Basketball, Oreo Blizzards, and Whoppers

What do these three things have in common: basketball, Oreo Blizzards, and the BK Whopper?

Answer: My grandmother Dorothy Shea.

She passed away a few years ago, but this week we will be celebrating her birthday as a way to remember her - and as a way for the kids to learn about her.

She played high school basketball in Logan, Utah... something I never learned about her until after her passing. I think I was aware that she liked watching baseball on t.v.

Recently, my girls have been getting into baseball. So, we've watched different movies on t.v. or Netflix, rather - to teach them the sport. So, I'm going to do the same thing with basketball.

We have two movies in the queue - ready to go to show them how basketball is cool. One is called The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend. I watched it a few months ago and remembered that this kid could spin the basketball on his finger for a very long time... they are looking forward to seeing that.

We also have queued - a girls basketball movie - to show them that girls can play the game, too. This one is called The Mighty Macs, this one is also a good family movie, G-rated - and I think my girls will like it.

Other than that, I've been telling the kids some other interesting things about Grandma. Like she was a very loving sister who took care of her younger Down Syndrome sister after her parents died. She could do that not only because she was loving, but because she went to school for nursing and knew how to help her.

Grandma was artsy-crafty as well, into ceramics and Brazilian embroidery. See the link for a bunch of great google images of this beautiful craft. I have one pillow from Grandma with this emboidery on it - it's beautiful.

Her favorite color was purple, she loved jewelry, and like me, she loved Oreo Blizzards... I'm not the biggest  BK whopper fan though... if we eat out there, I'm ordering the chicken sandwich.

I haven't decided what to make for dinner on the night of her birthday - either homemade-style chicken sandwiches or burgers - I'm not sure which to make... but I have a few days to decide. 

Grandma also played the cello, she could play the piano as well. Here are some other cool things about her that my mother told me: Mom was close with all of her sisters.  She was the youngest of the group comprising Mabel, Rose, Lucille and Dorothy.  Later she had another sister, Veda, with Down Syndrome.  They grew up in Logan Utah and they all played musical instruments in the band and orchestra.  They loved going roller skating when they were growing up and they used to sled down the hill by the Logan Temple.  The city blocked off the street, no cars, it was used for sledding.

I do remember that we used to go to family reunions with Grandma's side of the family - that is the reason why I am very close to my 2nd cousins (the children of my mom's cousins). 

She has good looking eye brows. I can see the resemblance to my mom. 

Oh, this is funny, this is also something I learned about her after her passing, apparently, in high school, she skipped school several days to go to the theater to watch Gone with the Wind. No surprise she had to skip school to watch it - that movie is about 5 hours long. Anyway, she went again and again during school hours to try and memorize the film. I think the number was something like 23 times!

Movies must have been a lot cheaper to go to back then. But I get the whole memorizing your favorite film thing... I do that, too.

I found this from the handout of the Graveside service for grandmother... 

Favorite Things

Color………….…………..Purple

Candy bar………………..Snickers

Hamburger…………..…Whopper

Ice cream…………Oreo Blizzard

Jewelry…………………….Pearls

Loved Frills and Lace

Music…Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Movie…….. “Gone With the Wind”

(Missed 23 afternoons of school watching it, over and over

and over until she had most of the dialog memorized.)

Talents and Hobbies

Brazilian Embroidery, Quilt making, Sewing

Cake decorating, Interior Decorating

Captain of High School Basket Ball Team

Played the Cello, Viola, and Clarinet

Responsible, Service to Others, Hard worker

Religion

Lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Worked in Primary, Sunday School, Relief Society and taught Seminary

Always took her children to Church, never sent them with someone else.

“Stayed True to the faith-always.”

Career

Graduated from nurses training at St. Marks Hospital in SLC, Utah with a certificate of graduation from the University of Utah in nursing.

Worked at Valley Children’s Hospital in Fresno, CA,.

VA Hospital, Fresno, CO,

West Kentucky Mental Health, Paducah, KY,

Medical Centers at Port Hueneme Navel Base,

and Point Magoo Naval Air Station, CA,

and Camarillo State Mental Hospital, Camarillo, CA

Also, I saw an email from my Mom that one of Mom's cousins became a nurse after hearing all the exciting and inspirational stories that Grandma shared. She loved nursing, there was a story about operating an iron lung, and so forth.

I still feel like I know so little about this woman. She was my grandmother, but in the capacity that I knew her, in the time I knew her, me as a child, her as an old woman... well, I just wish I could have known her better. 

I'm thankful for the stories and little interesting bits of trivia that I have learned about her. And I hope to be able to pass these things onto my children, and future grandchildren so they can be as excited about family history as I am.

Best of Pinterest

In the last two months or so I've really gotten into Pinterest - 

and even though I had that Pin It button on my tool bar for over a year, I finally got why Pinterest is useful.

