What went right?

Hearts are full today as sweet baby Madison Caylee Gochenour, first daughter of Cheron and Jared, and first grandchild of Mark and Lori, was laid to rest in Portland, Oregon.

Things seemed to be going well with Cheron's pregnancy until about 2 weeks ago, when suddenly they weren't. Madison was born at just over 4 1/2 months and weighed 1 lb. 9 ounces. She was beautiful and just fit into her mom's hand.

From the day we heard that she was coming, we loved her. Hearts swelled in anticipation of her arrival. That's the beautiful thing - with love, there's always room to love more. So where it's easy to ask, "what went wrong?" I think I need also to ask instead, "what went right?" Because much has gone right:

• There's been an outpouring of love from the entire family.
• We've been more patient with each other.
• Prayers have been more prevalent, and more sincere.
• Faith has increased.
• We've experienced the tender mercies of the Lord.
• We each, in our own way, have sought - and found - greater understanding.
• We've trusted the one true physician and healer, and come to understand that His will is based on knowing the end from the beginning. Our perspectives are limited and mortal, but His is eternal. And as much as we love Madison, He loves her more than we can begin to comprehend.
• We've prayed for peace and comfort, and have been blessed with both.

So while there are tears, lots of them, it isn't heartache I feel - just the growing pains of a heart continuing to expand to feel even more love.

My New Favorite Pan

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to cook. And now I love to cook even more. I don't normally go into raptures about pans, but that was before I discovered the 6-quart Lodge Color Enamel Dutch Oven in Island Spice (red). It's beautiful and functional, and things cooked in it come out like a dream.

OK, I'll admit that I've coveted for years another brand of enamel dutch oven, but just couldn't justify the expense, which is about 5 times what the Lodge cost (about $60 at Target). Can't think of a better use for the Target gift cards we received for our wedding. Thanks, everyone!My coveting days are over and I'm sold on this great pan.

Case in point: I made Viennese Stew in it the other night. It came out perfectly, and the pan was easy to clean up. (I did spray it with Pam before adding the ingredients.)

If you are concerned about maintaining cast iron, set your worries aside. This ISN'T the pan you take camping (use the traditional Lodge pans for that). This deserves a place of honor in your kitchen. Just be careful not to drop it or bash the enamel.

Viennese Stew a.k.a. 'Nam stew (a Smith family favorite)

2 lbs pork shoulder roast

2 1/2 tsp salt (divided)

1 tsp pepper (divided)

1 1/2 cups onions, finely sliced

6 TB butter (I use less)

3 large potatoes, sliced

2 carrots, sliced (I use 3-4)

2 cups cabbage, chopped or shredded

2 tsp caraway seeds

1 cup beef broth

Cut pork into 1-inch cubes and brown. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Saute onion in butter and reserve leftover butter.

In a greased 2-quart casserole dish, arrange half of the potato slices. Sprinkle with a little of the salt and pepper. Make successive layers of teh pork, carrots, onions, and cabbage. Sprinkle with the caraway seeds and remaining salt and pepper. Pour reserved butter over the top, then add the broth.

Cover the casserole and bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and bake 15 minutes longer. Serve directly from the casserole dish. Serves 6.

I made 1 1/2 recipes (plus extra carrots, onions, and cabbage) to fit in the 6-quart dutch oven.

Channeling Scarlet O'Hara

It's been one of those days, actually two of those days. I've spent about 20 of the last 36 hours trying to get "clean" data for a report that was due today, and it just isn't happening. At first I thought it was me, but after 5+ hours on the phone with technical support, the "experts" couldn't figure out the problem, either. The system will be down tonight for scheduled maintenance. So, channeling Miz Scarlet, "I'll think about it tomorrow!"

I'm not a quitter, but there comes a time when enough is enough. I can hear a hot shower calling, followed by a gentle dive into a new book (Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve), and possibly an early night. Or not. But I'm done working for today. And if anyone has issues with that, they can answer to Rhett. Because "frankly, my dear, I don't give a ______."

Contest Winners - Congratulations

Congratulations, winners! This race definitely went to the swiftest:

Cole Smith
Katie Stone
Cathy Measer
Charlene Holden
Diane Costanza

I think you all are winners, but I'm definitely the biggest winner because I know you and because each of you have blessed my life in so many ways. And the responses I've received have certainly brightened up my dreary NY winter (which isn't seeming nearly as dreary as it was)!

Prizes will be coming by the end of March. Hmmmm, wonder what they will be? I guess we'll find out together!

Thanks for the comments and the questions, which I'll take a stab at answering now.

