sparking joy

 P and G are away in Pensacola doing hurricane clean up.  I've been having some good time with the little kids.  I have watched a few house shows and 2 episodes of Marie Kondo on Netflix.  I like less stuff.  But I also like my stuff.  It's nice to see people get more peace from having less stuff. 

We plan to move in 3 years so I look at our home with an eye to, what have we used in the last 5 years, what will we use in the next 3, and what do I want to move with.  In 3 years L will be 8.  So much of our small child toys are already gone, and also the small child books can go.  We donate clothes a lots since the boys have filing cabinet drawers as dressers, there's only room for what they need.  

It's hard to balance wanting to teach them to value things, versus, teaching them to never let anything go.  lP and L each have a special little stuffed animal, but the other 30 stuffed animals aren't precious to anyone.  The children seem to come in 2 flavors.  There is M and B, who seem to like order a little more than G, lP and L.  B has recently taken to organizing books.  He has 2 shelves on the big bookshelf in his room and he likes setting up the Magic Treehouse and other collections he likes there. 

I've been moving the children's books to the front room and it's a little like the Kondo method as far as, seeing it all in one place, you realize how much it is.  And actually, we have 3 times as many books in the office/library!  P loves books though.  He never met a book he didn't want to keep.  And I like books too.  

We've been using kindles a lot in the last 6 years, so the P and kids do most of their reading on them.  I prefer a paper book, but am happy to download a book to get it quick from overdrive, rather than wait for it to come through the library hold system.  I feel like we hardly read the books we have, even in quarantine.  We'll maybe need to go through them sometime.  Even if we donate 10%, that would be several shelves of books!

I've been making boudz a lot lately and I decided I needed a new steamer.  The 8 inch one I had used for 14 years (once a year) had swelled and was no longer stable on the pot.  Instead of getting one online, I bought one from the local asia market, and some treats for the kids.  The new ones are 10 inch and will hold 2 times the boudz.  I plan to use parchment paper with them so the steamers don't need to be scrubbed and risk swelling again.

Getting Outside

M had the idea to go fishing on Monday.  We went to one location and there were a lot of cars in the lot so we went to this place next to the US1 bridge.  It was great to just be outside 

and they had fun casting. 

 

No animals were harmed in this fishing outing.

M and I woke at 6:30 to go attend a sunrise nature walk with the County Naturalist.  How cool is this lady?

We've done seaturtle walks, dolphin walks, kayak trips, and other events with this cool lady over the years.

The sunrise was beautiful.

 

Tuba Christmas

 I transcribed the first 11 songs in the Tuba Christmas Book for Tenor Horn and French Horn.  I've started to practice and I hope to have a really great time this Christmas season playing duets and trios.  Yay!

Watching the pandemic

 Our state has a website that tracks the numbers of the Covid-19 cases and deaths.  They add to the numbers as the day progresses so depending on when you check, the numbers seem really great or really bad.  

We're home all the time and continuing our very close family lifestyle.  P expressed happiness that we eat dinner together.  I'm also very grateful that our children have daily scriptures and prayer.  I'm grateful that none of my children have my childhood tendency for tantrums and stalking off.  Yay.

Our yard is so beautiful.  I sit here gazing out on a lush tree canopy.  There is a little ravine between our house and the neighbors with palm, magnolia, cyprus, hickory, oak and pine trees.  All you can see is the tree canopy since we're 14 feet above the ravine floor where the trees grow from.  

I'm so grateful for this incredibly wonderful home, and family life.

This moment in our book life

 L is loving to have books read to him.  He's starting to be interested in the Alphabet and able to guess words in books when it's fairly obvious from the picture and sentence preceding a pause....

B got a kindle but then lost it.  Like we literally don't know where it is.  Probably in the boys room but...?  He has rounded up the Tree House books from the house and organized them.  He also organized several other collections of reader style books.  I gave him a sheet with numbers and he cataloged the Tree House books, identifying what we are missing.  I felt inspired to order the 11 books we were missing of the first 28 (!) through thrift books.  It's almost as expensive as getting a complete set of the same series.  We'll save $10 and participate in the thrift economy instead of buying new.  I like that.

lP got to read the Warriors book she's been looking forward to for months.  434 pages in 3 hours.  

M had to read a few chapters of Little Women for Language Arts.  I've been reading it after enjoying the movie.  Reading the book is like reading the deleted scenes.  I'm loving it!

G reads a lot online.  I'm not sure what he's reading.  He is going to participate in a trivia bowl and the first category is Entertainment.  Hmmm?  I'm thinking he should play the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. 

donating toys

 We're planning to move in 3 years.  I want to de clutter and right now is a great time for it.  We're home, so having too much stuff is really noticeable.  The thrift stores are taking donations but I'm not getting any new thrift items.  So things are going out and not coming in.  I'm finally parting with some great toys that the kids have honestly outgrown, and it's oK!  

As L outgrows things and or we have too many in his current size and the next, I can pare down knowing we don't need any clothes in those sizes.  Anything for girls that doesn't fit lP, can go.  She is able to wear things straight from M so we don't need any clothes stored between their sizes.  

I have 3 big boxes of blocks, and trains and clothes to donate tomorrow.  We're planning to use some CFL coupons tomorrow during the time we like to be out of the house and there aren't long lines we hope.  

The library has a book on hold for us that lP has been looking forward to the whole quarantine.  Her birthday is soon so it's an exciting time for he and the siblings and they prepare gifts for her.

We have so many books and things that they will be outgrowing in the next 3 years.  I'm grateful for the thrift economy.  I do have a few books that are precious but most can go. 

Sunday Funday and the beach

 

 

We're starting a new tradition of Sunday Funday.    We had finger foods for lunch.

Then the children each made their own pizza.  They were so good at this and very appreciative of the opportunity.

We've been going to beach a lot since school started.  We park at the ramp and walk down.  Today I had my camera with me in a waterproof pouch.  It's so nice to go with them after dinner.  There's hardly anyone there, we can park easily.  The water is warm and the darkening sky helps us know when to go home.  I love this time with them and am so grateful P supports our joyful adventures.

 

Mom

 My mother passed away on Wednesday.  She got a terminal diagnosis 3 months ago and we went out to Utah in June and July to visit and provide respite care.  She was a great mom.  I have 8 fantastic siblings to share this life with. 

My brother R gave such a beautiful dedication on the grave.  We gathered and the bishop took a family photo.  The service was just family and the bishop.  I am glad we didn't have to bear anyone else's grief or feelings, just our memories and gladness to be together.

My brother D shared a picture mom painted of the sacrament, and these images of the building of the Provo Tabernacle Temple, Wounded, Comforted, Healed.  He spoke of her temple service and how her love of the gospel and freedom let to many missionaries and 2 military service.

Nancy provided beautiful bouquets that she and her daughter M made.  After they lowered the casket into the grave, everyone took blossoms from the bouquets and tossed them onto the coffin.  It was a beautiful way to use the flowers and silently send mom off with beauty.

I will miss my mom but there is no sting in her death.  She has been preparing us for this our whole lives.  She has only stepped into the other room and I know I will see her again.  The after life was never in doubt, the reality of living on was always a certainty.  I'm so grateful for my mother.

She has done the lion share in maintaining our relationship through the years.  When I moved to Florida she would visit us twice a year, coordinating her visits to be here for the birth of all of my children.  She came to visit after I miscarried and several times during G's chemotherapy.  She has sent my children birthday and Christmas presents, come to baptisms and primary programs.  It was a priority to her that the children know her and know she loved them.