Quotes of the Week

 When we allow fear to open the door to all its companions--discouragement, anger, frustration, disappointment--the Spirit leaves us, and we are without the Lord. In contrast, when we stand in holy places, we can feel God's love, and perfect love casteth out all.
--Ronald A. Rasband

The source of moral and spiritual power is God. Our access to that power is through our covenants with Him.
--D. Todd Christofferson

When life becomes overwhelming, we may think that God has abandoned us and may think we are alone. Believing in Jesus Christ does not mean that mortal challenges will cease to exist, but we do believe that the Lord can give us the strength to meet these challenges.

He had to feel that He was alone because He needed to k now how we feel when we feel alone. There are a lot of times when we feel we are alone, there are a lot of times when we feel abandoned, a lot of times when we feel the heaves are sealed. He felt that too.
--Jeffrey R. Holland

Special Agent Glen; Yogi Kim; Sibling Childhood Portraits

Abe and Klarissa bought a Toyota Highlander as they are making preparations for the new baby which will be arriving within the next couple of weeks. They need a car big enough for all the little people car seats. 

Magnus got tuckered out during the car-buying experience.

This 2-year-old better fully enjoy his baby-of-the-family status for a short while longer.

Now let's look at the babies in Ben's family. 

Ben and Haley got to enjoy a fun time on the ski slopes thanks to Rebecca watching their boys. Kade sure has a good time with his cousins and Rebecca reported the baby was good, so it was a win for everyone.

I tried out another new recipe--slow cooker parmesan honey pork roast. 

The sauce is what made it delicious. 

I continue to look forward to the Tuesday morning zoom meeting study group I attend. I enjoy the talks that are given as assigned study materials. I also enjoy listening to the other women give their insights on what they read. I also enjoy sharing my thoughts as well. 

A few weeks ago Carol Pope, our discussion leader, was having such a hard time getting the zoom meeting to work. We could see her face, but we could not hear her voice. It was so frustrating. But, thankfully she was able to use another zoom account and get on that way. 

Glen received a "Top Secret" envelope in the mail. It was addressed to "Special Agent Glen Thomas" and was sent by a "Special Agent" member of his work team. 

The envelope was full of cutesy, detective-themed papers and supplies as reminders and check lists of things the team members need to do to be ready for their team meeting coming up in March. 

Last year they stayed overnight at a hotel for their annual team meeting, but this year it will be long zoom meetings from home.

Glen was not as impressed as I was with all the effort that had been put into that envelope and its contents. He said he already knows what he needs to do and felt this was unnecessary. 

I told him there are some people who really enjoy thinking up all that clever stuff--like our daughter Sarah. She's always gung-ho for a wonderfully-thought-out and well-executed theme party or activity. 

It didn't surprise me when I found out it was a woman on the team who had sent out the cleverly-packaged meeting information. That explained it!!!

I have decided I am going to try yoga to see if I can get more movement and flexibility in my back to see if that will help eliminate the pain that I seem to be constantly experiencing.

Doing yoga is a joke for a person who is not limber whatsoever. I am a living example of the saying "stiff as a board."

When Sarah was in Young Women, the moms got invited to join their daughters for a mother/daughter yoga class. I went. Silly me!! 

When we did any bending, my head would be up high looking out over all the other participants who seemed to be having no trouble at all bending over--either from a standing or a sitting position.

After my few meager attempts at becoming a yogi (a person who is proficient in yoga--HAHA!!), I continue to laugh at myself as I go about trying to mimic the movements of the YouTube yoga instructor I am dutifully trying to follow.

Imagine me doing what the man is doing in each of the following poses.

This will have to be my new mantra every morning when I am starting a yoga routine for beginners.

When this photo of Nani's home and deep-snow-covered yard came up on our computer screensaver, I did a double take. That was so much snow!! So different from this year's snowfall amounts.

I texted that photo to Nani so we could remember together the year we were clearing snow after snow after snow from our driveways.

Then the reminiscing of our stylish childhood haircuts started when I saw a photo of someone loving on a woman's short fringe bangs. 

Nani had some great ammunition to shoot back at me.

I told her I want them all because they actually spark a remembrance of seeing them sitting on Grandpa and Grandma Malan's record holder every time we would visit them.

Nani had gotten them from Grandpa's house when he died and has put them in other frames.

