A New Year

You know how I feel about New Year's right?  How I love New Year's!  Christmas has it's fine points, but they are fewer than they used to be.......for me.  I enjoy many parts of Christmas, but given all the expectations, it carries with it a lot or stress, work and worry.  New Year's has expectations, but only the really important ones.  The ones I decide are worth working on.  I love thinking about my goals for the year.  I love how at the beginning, a new year seems to have so much promise.  It is a great feeling. And New Year's Eve is a fun chance to spend time with family.  I have spent the entire day cleaning house.  Partly in preparation for company, but mostly because I want to start off my new year in a clean and organized state.  I will be happy to continue to organize into the new year, but it's good to start off with some order.  Here are some of my New Year's goals:  (Some are pretty personal, so it is an incomplete list that I am sharing here).

MUSIC:  I am taking piano lessons, I am joining the ward choir, I am determined to sing more at home around the piano with my girls, I am reading about how to listen to music (my way of taking a music appreciation class) and about the great composers.  I am hoping to encourage the musical talents of my children as well.  I may even dust off the old guitar and remember some chords.  This is the year of music, listening to and increasing our ability to make great music.

SATURDAY IS A SPECIAL DAY:  I am going to try to be better at preparing for Sunday.  Kids are showered, shirts are ironed, gas is in the car and meat is defrosted, with a plan for a meal.

MORNINGS:  We are going to try to tackle earlier mornings, with devotional so we can get to school and early morning activities ON TIME and with less stress.  This also means we will be tackling earlier bedtimes, which means I can have time to practice the piano and study scriptures at night.....  It's all related.

READ:  Les Mis, Joan of Arc and Tale of Two Cities.

STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS:  With family and local friends.  I realized that part of the reason we decided to stay here in this house is because of the people here.  And yet, we rarely do anything with any of them.  I don't want to spend a lot of money in a busy social life, but do want to strengthen those friendships that I value.

EAT MORE:  Real, local fresh foods.  Homemade is best!

CO-OP GARDEN WITH DJ:  And increase my flock.........of chickens.

BE:  Softer, kinder and do not criticize.

BUILD UP:  Encourage, lift, love and date my husband.

and......

BUILD A HOUSE:  With provisions.



Is that too many????

Piggies

I am the proud owner of a half a pig.  Woohoo.  Isn't she cute?  There are three up at Uncle Phil's.  DJ and I are splitting one.  They are named, "Hilary", "Biden", and "Obama".  What!!!  I didn't name them.

A Big Undertaking

TY and I love our home.  We always have loved it.  When we decided to move from our old home, we were very discouraged.  It was at the height of the housing boom.  Homes were too expensive.  I was frustrated that housing was based on mostly two incomes and we were trying to make it on one.  We looked to build in new developments and looked at existing.  When we came out to see this home we were amazed at the area.  The closer we came to the house the more we figured it would have to be a total disappointment because the area was so nice, yet the price was so low.  Once we came to it, we knew that it had great bones and we could do a lot with it.  It was needing a very lot of work, but we were glad to be able to start fresh with it.  It has come a long way and we still love the area and our friends here.  I love our school and feel like we were led here partly for this school, partly for the people here and partly because Heavenly Father knew we'd love this house.  We do.  We have felt the squeeze here though.  We have 1800 square feet which is fine, but with a growing family, I know it will only get tighter.  It could use a laundry room, a pantry, a garage and a mudroom.  Now I know we are very spoiled and for the last 7 years we have made do just fine and could continue to do so.  We do however need to replace the roof, the kitchen floor and one of of our bathrooms is completely gutted.  So, when we talked about putting money into it to solve these more immediate problems, we decided to look long term.  For the last year or more we have been working on plans to add on and make our home work specifically for our family.  Luckily TY is really good at this, because we have changed, tweaked and started over many times.  He has done a lot of drawings for us.  Here is where we are at right now.  Ok, we've actually changed a couple of things even since this drawing, and will continue to do so I am sure.  I am hoping we'll break ground in the next month or two.  I hope we will love it when it is finished as much as we do now, and I hope it will function much better.  I will try to keep you updated as things progress.

