The Past Few Weeks

We've had a bit of Spring and winter all rolled into the past few weeks.

Grace went bike riding while Anne and James splashed around.

I love having James!  He wanted to go sledding, but realized that mud wasn't good for sledding so he opted to go boating in the neighbor's large puddle.

  Edwin read the girls Treasure Island for bed time for the month of January. Then Grace attended a Pirate Birthday party at the Children's Museum.  She came home with an eye-patch and hat which were worn every night during bedtime stories with dad.  The girls then watch Treasure Planet with the neighbors and before I knew it I was making Pirate skirts one Sunday afternoon.

We built Pirate Cove when the snow and cold returned.  James found his pirate costume and joined in with the adventures and fun.

I finished all 90 blocks....none are the same.  Now I'm working on the sashing and I hope to have the quilt top finished before baby arrives.

Like I said before the weather is crazy and we had snow again.  Anne and James and I had a snowball fight while Edwin and Grace made bread for dinner. 

We also made a little snowman.

For Valentine's Day this year we had heart shaped pancakes for breakfast.  Heart jelly sandwiches for lunch.

And we enjoyed a lovely bouquet of flowers.

The Lilies bloomed later in the week and we have been happy with the colors and lovely things Heavenly Father makes.

James learned how to make a towel look like a dead chicken.

Anne is back to wearing Super Power hats.

James has taken up jamming on the guitar.

And when things got crazy with the neighbors the other night we turned everyone into pigs.

Tape doesn't stick well on a running nose...but sick or not, James was not going to be left out of the fun and off the camera.

Meltdown

It's been a crazy couple of weeks.  So when I found that neither car would start this morning I was a bit beside myself.  Gabby and tried to jump start the van and ended up with this mess.  Everyone was safe.  The house didn't burn down despite our best efforts with a sparkly fireworks display of electricity.  Both cars sustained cosmetic damage and my good friend and neighbor, Dave (our personal car mechanic) will assess the internal damage to the vehicles this afternoon during his lunch hour.

The cars still don't start, and quite frankly, I don't care to touch another vehicle anytime soon.

I'm tired. 

The Girls' Room

Two years ago the girls didn't have a light in their room until summer ended and it was too dark to read scriptures in bed.  Edwin and I found this pink frilly lamp at a second-hand store in town.  The girls loved it  and the creative decorating scheme began to brew.

I purchased the fabric for the curtains a year ago, but waited until we were a bit more settled before tackling the project. 

The curtains are finished.  The girls found the fancy curtain rods complete with feathers and plastic crystal finials.  Everything a girl could want.

Grace and Anne made the picture frames out of craft sticks and foam stickers.

They love to paint fashion dolls so a few of them made it on the wall.  I made the hair bow boards and sewed the tea party table cloth. 

Grace painted the picture frames above her bed.

Anne painted the picture frames above her bed.

Grandma Peggy sent the giant Idaho poster to remind us where our roots are planted.

I thought we were done decorating for a while, but since General Conference we are adding a temple picture to the room, and we will be rehanging Anne's newly painted frame for her picture of the Savior.

I'd say this has been a productive winter.

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One room decorated in one year.  At this rate we'll move before I get all the rooms decorated.  Oh well, it's the journey that matters....right?

Sew Fun

January: Purchased Fabric on Clearance

February: Found the Pattern for $1

May: Moved into our new place and cut out the skirt

June: Mother motivated me to keep sewing

July: Daughters were persistant in their request

August: I DID IT!!!!

Both girls chose their colors and details.  Anne is a Pink and Purple Purist

Grace went for the Rainbow effect, and I love it!

The day I finished Grace made plans for her next dress....

Halloween is just around the corner and I've got to get busy sewing!

We're Home Again

It's 7:15 pm and the beds aren't made for the day (but the sheets are finally out of the drier).  The sink is filled with soapy suds and the dishes are waiting to be washed.  Edwin took the kids out for a minute and told me I was free to do anything I wish.  Here I am in my messy house with a few minutes to myself and back to blogging!  It's good to be back and I'm excited to post our vacation.  We just uploaded 300 photos... you my dear readers will only see a few of them because as cute as I think my children are.....you don't need 50 photos of James in the bathtub!

