CTR and a Nativity

I get in the mood to do something creative every once in a while. I don't know if it is tied to some cycle or a way to relieve stress, but I know it hits me and I have to create. A wile ago I made these shirts for the kids. I used some craft foam with adhesive backing to make a stencil. Then I painted into the negative area. This picture is taken on our back porch which is larger than the trailer we lived in while we were waiting to find a house that fit. I'm so glad we were able to get one that didn't just fit, but blew us away. I made matching ones for M and G and it's like they are super heroes wearing these babies. Today G asked if he could make my bed. Then he waited like 2 minutes before asking if he could play on the computer. This kid is slick.

One of the cabinets in the garage had this Kincade nativity set. There are about 30 pieces total but it gets a little too crowded. I was getting ready to put them in the attic and thought I'd take some pictures first in case we decide to ebay them. They are very nice but they are so fragile. I'd rather wait until my children are old enough to remember a few Christmases with them before we start to break them. There is already one shepherd with the head broken off. It'll stand as a reminder to us each year, or we'll ebay it.

audiobooks

Are bad for hour sanity when it's night and you should go to bed, but it takes effort to stop it rather than just let it go on, frightening you into the night.

I'm pretty sure this book wouldn't be as scary if I was just reading it.

Dude!

Artist Alert

Is this art? I had not until today thought about medical illustrations as something created by a skilled artist. All illustrations, even the ones in math books, were created by someone with an ability to convey something with their interpretation.

So right now I'm sending the message out to all my friends who are artistic. These folks, illustrators, make money! How cool is that! It pays the bills! Nice.

This is the equivalent to what P is doing right now with his math skills. He's supporting the family even though it's not as meaningful to him as he'd like it to be. And I'm grateful for the sacrifice of his soul for our sakes.

So back on the issue of illustrations. Wow! As a visual learner let me say thanks to the real educators in my life. And while it may not feed an artists passion to make illustrations and diagrams, they are salvation to everyone trying to figure out all the junk we waste the hard earned money on. How frustrating would it be if the illustrators were allowed to add their own take on a wiring diagram, or special features to an instruction chart.

Who peed in my Cheerios? Luckily only P eats the Cheerios, and sometimes lP. Ironic eh?

I got my undergraduate degree in a very vocational field. Music Ed. When I graduated I taught music. When my kids grow up, I do not want to teach music. So I'm always on the lookout for what I will want to do. Having gone through all I did with G, I'm drawn to the medical field. Becoming a nurse doesn't seem impossible, and I know a good nurse is a great good. But really I don't want to deal with anyone's blood or vomit. For my kids, that's what I signed up for... but I don't have to sign up to do it for others. Sorry.

Today G had an EEG and an Echo. (Hallelujah that Shands always gets us in ASAP). I chatted with the ladies who were the EEG techs. They just have to do a little training, then a 1 year on the job training and they're good to go. They don't have to look at naked people, or clean up stuff. They don't even have to understand anything. It's like playing Tetris, maybe less challenging. That aspect doesn't bother me, though for people who really do like to think, like P that is a down side. We both agreed it paid the bills though.

I feel blessed in my marriage. We're willing for P to earn the money and me to figure out how to pay for the things we need. Sometimes I listen to Dave Ramsey and there are so many people who are really in conflict. One or neither is willing to be responsible for earning money or living within the money earned.

I think that when my kids grow up, I would like to have by then figured out something that I can do and respect myself when I come home. Perhaps Medical Records. But I do like to interface with people. Maybe I can get a gig being the lady who checks people in. I know from experience that there are some people doing an excellent job and other who could step it up a bit.

party house

Tuesday, amidst the crazy times we've been having (in a quiet spot) we had some friends over for dinner. It was good to get things spiffed up. The last 2 days we've been watching a 7 year old from church. We'll still have her tomorrow when 13 of our favorite people come over for a pot luck and music practice.

One of the great things the L's left us was a huge sectional couch. Tonight I found that if you arrange it at the edge of the conversation pit/bar it goes across the whole room. I think that is 20, maybe 25 feet. It completely blocks access to the conversation pit and will, we hope, cut down on the running like crazy.

Anyway, I'm so glad to live in a wonderful home that we can have a lot of friends come over. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to get motivated and tidy up.

Life is comming on thick

Last month I had a fair amount of crisis. The last 2 weeks are vying for their share in the flashing lights. M's puking Thursday was followed by lP (which now stands for Lucky P) puking Saturday through the night, on me. Sunday we all stayed home from church.
I don't remember Monday.
Tuesday we had some friends over for dinner. This was very lucky because they are fun, and I had a lot of leftovers to carry us through Wednesday.
Wednesday When I picked him up from school today the secretary told me that he had been feeling ill and complained of stomach pains. That's the same symptom leading up
to M throwing up.
Then we were walking in the school, he apparently fainted and collapsed. The principal and secretary helped me get him to the car. At home he threw up and his eyes were dilating big and small. So I took him to the hospital because I don't know why he fell and he was acting like he had a concussion.
All the way to the hospital, every 30 seconds he'd ask "Where are we going?"
"To the hospital" I'd say.
"In Gainesville?" He'd ask
"No, St. Augustine" over and over.
Once we were at the hospital he would alternate asking "What happened to me?" and "Mom, are you going to stay with me?"
That broke my heart more than the fall or anything.
X-rays, CT scan and blood work didn't show anything wrong with him.
On top of all the unexpected, today M had 2K of dental work done under 1K of general anesthesia.
P has been great. We are so blessed.