It's like Evernote - but public - although they do have a possibility for secret boards... and it's a great way to organize stuff...

except that Evernote lets you organize websites and notes without images...  that's the only problem I've run into with Pinterest - I can't "pin" some really useful websites because they have no images on the site. It basically sucks then...

But really, I have come across some super duper cute tutorials and images that I basically without Pinterest - would have probably not stumbled upon.

Here they are...

Definitely the Cutest Craft tutorial I have seen this month:

From Prudentbaby.com - DIY Fox Scarf with Free Pattern

How cute it this foxy scarf?! I love it. And it actually looks easy to make according the the tutorial... I may need to go to the thrift store to find just the right plaid shirt to tear apart for a project like this.

Coolest Birthday Cake tutorial:

Diamonds for Dessert blog: The Lorax Cake

I love, Love, LOVE the cotton candy Truffala Trees... I'm definitely considering making this one for my youngest daughters 3rd birthday this August.

I am missing Utah - Most Stunning Image:

Shooting Star and Milky Way over Green River, Utah

The next best thing about Pinterest, is when I'm a bit depressed because of the endless, cloudy rainy days in Eindhoven, I can ooh and aah over pictures others have captured of my Beautiful home state Utah. I so miss the milky way... 

In addition to my board called "Beautiful Utah," I also have boards labeled: Best Beach/Coastal Towns, Hottest Spot on the Planet (Paris) and Little Holland (no dreary photos here, though.)

Follow me on Pinterest if you like: Melissa Daams

What are you favorite boards or things to pin on Pinterest?
Or why haven't you gotten into Pinterest yet? Leave a comment and let me know!

Thoughts proceeding a Dream

I painted Temple Day Dream last year 2012 - really it captures the essence of how I like to paint,
very whimsical - inspired by 1960's cartoons and children's illustrations - colorful and simple...
it's the Washington D.C. Temple from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... it's one of their more magical looking temples, in my opinion. The original sold quickly after is completion...
I need to order myself a duplicate on canvas because I really, really like it.

Last night or rather this morning, I had a very poignant dream. I woke up thinking, gosh, if I could go back in time I wouldn't have changed what I studied in college or where I went to college, I would have changed what I had done in high school which would have changed what I studied in college and where!

I had a dream that I was in Paris. And I had this feeling like I should have pursued art.

As a child I had the gift. I loved art. I loved drawing. 

You know, I'm pretty disappointed in society today because they place so little emphasis on the arts. Everywhere -- although, I'm told that in Indonesia there is a higher emphasis on the arts with children.

I always wanted to take an art class. But it wasn't until 8th grade that they finally offered an art class in school. Until then, I had finally convinced my mom that I was good enough to take an art class.

She had me taking piano lessons for years even though I showed very little improvement - and had little interest in practicing. 

But she said I was always a good drawer and kept several of my childhood drawings which I look back on and in amazement say to myself - "I drew that - that's really good"

She met a local artist in Minden, Nevada named Michelle Gabler and asked her if she would give me private lessons. She agreed to and that was a wonderful time.

Then I entered high school. I couldn't wait to take art classes. I signed up for one and I enjoyed all our assignments. But after ninth grade I did not continue with art. Why?

Grades. Grades are a horrible way to encourage the individual. I kept getting grades that told me I suck or I am not as good as that other girl and therefore, I shouldn't pursue this anymore. So, after that year was over, I never took another art class again until college.

I do remember one time in 12th grade being on the bus with a bunch of other students and teachers going to a field trip in Sparks, Nevada - something to do with the gaming industry and seeing that art teacher from ninth grade... and she stopped me and asked me: you were really good at art - why didn't you continue?

I was a little bit shocked. I was defensive. I was upset in that moment. I was good? Why didn't she tell me in ninth grade then? I told her: You gave me grades that were not good. C's - average. I felt like I was better than a lot of other students in my group. They told me I was really good. But you never did. You were always doting on that one really good student. So I never continued.

I don't know how she took the comment. The conversation ended. I think she thought about it. Here she had the opportunity to help shape me as a student but all her focus was on the best student in the class... not enough on all the other students that were still needing help but were good like me. I'm sure I wasn't the only one.

Hopefully, from that day forward, she changed the way she graded.... but then again, that's a problem with the system. They should just get rid of grades all together.

Instead it should just be feedback you get. Like after you complete an assignment, the teacher should say: you are really getting this. I see a lot of improvement. I think you should keep going with art.

Or she should say: I see you are struggling with this assignment. I've noticed from our conversations that you really enjoy art, so let's keep working on  your technique so you can keep going with art, if that's what you want.

I think teachers should know you personally. Actually talk to you. What do you love. Do you love to draw - is that why you took this class? Or do you love art but aren't really good at it - but you still love it. You know, those people could go one to study art history....

