30 Days of Thankful 2014 | Days 24 - 30

Day 24 | Bedtime

My favorite time of day is after the kids go to bed. Is that bad? I suppose it's just a product of the stage of life our family is in.

After 8 pm the house is quiet. I can catch up with Matt. I can clean up without kids following behind, leaving a whirlwind of mess. Matt and I can watch TV shows that aren't animated.

I need this time each day to unwind and get ready for the day of familial chaos to come in the morning.

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Day 25 | Scripture

I am thankful for the Scriptures. At all different times in my life, when I have needed different things, the Scriptures were my answer. They comfort. They uplift. They teach. They council. They give hope. They nourish my spirit.

Sometimes I read them daily. Sometimes months pass without my reading them. But when I DO read them I am happier, more centered, and closer to God.

A scripture that has helped and comforted me a lot recently is Doctrine & Covenants 64:33 "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."

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Day 26 | Scrapbooking

For years I scrapbooked with a passion. And for years I worked in the Scrapbooking Industry. I don't scrapbook anymore, not in the same way, but I am so thankful for the years I did.

I met amazing women. Smart, creative, supportive, women. I made some lifelong friends. I used the creative process to get me through the most difficult trial of my life. I filled up my daily life with the stories of my little, growing, family. I learned how to take better photos. I grew creatively. I began to see the beauty in lines and words and typography like never before. I connected with what my life was at that very moment and celebrated it with patterned paper and embellishments.

I am thankful I had that part of my life and grateful for the elements of that time that became a part of me and stay with me even now.

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Day 27 | Friends I've Never Met

Scrapbooking and my blog have led me to friendships with amazing women whom I've never met. We swap holiday cards, gifts, remember birthdays. It's crazy, but true.

The internet has opened up the world, but it has also made it smaller. I know their kids' names. Know their struggles. Know their triumphs. And they know mine.

I am thankful for the friendship of these strangers who are not strangers at all.

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Day 28 | Change

Some people hate change.
I love it.

I love the changing seasons when all of nature puts on new clothes. I love a change of location and the chance it brings to make new friends, see new things and live a new daily life. I love inward change. Overcoming personal failings and moving forward from past mistakes.

I don't want to always live in still waters. I like the ebb and flow of life. I like the surge of energy and newness and adventure that comes with change.

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Day 29 | Our Home

When we drove away from our home in Pennsylvania we had a three week old baby, four other kids, and NO place to live. We had done everything we could, from 2,300 miles away, to find a home. I can't remember a time in my life where I more fully just surrendered my faith to God to provide. And He did.

We found a wonderful home to rent with enough room for our large family, a fabulous back yard, in a great school district.

Our rental is peaceful and cozy. We are still settling in, but it already feels like home. I am so thankful that God provided and that we found a place that we can fill with memories.

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Day 30 | The Atonement

I almost made it through my "Thankful 30 Days" without getting all churchy-wurchy, but leave it to an amazing church service to get me on the last day.

I make mistakes. I make MANY mistakes. I sin and fall short of what I should be. Over and over again.

I am thankful for the infinite grace of God which allow me to repent and become whole again.

I am thankful for the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ which can make the darkest sin as white as snow. I need it. I need it every day. With His stripes, I am healed. I am humbled and eternally thankful.

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It's true. Sexy, shirtless, Brad Pitt says so.

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Stress-Free Christmas Advent Idea

Remember when I had my Merry Christmas Meltdown?  Okay, remember ALL THE TIMES that I had a Merry Christmas Meltdown?  Yeah. Swearing was involved.

As December 1st inches closer I have been thinking about this coming Christmas season and what I am going to do to keep is stress-free (and curse-word-free).  But a few years back I made this crazy cute Advent and I really want to use it.  But what to put in each day?

And then, this week, it hit me:

CAROLS

Can I handle singing a Christmas song every day with my kids without swearing, crying or yelling at anybody? Yep. I can totally do that.

Now, you know I'm kind of anti-Santa, so he does not appear too often on this list.  Feel free to add him in to your own list if you love the Big Guy!  There are also some LDS Christmas carols and kid's songs you may not be familiar with.

So, here's my list of songs I am putting into the advent.

01. Deck the Halls

02. The First Noel

03. Away in a Manger

04. Joy to the World

05. Stars Were Gleaming

06. Jingle Bells

07. Frosty the Snowman

08. Picture a Christmas

09. Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer

10. Donde Esta Santa Claus

11. Christmas Island

12. Here We Come A-Wassailing

13. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

14. We Three Kings

15. O Christmas Tree

16. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

17. Hark the Harold Angels Sing

18. Let It Snow

19. Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains

20. Santa Claus is Coming to Town

21. The Nativity Song

22. Angels We Have Heard on High

23. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

24. Silent Night

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Thankful

Thanks for reading my blog.

