Thinking Audibly

A new life

2012-02-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

For the last 9 years diapers have been part of my life. Thankfully not wearing them myself ;)

Before today Sanders was accident free for 4 days! Including running to the bathroom himself. He has even been waking up dry through the night. YAY!

I said before today. You see, Kevin got home from a 2 week business trip today. That's kind of thrown off the rhythm of things. Still, I'm hopeful.

This is an end of the diapers. 9 years of diapers. It's kind of awesome!

OH, and Tennyson had been wearing pull ups at night for a long time. When Sanders started potty training Tennyson announced he would no longer be wearing pull-ups at night. I told him, "OK, I'll see you at 2 am." But I didn't! He's stayed dry every night since.

Stick together

2012-02-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

My friend, Jaime, invited me and the kids over for dinner tonight. Her husband was at school and mine is, well, away.

It's truly lovely to spend time with someone you like but especially because you know that you are both feeling lonely and would rather not.

She is a great blessing in my life.

On the way home I asked Tennyson why he didn't eat very much, "Because I'm having a REALLY big snack at preschool on Valentine's Day so I'm trying not to eat very much."

Bwahahahaha!

It's true. There is a feast planned. Well a Tea Party. They are all to come in their Sunday best and practice their manners. Including leading girls into a room by the arm and all of that. It's darling and very appropriate for the Holiday of Love.

I tried to explain to him that maybe he should only do that on Tuesday and that a week of "saving room" was probably overkill. I'm not sure he bought it. This may make for very interesting meals for the next week.

It's something

2012-02-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow!!

It's been nearly a week since I posted. It's such a shame that good habits are so easily replaced.

I got an answer from the manufacturer today! It was....encouraging. You know what? I'm just going to copy and paste most of it.

Thanks Emilie for checking back in…We have not made any decisions at this time. After reviewing what we have & adjusting ship dates according to our selling we kind of feel we need to slow down a bit & make sure we have the proper sell-thru on the collections as they stand now. As for the future right now we have collections thru the Spring Quilt Market and have already started to move into the fall deliveries, but we are always looking for talented designers /artists! Please do not be discouraged we just need to concentrate on what we have right now before we look to sign on new artists.

One thing that I am not sure if I had mentioned before or not… I love your collections, but we are really looking for that specialty groups, ones that tell a story. The collections would consist of conversational prints or icon driven prints with flowers & geos as supporting patterns. We have really noticed from our selling the groups with animals (From our website - Feather N Stitch & Babysaurus) or icons (Kitchy Kitchen and Tinsel- which we have already reordered and it has not even shipped yet) are blowing out compared to the floral/geometric based groups plus I think with our artists we have already signed we have the floral/geo-look covered. If you want to rework what you have & maybe try to add something more that would be fabulous…I would love to see anything you send, but it is your call.

Thanks again for checking in & I really do hope we can work this out!!
Best~

I call that good. It seems to me she likes what I have done, but needs a specific fit. At first I wrestled with this. My personal taste tends to shy away from icon driven prints. That being said, as I looked over the collections she referenced, I began to envision ways to stay true to what I would buy while incorporating what is wanted. It's all a balancing act. PLUS, it's not a bad thing to get your foot in the door.

So. YAY! Progress!

Busy!

2012-02-01T22:24:00.002-07:00

Work has exploded! I have so much to do and just a short time to do it. I really like what I do, I'm the Marketing Manager. It's very fulfilling and uses my creativity in a new way every day.

I also emailed the manufacturing company I am waiting to hear from to see if they had made a decision.

Fingers, hair, toes and anything else I can cross....is crossed!

But?

2012-01-31T22:13:00.001-07:00

After running a few errands with the boys, I said," Well that was a fun adventure! "

Sanders answered as Sanders always answers these days," Why? "

Distracted with driving I half heard myself say, "Because, that was a fun surprise! " not really paying attention to my word choice.

Looking confused he said, "What? But....I don't have puppy! "

And now I know surprise in Sanders-land means he's expecting to get a puppy.

--------

I reminded Karaia that if she had to be reminded to stay on task one more time (this of course coming after multiple times of reminding her) she wouldn't be able to join us for FHE.

She had to be reminded...more than once. As she was stomping downstairs, lamenting her consequence, she informed me, "Mom, it's called FAMILY night. Not, 1/4 of a family night! "

We compromised. She was able to be part of the lesson and scripture and songs, but couldn't take part in the treat or activity.

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So....

2012-01-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a few days and that is just weird. I've wanted to, but not enough make it happen. And that, my friends, is just lame.

Potty training is exhausting. Even if you don't have accidents...which we have, not many, but enough...the constant reminding to go potty, get COMPLETELY undressed, him not me, because going to the bathroom with anything more than a shirt is ludicrous, then getting REDRESSED every half hour is a word, exhausting.

Sanders has done fairly well. He hasn't had very many wet accidents and only 2 1/2 poop accidents. Why the half, well something came out, completely round. It then bounced off his underwear barely leaving any mark, and rolled down his leg. Then, THEN he picked it up and brought it to me on the palm of his hand! And then. handed. it. to. me! Why did I take it?!?!?!? I think I was afraid he would drop it and squish it. I don't know. There was POOP in a hand. I panicked.

YUCK!!!!!! Excuse me while I gag.

Here's a little back information, that is pretty much too much info, but he is my kid that poops on average 5 times a day. And since he decided to start potty training on Tuesday, he has only pooped 3 times. The whole 3 days. It's like he's scared to do that on the toilet.

Sigh.

Potty training.....Yay?

Still here's a cute picture of Sanders after having a particularly successful day.

Oh wait. I mean THIS one. That one is just hilarious!

He's probably cute enough that I can keep doing this. Except the poop in the hand part...I'm not doing that again.

Do I dare?

2012-01-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today Sanders said something that I was pretty sure was far into the future, "I need to go potty!" He said this right as we were dropping Tennyson off at preschool. Out of the blue. He held it in all the way home and after a few minutes on the toilet he successfully went.....both "kinds"!!!

He then flatly refused to wear diapers the rest of the day.

What the ?!?!?!

Um, I am SO not ready for this. It was not on the radar. We've been casually talking about when he turns 3, on March 2, we will become serious about this whole potty on toilet business. And maybe about 4 or 5 times a week, as we were changing a diaper, we will offer him the chance to sit on the toilet. He has refused nearly every time, to which we always say, "OK. Let me know if you want to go potty on the toilet." End of discussion.

So today's little "announcement" floored me.

UGH! I HATE potty training! But usually I have time to prepare myself....

Since we are doing this thing I will record how the day went from 1pm on.

1:20 First potty success (BOTH) YAY!

Did the potty dance, called his favorite friend Rhyse and Daddy. SUPER excited.

Put underwear on.

2:00 Wet underwear --this one was TOTALLY my fault. I made the rookie mistake of forgetting that just because he went on the potty doesn't mean the training was over. I forgot to remind him.

2:05 set the timer for every 15 mins.

2:19 (1 min before the timer was going to go off) Wet underwear (Bummer!)

One more Pee success and dry underwear until the rest of the day!!! He even started running to the bathroom without me prompting if he heard the timer go off first.

YAY Sanders!

This wasn't the MY plan, but I'm hoping that because Sanders start it, it will go better than I think it's going to go. I'm pretty sure it's going to be, well you know, potty training.

Wish us luck!

Religion

2012-01-22T19:44:00.001-07:00

I'm following this great blog. I have been for a few years now. She recently found out she has cancer. She's only a few years older than me and is seriously one of the most positive, joyous people.

Her post today was on going back to her church. She has felt in the past church was not her thing and that she was very religious regardless of her church attendance. That God was not "IN" church but in how she lives her life. I've followed her for awhile and I strongly believe that she is very religious and one of the best people I have ever heard of. She gives Heavenly Father all the credit for her life and she recognizes that even the hard parts of the journey are being orchestrated for her good. So much light and joy and well doing have come because of the way she leads her life.

It makes me sad though that so many feel that attending a church is restrictive. That they aren't being true to who they are if they follow the "restrictive" rules of an organized religion. Life is restrictive in general. Every action has a consequence, good or bad. Even outside of religion. Sure you can do what ever the heck you want and not follow ANY of the rules or guidelines, but your life will reflect that and there will be many consequences you chose that I doubt you'll be happy with.

It's your choice to spend the night outside in the snow. No one can FORCE you to seek a restrictive shelter.

If my children want dessert I'm going to require them to eat their dinner. Not because I am trying to control their life, or their behaviors but because I love them and I know they will be healthier and therefore happier if they don't skip the part that is still very important. EVEN though skipping dinner and going straight to dessert might make them feel happier in the moment.

I've always thought this way. It's not a chore. It's an opportunity. I don't have to go to church. It's my choice. I happen to like the consequences of going. A break from the negativity of the general contentions of the world. A renewal of my personal faith and spirituality, And a contentment that I am heading in the direction that will put me where I want to be in the future. A chance to learn more and be uplifted my other people's journeys. It's a good place to shut out the distractions and focus on important things.

Of course this is not the "popular" point of view. It's MUCH easier to say, "You don't need church to be religious." Of course you don't, but that's that same as saying you don't need dinner to live. You can stay alive by only eating dessert. Both statements are true. But it's easier to live a long, full healthy life if you eat a well balanced dinner. You DO need dinner to be healthy...to be the BEST you can be.

I guess that how I see it. Yes, you absolutely can be spiritual and in tune with God with out Church. But life is hard enough. Why try and do it on your own when there is SO much help offered?

Closer

2012-01-20T23:22:00.000-07:00

I should hear from the fabric manufacturing company any day now. I go through moments of just KNOWING it's going to be a No to moments of just KNOWING it's going to be a yes.

I still have a major case of designer block, but my job with Pick Your Plum is forcing me into some new illustrator skills as a by product and that feels really great.

I'm scared to email the company because I kind of don't want to know. If they say No it truly will be back to square one. Up to this point there has always been someone else I was waiting for as well. If it's square one then that means going back to Market and frankly that is not in the budget for the year.

Wouldn't it be amazing if it was a yes?!?!?!

Boys

2012-01-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to the two little guys dividing all the hot wheel cars up before they can begin playing,

"Sanders, do you like blue?"

"Uh huh!"

"Do you like green?"

"Me like green and blue!"

"You like green blue?"

"Yup!"

"What about red?"

A gasp of complete disbelief, "NO. Not red!"

Sheesh...you'd think Tennyson had asked him to eat something gross.

Choices

2012-01-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

You know, something that I've always know, but have really been focusing on this last week is the fact that while I may not have total control over what I am feeling, it comes down to my personal choice as to how I act with that feeling. MY choice.

I can choose joy amidst anger or sorrow or disappointment. I am in control.

I find that very empowering.

Productive

2012-01-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have a few people in my life who are just SO darn productive. It amazes me. I don't know how they do it and be moms and keep their houses clean, etc. It's like I can focus on one area and that's it.