For now I'm going to quit procrastinating and go wash the dishes.  Edwin will be home with our crazy kids soon and I am off to enjoy a night of volleyball with the local women in 20 minutes.  So here's to blogging, and here I go to the kitchen.

Introduction

We have been extremely busy and the photos are waiting to be posted.  In the next couple of weeks I hope to post  the following blogs:

• 
  
  Uncle Daniel's Visit
• 
  
  Nauvoo/Carthage Jail Trip
• 
  
  Jennifer and James visit New Hampshire
• 
  
  Once in a Life Time Family Reunion
• 
  
  Our New Digs...

We are busy cleaning and prepping the new house for our relocation this weekend.  I'll try to post, but if I'm a bit delayed please be patient. Life is a bit topsy turvy and I'll do my best.

Friends through Service

We have had the opportunity to meet two families from Mongolia while they are here for medical treatment.  Although we don't speak the same language, we have enjoyed our time together.  Bilgun, Bigal, Jargal, Doma, and Sarah (5) joined us and our friends Troy and Taivna for pizza and free night at the museum. One reason this relationship works so well is because everyone here knows how to love a baby. I believe babies have spiritual healing powers so I enjoy sharing James with these struggling families.

Reigning Reins

Anne loves to pull on my drawstings whether on my hoodies or on my scrubs.  Any dangling string on mom and I'm instantly turned into the horse.  Grace took the photo with Anne in charge, and Anne was the photographer for Grace's picture.  They are getting to be good little photographers. 

Yes, my house is generally this cluttered and disorderly.  We ALL enjoy playing more than working and we seldom put things away before the next activity.  Although I have the upper hand in most decisions, the children rule the day.

Snuggles

We had a baby sitting adventure with two little boys.  Tyler is Anne's age (not pictured) and Jackson (James' age).  It made for a full house and I am very grateful not to have multiple newborns.  I love how the girls want to hold ALL the babies and my unfinished sewing project is just hanging out in the background.  Ah, such is life with children...unfinished dishes, unfinished journal entries, unfinished projects.  But I'm glad to know we have full happy lives and a home filled with friends, snuggles, songs, stories, laughter, chocolate milk and love.

Digging For Spring

The sun was shining for two full days.  Even though the temperatures were below freezing our doors and windows were open for the clean, crisp air to permeate the house.  I mopped the floors, beat out the entry way rugs, and pretended it was spring.  Today is cloudy and snowing, but I know that spring is just around the corner with endless sunshine and outdoor play time.  One of the things I love about Iowa is that fact that the grass is still green buried below 10 inches of snow and ice.  It only takes a shovel to make spring come alive and ignite the flame within me to continue to endure this seemingly endless winter.  The bunny under the stairs and this patch of green grass will tide me over until the sun comes shining through the windows again.  I feel like child waiting for Santa, giddy with anticipation and excitement, knowing that soon, very soon the crocuses and daffodils will be sprouting forth and life will be abundantly blooming.

Ah, spring.

The Long and Short of It

The way I see it...

I'm moving half way across the country

I'm expecting baby #3 soon...and it's a boy

I got a new purse, and new glasses

What's one more change?!?

It's only hair and it will grow back....if I let it!

Finally Finished

Three and a half years ago I started a project.

At the time I looked like this....on the verge of delivering Grace.

I now look like this and have two children. But I finally finished my project!

Meet Mahn-Hee our knitted monkey.

We love him dearly.

I should note that Edwin started knitting a monkey at the same time I did. His monkey was finished right away and is stored in a box right now. We will post pictures of the happy monkey reunion later.

***Thank you Jennifer S. for inspiring me to learn to knit and for getting me started on an adventurous project. Thanks to my MIL, Linda, for instructing me along the way and encouraging me to finish it. I couldn't have finished without Edwin's teasing, laughing, and supportive love...."finish before we move again or throw it out" philosophy helped too.

Red Envelopes

My upstairs neighbor is actively involved in many political campaigns and here is one I found noteworthy to participate in too.

RED ENVELOPE CAMPAIGN:

Due to President Obama's pro-abortion policies there is much concern regarding laws that will be passed to make abortions easier, more convenient, and with few parental notifications for minors.

All you need to do to join many others is send an empty red envelope to President Obama.

Address:

President Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave

Washington D.C. 20500

The back of many envelopes read:

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world.

Life Begins at Conception.

May our voices be heard and may lives be spared.