Thanks for your awesome comments.

Thanks for the prayers you have prayed for my family in hard times.

Thanks for the cheers you have cheered for my family in good times.

I am thankful for you.

Yes, YOU.

And, no, I don't think you're a stalker.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Tween Girl Christmas Gift

If you have a tween girl (7 years old +) I highly recommend this book.

Just Between Us: A No-Stress, No-Rules Journal for Girls and Their Moms 

(buy it HERE)

It's a shared journal between mother and daughter with prompts, free pages, small quizzes, etc. I have been doing it with Evangeline and it is incredibly fun, but also meaningful.

It is suggested that you each choose a page privately and fill it in, then leave in a shared place for your Mom/Daughter to read. Then repeat. Because Evangeline is younger (not quite 8) we choose a page together and each take a turn filling in our side.  Then we read aloud our journaling to each other. This provides us with 15-30 minutes of alone time together each day (probably not EACH day, but it's still new so we haven't missed a day yet).

NOTE: I have been adding the date to each page we complete.  depending on how long this journal gets used it could be important to have the dates.

CLICK HERE to buy it on Amazon 

(you can also "Look Inside" if you want to see a bit how it is set up).

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FREEBIE: Thanksgiving BINGO

CLICK HERE to download pdf file.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Kirsti Reunion!

Kirsti's family are all Smarty-Artsy-Over-Achievers. They're awesome.  Kirsti's younger brother, Jamie Erekson, wrote a musical called Paint My Eyes. And this past week it was performed at Brigham Young University. Here he is with the cast...

On Saturday Matt and I dropped off the kids with Uncle Aaron and Auntie Carolina and we headed to Provo for a special date to see the musical. 

It was SO amazing to get to see Kirsti and Daniel again. The last time we were all together I was pregnant with Jude. We also got to meet some of Kirsti's siblings I had not yet met, but had heard so much about. There entire family had flown from all over to support Jamie...awesome right?

The musical was really good. I was kind of amazed at the thought of how much work went into it. And two days later I'm still thinking about the story. That's the mark of a good piece of work. 

Cecilia went with us and she was in love with Kirsti. She even gave her a very rare little smile. 

It was a great date, a great show, and I great reunion between old friends. 

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30 Days of Thankful 2014 | Days 17 - 23

Day 17 | Little Kindnesses

Today there was a knock at my door and a new friend dropped off a little bag of goodies and (better yet) a sweet card. There was no occasion, just a random kindness. It was wonderful.

It is an amazing thing when someone takes a moment to remember you. To tell you they value you. To brighten your day. No matter how small a gesture, it fills up the heart with happiness.

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Day 18 | These Girls

These girls are each a part of my life in a profound way. And they are each amazing. Emily is sensitive and good. Kirsti is smart and accepting. Heidi is funny and irreverent. Jenny is creative and fun.

I am blessed and thankful to call each of them my friend. They are like sisters to me. I would be lost without them. They are the best.

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Day 19 | My iPhone

By far, this is one of my favorite pieces of technology. I never leave home without it. It's my phone, my GPS, my Craft Store coupon holder, my Words With Friends machine, my camera, my date book, my internet source, my traveling library, and my phone book. I use it every single day. I'm thankful for my iPhone.

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Day 20 | National Public Radio

You know those old ladies who die and leave all of their millions to their cat? If I am ever one of those old ladies I am leaving my millions to NPR. I love it. On road trips, while I'm organizing the house, or just for fun I am always listening to NPR.

My first love will always be This American Life. On Saturdays (in Pennsylvania) in the car it was always Car Talk, You Bet Your Garden, and The Splendid Table. I love Fresh Air and I am starting to come around to Radio Lab.

NPR has provided me with hundreds of hours of entertainment, information, and good discussions. It makes me happy.

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Day 21 | Getting Older

Yep. I love aging. The best part about it is coming to know yourself more and more. Accepting your flaws and working on them, but also accepting your qualities and celebrating them.

I feel comfortable in my own skin. I am happy to describe myself as "kooky". I know I am too loud and crazy for some people - and that's okay. Some people are going to love me and others will not and it's freeing to know that it's okay to not be everybody's cup of tea. I am grateful for the years I have lived and look forward to those to come.

Now, the wrinkles, on the other hand...

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Day 22 | Chachi

I don't believe in soul mates. But I DO believe that there is no one on earth as well suited to me as my husband. In so many ways we are exactly the same. And in many ways we are so opposite that we fill in the gaps in each other and find a good balance.