I can be creative, or I can be a great mom, or I can keep a clean house, or whatever. Try and combine any of those things and none of them goes very well. What's the deal?!?!?

Am I the only one like this.....?

Hmmmm, maybe I don't want to know.

Scripture Tracker

1 Ne chp 4 vs 24 - 38

Blocked or Content?

2012-01-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

You know how I have a lot of dreams?

Well I am stuck. I have a serious case of designers block. It's almost as if I am so completely loving my life right now that the drive has lessened a bit. It's not that I didn't love my life before, but I felt like something was missing. There was more to do. Not that it's gone, but, at the moment, it doesn't ache like it normally does. It makes the saying, "Suffering Artist" come to life. I feel like what I have learned in the journey has changed me SO much. For the better. Even though the dream hasn't come true, I am who I always wanted to be...even without the dream.

Interesting.

This is a good thing right? To be satisfied with where your life is? I don't feel like I've settled, but the fact that I'm not feeling as driven is new to me. I find myself mistaking it as laziness so I hop on down to the computer and my sketch pad to light the fire again and nothing happens. My dreams have been design free. That's just plain weird for me. I haven't even tried to 'Dream remodel' my house in forever. For weeks now this has been the case. Then I put the sketch pad down look at all the cute little people around me and go play.

Can't beat that.

I will still strive to achieve my goal. But for now, I think I've gotten a pretty clear sign that it's time to enjoy these moments.

Scripture Tracker

Yesterday

1 Ne Chp 4 vs 1-5

Today

1 Ne Chp 4 vs 6-23

( I think it's funny how clearly you can tell what kind of day we have had by the amount of verses we have read. Ha!)

Humbling

2012-01-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

I didn't blog yesterday. It was very liberating to realize I felt no guilt about it this morning!

Today Beckham, my first grader, learned a really good lesson about why bragging is not so awesome. He has been given the opportunity to go with the 3rd graders for math. He had been asking his teacher for this chance since about week 2 of school. The 3rd graders go into a different room during this time. As they were lining up, apparently Beckham made sure the rest of the class noticed, in no uncertain terms, that he also was lining up.

Thankfully, Mrs. Pickett is amazing and was able to pull him aside and explain how his actions made others feel and how she was just as excited for him as he was and that he is an awesome kid, but there is a time and a place for everything.

Well all Beckham heard was that he is an awesome kid because by the time he got home and I asked him about it (I happened to have volunteered in their class today and Casey (Mrs. Pickett) told me all about it) he had no memory of bragging....at all. SO we called Mrs. Picket , and by we I mean I made Beckham call Mrs. Pickett, and have her refresh his memory. This time I think it stuck. Of course she, and I still praised him for this amazing accomplishment, but we were very clear that he would lose it if he chose to continue bragging about it.

Don't get me wrong, I am very proud of Beckham. He has wanted this chance for SO long and has been very proactive with Mrs. Pickett getting everything she required of him done so he would be ready when it came. It was all him. He worked hard and earned it. I don't want to diminish that.

But it is one thing to feel pride for a job well done.....It is quite another to rub it in everyone's face.

I'm so very thankful he is learning these lessons at 7 and not at 17. AND, once again, I am SO, so, SO thankful Casey is there to help me teach him!!!

Scripture Tracker

Yesterday:

Finished 1 Ne chp 2 vs 17 - Ch 3 vs 20

Today:

1 Ne Chp 3 vs 21 - 31

Small Fail

2012-01-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we didn't read the scriptures as a family. Not even a week and I failed on my goal. Boo.

Well, I can look at this two ways.

1) Epic failure. What's the point. Way TOO large of a goal

OR

2) Yes, will not be able to say we read the scriptures as a family every day this year even though I WAS able to blog every day last year, BUT getting 6 people to do something every day is a lot harder than getting one person to do something every day. And so, we will just continue as if we didn't miss.

Of course I'm going with outlook # 2. I am disappointed, but Sundays are very challenging for us, especially now that we have changed to 1:00 pm church. Tennyson was a wreck by the time we got home from my dad's for dinner and it was all we could do to get him to bed. I totally forgot about scriptures as I was worrying about my OTHER goal of keeping my temper in check...We will just read scriptures before church to avoid this in the future.

Tonight we used family night as our scripture reading.

SCRIPTURE TRACKER

Moses 6: 62

Fasting

2012-01-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

As part of being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I practice fasting on the first Sunday of every month for at least two meals. This practice is NOT mandatory but encouraged. Children are not encouraged to fast until they turn 8.

Today was Fast Sunday. Karaia turned 8 last December and has yet to miss fasting during any Fast Sunday. We never have reminder her. In fact, it's usually her reminding Kevin and I what day it is. She's never complains. It just something she wants to do.

Every ward changes the time that they meet in January. In 2011 our ward met from 11 - 2. This year we meet from 1 - 4 pm. It makes Fast Sundays a bit more challenging for everyone, but especially someone who hasn't done it for that length before. This was Karaia's case.

Again, she didn't hesitate this morning to remember what day it was. And when the boys were having lunch she quietly played down stairs not complaining. But with 20 minutes left of the last meeting she truly understood what it meant to be fasting. It was very, very hard for her. But she did it. She was pretty proud of herself after she got a bit of food in her tummy ;)

Finally!

2012-01-07T20:30:00.004-07:00

It finally looks like winter around here today!

The kids LOVED it! Well, Sanders really liked the "idea" of it and eating it, but the temperature forced him inside after about 20 minutes.

The three bigger kids rode the sled, played tag, had a snow man ball fight (you build small snow men really, really fast and then throw them at each other, and, of course, built a snow man.

While this was all going on, Ferb, decided to show off his snow skills and earned himself the name of the "Snow Subway". He was hilarious.

He would crouch down and then dive head first into the snow burrowing a tunnel for a few feet and then fly up through the surface and chase any snow balls he scattered on the way up. It was joyful to watch! Not only that but if you got his attention and threw a snowball up in the air he would go after it! I swear this cat is more dog than cat...in all the good dog ways and none of the poop on the grass ways.

Yay for snow!

SCRIPTURE TRACKER

1 Ne chp. 2 vs 10 -16

Scripture Tracker update

2012-01-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

So....no one has called me out on my missing Scripture Tracker the past two days. What's up people?!?!?! Where's the love? Just kidding!

Actually, we've done very well and read every night since I made the goal. I just can't seem to remember to post it. Tonight's post is brought to you by the Letter S and the number 3

Wednesday Jan. 4, 2012

Scripture Tracker

1Ne. chp. 1 vs 8 - 15

Thurs. Jan. 5, 2012

Scripture Tracker

1Ne. chp. 1 vs 16- 20

Fri. Jan. 6, 2012

Scripture Tracker

1 Ne. chp. 2 vs 1-9

My favorite part about all of this, besides feeling like we are heading in the right direction is seeing how excited Sanders gets about it. He sits with his own scriptures taking his book mark in and out of his book. When it's his turn to read he usually just wants someone else to read his verse...but from HIS book.

I can already see the change in my family. I can't wait to see how far we go by the end of the year!

Reality Check

2012-01-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

The thing about marriage is it is mostly awesome. Well, the marriage I've experienced anyway. Everyone has their own journey of course. We had to work really hard in the beginning to over come some communication habits that weren't super marriage friendly. But we worked hard, and continue to work hard, at growing closer and stronger.

Today was one of the harder days. As with most hard days in marriage it didn't really need to be and it was over things that don't really matter in the long run. Kevin and I don't dwell on the hard days. We are never frustrated with each other longer than a few hours. Today was longer than normal, but mostly because it started before Kev left for work, continued through his lunch break, but by the time he walked in the door at the end of the day both of us were SO over being angry/hurt/frustrated that is was almost like we hadn't been at odds most of the day. YAY! It's wonderful being married to someone who knows how to say He's sorry (and means it) without any prompting and accepts when you say you are sorry.

It's going to happen if you live with someone who is not an exact duplicate of you. Even then, I don't think everything would be happy all the time. Heck, I get frustrated with me every now and again.

The good thing about the hard days is that, if you learn from them and find the light, you end up leaps ahead of where you would be if you had only experienced smooth sailing. Something about opposition in all things.

So here's to the hard days!

Just not too many *wink*

It's pretty obvious, Dad!

2012-01-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I were talking to Sanders about how to appropriately play with the cat. He does great most of the time...until he tries to pick him up and Ferb realizes he's just about as long as Sanders and there is no support. Then Ferb meows. Not a mean meow or even a warning, but more of a, "Come on kid...seriously. There's no why it's going to happen...so move along now."

He doesn't run away, he just kind of whines about the situation. He's a fantastic cat!

Anyway, we were asking Sanders to explain what he thinks Ferb is trying to tell him when he meows like that.

Me: "Sanders what does the cat do when you try and pick him up?"

Sanders: "Meows."

Me: "What do you think he's trying to say?"

Sanders: "Stop."

Me: "That's right!"

Kevin: "Sanders, how do you know that? Do you speak Cat?"

Sanders: "Dad, *eye roll* I no speak cat! I speak Danderd!!!" (Sanders---he says S as a D in his name)

Wordage

2012-01-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

Over the Christmas break Beckham really, REALLY wanted to do this 1000 piece jig saw puzzle that I have no idea where we got, but at some point lived at D.I. It was a challenging puzzle with all of about 5 colors of various shades.

At one point, early on in the puzzle putting together process, Karaia sidled up to help. Kevin, half joking, asked her to find one specific piece. In about 5 seconds she was saying, "Here it is!" And thus she earned herself the nick name of Eagle Eye Karaia.

Later in the afternoon, Beckham wanting to be just like his dad, turned to his sister and called her Beetle Eyed Karaia!

*In keeping with my goals for the year, I decided I needed a daily record of the scripture reading we will be doing. So at the end of every post, if we have already read for the day, I will document what we read. That way I'll have a bit more accountability. If you don't see the scriptures, maybe you can give me a "try again tomorrow" pep talk :) *

Scripture Tracker

1 Nephi Chp. 1 vs 1 -8

Goals 2012

2012-01-02T23:58:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking about what I would really like to focus on and accomplish this year. Of course there will be one that belongs on the list for at least another 8 years (become a fabric designer), but beyond that....what is my passion?

I found myself always returning to my family. While these may not seem as exciting as last years goals and pretty personal, success I have outside of my family life will dull if that part isn't what it needs to be. The truth is I am not the mother I want to/can be. I am too controlling, too short of patience, and all the other "too"s that don't make a very good mother, etc. My dream family is one that has an atmosphere of peace, LOTS of laughing, and a safe place to be no matter how imperfect you are. Fortunately for me I think I have a good idea how to achieve that, but it will take a LOT of work. It's doable, but it's going to be hard. Super hard.

And so, the goals for this year include, but are not limited to

1: Reading the Book of Mormon as a family every. single.day ( I just decided this goal tonight, after I put the kids to bed so it will start tomorrow. I hesitated to make it a goal because I know just how challenging this will be for me on the days I just want the kids in bed already! Also we have no less then three major trips planned for this year and that also makes things harder. That being said, I have no doubt that this is the most necessary step to create the family I so very strongly desire.

