Too early?

This is one of my motivators. what kid knows how to draw a Star Wars clone trooper on an Etch- a-sketch on his first try in under 2 min? My favorite nerd in the whole wide world, that's who!



Is it too soon to be thinking about my New years resolution?
Maybe.
But, for people like me who get an idea in my head and have to act immediately,
this might work in my favor for a change.
So.....
My news years resolution is going to be this blog.
What does this blog and resolutions have to do with each other you ask?
I'll tell you, even if your not asking.
I want to resolve to be more productive and actually finishing all my "projects" that I start and never finish.
I figure this blog will be a great way to commit to that. If I resolve that I will blog at least every Monday about something ( notice how I even type/said that in a pseudo whisper, that's how nervous I am!)
And by something I mean anything. It could be a craft that I started years ago, or a simple sewing project that might not be blog worthy, or a recipe that I am trying with no guarantee that it will be edible, or just a simple snapshot of my life in motherhood/wifedom/sister/daughter/friend/American citizen/obsessive compulsive/book connoisseur/semi-crafter/photography lover/church goer.
Wish me luck!

Puppy Love

I can not believe I am going to do this......
Blog about our dog. I know, I am not a dog"person" to say the least, but I am finding impossible to avoid.
We inherited this puppy from my mom, who inherited him from her neighbor.
What started off as just babysitting this mutt ( and I mean this in the nicest way, we really have no idea what he is other than part Chihuahua) quickly and inevitably evolved into permanent residential status for Buster. All along in the back of my mind I had this mental check list going of all things I would not put up with, and therefore be justified in re-homing Mr. B.


1. pees and poops everywhere.
2.barks or whines all night in his crate.

3. Bites or is overly aggressive.
4. Isn't compatible with the Alpha dog in the household,
otherwise known as Hubby/Daddy

This is how it went down.
1.The darn dog pees on command! ON COMMAND! I take him out every so often and say " go potty" and he.....goes potty. Darn. There goes #1 on get rid of, I mean re-homing list.

2.He LOVES to go in his crate. Snuggles up in a cute little ball and gives you his best puppy dog eyes.
There goes #2 on my (mustgetridofhimbeofrethekidsgtooattatched) list

3. Did you see the pictures? Nuff said. Darn darn darn. #3 goes down in flames.

4. So, I come home from grocery shopping the other day to find.......Hubby asleep on the couch with.......Buster on his chest sleeping away. Buster was too small at this point to have jumped up there on his own, so the only other explanation is that said Hubby put him there. Nooooooooooo.
So, having passed the test, and earned his stripes by being willing to be the new "baby" of the family, I formally introduce you to Mr. Buster Brown.

Keep on Keepin' on

I have been on a "journey" of sorts lately. ( I am not a big fan, or little, of calling things by symbolic names, but I was really stumped on this one.)

It's funny when you think you have all the little details of your life all planned out, then.......wham! splat! bang! boom! and any other hit over the head noises you can think of, things change.

Some days I am convinced that even though this wasn't a choice, it really is for the better. I no longer have to worry about so many things that I did before. I am FREE.

Then, ( insert wham! etc... ) I am angry and resentful. I wanted the choice. It was mine to make and not someone elses. I am a PRISONER.

Confusing as my nondisclosure is, I realize that it is applicable to a lot that happens in life.

Being free to make choices about my own life, and the "path" I want it to follow. Giving up that freedom is really difficult and can result in a seeming life sentence.

But what I have learned also is that I can choose weather or not I am held prisoner to the trials of life. Life happens. Life goes on. Life is ever changing. Life is short. Life is a dance. Such is life. ( gag me now, please. Even I am having a hard time resisting all those quipy little quips!)

The photo on here is one from our road trip this summer. One of the places we stayed in was Nauvoo. Those of you who are members know the significance of this place. Back when the LDS church was starting out, a lot of the members settled in Nauvoo to avoid religious persecution. Well, that didn't last long, and along with abandoning their homes they also had to leave their beloved Temple.
The path they took leading out across the Missouri river was called the trail of tears. As the saints left their homes and all they had grown to love, they could turn back and look back over their shoulder at the receding Temple. Many people had come here at a high cost and would face many more challenges along the way. Knowing this, many tears were shed.
In commemoration of all the diverse people who embarked on the journey west, the church put up placards of personal accounts from these pioneers. This one in particular touched my heart and I too shed a few tears.
The trail has since been renamed The Trail of Hope.
Those people truly knew hardship. And keeping faith, hope, and charity, during their journey.