Heaven with projectile...

This life is too sweet. It is just the right amount of sweet. Our camera broke 2 months ago and I didn't send it in because I wanted to still use it for the holidays. Then I didn't send it in because life got crazy. Then P looked online and ordered a new screen for $20. It arrived and he fixed it! He said that he accidentally stripped a screw, so fixing it again can't happen. But he did fix it once and that is amazing.

This is not my crazy head dress. That is one of our super fancy and very dangerous dinning room chairs.

This is the moon room-homeschool room- room of awesome. Most of the time it looks like a bomb went off in there but yesterday as M lay in the tub all day, I actually put a lot of things away. The kids usually spend Saturday morning cleaning the room but today they got to just go play!

Thursday night M started to be sick. Poor girl lost about 4 pounds in 4 hours. She is so full of life that when she just curls up in the tub and accepts this difficult situation, it's startling.

G is so in love with lP. When we go to the park he's right there with her, keeping her safe and showing her how to do cool things.

Feeling old

I've been looking at the BYU Magazine recently and realizing that the kids (see how old I am?) that are students there are completely unconnected to me. All the kids I ever knew through teaching band, and summer camps are all grown up, done with undergrad, and missions, if they were going to go. Some are married, several had kids before I did.

There was a story in this issue of a girl ( probably in her 20's since she was an RA) who had her baby in Herritage Halls. I thought "Wow cool! I wonder if she is a relation of the Cooks, or Larsons I knew when I was teaching?" I taught some kids of those names that looked just like the couple shown. She could actually be a little sister of a Cook married a little brother of one of the Larsons I taught. The glory of big families.

And since people have kids for 10-20 years, you end up having a strange overlap. The experienced mother of 5 may be younger than the first time mother of 35, yet because their children are so disparate in age, they don't hang out.

Today I hosted a playgroup but nobody came. At the least, and best, my house got cleaned up and I still got to hang out with my favorite ladies M and lP.

fasting

I'm giving it a try. For the last 8 years I've been pregnant or nursing almost constantly. It's hard to kick the habit of eating because I actually am hungry. I have fallen into the habit of eating just because I had a thought about food. Downward spiral.

Fasting is good for the soul on so many levels. Just exercising control over an appetite is a great experience.

Seriously I think that since I'm not busy grazing, I will take the kids on a walk today, Gasp!

The cookie Test

We are test takers in this family. P and I are both the kind of people who thrive in a test situation. Recently we asked G what his favorite subject was in school. Did he say Recess, Lunch, Science? No. "Hmmm Spelling Test." came the firm reply.

G has been helping me make cookies for the last 2, maybe 3 years. In the beginning it was crazy cute to have him do simple jobs like move the cooled cookies from the pan to the plate with a little miniature spatula. Later it was measuring the chocolate chips, 6 oz. As he got older I let him be more involved in the messy parts, and there was M, vying for her share in it all.

Today he did it all with minimal support. He measured the oil, and sugar which he mixed into the softened butter. Then he declined a spoon, preferring to pour in the (large quantity) of molasses. He was a little sketchy on what 1 1/2 cup of flour means. For now he thinks it means one 1/2 cup. That wasn't enough, so I put in more and asked him if it was enough, "no", then again more. He did all the mixing.

He climbed up and got down the chocolate chips, then finding that the measuring cup did not have ounce markings, climbed up and got a different one. 6 oz.

Once it was mixed I showed him how to use 2 spoons to make balls. We have a mini-ice-cream scoop but it's a bit hard for him to squeeze. After 4 normal size cookies, he made a lot of really big ones. They were really delicious.

Grandma P came to visit the last 2 weeks. Not only has she spelled me at some important moments, given me much needed company, and hung up my art, but she's given M tons of love, painting lessons and seafood. Lots of great hugs all around.
Here's bP who may soon be called lP, in the puffy coat. It actually got cold enough to be needed for several days. Thanks to my sister N who always sends me the most awesome clothes for the girls.
We have a home now. Wow! It's amazing to have bookshelves, deer eating from the bird feeder, wild turkeys running around the yard blending in with the cypress knees, a conversation pit with wet bar (aka game storage and computer area for the kids), a fire place, an amazing kitchen.... the list goes on. And a enough room to have the dress up clothes out of storage. M is thrilled.
And who doesn't love a picture of a sleepy baby with no legs in a cute dress from Alaska. Who!
We feel so blessed.

Enough!

I've finished 3 movies this week! Procrastination at it's finest hour.