2. Actively checking my temperature and cooling it down. Have you heard the saying , "Fake it 'til you make it?"

Source: tweakiz.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Well, by "checking my temperature" I mean to be actively aware of my temper and acting exactly opposite of my knee jerk reactions. This is going to be the toughest. But until it because a habit to speak softly regardless of the situation I am going to be, for the lack of a better explanation, "fake soft" until it becomes second nature to react that way in the first place. No more mommy tantrums for me! Well, at least a whole lot fewer.

and then, of course

3. Secure a contract with a fabric manufacturing company. Surprisingly, this feels the least daunting to accomplish :) I sure hope it happens for me this year, but if it doesn't I have no doubt I am going to have a blast trying!!!

Dear readers, I know there are a bunch of you that read and never comment (HI!) I am going to need a LOT of encouragement this year. I've set the bar high for myself and whenever you aim high you are going to fall hard a few times. Any pats on the back, smiles, gems of wisdom without judgment you feel inspired to share will be loved and cherished!!!

Here's to a GREAT year!!

Can't do it

2012-01-01T23:55:00.003-07:00

I can't not blog. It feels too weird.

I'm playing with my cousins, The Four Musketeers, for our annual New Year's Day get together.

We always have a good time. For example there may or may not have been grape juice coming out a nose....not mine, thank goodness....I mean....if it were to have happened that is.

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I did it!!!

2011-12-31T21:04:00.003-07:00

I've been thinking about a few of the goals I set for myself this year and am pretty happy with the outcomes.

I lost all of the weight I gained when I was pregnant with Sanders. True, I have gained some of it back and lost a lot of the tone I gained, but I did it! AND I am still ahead of where I started. So YAY!

I went to Quilt Market!!!!!!!! This was seriously the highlight of this year! I met some of my most favorite fabric designers, turned down a contract (I know...some days I can't believe I did that either, but I still hold firm to the belief that it was the right choice), and have maintained some level of contact with manufacturing companies for the remainder of the year. True, I still do not have a contract, but I am SO much further along than I was last year!

And finally, I blogged every day this year! It's been a great goal. Like all goals it hasn't come easy, but it has been worth it.

Thank you to everyone for all of your comments (those are my favorite!), encouragement, and joining me in my journey!

Tonight we had a party with just my little family to celebrate the great year we had. We had some big dreams we shot for this year. It's been a great ride!

The spread!

Love these kids!!!

Ignore the dirty dishes in the background...there's a party going on :)

Happy New Year!!!!

Can't wait to see what next year brings!!! It will be tough to top this year :)

Bitter sweet

2011-12-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

The end of the year is approaching. As well as the completion of my goal to blog everyday. There are no cut and dry feelings about this subject. On nights, like tonight, where I feel I am rushing to beat the clock to get my post in I think it will be a relief to just not blog.

But on the other side, I feel like I have really had to evaluate how I am effected by what goes on around me. More importantly, how I want to deal with it.

I'm far from perfect....all right, all right. stop laughing.....I realize that is a rather obvious statement...but even being imperfect I feel that because I took a look at myself, my surrounds, and how I reacted because/toward them on a daily basis I am closer to who I long to be and who my Heavenly Father needs me to be than I was at the beginning of the year.

To realize that may be ending is not so sweet.

So we shall see. Maybe I will continue the goal, but allow for a number of "free" days throughout the year.

The Christmas picture post

2011-12-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

So I finally got around to uploading all the Christmas morning pictures. I'll let them do most of the talking tonight.

Karaia's American Girl doll sized furniture,complete with working fireplace, and Tennysons HUGE tub of Legos

Sanders' "Choo Choos and Beckham's Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle Lego set, that has been put together for days now!

Coming in ,youngest to oldest, with Nana and Pappa watching

Ferb's new cat toy

What a great Christmas morning!

Cleaning out

2011-12-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Karaia and Beckham wanted to invite a few friends over today. Being the mean mother that I strive to maintain a reputation for, I required them to have clean, tidy rooms before any friends could come.

This has gone a few ways. Either wailing and gnashing with little to no actual cleaning going on or quick cleaning and fun time with friends. I would say it was mostly the later today. I did, however notice a few of Beckham's "cleaning" techniques that I will have to keep an eye out in future cleaning endeavors.

For example: I would clear a certain area, i.e. a desk top, under a desk, under the bed, etc. place everything I found in the middle of the floor and ask Beckham to put everything on the floor in it's proper home. I would then move on to another area or drawer only to find some of the exact same items I had just recently placed in the middle of the floor. Instead of finding their homes he would just stash them somewhere else.

He's not entirely clever about it though. The funniest time was right after I had totally cleared out under the bed. It was nice and clean and had a clear line of site from one side to the other. After I moved on to a desk I turned to place something in the middle of the floor only to notice that under the bed was not so clean as before.

Sheesh. No wonder he can't ever find all his stuff!

The best part is it is all clean! I went back and double checked everything after I learned his little secret.

It's nice to think about those rooms and not break out into hives!!!!

Down time

2011-12-27T21:46:00.002-07:00

I finally found a day that required nothing more of me than playing with my children in our pajamas all day. That and a bit of reading.

That is exactly what I did and loved every second of it.

Birthday Boy

2011-12-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

Kevin turned 33 today. I swear we are barely in our still in our 20's but the numbers keep going higher.

We started off the day with some sleeping in and breakfast in bed and a gift of a remote control helicopter. Kind of like the one Beckham got. He LOVES it!

Then I took him out for lunch at Biaggi's where he got his favorite penne sardi. Thank you to Grandpa Guy and Grandma Emma for coming to our house, making the kid's beds, doing dishes and all in all loving our children!!!

When we got home we tidy Christmas toys up a bit and began to get ready for some friends and their children to come and play games. Dinner was supposed to be at 5pm. Unfortunately, the roast was still a bit frozen in the center when it started cooking and struggled to heat up. We were using our New Wave oven we got for Christmas from Mom and Dave (Which we love! Thank you!). We've cooked a roast in there before and it turned out perfect. I was SO stressed!

It took another hour to completely cook, but it was SO worth the wait. Nice and juicy and good flavor.

After dinner the kids ran wild and the adults played games. It was SO fun!!!

Happy Birthday, Kevin! You are my favorite person, my best friend, a terribly successful father, and an all around talented, caring, loving person. I love you!

Early Christmas

2011-12-25T22:05:00.003-07:00

Last night I told Karaia and Beckham that they could get up this morning any time after 5 am. I was TOTALLY kidding! These are the two children of mine that will actually sleep in late. Apparently, however, Karaia set her internal clock and at 5:15am Karaia and Beckham were at the foot of our bed wide awake. And by wide awake, I mean Christmas morning wake. There was NO way they would go back to bed.

So we called my mom and Dave who wanted to be her to watch the magic and when they got here we woke the two little boys up. That's right. You read correctly. I willing woke Tennyson and Sanders up in the early morning hours.

Here's the short list of the gift run down:

Sanders: Mega Blocks Thomas train sets. He LOVES them!
Tennyson: an insanely MASSIVE amount of Legos. He could barley be bothered to eat.
Beckham: The big Harry Potter Castle Lego set. He loves that it is taking so long and it's so complicated ;)
Karaia: Furniture for her America Girl Doll. She is in Heaven.
Emilie: The next two books in The Mysterious Benedict Society series. YAY!!!
Kevin: A three tier cooling rack. I know it sounds lame, but I promise he likes it AND I got him LOTS of Resses Peanut Butter Christmas tress. AND Kevin and I don't need a ton or expensive things to be happy.

The rest of the day was mostly wonderful. Mid afternoon was a little rough because the lack of sleep totally took over a few personalities, but other than that it was nice.

We went to Grandma Candace and Grandpa Jim's house, then to the Francom's church, then back home for much needed naps, and rounded out the day with a very nice time at my Dad's.

All in all I'd call everything a success!

No time for relaxing though. Tomorrow is Kevin's birthday and I am bound and determined to make him feel as wonderful as he makes me feel!

Tradition

2011-12-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

We opened the Christmas pajamas!

Only one more sleep 'til Christmas!!

Lights

2011-12-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

We did it. We finally made it.

We plan every year to take our kids to see the lights on Temple Square. And for the past...oh, I can't even tell you how many....few years something or another comes up and we don't make it.

Well, tonight we did!

Isn't the Salt Lake Temple beautiful?

The weather was fantastic. The crowds? Well, let's call them "cozy". The kids really enjoyed all the lights. We had a family council after seeing the HUGE line to see the Christus and decided we will have a special family night in January and go back when there aren't so many people.

Beckham said, " I liked the nativity scene, seeing the Christus from outside, and being with my family!"

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Comparing

2011-12-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

If we compare today against yesterday, today would be 10,564 points ahead of yesterday!

The laundry is done...well mostly. There are still a few shirts that need to be hung but it turns out I actually do not own enough hangers for the number of shirts that I have. How that came to be I can't rightly tell you, but I'm almost positive it had something to do with the fact that I abhor putting laundry away and therefore will dress myself and my children with clean clothes straight from the basket. See, even if I had wanted to put everything away I wouldn't have been able to. It was better to be naive for so long. Really, who wants to spend Christmas money on clothes hangers?

Anyway.

Not only that, but nearly every room is tidy. Sanders' needs a bit of attention and I'm sure my sewing/craft room needs some help, but every thing else is quite presentable.

YAY!!!

Now I feel like we can add toys and trinkets and I won't have to lose my mind. I think that's much closer to the Christmas spirit of things.

In addition to the house being in order, today is also far better than yesterday because Kevin and I found a cute babysitter to watch the kiddos so we could go to Meghan and Alex's annual Christmas game night! Fun!!! Kevin won all the games we played so we are just not sure he is invited next year. Next year I might not be able to "find" a babysitter and I will have to go alone.....Sad.....so, so sad. *wink*

Can't seem to get there

2011-12-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

I debated about posting this. Do I document how I'm really feeling or pretend that I'm feeling like the way I want to be feeling? Confused? Yeah. Me too.

I just cannot seem to get in the Christmas spirit. I feel WAY too much like an adult and the piles and PILES of laundry and other house hold chores, but who are we kidding it's always going to include laundry at my house, get in the way. That and the cost of Christmas and the added fun things that go onto our schedule are making it challenging for me.

Today the kids only had a half day of school. So I decided that today would be a stay in your pjs, for those of us not having any school to go to, and do whatever we were in the mood for kind of day. That is what I LOVED doing as a kid and I thought it would bump me right into the Christmas mood.

Instead, I am sitting here thinking about all the extra things I need to do tomorrow because I played hooky today. There is just no pleasing me.

Sigh.

There's still a few more days. Maybe that Christmas spirit is just waiting for the right moment to show up.

