Boo and Thank You

As goofy as we are, my little family had a blast this Halloween. This is us at the freezing trunk or treat. What a haul! Bananas was an Egyptian Queen complete with eye makeup which thrilled her to death. The Boy couldn't help but be Captain Jack Sparrow beard and all. Rapunzel, well, was Rapunzel this year. She grew her hair out past her bottom and boy, do I understand Tangled a lot better now. Jelly Beans, was a Sleeping Beauty and would curtsy every so gracefully with a, "Your Majesty" or "My, Lady." Quite hilarious.

But as much fun as Halloween was, I have been working on Fall/Thanksgiving decor for the last month and a half. Blame Super Saturday...it got me in the mood for a serious craft fest of goodness.

I throughally enjoyed ripping up a book making the paper pumpkin. It took about as many hours as sticking its counter part, the gold tack pumpkin. I had a bit of scrap paper left over from my 'Give Thanks' blocks and couldn't help myself and make my best knock off of a leaf garland. But those yarn wrapped candy cones where the easiest thing on the planet.  Yarn wrapping and I are going to be really good friends I think.  I saw these little ditties of framed leaves and figured out my own version as well because I was not patient enough to wait till morning to hunt down some gorgeous fall leaves.

A million candy corns later...

And a burlap table runner complete with lace trimmings.  Mine is a bit rumpled from use and since we are all on a first name basis I figured the pressing could wait. ;) Of course my pinsperation was gorgeous!  I couldn't justify purchasing new lace at over seven dollars a yard so I made do with what I had.

I am grateful for this cozy time of year when things become focused on gratitude, generosity, and blessings.  Since today is the 13th day I figured I could at least list thirteen things that I am more than blessed to have.

1. A hard working man who loves me and my children and the Lord more than anything else in the world,  even more than football.  That is saying something.
2. Four beautiful, sometime precocious and wild, but darling children.
3. A home filled with love and laughter.
4.  The full Gospel of Jesus Christ.
5. Being able to stay home with my kiddos each and every day.
6. Having the privilege and responsibility of teaching my children.
7. Living in the United States.
8. Seeing the first real snowfall and the wonder of it all through my children's eyes.
9. New winter tires.
10. Hands.
11. Inspiration from the Holy Ghost when I truly need it.
12. Walking.
13. Trees that looked like they were blooming a sunset.

Thanks again.

Homemade chicken noodles soup and chocolate mousse cake in the same day.

Orange, scarlet, and purple leaves.

Getting the very last parking spot with in a three block radius.

Holding hands with Jelly Beans.

Two working toilets.

Watching my six year old Rapunzel leap with wild graceful abandon in ballet.

Coming home to an empty kitchen trash can.

Hearing, "I love you to the moon and back, forever and ever and always." four times.

Front row seats to the retelling of "the best soccer game yet".

Being here to pick up the pieces when She needed me to.

Getting to bed 20 minutes earlier than yesterday.

Finding Joy, Day 1

It felt great to get out and have a run today.  I didn't realize how much I relied on and missed my morning therapy.  I just wish it just hadn't taken me three weeks to realize this. For exactly 30 minutes, I can think about one thing at a time.  Today it was not flying off the back of the treadmill  but that is another story. Let's just say adrenaline and endorphins...I get it. I definitely have a early morning date with the treadmill Wednesday morning minus any more snafus. 

Thankful thing number two...I had the gym to myself this morning unaccompanied by any witnesses to aforementioned treadmill shame.

School went more or less today.  Mondays are hard days.  I am not sure if it is the weekend business or the fact that it was the same darkness all day long that kept us all in hibernation mode and felt the need to take everything at the pace of a sloth but that is how today went.  Silver lining, I had the chance to talk with Bananas one on one about the "bear's" in her life that she might face and how she will react to them.  Thanks, Big Red.  I love when a book inspires my family to do better, grow better, and love better. 

My poor neighbors are making the sacrifice of a life time in their golden years to help out one of their family members and had to say goodbye to their doggy companions of over a decade.  It was distressing to see their tear stained cheeks coming in from their morning and last walk with their sweet dogs.  I have had to do some hard things, as we all do in life, but this one really resonated with me, the pure sacrifice and willingness to do good at ones own expense.  The best I could do to show that I understood them, loved them, and hoped the best for their comfort was to take a warm, fresh loaf of homemade bread, hot from the oven over to warm their souls.  I hope that it helped. 

Something to ponder.  My oldest daughter posed a good question today during family scripture study.  We are reading in 3 Nephi 9, Christ's visit to the Americas right after his resurrection.  We have been having long talks about what it would have been like, what we would have been doing, would we have listened, and so on.  So she has had some serious questions for us about how we are doing things now and I am proud of her for seeking and not just following.  But her question tonight, although something that a "seasoned" member might pass over, was, what does it mean to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit?  I love how the gospel is always new in the eyes of children.  I am always amazed how much they teach me, and how quickly I forget that they are here to teach me probably more than I could ever teach them about love and life and priorities.  So I will be thinking about this this week, do I have a broken heart and contrite spirit?

Something Old, Something New, and Something Blue.

Nope not a wedding, my living room!  Finally after a year of staring at the most awful fireplace monstrosity Mister and I pulled on the shoes of Weekend Warriors and had at it.  At first I had intended to replace the red couch with a tan one, but I found out I love, love, love turquoise and red together. 

So  BEFORE:

Yuck, yuck, yuckity yuck.

