Now I feel sheepish...

SERVICE!
That's the one that I forgot.
And if I want to let myself off the hook, I can because I'm a mom, and nearly everything I do in any given day can be termed service (don't get paid for it, give till it hurts, etc), but my goal for the next while is to try and be tuned in to others around me who might need whatever small bits of love and happiness I can give them. This is going to be a hard one....when overwhelmed (which is ALL the time right now) it's like I have blinders on (self preservation to make sure that I can focus on making it out of the burning building that is my life) and I miss a lot of what's going on around me.  Going to try and get rid of my blinders.....

Happy and Blessed New Year to you all!

Winding Down....

well, the year is anyway.

Christmas is over, sigh...

the New Year is looming....sigh.

I came across this fantastic poem and thought it was just the thing for me....

From an old English parsonage,
Down by the sea,
There came in the twilight,
A message to me;
Its quaint Saxon legend,
Deeply engraven,
Hath, as it seems to me,
Teaching from Heaven.
And on through the hours
The quiet words ring
Like a low inspiration-
DO THE NEXT THING

Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment,
Let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity,
Guidance, are given.
Fear not tomorrows,
Child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus,
DO THE NEXT THING

Do it immediately;
Do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence,
Tracing His Hand,
Who placed it before thee with
Earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence,
Safe ‘neath His wing,
Leave all resultings,
DO THE NEXT THING

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
(Working or suffering)
Be thy demeanor,
In His dear presence,
The rest of His calm,
The light of His countenance
Be thy psalm,
Strong in His faithfulness,
Praise and sing,
Then, as He beckons thee,
DO THE NEXT THING

-Author unknown

What’s happening in my home?….

In my kitchen… Made a batch of homemade rolls yesterday.  No plans for cooking today, other than Shepherd's Pie for dinner.  Yummmmm....comfort food.

With our marriage… just keep swimmin', I always say :) We've decided to make a list of home improvement projects, prioritize them, and work on them consistently so that our home feels better.  Why does this fall under the marriage category?  Well, it will help me reduce my resentment, and/or my feelings of overwhelming chaos..that's gotta be good for a marriage, right?

With the children… Tough, tough, tough.  Things will be less overwhelming once school starts again.  I have one who's exhibiting some compulsive behavior...trying to figure out how to work on it.  One who, understandably, has some real issues, but I hope to teach her to handle them with grace and graciousness.  To have "Good Grace"....(miss you, Verna and Amy :) Other than that....well, I have one who's become a streaker (but she's 2 and has just figured out how to escape from the confines of clothing, so she's normal) and one who's learning to pick out words, and several who've discovered a love of Susan Boyle's music and singing....it's always lively around here. Alanna celebrated her 9th birthday this month, and Isa is preparing to be baptized soon. Sophia toured the Morgan State University campus in Maryland this week, but I'm really hoping she settles on somewhere closer.

Around the homestead… Other than the a fore mentioned home-improvement projects, my goal is to become more organized, one space at a time.  Space is at a premium and it's getting me down, so I've got to reduce and reorganize.

In my “Inner Man”…. This is a tough one, as I've been stagnant lately, with all the sickness, busy-ness, stress, and the like.  I've decided to stop worrying (thanks for the advice Mom) about every little thing that I should be doing, and just focus on doing ONE thing in the spiritual category a day (reading my scriptures), ONE thing in the physical category a day (until January 2nd, it's drinking enough water a day, but once the new year kicks in, the exercise routine does too), and ONE thing....ok, well I forget the third category at the moment, but there IS a third category :) All in all, I'm truly blessed to have my family (both of them) and a knowledge of the gospel, as well as zings from some  benevolent angel's cattle prod to lead me back to the path, hopefully. Not that I've strayed....it's more like I just sat down in the middle of it, and started bawling and haven't been able to get up again. So maybe they're just to pick me up and point me in the right direction and urge me along for a while.

Whatever they are, I'm grateful for them. We really are blessed, and I believe no matter our circumstances, if we can find something to be grateful for, we'll weather the storm better....
with Grace. 

Here are our self-inflicted family Christmas photos taken the Sunday before (when ELSE is everyone's hair done at the same time?)

Truth be told, though....this one is a little closer to reality :)

Wishing all my loyal readers (all 2 of you..thanks guys) the most blessed of new years. Looking forward to spending it with you!

A Little Ditty I like to call My Life....

(To be sung to the tune of Chop Sticks)

I woke up and got up and went to the bathroom,
Then gathered my supplies and made a felt puppet.
The kids are all snickering, then they are bickering,
Can't you all just get a-long?

The dishes are growing the dog is enjoying the food that was left out AGAIN last night.
I don't know why I am the only one qualified, but I'm too tired to put up a fight.

Dora is singing, I'm once again winging my way to a full blown anxiety attack.
Classes to get done, and I've only begun, the monkey won't get off my back.
The Video's not working, the telephone is ringing, it's my darling daughter to say there's a meeting,
Of parents and 3rd graders singing and acting...the Thanksgiving program is starting real soon!