Almost Caught

2011-12-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

Karaia almost caught us tonight.

The kids were supposed to be in bed...sleeping.

Kev and I were in the living room doing the things parents do this time of the year. We had already run some interference a few times with Karaia as she kept getting out of bed with super-important-can't-possibly-wait-'til-morning items to discuss with us. Shortly after the last time of putting her back to bed there was a loud knock on the door. I jumped so high!!!

It was my cute friend dropping off a gift. As we were saying our goodbyes, we were interrupted by a little voice at the top of the stairs. I jumped again! When I landed, my hand found it's way in front of Karaia's eyes as I guided her back downstairs.

"What are you doing mom?"

"What? Nothing......"

"Why did you cover my eyes?"

"Because I was trying to help you sleep. You shouldn't be awake."

"No you're hiding something."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you moved really fast when you saw me."

"I didn't want the door to hit me when I was closing it after Lindsey left."

"No......That's a different kind of panic..."

"Go to sleep, Karaia."

Fishy

2011-12-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

One of Karaia's favorite restaurants is McGrath's Fish House. I'm not totally sure why this is, but when given the choice she will most likely choose to go here to eat.

Tonight was no exception.

At our house you get friend birthday parties ages 3 or 4 through 6 every year. After that you get a friend party every other year. On the off years you get to chose a friend to come out to dinner with us. Karaia invited her friend Asia to come along today.

This girls are so fun together. LOTS of giggling and silly conversations. Add to the mix that Beckham does not do a good job of hiding the fact that he has a small crush on Asia and you get a very entertaining night.

McGrath's does a great job with birthday celebrations. The birthday girl got the biggest serving of ice cream and was serenaded while wearing a fish hat. She thought it was magical.

I'm not quite sure what she will do with herself tomorrow when she no longer has an event to celebrate her birthday....

The big 9!!!

2011-12-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's unbelievable about that my little baby is 9 considering I'm pretty sure I just had her yesterday.

NINE!

Nine seems so old.

Karaia was a lot of fun today. She wanted a nail salon for her birthday. It came with everything including a nail dryer! She was in heaven! From the boys she also got a make your own Lip Balm set, but she read the title wrong and she said, "Oh look! Lip blam!" So we now lovingly refer to it as lip blam. "Hey Karaia, my lips feel dry. Can I use some of your lip blam?" hehehe

Karaia is 9!!!

Karaia requested a special breakfast of eggs, sausage, and pancakes. She also requested a white confetti cake with pink frosting, that tastes like vanilla, decorated with pink frosting flowers and green leaves. Whew! She wanted to help decorate her own cake and I think it turned out pretty cute!

Karaia also requested to have her family birthday party at Grandma Candace's house. I was so happy to hear that! Even with Candace and Jim's HUGE house we were still very cozy. We feel so loved!!! Thank you for letting us have it there!!

Karaia is a great kid. She surprises me all the time with how helpful she is and how much she is capable of. Our relationship is transitioning from strictly Mom and Daughter to Mom-Daughter-friend. It's pretty much wonderful!

I LOVE this picture!

Karaia loves to laugh and has a great giggle that really shines the second she anywhere near any of her girl friends. It's hard to hear the words for the giggles. It's darling.

I have loved watching her grow into the beautiful young lady that she is.

I'm very blessed to be her mom!

I love you Karaia!

Growing

2011-12-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

We had another great Christmas party today. It was for the Daly family side.

I can tell the kids are growing up because everyone was patiently waiting their turns and no one tried to open anyone else's presents unless they were invited too. It's so great to see my kids using the manners I have been teaching them forever.

My kids are at such fun ages.

Now if only I can remember to bring the camera and actually document some of the fun.

Santa

2011-12-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

We saw Santa tonight at our ward party. Sanders was sooo excited to see Santa that he tried to cut straight to the front of the line as soon as we walked into the room. Thankfully the wait was pretty short. Once it was Sanders' turn he wasted no time jumping on Santa's lap.

Tennyson, on the other hand, was not so sure. It took a little convincing that it would be ok to sit on Santa's lap. Once he was there he did just fine. Look at that picture. That doesn't look like a kid who is afraid of Santa does it?

Beckham and Karaia look like they're getting too big to sit on Santa's lap.

Dinner was excellent, the program was great, and we had a really good time.

Now I'm off to a movie with a bunch of girls from the Ward.

Been awhile

2011-12-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've done a stream of consciousness post. Seeing as I don't have anything exciting to report otherwise it feels like the right choice for tonight.

I recently finished the book The Mysterious Benedict Society. I loved it. It's geared toward children probably ages 8 and above although there are a few words and concepts that even had me rereading the sentence a few times. It's a mystery without being scary. It's brilliantly written and very engaging. Sheesh. I should totally get paid for this post. But seriously, the second I finished the book I turned right back to the front and started rereading it! It has a twist ending that made me want to relive the story knowing what I now know.

Let's see what else.....

This is a super, SUPER busy month for us. 3 birthdays, Christmas parties galore, and all the other fun holiday things. But it sure makes it pretty easy to find joy throughout the day.

Alright...I am running out of rambling. Shocker I know.

Perhaps I'll be more entertaining tomorrow.

Branching out

2011-12-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I just felt sad. I missed my friends that have moved away.

Today I decided I just better do something about that and began inviting a few girls I know to go to the movies with me this weekend. The new Sherlock Holmes movie opens and I have read nearly every Sherlock Holmes book and love them all.

It's no use sitting around waiting for something you want to just happen. It's way easier, but it does no good.

Short

2011-12-13T20:00:00.001-07:00

Some days mothering skills fall short of what you plan on.

Thankfully, children are forgiving and tomorrow is open to all possibilities.

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Far into the future

2011-12-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight Beckham asked if he could give me an extra hug.

"Of course!"

As I hugged him I realized he was crying. "What's wrong, Bud?"

Through his tears he explained, "I'm just sad. I'm sad to go to college and leave my family. I'm excited to go on my mission, but I am sad to go on my mission. It's sad to leave you guys for two years!"

What big thoughts for such a young age. My heart broke a little because of the tenderness of his heart. Wanting so much to be obedient and grown up and yet longing for things to stay as they are.

Aren't we all a bit like that?

I told him I would write him every week and send him presents for Christmas and his birthday. I also reminded him that he will get to call on Christmas and Mother's Day.

He said, "It's strange that missionaries only call on Christmas and Mother's Day."

I'm sure there will be some teenage years in there where he can't wait to leave home. But for now, my darling boy thinks 12 years until he leaves on a mission is much too much short a time.

I have to agree.

Great timing

2011-12-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

As I anticipate hearing back from a few fabric companies, hopefully shortly, I have run across some quotes that seem to be just what I needed.

“Yes, there are cautions and considerations to make, but once there has been genuine illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don't give up when the pressure mounts. Don't give in. Certainly don't give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. He wants everyone to be miserable like unto himself. Face your doubts. Master your fears. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence.’ Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you.” ~

Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence

JEFFREY R. HOLLAND
devotional address was delivered at BYU on 2 March 1999.

Elder Holland also teaches: “Of course our faith will be tested as we fight through these self-doubts and second thoughts. Some days we will be miraculously led out of Egypt--seemingly free, seemingly on our way--only to come to yet another confrontation, like all that water lying before us. At those times we must resist the temptation to panic and to give up. At those times fear will be the strongest of the adversary's weapons against us.”

And

"Yes, it’s important that we do our part in matters of faith. And yes, doing our part often means taking action. But sometimes…sometimes…when standing in front of the “Red Seas” of our lives—those places we feel we’ve been brought to but can’t now imagine a way through—sometimes, doing our part is being willing to “stand still” and trust that “the Lord shall fight for [us].” ~ Laurel Christensen.

Three weeks

2011-12-10T23:27:00.000-07:00

I am three weeks away from completing my goal of posting every day this year and I nearly blew it! I almost went to bed without posting. ACK!

Now that that's done...Goodnight :)

(Yes, Annie, it's a total cop out post, but at least it's a post)

32

2011-12-09T16:13:00.002-07:00

My cute husband has planned for the kids to stay and Grandma and Grandpa's while we stay at a hotel tonight.

He's wonderful and I am a lucky, lucky girl!

Last night

2011-12-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

This is the last night before I have to change the number I tell everyone when they ask how old I am.

Early in the week I said to Karaia, "I can't believe I am going to be 32 on Friday!!"

Karaia looked shocked and said, "What?! You don't look 32."

"Oh really? How old do I look?"

"29. You see, Mom, there are some moms that look like they are in their 30's and there are some moms that look like they are in their 20's"

Here's to hopping for one more year of looking like I am in my 20's although the ever increasing wrinkles suggest otherwise *wink* I seriously want some over priced anti-wrinkle cream just to feel like I am be a little bit proactive in slowing it all down.

I actually don't mind getting older. I don't feel older. I feel about 26...other than I know a WHOLE lot more than my 26 year old self. It's the looking in the mirror and changing is such dramatic ways that is killing me.

Sigh.

Ah well. I could have many more problems than the number of wrinkles on my face.

Shifting gears, Karaia had a choir concert tonight. She did great. It's fun to go and see her belong to such a huge choir. She gets to school by 8 am every Friday morning and is supper stressed if she's the littlest bit late. It's nice to see her hard work pay off.

Here are some cute, but grainy pictures to show off her cuteness. She is growing into such a beautiful young lady.

Good job Karaia!

Have I mentioned?

2011-12-07T20:17:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned just how much I struggle to keep up with laundry?

I have?

Frequently?

Well, in that case....nothing has changed.

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This is not a confession or anything....

2011-12-06T13:31:00.001-07:00

But I may or may not have laughed out loud when the dancing started in this video

Then I spent a good portion of the video feeling TOTALLY embarrassed for the boy.

THEN I fell off my chair laughing when they got to the Victoria Secret part. (I promise it's 100% clean)

The whole thing is very Napoleon Dynamite Meets Carlton Banks

MEETS

*tear wipe* SO FUNNY!

Nice to find something light considering the last few days :)

It just was

2011-12-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Nothing much happened today.

I meant to exercise and I didn't. Which means I never got ready for the day. Who wants to get ready for the day and THEN exercise. Not me that's for sure.

Tennyson had a make up pre-school day because one day of pre-school was canceled last week due to the storm.

Sanders took a three hour long nap.

I worked.

Oh, we also had Lila over to play. She's pretty funny.

Karaia and I worked on a mosaic she got from Nana and Pappa for Christmas. I loved spending that one on one time with her.

Beckham taught FHE tonight. After his lesson on love we talked about the miracles that happened to Nana and Pappa. I wanted/needed my kids to understand what exactly a miracle was. We went over every detail of the whole ordeal. Miracle by miracle. I described what SHOULD have happened and then what happened and why that was a miracle. Beckham was a ball of tears by the end. He is my child who feels the Holy Ghost the same way I do. We can't help but cry. I asked him what he was feeling. He said, "Happy and grateful that Nana and Pappa are safe."