 Now it feels like home.

 A little showing off of the Pottery Barn knock-off hurricane candle holders I made for under, get this, $15 for all three!

 And the Pièce de résistance, my yarn wrapped monogram letter T with scrap paper roses and embellishments. I just need to frame this baby!

I love it.  Every time I walk in my front door and enter with a smile on my face.  It really is home now, because it looks like what home feels like in my heart.  Besides the new mantel shelf is the perfect excuse to be crafty e.v.e.r.y. season of the year.  Oh the ideas that are rolling around my brain!

A Letter

Dear Father Time,
I know you get a lot of requests to extend the day maybe one, two, twenty hours, but I already know the answer to that. 

Negatory rubber duck. 
Yep, thought so.

But what about slowing it dooooooowwwwwwwnnnn.  Just for, let's say for the next 10 years even.  Really, what is a decade in regards to the infinite?     You won't even miss it!  Heck you might even get a chance to savor it! Oh, how lovely.  Savoring, not just the moment, but the entire day for the next age.  You could even name it diamond years, forget about golden.   

I know I'm wearing you down.  Think about the long sweet afternoon sipping a cool lemonade watching time float by rather than fly through that hour glass you got there. 

Just think about it.

Sincerely,
Me

P.S.   I made a deal with Santa that I would start sending you all my letters every day. :)

Lazy Summer Days...

...are a myth, for me, at least. I can't help it. After hibernating this very cold and unusually long winter that lasted until June, it feels amazing to be out exploring, playing, and soaking up vitamin D with my kids.

So far our typical lazy summer week consists of picnics at the splash pad at least twice a week, the free movie on Friday mornings at the theater, awesome library classes to get out of the heat in the afternoon, hiking a new trail, disc golfing with Mister, having friends over for huge bubble making parties with our yarn bubble wands from Family Fun, and a trip to the Spokane River in various locations,

and walking through the English, and Rose Gardens at Manito Park.

Look how thrilled The Boy looks.

(Thank you random missionary for anchoring this shot.)

Plus going for bike rides, topped off with sewing and cooking lessons until swim lessons start at the end of the month.

We have also managed to squeeze in a road trip vacation for a week for a wedding which I managed to get absolutely zero pictures of because I left our flash card behind. I am very steamed about the whole thing, still.  Rapunzel also needed an emergency side of the road potty break, which we later found out that Jelly Beans was very covetous about because when we finally got to the much needed gas station and announced to the kids we are going potty, Jelly Beans exclaims: "Do I get to pee in the grass too!?!"  We finally consoled her with the fact that when we go camping she will get to do that a lot.

The next couple of months don't look like they will be slowing us down any either with three summer birthdays still in the forcast, two with in the two weeks, a day trip to the Grand Coolee Dam for the Lazer Light Show with some traditional fun in the sand at a sandy beach not to far from there and my anniversary (13 years, whoot!) just to name a few.

I love summer and the hubbub!

Now I need to start taking my camera with me with a flash card in it.

Plus summer means parading around with glitter toes...the icing on the cake.

By passing Bickering

In my blogger heading I mention that there is a 30% chance for tantrums in our little slice of heaven here, but lately it has been more like 50% chance OF FLOOD. Now don't get me wrong. Usually my kiddos get along great and show respect and love toward one another but there are those days that the bicker bug runs rampant in our house biting everyone in sight.

For instance:

"He/she took all the good chores!"

"I never get to be the first to read."

"How come we are having THAT for breakfast?"

"But we had the kind of sandwich already this week."

"It is my turn to use the remote!"

"Why can't I pick the movie for movie night?"

"He/she got to say the meal prayer last time." (I know the irony is thick here.)

"But Mom said that I get to help cook, today."

"If you unlock the doors today, I get to the rest of the week."

"How come so-and-so got to do what-ever-it-is-that-i-don't-get-to-do-right-now?"

"Is his/her turn up for the computer so that I can play?"

"You sat by mom last time."

"But I never get to turn the lights out!"

"He got to the door first and it is my turn!"

"No, I get to carry the library card, Costco card, receipt..etc."

"But said sibling is standing in my spot!" (These are imaginary placements at the front door before we head out...not sure who started this but I want to pull my hair out with retraining them with the fact that the floor, all of it, belongs to me.)

And on and on and on...just think about your own childhood and I am sure you are siding with one of those comments above.

So in the trenches of sibling rivalry here, I came across a unique idea that is mind boggling in an article written in, A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion,by Diane Jeppson: give each child a day for all the privileges. There is no keeping track minute to minute, instance to instance, wracking my brain trying to remember who did what when and how long ago that it was.

We labeled it, "Kid of the Day", on our new chalkboard wall.

This has been revolutionary. Granted there is still the little skirmish here and there, but all I have to do is add my two cents of, "What does the board say, who's turn it is?" Like magic the fighting stops immediately. Because each child agreed to it, and knows the consequence of throwing a fit on their off day...they lose a turn, they usually take it in stride and sometimes seem genuinely good with it.

We are currently on the second week of testing this out and so far so good. The kids wake up and run to the board to see whose turn it is today and are amazingly happy for that individual. I make sure to vary the particular day with each kid as well. Some days are just more fun than others at our house. It would be a downer to always be the Kid of the Day on say, Tuesday. I'll be honest not much happens in the adventure department on Tuesdays. I mean how exciting is laundry day?

Just like anything I am sure it won't always work but for now we love having a Kid of the Day!