So off I go... support my 3rd grader, cause it's important and, pphhhhfff, well who cares?
The dishes and projects and those obligations will keep catching me un-awares....

So I once again, get my video going, the babies are sleeping, the dog is annoying me
With his darn whining and destructive nature, Call Boxer Rescue (or the meat packing plant)
I breathe and chant my de-stressing mantra, I'll tackle this day just a bite at a time....
I have to finish this assignment before I can make it in line (to the movies with my honey).

And then after viewing the lastest creation of worldwide destruction, a hit in the nation,
I'll go home and stare at the wall till I fall asleep.....wake up and start it all over again.

Time To Stand UP and be Heard

It's that time again (well, it was that time a while ago, but you know how it is....)

What's happening in my home......

In my kitchen....I bought myself a new tart pan for my birthday, and have been having fun making new things with it.  This one is an Apple Tart with a Reduced Apple Glaze....this was YUMMY.  I've also done a Pear Tart with Raspberry Glaze.
I've been channeling Julia Child lately.  I want to make yummy beautiful things.
I have "Plan Thanksgiving Dinner" on my lists of things to do, and am so busy, that I've been putting it off.  I've got to get to it soon! That being said, I've cleared almost everything off my ONE workspace in the kitchen...nothing has a permanent home there anymore and I LOVE that. Makes my kitchen feel cleaner than it did before.  Not that it IS clean....still working on that part....

In my marriage......
Lightbulb moments all over the place in the last couple of weeks.  The biggest one is that Loving someone doesn't have ANYTHING to do with whether or how they love you back.  This has been an important concept for me :) And it's something that I have to remind myself of every day. And that things that are difficult for us, often provide us with an opportunity for growth.
Speaking of Mario, he's enjoying his new job...he really feels valued and that's important.

With the Children.....

Sophia tried out and was invited to be on Club Utah's Elite Volleyball Team (they've been to Junior Olympics the last two years, so it's a great, if not expensive, opportunity).  We made lists of things for family home evening this week.  One side was things we might like for Christmas, the other side was a LONGER list of things we were thankful for.  She listed that she was thankful for young women leaders who kept bugging her to do what she KNEW she was supposed to do....I was shocked....and so impressed with her list....she could have listed so MANY things, but she chose that.

Alanna has been sick alot this past month.  Mostly headaches, which seem to stem from separation anxiety.  She feels that "six hours and fifteen minutes" is too long for her to be away from me.
We had tons of fun  making and decorating our traditional Halloween cookies....Alanna likes to get VERY involved in her work, and was covered from head to toe by the time we finished.

 Isabelle said to me the other day, "Mom, when I grow up will  you tell me all the secrets?"  I replied, "sure, Isa.....what secrets are those?" To which she said, "You know, all the secrets about how to be a good mom."  Wow, did that make me feel good...she obviously thinks I know them, LOL.  She helped make Apple Muffins the other day, and asked me yesterday how to sew on a button...which I showed her....since she was little she's talked about being a mom, and I think she'll be a great mom and homemaker.  Unlike her mom who is a SHE (side-tracked home executive), Isa is BO (born organized)..  She'll be awesome.

Ellie....She's gotten 100% on every spelling test she's taken so far this year.  I'm so pleased...and she's reading James and the Giant Peach.  It just thrills me that my kids are such fantastic readers...not that I can take any direct credit for it...it's not like I worked with them since they were little, but we do like to read. She is an interesting kid.  So independent, and at the same time, so attached at the hip.  She is doing AWESOME at her piano practicing. I think she's got a real ear for music.

I'm trying to do better at spending quality time with the little girls while the bigger ones are at school.  I decided to tell them a story about Noah..I thought "I think I can remember all the details."  So I commenced to tell them about how Heavenly Father told Noah to build a boat, and so Noah did, and then he put 2 of every animal on the boat..a boy and a girl...and then Heavenly Father told Noah to get his family on the boat and it started to rain.  And it rained for 40 days and 40 nights and Noah and his family were safe on the boat. And then one day it stopped.  And Noah sent a dove out several times until the bird brought back a tree branch, and Noah knew that they could leave the boat.  The End.  And Gabby turns to me and says, "Mom, you forgot about the Rainbow!" ......duh...

Sammie has been potty training...and when she does well, she turns to me and says, "Mom, you happy?" and I say "Yes, I'm happy!"  This started because at one point she wasn't even trying, and I said, "Sammie, when you don't go on the potty it makes me so SAD."  For the next week, she had almost NO accidents...and each time she went, she made sure that I was happy with her progress :)
As I'm posting this, she's saying..."Look, that's ME, in my beautiful costume," and flapping her "wings."

Around the homestead....
Still mucking out one things at a time.  It's slow going, (especially this week!...but more on that later), but I'm trying.  I'm making plans for a wonderful "Day after Thanksgiving"....we'll have a special breakfast, shop for our ornaments...our tradition is to let the kids pick out a new one each year....and decorate the tree.  This will all need to happen before the Family Photos scheduled for that afternoon, and the festivities planned afterwards with the extended fam.