I didn't want Karaia to feel like just because she wasn't crying she wasn't feeling the Spirit. She said she felt calm and warm inside. Lucky her not to get the water works gene. She might actually be able to bear her testimony and have others understand it because she won't be sobbing through the entire thing ;)

So, I guess stuff did happen today. But only the stuff that's important to me. That's enough.

Prepare

2011-12-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today brings a gathering of the community. The national guard has been called into action, church was shortened or canceled, and all abled bodies have been asked to lend their service.

Another storm is coming. The concern is that because of the big storm only three days ago there is a lot of loose debris that will be thrown around tonight doing more damage if it's not taken care of.

While it's a bit daunting to think of this new storm, it's incredibly heartening to see everyone coming together for a common good.

Beckham even went out and helped his dad clear a few trees. Karaia and I held down the fort here and have been doing anything we can think of that might require electricity in case it goes out later. Meaning laundry, meal preparation, and an early afternoon blog post ;)

It's pretty wonderful to have children old enough to contribute to the solution rather than add to the problem.

Everyone stay safe!

If ever you doubt

2011-12-03T23:46:00.004-07:00

Thursday brought hurricane force winds to our little part of the world. Trees were ripped from their homes pulling up the earth around them, shingles dislodged, fences toppled, and the general mayhem we've seen on T.V. but rarely seen for ourselves was suddenly right outside our doors.

Along with the physical damage of the landscape and our homes came the loss of power to much of Davis County and, at one point, the entire city of Bountiful. My mom and step-dad's home joined those without power for most of the day.

With the evening approaching they made the decision to purchase a new generator to keep their house and themselves warm. My sister and her four young kids had been visiting from Colorado and had been staying with my mom. They planned to spend the night there. You see, they had been told that the power would be restored by 5pm. Dave, my step-dad, thought he just might be able to get the generator running by 5pm as well. But by 6:30pm when there was no power from either source, corralling 4 cold, hungry kids in a dark house became quite challenging. So when I called to offer a hot dinner in a warm home that never lost power for an extended time during the day, Annie and the kids decided to change plans and spend the night at my house.

That was the first miracle.

Earlier in the day, Dave spent 9 hours using his chain saw helping neighbors remove trees that had either fallen or looked like they were on their way down. By the time he got the generator running, in an outside storage room that shared one wall with the house, at 7pm he was exhausted. Mom and Dave decided to head to bed shortly after the power came on at 11pm. Dave was experiencing dizzy spells now and again and mom felt more wiped out than usual. They attributed all of this to their busy, long, strenuous day. With Dave barley making it into his bed and mom not really knowing how to turn the generator off they decided they would let it run through the night to help continue warming up the house.

At some point the carbon monoxide detector got unplugged because it was thought to be malfunctioning due to the power outage.

They both went to sleep.

At 4:30am Dave woke up.

That was the second miracle.

Carbon monoxide had been seeping into the home through the shared wall with the storage unit since 7pm. Dave should not have woken up.

After waking up Dave realized he couldn't move well. He knew something was horribly wrong. Using what strength he had, which was already compromised from he long hours of clearing trees the day before, he woke mom up and explained they were in trouble. She found she also could not move well. Dave pushed mom off the bed and then threw his body to the floor.

From their room to the front door is only about 30 feet.

After hitting the floor, Dave made his way over to mom. With no ability to walk, together they began to scoot, slowly, toward the front door. Dave using any extra strength he had, after inching himself forward, to push mom even further ahead. They continued in this pattern for over an hour. Struggling to breath or move. Terrified of what would happen if they didn't. Hardly being able to think other than that they needed fresh air and that that air was outside.

At some point the front door opened.

Neither of them remember how that happened as the lock is higher then they had energy to reach let alone strength to push the door while turning the lock.

That was the third miracle.

During mom and Dave's long struggle to the door, Heather, a neighbor, had woken up early to meet her friend for a run while checking on the damage to her neighbors. Her friend wasn't there. She decided to continue with her plans and began her normal run route. Shortly she felt she should alter her route and run one street above. She had never run this way before. It was still in her ward boundaries so she new the street but she had never exercised along it.She said it was more than a random decision....something decided for her.

That was the fourth miracle.

One street above her normal run route two people were fighting for their lives.

As she ran along the new street, at about 6:10 am, she noticed mom and Dave's door open. Looking closer she saw my mom army crawling, with her hair in her face. I talked to Heather and she said my mom's face, a face of a person terrified and struggling for her life, will randomly flash through her mind and catch her off guard leaving nothing left to do but cry. Then Heather saw Dave behind mom also crawling on his belly. She ran to them and dragged mom out onto the porch landing. Then she dragged Dave as far as the door, but he didn't want to go much further because he was only in his garments.

Heather questioned them for a minute, but they were very dazed. She needed to get them warm. They were very hesitant to let her go in the house because of the danger. Heather told me she found out as much information regarding the location of Dave's robe, some socks, and a blanket as she could, held her breath, covered her mouth in the elbow of her arm and ran through the room gathering the items. She very much wanted me to document that Dave was VERY insistent that she get nothing for him. He only wanted mom taken care of. She said that he didn't want her to spend any energy or time on him, only on his wife.

On a lighter note for a moment, Heather shared with me that she had found mom a blanket and wanted to get one for Dave so she asked them where more blankets where. They both said, "We don't have any more blankets." She tried to reason with them that they probably did, but neither one would consent to that idea.

Realizing that mom and Dave needed more help then she had, and not having a phone with her, she ran four houses down to a friend who is also a nurse. The nurse friend came running, attended to mom and Dave and called 911. The ambulance arrived within 5 minutes.

The house tested at over 400 parts per million.To put that into perspective, a carbon monoxide detector goes off at 30 parts per million.

After 4 hours of oxygen treatment mom and Dave were released.

That was the fifth miracle.

They are tired, but they. are. alive!

Their house was tested 100% neg. for carbon monoxide shortly after their hospital release

When you stop and think just how close that came to ending differently, it becomes hard to breath.

If Annie had decided to stay and spend the night at mom and Dave's, her children.....I can't even finish the sentence.

If Dave had not been woken up.

I know he was woken up by the Holy Ghost. There is no other explanation. None. People with that level of carbon monoxide poisoning don't. wake. up. They just don't. We have a mortician friend and when he heard the story he said, "My only experience with carbon monoxide poisoning is if you are poisoned enough to be taken in an ambulance, you don't get better."

If the door had not been open when Heather passed.

If Heather had not listened to the promptings to take an alternate path.

If the oxygen treatment had not worked.

I am SO grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who is so mindful of us. I am grateful for miracles. I absolutely have no doubt that's what happened in this situation. I would venture to say this would even be a challenge for those who believe in only coincidences to explain.

Personally, I know, I know, none of it was a coincidence. I am so grateful to know who I can thank for allowing me and my family more time. I know because of what I believe.

The rest of this season will no longer have the same meaning as years before. The meaning will be deeper. I will teach my children the truth with more heart. And I will not sweat the small stuff. It's incredible how easy it is to simplify when faced with almost losing something of great value.

And lastly, if ever you, you reading this right now, doubt for a fraction of a second that a loving, living, Heavenly Father exists and knows you, please book mark this post or print it out and reread it. I promise He is there.

I promise He knows you.

He has great plans for you.

He still sends miracles.

Of this I have no doubt.

Amazing and busy

2011-12-02T23:58:00.000-07:00

Today has been an amazing an busy day. It's too late to go into all the details, but for now, just know that it involves some miracles and then later a party. More on these tomorrow.

Windy

2011-12-01T23:13:00.002-07:00

I guess saying it's windy is an understatement when the gusts travel 93 -102 mph.

Thankfully, at our house, the worst that happened was the grill blew over. No worries, Karaia and I used our mad muscle skills got it standing again and them bungied it to the deck. Done and done.

With 40,000 homes without power today, ours remained on.

Kevin had been gone this week. I feel supremely watched over.

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Cousins

2011-11-30T20:39:00.001-07:00

We had the Lawsons over today! SO fun!

You would think 8 kids would involve a lot of fighting and such, but they were very good all day.

I kept Karaia, Beckham, and Tennyson home from school to soak up as much cousin-ness as they could.

It's going to be a sad day when we don't get to see them whenever we want.

Male vs. Female

2011-11-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

We all know boys and girls think differently right? Logically I know that. Still, when I am faced with the reality of that fact I find myself totally surprised by just how BIG a difference there is.

Example:

I submitted some artwork to a brand new fabric manufacturing company about three weeks ago. Today, at 9:00am I noticed an email from them.

I stared at it in my inbox.

I walked away.

Came back and stared some more.

Walked away again.

Repeat that about 15 more times and you will have a good idea how I spent my morning.

I just couldn't bring myself to open it. What if it was another no? What if it was THE yes I had been dreaming of?

So I sent a text to my husband and my best friend looking for moral support.

I sent them the exact same text that read,"There is an email in my inbox from (Insert Fabric company name), the new company I sent designs to, I can't open it....."

Kevin immediately wrote back, "Let me look."

Me "No! I want to do it."

Kev "Oh I thought you meant you weren't able to open it."

Me "No, I mean, emotionally, I can't open it."

Kev "See, that nonverbal information doesn't come over by text message. What does it say?"

Me "Or that boys and girls think differently. I sent the exact same text to Tobi. We will see how she takes it. I don't know. I haven't opened it yet."

Kev "Of course it will be different for her, you wouldn't be asking her for help opening it"

Me "I wasn't asking you either"

Now remember, I sent Tobi the SAME initial text. Her response was

Tobi "Open...open...open "

Done and done.

And this, my dear readers, is why sometimes, although you love your husband dearly, it is a necessity to have a girls night out every now and again.

PS The company wants to see more!!!! YAY! Fingers crossed and lots of prayers!

Sucking resources

2011-11-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

I have been on the computer allllllllll day!

Cyber Monday is super crazy if you work for an online company.

Fun. But SUPER crazy!

Especially if there are a few computers that suck all of the available resources and cause the site to crash which in turn requires all orders to be entered in manually.

Oh well. I'll just look at it as a crash course in my training. :)

Thanksgiving day two

2011-11-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my mom and that side of the family today.

The food was great and EVERYONE was there!YAY! The Lawsons were able to make it. The kids were in cousin heaven.

We even got to do a first run for family pictures with the new duds Grandma Candace got the kids.

The color scheme will be a bit different, but the black, white and gray are fantastic.

We also FINALLY finished decorating the tree this morning! The kids were SO excited. I told them we would start decorating at 8:05. That meant we heard this the rest of the morning, " OK! It's 8:02! Now it's 8:03!..."

Complete with "Christmas" morning hair and everything!

Morning Run

2011-11-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

This morning we ran and walked 3 miles.

Our friends organized their first fundraiser for cordoma cancer research in honor of their 7 year old son they lost to the desease two years ago.

It was a 5k. Beckham beat everyone in our family. Karaia didn't think she would be able to complete it, but she did. It was hard, but she did an incredible job. I was so proud of her!

