Mosin Nagant

If you have no idea how to pronounce the title of this post, you are 1) not Russian, and 2) not a gun fanatic.

While being thoroughly not Russian, I am a gun fanatic. (This is where you check the post's author and discover this is Tyler not Maleen.) I am so fanatical, that I tell my co-workers that I maintain two gun-related lists: one for the people I would protect in the event of a non-mail postal event, and the other lists destinations in the event I turn out to be the "disgruntled" person. When my co-workers do something extraordinary, I add them to one list or the other.

Have no fear, I am currently very gruntled, and one of the lists doesn't actually exist.

So now that we've discussed my psychological well being, back to the Mosin Nagant (pronounced Mo'zin Na'gaunt.) In 1891 two  comrades combined their knowledge to engineer one of the longest serving rifles in military history. Sergei Ivanovich Mosin (Russian) partnered with  Léon Nagant (Belgian) to create this fine bolt-action rifle:

It also happens to be one of the most-accurate rifles ever manufactured, though don't ask the internet because you'll end up with a variety of [wrong] opinions. None the less, just such a rifle found its way into my hands on the 22nd of December. While this date is just another shopping day for most, it's Maleen and my anniversary. She got me an original issue (never been shot) 1937 Mosin Nagant M91/30. I drooled a little when she gave it to me.

It came with a full original kit including a shoulder strap, tools, a dual-compartment canteen for solvent and gun oil, belt case for ammunition, and an honest-to-goodness bayonet! Sweet! How many people do know that can kill an intruder with a bayonet? Awesome.

Anyway, without getting too technical for the un-initiated, I'll leave you with a few pieces of information about this fine feat of human marksmanship:

• The 7.62×54R (R for "Rimmed") is the oldest cartridge still in regular combat service with several major armed forces in the world. 
• Round has a muzzle velocity at around 2,600 ft /sec - meaning it can travel a mile in 2 seconds.
• 17.4 million M91/30 Mosin Nagant rifles were produced, which means a lot of surplus rifles that can be purchased for less than $150 each.
• Surplus ammunition is still available. I bought mine for about 23¢ each in a ham can (yes the same cans they pack Spam in) of 440 per case from the 1960s. You even get a convenient can opener with ammo purchase.
• You know that famous story about a sniper who shot a counter sniper down the barrel of his scope? That amazing shot came from Carlos Hathcock, widely acclaimed as the best sniper in U.S. history. And the scope that took the bullet through it, killing its operator, sat atop a Mosin Nagant. 

Any-hoo, this is a freaking awesome weapon. I had to wait to shoot it because no shops were open over Christmas, and with the rush on gun stores of late, it's been crowded at gun stores where they've got all the ammo. But I finally got some ammo, and I recently spent some time with the Mosin Nagant in my shoulder. I was in frigid Idaho for my break-in period over New Year's, but hey, that's warmer than Russia, right?

My Dad and my brothers accompanied me for its maiden voyage.

And, because pictures are worth about a thousand words, videos must be like a million... Even if you're not into guns, you should watch this for the big boom at the end. This is a video including J.R., my Dad, me, and June. Yes, June went with me because I believe education is one of the most-important issues facing America today.

So to finish up, I have not killed anyone and I'm not planning on it, though I would if someone broke into my house; Maleen's the bestest damn wife in the whole world; and guns are funs.

Breakfast with the Three Wise Men

I almost didn't include this post. I had practically deleted it from my memory the minute it was done. Mainly because I was in charge and so happy to see it done. (Seriously...huge waves of relief.)

I completely understand why they dissolved the activity committee's in our church, but I sure miss them when I am suddenly in charge of the Ward Christmas Party.

Technically, I was in charge last year as well, but I found a superwoman and she and a committee organized the whole thing. (I still feel some shame about that, but she did a great job.) And really, my counselor and her committee still did the majority of the work this time around as well, but I was much more involved. Enough that I was holding my fair share of the stress and anxiety.

