What a Merry Christmas We Had!

Wow, the big day came and went. It was wonderful and chaotic. The children were so overjoyed with their treasures. We had few unhappy moments, no fighting for two entire days(a Christmas miracle) and lots of good food and fun.

The biggest blessing of all? Being with my wonderful husband and beautiful children celebrating our Saviors birth. Warm, safe and connected. What more could I ask for? A Christmas blessing indeed.

Trying to focus

Do you ever just wonder where the time goes? We have been running in overdrive for a few weeks. I feel like I am six weeks behind! Can you believe that Christmas is only a few days away? Unfortunately for me, I still have much to do. I am so behind at home that I stayed home from the gym yesterday to do laundry and just put things away. It is amazing that my house still looks so messy after spending nine hours working in it. I am hoping that I can make a difference today and get to town to do some last minute stuff. I need to make a list-I have avoided it because it is too big!
I am trying to think of this as a blessing, I have the means to get the things on a list. I have people on a list. We are blessed. I will try and remember that as I am vacumming and picking up the same messes over and over again!

Merry Christmas!-let's remember the reason!

The Terrible Family Picture Day!

The words that bring fear into grown men and children alike. FAMILY PICTURES!
We attempted to have pictures this past Sunday. We were all dressed for church and Grandma was here to take the pictures. It sounds perfect. It wasn't. We went outside, it was bright so we were squinty, we came in and the old family picture was behind our heads. We went to sit down and all Hell broke loose. Mr. M started whining about sitting up, being stubborn, then baby was through. Finally Momma lost it. I went out of the room crying, Grandma then started in on them about their bad attitudes and how bad they have been treating me. Poor Husband, trying to feel the Spirit and watching Satan walk around his house. Mr. M mouthed off just too far, Husband lost it too. The two big kids went into hiding. Husband left, Mother threatened the kids. We went to church in silence--not the way to go to church on a very special day.

I tell you, that the family pictures were not the reason for this terrible scene. It was Satan. He didn't want to let Dave and our family feel the Spirit. Perhaps keeping Dave from being sustained as Bishop. It was strong and it was real. I have heard other people tell of these stories. I haven't really had one so strong before. It was horrible. However, it made me realize how much Satan is trying to stop the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He doesn't want it spread. He doesn't want people to know the truth and to teach other people. Satan will use anyone and anything he can to stop the work. He tried with us. He had us for a moment but he didn't win.
We have to remain strong and keep on keeping on. We have the light within us, we need to let it shine so that other people can feel the light.

What a weekend.

Bishop Carrigan!
My sweet hubby was made a Bishop in our church(LDS) on Sunday. It is in a University Stake so it is a single's ward. All the ward members are between 18-30. There are about 200 of them!
I know that he will do super. I am not so sure about myself. I worry about my ability to take care of these four people that live with us! I just keep praying that we will have extra blessings that come from serving. I know that it is a good thing but it is also a big change, for all of us.

My kids have really been having some behavior issues lately and I think it is in direct relationship to this new calling. I believe that Satan doesn't want good things to happen so he will attack people any way that he can. I believe that he has been working on our children. Particularly Mr. M man. He has always been so mild and respectful. I pray that this will improve.

Please add us to your prayers, we need all the help we can get to help those in this new ward and to keep our family strong.

What a weekend.

Bishop Carrigan!
My sweet hubby was made a Bishop in our church(LDS) on Sunday. It is in a University Stake so it is a single's ward. All the ward members are between 18-30. There are about 200 of them!
I know that he will do super. I am not so sure about myself. I worry about my ability to take care of these four people that live with us! I just keep praying that we will have extra blessings that come from serving. I know that it is a good thing but it is also a big change, for all of us.

My kids have really been having some behavior issues lately and I think it is in direct relationship to this new calling. I believe that Satan doesn't want good things to happen so he will attack people any way that he can. I believe that he has been working on our children. Particularly Mr. M man. He has always been so mild and respectful. I pray that this will improve.

Please add us to your prayers, we need all the help we can get to help those in this new ward and to keep our family strong.

Time keeps on moving.

December 6th already! The month is flying by!
We went and cut down our tree on Saturday, it is HUGE tree that is still in our garage! We are going to hopefully get it in the house today. I am not too stressed about it but it is making Miss E nuts! She is so excited this year. I am glad that I still have one that is still in the magic!