Here we are in birth order: Sam, Kim (me!), Mike, Nani, Andy and Mark.

What cute children we all were. So fun to be reminded of that through seeing these cherished portraits once again. So glad Nani inherited them. So glad she shared them with me. It really made my day!!

Quotes of the Weel

The adversary will try to persuade you that spiritual nourishment isn't necessary or, more cunningly, that it can wait. He is the master of distraction and author of procrastination.
--Stephen W. Owen

Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.
--Ezra Taft Benson

God knows that in order for you to become the being of light and glory, you have the potential to become you need to make choices for yourself. You must learn for yourself, fail for yourself, overcome poor judgement for yourself, arise and walk toward the light for yourself.
--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Food and Snow

Dallas and Rebecca's family went on a getaway vacation to Zion National Park over Presidents' Day weekend. 

The children LOVED swimming in the hotel swimming pool. The hikes and other things they did sounded fun, also. I was so glad to hear they had a really great time. 

Of course I wanted to hear every detail because I have to live vicariously through other people's vacations these days. 

Jan came over to bring us some super delicious heart-shaped fruit tarts on Valentine's Day. She's the friend that keeps on giving!! Mmmmm!!

This has been such a light-snow winter. It almost felt like spring was right around the corner. But then it snowed. I love the winter wonderland look of freshly-fallen snow, especially after the clouds clear and the blue sky makes the snow even more beautiful. 

It makes my heart happy to look out our kitchen window and see this view.

With the snow days we've had this week, it has been a good time to try out some new recipes.

I heard "chicken kiev" said in one of the many Hallmark movies we have watched over the past year when we've spent so much time alone at home.

It prompted an investigation of what that dish actually is. I found out it is breaded chicken breast that has garlic-parsley-spiced butter stuffed in the middle. 

Unfortunately, I was unable to seal the chicken edges enough to keep the butter inside until the first cut.

Never fear! After scooping up the butter and dripping it over the top of the chicken, we were able to get the full taste of the dish. It was pretty good.

I need to learn how to be a food photographer to make my meals more appealing to the eye. Although, if the meals are appealing to the palate, isn't that what really matters??

Leftovers the second day weren't nearly as moist (and Glen even used the word "rubbery" to describe the chicken). IF I ever make this again, I would not bake the leftover portion until the next day.

Another new recipe was crockpot Beef and Barley Soup. It seemed more like a stew than soup to me. It was pretty tasty. 

Glen declared it much better than the canned Campbell's Chunky Steak and Potato Soup that he eats sometimes for lunch. What a compliment...?!? 

ANOTHER SNOWSTORM!! HURRAH!! Grant continues to clear our driveway and sidewalks and we so appreciate him!!

So thankful for the moisture! Let's hope this last dumping helps prevent a summer of drought. 

Quotes of the Week

 I promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honor the Lord's timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you--even miracles--will follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you.
--Russell M. Nelson

Because the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift that mortal man can receive, it would logically follow that the greatest and most enabling thing a parent could teach a child is to recognize and follow the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.
--Lynn G. Robbins

Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified? If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith.
--Spencer W. Kimball

Malan Family Resemblance

How well I know the FREEEEZING winters in Omaha. 

Jacob and Laurie have had their babies or have gone on cruises in the winter months and it seemed I was always going to visit them in the dead of COLD wintertime. 

I will never forget the year it was -34 windy degrees. I don't think I ever warmed up the whole time I was there. I was never so happy to have a sick grandchild on Sunday of that week so I could stay home and not have to go out in the waaaaaaay below freezing weather.

So, I can well relate to Logan's sentiment of being out in the cold Omaha winter. I can't relate to the dog part, but I can relate to the cold part.

He reminds me of what Ben wears to go outside in the winter--t-shirts, shorts, beanie and gloves. Although, in Ben's defense, this was a warmer winter day that was just perfect for taking the little ones outside to enjoy some fresh air.

Oh how happy little children are to play outside--no matter what the weather. Haley is a knitting pro, and Kade is a perfect model of her beautifully-crafted neck warmers.

Kade tried his hand at making cotton candy. Although I love sugar, this is a treat that does not appeal to me at all.

Kade showing some brotherly love to his baby brother.

A plastic water mat with floating water creatures in it makes tummy time fun for Levi.

Both boys have pretty eyes.