But being in charge does have some perks. Like I decided I wanted to do a breakfast. So there. Ha. I like breakfast. It was nice that we could set up the night before so we had less prep work the day of. I'm including many photos so I can remember how we worked things, especially since chances are good that I will be in charge this year too. (Oh boy.)

I wish I had taken a closer picture of the cute bags Briana made for the tables. (But I didn't take any photos. Remember the part where I was in charge? I was at the microphone, in the kitchen, refilling food, supervising, etc. Tyler had the camera and was very nice to take pictures.) And speaking of kitchen. We had some angels in there that performed some miracles. There were some eggs that didn't want to be ready on time, but the guests never even knew there was a problem. I LOVE these ladies.

It helped that we didn't start the breakfast right away. We knew everyone would arrive a tad late so we started with a quartet. (Can't remember their official name, but the singer on the right is my counselor's Dad.) They were fantastic. I really think every Christmas program should have some kind of music. It lifts the soul.

And then everyone dug into the grub. We had Caramel French Toast (catered), breakfast burritos, and fruit. It was all very delicious. I didn't actually eat until after, but everything was tasty, even slightly cool.

Here is me sometime during the morning.

Tyler took plenty of pictures, but I look old, and harried in most of them. Truthfully that is how I seem to look all the time now. I guess the bloom of youth is gone for good.

Our program was simple. We had the Bishopric dress up at the Three Wise Men. (Except that the Bishop was busy, so he wasn't actually there. Bummer.) The children all gathered at the feet of the first wise man.

He spoke briefly and then they all traveled to meet the next wise man. (Basically, they crossed the gym, but it is good to get kids moving.)

Finally, they traveled to the third wise man, who had a short message followed by the nativity video. (Just the 3 minute version.)

And that was it. Short and sweet. (Just like me *wink*) We finished up and then families were welcome to follow the star to the nativity room.

I love the nativity room. We actually had more nativities last year, but this year we added pictures of Christ, and the effect was still beautiful. I myself added all my nativities including the one I bought this year.

This last picture was taken much later after some of the nativities were taken home, but I still love the simplicity of little Sadie looking at the scenes.

And then we cleaned up forever. Note to self: Give the priesthood more responsibility than just putting away the tables and chairs, because clean up does not stop there. (And with only 5 people, it sure takes a long time. But 5 is better than 1, for sure.)

Oh, and the best part of the whole thing?? We had the breakfast on Dec. 1st, so I didn't have to worry about it during the rest of the season. (Now that is peace on earth.)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas....

Okay, you may have guessed this is one of the posts from last month. I really enjoy decorating for each holiday and you can imagine that the kids have caught the bug as well. Sometimes I sneak and decorate while they are at school or asleep so they are surprised when they see it. (And I can also put everything where I want it.) But most of the time, I let them help, because they love it.

Sundays always seem like a really good day for decorating. I'm pretty sure that it was a Sunday when I got the tree out. We have to build ours in layers and the kids love that too. I just wanted to put some pictures on to remember the good times. It was in the evening, so we are using quite a shallow depth of field. You can play the game: "What's in focus in this picture?" Tyler was experimenting with the lens and even the kids took a few.

I would say turn on some Christmas tunes and get in the spirit, but you probably shouldn't. It would just confuse your kids. But I'm okay with your humming while you look at pictures. Ready. Go. (It's beginning to look...hmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmmm)

Oddly this makes me really excited to get out my Valentine's stuff. And I'll make sure to do in on a Sunday. And since we will have 9:00 church (Hallelujah!!) we might be able to decorate during the day.

Resolute Intentions

It's that time again where even if you never set any goals for last year, you still take stock of where your life is and determine what might change for the better. I set one goal for myself last year and made many intentions. Let's see how I did. (Good thing I have a thick skin.)

My only goal was to Study Daily: FAIL
I didn't even come close. I used Tyler's study guide for about three weeks and then let it lapse. (My fault, not his.) And then I NEVER found a good study time or schedule. This doesn't mean that I didn't open a book or the scriptures for a year. We studied as a family and I usually kept up with my Sunday lessons, but I did not find the groove I envisioned. Pretty sad.

