It's never too young to start

I introduced "Pride and Prejudice" to Mabel today (to Oliver, too, though he was more interested in his truck book). It is the most beautiful movie. Mabel thought the Bennet sisters were princesses. Heaven forbid we watch a movie that does not involve princesses. I know there are those of you out there who prefer the original BBC version, and I agree that the new Mr. Darcy is definitely not the old Mr. Darcy, but you cannot deny the musical score, nor the performance of Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet. He is supreme. I have watched it twice in the past 3 days. I think Mabel liked it, too.

Pain

My pain is instense. I can barely walk. I am still sticky from the glue. But I think it was worth it. I love our new floor. That's how we spent our Memorial Day, how was your's?

mom. . . Mom. . . MOM!!

Like most little kids, Mabel asks a lot of questions. Lately, however, it seems like the questions are constant. Sometimes they aren't questions at all, just comments, and they are always preceeded by a loud "mom!". Sometimes she says "mom" before she even realizes it and has to quickly (or slowly, as is usually the case) think of something she needs to tell me. When she says, "mom," a simple look in her direction, or a "huh?" are never enough. There has to be true eye contact and a very audible "what?" from me. I know this is standard 3 year old behavior, but it is getting a little extreme. Today, in the midst of singing "I love the see the temple" before naptime, she interrupted me with a "mom?" After I stopped singing and said, "what?" she paused for a minute, and informed me that her "hand almost hurts." A few words of sympathy and we were back to the song, only to be interrupted again in the next verse. I don't understand why she can't just start telling me what she needs to tell me. Why does every sentence have to start with at least one "mom?" It's a good thing she is so cute.

Shutters

We took another major step toward the completion of the interior of our house today. Our shutters were installed! I LOVE them! They make such a difference by covering up our yucky 27 year old aluminum windows. All of a sudden my bedroom feels like it is in some sort of tropical location-- the bright green walls, white bedding, beautiful shutters, swirrling fan, and a view of our orange trees out the window.

My blogging station
definitely improved with the installation of the shutters.

our sad living room-- still unfinished
but don't those shutters look great?

thanks mom and dad!

Blessed Naptime

Mabel and her Belle polly

Oliver and his bear

Yard Work is Hard Work

Mike had the day off today, so he got to mow the lawn and do yard work. Before we moved into this house, I was really looking forward to having a big yard. I am beginning to realize that it takes a lot of work. Not only do we need to maintain our yard, there is also much that needs to be changed, improved, and replanted. It is hard to be motivated when it is 103 outside and we don't have a sprinkler system. Someday it will be beautiful! We have grand plans.

Rain

The other day it rained for about 3 minutes. It gave us just enough time to break out the umbrellas and enjoy the smell of wet pavement.

"Juice"

don't worry folks, it's just root beer

My Mom

my mom and jack at lincoln's wedding

My mom is the most intelligent, the most patient, and the most generous mom I know. She has given everything she has for the benefit of her kids and grandkids. I am very blessed and very grateful to have such a wonderful example to follow as I begin my own calling of motherhood. Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you.

with most of her grandkids outside the Manti Temple

Motherhood

Ironically, all I wanted for Mother's Day was to be left alone. I wanted to be by myself. I wanted a day off from being a mother. That is exactly what my wonderful husband gave me. I slept in (even though my body is no longer capable of really sleeping in-- I woke up before 7. but I did get to read a book in bed while he and the kids went out to get doughnuts.) Then he sent me to Target with a gift card and told me not to worry about the kids (he knows me so well!). It was a heavenly morning.

The funny thing is, as soon as they left me alone this morning, I missed them. They are my life, and without them, I feel a little bit lost. I think it is pretty common these days to hear that mothers shouldn't lose themselves in their kids-- that they should focus on their own needs first. I think that goes against everything that motherhood stands for! Of course moms have needs, and yes, every once in a while they need a break, but for the most part being a mom means that your kids are your life.

What an amazing blessing that is! It gives me such a better appreciation for my Father in Heaven, for the plan of salvation, and for my own parents. Raising little spirits is the most important job, and I can't believe how blessed I am to have been entrusted with two very precious little people. So even though I have two little shadows who follow me around all day, I would be nothing without them. I am so grateful to be a mother.