I am headed to Idaho for a Collin Raye concert with my Mom tomorrow! That should be really fun. It will be a quick trip and then Mom will come back with me for a few days.

Thanksgiving update

Time flies!
It seems like an eternity, not that many are reading but those two who do are tired of my old post!

It has been a nutty two weeks! We went to Idaho for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful/awful time! It is always so much fun to go to my Momma's house. It is one of those houses that seems to just wrap its arms around you. I want to just sit in the chair and look at magazines by the fire. There is one really big problem with this, those four little people that think I AM THEIR MOMMA! They get rather bored, the two bigger ones are no longer able to entertain themselves with blocks, coloring, books etc. So, they watch t.v. for hours and hours which makes everything worse. After they have watched more t.v. than their brains can absorb they have to come up with other things to entertain themselves. Those things are usually things that just shouldn't even be talked about. The things that make nice Moms say really bad words. The ones that make nice Moms come close to child abuse. It is getting to the point that my children are almost not invited any more. I want to go by myself. They can eat cereal! I was so exhausted after returning that it took me an entire week to emotionally recover from their nasty fest.

Ok, now for the good parts! We had my Uncle come spend Thanksgiving day with us. He is in his seventy's and quite frail. He never married so has no children, etc. The family(my Dad's family) is not close at all so he is really really alone. When I invited him he was nervous about the weather, slipping etc. I just told him that we were coming and my husband would throw him over his shoulder if he had to! I think that he had a nice time. I know that it was nice to know that for at least a few hours he was part of a group, part of a family again. He has always struggled with relationships so I think it was probably a bit overwhelming but still good. I know that it was good for me and also good for my children. They didn't really have conversations with him but I hope that when they are older they will remember when we went and got their Great Uncle for Thanksgiving. Isn't that what this entire experience is all about? Helping and loving each other? We seem to forget and only worry about ourselves.

After a great day we hit the craziness on Friday morning! It was insane. I don't usually go, I don't like the nuts! It was alright, and we got a few things we wanted and nothing to stupid!

A busy holiday with lots of memories, good and bad! Hopefully, I will be able to focus on the positive and forget the negative!!!


Now lets start celebrating!!!!

Thanksgiving memories

Thanksgiving is almost here! Have you already started thinking about pies and turkey? We had our family dinner on Saturday and it was nice. The food was good and the company was also. We played games and visited.

What are some of your favorite holiday memories?

I remember going to my Grandparent's house in Driggs, Idaho. They would have the big table all spread out. Many times I got to sit right next to my grandpa. I remember thinking that I was the very favorite -later I realized that he was just like that, we all felt that way! I remember the first year that we stopped going to Driggs. It was a really hard change for us. We went to an Aunt's house and it just wasn't the same. We started doing it at our house after that and have been doing there ever since. My family always goes to Idaho for Thanksgiving. It is as much a tradition for our children as Driggs was for me. My little Miss E is counting the days to when we go to grandmas house.

This year we are having my Dad's brother come. He never married and lives alone. He is homebound. I had to bully him a bit to get him to say yes. I told him we would just throw him over Dave's shoulder and bring him. I hope that he has a good time. How lonely it would be to have no one to visit.

A Beautiful Lady

My Mom!

I am thankful for her in my life. As I do the zillionth load of laundry I remember that she averaged 35 loads a week, I am not there yet. As I make goulash I remember her making it(hers still tastes better!). As I pick up my daughters skirt from the floor I remember her saying that if you hang it up you can wear it again! As I really quickly wipe the bathroom I remember her saying "A lick and a promise". A lick is better than nothing!

My Mom is quite a lady. She went to college with four children while helping my Dad build a business. She taught school for 20 years and was a great teacher. She has had some terrible heartache in her life but she hasn't become a bitter person. She has gone to church alone for almost 20 years, many widows would have quit going. She accepts callings in church and does them well. She has been to 3 of my children's births and taken care of us after and many other times. She is willing to watch my herd while I have gone on trips. She is encouraging but doesn't give too much advice. She alway knows something special to get for someone, she is a great gift giver. She is a caring person. She helped my Aunt in her dying hours, she helps another sick friend, she fed her brother when he couldn't feed himself. She is willing to help, whatever that may be.

I am so proud of my Mom, she is a role model for me. I know that if she survived my brothers, my sister, my Dad and me that I will probably make it also!

