Paul and Alisha's blog

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T20:57:00.001-08:00

My brother in law, Dan Reynolds, is a rockstar. For real. Check out the band (Imagine Dragons) on iTunes, their album is released today. We listen to their music all the time. I LOVE it. They are super talented. My favorite song is Radioactive. When you listen to it, all you want to do is make out with your honey and stand in a government protest at the same time. That's the Valentine's part. Today, make out to Imagine Dragons.

Get tickets to their show - they're coming to Nashville! March 12th at 12th and Porter. $10 - cheaper than a movie, and an experience that will make you vibrate with life.

But don't make out there. That's weird.

2012-02-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

I have a super duper major big and major fun-for-mom project going on right now.

Meet my sewing cupboard.

If you've received something I've sewn, you probably cringe to know that this is where it was created.

The piles of neatly folded fabric usually aren't there, but the cupboard is usually like that. I clean it, yes. But then, it's not organized and unorganized things get messy really fast and don't encourage good cleaning up. See my thread rack and boxes? that's about as far as I got, 3 years ago. When I had a different sewing set-up: a card table with my machines on and fabric in a dresser. I knew I wanted a fold away furniture something where everything could be hidden away and look like a regular piece of furniture in the living room, not obviously a sewing center. I was in my favorite Goodwill, and saw these 2 beauties for $30 each. Ahhhhhhh! I took the ticket to the cashier and got them before the old man who wanted to purchase them. I was not sorry.

As you can see the top of the cupboard became a catch-all for spray paint, upholstery supplies, cheapo flowers, boxes that may come in handy for mailing, candy and toys which have been confiscated.

A place for every thing and every thing in its place. Right?

2 years and much thinking, later. I have started, and almost finished, actually. I took the thing almost completely apart, and reconfigured to look like this:

I brushed 2 coats of primer on, realized that I really should've sprayed it, and sanded all the brush strokes out. I made a big mess, and later had to spend an hour scrubbing the deck with a coarse brush. Imagine if I hadn't been wearing a dust mask. My poor lungs.

I learned my lesson, rigged out my little garage into an excellent painting heaven,

got out my paint sprayer, and applied two coats of oil white gloss.

I cut the doors and shelves from birch plywood, put on edging, and

applied, wipe-on polyurithane. Another of my favorites.

It is looking so beautiful. Stay tuned.

No it won't be available.

2012-02-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

That excellent house selling.

On a brighter note, I found an excellent chair on Craigslist for $30.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/fuo/2800775940.html

I really don't need the chair, but almost want to buy it, because it is soooo beautiful, and wouldn't I be able to find time to sit on it? I'm posting it in hopes that someone I know will want it. It's a shame to have it go to someone who won't appreciate it! Take it, someone! And show me what you do with it. I'd even help you for the sheer pleasure of seeing the end product.

If only this were still available in July....

2012-01-22T16:24:00.000-08:00

In Las Vegas you own your own road!!!

2012-01-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

.29 acres

Christmas memories

2012-01-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas memories was levitating the tinsel in our old living room. This year for Christmas Alisha gave me some tinsel with instructions on a new and improved method for tinsel levitation. All you have to do is connect six strands with knots on both ends, six inches apart. Cut the excess tinsel past the knots. Next, take an approximately 2 foot piece of PVC pipe, and rub it through your little girl's hair for 10 seconds to charge it up. Finally, drop the tinsel "orb" on the charged PVC pipe. It will briefly touch the pipe and then shoot up in the air and levitate. Check this video out to demonstrate what I'm talking about:

So, so totally cool. Big thanks to my hot wife. -Paul (logged in under Alisha's name)

Proof that he's mine

2012-01-03T16:49:00.001-08:00

2011-11-24T13:00:00.001-08:00

Hey! Dan (my little bro)'s band Imagine Dragon's song is in the promo ad for the next season of American Idol!

http://www.eonline.com/videos/exclusive-american-idol-peek-122/174750

Tried with riches

2011-11-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

The worst fear that I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty and all manner of persecution, and be true. My greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for they will become the richest people on this earth.

Preston Nibley, Brigham Young, the Man and His Work, 128.

Hopefully my family can stand wealth, and not kick ourselves out of the church. We've been rich for over 3 years, Paul tells me we're doing ok. As my keeper, if you see me going off course, call me on the carpet. I LOVE being called on the carpet. Really. That's why I love Brigham Young.

No rest for the seamstress

2011-11-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

I had a dream that I was sewing. As if I don't do that enough when I'm awake. Why wasn't I dreaming about swimming in crystal water, or of getting a massage, or even of using my table saw?

Another weird thing: the dream was exactly like real life. I wasn't above myself watching myself. I didn't fast forward. I didn't watch double speed. I didn't have super human skills. I just sewed. The only thing different than real life, was that there were no children needing my constant attention. They were in bed asleep. Actually nocturnal sewing happens a lot too.

I laid out the fabric perfectly square and smooth.
I found my pattern pieces.
I laid out the pieces so as to use the least amount of fabric.
I pinned all the pieces about 6 inches apart around all edges.
I cut.
I unpinnned.
I refolded the pattern pieces exactly in their original fold pattern, and put them in the envelope.
I pinned pieces together.
Sewed them together.
Serged the seams.
Ironed the seams.
pinned those pieces together.
sewed new seams.....

Then the dream ended, like a slow fade. To show that the work continued even after you were done watching. The dream seemed to take FOREVER. It was like I wasn't in bed sleeping, I was pulling an all-nighter to get a project done. I think that's why I was so disheartened upon waking. It's like I was doing my jobs in my sleep when I should be using the time to live out fantasies.

What does this say about my character?

Craigslist

2011-11-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

I was wasting some time on Las Vegas Craigslist, looking for house rentals. Testing the waters. And I wondered if Vegas has any antiques on craigslist, because I haven't found/heard of any antique stores. And look what I found!

A brass bed made in the 1890's

walnut wood, gold inlay, early 1900's

A treasure trove!

And this...
Wow.

I can move now.

Thank you Angie Miller Photography

2011-10-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Update, phone camera, sorry

2011-09-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Lots of yardwork. Boone's my helper.

my pumpkins are doing great! I planted three kinds.

Jarrahdale

Valenciano

Jack Be Little

I hope they make it. The packages say they'll take 3-3.5 months, so hopefully we'll get pumpkins before Halloween. Or if not, I think I can keep the frost away until Thanksgiving. This is what the pumpkins looked like August 8th. The pumpkins are the plants in the ground. The herbs in pots have been moved because...

the pumpkins have gone huge.

You can see they're in the shade, and every day they get less and less sun. And this year I've learned the hard way that plants producing food from flowers need 8-12 hours of sun to really produce. These get 2-4!!!!

But I still have hope.

Lou turned 3.

We had a whale party, inspired by the excellent outfit Gramma Tena sent.

Boone is still cute.

So is Lou.

The Farm food is still coming. We love it.

We went fishing. Paul has a summer assignment to catch one fish. The first trip we didn't catch anything. But the second trip we used real worms and caught a little tiny fish. But it was enough to count.

Axel participated in a study and earned $25! His adult teeth are coming in just like mine did.

We visited the Reynolds clan.

We visited the Durtschi clan and Temple square,

where I became enchanted by this flower, new to me: Lisianthus. Looks like a rose and loves heat. Perfect.

But my still favorite flower is zinnias, for their excellent color and ease of growing. I love bringing them in the house.

The girls always insist we get the car cart at Kroger (it's the Southern Smith's for you Westerners). This time they fell asleep.

I made an apron for a bridal shower gift. It was paired with Reddi whip and chocolate sauce.

Oh ya, I chopped my hair. And am not good about cleaning the bathroom.

Picked and bottled all these peaches. Note to self: white peaches are not good for canning. Choose the red havens.

Boone is still REALLY cute.

Made this dress for a baby shower. It was so cute, I had to try it on Boone. It fit. But he was so mad in it, which made made Paul proud and he refused to let me photo Boone in it. Too bad, you would've like to see it.

Paul is not abusing Anesthesia drugs; this is how happy he is to be 10 months away from finishing residency.

School has started.

Girls are doing 'mom school'.

YMCA membership is being used again. (I completed my summer assignment of running 4 miles in 32 minutes)

Schedule has been resumed.

I love schedules.

But the most exciting thing, is I'm finally being ok with living in Las Vegas. Which is a major event, because I've been trying to be ok with it for the entire 8 years of our marriage. Mainly its ok because my husband is so perfect for me. It always amazes me that when I'm really upset, he can make me feel better. You'd think I'd be used to it now, after 8 years, but it still surprises me. I think I'm so upset, there's no way out of it. And somehow there's a way out of it, and he knows what it is. Amazing.

Maybe in not too much time Vegas will feel like my home.

2011-07-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

In high school my sister started saying 'shedule' instead of 'skedule'. Like the British version. It was one of many many funny sayings she had in high school. I thought it was so great I started saying it in college. And have continued. Well now it's become a habit, but it still makes me smirk and laugh to myself. The funny thing, is that my kids don't know that's the silly way to say it.

Axel: Mom, can you shedule in going to the park today?

I tried to explain to him that he should smirk when he says shedule or people will think he's a ninny. He didn't get it. So I smirk for him and it's even funnier than when I say it.

My voice

2011-07-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

If you asked me if I liked being a stay-at-home mom, I would tell you yes. I would tell you that there's nothing else I'd rather do with my time. There is nothing so important to me as being a consistent presence in my childrens' lives. There is no better person to see all the good things they do, no person so quick to praise them, no person so quick to forget their faults. My role is irreplaceable and I love it. I am fulfilled. And I would mean it. And I might even cry depending on how much sleep I'd been getting.

But if you put a camera in my home, you might not be convinced. I don't like the children pulling up my seedling by the roots while they're "helping" me transplant. I don't like cleaning the bathroom only to find that the living room (which I left spotless 15 minutes ago) has had a tornado come through. I don't like hearing yelling, then a loud smack, then crying in the next room. I don't like waiting by the van door for all the kids to take their sweet time getting out of it. I don't like someone tapping me on the shoulder and putting their face in my face and saying louder and louder if I can get them something, while I'm trying to ignore them because I'm on the phone. I don't like finding the shampoo dumped out into the tub for a bubble bath. I don't like hearing Guten Tag on repeat 3 hours a day. (That's not an exaggeration people. And yes we now have a rule about songs on repeat. I tried to just bear it cause the kids liked it so much, but I started to feel like a zombie.) I don't like telling the children 5 times to brush their teeth every morning. I don't like kids crowding around me when I'm writing a blog post and trying to get on my lap and turning my face to them and telling me they need a drink. I don't like scrubbing BM out of clothes and still get so mad when I have to. Couple those feelings with the fact that I yell and I'm ok with yelling, and you get a lot of yelling every day.

I'm actually ok with the situation, I yell, but I'm happy. I yell, but I love my kids. I yell, but I'm also really loving. So I am meeting my own expectations for what a mother should be/do.