Into the Abyss

I was tired of looking out of our extemely dirty basement windows into a mess of cobwebs, leaves, and sticks. So I went where no man has gone before, at least not for the last 25 years, or so. I braved the dark recesses of our basement window wells. Why I chose to do it during the hottest part of the day, on the first 100 degree day of the year, I don't know. But do it, I did. And now our windows are a tiny bit cleaner than they were before.

The window wells are pretty deep, and very scary.
They have years and years of accumulated dust, leaves, and spiders (eek!).

Here is my trusty steam cleaner (actually on loan from chem dry). It worked pretty well. I think it would have been better if the windows had been cleaned more regularly. Now that I am back in the basement, I can see that the windows still look dirty. But at least the spider webs are gone. I can't wait for my shutters to get here so it all gets covered up.

Here are my little helpers.
I don't know if you can tell, but Mabel's cheeks are bright pink.
It was really hot, even in the shade.

My Shadows

This evening, we were all upstairs in the kitchen. I thought I could sneak away to the basement to check my email and leave the kids with Mike for a minute. No sooner had I sat down at the desk that Mabel entered the room, close on my heels.

Me: Mabel, you don't always have to follow me. Sometimes we can be by ourselves.
Mabel: But I love you.
Me: I know, I love you, too.
Oliver: (still upstairs in the kitchen) MAMA!! MAMA!!

Can't I ever get five minutes peace? I don't remember that last time I did anything alone.

Imperturbability

"An ideal homemaker exercises patience, understanding, and imperturbability unless controlled anger and reasonable discipline are justified. She will do her best to take those bad days when everything seems to go wrong in her stride, realizing that we need some valleys in order to appreciate the mountains."

To be imperturbable is to be incapable of being agitated. It means to remain calm and controlled, especially in an emergency or under the pressure of serious disturbances or disappointments. This is something I strive for everyday. It is hard. Some days I feel like I am forever cleaning up spilled milk. But, as I have learned, a homemaker must make the best of every situation. She must learn to adjust and take things in stride. I need to be prepared for the fact that things won't ever go smoothly. It will always take me too long to get out of the house and into the car. There will always be a load of laundry that needs to be done, a diaper that needs changing, or a mess to clean. This is the lot that I have chosen for myself, and despite its difficulty, I wouldn't rather be doing anything else.

When I first got the book "The Art of Homemaking," I bought it as a joke. But the more I read, the more I realize that being a good homemaker takes practice. The ideas in this book from 1963 work today, but I am afraid that they aren't taught now as they should be. They are overlooked (and this is coming from someone who majored in Home and Family in college!). When I started this blog I wanted it to be dedicated to making myself a better homemaker. It is important to me because I think it is the most important job a woman can have. One of my greatest blessings is that I get to stay home and be a mother and homemaker. I have never wanted to do anything else. Because I have chosen this life for myself, I think imperturbability is one of the most important qualities a mother can have. To smile at a child who knows he has done a wrong is a hard thing sometimes, but it can make such a difference. Harold B. Lee said, "There is so much harshness in the world. Don't let your children hear any of it from you."

And here I will stop because I feel like this is turning into a Sacrament Meeting talk.

Happy Cinco!

dancing to the salsa music

ice cream and new friends

the festive spread

the pinata that wouldn't break

Last night our very hip friends threw a very fun Cinco de Maya party. Despite the slight mix up of restaurant locals, it was a very pleasant night. Our children ran wild until nearly 10:00pm. There was yummy spicy chocolate cake, ice cream, sangria, ibc, and a pinata full of candy. What more could you ask for?

Our Guest Room

before

after

All of the exterior walls in the basement were lovely pressed conrete to look like brick. Yuck. So after scraping the ceiling and drywalling over the concrete walls, this room just needed paint, baseboards, carpet and nice furniture. We are still waiting on shutters for the window. I figured this was one view that could stand being covered up.

We usually refer to this room as Grandma and Pa's room, since they are mostly likely the only guests we will have (although more are welcome!). After I finished vacuuming it today, Mabel asked me when Grandma and Pa are going to come "live in their room forever." As soon as she said it, she got really embarrassed and said she wasn't going to talk anymore. I think she realized (sadly) that they weren't ever going to live with us forever. Obviously, we are excited for their visits.