Carving time

Family night pumpkin carving

Monson and Lexi represent their teams U for Utah and M for Michigan 

Laila, Tru and Aisha work on their pumpkins. The only one with any patience is Tru. He does an intricate Nightmare  before Christmas design 

There is something therapeutic about digging into a pumpkin, scraping and carving it. Changing it from an average garden vegetable to a thing of beauty.   Or maybe the therapy comes in doing this together with family and friends.  

This pic is so dark....that's what happens when you take a pic in the dark...but Laila is to the right of Tru...all you can see is her white numbers on the sweatshirt...next time I will put her in front of the white door.... oh well.

I've always liked this pumpkin thought. .....

Creepy Childhood movies

The Wizard of Oz movie always creeped me out.  I had nightmares filled with flying monkeys and throwing apple trees.  Yet, whenever it was on tv...yes this was pre vido/dvd days.... I made sure we watched it.  We would scour the tv listings and plan for the event for weeks.  This was in the days of 4 channels to watch on tv...one of them PBS... so it was pretty easy to track.

The other movie that scarred me for life, brought sleepless nights, and made me cry just thinking about watching it again, was the 1970's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory  with Gene Wilder.   Those orange and white umpa-lumpas....Yikes. I remember the first time I saw it at the Queen Theatre on 5th south in Bountiful....they were following me, or in my closet or under my bed for years.


I find it interesting that both of these movies feature  little people...back in my day we inappropriately called them midgets.... but maybe that's where my real fear is.  I need therapy.

I don't like scary movies.  I don't like blood and guts and masacres, and evil and all that rot... I don't think it's healthy to fill our minds with this stuff.    We actually watched the film Soylent Green at a mutual night....I think about that now, and shake my head. A movie about eating people.
We saw the original  Psycho for a movie night at the High School....would never happen today.

I do like suspenseful/thriller movies.  I really love many Alfred Hitchcock movies,  Rear Window,  North by Northwest, Vertigo, ......and not by Hitchcock....Wait Until Dark...is one of the best!

I asked my kids what were their scariest childhood movies...
Lexi agreed with me about the Wizard of OZ...it totally freaked her out as a kid.
Monson's was The Mummy because "it scared my older brothers and I was like 4 wondering what everyone was so afraid of."

Landon and Addison's was ET the Extra Terrestrial..."it's because they try to take the kids away from parents, and then the powers that be  try to take ET away from the kids."  It's all so scary....??
Addison isn't a good barometer of scary though because he was also afraid of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, All Dogs go to Heaven, Fievel Goes West, and the end of Fantasia.  

Truman's was Jurassic Park..."the scene where the girl is in the kitchen and the raptor is gonna kill her but it ends up being a reflections!?! "  And he remembers actually crying at the Chucky movies.

Bre hated Nightmare Before Christmas, because she watched it with her brothers who fell asleep before the boogey man came.  Terrifying.

Laila loves scarey movies....she was born this way, but one show that did freak her out because of the Wolf...was Into the Woods...Broadway production.

9 to 5 the Musical

I am in love with 9 to 5 the musical!  

I get to play Violet Newstead, a strong woman who is a widow raising a teenage son and wants more for her life than being a secretary at the mercy of a bigoted, lying, hypocritical, egotistical boss. In the end she finds love  and becomes the first female CEO in her company.  ( Plus I get to be Snowwhite in a dream scene about how I would kill my boss. )

 Being in this play is so much fun for me.  I love singing my guts out and dancing and being funny and sweating and hanging out with like minded actors who just love theatre as much as I do.

Marie Tarbox is the director,  Jan Smith is the Producer, Addison Welch is the Choreographer, Mickey Larsen is the Stage Manager.  It's just been a joy...plus I get to be on stage with some of old my favorites, Julie Nelson Blatter, Adam West and some new ones Lori Rees and Gary Pimentel.  
In every show there are the veteran actors..and there are the newbies.  I really appreciate the new theatre actors, who just want to be in a show and try being on stage.  It's a good reminder about how community theatre is for everyone of all abilities.   It's great to share this passion with others.

Doralee, Violet and Judy ready to play

I killed the Boss

Catch Me If You Can

Bre is in Catch Me If You Can at Hale Center Theatre.  We went to her opening night and she brought the house down with her killer solo in Act 2...FLY AWAY sung by her character Brenda Strong.    She gets to play 4 other characters in Act 1... and she is having a blast!  Bre loves Hale Center Theatre and the people who run it, love her right back.
Here are some character pics....