The only thing I worry about is how my children will be affected by it. And mostly how our relationship will be affected by it. Because I had a mother too, and she yelled and she wanted me to hurry up and I can still see her frustrated face in my mind. And reflecting on those memories I think, "If I was such a good kid, why was she always after me?" And now I understand how such a good kid can warrant a lot of yelling. It's not their character at fault, at least where my children are concerned, it's their bodies. Most things that frustrate me about my children is a product of their immature brains. They don't reason like adults, they don't behave like adults, they are not motivated like adults, they are a different kind of person. And sometimes I am absolutely stupefied by situations I am dealing with. One morning I came to wintery white kitchen, and whiter children than usual. They couldn't wait to eat, (they are up EARLY, I came upon this situation when I rolled out of bed at the indulgent hour of 6:00) and so helped themselves to the powdered sugar. Upon being told to clean up the mess, there was whining and kicking of feet. This is the point of my stupification. "How could you think that you could dump the powdered sugar all over the floor and there would no consequences. You did the wrong thing, that is clear, so face your consequence like a man and don't complain. I wasn't mad before but now I am. Not another sound out of your mouth about it, or you will not eat all day." And this is the point at which the camera viewer would say, "This person does not enjoy being a mother."

But I understand that the things that presently frustrate me will go away as my children's bodies age. I'm yelling about behavior they will most likely mature out of; I'm not yelling about their personalities. But that yelling still feels really personal when someone a lot bigger and stronger than you is yelling in your face. When they're grown, all the yelling I did will be forgotten. At least forgotten by me. But will my children forget? Will that yelling affect our relationship? Affect how they perceive my feelings for them? Affect how much they want to open up to me? Affect how much they trust me with their tender feelings? Affect how much they trust my advice? I would say yes. Basically I don't want to damage our future relationship. That's where the yelling becomes a problem for me.

I watched this mormonvideo, and wanted to be the kind of mother that my kids would say, "I love my mom, I want to be like her" And if they cried while they said it, that would be really great. A few quotes that burn in my ears, "She's one of those personalities that you like to be around." "Things I've learned about my mom, that I'd want to use when I have a family, would be to be calm and be able to bring a nice spirit into my home." "I love my mom because she's so happy all the time." My latest favorite quote is by Joseph Smith, "It is the duty of a husband is love, cherish and nourish his wife, and cleave to her and none else. He ought to honor her as himself, and he out to regard her feelings with tenderness, for she is his flesh, and his bone, designed to be a help unto him both in temporal and spiritual things, one into whose bosom he can pour all his complaints without reserve, who will take part of his burden, to soothe and encourage his feelings by her gentle voice." The voice is the part I've been thinking about. I think my voice is gentle about 20% of the time. My children know they are loved, but do they know peace and gentleness?

So I asked Axel about it.

Alisha: Axel, do I like being a mom?
Axel: Yes.
Alisha: How do you know?
Axel: Because you like us.
Alisha: How do you know I like you?
Axel: Because you don't only yell at us every day. Sometimes you say nice things to us.
Alisha: What nice things do I say?
Axel: You say, 'Water all the plants and you can have 50 cents.' And really you should probably only give us 30 cents.
Alisha: Thanks, Axel.

Two things I'm glad about, it seems Axel thinks I am generous, and it also seems that Axel is thankful. Good job Mamma. Sometimes at night I get in bed with Axel and we talk and snuggle. And I give him a hug, and tell him, "I love you. I love you. Can you feel it?" "Yes, I feel it." "How does it feel?" It feels like my heart is bigger than my body, like out here." And he draws in the air how big out he feels the love. And that's how love feels to me too. I hope he remembers that, more than yelling in his ears.

Lou's twinner

2011-07-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

Did no one catch the resemblance?

Or is no one reading this blog? Am I the only one home during the summer?

Dresser, finally

2011-07-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

It's a little yellower than I imagined, but I still really like it.

The reason it's taken me so long to post (I finished painting forever ago) Is I had a knob problem. I first bought some from World Market that were very cute, and a salmon color, but they didn't have 8, so I bought what they had and intended to order more. Well, they aren't making those knobs anymore, so I couldn't get more. I browsed Anthropologie without any hope they'd have anything I could afford. But then, on supersale...

But even on supersale, I couldn't justify more than 8 knobs. So I painted the old knobs, with nail polish actually. It looks pretty good, but the bluey pinky pearl, really just looks pink. I think I'll paint them the same color blue as the other knobs. With conventional paint. But it'll wait until I paint something else I have in mind in that same color.

And, Lou tried on Paul's glasses this morning. Look like anyone?

Time for a haircut. Hopefully I can make those bangs look like we meant to do it. Suggestions?, peeps who know about hair.

It's never too late to ruin your life.

2011-07-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

That seems to be the theme of this year. I keep hearing about people I know, or people I love, who I considered to be in a safe-zone, who have ruined their lives. Old people, who are in the coasting time of their lives, mess it all up right before the end. Young people who stayed chaste and made great sacrifice to serve missions, and were sealed in the temple, have wasted it all. I don't know what it is about this year, but I'm hearing about it a lot, and at least twice a month, I say to myself, "It's never too late to ruin your life." So hopefully I'll remember, and not ruin mine.

No more veggies!

2011-07-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

Aliens have not taken over my body, and I wouldn't have believed it if you told me two weeks ago, but I've eaten enough veggies for a while. In our farm share we've gotten A LOT of greens. When we'd decided we had enough was when we got turnip greens. They were awful. The first bite wasn't good, but it got worse and worse the more we ate it. Paul and I are not picky eaters, but we really really hated those turnip greens. It was like the bad taste wouldn't go to the stomach with the greens, it just stayed in your mouth building, bite after bite. I couldn't finish mine. Paul's face was turning red. It broke us.

When it gets hot outside all I want to eat is fruit and salad, and fruit salad. But really all I wanted that whole week when we had a fridge full of greens (not lettuce people, greens for cooking) was fresh peaches. Peaches that juice down your chin. Peaches that fill your house with sweet goodness. Peach pie, peach tart, peaches and cream. That's all I wanted. For a whole week when I thought of food, I only wanted peaches.

I called the orchard every day, and every day I heard the message that they were closed to let the red haven peach ripen, but to call back tomorrow and maybe they'd be ready. I had a bajillion things to do, but I was ready to drop all of it the second those peaches were ready. Finally on Friday, I heard in a beautiful country southern drawl, the message, "Wur open fir peaches. U-pick is niney cents a pound." And I got the kids in the car and we were there by 8:30. We got 1 1/2 bushels. I was in peach heaven for two days. We ate so many peaches, including cookie crusted peach cheesecake tart. I made 17 jars of jam, 10 jars of syrup, and new this year.... 12 jars of peaches.

It is so delicious. I didn't intend to take a bite out of the bread, but while I was getting new batteries for the camera, I couldn't help myself. It is like heaven. I think if my husband ever stopped loving me I could keep him here with the bread and jam. It's very satisfying. He's thanked me 4 times already today.

If I can scrounge up enough money, I'll get another bushel this month for more canned peaches, and for two new recipes I'm dying to try: tomato peach salad

and peaches with balsamic cherries

and for more peachy goodness before they're gone.

And last week the farm redeemed themselves with a big huge bunch of basil, with which we made margarita pizza. And this week, everything we got was excellent, except for the wild blackberries, which are so deceitful. For dinner we devoured a golden crown watermelon, corn on the cob, basil tomato mozarella salad. And for tomorrow's breakfast, whole wheat zucchini bread with double zucchini. It's delicious. I snitched some.

After the peach extravaganza, I might even be able to eat the collard greens in the fridge.

Boone Update, followed by 'Maggie's skills'

2011-06-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Boone is everyone's favorite family member. He is so smiley and cute and responsive, it's impossible not to make silly noises and faces at him. The children are especially getting into him lately. They always want to feed him (we've finally got it down to ask Mom FIRST), and give him toys and play with him through the bars of the crib until Mom can get him. They really love him. It is so sweet to watch.

We put our children in the laundry basket. When they're little we lay them in it. When they're big they sit in it. It helps them sit up when they're still wobbly. That's what stage Boone is in right now. I love coming upon Boone with the improvements the children have made. Today while in the laundry basket, Axel gave Boone a blanket and a pink 'pearl' necklace, which he was chewing on. We live dangerously. Axel had turned on his favorite dance music and was giving Boone a dance concert interspersed with crouching in Boone's face and cooing, and tickling his neck. It's enough to make a Mother glad she had 4 children. Next time I came upon Boone this is what I found.

And then he woke up.

I love the amo way he wears the necklace. Very macho.

Do you want to eat his face?

Side note: While my brother was visiting and I was doing my typical, "Ahhhhh-m gonna ee choo" and biting his neck, my brother said, "Why do women always want to eat their babies? You had them in your body once, and you want to put them back there." I thought that was a funny way of looking at it. Maybe he's right.

Also, whenever I play this game, Lou becomes very concerned and tells me "You can't eat him!" And she repeats it louder, and louder until I stop playing. What a good sister.

Maggie's skills: Maggie made this skirt.

She really did. I did the cutting and ironing and she did the sewing and serging. I was right there and I did thread the elastic through the waistband. But she did almost everything. It turned out better than I thought. She really did a good job sewing straightly. I am impressed and I'm showing her off here so you can be impressed too.

And her cranky face was not about the sewing. This was taken a week after she finished it and did not want to pose. We very nearly had a fall-down-feet-scratching-screaming fit. It was avoided by not insisting she look cheerful for the picture.

The shirt and bloomers I made from $1/yard Walmart fabric. I love that Walmart fabric because it makes sewing economical. (I would like to insert here that there is one Walmart store in Nashville that has excellent fabric, the lady there knows how to order it. If you're reading this thinking that I'm crazy because the Walmart fabric near you is junky, let me clarify that this particular Walmart fabric is excellent. And thanks to that fabric-ordering-lady I have much too much fabric for $1/yard.) Now my girl can play in that skirt without me cringing over her underwear.

Conversation with myself

2011-06-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I envision what an earlier version of myself would think about my present life. We talk sometimes.

13-years-earlier Alisha: You don't look as sexy as me, but better than I feared you would. And you're getting Mom's bottom.

15-years-earlier Alisha: Instead of singing to this country song, you should be throwing up. You disgust me.

8-years-earlier Alisha: You made that!?! When did I learn to do that? Good job!

5-years-earlier Alisha: Listen, I know you feel a little frazzled, but you need to figure out how to keep the house cleaner. This is unacceptable. We were not going to be this kind of housekeeper.

Today's conversation was with 7-years-earlier-Alisha

7-years-earlier Alisha: What you looking at?

Present-Alisha: Houses in Vegas, this is depressing. Why are the homes so strange looking? What are they doing with the drywall art? Why are all the walls covered with speckles?

7: I hadn't noticed how ugly it was, but now that you point it out, you're right it is ugly.

Present: And I'm not looking forward to rocks and cactus in my yard. I think I can help it with drought resistant flowers, but still seems impossible to make the desert look like a garden. Will I miss Nashville forever?

7: No, because you've moved a ton of times, and it's always the people that make the place and there are cool people in Vegas.

Present: Will the cool people make up for me living in a house that has windows that aren't trimmed out, and zero personality design, and those horribly unimaginative bathrooms and kitchens that all look identical, and carpet, and 2 inch baseboards?

Pause.

7: Are you serious? Are you that much of a princess? Since when have I needed baseboards to be happy? You need to do charity work until you're less selfish. I can't believe we're even talking about this. You know what, little whiny princess you need to take off your tutu and put on your boxing gloves. Right now.

So I did. And we punched each other. And I felt better.
Thank goodness she knocked some sense into me.

I made a trellis

2011-06-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

The watermelon plant is growing so well, it already requires a trellis. So I thought I'd make one out of the enormous pile of honeysuckle that is still sitting in my front yard. I bought some twine, picked my sticks, and watched an excellent youtube video on how to lash. 42 lashes later, viola.

Looks so primitive. I love it.