My business.......
I am developing classes for Scrapbook Dimensions Magazine, and the first one begins on Monday....it's been a good opportunity to stretch and grow, and find new abilities. It's also been stressful.  I could have used more time to get it done, but my editor wanted it done yesterday, so I've been moving a LOT faster than I'm comfortable with, in addition to working alot more than I like to lately. But I'm excited about it.  If you want to see my intro, you can check it out HERE.



My Inner Man.....
I had the opportunity to attend "Time Out for Women" with my mom and some of my sisters.  What an enlightening and spiritual experience.  There were many tears as I listened to the presenters, and moments when we were rolling on the floor.  It was truly therapeutic and I learned so much about myself as a woman and Daughter of God.  Answers to things I'd struggled with for YEARS, with regards to my roll as a woman and Mom....I hope to get the chance to go again...it was life-changing, and hopefully I can maintain my momentum.

It's calling to me....

I get this newsletter that has this in it, and since it reminded me, I'm going to post again...feeling very productive this week!

What’s happening in my home?…………….
In my kitchen…trying to organize, create a launch pad, and figure out dinner....left-overs are screaming to be used, but the fam will be screaming about left-overs..what a dilemma.
With our marriage…realized that although I've been worrying about the kind of woman I could be if my spouse loved me the way I need to be loved, I SHOULD be thinking about the kind of man HE could be if I loved HIM better.....
With the children.. Needing to schedule some one on one time with each of them....having some issues with a few of them....one's got "divatude," one's having trouble with telling the truth, and one potty training....the other three are about normal...
Around the homestead… very, very slowly reclaiming my home from the clutter and chaos.  Got a shelf, cupboard, and counter cleaned in the kitchen this morning, and all the books put in a locked cabinet, because the dog devours them...literally, and got my room vacuumed and the shelf cleaned off...yeah!  Baby steps, but still steps!
In my “Inner Man”…..Realized that LOVING doesn't have a thing to do with whether or not we are loved in return....a-ha!

Feelin' good.

Found this fun little run down...thought I'd try it.

Two posts in 3 days...I KNOW. But I found this little ditty and decided to give it a try....




What’s happening in my home……?

In my kitchen…Yesterday was cornbread, cream-filled spiderweb frosted cupcakes (courtesy of Sophie), pumpkin shaped sugar cookies, decorated with candy corn and chocolate chips...Oooh, I'll have to post photos! Today's fast sunday, so nothing going at the moment....


With our marriage…mmmm, we spent some time working together yesterday....


With the children… ... dressed up "halloween" for school Friday morning, for the neighborhood trunk-or-treat Friday evening, and again Saturday after noon for the traditional Trick or Treating..(ugh :) Wish we could all get it done and over with in one night....

Around the homestead… mouse infestation in the garage...began cleaning out and setting traps...checked the 72 hour kits, and although walked on (yuck) there was no evidence of them getting inside, thank goodness. THEN somebody got a bee in his bonnet because the buddy neighbor was laying some cement on the sides of his driveway so he didn't have to park on the grass anymore, and since we've been talking about putting cement in on the north side because it's always a swamp in the summer, all of a sudden it had to happen NOW....spent the rest of the day until TOT time, prepping that mess!

In my “Inner Man” ....Read my scriptures most days this week, and to Gabby and Samm, too.....that's progress.


Thanks for indulging me...

I know, I know.....

I feel so guilty! I struggle to keep up, and this blog gets forgotten....

Updates?  Mario found a job in September...he likes it and they like him.  It works out good.
Sophia (or Sophie as she calls herself this year) is wrapping up the volleyball season....first year of a BRAND NEW HIGH SCHOOL!  and they're going to state championships in volleyball next weekend!!  I'm so proud of her...she's grown by leaps and bounds.

Alanna is working away at spanish, and piano.  All the kids have been sick with colds this week (thank heaven not swine flu) and have been home from school, so we have some catching up to do.

Isabelle is so funny! She "designed" a cat costume for Halloween and it was really well thought out. She is taking piano also and loves it.

Elizabeth...the perpetual princess.  She is fun....growing so much and becoming such a good reader....she's a sweet little thing.

Gabby....loves to help me cook and read.  She asked me to sing the angel song from Christmas this afternoon as we were preparing for naps...I finally figured out she meant "Angels We Have Heard On High".   I've only sung it 7 times since then....and pulled out a Christmas CD so she could listen to it there. She asked me what "forgive" meant the other day...she's just three, and I was surprised.

Sammie...she's is a little spitfire.  But a good-natured one. The other day I was cooking and started tapping my forehead, saying "thinking, thinking" and she said, "I know, Mom!" and I said 'You do?' and she said "yep, Van Gogh".....then she laughed and said "I'm so funny." You gotta love that.

I've had some new opportunities come my way recently...I'm still designing and selling my products online, and recently began contributing to an online magazine.  You can see my latest article HERE. It's a fun area that I'm enjoying exploring.

I wish I could say that I'll get better at updating, but really, I'm sure it won't be long before I'm lost again, trying to keep my head above water. But I can say I'll try :)