Fun Things

Here is what I gave myself for Christmas.  I know, I know...........actually, I asked TY for a egg collecting basket for Christmas.  I happened to find one at the DI and sent him a picture to let him know he could cross that off his list, he had my basket.  So cute! Perfect size, two handles, I added the fabric top and a padded bottom.   And, while reading "Mother Earth News".......again, I know........I saw this other which I also bought for my mom for Christmas.  (Hers is white ceramic).  It is a specially ventilated canister for table scraps so they don't smell and you can let them add up and take it out to the chickens when you are ready.  Ha!  Love it!  I knew my mom would love it too.  My chickies are going to be so happy.  Sometimes I am lazy and don't want to take out a few apple cores, etc.  Now they will get all of them.  It can also be used for composting.  And, no more broken eggs, trying to balance them against my shirt - gross.  Hooray for me.

Santa Did Come

Santa did come.  I can hardly believe another Christmas has come and gone.  3 of 4 kids were sick, but still it was a sweet day.  

Lego mining truck that looks kinda like Grandpa's "shuttle buggies".

Christmas Eve 2012

Derek and Heather were gracious enough to host Christmas Eve this year in their new home.  It was fantastic!  Thank you to them.  We also had their friend out from Chicago and it was great to finally meet her.  She was wonderful and put up with our chaos.  Grandma did another impromptu nativity with the grandchildren, which was great.  The hit of the night was the adorable sock monkeys she made each grandchild.  12 in all.  They only took her about 3 hours each.  5 or 6 for the first ones.  Eeee...that's about 40 hours of work.  They were designed to match the personalities of each.  Actually, she mentioned something about the monkeys telling her who they belonged to.  What a good grandma. Here are the kids in their matching jammies.  What a fun night.

Childhood Memories

One of my favorite things at Christmas time when I was young, was the quiet late nights that I would spend in the front room staring at the tree.  I would turn off every light I could except for the Christmas tree of course.  Any other light was offensive.  I would sit in the rocker or in the corner of the couch and stare at that tree.  It mesmerized me.  I don't remember what I would think about, but I loved that contemplative time and the magic of Christmas seemed to just seep right into my soul, straight from those tiny colored lights.  As an adult, those moments are fewer and farther between.  I have been thinking about those childhood feelings and wanting to carve out a few moments where I could be alone with the Christmas tree this year.  Once I finally did it, I found it to be slightly disappointing.  I struggled to think beyond my waiting "to do" list, the things I should probably get to.  I should probably be studying my scriptures or practicing the piano.  What still needed to be done for Christmas.  Mostly, I just struggled to keep my eyes open.  I miss the magical simplicity of youthful Christmases.  I guess there is a time and season for everything.  And maybe the magic of Christmas wasn't really in the tiny colored lights.  Maybe now it is found in the tiny acts of service that fill my day.  Moments with an aging neighbor who is alone and needs to visit.  Moments spent strengthening friendships.  Moments establishing traditions for our family.  Sweet moments with my children and husband.....

The Elf on The Shelf

We have had a new guest at our house these last few weeks.  He has had a lot of fun, gotten into some crazy fixes, and even had a fairly serious incident with the Christmas train after which we found him tending to his "owies".  His name is Oliver, that's short for Sir Hidesalot Oliver The House.  That is one crazy elf.  He may have been so busy having fun that he forgot his purpose was to watch the children.  Or at least the children have forgotten.  The last two days have been horrible here!  I hope Christmas is going to come, but I'm not so sure.

Gingerbread Trees

Maybe it's a copout but this year when I saw the idea of decorating trees as opposed to assembling then decorating houses, we decided to try it.  We used sugar cones, some yummy leftover cream cheese frosting (as opposed to the stuff that turns rock hard) and a few candies.  So simple, so easy.  And if he did say so himself, moose thought, totally utterly, completely....perfectly perfect!  Just kidding.  I just had that pop into my head.  That was from "Mooseltoe".  Cute Christmas book.  We liked them.

