More good reading!

DoJo read this book first and suggested I read it too. I was suspicious, thinking that it was his subtle way of telling me that I needed to improve in one way or another. Well, duh! Everyone knows my cooking leaves a lot to be desired, but this didn't look like a cookbook!

I'm glad I listened to DoJo. (Don't tell him I said this because he might start thinking that I will always take his advice. Let's not pop THAT bubble just yet!) This book has an appropriate message about WHO is really in control of our lives. In a style akin to It's A Wonderful Life, the main character in the book is down on his luck, out of a job, and saddled with family and financial responsibilities that seem insurmountable. (Who hasn't been there, done that at one time or another?) In an unsuccessful attempt to 'end it all' the guy is rendered unconscious and is magically transported to seven key moments in history. At these key moments he meets people from history who teach him the seven decisions that determine personal success. The historical figures range from King Solomon to Anne Frank. I was especially interested in the historical accuracy of the book and the way the author brings each historical figure to life. Just wait 'til you read the part with the Civil War colonel named Joshua Chamberlain! Brilliant!

Personally, I think the "Seven Decisions" are applicable and totally jive with what we are taught through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The author, Andy Andrews, just gives us a new slant on something we already know. I enjoyed the book and have found myself thinking about it long after the last chapter was finished. A quick read, but well worth the time. If I were a real book reviewer, I would give it 4 stars, maybe 5 for historical accuracy.


Here's something funny: After my last book post, my friend Mel sent me a link to another Mary Whipple who actually has a book review blog. I have no aspirations of being a "real" book reviewer, so if you want some really high-brow (yawn!) reviews on books I never intend to review for you, go visit the other Mary at http://marywhipplereviews.com/books/ I know I'm not the end-all be-all in book reviews, and it's not a competition, but I hope you'll come back for all the sage advice you get here at the World According to MoJo! That said, she does have a pretty cool profile picture.

Christmas Eve Fun

Christmas eve is always fun and this year was no exception. Actually, I've always enjoyed this "night before" event a little more than Christmas day, especially since I now have adult children that help out with making the meal. My assignment this year was tamales and a green salad. Amanda made stacked red enchiladas, Megan made chile rellenos, and Desi made her famous queso and salsa. Kaitlin brought the dessert and Grandma Whipple made her traditional banana punch. What a feast! As you can see from the picture below, the Whipple gang takes this seriously. No one would even look at the camera for a photo op! And yes, there are so many of us that we eat in shifts.

This is the second shift.

Jace, Mason, and Olivia ate in the first shift. Here you see them doing a little Jazzercise to work off a little of the first course and make room for KK's cake. Smart kids!

Jared is generous and volunteers to take two shifts.

This is Reed's first Christmas with the family and I'm not sure he's convinced it is a good thing.

Kaitlin tries to keep things positive. Reed questions that the thing on his plate is really a tamale. Seriously Reed, just put some red sauce on it and man up!

Lexi always willing to babysit little Brennen. Brennen is the best-natured little guy out there. With all the commotion, he never once cried.

Sorry Reed! You're new and it is hard to resist picking on the new guy...

...but LOOK how nice you turned out?!

After dinner comes the traditional opening of the pajamas. As you can see from the look on Jeremy's face, this is one of his favorite traditions. Still, Jeremy is a good sport and he's learned to deal with the melee.

Andrew had NO PROBLEM getting into the spirit of things.

The anticipation is mounting...

"Gotta look good for Santa..."

"Oh yeah, this is gonna work out nicely!"

Mason wastes no time at all getting in his new jammies. All the other kids follow his lead.

I wasn't quite ready to put these on. DoJo out-did himself this year by getting me footie pajamas. Who new the tent-and-awning place made pajamas?

Drew is happy. His jammies have Cars!

Jace models his version of the Cars jammies.

And the girls are pretty in pink.

This is their "silly pose."

Like I said, ALL the kids put their jammies on.

After the jammies, Lexi reads the following poem to the family:

'Twas the night before Christmas at the Whipple house

All the children were stirring, maybe even a mouse.

For Andrew has spilled the poison you see,

So the little mouse was able to play or to flee.

Everyone was gathered, all except for our Wes,

Who is serving a mission up in the Northwest.

Tomorrow we'll talk to him after lunch

And we'll be sure to tell Wes that we love him a bunch.