Anyway, that's one of the biggest problems is that it's not very personal - and the grading system... and the fact that schools don't put a lot of emphasis on the arts in the first place.

Now, I'm a mom, I live in a society that doesn't put a lot emphasis on the arts - although in tourism they do! I live in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The emphasis here is - technological. But right next door to Eindhoven is Nuenen - the van Gogh village... And that town is soaking up every little bit of that... he lived there for a time and I think this is the village he lived in when he painted The Potato Eaters. Not his best work, in my opinion, but it was his first work that emerged him as an up and coming artist. 

I had heard about the van Abbe Museum, our local art museum in Eindhoven, giving art classes to children on the weekends. I think I need to look back into that. 

This dream I had - I can't do much about it. I can't go back in time and change what I studied in high school or college.... but I have children - and two of my kids so far are really good at art and drawing. They love it. They spend hours drawing sometimes - they are very focused and just love to draw. And when you ask them, what do you want to be or what do you want to do when you grow up? The oldest one says, I want to be an artist - to draw. So we say, like an illustrator. Then we explain what that word means. The younger one says, I want to be a painter. Not painting houses, but an artist - a painter. 

When I hear those things, I'm happy, they got the artist gene which is very much a live in this family... and then I think, I need to do something about that because in school here you will learn your A,B,C's, to read, to write, math, etc. etc. All of the emphasis on the arts is limited in schools. 

So, it's up to the parent to help them continue to progress. And luckily, there are art programs around, you just have to recognize that your child is good enough to continue...

Maybe, that's what the dream meant for me. 

*I just googled Michelle Gabler... here is what I found, she is now on the board of directors for Carson Valley Arts council. That's pretty cool. She still operates out of her studio, which was in a garage behind her house on 1st street.

**It's not too late for me. van Gogh only started pursuing art seriously in his twenties. And it wasn't even until the last two years of his life that his best works were produced. Therefore, I can keep pursuing my love for art, and by the time I'm dead, my children or children's children will have some fantastic art to display in their homes :-)

***Some of my art for sale can be seen here - artist rising - although, the most recent stuff rarely get's seen. Oh well. Someday, when I have the time, when I'm not busy with children and laundry... I'll have time to put my work up online on more of a regular basis.

The Candida Diet and This Week's Menu Meal Plan

About two years ago I had the worst cough imaginable. It was a nagging couch. It felt like asthma might feel like. It wouldn't go away. I thought it was caused by an allergy to my new pet rabbit in the house... but after an allergy test - that wasn't it. Then, against my better judgement I finally went to my house doctor - knowing he couldn't do anything for me (sorry I don't have much faith in doctors)... and sure enough all he could do for me was give me an antibiotic. I thought to myself, that's not going to do any good, but I was desperate so I took it... and it didn't do any good!

I spent weeks searching the Internet and my Nutritious Healing book and finally after much pondering decided to follow the Candida diet and cleanse. Found here at this link: Candida Detox. I didn't even wait till the beginning of the year, I think I started it December 31st - I was so desperate to get well...

and within 3 days I started feeling much better - and within 5 days - all my symptoms were gone! But I couldn't do the detox for more than 5 days I found it so difficult and I felt so hungry... I then switched over to the Primal Blueprint and I continued to feel great and lose weight.

Then, somewhere along the way I fell off the wagon... or you know, I gave in to the old ways again - eating sugar and wheat and I felt okay... 

I gained weight.

But today, two years later, I have this same nagging, horrible cough. And I know what worked before... and I'm not willing to live another day with it eating the way I have always eaten. 

I cannot do the cleanse right now - I'm pregnant - 4 1/2 month... but I can eat better.

Yesterday we went to our Stake Conference in Brussels, and while gone, one of the kids - had turned up the radiator dial... yeah, it was set to 25-C degrees... so we were like, we should cut back on groceries or something this week to off set the cost of having the heat on all day while we were gone. Ouch.

I was totally going to do a Budget friendly meal plan this week... but now I'm like - I feel sick. I have this cough. I can't live with this cough for 2 1/2 months like I did two years ago...

This week's meal plan, I will try to keep to my regular budget - but we are eating Primal/Paleo! I have got to get rid of this cough... and I have been eating too many sweets, anyway.

Monday: Sauerkraut Curry - served over mashed "faux-tatoes" (cauliflower)
Tuesdsay: Cider-braised Brats with onions and peppers, roasted carrots and (potatoes - none for me though).
Wednesday: "Carpaccio van ossenhaas" with Parmesan cheese and Basil-Pesto Dressing - this was an awesome salad/starter dish I once had at a restaurant in Eindhoven called: Sizzling. It was so good. It also had rucola, walnuts, and sun-dried tomatoes. I'm not sure what else to serve with this meal... but this is the starter!

That's all I have so far, I know it's only three days of the week menu here, but planning a budget friendly Primal/Paleo meal plan is not that easy.