What have I been doing all week? Well, not enough laundry!

My birthday is coming up on Sunday and I was surprised early by my sweet Hubby! He came home with a BRAND NEW CAMERA for me!!! It isn't just any old camera it is a Canon Rebel Xti dslr camera! I have been drooling over these for about a year. I have looked and looked at them. It has been one of those things that you look at, read reviews etc.

I have one now! I am certain that now every single picture that I take will be fabulous! They will all be worthy of blowing up and putting on the wall! Ok, I am not that niave to think that a camera can make me smarter but I would sure like to think so!

So, I would show you a picture of the camera but I haven't gotten that far yet! However, I did go out and take a few (50) shots of my little guy! I will be learning all the bells and whistles for a while!

I am having a bit of guilt because I am so lucky. I would love it if someone would actually like my work enough to pay me to take their pictures. However, the biggest reason that I take pictures is because I really like to! I got my first camera at age 9 and I have loved photography ever since!

Here are a couple of shots-not edited or anything--just out of the camera!

( I have no idea why the pictures are sideways!--I will try to fix them!)

Friday

Busy week. Be back soon.

Focusing(again!)

I am reposting an entry from back in January. I was looking for this because it is something that I really believe. I want these sentiments to be part of my life. The way I look at everything that I do for my family. They are a blessing-every single day. I want to get to where I feel this way every single day!

Perspective
I was reading Nitty.Gritty.com blog. She has had many trials in her young life. She made a statement that I have thought almost word for word many times."The perspective that guides/shapes my parenting is this- When you begin to see the day to day as a delight, rather than a drudgery... When serving my children is seen as a privilege rather than a chore... Knowing that my actions are, slowly and through repetition, shaping them for the rest of their lives... then it becomes a task of enormous and lasting consequence. It becomes a 'higher calling' and the reality sinks in that demanding my best, giving it my all, and expressing love in everything I do, is the least I can offer to those who mean the most to me." Those are my sentiments exactly. Now to be able to do this. To look past the messes and be grateful that they are healthy enough to make them. To be grateful that I am able to have them. Grateful and blessed.

Martin's Cove

Turn up the Heat!

We awoke to snow on our mountains! It is officially(no matter the calendar!) FALL here!

We have had a busy weekend. We went on a training seminar to Martin's Cove in Wyoming. For those of you that don't know what Martin's Cove is let me give you some history. In the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS-Mormon's) there was a huge exodus across the country to Utah. Thousands of Pioneers came across the plains in covered wagons and also handcarts. The first groups arrived in Salt Lake in 1847 but there continued to be great numbers of people that continued to come for many more years. In the year 1856 numerous handcart companies left Iowa--they left later than normal. When they reached Wyoming they were in a desperate situation. Their food had been rationed and was almost completely gone. An early winter storm overtook them. Their's is a story of faith. Many, many of these faithful pioneers lost their lives before a rescue team from Salt Lake City made it to them.

We are planning a "Trek" with my husbands single young adult ward next summer. In the course of the experience we will learn about these pioneers by dressing in pioneer clothing and by pulling handcarts and learning about their struggles and their faith.

This was our first time to participate in something of this sort. It was a humbling experience. This is not a vacation destination. There is no reason to ever drive to this part of the world. It is desolate, windy and full of nothing! However, the feelings that exist in that sacred place were felt as soon as you stepped on the trail. We were trained about how to carry out our groups trek. We actually participated in the different activities, saw videos of other groups, learned histories of those who survived and those that didn't.

My sweet hubby was exhausted after we finished. Not just from the physical strain of the trek but from the intensity of the Spirit that was felt there. The Spirits of those pioneers tarries there.

This is an experience that we will not soon forget.

(rarity for me but I took NO pictures)

A good thing!

What can make a good day?

EMPTY LAUNDRY BASKETS! and vacuumed and moped floors!

Too bad that the little worker fairies didn't find me and I had to do it myself!

It's getting Deep in Here!

Do you remember the old story about the cobbler who would wake up and have all these wonderful shoes made for him? The little fairy workers came in the night to do the work.

Where are my little worker fairies!

Where has the service gone?

There are some problems with modern society.

When I was a kid we went to the local grocery store and you pushed your cart behind the counter and the cashier pulled everything out of the cart and priced them. There would be a bagger that would put all the goodies into the bags (paper, of course) and then into a cart. Then that nice boy would push the cart out to your car and then load them into your car. He would then say "Thank You" and he would take the cart back into the store. You would get into your car and drive home.

This is how it is today. We put our own goods on a conveyor belt. The checker runs them across the scanner, without even acknowleging you. He loads the plastic sacks(poorly-watch out for your bread and tomatoes) . Now, if you are like me, I don't shop every day so when I do, it is a really big order so the bag holder gets full very quickly. Much sooner than you have unloaded the cart. Does this cashier look and realize that his bag cart is full and he should go and get another cart ? No, he just keeps piling.