One other thing we'll tell him, that is not a lie,

A new baby is coming, next year in July!

Wow! Grandchild #9 on the way! That decides it for me...we're building a family room to accomodate this constantly expanding brood!

We ended our evening with a white elephant exchange. This was the only picture I got of that part of the evening since I was still in shock over my oldest daughter telling me a BALD-FACED LIE about the "appointment" she had in town on Tuesday. I had no reason not to believe her when she said that she and Jeremy had an appointment at the bank. Sheesh! I fell for it hook, line, and sinker! Amanda has never been a good liar; it shows all over her face, but she pulled that one off without a blink. I'm sure Jeremy has had a great deal of influence over her in the last 10 years. Deception or not, HOORAY!

My mother, Opal, is 87-years-old and felt that she got the best of the white elephant gifts. Grandma's dementia keeps her down-in-the-dumps quite a lot, so this smile is a treasured rarity. What a blessing this mess of a family is to me! After all this, I can't think of another thing I would want for Christmas.

The Candy Man

Look at that face! Isn't he convincing? DoJo convinced us that our Family Home Evening last night should be a candy-making experience. Personally, I just wanted to see him wear this girly apron, so I consented...but only if we did it at Amanda's house! DoJo just wanted to pull some taffy. I figured it must've been some happy memory from his childhood, so why deny him?

First, is the mystery in the pan. When I saw this, I began to become very, VERY afraid. PULL something that is beyond scalding hot? Yeah, right.

After boiling and more boiling, the concoction looked like this when DoJo transferred it to a 9x13 pan. At this point, the stuff is so hot it would melt the makeup right off your face. Luckily, DoJo goes easy on the makeup. Since I need all the help I can get, I was careful not to look directly into the pan.

Nolan is always up for an adverture, so I decided that I couldn't let him think I was a sissy. Here you see us following DoJo's advice to "butter up" our hands. The batch you see on the table was the failed attempt at vinegar taffy. Secretly, we were all relieved that this one was a flop, but I KNOW that DoJo will insist on trying this one again.

Reed also did not want to appear like a sissy, so he jumped right in. Nolan and I took small amounts of the hot lava to work with. Manly Reed, took whatever we left behind.

HOT! Soooo hot!

And finally, Nolan snips our efforts into bite-size pieces. Everyone has a blister or two to show what fun DoJo's FHE idea was. In the mean time, while Nolan, Reed, and I pulled hot lava (taffy), Megan was in the kitchen whipping up some Oreo truffles.

Yum! Sorry I didn't get a picture of the truffles. They were really pretty and looked good enough to eat. And just so you know, Megan knows better than to lick her hands while cooking. This pose was just to irritate her germophobe mom. The reason I didn't get a pic of the finished products was this:

Time for grandma's sleepover. It was eight-thirty and time for bed for Kourt and Lexi. This was their first sleepover at grammies. They were very excited to get to sleep in Wesley's vacated bed. And by the way, if you really want an interesting conversation, just lay down beside Kourtney for 10 minutes. She talked me to sleep describing what she saw when she closed her eyes. It had something to do with treasure maps. I can't remember any other details because I was so sleepy. Truth be known, eight-thirty is MY bedtime, not theirs. Luckily, we all survived both the candy making and the sleepover.

KK's quilt #2

You may remember that I made a quilt/bedspread for the newlyweds, KK and Reed, back in the summer. After my quilt class this fall, I decided that I would quilt something for each of my girl-children for Christmas. Actually, I planned wall hangings or table toppers, not bed quilts. (This one is about 36" square). Well, long story short, I started reading books instead and the quilts got put on hold. So instead of Christmas presents, I'm thinking birthdays, which luckily are spread throughout the year. This way, I can quilt a little, read a little. KK's was done except for the machine quilting and the binding, so I got busy this past week and finished it up. I was hand stitching the binding in place on the drive to the temple yesterday, so technically, it wasn't done in time for her birthday, but then, she was a few days late 21 years ago, so I figure she will understand.

Now, as for my girl-children (Amanda, Megan, Desi) who have yet to receive a lil' quilt from me, their quilts are already in the works...WAY past the planning stages. It's not that Kaitlin is my favorite, (You all know who that is...:)) it's just that I happened to finish her's first.