Crafty Lady

Since Edwin gave me complete guide to sewing I have been a bit more ambitious and brave about tackling some long neglected projects. These little aprons are patterened after some I bought at the dollar store. The much loved pink dollar store aprons didn't fair so well in the laundry. So I made these for the girls. They wear them all the time and that's fine by me!

I think I may make a few more for those "extra messy" days, like yogurt and applesauce!

Besides the cookies the girls are eating I also made mittens to temporarily replace some that were lost.....I'd like to make matching hats, mittens, and scarfs for the kids next winter in Iowa!

I just pulled out my pattern stash and fabric....I could go crazy this year so bring on the needles and thread!

From Our Window

When we first arrived our place was buzzing with Canada Geese and Mallod Ducks. We thought we were having fun, but now that the weather is changing and birds are migrating these are the water fowl we have seen from our front window. Occasionally we see king fishers, common flickers and downy woodpeckers, heron, and commerants. We love our window!

Canada Goose (They hiss at us if we are too close to the window during feeding time!) Mallard Ducks

Cinnamon Teal

American Wigeon

Common Mergansers

Green-Winged Teal

Hooded Merganser

Wood Duck

The hooded merganser and the wood ducks are my favorite. I love how strikingly bold yet very quiet and reserved they are. Happy bird watching everyone!

Tagged by Susan - 8 Things...

8 Shows I Love To Watch--- We opted to give away our television this summer so I can honestly say I don't watch it...except for the Presidential Debates we rented our community club house so we could use the TV. However 8 things I enjoy watching 1. Wizard of Oz- A library find 2. Sound of Music- Another library find 3. General Conference- I enjoy the soothing voices while I fold laundry and the kids are sleeping. 4. Wild Life- We have a large picture window in the main room that overlooks a pond. This winter I have been thrilled to see the migrating birds flock to our neighborhood. I love to hear the geese announce their arrival and departure. There is nothing like two hundred wings beating the air in their own rhythms ready for flight! Ah...this is a topic worthy of it's own post. 5. Grace and Anne playing together 6. Edwin sitting on the sofa hand quilting 7. Our family photos cycle through a slide show 8. My children's faces when daddy comes home after a long day 8 Favorite Restaurants 1. Chinese Food- Ben and Shanna order some delicious food while we were in CO last winter. 2. Thai Ruby- UT 3. Bombay House- UT 4. Half priced Happy Meal picnics at the hospital 5. Houston's Famous Deli 6. The Little Cafe-ID 7. Jason's Deli- 8. Susan's or Shanna's Kitchen! 8 Things I Did Yesterday 1. Enjoyed the sacrament 2. Taught Relief Society 3. Baked Grace's Birthday Cake 4. Sat on the sofa for an hour with Grace and snuggled in a blanket and talked about all the things I could remember about her in the past three years. Anne slept in late and Grace and I enjoyed some quiet conversation time together on her birthday. 5. Talked to my mother and my mother-in-law on the phone 6. Baked dinner rolls successfully (it was the first time I used instant yeast...I was nervous they would be hard and dense) 7. Made all of Grace's dreams come true for her birthday (pink birthday cake, pink frosting, pink candles with fire, and floating balloons) 8. Kissed my wonderful husband and two beautiful girls 8 Things I Look Forward To 1. Teaching next month's Relief Society Lesson on Unity (chapter 23 in the Joseph Smith manual for those who want a sneak preview!) 2. A visit from Uncle Richard and Jess this weekend 3. CRANBERRY SAUCE for Thanksgiving 4. Thanksgiving dinner....especially the whole batch of cranberry sauce to myself! YUM!! 5. Uncle Bill's wedding on the 6th and Uncle Richard's wedding on the 30th 6. My family coming for a visit... 7. Christmas decorations...mostly the ceramic nativity set my grandmother made for my mom. Edwin and I enjoy putting it up every year. 8. Kissing my girls when they wake up from their nap! 8 Things On My Wish List 1. Knowing how to handle situations that cause tension and anger 2. Hot chocolate on a cold night. 3. Complete memory books for my girls. 4. Sewing instructions...I am in desperate need of some sewing help. 5. Warm toes- I can't sleep with feet this cold! 6. Less stuff- organized stuff would help! 7. A happy family 8. Knowledge....raising children is quite the struggle and I'm going to need all the help I can get!