Would it kill a Walmart employee to actually care about their job? Would it be so difficult for a cashier to stop checking for three seconds and go and get a second cart so that the already bagged groceries could be loaded? When I was 9 months pregnant with my last baby I went to the store. I had TWO carts. I am a LARGE pregnant woman. I have big babies and my belly is massive. It was very apparent that I needed help. I could not get any Walmart employee to make eye contact with me. If they did they knew that they would HAVE TO help me.

What has this world come to?

Just as a side note. The grocery store in the small town that I grew up in still has baggers and they still take your groceries to your car and say thank you. There is something special about small towns.

Stay off the scale!

Easiest way to ruin a good day?

Get on the scale. Total downer.

I have regained all the weight that I lost over the last almost two years. It happened fast. Now, I am terribly discouraged because I don't seem to have any motivation.

Why does this have to be a lifelong battle?

Depressing.

Fall is Here

Fall is Here!

We went for a little drive Saturday and found a few color changes.

The Big Boy had his birthday Saturday as well. He is 11! It is hard to believe.

I have a cold so I am laying low.

Still Working

My friend Lara wrote that it is difficult to always be changing, adding new habits constantly. I totally agree with her. I have tried to keep going with this new habit idea. Well, I too have had some success and some, well less than successful moments.

Isn't that what life is truly about? Continually improving. The only thing that we take with us in this life is the knowledge that we attain. We can't take the clean house, the car, etc. with us. However, the knowledge we gained from trying to stretch and learn will be with us through the eternities.

Last week I said that I wanted to be more complimentary of my children when they are kind. I am going to stick with this habit. We have had a pretty good week but there is still so much I need to improve on in this area. It is so easy to just not REALLY pay attention when they are being kind or helpful. We are just so glad that they aren't fighting that we just go with it. However, I firmly believe that we all need to have people notice the kind,good things we do. So,I am going to continue to try and be more aware of the wonderful beings that my children are. I also hope to find a way to celebrate it. I talked about "love notes" or something but I didn't do it. I know that with my #3 seven year old, she would just love the notes. She is also the one that I truly have to notice when she is kind because she can be such a difficult little pill. Morning is still rough. Working on a new routine with her.

If you would like to improve your life go over to Lara's place and join Smart Habit Saturday. It has helped me to at least be more aware of the changes I want in my life. It also provides a forum to talk about success and a place to hopefully be inspired!

Perspective

... one more thing, pressed from all corners, you often think, If I could just have eight hours of quiet. You will have that someday, but you won't have those little guys you have now and you'll miss them. Nora Roberts

Trying to keep perspective today.

There is a light!

I think that there is hope. Hope that my darling daughter has started to emerge from the hormone crazed brain that has hazed her brain for the last 2 1/2 years.

I came into my bedroom and was greeted by this note. I am sure that it seems silly, but to me, it meant alot. See, this girl of mine has been quite cranky for quite a long time. Particularly where I am concerned. To see this silly note did my heart good.Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we will make it to that place that my girl has been hiding.

Please excuse how disgustingly dirty the mirror was prior to the love note. Perhaps cleaning the mirrors has to be added to my master list!

"I DO IT MYSELF!"

My little boy is getting bigger. He has started having meltdowns because of someone helping him! Yesterday he was cutting his pbj sandwich(butter knife), he was having a bit of a struggle so I proceeded to help him push harder. It was as if I had beat him and then broke his heart-all at once. The tears took awhile to stop.He insists on getting himself into his carseat. He wants to climb into his crib, get his book, brush his own teeth, wash his own hands and carry his own backpack. He loves to put the milk jugs in the box, open the fridge(not always the best thing!) he likes to "hauck on the owne" to Gramma and just about anything else he is in the mood for!

He is also getting much better at other things also.He is starting to say prayers! It is the sweetest thing. He is also learning how to put his own socks on! He was so proud of himself that he asked me to take a picture. What blogging mother would lose that photo op? So, in honor of my sweet little angel baby--here are his not so baby like feet!

Arrow of Light

These are the "moments" in life that we remember! Tonight was a big one for our big guy who is almost 11!

We had a "rite of passage" tonight. Our oldest son received his Arrow of Light. That is the highest award that is given to a cubscout. It was extra special because there were five boys from our ward(church congregation) that all received them together. We have been combined with another ward for a couple of years but recently we had boundary changes. So, tonight we actually had three wards in one pack meeting! There were over 1oo people in attendance! We had not planned for that many! We had to cut the donuts in half! Oh, well, less sugar!