• What is my favorite church calling? I think every calling has been my favorite while I've been in it. If I can only choose one, however, I'd probably say Relief Society president - because of the wonderful women I was able to serve with, the great women in the ward I was able to get to know, and the outstanding bishops (Bishop Maxfield and Bishop Larsen) I learned from.
• Where do I think I'll be living in 2 years? Hopefully, in a house.
• What's the scariest thing I've had to face? Rheumatoid arthritis. I'm one of the incredibly lucky 10% of people where it goes into remission. I give thanks every day that I can walk, write, and hold things.
• What's my favorite movie I've seen in the last year (videos included)? Good thing videos are included, because that's all we watch! My newest favorite movie is Mama Mia - just because the music is so catchy, the actors seem to be having a great time in it, and it has a happy ending. (I'm a sucker for a movie with a happy ending.) One of my all-time favorites, however, is Pride and Prejudice (the A&E version).

Contest Update

24 hours into the first blog contest of 2009, and there are 4 people who have responded. One more fabulous prize awaits the next person who responds to the blog. And yes, I will accept an e-mail response from those who don't have blogger ID's.

The first 4 winners are:
Cole Smith
Katie Stone
Cathy Measer
Charlene Holden

Way to go!!!

Happy Valentine's Day! And a Contest. . .

Valentine's Day Flowers

Saturday morning began with a bouquet of beautiful flowers and hand dipped chocolate covered strawberries. The photo only shows the flowers because, well, the strawberries didn't last very long. . . But the stawberries were fabulous while they lasted. They were HUGE. One was dipped in white chocolate and then in little chocolate curls, the next was dipped in milk chocolate and then in toasted coconut (divine!), and my favorite was dipped in milk chocolate and then in chopped pistachios. But my MOST FAVORITE valentine is my sweet Mark - he's the best!


Rob Aaron, Nick Kaiser, Elder Shenk, Levi Pace, Elder Rose, Mark (in front)


Then 3 of the Priests in Mark's Young Men and the 2 Elders serving in Lockport, NY came to breakfast. We had such a great time! I made Bishop Larsen's buttermilk pancakes, my sister Katie's buttermilk syrup, an egg casserole, sausage links, and strawberries. It was great, and great fun.

I love being with these Young Men and the Elders. They are strong in testimony and love to serve. They are great examples for the younger boys in the quorum. They make me think of my own wonderful nephews, especially Matt who is almost 19 and will be going on his mission soon.

About the guys: Rob is a freshman in college and will be going on a mission later this year. Nick is a senior at Medina High School where he's been on the swim team and is getting ready to play lacrosse. Levi is a junior at Medina and is the ultimate athlete. He plays football (quarterback), basketball, and lacross. Elder Shenk is from Hyrum, Utah and Elder Rose is from Tremonton, UT. Elder Rose just arrived from the MTC.

And now, TA-DA. . . . Details about the contest and giveaway. . .

My friend Nicole did this on her blog and it sounded like a lot of fun. So, being the copy cat that I am, I'm doing it, too.

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me, my choice, for you. ( I know. . . a little scary, but maybe fun, huh?) This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done and delivered by the end of March (hopefully).
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may scrapbook something (on second thought, probably not). I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, or even me. :)

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog (if you have one) and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment asking me something they would like to know about me will then win a Fabulous homemade gift made by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it! GO!!!

Crime and Punishment

The mug shot.

Why is this man smiling? Unknown to me. In the photo, he just destroyed a pan of broccoli (which destroyed the pan and the broccoli). In the process, the house filled with a dark gray cloud of malodorous smoke that permeated into everything, even the clothes in the closets.

Even with every window open, the stench has lingered now for 3 days.

I made sugar cookies yesterday in an attempt to neutralize the smell - things were definitely better while the cookies were baking. But if you leave the house and come back in, the smell is still hanging around and very noticeable.

Had this been a first offense, the judge would have been more lenient. Unfortunately, the defendant has been brought up on the same charges previously. The penalty for this offense is steep: broccoli has been banned from the D'Alba kitchen for a week, and there's a new rule about cooking vegetables in the microwave. (Note from the judge: The defendant is pretty cute and may get a reduced sentence or time off for good behavior.)

Appelolliebollen!

No, it isn't a swear word or a sneeze (although it does have a certain power to it when you say it with force). It's a treat they make at Christmastime in the Netherlands.

Why a Christmas treat in February, you may be asking? We had a Relief Society (an organization for women in our church) lesson on the Netherlands last night. A woman who had lived just outside of Amsterdam for several years talked about the country, the food, the people, the windmills, the wooden shoes, and the daffodils. I got to make one of the treats that was served.