Of course, there are days I could strangle him (and days he could strangle me), but there's no one I would rather love or be annoyed by....for the rest of my life.

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Day 23 | The East Coast

I am so thankful for the last 6 years we got to spend in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Our family LOVED living there.

While we lived on the East Coast we went from a family of 4 to a family of 7. We made lifelong friends. We took amazing family trips. We learned that Cheesesteaks DONT include green peppers. We lived through hurricane Sandy. We traveled. We fell in love with Farmers Markets and soft pretzels and Italian Water Ice.

I will always cherish the time we had there as some of the best years of my life. 

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This & That Thursday...and Boots for Fat Calves (not fat baby cows, fat legs. Although I'm sure baby cows might appreciate boots when it's cold outside).

My checker at Walmart was very nice.
I'm sure she's a lovely woman.
But those nails...(shudder).
Also, her name tag said George.
It was a very unsettling checkout process all around.

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I just put this new print in my MOMO PRINTS shop
for the 2015 LDS Primary Theme.
You should probably buy it for your Primary...or for your kids.

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You guys. EVERYTHING on my
"completely ridiculous, unrealistic, Christmas Wishlist"
is on SALE for Black Friday!
I could get all of it for $1000! (Except I don't have $1000)
Why isn't Black Friday positioned after tax return season?

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If you want cute boots, but feel like you have large calves
then these bootsare the boots for you.
The back is completely elasticized so they will fit any calf.
I just got mine from Amazon last week and I love them.

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I miss our old public library.
It was much bigger than the one here.

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This video is pretty awesome.

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Ella: So, are there any awesome toy deals this year on Black-Guy Friday?
(I guess white women don't get deals on the day after Thanksgiving).

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The Pre-school and Swimming Lessons in Utah are soooo cheap!
Yay!

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Emily Foley is having her baby NEXT WEEK!
I'm so excited!

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I was really excited to have a mantel...
until I realized I have NO idea how to decorate a mantle.
Off to Pinterest I go!

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Family Updates

Our normally snail like pace of unpacking has become an imperceptible crawl in the wake of having five children. We did get the kitchen unpacked right away and set up beds, but since then the progress has been slow. 

School has started for the redheads and Bianca is now in preschool. 

Meals are being cooked at home instead of a constant flow of fast food. Slowly we are building up our food storage from scratch. You don't realize how many silly little necessities you cook with until you have to re-buy them. 

I have also been arranging play dates for the redheads. Evangeline has had a particularly hard time with this move, but it is being eased by the acquisition of her new friend, Ivy. Bonus: I also love Ivy's mom already. It's a twofer!

We had a moment of panic our first week here when the weather suddenly turned bitterly cold and snow started to fall. It was off to the store to buy heavy winter coats for the kids. Two days later we added hats, scarves and multiple pairs of gloves (for when the first pairs of gloves get lost).

Life is busy and crazy and mostly I just want to take a nap. Cecelia is crying all day, every day. On December 1 when our insurance kicks in we will be taking her to our favorite pediatrician from when we lived here six years ago. Although I suspect she is just a fussy baby for no reason at all. Which is fine - sometimes I'm a fussy mommy for no reason at all. 

Matt is settling into work well. He has discovered a Thai noodle restaurant close to his work with inexpensive lunches and he couldn't be happier. He is also in the throes of building a better meat smoker. His old meat smoker was left in Pennsylvania when we moved and he has now acquired a 55 gallon drum to hand-build a new and bigger version. 

I still feel very much like a visitor in Utah and not a permanent resident. Everything still looks strange to me. Wide streets.  Big families. New buildings. 

For now everybody is adjusting and happy and getting into a rhythm of our new life. 

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post-pregnancy pants problems

I currently have ONE pair of pants that fit. They are one size larger than my pre-pregnancy pants. I can't keep wearing just one pair of pants but if I buy another pair of pants and then I lose the baby weight (just 10 pounds) I will have wasted my money. 

NOTE: I know some of you are going to boo and hiss that I only went up one pants size - but let's just focus on what's really important here: world peace my pants.

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My completely ridiculous, unrealistic, Christmas Wishlist.

I'm not really a "stuff" person. I don't like shopping (except in a craft store...so maybe I am a "stuff" person, I'm just a "craft stuff" person). I feel pretty content.

But this year I have a truly insane wishlist of high ticket items that we will absolutely not be getting.  This list is especially funny based on the fact that the MOST Matt and I have ever spent on each other's Christmas gifts is $50.  Yeah, we're low-maintenance (or just financially strapped - yeah, that's probably it).  Ready?

