thanks again, Keith!! It was awesome.

This picture isn't of the meal Keith made for us (I forgot my camera) but I stole it from his blog about another group he fed. They're still Keith's ovens, so it counts, right?



I really enjoy getting together with my critique group. They give me a boost every week, keep me pumped up to keep going, and point out things I didn't see. I highly recommend getting with a critique group if you're a writer. If nothing else, you'll be associating with people who understand you when you say you have voices in your head.

And as for the creme soda, yes, that really did happen. All over me. Up in the air, down my arm, all over the table . . . it was thrilling. I must have looked pretty darned silly, standing there screaming.

However, despite the fact that my plate was sitting right next to the drinks, my potatoes did not get wet. I was truly blessed.

Postscript:
Picture of critique group, compliments of Keith. Kim, me, Heather, and Nichole. We're missing Keith (who was taking the picture) and Candace.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

What I’m about to say will probably earn me a round of hisses and boos – but I’m hoping that after I explain myself, you’ll forego the rotten tomatoes.

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and I’ve decided to retire from Scentiments.

I believe in my products, I’ve had a ton of fun, but I’ve reached the point where my life is so full, I must cut back in order to keep everything in balance. Especially after reading Julie B. Beck’s conference address and listening to her inspired words that “mothers who know do less.” I’m doing a lot with my writing these days, with new book ideas, Families.com and helping others with their manuscripts, and that’s what I really want to be doing with my time, when I’m not being a wife and mother. I’m going to miss Scentiments but I have the ability to start the company up again at any time. A year down the road, if I decide to restart it, it’s done.

I so much appreciate all the support you’ve given me in this endeavor. You’ve truly cheered me on and made my business a success. But it’s time for me to find success in other arenas, and I know you’ll continue to cheer me on in that as well.

Purple Puddles

For those of you who don't know what purple puddles are, they're happy tears. When something makes you so happy you get a little misty, or even cry, you're in purple puddles. Well, I'm in them right now.



Go check out this post and then you'll understand. I could not be more proud of Paulette.

Dancing with Idols

Here's the Tristi Recap:

Mario and Karina are goners on Dancing with the Stars, and I found I didn't care much. I really got involved with Cristian and Cheryl last night -- he couldn't use his arm so they did all their dances using his other arm, and that extra attention to detail really paid off for them. He did some incredible lifts with that one arm, and they were the leaders ending the round. Tonight when they were proclaimed safe, I really cheered -- that kind of dedication and determination deserve to be rewarded.

American Idol was also tonight, and I spent my time flipping back and forth between the channels. Shame on them to put the two shows across from each other tonight! Here's my thoughts:

I didn't think David Cook did a bad job with "Hungry like a Wolf." Simon really got on his case, but I enjoyed the performance. I did like his second one better, but I don't think he deserved the criticism he got for "Wolf."

You know, David Archuletta's song choice perplexes me. Tonight he did "Stand by Me" and "Love Me Tender," and when he started both of them, I thought, "Oh, no, this is going to be terrible." Yet, both times, I was really surprised at how he changed it up just enough to keep it interesting. It was a good night for him.

Syesha did a good job. I wasn't blown away, but it was a good job.

Will someone please vote Jason off? Please? I'm begging you. It was sad. I like the kid but he should be singing pleasant little happy songs at his friends' houses while they lounge around chatting. He's not an American Idol. I would really appreciate it if y'all could please vote. him. off. I will say this in his defense, though -- Simon really got on his case and I thought it was a bit over the top. Sure, he didn't do a good job, but he didn't deserve that kind of tongue-lashing.

I don't know if Jason leaving is a prediction or a wish. I'll let you decide. But he's my guess to go.

Writing Workshop

You're Invited to:

6 - 7 - 8 Writer's Conference


When: 6 7 8! (June 7, 2008)

Where: Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 W 700 S
Springville, UT 84663

What: Writers Conference

Motivational speaker and author Eloise Owens will headline the writing
conference. She is the author of Get Off The Beach and has spoken to close
to a million people in her career. I saw her in 2006 at the Utah Press
Convention, and when my boss said I could bring in anyone I wanted to, I
thought of her first.

Schedule of Events:

10 am -10:15 Welcome by Doug Johnston, Publicist, Cedar Fort.