I thought it was a good skill that I should've known already. Wasn't too difficult, but it did take a while repeating the lash 42 times. And it cost me just about nothing. In case anybody is wanting to tie some sticks together, I made this short very educational video. I'm such a cheeseball.

I think when the season is over, I might tent two of them together and put a tarp over for a play tent for the kids.

Dresser update: Painted, waiting for knobs to arrive in the mail.

Today

2011-06-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

A purple gladiolus bloomed. I love purple flowers.

One little flower on the hydrangea has bloomed. It soon will be too beautiful to handle.

My sunflower bloomed! 7 more to open soon.

This is a before picture. I'm painting this today. It is my girls' dresser, and it was mine growing up, and it's about to get a major face lift.

New Dress-up for Lou's BDay

2011-06-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

Lou loves dressing up, and it's been a bajillion days since I sewed anything, so it was time to get my creative on. I was less than excited about the usual princess dresses I was finding online as inspiration.

Plus I didn't want to buy any fabric. And I don't have any of that cheapy fabric, and I'm not going to use my expensive fabric. Hmmmm. Then I found a cute peasant dress, got out my free-from-my-mom fabric, and got to work.

She looks very serious, but she really liked it.

Though, she may have liked the nerds rope Axel gave her better.

Father's Day dinner

2011-06-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

Collard Greens
Sweet Potato Fries
BBQ bacon blue cheese onion ring sliders on made-by-Alisha buns
Mango ice cream for dessert

Of course it was a day late, because he was working 24 hours on Father's day.

Paul loved it, anyway.

I planted wildflowers

2011-06-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

The beginning of April I made a flower bed where 'grass' was. It took me all morning, but the soil was good, and the location - right near the door we always come in. I love flowers, but have never grown any, except bulbs.

Two and a half months later, we have a whole bunch of flowers. I used a package of mixed wildflowers that attract butterflies and bees. This children are at this moment trying to construct a butterfly catcher, despite my arguments that butterflies are best enjoyed when they are free. I don't really think they can catch one, so I'm not too upset.
They are a messy beautiful mass. I'm fully enjoying them and think I'll plant the flowers again next year, but probably a little more neatly. But for now they are showing off for us every day.

The jungle view. We have a little baby rabbit who likes to hang out a midst the flowers. He's pretty cute. Cuter than the chipmunks who make endless holes in the yard.
My favorites are the zinnias, but the spurred snapdragons are a close second. The Plains coreopsis is the yellow and rust flower. They just bloomed and are fun.

We keep getting new flowers blooming. It's like a surprise. We have little pink poppies

and white flowers I don't know the name of and cornflowers in blue purple and pink

tickseed

and lots of buds about to open. The kids watch them every day and we learn the names together. The flower we are on the edge of our seats about, is the sunflower. There are a few of them, but this one is as tall as me and every day gets a little close to blooming.

My chamomile has finally sprouted. I had given up on it. I planted the seeds a month ago. Hopefully they make it to flower and then into my tea!

In the front I planted gladiolus bulbs.

It took forever for the green to pop up. Then a friend told me that she planted gladiolus and she got the green, but the flowers never showed up all season. We've had the green for so long and no flowers I was starting to worry. The green leaves are about 4 feet tall, and we just got our first flowers. I called every one to the front yard to show them.

I am soooo excited to see the colorful mass when they all bloom.

Also, in the front, I planted knock-out roses. I ripped out a really incredibly dangerous everygreen shrub with pokers like sewing needles. Really, they were that long. I should've taken them out sooner. My landlord is so nice, he doesn't care what I do to the yard. The rose bush is still small, but has been blooming profusely. I love having roses around.

In the back at the edge of the property are beautiful Rose of Sharon trees. The problem is that the honeysuckle has grown so big that it blocks out the sun and makes it hard for the trees to put out new growth. So I got the pruner and a saw and the kids helped drag it down to to the street. Wow. That's a lot of honeysuckle.

The woman who originally owned the house, and from whose son we now rent, planted three different kinds of Rose of Sharons.

I'd like to think she's looking down from heaven, pleased that we are enjoying her trees. And all her yard. Hope she likes the roses more than the needles-in-your-eye-pokey bush.

RC Cola and MoonPie Festival

2011-06-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

Bell Buckle TN has a MoonPie Festival every year, and every year we want to go, but decide that it's too inconvenient at the last minute. But this year is our last chance. We braved the rain and drove the hour. And loved it.

Paul loves posing for these pictures.

We saw the world largest MoonPie.

And they shared it with us. Mmmm, marshmallow sandwich.

The South is Home.

Morals

2011-06-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, while I'm cleaning or sewing or cooking. It's nice. I'm listening right now to 'The Paris Wife'

which is a book about Ernest Hemingway's first wife (he had four). I'm about half way through the book.

I recently finished a book called "The Namesake"

This one is about an Indian boy, born in the US, very American, but his parent's are very Indian. He feels lost between the two cultures. The writing was absolutely beautiful. Honestly, I don't know if I've experienced writing this good since 'Beloved' (my favorite book in the whole world). However I didn't love it. I kept thinking I would. How could I not with such art in word form and such a great topic. What it was lacking was morals. The main character seemed to lack morals. This was especially bothersome to me, because I consider him someone who should've had morals. Growing up with parents who had a strong moral compass of right and wrong, and no doubt taught him. But there was a definite lack of God, though his parents must've had religious convictions. Right?

Anyway the Hemingway book seems to be lacking in morals too. Characters in both books engage in adultery very nonchalantly. And yes there are consequences for the characters that they don't like. But even those are experienced with relative indifference. I would experience those consequences with months of crying and torn heart and despair and anger and guilt and upheaval.

Similarly their joys are experienced as if hearing music through a closed door, ear to a glass. You can tell it's beautiful, but you miss the piercing of the instruments. You cannot feel it, rising beside your heart. Perhaps it's just the writing of the authors, but it gives me pause to think.

Do lack of morals result in shallow feelings?

I have to contrast these works with Jane Eyre. Which I LOVED. Didn't expect to love it as much as I do, but wow. It's a classic for a reason. She is perhaps the most morally strict character I've read about. Right up there with Hester Prynne. Both of these women experienced their pain and happiness so acutely. Both obsessed over the consequences of choices before they made them. The other characters seemed numb and thoughtless by comparison.

So, even though you may not have read the books, thoughts? I wish I was at a book club right now. Do having and adhering to morals (whatever they may be, so long as you believe there is a right and wrong and you should do the right) make you feel things more intensely? Does having a what-I-feel-like-doing-is-a-good-thing-to-do attitude make you less deeply feel repulsion, relief, betrayal, safety, hope, bitterness? And if that attitude does dull the feelings, should those people feel like they're missing out on something in the human experience?

Hopefully I'm not too bizarre or offensive here. I'm so curious about what you think.

I agree with what Alisha says. My proof is in my favorite book of all time: Peace Like a River. If you haven't read it I suggest you do. The dad in the book is an example of a character with great morals. --This portion is written by Paul in response to Alisha's post.

Kale

2011-05-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

This was so good, I had to stop myself from eating it all, so Paul could have some when he got home. Yes, he had to work all day today, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the...

We signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share. Every week from now until the very last week of October we get a box of organic food, picked that very day, whatever is in season. It's a surprise! Well when I was looking into it I saw that there would be a lot of kale. It was the only thing that was listed more than once. It was listed three times.

Local joe: What do you grow on your farm, JimBob?

JimBob: Down here on the farm, we grow strawberries, corn, kale, eggplant, cabbage, hot peppers, kale, tomatoes, kale, blackberries, kale.... did I say kale already?

Well I've never eaten kale. All I knew that it was a dark green curly leafed vegetable that was probably really good for me and something I wouldn't have liked in high school. But I love the idea of supporting local farmers and eating food that is in season and grown in my very own climate. And maybe I'd like kale.

This is only our second week of CSA and it's our second time eating kale. The first time was good, but this time was a mazing.

Of course, the recipe is Emeril's. He has never let me down. Not one time. I'm trying to think if there's another person who's never let me down. Emeril has transformed my eating standards.

I tweaked it a little, here's my poor-man's version:

Ingredients

1 lbs. bacon
2 small spring onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 pounds kale, tough stems removed, leaves rinsed well and left damp, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bullion cube
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large saute pan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. When cool, cut bacon to bite-sized pieces. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan.

Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the butter and when melted, add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the damp kale and stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup water and the bullion cube. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover, add the cream and lemon juice, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the kale is very tender. Add the bacon and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Serve hot.

Please try. I liked it even better than all the cookie recipes I've tried.

Speaking of cookies, I'm making another recipe tonight. At that point I think I'll be able to confidently declare a winner. I have to say, I do like cookies. I must've just had a lot of bad cookies in my life. But I wish I still didn't like them. They don't make me feel awesome, they just make my mouth awesome, for 1 minute, then I feel all thick in my blood. But the kale leaves me feeling snugly satisfied.

A few projects that are long since completed

2011-05-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

Two sets of baby bedding. They're really cute. It's hard to see exactly how cute from the pics, but rest assured it's the cutest bedding you've ever seen. Mamas did a good job picking out fabric.

A lamp I made. Actually two of them. Our music room has absolutely no ceiling lighting. I didn't want a floor lamp, because in the past the children have ruined them. I didn't want a table lamp, because we don't have a table in there. I really wanted something on the mantle, but didn't think a conventional lamp with shade would look right. So I invented this lamp.
I borrowed a jig saw from a friend who has every tool imaginable. I cut two circles out of MDF, one slightly larger than the other. Hollowed out the bigger one, and drilled hole for lamp cord. Glue big and little circles together. Paint. Screw in super excellent socket I got at a specialty lighting store (Home Depot apparently has ALMOST everything.) Attach the cord kit to the socket. Twist in lightbulb. Add candle hurricane from Michael's. Viola. It did cost about $40/lamp. So I didn't save any money, darn-it. But I did get exactly what I wanted. I still have to tape the cord to the fireplace, so it's not tackily floating around. The lamp on the right has tissue paper on the glass. The bulb was a little bright, right at eye level. I realized why all lamps have shades. But I love the look of exposed light bulb when it's not on. I ended up taking the tissue paper off, but maybe will put it back on if I have guests over in the evening.

I made a quilt for a wedding present. Didn't take a picture. The whole quilt was grey and white stripes with mustard binding and a big mustard house on it and embroidery of our kids artwork. There was a big rose, a sun, and cute family of apples. I think they liked it. I should've taken a picture. The bed below was the closest thing I could find so you can visualize it. But my stripes were much bolder. I think they were 4 inches each.

Cool headboard for that bed, eh?

I made the girls Valentine's dresses that are, what I consider, masterpieces.

Pettislip for Maggie's

My first foray into embroidery on clothes. I love how it turned out.

The great thing about Lucy's outfit is that I COMPLETELY designed it myself. I started with the pattern for Maggie's dress actually. So a lot of pattern making went on here.

The red corduroy was leftover from a Christmas table runner I made. So I consider it 'free'. It is essentially a tiered bubble skirt. The linen of the shirt and Maggie's dress was $1/yard at Walmart. As was the fabric for the pettislip.

The shirt was inspired by a Vogue pattern I have for an adult suit jacket. The neck is wide and low and the lapels are actually two separate pieces, the little one under the big one. The 3 pieces that make up the front of the shirt flare out at the bottom, feminine. And the sleeves have an open flutter at the elbow. Lots of buttons. I wish I had a better camera. You'd be so impressed with the awesomeness of the shirt. Elastic in the back, and slightly longer in the back

$10 and many, many, many hours of labor. By the way, we're trying to rock Lucy's self cut bangs.