The weather was perfect. Not to cold and the sun had the best color. It was lovely.

We were very happy to be a part of it.

Why, my sweet little tot...

2011-11-25T22:50:00.001-07:00

"There's a light on this tree that won't light on one side. "

And that would be our tree.

But it's more like, there's whole rows on this tree that won't light on all sides.

I swear we checked them all before they were strung. Ask Sanders, he'll tell you. He was supper excited about the whole process.

On the silver lining side of things, I guess this mean new lights for the tree this year! Yay!

My kids were SO happy to be getting the tree up. Dance moves would break out spontaneously all afternoon.

My favorite was Sanders' dance WITH words, "Jump, jump, kick!"

Darling.

My favorite quote today came from Karaia. I've really been focusing on teaching the kids that I don't care if they get something perfect but I DO care if they try their best and they are their very best selves they can be. Karaia said, "Mom, was I my very best self today?"

Sweet little girl.

Thankful

2011-11-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

With so many reasons to be thankful it is a challenge to begin writing anything.

Along with the usual family, home, etc. that I am thankful for, I am also thankful for this unique opportunity I have had of documenting my life this past year in such a public way. There have been some days that I have had to force myself to write. And others that writing has left my heart with peace. Also, the encouragement and support I have felt from YOU is incredible. It's odd to think that the year mark for this goal is coming up and I may not blog every day after that. We'll see if I can talk myself out of the guilt I just know I'll feel ;)

I hope you were able to recognize all you have in your lives and feel a deep sense of gratitude and contentment.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

German precision baking

2011-11-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned last week, my husband is a fantastic baker.

He was working his magic again tonight. This time he decided to apprentice two ankle bitters named Karaia and Beckham.

Turns out he teaches how to bake as well as he bakes. They learned how to WEIGH ingredients vs. measure them with with measuring cups and why weighing is superior. *Ask Kev if you would like to know the reasons*

There came a point that the batter needed to be divided into thirds. (They were making pumpkin cheese cake) This required the food scale. Kevin instructed the kids how much the scale should read when they needed to tell him to stop pouring. They took his directions REALLY seriously.

"Almost....almost...aaaaalllmooooost...stop! STOP! STOP!!!!!!!"

Right on the money every time.

At this rate I'll know that when they leave from home they will be able to survive on killer homemade cheesecake.

It's such a weight off my shoulders. ;)

Branching out

2011-11-22T22:06:00.001-07:00

Earlier today I found the two little guys like this....

Yes, Sanders is fake sleeping. He does that in the car when you just come home too.

They had formed their own little nest and they had made plans. BIG plans.They informed me that tonight, they would like to sleep here.

We compromised and let them have a sleepover on the floor in Sanders room.

We had to settle them down after Tennyson described the glory and magic of Christmas to Sanders and Sanders just HAD to tell us that, "Santa is coming HERE!!!!!!" That child's eyes could have led Santa's sleigh they were shining with that much excitement.

After going in there a few more times they finally fell asleep.

I'm a pretty lucky mom to have such fun kids.

You decide

2011-11-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight, for Family Home Evening, we played a rip roaring game of hide and seek per Sanders' direction as he was in charge of the activity.

We learned a few things tonight.

1. Sanders is an incredible hide and seek player. He was often the last or second to last one found because he was always SO still and SO quiet. No wonder he loves this game.

2. Either I am an excellent hider or Karaia needs to buff up on her seeker skills as she "checked" physically, feeling with her hands, my hiding spot in the closet TWICE and never found me.

You decide.

Enlightenment

2011-11-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Time Out For Women was perfect for me. There were a few talks that spoke right to me, but mostly I had ideas pop into my head that had nothing to do with the topic of the speaker and everything to do with a question I had been pondering.

I think I will break up all I learned into a few posts. I wish I was able to truly convey all I feel I've learned, but, well really it comes down to me being unwilling to take the time. The time to really write down what I learned would equate to a book...literally and right now I'm going to focus on one big project at a time. I'm hoping that as time goes on each of these areas will be interwoven so much in my life that I will in essence share little by little just how much I learned.

One of the favorite things said during the weekend was said by Brad Wilcox, "God's delays are NOT denials. " I'm sure you can guess why this would strike a chord with me.

Even though I knew this principle before it is so comforting to hear it again and be reminded of it's truthfulness. God's reasons for delays may never be known, but that's not the point. The point is what we do during the delay. We need to continue to work and study and most importantly have faith.

Hilary Weeks shared a little project she started early this year that I will be incorporating into my life. She said that every morning, during her prayers, she asks Heavenly Father what the MOST important thing was to accomplish that day. Often it was something simple, an email, a note, etc. but time and time again she noticed the small things making the biggest difference.

That alone will completely change my self focused tendencies to an outward searching to help. Only good can come of it.

OK, tomorrow I will focus on the things that I felt inspired to implement into my children's lives.

How you know

2011-11-19T18:59:00.002-07:00

I was going to blog about all the wonderful insights I was given at Time Out For Women this weekend. I've been blogging all day in my mind.

That will still happen just not tonight. Tonight I want to touch on something else. Something closer to home.

If your husband willingly, without any hint of complaining, watches the kids, by himself, for a whole weekend so you can pamper yourself spiritually. If your husband, during that same weekend makes the children pasta carbonara---from scratch---for lunch. If you find that your husband has cooked marinated grilled chicken with green beans and peaches for you and the children for dinner upon your return. AND he has also baked this...

...Triple layered cheese cake with a chocolate layer in the middle, oreo cookie crust, topped with chocolate ganache--- every. last. bit. from. scratch, because you mentioned 2 days ago you were craving this very thing. Meanwhile you come home to children laughing and the house looks better than you, the mom, left it because he know that will lighten your load. You will know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you have married the most caring, kind, selfless, brave, thoughtful, man that there ever was.

I am a pretty lucky girl. Don't think for one second that I ever forget that.

Thank you, for everything, Kevin. You are my best friend. I'm not just throwing that phrase around. I mean it. My wish is that I can make you feel as incredible as you make me feel. Thank you for letting me take time for me and then making coming home even better than having me time. I love you.

Time Out

2011-11-18T23:36:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go to Time Out For Women with my mom and Tobi. Thank you mom for the tickets!

Time Out For Women is this wonderful two day event that gives you a break from everyday life, fills you up spiritually, and then sends you back into the word better prepared. It's wonderful.

There are always messages that touch me, but the one tonight that particularly landed close to home was this,

"God's delays are not denials."

Love that.

I get to go again tomorrow. SUPER early. Like leave my house at 7:30am early....in appropriate to be seen in public clothing.

Good night.

'Tis the time of year

2011-11-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

The first thing out of Sanders' mouth this morning was, "Mom, my tummy hurt."

10 minutes later the poor thing was dry heaving into a bowl. That's right. I have a two year old that made it into the bowl all 6 times today.

It's hard to watch your baby throw up. I think it's even harder to watch them dry heave. Their little bodies trying to expel what isn't there with such force that I am always surprised that their little face return their normal shade after such an experience.

By 3:00 pm he was begging for food. Sneaking into the kitchen any time he got out of my site and ramming anything he could find in his mouth before I could stop him. Thankfully, he never threw up after he started eating again.

When Kevin return home at 6:00pm a bouncing, running Sanders greeted him with high energy, "Hi Dad! I'm sick!" before disappearing around the corner to play some other game.

I wish I knew what made him so sick this morning, but I'm glad he's on the mend.

I am praying no one else get it.

Keep your fingers crossed.

The exact day Sanders truly understood his mom

2011-11-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

I was talking to the younger boys about Disneyland and all that is magical concerning that blessed place.

"And we will go to Mickey's actual house and give him a hug! And we will go on rides like we do at Lagoon! *insert HUGE grin from Sanders* And we will have our Mickey ears on..."

Tennyson piped in, "But Sanders doesn't have Mickey ears. "

"And Sanders will get his very. own. Mickey ears.....and mom will cry!"

"Why mom?" asked Tennyson.

"Oh because when I am REALLY happy sometimes, most times, I cry."

To which Sanders summed up, "Mom, you cry? You cry like a baby?"

"Yes, Buddy, yes I do."

At least he won't be shocked when it happens.

Teching parlor tricks

2011-11-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

This post is for my dear friend, former roommate, all around fantastic girl. She will TOTALLY know I am talking about her after she sees the following picture as it should remind her of....well, her.

I am passing on the fun parlor trick of playing the piano in unexpected ways that I learned from my friend.

Karaia was both shocked and delighted that I suggest she play a song she had memorized this way. She had no troubles whatsoever. I thought she was just using her memory skills, she hardly made any mistakes and THEN I realized she was READING the music upside down!As if playing backwards with your hands crossed wasn't tricky enough. Amazing little thing.

Lori, thank you for being the inspiration to what will be one of my favorite memories with my daughter!

Big Boy Room Rugby Stripes

2011-11-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

The painting in Sanders' room is done!!! It's not perfect, but it's as good as I care to get it.

I'm far from being done with the room. It still needs curtains, art on the walls (all though very minimal), and his big boy bed (which he is refusing to even consider).

However, when a paint job takes 3 weeks to complete it deserves to have a reveal all it's own!

Remember how I used this method for the stripes?

Source: houseofhepworths.com via Emilie on Pinterest

Well it's AWESOME! It 100 % works! There were very minor touch ups, but I'm convinced that it would have been a ton more had I not used this technique. I also used Edge lock painter's tape

which I think helped as well. But I know that it wasn't only the tape that gave such amazing results because when I went to do the touch ups I re-taped a few areas and did not use the above mentioned method and it was miserable. Leaking under the tape all over the place.

Without further ado let's see those stripes!

Loving the gray furniture I painted with the stripes!

This is what happens when you have the camera on the wrong settings and you really have NO clue how to photograph a window. Cue celestial angels.

It is surprisingly very, very calm in that room. You wouldn't think so with all the color and pattern, but it just makes you happy to be in there.

It also makes for an extremely cute backdrop for some very wiggly boys!

That book shelf on the floor is going in the blue stripe between the chair rails right at Tennyson's shoulder height.

I think I am going to go with gray curtains....we shall see. Oh do you want to see a quick Before and after side by side? OK twist my arm.

PS I don't hate the blue stripe next to the orange. I kind of adore it.

Well....what do you think?

Who can follow that

2011-11-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

Let's be honest. Who can follow a post like that?

Anything I write today is going to be boring just in comparison. So I guess I'll just jump in.

Church was a little different in that I taught the Young Women a lesson on Missionaries. I adore Young Womens and wish that was my calling. But I will settle for being able to pop in now and again.

Sanders wanted to do anything and everything other than sit during sacrament meeting.

We had dinner at my Dad's and the company and food was perfect, as always. Although the cold weather means the kids are indoors and they have SO much energy after a Sunday of being asked to be reverent.