Thanks Mom, I love you! 

I'm weird!

Strange things give me thrills! Today I decided that I am going to work in my studio. It has become less of a studio and more of a JUNK ROOM! Well, I started just getting rid of garbage, it is amazing how much actual garbage is strewn around in a room that is a disgusting mess. I decided that the pile of really old magazines had to go today! I was tempted to start looking through them-I did not! What a way to get sidetracked!!!

I took a HUGE pile out to the dumpster and threw them in! I considered calling a few friends to see if they would like to look at them, then I decided that noone else needed my clutter cluttering up their house! Amazing how thrilling that thud was!!

Off to more dejunking. My soul is in need of some calm so I have to get rid of some more chaos!

Bubble Time!

Little boy blue isn't afraid of the tub anymore! He even asked to get in this morning! Yeah!!!

Aren't bubble baths just the best thing? With a big big tub that makes lots and lots of bubbles who wouldn't want to get in?

My Yummy Guy!

I had the pleasure of going to the Temple with my sweet hubby. We had a very nice session, we hadn't been for awhile so it was nice to be somewhere so calm. Sweetie was quite emotional, he feels the Spirit so strongly sometimes.
After the session we had lunch in the cafeteria and then came home. My house was a wreck. I keep wondering when it isn't a wreck! Anyway, I put the kiddos to work(not happily). We are just not that great at really making them be responsible for things. That is something that is our fault. I have to make them do things now. Mr. M is constantly telling me, "I'll do it later" well, as we all know what that means is "I don't want to do it, I will tell you I will do it later and then you will leave me alone and I won't have to do it!" Well, I am tired of that! I know for myself that it is hard to always "JUST DO IT" but, it is quicker and it gets done!!!
Okay, enough of my Momma drag!

What am I thankful for today?

I am thankful that my sweetie is still my sweetie! We have been married for 161/2 years, with 4 dating and I still just want to eat him up most days! He is a calm figure for my raging storms. He is a constant. He has the gift of listening. People have come to him for years to talk. They tell him their troubles like he is a counselor. He is just a really great guy and I am just so glad that I get to share a life with him. He is a great Daddy also! What more could I ask for? Only more time with him.

Fun Little Books

Creating! It feels good!

I made the flower covered tablets the other day. The little one is my portable calendar. It had little dogs on it, it just screamed to be altered! The other is just a plain spiral notebook. I am still trying to learn what to do to cover the color on the edge--any ideas?

The cute little tag book was made today by the cub scouts. Isn't it darling? I think that there are more of these in my future. Think of all the possiblities with this idea. Alphabet books, mini albums, recipe albums, teacher albums.

I was in my studio and it felt good. The room is a nightmare. I am going to have to start 15 minutes at a time sorting, junking, organizing. I just have this urge and need to make things!

I hope that you are thankful for something beautiful today!

Best Friends

Today I am thankful for Best Friends! I got to spend the entire day with my best friend Tina. She and I met 8 1/2 years ago. We have each had two more children and moved far away from each other. We still talk almost everyday. Thank goodness for mobile to mobile minutes on our cell phones. It has improved our phone bills!

We usually go to cute little shops and spend way too much money on scrapbooking supplies and home decor. She actually decorates her house and I just add one more thing to my to do list!

I am so glad that we became friends. She enriches my life more than she will ever know. She makes me want to be a better Mom and person. She teaches me about kindness and tolerance. She puts up with me and loves me.

I am lucky she is my friend.

Thankful!

Thanksgiving is on it's way! So in a traditional way--what are you thankful for? I think that I am going to try and remember at least one think I am thankful for everyday!

I am grateful for my healthy body! Today I went to the gym and ran two miles! That is almost a miracle! I didn't die or need oxygen. Having the strength to exercise, play, take care of my babies, husband and home,these are all blessings. Often we take our health for granted, in fact, almost always.

Busy Day

What a busy day! We had no where to go! We stayed home and did this and that! I cleaned(what's new?) the kitchen, behind the fridge, really got the counters. Sweetie worked hard, he emptied the freezer, defrosted it and all! He went through the storage room that was full of junk, he put some electrical switched back on, he put the blow up Christmas decorations up and cleaned out both cars! He was a working machine!

There are days that it is nice to be home and have everyone milling around. Luckily for me, they weren't fighting(too much).