Appelolliebollen

1 1/2 cups apples, peeled and chopped into a small dice

2 cups flour

1 TB white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs, separated

1 cup sweet milk

Oil for frying

Heat oil in fryer or large kettle.

Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in milk. Beat egg yolks and stir into batter. Beat egg whites until stiff (like meringue) and fold into the mixture. Fold in apples just until ingredients are blended.

Drop by tablespoons (like a large soup spoon) into the hot oil. Drop only enough balls to leave room for the bollen to move freely. When the bollen are golden brown, they turn themselves over if you've given them enough space. Drain on paper towels. Eat while warm with powdered sugar or maple syrup.

A few notes:

I put the chopped apples in a lemon juice/water solution while I was preparing the dough. This keeps the apples from discoloring.

• Don't overwork the dough. Stir just enough to combine the ingredients. The finished dough is about the texture of waffle batter.


• I cooked the bollen in a 4 quart kettle with about 2 inches of oil. I cooked about 6-7 bollen at a time and didn't have any problems.


• If the bollen don't turn over by themselves, give them a nudge with a wooden chop stick. I've noticed that the bollen turn over best if they are round. The more "arms and legs" they have, the less likely they'll turn over by themselves.


• These are best while hot. If you are making a lot, keep them warm in the oven until you are ready to serve. I just put them on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and set it in a warm (185 degrees) oven.

Gratitude

Today I'm counting my blessings, and I should do it more often. These aren't in any special order; I'm just putting them down as they come off my brain and through my fingers:

• The Savior. He is my rock and my foundation. Surely He has borne our griefs and knows us far better than we know ourselves. Oh sweet, the joy this sentence gives, "I know that my Redeemer lives!"
• Primary. I love the plain and simple truths of the Gospel that are taught in Primary. Lately I've stressed about teaching the kids "How Firm a Foundation," but in this world of shifting priorities, what better lesson can we teach? And once again, in preparing to teach others, I have become the student and have learned far more.
• Family. What sweeter blessing is there on this earth than the joy of families? And the great thing about families is you can keep adding people, and there's still more than enough love to go around. Thanks, mom and dad, for creating such a great family that now extends far beyond what anyone envisioned when you got married 50+ years ago.
• Missionaries. Elder Smith and Elder Shenk, you ROCK!! What a blessing to have known you these last few weeks. (Elder Smith's mission ends this week and he's returning to Bakersfield, CA for a few days, and then he's headed to BYU. Keep the faith, Elder! Elder Shenk is getting a new companion this week - and we know that the new team is going to be a powerful force for good in the Lockport Ward of the Buffalo, NY Stake.) We love the other missionaries who serve/ have served in our area and the spirit they bring to all of our interactions. We love being a small part of the missionary work that is blossoming in western NY.
• Blue skies and sunshine. After what feels like months of snow without end, we've had a few days of winter blue skies, sunshine, and temperatures above freezing. A little sunshine makes everything better.
• Friends. The lines between friends and family are completely blurred in my life. My family members are my closest friends, and my friends are my family. Thanks for bringing me back to earth when I freak out, making me laugh, sharing my tears, giving me strength, helping me find wisdom, and just blessing my life in thousands of ways, great and small. There's something about girlfriends that men just don't understand (thank goodness)!
• Indoor plumbing and central heat. You don't think these are blessings? Well, just try to live without them. I should probably put these at the top of the list when I think about the alternatives. . .
• Cavaliers from Mrs. Cavanaughs. If you know Mrs. Cavanaugh's (handmade candies - started in Bountiful, UT), nothing else needs to be said. Cavanaugh's calls them Cavaliers, but they're turtles. OK, not quite as fabulous as the ones my Aunt Janet Clark or grandma Mazie used to make, but definitely in the top 2 or 3.
• Temples. It's at least 6 hours roundtrip for us to do a session at the Palmyra Temple. But what a blessing to be able to visit that beautiful, sacred building and then to look out the west window of the central foyer and see the Sacred Grove. I was blessed to live for years within 15 minutes of the Bountiful, UT temple, and within an hour or less of 5 other temples, and didn't realize that for the blessing it was. I'm so thankful for the ordinances that take place in temples and the way they bless our lives and bring families together. I'm thankful for the peace that enfolds you as you walk through the temple doors and shed the worries of the world.
• My sweet husband, Mark. Blessings have flowed into my life since I met him. He honors his priesthood, loves his family, loves my family, magnifies his calling, works hard, strives each day to do better than the one before, is incredibly disciplined, loves to learn new things, and makes me want to do better just by being around him. He catches me (literally) when I fall and makes me feel beautiful.