Bre hasn't been in a musical for 2 years.... since before her Princess days at DisneyWorld.  I forget how good she is.  How great her voice is and how she can go to the high belt notes that very few can. She doesn't sound strident at all...just gorgeous.  

It was a great night at the theatre with Addison, Landon, Alex, Truman, Wayne, Wanee and Jenny and Aaron Moss...our Texas friends.  

Looking for ward to my show opening in one week..... yikes!

Faithened

General Conference aka pajama church is over. It was good. Some years I say it was great and I loved it. Some years it's difficult to muster that enthusiasm.

I find it interesting how my life has been a roller coaster when it comes to my feelings about General conference.

As a child we would color or read quietly while conference was on but had to put it all away and sit up when the Prophet spoke. 

As a teen I would clean my room with my radio on extra loud on Saturday and take notes as I listened on Sunday.  (I mostly doodled and drew and acted like I was taking notes. )

Young married with little babes made conference enjoyment more difficult. It was hard to get anything out of it but I needed the words so desperately. I was too tired  so slept through much of it back then. I was  happy to be able to read it in the Ensign at a later time. 

I have grown to love conference as my children have grown older. It's easier to listen and watch and there are fewer distractions around. I find if I do hand work or keep myself just a little busy I absorb better and I don't fall asleep. 

The last few conferences though, I kind of worry about what the next talk will be about and how it will affect  our family.  I know I shouldn't be living here....worried and fearful..tearful and aching...but I am. 

I want to be strong and full of faith so I actually appreciated the slip up in the prayer about our "strength to be faithened."   I think it was said just for me. It really caught my attention and has made me think about how I am relying, once again, too much on myself and not enough on God.   I need to be "faithened."

All  will be made well through Christ.  I just need to have Strong Faith in this. 

Halloween decor

Halloween is at our house!!  I can leave my dust and cobwebs alone and use them as motif. Yay!  Pumpkins and witches are everywhere. Sophia and Andrew came by Saturday night to hang out and checkout the decor. They liked the finger candle and poison bottle the most.  

I love my Twisted Sistahs plate that mom gave me. I pull it out each year and think of her and my Sistahs-- family and friends-- who are my support.  The witch hat collection and Addisons creatures are  spooky and creepy. 

 This is Lailas favorite holiday and one of mine too. 

Find your Courage...

Thankful heart.....Oct.1st

I can't believe it's October.  When School begins for me, my world whizzes by and I haven't really had a chance to breathe.  As I am sitting her working today, I keep thinking about  people who I am so grateful to have in my life..... so I'm going to list 6.

1.  I'm thankful for Addison and Bre.  They have begun a new adventure with their photography business, Heirloom PepperFox Photography.  They are so artisitic, and talented and I'm just impressed with their abilities and kindness to people.  They updated my theatre headshot, and I couldn't be happier with it.

2.  So thankful for my Dad.  We celebrated his 83rd last week, and he's doing great!... well I should say his attitude is great, his body seems to be betraying him....too many aches and pains, and sleepless nights and numb feet.  He tells me that, " getting old is not easy.  It takes real tough people to do it."   I'm glad he's tough.  He's a joy to be around, and makes everyone feel wonderful and loved in his presence.

3.  I'm grateful for my grand baby, Alfie.  He gets to spend a bit of time in our home, and he is a hoot.  He crawls and sucks his toes, and picks up even the tiniest bit of fluff off of the floor, then examines it and puts it in his mouth... Yum.  He loves green smoothies and his binky and playing with "his people." He recognizes his name...and whenever PoppaWayne walks in the door, Alfie gets a big grin and starts clapping.  Wayne taught him, "Here's a ball for Baby" song, and it has clapping in it.   Alfie even lets the dog lick his face, and doesn't fuss about it.

4.  I'm so grateful for my three sisters.  They are stalwarts through the no mom phase we are living in.  I can't believe all they give up and do for their own families, and for our sweet dad.    I'm glad we are all here close by and can lean on each other and I look forward to our monthly sister lunches.

5.  I"m so thankful to be in a show with so many of my favorite theatre friends.  Addison is choreographing, Maurie is directing, Jan is Producing, Mickey is stage managing and Julie is on stage performing with me in "9 to 5 the Musical."  I get to sing my guts out, laugh and cry and triumph in the  end.  Can't wait til we get an audience and get to show it off.  Being in a show is always so good for my head.

6. I'm also thankful for my amazing Wayne who takes up my slack when I'm not around. ANd....who puts up with his pre-teen, hormonal, eye rolling daughter.