Beckham was super sad to not be at the grown ups table. There just wasn't enough room. I don't ever remember wanting to sit with the grown ups, but that was probably because I always had a TON of cousins my age and my gender. Beckham doesn't really have that. I think he's just trying to find his place.

He has also developed a very strong fear of that dark and being alone. Including with hyperventilating and the whole bit. Not sure how we are going to help him through this....

The Perfectly Pulled off Surprise

2011-11-12T20:16:00.002-07:00

As promised here is the post with pictures.

I made sure the camera was right next to me before I sat down :)

Here is the back story.

I help Mrs. Pickett's class every Wednesday. This last Wednesday was no different beside the fact that it was the day immediately following the sad results of the election. Kevin was still in the dumps and I was still trying to brain storm ways to help him see the silver lining.

Talking with Casey we came up with the idea of throwing Kevin a surprise party to congratulate him for having the guts to run in the first place AND it would give the opportunity to educate the students on the process of campaigning and voting.

It worked out perfectly that Kevin had Friday off for Veterans Day. I told Kevin that Mrs. Pickett had asked if I would be able to help her on Friday with a Veterans Day activity and that she had mentioned needing one more parent. I told him that I had volunteered him as well and Mrs. Pickett had said it was ok to bring the little boys with us.

Everything was perfect! He bought the story without so much as a second thought. Karaia and Beckham were REALLY good about keeping it a secret for two whole days and Mrs. Pickett had the brilliant idea to invite the Big Mac class as well.

Kevin, never wanting to be late, suggested we leave early. I told him to wait in the hall with the little boys so they didn't distract the class and I would peek in to make sure they were ready for us. I popped in the class and told them we were here. I then told Kevin to bring the boys in and I ran back inside to get ready to capture the moment with the camera.

Isn't he cute?!?!?

Karaia and Beckham LOVED showing off their dad!

Nothing better than 50 kids and two teachers giving you a standing ovation! Before he had come in they had listed qualities that they thought someone who was running for city council should have.

After the applause died down the floor was open for questions. The kids had some fantastic questions and Kevin did a really good job answering them and keeping the kids entertained for about 20 minutes. Most of the questions were right on topic and offered some very informative answers from Kevin. My favorite question how ever came from one little boy who asked, " Are you really Green Lantern?" Kevin answered, "Maybe I am!"

The kids also made some posters to applaud Kevin's efforts in campaigning.

Including one HUGE sign

He was totally surprised! It was a much better ending to a very trying week.

Thank you Mrs. Pickett and all her amazing kids! You were the best part of the week!!!!

Lame post

2011-11-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

There was some pretty cool goings on today. But the camera is all. the. way. over. there.

Such a shame.

It involves Kevin, Mrs. Pickett, and perfectly pulled off surprise.

Don't be mad.

I'm going to bed, which you should all be congratulating me for because it's before midnight!

See? Totally worth waiting until tomorrow for the details...which will include pictures from the too-far-away-for-tonight camera.

OK...you can be a little bit mad.

Hired

2011-11-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

I was hired today to help Pick Your Plum with their affiliates and giveaways!!! It will be the perfect part time-decorating-fun money job for me!

The most awesome part? My little sis is my boss :) Which makes it super nice for the next few weeks that will involve the learning curve. She knows all of my strengths already (which is why I was hired) but she also knows I'm OK with help in the areas I need improvement and will help me be the best I can be. Plus, that means we will get to do something together even though we are so far apart.

Now if only we could figure out a way to get Meghan on board *wink*

I'm SO excited!!!!

The day after

2011-11-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

The day after a dream comes.....well I was going to say crashing down, but dreams don't die unless you choose for that to happen.

So let's say the day after a dream takes an unexpected dive into the ground is always a challenge. It's hard to pick yourself up, shake off the dust, own the sting of the hard hit, and choose to keep moving forward. In most cases it takes a few days to complete all those steps and grieve the path you thought you were going to take.

The best part of having a family is that you have built in cheerleaders that can see the light when your eyes are still clouded with the dust.

Today has been a hard day. I just want to take the hurt away. But I can't. That's part of growth and I would never take that away. I know he'll be fine. I just need to be patient until he knows that too.

Unexpected

2011-11-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

The final election results are in.

The numbers a very unexpected.

Kevin worked SO hard.

He came in last. LAST?!?!?!

It is just so confusing. It's one thing not to win. It's quite another not to have any idea why the numbers came in the way they did. Especially, when you have worked as much as Kev did.

As you can guess we are all pretty bummed. And very confused.

Thank to to all of the amazing support and help we received throughout the campaign. It meant a lot.

We had a Results/ Thank you party complete with red, black and white food per Kevin's campaign colors.

Just before we found out the results.

I am extremely proud of my husband. He worked his tail off despite the results not reflecting that. He is an amazing leader and is meant to do great things with his life. It seems the world will just have to wait for his awesomeness. I'm not worried one bit that it will happen.

Sometimes when you dream big you run the risk of falling hard. That just makes the dream all the more worth it.

Shift

2011-11-08T02:41:00.000-07:00

It's 2:00 am.

Why am I up you ask.

Who knows.

Mostly watching Julie and Julia on T.V. A movie that I own and can watch at my leisure at anytime I choose. OK, well not any time. I'm sure my children would have an opinion on that. So why bother using sleeping time, something I am immensely fond of if it doesn't occur in the evening hours, to watch something that I could watch at a more appropriate time? Because it started at 11pm and I only planned to watch until 11:30 quite forgetting just how much that movie moves me.

I realize I could have just turned it off and resumed watching it using my DVD tomorrow...er....today, but I caved to the spiritual fulfilling and connection I have with the characters. So much passion. So much time and dedication.

That being said, I didn't necessarily want this post to be about me and my dreams. I just figured I needed to explain why some of you are reading two posts this morning instead of one. And actually, because the election happens today (yay! Vote for Kevin!) I'm sure I will post again this evening.

I wanted this post to be about my kids. I dearly love them and I am not always sure that my behaviors mirror that. That makes me very sad. I know people aren't perfect. I know I have never been a mother to four children these exact ages ever before, but I also know that I am a far better mother than what I have been showing them. For that I am truly sorry.

I've been contemplating this topic for some time now. It's been exacerbated as of late due to the Sistine chapel of painting jobs that seems to be Sanders' room. It has taken a lot of my time. I chose that deliberately so that I would not be completely consumed by the project and be there for my kids when they needed me...not when I was done. For the most part that has worked, but as the days have now turned into weeks I wonder whether it would have been better to be consumed for a few days instead?

Today the two little guys found a way to play with me anyway. They would sneak into the room as I was painting, hiding behind all of the furniture piled in the center, whisper--as only a four and a two year old can--that I hadn't seen them yet and then peek their darling little heads around the dresser waiting for me to turn and catch them in the act of sneaking up on me. At which time they would fall over each other as they scrambled to run away giggling as if their sides would burst. They repeated this little game for over a half hour.

It was such a simple thing but it filled. my. soul. I thought, "Surely I must be doing something right if these delightful people seek my company in anyway they can get it."

I want my kids to feel that loved and special every moment they are around me. Who cares if I'm tired, stressed, disappointed, or whatever. They deserve the best of me every moment. They do.

So, today I choose to make a conscious effort to be the best mom I can be. I won't be perfect. That wouldn't be any fun now would it? (and in reality it's 2:30 am so this will be quite the challenge for me later this morning *wink*) How would they learn that it's alright to be wrong and that it's endearing to sincerely say you're sorry? But I will chose to be my best. I won't leave it up to chance and hope. It will have to be a conscious, minute to minute choice. I'm ready for my shift to focus on how I am making their day go...not how they are making mine.

In other news, Sanders has now started asking, "why?" after everything I tell him. So cute....for now :)

Painting and campaigning

2011-11-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

I have been painting most of the day. I am happy to report I probably have only about an hour and a half left! I am super sad to report that I wish my stripes were the inverse of what they are. I'm just not loving the blue stripe up next to the orange ceiling. I would much prefer it to be a white stripe next to the orange ceiling. But when I was planning things out I thought the white next to the orange would feel to glow-ie, but after living with the white by the orange for a week now, I know that is not the case. As it is, I feel like the blue next to the orange makes the ceiling feel closer to you. Sigh.

Kevin is in the full swing of his final day of campaigning! He is so nervous, but I just know he is going to do great. He has worked very, very hard and done anything and everything he could. Whatever happens it will be a comfort to know he did his very best.

We are having a little, so super laid back, results party tomorrow from 8:30 pm until whenever the results come in. Just a little Thank You to everyone who has been so helpful and supportive! You are all invited!

I hope it's not lame. What does one do at a results party?

Ground Hog Day

2011-11-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up at 5:00 am to find that our power was out.....again!

Turns out it was only off for the same 84 house.

Thankfully, the power came back on right around 6:30.

That's good because I was seriously dreading what kind of hair I was going to have for church without any power to help me out. :)

We can survive!

2011-11-05T20:17:00.000-06:00

Around 5:30 this morning when Tennyson woke up...that, by the by, is a different post entirely....we realized the power was out.

When it still wasn't back on at 8:00 am we called the power company and learned that it would be back on by 10.

In the mean time we bundled up the kiddos like we were going to go out side, felt grateful for our wood burning fireplace and gas powered stove, and made oatmeal for breakfast.

My sister Annie has been in town this weekend for some quick girls time and he schedule allowed a quick matinee this afternoon.

I almost didn't go because their was no way to get ready without power. In the end I put on a hat and figured the movie would be dark anyway. We saw "The Help". It was amazing. It made me want to read the book again and I highly recommend it.

Before I left the power company updated us that the power wouldn't be back on until 1:00pm! When I got out of the movie at 1:30 Kevin texted to ask if I could pick up some ice on the way home for the fridge because the power STILL wasn't on!

When I got home, the two little boys were taking naps...remember the 5:30 AM waking? Right. So naps. Kevin took Beckham out campaigning (the final vote is on Tuesday!!!!!!) and Karaia and I talked by the fireplace and waited for the boys to wake up.

When they woke up we high tailed it over to Nana's house to thaw out, watch a movie, and wait for the power in our house to be restored.

We finally got word that the power was back on at 5:00pm.

It was kind of a fun day. Freezing, but fun. The kids did great and didn't complain once.

Still. It's nice to hear the heater running...

Girls night

2011-11-04T20:05:00.001-06:00

Having a girls night of dinner and games with my sisters/step-sisters!

No time to blog ;)

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Lake Powell

2011-11-03T19:14:00.000-06:00

I just now realized that I never blogged about our trip to Lake Powell in August.

Sanders stayed with family because Lake Powell doesn't have gradual beaches and it's super easy to get yourself in trouble if you are not careful.

This was Tennyson's first time and he loved every last second of it. The only times he got out of the water were to eat, sleep, and the occasional sand adventure.