Protesting TLC Program!

Edwin and I were up late with our little Night Owl and happened to catch a new series that is starting on TLC called The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom. The advertisements for the show looked super cute and I thought "that looks like fun!" The series is about stay-at-home moms who are given the opportunity to work out of the home in their dream job for 5 days. The family was told that they were being filmed while mom went to a spa retreat for the week and dad gets to do all of mom's responsibilities. The episode we watched was a mom of four who wanted to be a police officer like her husband. When they got married they agreed that he would work and she would raise the family at home. They have a happy life together, but she still wants to know if she has what it takes to be an officer. She is enrolled in as a police cadet in California and is given a series of physical tests (including being sprayed directly in the face with pepper spray) and has the opportunity to ride along with another officer for the day. Yes, we enjoyed watching the program...until the end. Mom goes home to the family and tells them what she's really been doing for the week. The family watched video clips of mom as an officer. They were shocked to see some of the things she did, but they were glad she was safe and okay. All is well with the program up to this point. Then the shows host says "we have a surprise for you and mom doesn't know about this either." They proceed to offer her a place at the academy with a scholarship! They tell her she has to make a decision immediately and so they film mom and dad trying to make a major decision that will ultimately change the entire family. NO ONE can (or should) make those kind of decisions under pressure! You could see how much mom wanted this tantalizing opportunity and how much dad was opposed to it. He said he didn't want his wife to see the things he saw and experiences as an officer. I felt like the program was really about breaking up a happy home. It's terrible to me that a TV program is deliberately preying on stay-at-home moms and creating conflict in the home. Edwin and I were both quite upset at the end and it's a program I just can't watch again. Moms have it tough....it's the way it is. Some moms work because they have too. Others stay home even though they greatly miss the work force. Some moms work for their own interests. Whether working or not I feel that most moms want what is the best for their families. We don't need outside forces to entice us to do ANYTHING that is contrary to the happiness and success of our families. Here's a link from some random blog that put things together nicely http://www.careerandkids.com/the-secret-life-of-a-soccer-mom/

Something Beautiful for God

I recently read the book "Something Beautiful for God" by Malcolm Muggeridge. It is a view into Mother Teresa's life and work. The book is broken into three parts. Part One is the author's view and perspective on Mother Teresa's lifestyle and dedication to her faith. The author is not catholic and doesn't anticipate that he will ever join the church despite his feelings of wanting to belong to something great. There are some very political and religious points the author makes and I was grateful for his willingness to share his own perspective on Mother Teresa's life. While discussing the value of life he states that life is always precious or it is never precious, but it can't be precious some of the time and disregarded other times. People are therefore all precious all of the time or no one is ever precious. Part Two includes Mother Teresa's philosophies on topics such as Service, Prayer, Holiness, Silence, Love, and many other poignant ideas. This is a refreshing look at how intricately her religion is woven into her life. Her love for Christ affects every aspect of her life, as it very well should. I was touched by her dedication to religious services and the strength she drew from worshipping the Lord. She needed Him daily and made prayer and worship the highest priority every day. Part Three is an interview between the author and Mother Teresa. There is only dialog, no fillers or third party interpretations. I could really get a sense of Mother Teresa's simple view on life and how to serve God. Her faith and devotion shine brilliantly and I enjoyed reading her words.

I remember being in high school when she passed away. I did not know very much about Mother Teresa other than she was a nun who received the Noble Peace Prize and was rather old and homely looking. Since reading this book I have come to appreciate the way she lived her life and the philosophies she treasured and shared with the world. Mother Teresa taught school to the poor children in the neighborhood. She also created a place to tend to the unwanted babies (a growing trend among the middle-class youth is to induce early labor and leave the fetus with the midwives). This kind woman found a way to purchase a printing press for the lepers so they would be able to make pamphlets and sell them to the public to provide for their livelihood. I was especially touched by the Home for the Dying. A place of beauty for the homeless and forgotten people to die peacefully. A place for the forsaken to be loved one last time before leaving the cruel world they had known.

I feel the need to follow Christ's example and serve others. Some days I am overwhelmed by the insurmountable task to be Christlike in all things, however, I am filled with hope when I find others who have succeeded and live truly beautiful lives. Mother Teresa speaks volumes when she says the basic need every individual must receive is love. Human love.