Now how about those intentions...luckily Emily told me I should post them on my side bar, so I really did see them frequently. But that doesn't mean they all went my way. The results are in.

1. Check in with Mint Weekly. FAIL (I maybe looked at Mint 5 times total through the year. I rock.)
2. Do a learning activity with Daisy once a week. FAIL (I read with her a lot but nothing else special.)
3. Blog 3 x's a week. PASS (sure, it wasn't great there at the end, but oddly enough, if you multiply 52 weeks by 3, it comes out to 156. And I blogged exactly 157 times last year. So we'll call that good.
4. Take one child on a date each month. PASS (can't remember all the dates, but they were done.)
5. Do Scripture study with the kids in the morning. FAIL/PASS (we actually did this for quite a while and we are getting back into the groove, but there are huge gaps where we were out of sync.
6. Have a FHE centered around service each month. PASS (we did not get every month, but I am giving myself some slack here. We still did a great job.
7. Possibly learn a home improvement thing. PASS (I could have done more, but I think this constitutes as success.)
8. Maintain all the fabulous stuff I do. PASS (kept almost all the traditions around here. Check.)
9. Read 12 books. PASS (okay, so with a book group, that isn't all that impressive, but I still did it.)
10. Find some exercise plan I like. PASS (have been running for 5 months now. Woot.)

So...if you look back, it isn't perfect, but there are also a lot of passes up there. I will accept my defeat where it came, and vow to fight again and do better. I am a champion, after all. And I like holding myself responsible to myself. Certainly I know best what I could be doing better. In fact, let's do it again. I give you...

Maleen's Intentions for 2013
(in no particular order)

1. Run 3 races. (That should keep me training.)
2. Read the Book of Mormon. (I read from the book every year, but I never complete it.)
3. Kid date once a month. (Gotta keep this one going. I love it.)
4. Attend the Temple 12 times. (That works out to once a month. Totally doable and perhaps a bit low.)
5. Track my spending. (New year, new system, new chance to fail again.)
6. Stop biting my nails. (Don't even care about this one, but it would make the husband happy.)

Six intentions sound good to me. There are more in my head of course, but I am trying not to go overboard. And they are really all things that I want to become. I want to be healthy, family oriented, spiritual, financially savvy, and in control of myself. None of these intentions are out of my reach. Nothing too fancy this year.

I liked this quote by Seth Godin posted recently on his blog: New Year's resolutions rarely work, because good intentions don't often survive a collision with reality. But an inventory is a helpful tool, a way to keep track of what you're building. Drip by drip.

I think my good intentions will collide nicely with my reality. Granted, it is still a collision, so I can plan for mess, chaos, and imperfection, but perhaps I will get a new car out of the bargain.

A Queen and Her Throne

Pearl is not close to potty training. It sure would be nice because I am ready to leave diapers behind. But Pearl is very stubborn and I am not going to try to push her before she is ready. I see bad things happening if I take that course.

And it is a shame, since number four, Daisy, was a champ. I don't even remember training her. She just sort of figured it out and did it all on her own. In fact, she still feels very comfortable in the bathroom.

I catch her reading sometimes.

More often, you can find her with Dad's phone.

She looks pretty sneaky here. I can't decide if she is grinning because she has a book, or because she is sitting backwards. Perhaps both.

 
Love my Daisy Cakes.

Serving It Up

To be clear, this is not the post about good intentions. (Really, still coming.) But I am going to mention another one. Our service continued right up into October where it ground to a halt. (Mainly because we were overwhelmed by holidays—in which we served, but not in such a structured manner.)

But October was very fun. We have a few trees in our yard, but nothing much and Tyler just mows the leaves into the grass. We have neighbors however who could supply a Wal-mart full of leaves. Too bad there is no real need for leaves. Besides in forests where they create a natural ground cover for seedlings and many critters. Other than that....just a LOT of leaves.