Here are a few shots of our injured scout!(he hurt his knee in football, then just kept irritating it so we had to take him in. The Dr. immobilized him to see if we can save him from himself. Hopefully, by Monday he will be much better and we won't have to see the specialist!)

The last picture is my boy "crossing over" into Boy Scouts!

A Wonder Indeed!

Bandaids. Do you really think much about bandaids? They are ever present. Lurking in the cupboard.

If you have a 2 year old in the house you are much more aware of bandaids. They are magical! A bandaid can fix almost any boo-boo that may befall a little moving machine. No scrape? No problem. Put a bandaid on it and the owie gets better so much faster!

My little one bumped his nose today. He needed a "banyaid". That bandaid stayed in place long enough for Momma to snap a couple pictures and then magically the boo boo was better. He came to me to look at his nose and to give it a kiss. What mother could refuse a face like this?

(we were all out of the cute Scooby Doo variety-so plain had to do)

Are you invisible?

My friend over at Crissybug's posted this. I thought it was really profound.

I'm Invisible.


It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response,
the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone
and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking,
or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more:Can you fix this?
Can you tie this?Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being.
I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?"
I'm a satellite guide toanswer, "What number is the Disney Channel?"

I'm a car to order, "Rightaround 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night,a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table."That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

6 years ago

How could we ever forget? It was when our world changed drastically. We have all been affected by this tragedy.

Fly your Flag today.

Smart Habits--on Sunday!

Habits--Do you have good ones?

I need motivation today so I decided to make a list of habits that I DO HAVE. I am really good at beating myself up for all the things that I don't do, I never really look at what I do well. So, here goes!

*make my bed almost daily(I know Mom, why didn't I do this at home?)
*pick up dirty laundry almost daily
*take the garbage out daily
*Cleaning my counter(I am getting much better at this)
*reading my scriptures(a work in progress but improving)
*going to the gym(becoming a habit again-needs work)
*brushing teeth(I have this one down!)

Now--where to have improvement this week? I think that I have to stay motivated to keep deep cleaning. My house got really deep down dirty this summer and I have to keep myself doing a little each day. I am still working on my huge master list. There are so many things that still remain unfinished. I have to be a finisher not just a starter!

Also--I am setting a goal of trying to really notice and acknowledge the wonderful things my kids do. It is so easy to only notice the messes they make and the squabbling that they do. Perhaps I should make a little love note chart and write on it all the nice things they do. Anyone have any ideas?

Check out Smart Habit Saturday with Lara the Lazy Organizer for more ideas and join in!

It's that time of year!

It's that time of year. The morning air has a certain chill. There is a mist on the river. The leaves are barely, barely starting to change. The apples are dropping and the flowers are fading away.

It is also the time of sweaty boys across America to start playing football!

Today my big boy was so excited! His team won a very big game. The team that they played actually won the championship game last year. Both teams were undefeated up to today.

It is amazing how exciting a football game can be. Even though these boys are only between 10(mine is the very youngest on the team) and 13. This was an exciting game. It ended with a score of 15-13! It was intense in those last 34 seconds.

GO TEAM!

Moving fast

Do you ever feel chronically behind? I know that I do! With the amount of life that happens around here I am always behind on something.

Well, yesterday I realized that I am behind in other areas besides my house! Along with 113 million other people I own an ipod. I have had it since January of this year. I love it! Well, I went to purchase a charger/transmitter for my car. My sweet Mom needed the one I had--I have missed having it for a few weeks. Well, I am in Radio Shack. The guy starts to tell me that the 30gb ipod is being discontinued! It just barely came out! So, I went online to find out what he was talking about. Sure enough, the very day before Apple had a huge "release" of it's new products. I am already behind!

Tired Baby!

I guess that I am not the only one that is tired!

Today

*sick boy---again
*dirty laundry--always
*sick stomach--what was it?
*dirty kitchen-what's new?
*cubscouts today-what to do?
*woke up at 3:00 am--now I am tired
*What I want to do is take a really long nap.
*feeling fat--have got to get it in gear

Tuesday

Summer is officially over. Fall is almost upon us. Do you have your decorations out yet? I certainly don't!

We decided to go camping for a few days. It was so nice to just hang out. We were lucky enough to go with a bunch of friends. Lucky because we shared cooking! They have those great camp chef things that are two big burners and then a large flat griddle. It makes cooking for a herd so much quicker and easier. I am thinking that we need to invest in one for ourselves. I know that we would like it. We also had dutch oven dinners at night. It was great.

Now the mess! I have been doing laundry since we got home last night. I have already done six loads! That sounds awful, however, I am so glad that I moved the washer/dryer. Why you ask? It is downstairs instead of all over my kitchen! The mental noise is so much quieter and my kitchen is so much cleaner!! Yeah, I think that my idea was a success!