Easter dresses. Also designed by me, to be fast and easy, and to only use the 1.25 yards I got as a 75% off remnant.

Can you see how beautiful the embroidery of the fabric is? $15 these two dresses.

We've been doing a lot of traveling and hosting the last few months, and I'm jonesin' to get my creative back on. It's been many weeks since I created anything but a 10 minutes clean room.

Running and cookies

2011-03-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Cookies:

I don't like cookies. I'm not trying to say, "Look at me, I'm so awesome I can resist all temptation, all I'm interested in is salad." I love cheesecake, all fruit pies, fruit crisp, Popsicles, cake dripping with berry drizzle, ice cream, chocolate, mousse, tarts, custards, puddings. When I say I love them, what I mean is I love them and make them. One year for father's day I gave Paul a Williams-Sonoma Desserts cookbook and said for the next year every week I would make a dessert from it of his choosing. See, I'm not a sugar snob. I love it. I eat. I just really don't like cookies, which I realize makes me sound like a robot. Is it human not to like cookies? Well, regardless, I've made cookies about three times the last 7 years of our marriage. And I've made at least 30 pies, but probably more like 50. (One year I made 8 different pies for Thanksgiving!)

I had an epiphany: A childhood without cookies is a sad childhood. I decided that if I want to succeed at being the best mom ever, I probably need to be able to make the best chocolate chip cookies ever.

Those three times I made cookies, they turned out badly. Really. How can I make intricately difficult desserts and mess up cookies? I don't know. Anyway, I'm on a mission to perfect my skills of cookie making. If you have an excellent recipe for cookies that you think would make childhood better, please email to me or leave comment. I'm on a quest. I will make your recipe.

Running:

In college I learned something in my anatomy class that was very valuable to my weak-trunk-muscle body, and only increased my love of running.

When you breathe you use your diaphragm to get air in and out of your lungs. However, when you work really hard, you need to get more oxygen into your lungs and more CO2 out, so your body recruits the muscles in between your ribs and your abdominal muscles to increase your lung fillage and emptyage. When you push that CO2 out really hard, your ab muscles constrict as tightly as they can; your ab muscles that connect to your pubic bone and the bottom of your ribs. What I'm saying is when you breathe hard that muscle is trying to pull as short as it can, and the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. And SISTAS, that is what I want, a straight line! So from this knowledge I decided that the best way for me to get a flat stomach was to do an exercise where I could keep my breathing hard an even. Sounds like running. And when I run I try to go a pace that will keep me breathing hard for 20 to 30 minutes.

I go for increasing my running speed and not increasing my distance or time running. It really has helped. I am coming from a pretty round place, so any improvement is fairly noticeable, and my balloon belly fluctuates over every little thing, even dinner. Sorry. It's so gross, I know.

Ab Ripper X helps too.

I went to the gym today. It's been too long and it felt like dance music pumping through my blood. I was really on a treadmill watching HGTV, but it still felt great. 5 miles at 9 minute mile pace. My goal is six miles, three times a week, at a 8 min. mile pace. My abs will have to look better right? And my arteries will be so awesome I'll live forever.

Reading

2011-03-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

Just finished listening to this book. It made me so still and emptily sad. Not like the overfilling sadness I feel from 'Beloved'. Resigned sadness. I'll savor the sadness for a few hours, and blessedly, the sadness is in someone else's life, so it cannot stay.

I am curious what conversations we'll have about it at bookclub.

Paul and I also just finished listening to

It was better than the picture suggests. We'll be listening to the next 2 in the series as well.

Today I check out Jane Eyre. Never read/listened to it. I will now be a little more cultured. and ready for the movie.

burlap

2011-02-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Making grocery bags, or purse bag out of these

from here http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/specialty-stores/burlap-store.htm?&N=9330

at about $2 each, how can I not?

This person made one. So cute. Would the burlap chaff as you're wearing it?

I want a sectional

2011-02-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

by Gus.

Of course I can't afford the $3000 to buy it.

But could I make it? The good thing about modern, is there's no curves, just 90 degree angles.

Yes, I could make it, but the harder part would be convincing my husband to let me do it.

And would I want to vacuum out all the crumbs that would accumulate in the cushion depressions? Yes, I probably would.

I would definitely use crypton fabric. Can't decide if I like this

or this

What do you think?

I've already buttered him up to the idea of a sectional by convincing him it would make movie watching snuggling easier, and video game playing more enjoyable. He agreed. He agreed for us to have it in a few years. Like maybe 3. And I couldn't press, because honestly, that's probably how long it would take me to get around to making it.

Imagine Dragons

2011-02-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

If you aren't checking these guys out regularly you are crazy.

Please support my little bro's band by befriending them on Facebook too.

sexy

2011-02-14T09:05:00.001-08:00

When I was about 12 there was a woman in my ward in her 60's, maybe 70's, who was very tall. Maybe even a little taller than me. She had skinny legs and a barrel chest. She seemed to cast a shadow on me whenever I was near her. She looked like if she toppled over she would land like a tree, and with a loud 'FRUMP!' She looked kind of scary, honestly. And I had a realization:

I will never be cute.

Most women when they get old, get a twinkle in their eye, and they round out and they're cute, and you want to hug them, they seem loving.

This person I'm imagining is not tall. Perhaps not short, but definitely not nearly 6 feet tall. When a 6 foot tall person rounds out, they look hulking and looming and scary.

I do not have the option of enjoying chubbiness in my old age and having it 'work' for me. Tall slender lady is all I can ever pull off, and it seems like a daunting future.

That is just the preface to what I really wanted to post today.

At the YMCA I saw this incredibly beautiful woman in her 50's. Not cougar beautiful, Mom beautiful. And she was almost as tall as me, and slender. And she was across the room I was stretching in. The first thought that came to mind when I saw her was - sexy. She gave me so much hope. I almost had tears welling up. I wanted to thank her.

How crazy can I be? She for sure would think I was a stalker or coming on to her. And then I had Sister Kimball's quote in my head, "never suppress a generous thought.” So I decided to risk it. Plus she didn't know me, so if I super embarrass myself, I'll probably never see her again. I walked right over to her,

"You are so sexy and you give all us young mamas hope."

I am so weird! What is wrong with me?

She was very nice. "Thank you, I've had four children." And we had a 30 second conversation. Maybe if I can pull of sexy at 50 (back-up plan is to pull off nice, but I'm not that nice, so I'm kind of in trouble both ways.) someone tall who just had a baby and feels like an amazon woman can be encouraged that it is possible to look good and not scary as you age.

Thank you sexy YMCA lady.

Randoms

2011-02-09T12:30:00.001-08:00

Today while returning from the kitchen to my lunch at the table, Lucy had just popped in her mouth a green olive from my salad and was looking very guilty. What kind of kid loves green olives so much she steals them when she thinks no one is looking? What a good girl.

Paul and I were able to go to the temple this morning and it was just what I needed.

While there I noticed that my arm sleeve seam is ripping out!? Does that mean my arms are bigger than they were 9 years ago? Is it all the muscles from carrying 4 children?

no.

I am reminded of the temple dress I want to make for myself, saw it on Jennifer Lopez a year ago, and can't get it off my mind. Of course mine would be longer.

Isn't it gorgeous!!!!!

If I had a dress like this, I would definitely be at the temple once a month. Don't know if that should make me feel wicked, or just really pleased that I'm finding ways to make meeting our monthly goal easier.

On the way to the temple I continued embroidering a dress I am making for Maggie for Valentine's Sunday. It will be beautiful, and of course I will post pics when it's done.

Made some quilts for the girls out of this

Waverly fabric. I, however, got it at Walmart for a dollar a yard. What a shopper! We have this incredible lady at our Walmart who used to own a fabric store, and knows how to order excellent fabric. This bolt had a slight deformity in inking. So slight you can't see it unless I point it out to you. I am holding off on posting pics until I get their cute pillows made.

Because it was such a good price and I wasn't sure what i was going to do with it, I bought the whole bolt, which I think was 15 yards. I only used 4 for their quilts. What will I do with the rest? I think I'll make some quilts to donate. Spread the blessings.

Be good.

Salad

2011-01-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

baby spinach leaves

sliced pear

feta cheese

sprinkle of pecans

pinch of salt

a few cranks of black pepper

little drizzle of olive oil

smatterings of balsamic vinegar

Almost no cutting, just assembling. Delicious, healthy, fast.

Salad Soapbox:

At a restaurant you may have found yourself thinking while ordering, "let's not go crazy and just get a salad." Beware, not all salads are created equal. Be careful of the drive-through ones, or the ones at steak houses. Just because it's a salad, doesn't mean it's good for you.

Iceberg lettuce - the fourth phase of water. It does have fiber in it, but that's all.

If your salad is comprised of iceberg (romaine is a little bit better, but spinach is the only one that can be counted as doing something really good for you) lettuce, cheese, chicken, croutons, cucumber, and a tomato, you may as well get a chicken sandwich and be satisfied.

In my book a salad must have some of the following to be counted as a healthful choice:

broccoli (my favorite vegetable)

carrots

onions - green or red are my favorite

nuts

oranges

beans

olives

peppers - Sam's has them for sale 6 red,yellow, orange peppers for $7. Wow.

avocado - has three times as many nutrients as most other high nutrient vegetables

RIPE tomatoes - I have a theory I haven't looked into, that unripe tomatoes don't have near as many nutrients and that's why they don't taste like anything, cause they don't have anything.

So when I go to the drive through I skip the salad, get a burger and really enjoy it. And get my veggies at home.

And fries don't count as veggies, though I have tried to convince myself that if I put on enough ketchup, maybe the combo will count?

No it doesn't count.

for my brother

2011-01-22T20:32:00.001-08:00

Funny things on pillows seem so great to me. My brother in law, Pona, was accepted to law school. I was so overjoyed I had to embroider him a pillow. No, it doesn't really relate, "Congratulations for getting in to law school" but who really wants that on a pillow?

If you don't get the pillow click here and here.

What I'm eating lately

2011-01-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

Grapefruit smoothies. Grapefruits are such a great price right now and so delicious, and so packed with vitamin C in this cold/flu season. So I've been taking the tender flesh out of them, put them in the blender with a little sugar and some frozen fruit. Here pictured with frozen strawberries. Yesterday I blended 3 grapefruits, 1 orange, 2 cups frozen strawberries, and 1/4 cup sugar. Paul got this little cup, and the rest I kept for myself. I usually share it with the kids, but I gave them bananas - that's at least some fruit. Since I have been pregnant or breastfeeding for 5 of the last 7 years means I need a lot of nutrients, and yesterday I was feeling like my body needed an extra boost. And what a tasty boost. I felt like a million bucks all day.

Try some, you'll like it.

Boone liked it too.

Funny or not?

2011-01-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, funny.

I think the president would also find it humorous.

Lately

2011-01-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying embroidery and feeling very Valentine's festive. I love the Christmas decorations and it makes me sad that the celebration is over. To ease the pain, I jump right into Valentine's Day. Here is my latest loving creation.

One on each side of the front door. I got the frames at Goodwill more than a year ago and painted them with a blue wash. I think I'll change out what's in the frames depending on what time of year it is.

When I was a girl, I loved cross-stiching. I haven't done it in so long, because I didn't like the look of it. Now I'm liking it again, and I still love the process. I did these on a long car ride to see my Florida brother and family. Made the 20 hours of sitting much nicer. And no, it didn't take all 20 hours.