So we decided we would go rake. Sadly, as I was going to borrow rakes (since we don't have any) I drove by the house where we were planning to serve, and there was the sweet lady, raking up her leaves. Um...okay. Plan B.

We have an outstanding home teacher and friend who also has more trees than he can shake a stick at. We actually missed the first raking in which he made a pile of leaves taller than me, but we were still able to help out a bit. And the kids always love raking.

We were apprehended before we were finished, but Bro. Humphries was then nice enough to give our kids a dunk in the leaves. He chided us because we have never let our kids play in a pile of leaves, but we did let him put our children in the garbage. (You have to make sacrifices somewhere.)

Our experiences serving this year have been great. More often than not, the kids have an amazing time. Service can be fun, rewarding even. I look forward to another year of teaching my children to search for ways to look beyond themselves.

New Year's Scramble

I took a breather there, and that is always good for the soul. The bad news, is that life doesn't stop, and I am suddenly faced with a list of blog posts that boggles the mind. And I have no one to blame but myself. So, now that I have buttered my bread, it is time to lie down. (That goes back quite a ways to a quote attributed to my Uncle. He said, "You buttered your bread, now lie in it." I think the original quote may have something to do with making your bed, but my mind only holds the incorrect (and funnier, in my opinion) version.)

And so there is going to be quite a scramble here as I try to catch up and stay abreast of the present. Sadly, we will have to revisit 2012 quite often because I didn't wrap up anything, but that is okay. (I keep telling myself this, because I really don't feel it is okay. That is the perfectionist in me talking.) 

There is no good way to get going here. I have such a random list that needs to be covered. So, let's start with mommy/daughter dates. That was one of my good intentions for 2012. (Don't worry, good intentions will get their own post...sometime.) I didn't bring a camera on any date so far, but I have been having a lot of fun with my children. Back in September I took Robyn out to Color Me Mine. I hadn't posted these pictures because I gave the bowl to my Dad for Christmas. Robyn made a very cute turtle.

I love the detail on his shell.

I sat for a while and suddenly came up with this creation. (Living proof that my Dargan genes still run strong.)

He looks good from all angles.

I have a growing collection of hand painted pottery around here. I have blogged about some of them. But most of them have slipped under the radar. (Or at least I can't find them on the blog.) Just trust me that I have been almost a dozen times.

Daisy I took to The Bead Fairy. I have seen this store on the corner for years, but somehow I have never ventured inside, even when told how awesome it is. So, it was time to change that. And especially since June has been making bracelets and then charging her sisters for them. I told Daisy to not give up her allowance and I would get her a real bracelet. (Granted, June's bracelets are cute, but the thread used to make them does not hold up to child violence.)

Daisy was in heaven. We went through and she grabbed all the beads that looked good to here. Naturally, none of them matched. So we added a few more and came up with three really cute bracelets. 

And then, some idiotic mother allowed Daisy to take them to school. I even know better and I STILL let her take them. I broke all my own rules. She came back with one of them. Boo. And my least favorite of the lot. But the roses were her favorite so thank goodness for small favors. And now, I have good ammunition when children ask why we DON'T take things to school. Shame on me.

I made myself a necklace while I was there. I was trying to match some colors in a skirt, but somehow I ended up making a Halloween necklace. I really love it...I just won't be able to wear it year round. 

Here I am sporting it back around October. 

Also, beside me is the new can opener Tyler got me. I had a strong aversion to electric can openers, mainly because I couldn't get them to work. I felt like a dunce, but I was trying to save myself embarrassment, so I wouldn't own one. However, after going through a LONG LINE of manual can openers that kept failing after less than a year, it was time to face my fear. I am happy to say that I can open cans. (It's like doing the can-can. Ha!)

Anywho....I hope you are having a great new year. I am just happy that nothing major has broken down. (Unless you count Tyler's phone, which has died the death.) 

Stay tuned for plenty more. And I mean that.