NOTE TO GIRL-CHILDREN: Think of Kaitlin as the guinnea pig, if that makes you feel any less picked on. And NO! Do not ask to see what I have planned for you. It is top secret until April 14th for Amanda, April 25th for Desi, and July 17th for Megan. I bet the suspense will drive you nuts! Seriously, you need to pick out a special place in the house for your wall hanging, and it better not be the laundry room or the bathroom! My feelings are easily hurt when my labors appear to be unappreciated.

Happy Birthday KK!

Today is Kaitlin's 21st birthday. Kaitlin is our fiesty child, possibly because she is sandwiched in the family line-up between two ornery boys. As you can see, she started out as a little sweetie.

But as time passed, it became apparent that our little KK was a force to be reckoned with.

She still has this funky personality and we've all learned that KK is the master of the GIANT FIB. Her real talent is that she can fib with a straight face and unless you know her well, you will believe every word she says.

DoJo and I loved these soccer years. KK was a delight to watch on the field. Very aggressive and skilled. This is her famous "Go to Aztec" look. Kaitlin is also very easy going, but if she gets riled, this is the look that should make you turn tail and run. She's as tough as either of her brothers and could take either of them in a grudge match. Well, maybe not Jared, but only because he out-weighs her.

Until last New Year's Eve, this is pretty much the treatment that any boy got from Kaitlin. Well, maybe not DoJo. She is a Daddy's girl.

And then there was Reed! Lucky guy!

But don't be fooled by this pretty face. She's still a force to be reckoned with!

And we love everything about her! Happy Birthday KK!

Three Months Out

Today is Wesley's 3-month anniversary in the mission field. He is currently serving in Blaine, Washington, which is right on the Canadian border and the Pacific Ocean. If he looks a little "heavier" than the last photo I posted of him...he is! Wes has gained 20 lbs in the past three months. Now, this is not just a big deal for me. I can pack on 20 lbs in less time than that, but Wes worked at gaining weight before his mission and couldn't gain an ounce. Now, on a mission and walking everywhere he GAINS 20 lbs!

Wesley loves the scenery and often sends pics of what he sees. This is a trait he picked up from his mother. DoJo's not much into anything connected with nature, unless of course, you count that farm thing he has on Facebook. One of Wesley's first comments about Blaine was about the amazing sunsets. I have to agree. This one is amazing.

Lots of fog. That's Wes on the right. I have to admit that I teared-up a little when I saw this picture.

I guess he found this sign funny. I think he's funny. Like I've said before, you can send a boy on a mission, but it doesn't make them any less goofy!

My point, EXACTLY!

So that's what my baby is doing. I miss him, but I'm glad he's on a mission and loving what he's doing.

Good Book!

I love to read, and lately, I've been reading more than I should. What I mean is, I have A LOT to do to get ready for Christmas, not to mention managing the regular business of life with DoJo. Still, I can't seem to help myself. I mostly read Young Adult or Children's literature because that way I don't have to deal with the PG-13 or R-rated stuff. In the past month, I've read the following books:

• The Hunger Games and its sequel Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Both 5-star reads!)


• The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (I liked this one better than Angels & Demons or The DaVinci Code.)


• The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born from the series The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale. (I liked The Goose Girl best, but the others are good too. My friend Diana says that Princess Diaries and Book of a Thousand Days from this same author are her favorites. They are on my shelf waiting.)


• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. ( I actually bought the series for DoJo and he enjoyed it so I decided to give it a try. I'm saving the four sequel books for Christmas Break.)

And now for my most recent favorite book of all time: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

I love historical fiction and this book is the best I've read in a long, long time. I had never even heard of it until Thanksgiving when I saw my sweet niece Becky was reading it. She recommended it, so I bought the book from Amazon.com because I was too lazy to go to the library and get my name on a waiting list. Once I started reading, I could not put it down! I won't spoil it for you by giving away the details, but let me say, it will make you giggle and cry on the same page. It rivals my love of The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. No I'm not obsessed with WWII or the German occupation, or concentration camps, but it just so happens that is the topic of both books. I found hope, and fear, and the pure love of Christ in the pages of this book. Like The Hiding Place, this is the kind of book you will want to buy for yourself so that you can read it again and again. Plus, you will enjoy the unique format...the entire book is written in letters. I hope you love it as much as I did.