01. Kenmore 12.1 cu. ft. Upright Freezer - $350

When we left Philly we left behind our stand-up freezer. I need one if I'm going to parent FIVE kids.

02. Skywalker Trampolines 14' Round Trampoline - $259

Now that we have a big, beautiful, backyard we dream of getting a trampoline. Our kids have always wanted one.

03. Panasonic TC-50AS530U 50" Flat Screen TV - $600

We still rock the old-school tube TV, which is obviously NOT high def. Ha! But I would love a sleek, flat TV for our upstairs living room.  I researched this on Consumer Reports so it's totally valid, right?  When our kids were at the Grandparents they were totally amazed at how clear their tv picture was. Like, minds blown.

PLEASE SHARE: 
What would be on YOUR completely ridiculous, unrealistic, Christmas Wishlist?

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30 Days of Thankful 2014 | Days 10 - 16

Day 10 | Oxi Clean

I suck at laundry. My mom could get a stain - ANY stain - out of anything. I am miserable at it. When Oxi Clean came around I realized there was hope. Once a week all of the clothes with major stains get soaked in Oxi Clean and then washed. It's a miracle!

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Day 11 | Our Yard

It's been years since we had a yard that we didn't share with row-home neighbors. In this house we have a great front yard and an amazing backyard. I believe children need to run and play and be free. Finally, we have a little piece of earth all our own for our kids to do that.

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Day 12 | These Five

Ella: my fiercely loyal, fun, pre-teen. Evangeline: my sweet and sensitive girl. Bianca: my wild beasty. Jude: my happy and curious boy. Cecilia: my little baby mine. These five fill up my heart, drive me crazy, and make me happy. I am thankful for each of them. I am humbled that God trusts me to raise them. I am totally in love with them.

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Day 13 | Autumn

Autumn is my favorite, favorite, favorite. It's "Nerd New Year" when school begins again and I get to line up rows of sharpened pencils and buy perfectly pink erasers. It's new clothes and sweaters and scarves. It's an explosion of colors on nature: reds, greens, yellows, browns, and oranges. It's slow-simmered soups and homemade bread. It's piles of leaves and carved pumpkins and extra thankfulness. In Autumn I feel energized and thoughtful and blessed.

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Day 14 | My Blog

I started a blog in 2004. I was simply trying to keep family members up to date on my first pregnancy and, shortly after, on Ella's progress in the NICU.

Since then it has become so much more. It has been a place to document the ups and downs, ins and outs, and twists and turns in our life. It has been my outlet to write about who we are and who we are becoming. It has been a place to embrace my writing skills, to share crafts, to document a beautiful life.

From a few family members it grew to hundreds of readers and, when I scrapbooked, to thousands of readers. But the important part was always what it gave to the writer; me.

When I can't sleep I sometimes read old blog posts from years back. So many stories have escaped me as time has passed and reading them back is priceless.

I have made friends, REAL friends, with strangers who left comments and reached out over the years. I have inspired others and I have been inspired by others. I am so thankful for this technology that has connected me to new and old friends, widened my reach and, most importantly, made it possible for me to document the life of my family since its very beginning.

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Day 15 | The Library

I love public libraries. As a lifelong reader I am always completely amazed at the concept. "You're going to just let be borrow any book I want? For FREE?!" It's pretty incredible.

Each time we move we find the local public library within the first week. We get a library card, learn the story time schedules, and take home a big stack of books. And no matter where we go, when I walk into a public library, I feel at home.

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Day 16 | WeightLoss Surgery

I was thinking today about how different my life is now than it was three years ago. Three years ago I was physically breaking down and emotionally breaking down. I was trapped in a life I didn't want and thought I could never get out.

The changes that came after surgery were so much more than numbers on a scale. I play with my children. I don't feel ashamed. I take care of the body God gave me. I set a good example for my children. I am so thankful for the miracle of weight-loss surgery and for the quality-of-life it gave me.

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The best two dollars

Today at Sam's Club we were waiting for a churro (because Sam's Club churros are awesome) and a man in front of us ordered a soft pretzel, but then didn't have the money for it. I jumped in and said I would pay for his pretzel.

It was just a dollar or two, but he grabbed me and hugged me. He said he was having a very difficult time in his life and that small act of kindness meant a lot to him.

What a wonderful reminder that even small gestures can fill up a heart.

Best two dollars I ever spent.

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I was so alone...I almost died.

I'm in love! 

I'm in love! 

And I don't care who knows it! 

Our new modem came today. 

It took until after midnight, 

but we're connected.

Hello, internet access!!

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