Remembering Nutcracker 2012

Somehow I totally missed putting anything up for Nutcracker.  Probably because it is such a chaotic time, there is no time for blogging.  They give us a cute little picture of her "ornament" group, but not a digital copy.  That would be great if they would email a picture too.  Anyhow, it was such a magical experience for her, and me too I guess.  Tons of work, but worth it.  We love it.  MissC did a great job and we were really proud of her.  I worked the boutique again and there was a cute gal this year that made clothespin dolls of each of the parts.  It was my favorite thing at the boutique.  I bought a little pink ballerina, closest I could get to her pink ornament and TY insisted I buy the gingerbread since that was her part last year.  They are really special.  I came across the artist's blog just today if you want to see other great creations of hers.

(This is the Arabian.  So sweet!)

Caroling (string style)

On Monday Gman and the rest of the 6th grade orchestra went "caroling" around the school.  TY and I went and listened in and I was very surprised to find out that they could actually play songs.  They  haven't been at it too very long and it seems that just a few weeks ago they weren't even using the bow yet.  Obviously Gman hasn't been great at practicing or I would have known this, but now that I know he can play songs (however rough they may be) he is going to have to be practicing!  I will hold him to it.  It was so thrilling to see him with this instrument and envision the possibilities of musical greatness.  Can you tell I wish I were more accomplished and am more than happy to let my children live out my dreams for me?  Hey, he approached me about playing the bass, I promise I'm not forcing my plans on him.  It's just so great!  MissC wants to play the cello and so they are making plans for a whole string quartet in the family.  Wouldn't I be in heaven then?  Ok, I admit I have issues.

Temple Square

Traditional trip to see the lights at Temple Square.  We had a fun evening at the museum making old fashioned toys with the kids, then enjoyed an unusually mild winter stroll through the lights.  Nash and Laney are missing from any of the photos that worked on TY's camera, but they were there also.  We had a great time.

On the Road To Atitlan

Gman takes first place in Reflections - 6th grade photography for his "On The Road To Atitlan".  It is a photograph he took in Guatemala.  I love it, especially the caballero and phantom driver.  

Not an entry but equally as cool is this 2nd work:  (It was hard to decide which to enter).  

We are very proud of him.  

Making Sense of Things That Don't

First, yesterday when I voted I felt amazing!  The day just felt huge.  I dressed up for the sole purpose of voting, it is such a big deal to me.  I felt honored to have the opportunity to have a voice (even though the electoral college is way outdated and somewhat erases people's voices unless you live in say Ohio or Florida, but that is beside the point).  Voting made me feel empowered and a part of something so wonderful!  How blessed we are to do it!

Much earlier than I had expected, we begin to see Americans were voting for President Obama.  Now in my mind this is not a race between two men, but indicative of much much more. It is maybe obvious to state that I am more than disconcerted by this news.  In 2008, even though I followed that election very closely for months prior, I was able to fairly easily say. "Okay, this did not go the way I would have liked, but Americans have spoken and I will support Barrack Obama as he is now my president."   This time, I have to honestly say it is taking a very conscious and concerted effort to come to the same positive conclusion.  Last night I wept, but knew I had only a few hours in which to pull myself up and put on my happy face.  I knew I would do it on my own, but felt pushed to do it for my children to see by morning.

I SUPPORT AND PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT, BARRACK OBAMA.  I trust in God's will and know there is a plan for us, and through Him can have a perfect brightness of hope.  Now is not the time to whine and moan or cry ourselves to sleep.  Now is the time to be productive, work hard and think about how to prepare for our future.

God bless and protect our choice nation!

Halloween 2012

Gman a box of nerds, MissC a magician, MissL a scarecrow and LittleC a ninja.  Happy Halloween!

 

Big Mountain

MissC and the 4th grade had a fabulous "journey" Thursday that I was lucky enough to attend.  They hiked 4 miles to the top of Big Mountain.  It was tough.  Ok, I'm maybe not in the best shape, but it was a challenge for me (at least for my joints - wait I'm only 36).  MissC was a trooper!  Her friends were complaining, but I never heard one word of complaint.  Great job!  So, they learn a lot about Utah and pioneer history because it is an historic trail.  They look for signs of animal life.......oh, there was a hoof and partial leg hanging in one of the trees off the trail.  Yuck!  They notice the changes in plant life as we ascend and then write about it after.  It was a good time.  I am just impressed that they can get 100 4th graders in good enough shape to do it.  I know they do work on physical fitness a lot, logging miles around the track and that.  Pretty great.  I also was amazed at how many parents were there.  There were 40 parents on the buses as well as several who drove up plus teachers, that's a pretty good student/adult ratio.