A few Christmas pics:

My parents came to visit after Christmas. It was lovely. You can see in the back my piano Valentine's decor - already up. The white XOXO is sheet music, "She's always a woman to me". Because I often feel like I must be as crazy as the woman in the song, and I imagine Paul singing it, and that he loves me in spite of my temperament.

Miscelaneous stuff

2010-12-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

Every year this excellent church

converts their basement to a Bethlehem bazar. It's pretty fantastic. All the people are in character and very knowledgeable about their station. The lady selling brassware can tell you all about oil lamps, the people at this 100 year old, hand written, Hebrew scroll can tell you all about how the scroll is read. It's all very Christmasy. (Sorry about my lousy pictures - I don't know what's wrong with me.)

This is the lady who wrote the kids' names for them in Hebrew.

This girl is smashing grapes with her feet.

Here's Maggie making olive oil from olives.

Their costumes are fantastic.

You really feel like you might be in Bethlehem. The floor is covered in wood, there's salted fish and little breads. Everyone says Shalom greeting you. Everyone asks if you've heard about the baby who is said to have been born - the king of Israel.

Isn't this expensive? Isn't this crazy tons of work? Yes, but people here in the South, really love Jesus. There are even camels, and real frankincense and myrrh.

I've been fretting about all the sewing/projects I wouldn't get done in time for Christmas. But then I decided that what makes Christmas special is not the beautiful table runner, and painstaking hand-made gifts. What makes Christmas special, is the pie.

This is what is left of the cream cheese pumpkin pie that Paul made. It was so delicious. I made a cheddar crusted apple pie. It's already been devoured. However, I decided I prefer a regular crust, the texture is better. For the record, Paul's crust was flaky and tender. Wow. I didn't know he could make pie crust so well. I was impressed.

Here's the bedding I made for Boone from this duvet cover I cut up. I added the owl.

And for the few of you that check my blog and notice that I haven't been posting lately, and not many pics of Boone... that was intentional. Boone is so cute and darling, but for the last 3 weeks he's been having some terrible baby acne. I kept thinking I'd put up pictures the next week, when his acne cleared up, but it still hasn't. So now I'm swallowing my pride and letting you see my angel. Please look past the skin. He is an absolute dreamy, perfect baby.

He's growing so fast. He smiles when you kiss his face. His cheeks are so chubby. He almost never cries, and when he does, is easily soothed. He sleeps about 18 hours a day. He goes right back to sleep at night after his feeding. Really, he's been no unpleasant work. When he wakes up, I eagerly go to snuggle him. I love him being around. Who do you think he looks like? I can't decide.

These are a few of my favorite things

2010-11-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

Citrus Scented Turkey and Cranberry Sauce

Pear, Walnut, and Feta Cheese Salad

Butter Rolls

Rum-glazed Candied Yams

Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans and Pearl Onions with Tarragon Vinaigrette

Savory Spinach and Artichoke Stuffing

Cranberry Apple and Sausage Stuffing

Sourdough Bread Stuffing

Pear and Sour Cherry Flat Pie

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

Cheddar Crusted Apple Pie

Pumpkin Roll

Cranberry Pecan Pie

almost as good

2010-11-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

My friend has organized a sip-n-see at my house for this Friday. I'm very excited. With my limited party planning experience I know that an important factor in an elegant table is, levels. I've had this lovely inspiration in my head for a while, and wanted to try it out.

So I went to my favorite Goodwill, bought some plates and cups; mine is much more simple, but only cost me $4 and will store away nicely.

It's almost as good as the inspiration and only took me 30 minutes of finding, and 30 minutes of making. I imagine it with cupcakes. Maybe I can do something Christmasy with it. Hmmmmm.

I also had a little craft trade with a friend of mine. She made me an excellent sac person for Axel's birthday, and I made her daughter some pants.

And because I know you all just really want to see more pics of Boone....

Hello World

2010-11-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Dad your mustache is scratchy, but I sure do feel aware about men's health.

Hey Mom, why are we not eating?

Born today. 9 lbs. 3 oz. Very chubby. Very hungry. Very wiggly. Very loved. Mom is doing great, believe it or not. I pushed that huge boy out in 10 minutes, no tearing. Good start to our relationship, Boone. Labor and delivery were absolutely perfect.

Boone's car seat

2010-11-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

I decided to redo the car seat. It has gone through 5 children. My own three, one little friend who used to be at our house 50 hours a week and came everywhere with us, and someone in our ward borrowed it. When I took it all apart to clean it I found mold growing on the underside of the foam cushion. Very scary. Luckily I had spare foam, in exactly the right thickness and just enough. So I took it all apart soaped and then hosed this bad boy. Took off all the bazillion caution stickers I never read and are terribly scratched up now. Recovered the old cover. (I love working with bias tape I discovered.) And made a new canopy from taking apart the old canopy for a pattern. I found the fabric as a remnant at my favorite posh fabric store. I love Anna Maria Horner. And have liked this fabric for some time. So when I saw it as a remnant for half price, it was all the encouragement I needed to make a new car seat for a new Reynolds. And thank goodness I did. The mold really freaked me out.

And I had just enough left to make a little blanket to tuck around the chubbers to keep him warm.

It was my first embroidery experience and I liked it more than I expected.

2010-11-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight in Axel's prayers he said:

Please bless Boone to come safely, and that he won't cause an explosion in mom's belly, and that he'll come tonight.

I said 'Amen' loudly. Our fingers are crossed.

Record Table

2010-10-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

The table is done. I love it. The green is the natural color of the poplar wood. It will probably turn brown with time.

Here's some old wood that I cut off, before planing. What a gorgeous transformation.

The sewing table base was left in our garage in our last house and our landlord said I could have it. 1 1/2 years later, my vision for it is finally realized.

I tried to leave some of the rough elements of the wood, like the saw mark on the front edge.

I love the nail holes and bark.

I glued it together with a spline. You can see that my planing was not that excellent. But I figure it's ok because it a rustic table.

Special thanks to my mom for helping me plane. Seriously, what kind of awesome mother agrees to plane when she visits instead of being treated to all the excitement of Nashville? You're the best.

The planer was my grandfathers. Thanks Grandpa. It still works!

And thanks to Paul who supported me through all the unmade dinners, and even did the sanding. I could say thank you for helping me cut the table top, but really we just fought about how to do it correctly and I was reminded once again why you and I and table saws don't mix. But you did look fantastic in those goggles.

adventures of a six year old who can read

2010-10-22T12:06:00.001-07:00

I hear in the other room Maggie and Axel playing a board game where they read something and are supposed to give examples of that thing. If they get the same answer they get a point.

Axel: a type of fabric

Maggie: clothing fabric

Axel: good answer, Maggie. And orange fabric is another type.

Axel: an international beer

Maggie: I don't know

Axel: Coke

So glad he didn't know the answer to that one.

2010-10-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

I feel like a whale. And not for the obvious reason. I love brushing my tongue. This is a new development, of the past few weeks. I usually brush my tongue for the breath benefits, but lately I just love the feel of it. Strange. And every time I think, "now I understand why whales would like it." I wonder if it will go away when the baby comes; if this is some strange pregnancy side-effect. Regardless, my breath has never been so fresh.

Birthday Bliss

2010-10-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

I think I had as much fun at this party as Maggie did. As I made the decorations and cute little clothes, and curled her hair in the morning, I felt like a little girl that never grew up. I love kids parties. How crazy is that?

I watercolored the door sign.

I love tissue paper pompoms. I love tissue paper pompoms. I love tissue paper pompoms. These are going in the girls room until they fall apart.

Birthday banner from scraps.

Cupcakes with fruit roll-up roses on them.

Birthday Girl picked the most delicious ice cream - raspberry pomegranate. Little Sister liked it and the cupcakes.

She also picked out these beautiful little roses. I can't decide which Rose is more beautiful.

She loved all the presents. Look at that joyful surprise.

We played a lot of fun games too. I include this picture because it shows Axel winding up for a really good throw, and Maggie running for cover. Ha! This actually is a game, it's not just a free-for-all pelting session.

Couch update: See all those children on the pristine white couch. Did they get it dirty? Of course. One child actually stepped on it with his dirty shoe and left a shoe print on the cushion. A few dirt swipes, a few dried up wet spot of who knows what, and general dirtiness and lintiness. 45 seconds of light wiping with water and a microfiber cloth, and it is absolutely clean. Like wiping it off a counter. Like magic. I wonder if I'll ever get used to it. I wonder if I'll be able to have any other kind of upholstery again. I love that I can have this beautiful room, and can enjoy sharing it with little messy cupcake faces.

Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses. — James Oppenheim, "Bread and Roses"

pregnant self

2010-10-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Still 4 weeks until my due date. Next week I start my try-to-have-the-baby-two-weeks-early plan.

I'll let you know if it works.

Rose party

2010-10-12T10:51:00.001-07:00

We're having a rose party to celebrate Maggie's middle name. It's a family name, and we love it. So of course, she needs something rosy to wear for the party, but I didn't want it to be a princessy type dress-up, I wanted it to be an outfit that she could wear again. And I wanted it to be easy to make. So yesterday while blog surfing this blog (wow, I'll be checking it often) I found this sweet dress. And I had enough for a shirt out of the funky rose fabric I ordered a month ago.

Also, the pants will stay covering that cute little bottom. She and Lucy often have plumber bottoms on. I think they don't have enough hips to keep their pants up.

It's a trick convincing her to take it off and save it for her birthday party. Makes me happy.

And how's my little table top coming along? Coming along.

6 years old

2010-10-10T18:17:00.001-07:00

About a month ago as we were getting ready for church Axel said, "Mom, maybe when I'm an adult I won't believe in Jesus." Piercing fear in my chest. Surprise, because we've had many spiritually mature conversations. Panic that he might actually be serious. "Why would you say that?" "I just mean that when I'm an adult maybe I won't believe like you do." I get down on the floor. "Axel, look in my eyes. A lot of things we talk about, like the Easter Bunny, are not real. Parent's make them up just to make childhood more whimsical. But Jesus is real. We don't see him, but he is just as real as we are." Axel is looking in my eyes. I am hoping he sees that I believe. "God has promised that you can know for yourself, and you don't have to just believe me." And he didn't have anything else to say and neither did I. So I gave him a hug and he hugged me back. He hasn't said anything like that again and has returned to his excellently spiritually comments, which has soothed me greatly.

Axel turned 6 on Friday and I kept thinking, 'In two short years he'll be baptized.' And it makes me a little bit weepy and sad. I hold a belief, that I cannot support with doctrine, that before the age of 8 the devil and his angels are not allowed to actively tempt children. That they can be subjected to confusion and pain because of the effects of the Fall and agency of others, but the adversary cannot try to get them directly. So this is doctrinally unfounded, but sounds like it might be true, and so I accept it as probably true and have viewed this time in my parenthood as my cramming session. This is where I have the advantage. He learns from Paul and me without much opposition. This is the arming stage.

So as we approach his eighth year, I examine myself and ask, "Am I helping him have enough experiences where he can feel the Holy Ghost and learn how God communicates with him? Am I asking him enough questions about his life to create a habit of openness between us? Am I teaching him from the scriptures answers to his questions, so he learns the value of the word of God? Am I being an example of a true Christian? Are we laughing enough together, so that he likes me, as much as I like him?" And the answer is... no and yes both, of course.