Ok, I finished reading "The Artists way" It is interesting. I believe that we as humans are creative. Most of us just don't realize it. We get stuck in the thinking that creative is for "real artists". We are all life artists. We decide how we decorate, what to wear, what to plant in the flower bed. We decide these things because they feel right, well, this is creative energy. I have been feeling creatively stiffled for many months. I am hoping that somehow I can find that creative energy. I am discovering that I stay busy with all the normal things in my life that keep me busy, I wonder if it is to avoid my possible creations. Am I not comfortable with it? Do I not think it is good enough? Good enough for who? So many questions!!!

So, this week I am going to try and notice the creative things in my life and actually give myself some time to explore!

Avid Readers Beware!

Remember when I said that I was interested in the book "The Artists Way"? Well, I went into Barnes and Noble bookstore and bought it!

Barnes and Noble---have you been there lately? I have only been in there 2 times in 13 years because I am mother and those are places that I do not take my children. It is too easy to become "That Crazy Lady". I was with only little guy(bad enough). This place is to a reader like a bar would be to an alcoholic! I just want to go and spend five hours just looking at all the possibilities!

I did get my one book. I have been reading it. It is very interesting! It is actually a process book. With assignments and such for 12 weeks. I am reading the entire thing and then plan to go back and actually try to do the course. If any of you feel that you could lead a more creative life or would like to encourage your children I recommend getting it. You might find it at the library to browse through, however, if you are going to really do the course I recommend purchasing it. I will keep you posted. I do know that I have been a busy bee around my house trying to get the mundane things caught up because I am very aware that when I have chaos in my house I have chaos in my soul. I am grumpier when there are big messes! So, I am on a quest! I hope that it works! Socks are folded(for a day) and that is almost in miracle zone!!! Downstairs bathroom is clean--13 yr olds just don't care about health issues-"it isn't that dirty Mom!"

If little boy would get over his cold I could get back to the gym. It is a must with all the Halloween candy around! I have done pretty well, I realize how long I must work for every little piece that goes in my mouth. Most of it just doesn't taste good enough!!!

Halloween cuties!

Halloween Gouls!
Aren't they darling? Big boy was out already so he isn't in the shot. I am going to have to have him put his getup back on so I can get a picture! Miss A fell and cut her upper lip so she was quite miserable, and then stayed home today because of embarassment.

Baby boy thought this trick or treating was great! He was so cute as a little bumble bee. He would walk up to the house, smile, and then take the candy, put it in the bucket and then walk into the house! Luckily, we went to neighbors who think he is too cute! Miss E was cute also, her cousins dropped out after they went to the church so it was just the 2 of them. They are still little enough that it was sweet.

Are you ready? Christmas is officially on its way! Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and the snow and then the big holiday.

How are you going to stay sane and organized?

Budding Writer

Oh that they would want to be so helpful later on!
Miss E was so distraught that I had already poured the laundry soap that she wrote me a note to put on the washer to remind me. Anytime I am going to pour soap to ask if she wants to do it. Not while she is at school, of course!

For those of you who don't read well!
It says,

Let me do the washer soap, pour it Because
I want to do it! 

It's Coming!

Have you been to any store in America in the last week? Christmas is upon us. I say that with glee and with trepidation! I love the feeling of Christmas, the music, the lights. I love the idea of Peace on Earth. I love families getting together. However, as the Mom I have that dread. I am a worry wart. I am not a huge spender, even though hubby would disagree! Therefore, I worry about every little thing. Will they love it, will they use it for more than two minutes? Is it teaching them anything? Am I teaching them the true meaning of Christmas, do they understand more than the season of getting?

So in that thought, I decided that I must just plan better and stress less. So, I did one step today! I figure that I have 8 weeks--if I just plan and actually DO IT! I can actually not freak out myself, my husband or our bank account!

We have started to not give gifts as adults. It is a wonderful thing! That may seem trite, but I believe that often all the gift giving is given because it is expected instead of really wanting to. All of my siblings, and now hubby's have decided to not exchange, only the children! It has removed one more stress. If I find something I just want to make or give them, I will, but we don't HAVE to. I think that it is better. So, if you are in my family, and not one of my children or my Mom you will not be getting a present from me! I love you but how many Popcorn tins can you really eat and do you really want another singing fish to hang on your wall?

Halloween is tomorrow! I need to buy candy! I have put it off so that I don't eat it!!!!