Yea!  We did it!

MissC's English teacher and friends.

MissC's French teacher and friend.

The 4th grade.  They did it!

Burrito Babies

For our Stake Service project in conjunction with the General Relief Society Mtg., among other things, they made these adorable little "burrito babies" as they are called and some cute little bears.  A member of our congregation that lives a few houses down is a doctor who travels to Guatemala a few times a year to perform surgery on children with cleft lips and palettes.  He likes to give them each a toy.  I was planning to attend, but was at my grandfather's funeral.  When I went to the evening mtg, they displayed their efforts and there were a few unfinished kits.  I grabbed one, so excited we could do something to go toward helping these kids.  Our hearts are particularly tender towards the children of Guatemala ever since our trip there.  My girls were equally excited and we worked together on them.  They're so cute, and it's so fun to say burrito baby.

Zumba

I just attended my first Zumba class.  My gym just started to have group fitness classes.  When I went in to do the treadmill and weight training I realized that they would have Zumba and then Yoga during LittleC's preschool hour twice a week.  I could attend!  I have wanted to try it for a while.  But.......let me make it known that one of my biggest fears is group fitness.  Do I want to find out what my body can do in front of 30 other people?  No!  No I don't.   I wanted to get a buddy to take with me so we could laugh at ourselves and you know- there is safety in numbers.  I had no one lined up to go with, but still was daring myself to try.

So, I did it!  Hooray for me.  (We have to celebrate our small victories - no?)  I am certain I made the instructor's day and gave her a good chuckle, looking completely ridiculous, but it was fun!  It was kind of liberating, I must say.  I will be going back.

Baby Doll

 

I am trying to give homemade gifts when I can.  More and more, when I walk down the toy aisle at the store, I get annoyed.  It's junk.  Most of the toys are all packaging.  Stupid tiny little parts that will go directly in the trash.  And it's expensive.  As you already know, I hate my kids closets filling up with junk.  I would rather have a few meaningful toys and skip all the rest of the mess.  But that's just me.  MissL's little friend is having a birthday party today.  I have been wanting to learn how to make homemade dolls.  This is what I came up with.  I have to say, I'm kind of sad to send her away.  I grew fond of her.  But, that's what's special about homemade gifts:  they come with so much more love.  Now, I'd like to figure out how to make them more efficiently so I can give some to the girls and other friends. 

Lessons Learned From a Great Man

My grandfather passed away last week.  He is amazing!  The last week of his life taught me so much.  Oh how sweet he is.  I was blessed to spend time with him in the hospital on one of his last days.  He was in pain.  He really was, but he was so positive, so kind to the hospital staff, so appreciative.  I will never forget the words he said to me.  I will never forget hearing him sing quietly in between painful moments.  I will never forget my grandmother's attentive, gentle care of him, how she sat by his side, holding his hand, how she helped him finish his songs.  They are the most beautiful example of lasting love, of standing by one another, and building each other up.  Grandpa asked one of the nurses if she had met his wife yet.  He said, "She is a GEM!"  

He lived his life in obedience with exactness.  He was as prepared as any man could be to meet his maker.  I am grateful for his consistent, righteous example.  I am so grateful to know that I will see him again, that my mom and grandma will be with him again, that parting is not forever.  He will be there to receive all of his posterity one day and make our transition to the other side sweeter.  He will probably be singing, oh yeah,  he will for sure.

I am grateful for my own mother.  For her example of love and service and tenderness.  I am so happy to belong to her and to be numbered among those who belong to Grandma and Grandpa Campbell.  I hope my children were listening at the services and can determine as I did to be more like their great grandfather.

My two older brothers with 6 of my cousins, also 11 more honorary pallbearers.  

Grandma and granddaughters.

My beautiful mother and my beautiful grandmother.  

More beauty.

My children love Great Grandpa.

My boys.