10:15-10:30 Jeffery Marsh, acquisitions editor for Cedar Fort and BYU
professor, tells what he wants in manuscripts, book submissions, and so
forth.

10:30 - 11:00 Abel Keogh, author of A Room For Two, will teach each of you
the importance of websites and blogs, even if you don't have a book yet!

11:00 - 11:30 Janet Kay Jensen, author of Don't You Marry The Mormon Boys,
will teach on publicizing yourself and your books. Janet is very good at
self-promotion and will teach each of you how to do the same.

11:30am - 12:15pm Doug Johnston, Publicist and former newspaper owner, will
show writers what they need to know about being an author from a Publicists
point of view.

12:15 - 1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 4:00 Eloise Owens will be the keynote speaker. Ms. Owens will make
you think, make you better, and make you money through your writing. Like I
said above, Ms. Owens is great. You will remember her for years to come and
be a better author and self-promoter after listening to her.

During the conference, you can sit down with Jeffery Marsh. Bring him your
manuscripts, book ideas, or questions. You will be allowed 15 minutes to
talk with him about your ideas. Please call 801-489-4084 and tell the
receptionist you want to be added for a time slot. There are a limited
number of slots, so call today.

The cost for the conference is $25. You will receive Eloise Owen's book Get
Off The Beach and lunch.

To sign up, please do the following:
If paying by credit/debit card, call 801-489-4084 and tell them you are
signing up for the 6 7 8 conference.

If you are paying by check, please make payment to
Cedar Fort
Attn 6 7 8
2373 W 700 S
Springville, Ut 84663

We are limited to 200 seats, so RSVP as soon as possible.

NOTE: After you sign up, you can make some money too. For every person that
signs up and mentions they heard about it from you, you will get $5 back
from us at the conference. They MUST mention you when they sign up for you
to get the money.

If you have any questions, you can email me at djohnston@cedarfort.com or
you can call me at 801-489-4084.

I look forward to this wonderful day full of learning!

Best,

Doug Johnston

Elder Ballard on Women

One of my favorite General Conference talks this year was offered by Elder Ballard. He says, in part:

". . . sisters, find some time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even to your children."

And a bit later on, in speaking to the husbands:

". . . give your wife a “day away” now and then. Just take over the household and give your wife a break from her daily responsibilities. Taking over for a while will greatly enhance your appreciation of what your wife does."

Because the woman's place is ideally in the home, with the children, there is sometimes the mistaken idea that this is the only place a woman belongs, and that there's something wrong with her if she wants to step outside and explore her own interests. I've been thinking about this a lot over the last several months as I've spoken with women who say, "I don't have any hobbies. I have children." Motherhood is the greatest of all jobs in the world, but sisters, I'm here to tell you from personal experience, if you take the time to continue to educate yourself, or to find outside interests that edify you as a person, not just as Billy's mother or Ed's wife, you will find yourself a much happier woman.

Unfortunately, there are men who believe that their wife's sole purpose is to stay in the home. It is her purpose to create a loving atmosphere for the family, true. But she has a brain, and talents, and abilities, and she needs fuel to keep those alive. By the same token, how would you feel if you stayed home all the time and never left? Just as you get fed up with the kids chasing each other around the house and need to go outside and mow the lawn to clear your head, she's a bit frustrated with how those same kids have been chasing each other around for eight hours a day, five days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. You've got nothin' on her for parental frustration.

I love my husband and children dearly. I feel truly blessed that I get to be their mother, his wife, and this family's matriarch. I also know that I fulfill those roles much better when I have enough Tristi time. I come back refreshed and ready to keep up the good fight. And I have to say -- I don't feel a bit guilty about it.

My Name is Tristi ("Hi, Tristi!") and I'm an Addict

And I blame Karlene for the whole thing.

It all began about a year ago when I went to her house to try this new thing she was talking about, this Urban Botanic stuff. I had no idea that I was walking into a Venus Flytrap, that I would get caught and devoured by delicious scents, fabulous products and the ability to create them all myself. I came away intrigued, intoxicated and smelling like a rose -- literally. The first scent I created, "Tristi," is a combination of rose and lemon.