Tubin' with the cousins

We had the best little cove for a docking spot. The kids could swim clear out into the middle and we never had to worry a bit about them

Beckham the dare devil. Flopping off the floating tramp

There he is, mid-~~fall~~ flight

I'm usually the one behind the camera. This is about the only shot of me :)

Skiing was rough this year. Not much excitement. But then we went to Lagoon and the kids were crazy brave. I kept comparing the rides to skiing. Hopefully they'll be a little more will next year.

Middle of redecorating a boys room

2011-11-02T19:58:00.000-06:00

I thought I was done with one more step in Sanders' room.

Turns out I totally miss calculated (stupid math) and had my stripes planned out all wrong in my head. So I thought I was done with all of the white base coat today until I started making marks for the stripes.

I didn't do a full coverage on the white near the chair rail because I thought that that section would be blue. Turns out it's supposed to be white.Which means I still have more white to paint.

Then I'll mark for stripes, tape them off, use this cool method for perfectly straight lines---

Source: houseofhepworths.com via Emilie on Pinterest

--which does add a step, but an easy one and no touch ups later, and then I'm ALL done with the painting :)

At least I now know that when I do get to paint the blue stripes I've checked, double checked and repainted already so hopefully it's smooth sailing from here.

And that the ceiling is a glorious color that I could bath in all. day. long!

To tide you over, here are a few Before and In the Middle pictures:

BEFORE

Cute before, right? I just wanted/needed a change.

IN the MIDDLE

(It's hard to take great pictures when all the furniture is in the middle of the room)

Umm...do you LOVE the ceiling as much as I do?!?!?!? It seriously makes me so very happy!

Rainy day fun

2011-11-01T20:18:00.000-06:00

I saw this on Pinterest and just had to try it.

You could drive home....

....or the pet shop.

It. was. a. BIG. hit!

The boys played for hours downstairs during the rainy morning hours.

Magic the way masking tape can transform a space :)

Wax accessories, dressing up, and decorating

2011-10-31T22:49:00.000-06:00

My all time favorite of Halloween sweets are wax lips. I still remember them from my youth. With boys I get to add wax mustaches to the mix. FUN!!!

I couldn't decide which picture made me laugh the most...so I included nearly all of the shots :) Each one is just different enough with someone being just enough "off" that I giggle at every one.

Hmmmm...let me think about that a moment.

I told the kids that we would absolutely NOT decorate for Halloween if they couldn't get their messes cleaned up. I'm not really a decorate-for-the-holidays kind of a girl and I most certaintly was not about to add decor on top of clutter. Well the really long story short is that they never did it until this afternoon. By then putting up decorations just to take them down less then 24 hours later seemed silly. And that is exactly what I told Karaia when she asked if we could decorate now. Her reply?

"It's ok, mom. I'll do everything. I put it all up and I'll take it all down! Please!!!"

I thought that sounded very reasonable and gave her free range of the decorations on hand. Everything you see was 100% her idea. I didn't suggest one little thing. Right down to the choice of accessories and the placement of them. The only thing I helped with was placing some of the webbing a bit higher than she could reach. But that was by her request.

When she asked if she could move a table to the porch, throw gauzy fabric over it, and "put a bunch of Halloween stuff." on top, I may have teared up just a little. Be still my heart! My daughter is a natural decorator!

She was even moving the very few decorations we had inside to the outside and reusing them. *love*

We had SO many comments on our decorations tonight. Even I was surprised at how many people loved it enough to tell me so. Nice work Karaia!

Here's the foursome. All decked out ready to go.

Tennyson's pumpkin is a dinosaur. Sanders wanted a happy face. Karaia carved a bat.

This is Beckham's masterpiece. He did a wonderful job and was pretty stinkin' proud of himself. As he should be :)

The big Family pumpkin designed and carved by Karaia and the pumpkin she painted.

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin fun

2011-10-30T21:41:00.001-06:00

I made my family look into the sun for this picture. Some of us are better at this than others *wink*

We went to the pumpkin patch with our friends the Russons on Friday. We had already got a few pumpkins from our cousin's pumpkin patch so we were on the look out for one BIG family pumpkin.

Seriously, Mom?!?! In the sun again.

"We need one THIS big"

Aww sweet!

Then the carving started.

Karaia had the honor of designing and drawing the face on the big pumpkin

Beckham felt very ambitions this year and wanted to tackle a very intricate design. He did ALL the cutting himself. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Oh, looks like we're back to the patch again and I'm too lazy to rearrange the pictures.

Ok, let's try again with a family picture. (On a side note, by the look of my arm it seems to me that I need to hit the weights a little more...sigh)

This the is the best one of MOST of us. Too bad Sanders looks like he might be dying. :) Or perhaps he's getting his zombie on for the up coming holiday. Also...now that I look at it a bit closer...Tennyson looks like he might be doing something more than just sitting. Oh well.

Let's play a little game called Where's Sanders

The moral of the story is that it's probably not the best idea to dress your wanderlust two year old in orange when you are going to a pumpkin patch.

The kids had a great time. Sanders LOVED the pumpkin patch and the carving. Although he didn't quite understand the concept of the carving at first and freaked out when we started cutting his beloved pumpkin up.

Karaia and Beckham are getting more independent every year. I love seeing what they come up with.

Tennyson was just happy we were together. That's kind of how he rolls.

I should...

2011-10-29T21:14:00.000-06:00

I should post pictures about our fun pumpkin patch outing yesterday and the de-gutting and face reassignment of pumpkins from a fore mentioned patch. But I don't want to. Not tonight.

There I said it.

Out

2011-10-28T22:55:00.001-06:00

Out on a date with my husband.

See you tomorrow ;)

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Out of the blue

2011-10-27T20:07:00.001-06:00

So my mom has not loved the idea of her carrying a turned on cell phone.

Well today, not only did she bring her cell phone with her, but it was turned on! AND she received a text AND texted back!

Yay mom!

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Early morning antics

2011-10-26T21:26:00.000-06:00

Typically, my mom ears don't let me miss a sound my children make during the night. I must have been really tired this morning.

Kevin said he heard Tennyson moving around about 6 am this morning, but he wasn't awake enough to fully register what that might mean. I heard nothing. Tennyson has a rule that he is not allowed to come out of his room until his clock, a colorful, digital one keep by his bed, has a 7 in the front.

At about 7:30, Karaia came in to tell me that at 6:20 Tennyson had woken her up because he had been trying to feed Ferb and accidentally let him in and he was unable to catch him. She told him he was up too early. His responded by telling her, "Don't worry. My clock said 6 in front so I changed it to a 7."

We also realized, deduced by a small trail of dried instant oatmeal, that he had gotten himself breakfast.

Someday he will use his early morning risings for good. For now, I better make sure my mom ears are working.

Moments of clarity

2011-10-25T22:38:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry to sound like a broken record. Trust me, what I share here is nothing compared to what I subject myself too ;)

I have been feeling like I have been ~~obsessing~~ focusing intently on the fact that with Fall Market coming up this weekend I still have no contract despite such a positive response to my art during Spring Market. It's a little daunting to realize that there will be more potential designers at Fall Market showing their art work. It just means it will be that much harder in an already saturated market. Frankly, I'm a bit embarrassed by this. It's hard not to label the time line as a failure.

I was lamenting this fact to my hairdresser and second guessing decisions I had made. She said, "But wouldn't it be awful to be miserable doing something you're so passionate about?"

It was like the clouds parted and the sun peaked out. It's true. When it happens, and I truly believe that it will happen, maybe 8 years from now, but it will happen, I want to be so very happy doing what brings me so much joy. I need to trust that the Lord's timeline is so much better than mine. There's no embarrassment in that. I much further than I was before Market. That can definitely be defined as a success.

The other moment of clarity came during dinner time. We were all laughing about something and I just stopped and looked at my amazing family and thought, "If this is my greatest success then I am already living the dream." I had been feeling happiness, but not contentment because of some piece of paper that would ensure that my designs would be printed. But tonight, during the crazy time of dinner, the contentment came.....without any legal documents.

For that I am very grateful.

Short and sweet

2011-10-24T23:24:00.000-06:00

I don't want to blog tonight.

I helped out with a funeral by providing supervision for a nursery today.

That meant I didn't have to make lunch.

Score.

It also meant that I didn't have time to paint.

Sad.

Sabotage

2011-10-23T20:55:00.000-06:00

Kevin was hunting this weekend.

Which equates to me sabotaging myself by staying up WAY too late and being barely functioning the next day.

He's home.

I am so tired.

A little pampering

2011-10-22T23:39:00.000-06:00

This morning my Mother-in-law took all her daughters, blood and the in-law variety, to the beauty school for a day of pampering.

It. was. awesome.

We were treated to a facial/massage and and a pedicure.

So now my face is all smooth and moisturized and my toes are plum and sparkly. It was very relaxing.

Thank you, Candace!!!

PS. I am STILL priming.

I must be the slowest painter ever. That or I have four children.

Maybe a little of booth.

Painting

2011-10-21T23:53:00.000-06:00

I just barely started priming Sanders' room.

I really enjoy painting.

What I don't enjoy is ALL the prep work that goes into a good paint job.

It's nearly midnight.

And did I mention I just barley started priming?!?!

To Bed

2011-10-20T21:49:00.000-06:00

I adore gardening. It's much more satisfying to me than house work...as can be easily deduced by the state of my house vs. the state of my yard on most days.

I put two front flower beds to bed for the winter today. Well mostly. I left a few of the pretty flowering plants in until they die.

It's so reassuring that I won't wake up tomorrow to find that all my hard work has been undone and all the weeds replanted.

And that is why yard work is superior to house work.

Amen.

My kids rock!

2011-10-19T21:32:00.000-06:00

The kids were amazing today. Other than the few 2 year old attitude moments everyone was quick to help, stayed on task with out reminding, and played really well together.

Karaia remarked this morning, after realizing that she was almost done with her chores and still had nearly a half hour left before she needed to head to school when usually she leaves before completing all her tasks, "Mom! I can't believe I'm almost done! What am I going to do?"

Whatever you want, Honey, whatever you want.

Wishful dreaming

2011-10-18T21:48:00.000-06:00

Last night I had a dream that I was reading a very artful, creative, 12 x12, multiple page letter from a manufacturer. On each 12 x12 page they had Photoshoped fabric into what looked like 12 Polaroid film frames, turned the frames upside down, and then written their message in the white parts of the frame at the top. Like this:

But with more frames. As far as I could guess there were about 15 12x 12 papers.

I was so anxious as I flipped through each page.

I could tell it was going to be good, but I was terrified it might not.

In the end there was a contract.

I woke up very excited and hopeful.

Maybe it's a sign.

It's all a gamble

2011-10-17T23:26:00.000-06:00

When you are a caretaker of young children the length and quality of sleep you will actually get, despite the time you put yourself to bed, is very much a roll of the dice.

Beckham was up for a good 2 hours last night traumatized over a dream involving shadows and goblins. He felt most safe trying to fuse his flesh with mine as he lay/merged with me in my bed.

I'm hoping the dice roll in my favor tonight.