So I've thought of a few things I can do to up my game. And my heart feels like it's growing too big for my body as I am filled with concern and pride and confidence and worry about this person who has been entrusted to me. And if you know him, you know he's a substantial person and will be an asset to man and to God. A big spirit in a still little body.

Tonight, unsolicited, in his prayers he said, "Please, comfort Gramma Tena with the Holy Ghost, and that He will whisper to her that she will see Marco again soon." Maggie said, "Please help Gramma Marco to be resurrected." And my whole body smiles.

Boone likes General Conference

2010-10-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

I noticed Boone going crazy during General Conference this weekend, and so I shot this little clip. This represents like 1/100th of his movement. Seriously, this child is going to be wild.

Guitar frame

2010-09-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

So, I really want music to be appreciated in our home. Which is why we have a music room. And in order to encourage music, I've decided to decorate with it. I know, I know, normal people would just play the piano or guitar, but I have to beautify them, and then look at them more than play them. But playing them is phase two of my plan. Paul used to play the guitar. He actually played a lovely little number at our wedding. But since that time 7+ years ago, the guitar has come out of it's case about 10 times. I figured that if it was in plain sight maybe he would play it. Maybe I would print music and say, "You play it, I'll sing it. It'll be more fun than watching TV". But without it in plain sight, it would probably stay in mint condition in its lovely case, under our bed.

I know there are little stands you can buy, but I wanted the guitar out of immediate reach of the children, for obvious reasons. And I discovered that you can hang them on the wall. Well, if I'm going to put it on the wall, I want it to look like art and not an afterthought. And I've had this picture on my mind for a few years.

I thought it was quite intriguing to cover the wall in sheet music. So I've come up with.....

I call it, a guitar frame. Catchy name. Yes I even purchased a picture light for it.

I did a super duper mod podge of John Lee Hooker music. No he doesn't have any special meaning to our family, but his music looked very beautiful to the eye, plentiful notes, and guitar plucking, not just piano. Also his lyrics are pretty nondescript. Like, baby baby I miss you, come on, lovin...... So not very distracting. Thank you used book store. I mod podged it to handypanel? Forget the name. It's super dark brown, kind of like thin really strong MDF.

The frame is actually crown molding that I bought, painted, glued (liquid nails really is liquid nails - never used it before - very impressed) directly onto the music board. I looked into a real frame, and one like I wanted with lots of swirlies, for this huge of a frame, would've been around $200. But this cost me $24.
Then purchased an excellent guitar hanger and put the screws through the board into the wall. It's actually really big.

So the reclaimed barn wood is to make a table top for an old sewing table that will sit below the guitar and have out records and record player on it.

I've done a little planing already

and it is hard work. How hard, you ask.

Hard. This one might take me a while.

He said yes!

2010-09-24T14:57:00.001-07:00

Because our landlord is the bomb, he let me paint. I love love love it. It's exactly what I envisioned. You can't quite decide if it's blue or green. It looks like a robin's egg color. It's crisp and refreshing.

After a long day of painting, and a longer day yesterday planing, I am pooped.

My poor husband is hoping that I can perk up for our date tonight.

I was pondering on why it's so important to me that my house is beautiful, but I care so little if I am beautiful. What I mean is, I shower on a need-to basis. I almost never do my hair. My toenails get painted once every 3 months. I don't mind if my clothes are completely average. I feel very comfortable in no make-up. Spending $20 on a flattering shirt puts me in a guilt crisis. However, if it's for my house, I drop $20 without even blinking. I consider the time spent doing my hair as wasted, but spending the better part of my day doing some beautification of my house seems like I'm pampering myself and like a necessity at the same time.

I think the reason is, my house kind of feels like my job. Some women are pharmacists or yoga instructors, or construction workers, and they come home and make dinner and bathe children, just like I do. But I stay home. So what do I do with all that time? I stay home to teach my children personally, create more time for us to spend together as a family, consistently eat healthy delicious food, and design our home to be our retreat. My job is to make my home a calm and meaningful place for my family to be. I believe that it is easier to feel the Spirit and to feel love if you are in a beautiful and clean place. Most of the time the beautification process and clean don't happen at the same time, so I try to switch off. Have a clean day, have a project day.

Also, I've decided that the girl's minds need to be more stimulated, so for the past month I've been spending 30 minutes with them individually teaching them things. Lucy is learning how to correctly hold a crayon and is learning sounds of letters. Maggie is learning how to read and do simple math. We've learned about butterflies and experimented with finger paint. We've learned how to control our crayons and color in the lines. Lucy is learning position words, and Maggie is learning to recognize numbers up to 20.

I think I feel energized and creative if I'm surrounded by color and pattern. And I'm trying to decorate in things that are meaningful to our family that will remind us of our family history, and of our faith, and of our love for each other. So I am expending a lot of energy, that Paul usually thinks is unnecessary, but I consider of the greatest importance.

And that's why if you come to my house, and I look rat nasty, and my house looks beautiful, I will be very comfortable.

I like big butts... I really do

2010-09-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

So my latest project is complete, but I cannot post a picture of it, because it's not hanging up yet because I decided that IF I'm going to paint the music room, I want to do it before I hang this on the wall. I have my paint color chosen. I've convinced Paul that he should be ok with me doing it especially because Behr flat enamel paint is $17 a gallon right now. I'm waiting for my landlord's approval. I really, really, hope he lets me paint.

This morning I drove 30 minutes outside of Nashville to purchase some reclaimed barn wood for my next project. Yes, I said reclaimed barn wood. I am so excited. The man who sold it to me was very kind and wanted to make sure I didn't hurt myself, being gigantically pregnant and hauling around big pieces of wood.

And as I slid those boards in the van next to the kids, for whatever reason, I noticed my hands, and my arms. And I thought, I love my body. I love that my body allows me to lift a heavy board if I want to lift a heavy board. I love that if I tell my body to run up stairs, it will. My body enables me to make things I want to make. My body provides me with many sensory pleasures, of which chocolate pudding is my current favorite. And in a society where it's very cool to bad talk your body, I'd like to have a thankful-for-my-body revolution. I will start with a list of all the awesome things about mine.

My body almost never gets sick. Especially if I'm eating my fruits and veggies.

My body has broad, thick shoulders, which gives me a lot of leverage in sparring and in lifting objects, children, etc.

My hair is usually shiny.

My hands are strong.

I almost always feel energetic.

My brain is really good at memorizing random facts I find interesting.

I almost never get headaches anymore. Thank you body!

My body does great pregnant, especially the last two trimesters.

My body produces excellent and abundant milk for my hungry offspring.

My heart is strong and increases in strength quickly when I exercise it.

My body is fairly flexible, and I have no constant pains.

My body craves fruits and vegetables and not candy. That's one of my favorites.

My body falls asleep easily most nights.

I could go on.

In 7 weeks and 1 day when the baby is out, and I am looking in the mirror at the damage caused to my body, and I yo-yo from sad to furious about what I see there (I know this because it's happened every post pregnancy so far), I am going to look back at this list and hopefully feel grateful for my body. Because in all the really important things, my body comes through for me. Love for my body is not based on it's appearance (how shallow), but based on it's ability to be a vehicle for my spirit, enabling me to experience and learn.

I love my body. It is a gift from God and from my parents (thank's for the shoulder's, Dad, and the veggie cravings, Mom). After all it's done for me, bringing up the cellulite on the back of my thighs, or the relief society arm I'm packin', seems petty.

I encourage all of you to join my revolution and be grateful for your amazing body. Which means, fuel your body appropriately, exercise it, and don't bad talk it. Even when your friends are bad talking theirs.

Because being thankful, is a good way to be.

Please feel free to leave a comment about your incredible body.

To decorate the couch

2010-09-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

has been so much fun!

This was the last pillow I just purchased the fabric after school, and couldn't wait to get it on the last pillow. It's some kind of Japanese fabric, that I love. Look at that elephant. Perfect colors.

This one was very fun. It was my first adventure with covering buttons with cloth/buttons in pillows. The pillow is out of corduroy, sewn together with the whale going in different directions.
Anna Maria horner prints; her drawing room line has been discontinued and is very difficult to find the last remaining pieces. Luckily I found someone who had a yard. (They don't have it anymore, so maybe I cleaned them out! Ha!) The fabric on the right was my color pallete for my design ideas for this room, and of course, the pillows.
How it will usually look, picture taken with usually dirty camera lense. Thank you peanut-butter-fingers trying to pry open the camera cover.

I must take a moment to thank Melinda, without whose junk pillows, these would have been much more expensive. She was getting rid of a bunch of old pillows that were all matted and flat, and before giving them to Goodwill asked if I'd like them. Don't mind if I do. They've come with me on the last two moves, and every time Paul really wanted to throw out those useless looking pillows. I assured him that they would be transformed, and yes, someday I would get around to using them. He likes the pillows. I made the pillow forms first, taking the fluff out of the old pillows, fluffing it, and then stuffing the new forms. Then i could stick them on the couch and determine what sizes I wanted them to be. This is when I decided I needed one round shape and one rectangle. I love love love love them. And it makes my couch very exciting.

Camio pillow

2010-09-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

I've been working on pillows for my new white and bright and perfect couch. So I was surfing the web a lot on the lookout for interesting pillows. The pillow below is one I decided to make. It was my inspiration.

Who's face? I thought of a lot of faces, but decided that really, I just wanted to see my sister in my music room all the time. Plus she has a great profile. In my family, we're a little chubby and may not have the best hygiene, but we have great bone structure, which is what I needed. So she agreed, and I hope she doesn't mind me posting this picture. This was taken late at night after a hard day dealing with 25 kindergartners. And she's pregnant. Look at that bone structure!

Thank you photoshop.
Here I changed the pony tail and added body below the neck. That's it. I didn't change the face or head AT ALL, Heidi, and look how beautiful it is. I knew my sister's profile would be perfect.

My first little experiment with freezer paper. Loved it. Hot iron temporarily adheres the paper to the fabric. The lines were very clean, no bleeding. I did a tester, very pleased with my fabric and paint.

Viola.

And it really looks like her. Thanks, Heid.

This song is dedicated to

2010-09-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Annie. I heard this song on Pandora and it made me:
1. miss my sister
2. be thankful that though she is now so skinny, her bottom is still amazing

	The Band - The Weight

	Found at skreemr.org

Funny Maggie comments

2010-08-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

Maggie: Grandpa Ron, if you see a red light, you should stop.

Grandpa Ron: And what about a green light?

Maggie: Go.

Grandpa Ron: What if there's no light?

Pause.

Maggie: Out of batteries.

Today, out of the blue: Grammy has a tutu on her swimming suit just like me.

Maggie said to me after we returned to our airplane seats: That was a one player bathroom.

home again

2010-08-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

I have a stain on my shirt. It is from Ethiopian food I shared with my family in Las Vegas. It is proof I was there today, and we were together. And it makes me sad and happy at the same time to see that little stain. I think I'll wear it to bed, so I can see it tomorrow. And until laundry day, I'll have something more tangible than memories that we were together.

Excellent masks

2010-08-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

The kids love to play doctor. Axel decided today that he needed a mask and gloves for surgery. This has not been done previously. It was so funny, i had to photograph it.

Then when it was mag's turn, of course she wanted a mask and gloves too.

If you know the family Paul grew up in, you know they have it embeded in their genes to put underwear and mops on their heads. I don't know why. But my kids got it.

A conversation which took place on Sunday:

(I must preface this conversation with the information that Axel LOVES Imagine Dragons, almost as much as Paul does. Axel loves doing anything at all with his Dad. Axel is also super righteous. Probably the most righteous person in our family.)