I am on my trail of hope.......

I will journey on.

Today was just working out to be one of those days. You know the ones.
I need not say more. Okay, I will.









We had our family Friday all planned out.
Swimming.
Dinner.
Dessert of the week.
Family prayers and scripture study.
Movie.
Off to bed.
It wasn't going according to plan. I was grouchy first of all. Let me tell you, the old adage of When mom aint happy, aint no one happy, is all too true. Why can't I just be a grouch pot without everyone else snapping each others heads off? Well, needless to say our night was heading severely off course. We canceled swimming much to the demise of my daughter. Desert of the week was in serious danger of going out the window.
You get the point.
Amidst my self pitying, wallowing, and just plain sulkiness, my dear husband who's every word grated my tender nerves, remembers that he did not pay the Internet bill and could I please go online to pay it right this very immediate moment. With eyes rolling to the back of my head so severely I was dizzy for a brief moment, I went upstairs to pay the bill. I figured that while I was up there I would take my sweet time and also browse a few of my favorite mommy blogs.
Lately I had been lamenting the whole mommy blogging world and how I sometimes only feel inadequate after reading them.
But alas I clicked on a few. One in particular I have been following along with a few thousand other people. It is by a mom and fellow church member who a year ago was injured along with her husband in a plane crash. I came upon her blog after a girlfriend of mine mentioned a fund raiser she was attending for NieNie.I looked up her blog & was immediately hooked on her optimism towards motherhood in a time where it is more the norm to be snarky and derisive than hopeful and cheery.
There is something about reading about her love of the little things and her appreciation for her husband that I really, really, needed to hear. ( read: smacked up side the head with ) It immediately helped me to refocus on all my own simple treasures.
My humble abode.
My healthy kiddos.
A hard working dedicated hubby.
My own health and ability to stay home to take care of my family.
I realized also that things will never be perfect. Life will always move slightly faster than I can. But it is life and it is good.
I am sorely tempted to write our motto in permanent marker on my hand so that it is the first thing I see when I smack myself on the forehead.
When i finally went back downstairs I had my work cut out for me.

Was the damage irreversible?


The old adage should also add When mom sings, so does the choir.

Home

We had many adventures this summer. Lots of them will be unforgettable and some we wish we could forget. ( locking our keys in the car in Albuquerque, witnessing 4 too many motorcycle accidents, food poisoning) But the most important thing we will take home with us is the gift of friendship, and time with Grandparents that makes childhood so special.
What I quickly learned from our 2 month long visit to Ohio, was how fleeting time really is. What started out as a long time to be away from home soon turned into a whirlwind of time going by too fast. It seemed like we had just arrived and then were all too suddenly packing to go home. My children made friends with the family across the street and were insepperable after that. The Robbertsons were a blessing I wouldn't have even known to ask Heavenly Father for. What a joy they all brought to our lives. Especially Gwena who still asks where her Trebor is. It really breaks my heart to see the questioning in her eyes, but I wouldn't trade our times together for anything. I want to thank them for their kindness and for opening their home on a daily basis to my children. You guys are an amazing family and we miss you!
I think the biggest lesson that I truly learned this summer is kind of cliche'. But that home is where your heart is. My heart is with my family, and so I was always home.

Summer

Summer is over and we have returned to our regularly scheduled broadcast. Our new title is what has been deemed our newest family motto. Keep calm and carry on. It works with many different situations and seems to fit our family best.
You are driving in the middle of no where and EVERYONE needs to go potty?
Keep Calm and Carry on.
You realize at midnight Saturday night that you have no milk, bread, eggs, ect.?
Keep Calm and Carry on.
Your kiddos have been in the longest fight fest of their young lives?
Keep Calm and Carry on.
The house is falling down around me while I am PEACEFULLY trying to read my scriptures?
You guessed it, Keep Calm and Carry on.

An amazing quote.....

This was on my girlfriends blog and I couldn't not share it.
" The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache."
- Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Well said Sis. Hinckley. Well said.

The ambitious climber

She is definitely our fearless one when it comes to heights. Everyday she begs and begs to go. To her this has become a challenge that she wants to conquer head on. The nice kid that works there is great. He cheers her on along with the rest of us and in this instance is her life line. I am so impressed with her tenacity and strength, inside and out. I hope she faces all of life's challenges with this much perseverance and dedication to the things that she loves.......

And so it begins...........