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.

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!

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.

Relocated

Life is still moving forward, for the better I hope, in a new locale.

I hate the boxes and packing, then unpacking and the boxes of moving but I do love the thrill of getting to know a new place.

I am in love with living in the greater North Wet, as Mister likes to call it. It feels like home. Which is saying a lot for me. I love looking out the window every morning drinking in the beautiful landscape with all its adventure and excursion possibilities. Oh, the places I will run. My shoes won't know what hit them!

I am extremely, incurably, directionally challenged, but I can find a few of my favorite places so far, like my sister's house, The Dollar Tree (invaluable for the chore store basket...aka bribery for the kids and inexpensive school supplies) and the library.

Ahhhh, the library...

...

...

Sorry, lost in my own readers paradise for a moment there.

And one must not forget the most amazing parks and hiking trails.

Heaven!

Now if I could only pin down that blasted Post Office. I feel like it is stationed on Platform 9 3/4.

To Do List

Things I hope to get done before the computer comes back...

1. plant...anything
2. finish up two flower initials
3. complete a gingerbread and sweets phrase drawing
4. the second to the last week of school
5. making Jelly Beans rubber ducky birthday cupcake-cake
6. sew two dresses, two skirts, and four pillow case shirts
7. mend winter pants into summer shorts
8. run three times this week, besides my normal 1 1/2 hour exercise routine
9. make bread and granola
10. and read 100 pages in my scriptures...I am so behind on my 10 page a day goal...grrr.

Hopefully this will keep me motivated to return and report with good effort at least. :)

Till then dear Internet....*sigh*

Well, then...

It has been a whirl-wind of activity here in the last month and half. SO in an attempt to get all caught up I am going bullet point style....here goes....warning this will be very random...

• Hallelujah!!! Mister passed his nursing license exam and is now a full fledged Registered Nurse.
• We are still in search of Nursing Job. Hopefully good news soon!
  
• With serious amount of prayers, bait and mouse traps, I have managed to eradicate mice from the premises. They are NOT my friends.
• I have officially become the quickest draw in the West...well my part of town, with the insecticide when it comes to in home invasions of ants. This one really chaps my hide...I vacuum and mop everyday, leave no trace of food after each meal, and all my wanted goods are in plastic sealed containers. Grrrrr...stinking ants.
• I am the proud renter of a massive garden that currently is masquerading as the world's most wanted weed patch. I plan on having a garden throw down as soon as I get back...
• from my sisters house!!! I get to go play with my sister in Washington and kiss her new baby boy and my nieces whom I haven't seen in almost four years!
  
• I have lost enough weight to walk into a regular store and by pass all signs that say "Plus-size".
• I am planning on running a 5K in nine weeks. I am a gluten for punishment I have decided. Nix that. I am embarking on new and exciting adventures that will challenge me and reward me beyond measure in my newer body.
  
• My neighbors find my jogging around my acre yard quite comical.
• I have seeds! And fertilizer that I have no idea how to use, but it will be going down in the ground soon.
• I have decided that I am going to pursue becoming a childrens book illustrator and author.
• It has snowed/pelted mini snowballs more this 'spring' than during the winter and I feel like turning on the Christmas music again. Is this a redo, do over, or second helpings of winter?...hello spring are you there?
• Realized once again, how exhausting it is to pack for four small people and then still find time to care about getting my things packed.
• I love how my house smells after making Apple Pie Granola, Triple Chip Oatmeal Cookies, and a fresh rain shower.
  
• now I must get to bed to wake up at O'dark thirty to drive for a whole day! Ta-ta and I will update while with my Sister!
  
•