Paul is watching his brother's band on you-tube performing at a show.

Axel: Hey, Dad, this is not Sunday music.

Dad: It's ok, this is my brother. It's ok to do things with your family on Sunday. Come watch it with me.

Axel was listening to church stories on lds.org.

Axel: No, it's a better choice to do this.

Dad: I think Axel has a little bit of his mother's self-righteousness.

I was beaming with pride in the corner. It's been a long standing discussion between Paul and I what is appropriate Sabbath Day music. Point for me.

For Marissa

2010-08-09T15:54:00.001-07:00

What I mean is the picture is for you. The pie is for you if you come over tonight. If you come tomorrow it'll be gone. And I'm not jerking your chain, if you show at on my door, I'll give you a slice. FHE is at 7:00.

For the rest of you, strawberry rhubarb pie is my favorite in the world, and I made one today, pictured here with a few of our garden beauties.

delicious

2010-08-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

So we have a little garden going, mostly we're eating tomatoes, but hopefully in a few months pumpkins too.

This is the dear little pumpkin a few days after I transplanted it into the ground. The first sprouted leaves were so beautiful. I was in love.

Now it's overtaking the little bed I made in the front yard. I still love it.

We have cherry tomatoes which are fine, and abundant, but the really delicious ones are the heirloom tomatoes. We eat them still warm from the sun, sprinkled with kosher salt. They are so juicy, many clothes have gotten stained.

I made this salad to bring to a party last night. The basil is fresh picked too. My first gardening summer is going well. No, the avocados were not grown in our back yard. I'm not that awesome.

This last one is blurry, but so funny. My kids are just like their Dad, they love to sleep, and since I've been married to him, I've learned the goodness of sleeping too. They often fall asleep during sacrament meeting.

Relief Society Lesson

2010-08-08T12:43:00.001-07:00

Warning, this post is not a family or project update. It's not that entertaining, it's about circumcision. It's my religious thoughts. Read at your own risk.

I taught Relief Society today. For those of you not familiar with LDS lingo, the Relief Society is the organization of women in the church. This organization is primarily responsible for aiding members in increasing their faith and personal righteousness, strengthening families and serving the Lord and His children (pretty broad purpose, and I like it). We meet for an hour every week, customarily on Sunday after the main service. About 30 minutes of that hour is spent on a lesson, which is assigned by church headquarters. Every RS throughout the world teaches the exact same lesson on exactly the same day. So if you're travelling, and you go to a different congregation, you'll never miss a lesson. It's pretty fantastic.

One of my jobs in the organization is to teach the lesson once a month. This week's lesson was on covenants, and more specifically the Abrahamic covenant. I found the subject material fascinating. Honestly, I find all the lessons fascinating and spiritually filling. I never have enough time to teach all the great stuff I find. Even this week after judiciously crossing out the parts of my lesson that were less important (or perhaps slightly redundant) to leave time for the really important stuff, I still didn't have enough time. So I am left with this bottled up feeling of wanting to teach something I loved, but having no venue for the teaching. So, my readers, I have chosen this blog as my outlet. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

In my lesson we got through the part of 'what specific promises did God make to Abraham and Abraham to God?' (I found this to be very helpful in organizing my understanding of the Abrahamic covenant) and 'as children of Abraham, how does this covenant translate to our situation?' Much of the covenant is found in Genesis 17.

So the part of the lesson I didn't get to is about circumcision, of which I've never really understood the importance.

Genesis 17:10,11, "This is my ^acovenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be ^bcircumcised. And ye shall ^acircumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a ^btoken of the ^ccovenant betwixt me and you."

So it seems that circumcision was a sign of the covenant. The reminder of the promises you've made to God and He to you.

Verse 13 "He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an ^aeverlasting covenant." The line that I loved was "my covenant shall be in your flesh". So the covenant was written on their bodies, where they couldn't forget it. But couldn't they have tattooed themselves? Why cut reproductive organs? This probably seemed drastic to Abraham's camp, who were all circumcised that same day with Abraham. From the LDS Old Testament Institute Manual I found an answer which satisfied me. I quote it here:

“The Abrahamic covenant makes frequent reference to one’s seed. The organ of the body that produces seed and brings about physical birth is the organ on which the token of the covenant was made."

It especially makes sense in thinking about the Law of Moses, which was so much about the physical representations of the spiritual laws. The covenant was written in their flesh, on the part of their bodies which pertained to a hefty portion of the covenant.

But under the new law that Christ established during His mortal ministry (He fulfilled the Law of Moses) circumcision was no longer required. However, they continue to reference it a lot in the New Testament, saying that now God requires a circumcision of the heart, and that this was the point all along. So what is circumcision of the heart? More from the Old Testament manual:

"The organ of spiritual rebirth, is the heart. In many places the Lord speaks of true circumcision as being the circumcision of the heart. The heart that is “circumcised” is one that loves God and is obedient to the Spirit. The “uncircumcised in heart” are wicked, proud, and rebellious.”

So there is a correlation between circumcision under the old law, and loving God and obedience to the Spirit under the new law.

The Lord said in Genesis 17: 14 "And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be ^acut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant."

So following our deductive reasoning, I think it's safe to say that being disobedient and not loving God means we are breaking our covenants, breaking the Abrahamic covenant, and forfeiting the blessings that covenant affords: salvation and exaltation being the most important.

Jeremiah prophesies of change of the token. Jeremiah 31: 31,33

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a ^anew ^bcovenant with the house of ^cIsrael, and with the house of Judah: But this shall be the ^acovenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my ^blaw in their inward parts, and write it in their ^chearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people."

So the questions I would've discussed with my class, and I've been asking myself, and now I ask you, are these:

Is the law written in your inward parts? The token of the old law was imprinted on the people; is the new token as imprinted in the people? in you?

How does being the Lord's covenant people influence your actions, how you present yourself?

My answers are for myself to ponder on.

If you're still reading you deserve a cookie.

Latest projects

2010-08-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

So, Axel is getting ready for kindergarten, and one of the things he needs to bring is a blanket with his name on it. Well I wanted to make him something special to snuggle with at school that would maybe feel like a mama's hug. So I told him to look through my fabric and pick out anything he wanted and I'd make him a blanket out of it. Well, he picked out some plain, boring fabric that I really didn't like. So I got out some cool boyish design fabric. He hated all of it. He's very decisive. So I said, pick something else. I hated the other fabric he picked too. So I said, "Let's go to the fabric store and you can pick out whatever you want and we'll make it." At the fabric store, I told him he could pick any fabric he wanted in a certain area. It was the quilting section, and I like almost everything in there. He headed for the blue and white plaid. "Could I have this?" Mayday! Mayday! How could he pick the one ugly fabric? But then I said, let's look at some more. I said, what about this robot fabric? No. How about this frog fabric? No. How about this skull fabric? (I was reaching.) No. How about this red and white stripe? Yes. Hallelujah! Look this fabric has others that coordinate with it. We decided on 6 fabrics that he really liked, and I didn't think were hideous. We decided on a quilt pattern, I made it. He stayed by the machine a lot, very excited and loving the progress, giving me lots of encouragement.

He loves it, and I got to use my new quilting foot for the first time!

And I made some dresses for the girls. I know, they're a little big, but they'll fit next year too... and maybe the year after that. The greatest part of the dresses is that the top orange fabric is actually an old yucky Tshirt of Paul's that had paint splatters on it, and there were just enough clean spots for me to make the bodices out of it. I love upcycling!

Why are Mormons so funny?

2010-08-02T10:04:00.001-07:00

Converse with children

2010-07-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

In a family home evening lesson Paul asked Maggie, "When Mom asks you to do something, what should you do?"

"Clean up."
I feel like it's all I ever say to them, and that confirmed it.
"Mom, tell me a story about when you were a princess." She's the only one in the world that thinks I'm the kind of person that would be a princess. It's kind of sweet.
While I was upholstering Axel said, "Mom, all you do is work, work, work. Don't you ever take a lunch?" Axel says all kinds of funny things for a five year old. I think it's because he reads.
"I thought Maggie was right behind me, and to my surprise, she was gone!"
Original was said 'org-inal' for a long time, because he learned what it meant from reading and didn't get the pronunciation right. "Mom who was the org-inal owner of the van?"
Paul is so tickled that Axel reads, he is giving him books to read that he loved when he was a kid. Then quizzes him.
"Hey Axel, are all the giants in The BFG nice?"
"Well not all of them. Actually they're really bad."

"Why are they bad?"
"I can't tell you. It's too terrible."
"Is it because they eat children?"
"Yes! How did you know?"
Now that I think of it, the other book he really likes is Robinson Crusoe. Maybe we should lay off the books where people are eating other people.

Tonight for dinner, I really didn't want to make or eat anything. Isn't that unfair that when I don't feel like eating, it's still my job to cook. We'd had whole wheat pancakes for breakfast with nectarines and mangoes. For lunch a big spinach salad, and fruit for snacks. (My kids are awesome eaters! It makes me love them soooooo much.) I was supposed to make Thai Chicken stir fry for dinner, but just really didn't want to. So I suggested that we go to the grocery store and pick out some ice cream for dinner. Paul and the children agreed it was a good idea. Because it was on a great sale, we got two: peanut butter cup and strawberries and cream. It was a very satisfying day. All natural, full fat.

I love saying to the children at the grocery store, "Look very closely at the label and make sure it doesn't say low-fat on it. We only buy the high fat." I especially love it if we are next to someone who is obsessing over the 100 calorie yogurt vs. the 90 calorie. Come on, if you lift that yogurt one more time, you'll burn those 10 calories, sister. Related: "See, that jello says 'no sugar'. In our family we eat real sugar, look for that jello." Big jock passing by gave Axel an encouraging, all-American smile. "Yeah! Eat the real stuff, Buddy." Thank you football-guy.

This pic is for my cousin Brenda, who wants a belly picture. This one was taken by Maggie, when she was playing with the camera. Her height makes the picture so much better.

And yes, there are still 4 more months of growing to do. I know, it's amazing.

My vision, realized.

2010-07-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Before.

Notice how damaged and scratched the wood is.

Strip all fabric, 1/2 inch cardboard strips, and batting.

Tape off, so just the wood shows.

Sand, chemically strip (with a toothbrush, people), stain, rub-on polyurethane.

Cut out all the fabric pieces.

Make 34 yards of welting.

Sew the front pieces together with their single welting.

Working one piece at a time, put the batting on, trim.

Stretch upholstery on. Staple. Staple cardboard trim, to make nice tight corners.

Pat yourself on the back.

Repeat for back. This time, using your scrap fabric (sometimes it comes in handy to have a cupboard full of fabric I can't throw away) before the batting.

Glue on double welting.

Make cushion: cut foam, glue on batting, make cover, assemble. No pictures.

Finished.

Admire the lines.

Admire the clean fabric against the rich and smooth wood.

Stand in awe that anyone would have thrown out this gem. (Remember I pulled this out of the dumpster.)

Sit.

At this point you may be saying, "Alisha why would you upholster in bright white when you have three small children?" Well I wish I could answer, "My children don't make messes and they respect my things."

The truth is, I love love love decorating in color. Bright, bold, invigorating color. The bad thing is, my color taste changes every 3 years - I've discovered. I don't want to buy a new couch every three years. So I've decided to have white and maple wood, and walnut wood be my staples. All long term furniture will be in these, and everything else will change. A white couch and a white piano means that you can paint your wall bright without being too circusy. Now imagine bright, bold patterned pillows on that couch. Bright curtains, colorful art. You might need a few big white pieces to offset all that color.