Levi got his bald head from his dad. Ben was bald until he was 3-years-old. He had hair for a few years and then he went back to bald for several years when he had a buzz cut. 

Haley has commented about how different from each other the two boys look when she does age-comparison photos. Kade is on the left and Levi is on the right in this 4-month-old side-by-side photo. 

It sure didn't take the preemie baby long to catch up in size (might we even say surpass his brother in size?).

I absolutely love the cleft chins both boys have. I am a little partial because I, too, have one. 

Ben also has a cleft chin. I was so happy to see the dimple chin when he was born, especially since we had decided to name him Benjamin Malan Thomas.

The cleft chin comes from the Malan side of the family--from Grandpa Malan.

My Uncle Lloyd has one. I think he is a clone of his father.

My mom also has the dimple chin.

I wasn't sure if my Aunt Mary had one.

It's not nearly as pronounced as the others, but I can see it's there.

It appears I come by my dimple chin honestly. 

But I think Kade and Levi's chin remind me the most of my Uncle Lloyd's chin. And I love that about them!!

Speaking of heredity, looks like Spencer has inherited his mother's need/his grandmother's need/his great-grandmother's need for glasses. 

Rebecca said it was hard to know which glass frames to get because it's hard to tell what a person looks like wearing a mask. (COVID!!!)

We have yet to see Spencer in glasses because he is very self-conscious about wearing them. 

I keep thinking how it's a good thing he is getting them now when glasses are a fashion statement rather than when I was in 2nd grade and was one of the very, very few students who wore glasses at school and those of us who did got made fun of in a very unkind way.

Speaking of school...

It appears Eli still has plenty of time in his school day to make himself a buddy to hang out with while his brothers are in school. 

Sarah's boys only go to school 2 hours a day. Carson and Lincoln go in the morning and Eli goes in the afternoon. I think it must feel like having a bunch of half-day Kindergarteners.

At least they all get out of the house a couple of times a day to make the runs back and forth to school.

Unlike Natalie who was quarantined to her room for a week. The girl she so kindly drives to seminary tested positive for Covid. Makes me think of the saying, "No good deed goes unpunished..."

I enjoyed this photo Jacob sent showing him, Emma and Laurie playing a game with Natalie via FaceTime. So nice of them to include her! She was begging for people to FaceTime with her to relieve the monotony, so we enjoyed a nice visit with her one afternoon.

She was hoping so badly that when she went to get tested after her quarantine period that she would test negative. She has big plans for the weekend and didn't want them spoiled by Covid!!

The test results came back...

It looks like construction after demolition is happening at Abe and Klarissa's new home. I am sure they love being able to see the progress whenever they can make the trip from Florida to North Carolina. 

We invited Rebecca's family and Ben's family over for Sunday dinner. Then I found out it was Super Bowl Sunday and figured that was why Glen invited them over. Who cares about the Super Bowl anyway?!?!

Our guests came in the afternoon and didn't stay for any evening entertainment. I enjoyed seeing all the little darlings once again.

We ate dinner at our three separate, socially-distanced tables.

Kade knows the drill to wait until after dinner to get the popcorn makings out of the cupboard and then climb up for a front-row seat to watch his grandpa sing the Popcorn Popping song while waiting for the popcorn to bubble up and spill over into the big bowl.

Madison didn't want to miss the popcorn action as she came up wearing the stylish red glasses she found in the toy box.

Rebecca was the baby whisperer this time as she got Levi to sleep soundly in her lap for quite a while as we were visiting. 

We celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary on February 9th. Glen's work calendar was pretty full all day and even into the evening with zoom meetings. We did manage to squeeze in a Texas Roadhouse take-out meal between appointments. YUMMY!!

So thankful for my hard-working husband who has always provided so well for me and our family. Love him so much!! 

In keeping with my goal of making new recipes, I made brussels sprouts with bacon. Instead of oven roasting them like I have done in the past, this time I pan fried them with a splash of balsamic vinegar. I even got Glen to try some and he liked it. (Success!) 

Knowing how much Glen likes (raw) hot dogs, I found the perfect Valentine's Day recipe for him.

My sweet friend Jan brought over a bouquet of flowers and a freshly-baked loaf of Kneader's bread for me for Valentine's Day. I told her I am so happy I am her friend because she frequently gives her friends gifts like this. That made my day!! Love her!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!