Since that time, I have created "Tristi by Candlelight" (if you're nice to me, you can call it by its nickname, "Candlelight") which is linden blossom and white musk. I've also come up with "Tristi in the Orchard" with a heavy accent of peach, and "Tristi in the Caribbean," with pina colada. (Trust me, if I stood in an orchard or went to the Caribbean, that's exactly what I would smell like.)

Last month, I met with the Beautiful Bodacious Babbling Blogger Babes for lunch at Karlene's house and created two more.

First is "Desert." A combination of cinnamon, vanilla and sandalwood, it's my second favorite behind "Tristi." It's exotic and yet sweet.

But, then I had a problem. It was so fun to make "Desert," and it went by too fast, and I still wanted to play, so I came up with "Indulgence," which mixes pomegranate and frangipani.

My favorite Urban Botanic product is the parfum spray. I put it on and feel like I'm giving myself a present. Four of my created scents are in the parfum spray, one is in bubble bath and one is in shower gel, but soon I'll have all six in parfum spray. I like having a perfume wardrobe. I like having scents that are me, that don't give me a headache or make me sneeze or give me a stomach ache or cost a lot of money.

Karlene, I blame you for this. Now, when can I come over again?

American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and Pack Meeting -- Oh, My!

Yeah, it's Tuesday again. Yeah, you know what that means.

First off, Shannon and Derek are gonners on Dancing with the Stars. I was so glad Cristian wasn't voted off -- it wasn't his fault he got hurt, and I think he deserves to keep going. I'm also glad to see that Marissa is doing so well. As a woman of size, I'm delighted to see someone whose not exactly rail-thin have the chance to show how beautiful and talented and yes, sexy, she is.

On to American Idol -- it was simply too weird for words tonight. I just don't know. Having Neil Diamond for a mentor was kind of strange -- how many people can really sing Neil Diamond songs? Besides Neil, of course. I wasn't blown away by anyone. I thought David Cook did well, David Archuletta did okay, and everyone else was just there. I found it really hard to even care tonight. That might be more a reflection on the fact that I've been in a really bad mood all day, but I think it's more a reflection of the fact that there wasn't a lot to care about. I'll let Rob back me up or disagree with me on that one.

So, my predictions:

David Cook, safe.
David Archuletta, safe.

If they do a bottom three, it'll be Jason, Brooke and Syesha.

If they do a bottom two, it'll be Syesha and Jason.

Syesha is going home.

I base this on the fact that Brooke seems to have a strong fan base. She's really made some mistakes over the last few weeks, and yet she's still with us. Jason seems to have cornered the young teenage girl demographic, but he wasn't really himself tonight. So that puts him in danger. But I don't think Syesha has the fan base Brooke and Jason have. So, there's my prediction. For whatever it's worth. I haven't done too well with this game so far, but Rob wanted me to play, so . . . I'm playing. (Really, when Rob does his puppy-dog eyes thing, you just can't say no.)

Tonight was Pack Meeting, and not only did my son overcome his shyness to do the Pledge and to bring in the color guard, he got his Bear badge. My dad came over for the presentation and got to hand him the badge. It was awesome. What can I say?

After the American Idol results:

I'm sad to see Brooke go. She brought a lot of genuineness to the show, and I'm going to miss her. And I'm sad that I was wrong. That said, Rob was wrong too, so that sort of takes the sting out.

Let the Good Times Roll!

This last Saturday, I went out to lunch with the ladies from the writing group, SCRAWL. That almost sounds like an alternative rock band, but really, they're the nicest ladies on the planet. I love getting together with them. They make me feel uplifted and like, yeah, I am somebody pretty cool. I need that from time to time (okay, like, all the time) After lunch we talked for a while about editing, and I probably bored them all to tears saying things they already knew, but they were gracious about it.

Every single person in this group is immensely talented and I know we're going to see them all in print one day. That's my little prediction right there for ya.

But now I have a deep question. Why do I always tip my head to the side when someone points a camera at me? Is this my attempt at being coy and mysterious, or do I have self-esteem issues with my neck? Something to contemplate . . .

I'm on YouTube!

Getting all geared up for my blog tour to start on May 1st (see my sidebar) and I'm even on YouTube! How cool is that!

When Good Bunnies Go Bad

If you'd like to see the rest of the pictures from the LDStorymakers Conference, click here.