The trouble is, how could I possibly have a white couch? I looked at many white couches, and at the upholstery fabric they used. All the ones I saw were slip covers, so you could take them off and bleach the cover. That would not work for my couch.

And then I found......

Crypton

And I fell in love. Completely waterproof, practically impossible to stain. So durable it was first only for commercial furniture (like in doctor's waiting rooms). I covered my two side chairs in crypton first, to live on it for a few months before I invested all that money. Chocolate, ketchup, boogers, all wipe off like I was wiping it off the counter. But somehow, it's soft fabric. Worth every penny. So I saved my pennies, I waited for the 50% off-home-dec JoAnn's fabric sale, I waited for the coupon that would give me 10% more percent off, and I special ordered my beautiful, snow white, indestructible crypton. Unfortunately, despite my strict rules for the couch, it's already gotten dirty, and it came clean effortlessly.

boy

2010-07-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

We're having a boy. We're very excited. Everybody knew it was a boy. Here's his little face poking out of the shadows.

Before the ultrasound,

Axel: Mom we're having a boy because that would be fair. Two boys, two girls

Maggie: He'll come out a smiling baby boy.

That sealed the deal, the doctor confirmed it.

We've picked a name: Boone Quayle Reynolds.

He's very active.

Cruise

2010-07-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

We went on a cruise a month ago. It was excellent. Paul and I together, bez (Ukrainian word meaning without, that is way cooler that the French 'sans') children for 9 days. Excellent company, excellent food, excellent locations.

Day 1 -driving. My husband is still cool, and funny.

Day 2 - went to church with some friends in Ft. Lauderdale to their half Haitian, creole speaking ward. Perfect start to an exotic vacation. Disembark on the cruise.

Day 3 - Day at sea. Boring.

Day 4 - Cayman Islands - snorkeling, sting ray swimming, star fish exploring.

Day 5 - Roatan, Honduras - playing with animals, tour of Roatan, beach swimming.

The twins were soooo cute.

Day 6 - Belize - cave tubing - couldn't take pictures, no water camera. Really fun.

Day 7 - Cozumel, Mexico - Mayan ruins of Tuluum

Our tour guide was showing us around. Very interesting. Educating us about the Mayan people. He told us about some of the carvings. One of a God upside down, signifying God coming down from heaven. Interesting...

I spotted a guide wearing a shirt with the words, "Mosiah tours", and sure enough he was an LDS tour guide. He gave us the Mormon version. You can see on this temple, 3 carvings. 1 signifies God the Father, 2 - Jesus, coming down from heaven, 3 - Holy Ghost, empty space.

He showed us a carving, stela, found at a different site, Izapa, which looks remarkably like Lehi's Tree of Life vision. Though, not all LDS scholars agree.

I liked it so much, I bought a replica.

We wore our swimming suits just about constantly.

This day was no exception, because the ruins are right on a cliff on the beach. The water was incredible, all week.

It was my favorite day.

Day 8 - Day at sea. REALLY boring.

Day 9 - Driving home. We super missed our kids. Hardee's Thickburgers helped take the pain away.

Super Update for a Super Long Blog Hiatus

2010-05-19T17:40:00.001-07:00

A few things have happened:

1. I am three months pregnant. Not 6. Just wait till I am six months pregnant and see how big I get. You know how I do.

I was telling Paul at dinner that I probably won't be able to do any cool excursions on the cruise because people never let pregnant ladies do anything cool. Axel said, "Mom, maybe they won't even know you're pregnant, they'll just think you ate a lot of food." That's what I'm hoping for.

2. Said pregnancy necessitated 3rd bedroom, which necessitated move, which happened three weeks ago. Our new house is more than a dream come true.

3. Said move was expensive and unexpected which means we cancelled our trip to Ukraine and are now going for a much less expensive but still very exciting cruise to the Caribbean... in a week.

4. Landlord made me uninstall beautiful shelves I put in. Really!!

5. Paul and I turned 30 and are now real bona fide respectable adults.

6. I got a cell phone, and actually LOVE it.

6. Major, super major flooding happened in Nashville. Our basement got a foot,

which we were ok with considering many people in Nashville had a river running through their house. Literally. This was the entrance to my friend's neighborhood. They were on an island for a while.

It's crazy to recognize most of the places in the youtube video below. It really was a crazy day. And is was Paul's birthday.

I am really proud of my city. There are good people here. I think everyone has shown their true colors through this experience. Countless stories have surfaced about people risking their lives to save someone, usually elderly or disabled, who was stuck in their flooding house.

We did a lot of clean-up. Actually Paul did. I usually was at home with the kids and other people's kids, or making dinner for a family. But there was one day that Paul stayed at home so I could go work. And the destruction was amazing. This street was totally under water. A street I've been on many times. Every house is gutted, no one lives there. Hopefully those people can get FEMA assistance.

I see HVAC systems, drywall, insulation, toilets, kitchen cabinets, furniture in front of homes on almost every street I drive down. I think it'll take a while for the city to clear it all out. Meanwhile, it reminds us that there is still a lot of helping we can do.

On my birthday, I took a few hours off flood relief and finished a bag i started about 2 years ago. Thankfully I still think it's cute.

And I added a big pocket on the back that I wasn't planning on adding 2 years ago. Now I'm ready for the cruise.

I am really craving vegetables, mostly in the form of soup. (My craving for meat thankfully ended a little over a month ago.) I've made roasted red bell pepper soup, borscht, creole tomato soup, carrot dahl soup, carrot-ginger-apple soup, red onion and apple soup with curry, gazpacho, but the latest soup, was a mix of two soups, black bean and butternut squash. Because I was getting back into the blogging spirit, I took a picture of it.

The black bean soup has a lot of bite, and the butternut squash is incredibly buttery, sweet, and creamy (though it has no butter or sugar in it), they are 1+1=3. Ok on their own, but together it feels like a fiesta and facial all at the same time. Just what I need. Not however what Lucy needs. Her diapers the past month have been atrocious.

On that note, I leave you, hopefully not for a month.

The piano

2010-04-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

Lets remember where we started from.

Paint smeared, scuffed, uneven stain, drippy finish.

Old, chipped, yellowed keys. Faded blacks.

Veneer chipping off in places.

And now......

Ісус воскрес!

2010-04-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

In Ukraine there is a lovely traditions that on Easter, instead of greeting people with, "hello", you exclaim, "Jesus Resurrected!" And the people answer back, "He Truly Resurrected!" It was hands down my favorite day in Ukraine. It's bigger than Christmas. People celebrate for days.

I feel to exclaim today that Christ is alive. I feel the joy of it in my heart.

We ate a delicious and way too big dinner with my Russian friend today. We had all my favorite Ukrainian foods: borscht, sourdough rye bread, cheese blintzes, mashed potato crepes, cabbage rolls, potato salad, deviled eggs, torte, and hibiscus tea. I was too busy eating to take pictures but it was delicious. I did take a picture of the Paska - the traditional Easter bread. It's the first time I made it and my husband and kids love it, so I think it turned out.

I am also including this funny and nothing-to-do-with-Easter video of Maggie. She wanted me to take a movie of her dancing, but actually ended up just spinning. I laugh till I cry every time.

Just relaxing

2010-04-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Maggie and I ate fresh-out-of-the-oven bread with blackberry jam out in the cheerful sunlight.

I love jam faces.

My little seedlings are doing nicely. Hopefully they'll make beautiful flowers and vegetables.

I have to guard them from Lucy. This is one of the lucky sunflowers I saved from her leaf plucking tirade.

I finished the yellow table. And it did pick me up.

June Cleaver, may I borrow your pearls?

2010-03-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is turning 30 and really wants a 50's style apron. This is my latest project.

These pockets were sooo fun to make.

Ruffle at the neck.

The best part is, it was free. I'm finally using up some of the fabric my mom bought about the time I was born! I have nightmares that in 20 years I'll still have the fabric I have now. Patiently waiting to be sewn into something, while new little bits of fabric continuously grow around it. Always growing, never diminishing. Yet another way I'm like my mother.

Family pics

2010-03-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Abbie Rufener took this. Look at my husband. Yeow!

Oh, the horror

2010-02-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

I starting putting the piano back together and discovered that I completely missed part of the piano. You see it when the keys are closed. I obviously didn't know that side showed. Ahhhhh!

So, pause all the plans. Not moving in piano this Saturday probably. I haven't actually cried, but I should have. But you can see that it will look really cool when done... in a while, the weather forecast is cold for quite some time, and I'll need to put on at least three coats of pain. I mean paint.

Poop.

Lost tooth

2010-02-08T12:48:00.001-08:00

Pulled it out during nap time at school.

I'd like to bear my testimony...

2010-02-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

about this soap. Axel's school uniform shirt came out of the dryer with a big ugly grease stain on it. I rubbed it down with this soap, left it over night soapy, washed in the morning, that stain was COMPLETELY gone.

Maggie got antiquing stain all over her pants, shirt, and coat. Fels-Naptha got it out.

I don't want to go as far as to say that laundry is now a pleasure, but I do think, "I wonder if it can get this out?" I feel like I'm on a commercial: (in an energetic announcer type voice) And the stain is gone!

I started making my own laundry soap, not because I'm super green, or because I like no dyes and perfumes, but because I can buy it in bulk and it doesn't take up much room and it works as my year supply while I go through it. There are not many soaps that can double as hand washing soap and washing machine soap, and this does. Plus I do like being green and babying my daughter's eczema.

The recipe:

Equal parts grated Fels-Naptha, Borax, and Washing soda. Use 2 Tbls./load. Really, that's all, and it works.

When I have a really bad stain, like the two examples above, I just rub the soap right on the clothes, and it's taken just about everything out. Blood, I still have to use oxiclean on. Nothing beats oxiclean for getting blood out.

Do you have any stain removing tips?

2010-02-04T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today I put on the 6th and, I think, last coat of paint. Saturday, install new keys.

By the way, got this piano for free from some kindly people in our ward. 4 years ago they stood up in church and said, anybody want a free piano? My hand shot up. I'm a sucker for free stuff.

This is my new/old project. I saved this couch from a dumpster about 3 years ago. It's not smelly, it's really sturdy. The wood is a little chipped and paint rubbed, the upholstery is junko, but it's biggest flaw is there's no bottom cushion.

I fell in love instantly. I dragged it out. That took a while to do by myself and not damage it. Then I had to find a truck to transport it to my house, it was at a friend's dumpster, and to add to the head-ache, it started to rain. While driving in a different part of town, there was a random HUGE heavy duty plastic sheet balled up on the sidewalk of a busy street. It was like a sign from heaven from the deceased first owner of the couch who still loved it. I jumped out at the red light (again, how convenient) grabbed the bag, drove to the couch, and covered it, so the rain wouldn't wreck the delicate carving of the wood. Here it is before you. Beautiful.

However, Paul is hoping it exits the back entry soon.
Look at those arms.

Today I removed about 300 little tiny nails holding the upholstery on.

A few funny things from the kids.

While cleaning up near the kids room while Maggie was supposed to be sleeping, but 1 hour later STILL crying, I heard her hopeless voice, between sobs, "I can't do this!"

I read a story to Axel about a moose who fell in love with the most beautiful moose in the forest, not for her beauty, but for her heart. I said, "We love people for their heart, don't we? Do you love Mom because she's beautiful, or for her heart?" Axel answered with a sweet voice and smile, "Because you're beautiful." I didn't correct him. What a good boy.