Sometimes bad things happen to people you love - not through neglect, or malice, or sin, but just because we live in a mortal, imperfect world. We can either grow bitter and blame God or the fates or another person. Or we can choose faith, love, and appreciation for all that's good in the world, if we will just reach out and see it. That's what I'm doing tonight - choosing to see the good. And it is a good night!

A New Batch of Goals for 2009

The Buffalo Stake Presidency set 5 goals for 2009 for the members of the stake:

1. Have a missionary experience monthly with the expectation that this will lead to at least one missionary discussion taught in your home.


2. Have kneeling daily family prayer.


3. Do an act of service for a non-member friend or neighbor at least once a month.


4. Read the New Testament and "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage.


5. Attend the temple monthly and perform temple ordinances for one family name prepared using New Family Search.

Gulp. When I first got the list, I must admit I was a bit overwhelmed because, well, these goals are in addition to the standard goals tied to magnifying your callings, preparing for the weekly Sunday School lesson, reading the weekly Relief Society lesson, doing your visiting teaching, reading the Book of Mormon. . . And "Jesus the Christ" is almost 800 pages in length.

As we were talking about the goals, and that it would be a real stretch to achieve a couple of them (specifically reading "Jesus the Christ" and the New Testament), we discussed how easy it would be to justify NOT doing them. Then we talked about obedience. That pretty much turned things around right there.

So, we've been reading "Jesus the Christ." As much as I read, I've never read it before. It always seemed too big, too scriptural, and too overwhelming.

Like so many things, all it took was opening the book and reading the first page. Then it was a matter of finding time. I put the book on the dryer. Each time I go downstairs to turn on the pump on the washer (two times for each load of laundry), I read "Jesus the Christ" while waiting for the pump to finish. I can get a couple of pages in on each cycle. This may not sound like much in itself, but it adds up. It also helps the motivation to have someone else in the house who is also reading. . . not that we're competing (because that would be somewhat childish). But I'm further ahead! OK, but he's doing better with reading the weekly Sunday School lesson. We work together on the rest of the goals, and one month into the new year, things are going well.

Interesting lesson on accountability from the Stake Presidency: during Stake Council meeting, the Stake President asks those in the meeting for feedback on how well they are doing with the goals. They also ask each person to report on his/her home or visiting teaching for the previous month. One thing about most people - if you know that someone is going to be asking you how you are doing on something, you are more likely to do it. Public accountability is where it's at, baby!

The Wright Place in Buffalo

Saturday morning dawned cold and snowy for our date - yes, a real date - to the Darwin Martin house in Buffalo. This is a home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Darwin Martin, an executive of the Larkin Company (manufactured soap and sold it through mail order) in Buffalo. The home was actually a complex of five buildings designed by Wright and constructed in the 1903 - 1905 time frame. It's regarded by scholars as one of the finest examples of Wright's residential work and exemplifies the Prarie Style.

Following a reversal of fortune for Mr. Martin, the home was abandoned and laid empty for years. The house suffered the effects of neglect and modifications from subsequent owners; parts of the complex were torn down in the 1960's due to safety concerns.

Using Wright's original blueprints and numerous letters documenting various aspects of the project, along with photographs Mr. Martin took during the original construction process, the main house is being restored to its original glory circa 1907. Although it's still under construction, you can tell that it's going to be wonderful. The carriage house with attached atrium and pergola have been rebuilt and look wonderful. Interestingly, the house doesn't feel huge - in fact, the bedrooms are modest by today's standards and closets and bathrooms are downright miniscule.

Our private tour lasted about an hour and was well worth the time and entrance fee (although Mark probably knew more about Wright than the docent). This architectural gem is located at 125 Jewett Parkway in a beautiful residential area near the Buffalo zoo. It was a definite thumbs up - and a great date idea.

What I liked best:

1. Being with Mark (of course!).

2. Seeing in person some of the handiwork of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

3. Knowing that even great artists sometime have bloopers. (Wright designed a dining room table that was destined to fail - it seated 4 people and had these really funky urns at each corner and each urn was surrounded by 4 lamps - making it impossible to see anyone seated next to you. Wright also designed 3-legged chairs for the dining room table. Mrs. Martin put her foot down and just said, "no." Smart lady.)

4. The wisteria design around the massive fireplace in the entry hall and living room. OK, we just saw the design for the wisteria, and a photo of how it looked in 1907, but when it's done, it's going to be incredible. Wright also instructed that wisteria should be planted around the grounds.

For more info, see www. darwinmartinhouse.org.